TRAVELS IN 
courfing through the green plains ; and dark pro- 
montories, or obtufe projections of the fide- long 
acclivities, alternately advancing or receding on 
the verge of the illumined native fields, to the ut- 
moft extent of fight. The fumrnits of the acclivi- 
ties afford, befides the foreft trees already recited, 
Haleiia, Ptelea, Circis, Cornus Florida and Amor- 
pha. The upper mound or terrace holds up a dilated 
level plain of excellent land, for the diftance of five 
or fix miles* in width, which is a high forefl of the 
majeflic trees already mentioned, as Quercus tinclo- 
ria, Juglans nigra, Moms, Ulmus, Tilia, Gleditfia, 
Juglans hiccory, kc. The' land after this diftance, 
though almoft Mat and level, becomes leaner ; the 
vegetative mould or furface is fhallower, on a 
ftratum of tenaceous humid clay, for the diftance 
of fifteen or twenty miles, more or lefs, according 
to the diftance of the next great river ; prefenting 
to our view a fine expanfe of level grafty plains, 
detached for efts and groves of .Quercus alba, Q^ 
lobata, Q. phiilos, Q^ hemifpherica, Q^aquatica, 
•with entire groves of the fplendid Nyfla fylvatica 
sand perfumed Liquidambar ftyraciflua, vaft Cane 
meadows, and laftly a chain of grafty favannas. 
Immediately from this we began to afcend gra- 
dually the moft elevated, gravelly and ftony ridge, 
confiding of parallel chains of broken fwellmg 
bills, the very higheft chain frequently prefenting 
to view cliffs of the ferruginous rocks and red 
clay already noticed. This laft mentioned high 
ridge divides the waters of the great rivers from 
each other, whence arife the fources of their nume- 
rous lateral branches, gradually increafing as they 
wind about the hills, fertilizing the vales and level 
plains, by their "inundations, as they pour forth 
from the vaft humid forefts and fliaded prolific hills, 
. and 
