TRAVELS IN' 
4*^ 
unknown family, called Indian lettuce, made Its firft 
appearance in thefe rich vales; it is a biennial; the 
primary or radical leaves are fomewhat fpatuled, 
or broad, lanceolate, and obtufe pointed, of a pale 
yellowilh green, fmooth furface, and of a delicate 
frame, or texture; thefe leaves ip read equally on 
every fide, almoft reclining on the ground; from 
their centre arifes a ftraight upright ftem, five, fix, 
or feven feet high, fmooth and poliihed ; the ground 
of a dark purple colour, which is elegantly pow- 
dered with greeniih yellow ipecks ; the Item, three- 
fourths of its length, is embellifhed with narrow 
leaves, nearly of the fame form with the radical ones, 
placed at regular diftances, in verticilate order. T he 
fuperior one-fourth divifion of this flem is formed 
into a pyramidal Ipike of flowers, rather diffiife ; 
thefe flowers are of the hexandria, large, and ex- 
panded; of a dark purple colour, delicately pow- 
dered with green, yellow, and red, and divided 
into fix parts, or petals ; thefe are fucceeded by tri- 
quetrous dry pericarpi, when ripe, 
This great ridge is a vail extended projection of 
the Cherokee or Alegany mountains, gradually in^ 
creafmg in height and extent, from its extremity 
at the Lick, to its union with the high ridge of 
mountains anciently called the Apalachian moun- 
tains ; it every where approaches much nearer die 
waters of the Alatamaha than thofe of the Savanna, 
At one particular place, where we encamped, on 
the Great Ridge, during our repole there part of 
a day, our hunters going out, underftanding that 
their route v/as to the low lands on the Ocone, 
I accompanied them : we had not rode above 
three miles before we came to the banks of that 
beautiful river. The cane fwamps, of immenfe 
extent, and the oak for efts, on the level lands. 
