VIEWS OF LOUISIANA 
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dements scattered through it. This country, it is certain, call? 
never become agricultural, but it is in many respects highly fa¬ 
vourable to the multiplication of flocks and herds. Those de¬ 
lightful spots where the beauty and variety of landscape, might 
challenge the fancy of the poet, invite to the pastoral life. How 
admirably suited to that interesting animal, the sheep* are those 
clean smooth meadows, of a surface infinitely varied by hill and 
dale, covered with a short sweet grass intermixed with thou¬ 
sands of the most beautiful flowers, undeformed by a single 
weed I 
This contraction of the settlements will have its advantages.- 
The territory we possessed before the acquisition of Louisiana, 
would not have been filled up for a great length of time : it will 
require ages, and even centuries before our lands can be culti¬ 
vated as in Europe, or before the population presses on the means 
of subsistence. A thin and scattered population is a disadvantage 
as it weakens a nation, and retards the progress of improvements. 
There is also a consideration which will strike at the first view ; 
the vast open plains which separate ms from the Mexican pro¬ 
vinces will for a long time prevent any serious difficulties as to 
boundary where there exists so little data for determining it. 
To dilate upon the political advantages of the acquisition ef 
Louisiana would fill a volume. It may be regarded as one of the 
most fortunate occurrenoes in our history. Had this country 
continued in the hands of any other power, it is highly probable 
that we should have been involved in expensive wars, or per¬ 
haps a separation of the western states might have taken place. 
To these states the free navigation of the Mississippi is abso¬ 
lutely necessary, and while Louisiana remained in the posses¬ 
sion of any European nation it would always have been subject 
to interruption. This consideration alone would have been worth 
the price paid for the province. The connection between the ex¬ 
istence of a republic and the extent of its territory, is still a vex- 
ata questio amongst politicians, and can only be decided by the 
experiment of ours. I will only venture to suggest one idea. In 
a small extent of country there is danger from the momentary 
bias of popular opinion ; the fiermanent interests , may not be 
sufficiently diversified, and should the confederacy divide on tins 
