FACE OF THE COUNTRY, Scc.^-BOOK II. 
m 
hey locust, perfectly open, as though planted by art. Those of 
the shrubby kind, are usually on tracts of ground, apart from the 
groves of larger trees. They are the plum tree, catalpa, dog¬ 
wood, spice wood, and the different species of the sumack.—«. 
The prairies, or natural meadows, are covered with grass and a 
profusion of flowers. Herds of cattle, of two or three hundred, 
are seen, and contribute to the pleasure of viewing these natural 
meads. The Big prairie , through which the public road passes, 
is a delightful spot; it is about eight miles long, and four broad, 
enclosed by woods, and interspersed with beautiful groves, re¬ 
sembling small islands. It is not surpassed in beauty by the ar¬ 
tificial meadow, improved with the greatest care. In passing 
through these prairies in the spring, the traveller may stop un¬ 
der the shady trees, by the road side, and suffer his horse to feed, 
while he feasts on strawberries of a superior size and flavor.-^. 
A number of good farms are scattered round the edges of the 
prairie, and a few within. 
This description, may give some idea of the country to the 
S. W. as far as the Arkansas. Except, that the prairies are 
more extensive, the lakes and the inundations towards the Mis¬ 
sissippi, more considerable, and every thing on a larger scale.. 
But, it is extremely difficult, to give a correct notion of the to¬ 
pography of a country, from bare description; a well executed 
map would be indispensably necessary. 
The soil of the prairie, is more light and loose than in the 
woods, and has a greater mixture of sand: but, when wet, it as¬ 
sumes every where, a deep black color, and an oily appearance. 
Judging from the borders of the lakes, and the wells which have 
been dug, this soil does not seem to be more than three feet 
deep. But after digging through a stratum of sand, there ap¬ 
pears a kind of clay, of a dirty yellow, and of a saponaceous ap¬ 
pearance; this is the substratum of the whole country, and is 
perhaps a kind of marie, the deposit of very ancient alluvia. No 
stones are met with in any of these wells, that I have heard of. 
The greatest objection to this country is the want of foun¬ 
tains and running streams. Water is procured in wells of the 
depth of twenty-five or thirty feet; but the taste is not agreeable? 
o 
