131 



This was the turning" point of my homeward journey; but I dc- 

 ; to visit Mount Lebanon in Bienville parish, and therefore 

 deviated from the straight road, leading to a lied River landing. 



Bienville pariah is less thickly settled, and the plantations seem 

 to be farther apart than in any other of the northern parishes, until 

 Mount Lebanon is reached, which is the center of one of the wealthiest 

 ghborhoods in that part of the State. The place is situated on 

 an elevation, and contains numerous good houses and many stores. 

 There is a small factory in operation here, making jeans and striped 

 ■cotton cloth, and an institution of learning, intended to be of a high 

 !e, was in a llourishing condition before the war, but has now 

 dwindled down to an academy of some local importance. 



1 wits hospitably entertained here by Dr. Bartholomew Egan and 

 Dr. J. C. Egan, and I am under obligations to both these gentlemen 

 for their courtesy and kind attention. 



In a botanical point of view Bienville parish presents greater in- 

 terest than ail the other northern parishes combined. I found here 

 many specimens of rare occurrence, which have not been seen any 

 where else; but this indicates merely that the soil is poorer and 

 agriculture is less llourishing, which is really the fact, for with the 

 exception of a few localities the uplands are principally composed 

 of pure sand, and consequently are valueless for cultivation. The 

 timber is however of good size, and sawmills might do a profitable 

 business here. 



lit Lebanon is only eight miles from Sparta, which is the | 

 site, but presents nothing else of interest. It is built on a sandy 

 liat, bordered on each side by a low swamp. Here I found the 

 froelichia Floridana, a plant that prospers in sandy soil, and grows 

 abundantly in Florida. 



From Sparta to Binggold the road passes over a bridge that 

 spans Black Lake, which is over a quarter of a mile long, and is 

 perhaps the best construction of that kind in North Louisiana. 

 Ringgold is the central point of a prosperous settlement, has several 

 stores, a meeting house and a masonic lodge. From there to Spring- 

 ville, in Red river parish, the road is more level than usual, but the 

 country seems to be very thinly settled. Before Cachutla was built 

 up as the parish site Springville was a prosperous town, but it is 

 now in an extremely dilapidated condition, and the vacant store- 

 s are all falling to decay. 



