106 
VIEWS OF LOUISIANA. 
owing most probably to their being lined with mulberry, which-• 
soon decays, and gives its taste to the water. Mr. Rawle, near- 
New Madrid, has erected a mill on the lakes, on a new construe- 
tion, requiring no natural fall; the wheel runs horizontally, and 
entirely under water. 
On the other side of the Big prairie, as we advance to the 
Mississippi, the soil appears to be stronger, and the vegetation 
exceedingly luxuriant. Trees are seen of the most towering 
height, thick underwood, and enormous vines, binding, as it 
were, those sturdy giants, to the earth, and to each other. To 
clear those forests, requires an immense labor, but the Amer¬ 
ican settlers, usually prefer them, from the superior quality of 
the land. The creole, on the contrary, generally makes choice of 
the open ground or prairie. The one, whom scarcely any con¬ 
sideration will persuade to remain long in the same place, choos¬ 
es a soil which promises to last for ever, while the other, who is 
seldom induced to change, sits down on land that may wear out 
in a few years. 
Notwithstanding the variety of beauties, which attract the at¬ 
tention of the traveller, in passing through these low lands, yet 
one who has been accustomed « to the pleasant vicissitude of 
hill and dale,” becomes at length wearied with the sameness of 
the scenery, and experiences a relief, on emerging to the high 
land at Cape Girardeau. From this place, to the Missouri, the 
country may be called hilly and broken, but with excellent flats, 
or bottoms, on the creeks and rivulets, of a width usually pro¬ 
portioned to the size of the stream. The river hills of the Mis¬ 
sissippi, perhaps from five to ten miles out, are in many places 
far from being prepossessing. They are badly watered, have many 
rugged and abrupt acclivities; and considerable precipices on the 
river. A strange appearance is also given by the number of fun¬ 
nels, or sink holes, formed by the washing of the earth into fissures 
ol the limestone rock, on which the country reposes. In other 
places, flint knobs present themselves, strewed with rude mas¬ 
ses of horn stone, and affording a s *anty nourishment to a few 
straggling black jacks, or groves of pine. But it is not to be 
understood that this forms the greatest proportion of the lands, 
