Travels 
feveral miles led us near the Alabama, within two 
or three miles of its banks : the furface of the 
land is broken into hills and vales, fome of 
them of confide rable elevation, covered with fo~ 
jrefts of {lately trees, fuch as already mentioned,, 
but they are of a much larger growth than thofe of 
the fame kind which grow in the Southern or inha- 
bited parts of Georgia and Carolina. We now 
left the river at a good diftance, the Alabama 
bearing away Southerly, and entered a vaft open 
foreft which continued above feVenty miles, Eaft 
and Weft, without any considerable variation, gene- 
rally a level plain, except near the banks of creeks 
that courfe through : the foil on the furface is a duf- 
ky brownifti mould or Tandy loam, on a foundation 
of ftiff clay ; and the furface, pebbles or gravel mix- 
ed with clay on the fummits of the ridges: the fo- 
refts confift chiefly of Oak, Hiccory, Alb, Sour 
Gum (Nyfla fylvatica), Sweet Gum (Liquidambar 
ftyraciflua), Beech, Mulberry, Scarlet Maple, Black 
walnut. Dog wood, Cornus Florida, FEfcuIus pa- 
via, Prunus Indica, Ptelea, and an abundance of 
Chefnut (Fag. caftanea) on the hills, with Pinus tas- 
da and Pinus lutea. During our progrefs over this 
vaft high foreft, we crofted extenftve open plains, 
the foil gravelly, producing a few trees and fiirubs 
or 'undergrowth, which were entangled with Grace 
O J C 1 j 
vines (Vitis campeftris) of a peculiar ipecies 5 the 
bunches (racemes) of fruit were very large, as were 
the grapes that compofed them, though yet green 
and not fully grown, but when ripe they are of va- 
rious colours, and their juice fweet and rich. The 
Indians gather great quantities of them, which they 
prepare for keeping, by firfi fweating them on hur- 
dles over a gentle fire, and afterwards drying them 
on their bunches in the fun and air, and ftore them 
up 
