451 
GEORGIA. 
valuable articles raifed in otlier parts of tlie globe litii- 
ated in the fame latitudes, yet the inliabitants princi¬ 
pally cultivate indigo, rice, tobacco, Indian corn, and 
fonie wheat; and they raife large Hocks of black cattle, 
horfes, mules, hogs, ilieep, and poultry. The flieep are 
faid to make the iweetell: mutton in the world. The 
black cattle, when fat enough forfale, which they com¬ 
monly are the year round, are driven acrols the country 
to New Orleans, where there is always a good market. 
The woods are principally timbered with all the differ¬ 
ent kinds of oak, but moltly with live oak of the largeff 
and bell quality, uncommonly large cyprefs, black wal¬ 
nut, hickory, w'hite afh, cherry, plum, poplar trees, 
and grape vines; here is found alfo a great variety of 
-fhrubs and medicinal roots. The lands bordering the 
rivers and lakes are generally well wooded, but at a 
fmall diftance from them are very extenlive natural 
meadows, or favannas, of the mod luxuriant foil, coni- 
pofed of a black mould, about a foot and a half deep, 
very loofe and rich, occafioned in part by the frequent 
burning of the favannas; below the black mould is a 
ffiff clay of different colours. It is faid this clay, after 
being expofed fome time to the fun, becomes fo hard 
that it is difficult either to break or bend, but when wet 
by a light ffiower of rain, it flackens in the fame manner 
as lime does when expofed to moifture, and becomes 
lool’e and moulders away, after which it is found excel¬ 
lent for vegetation.” 
After palling the thirty-firft degree of north latitude 
from Weft Florida into Georgia, we enter what is called 
the Natchez Country, bordering on the Miflillippi. Fort 
Rofailie, in this country, is in lat. 31.40. two hundred 
and forty-three miles above New Orleans. “The foil 
of this country is I'uperior to any of the lands on the 
borders of the river Milliflippi, for the production ot 
many articles. Its (ituation being higher, aft'ords a 
greater variety of foil, and is in a more favourable cli¬ 
mate for the growth of wheat, rye, barley, oats, &c. 
than the country lower down, and nearer to the fea. 
The foil alfo produces in equal abundance Indian corn, 
rice, hemp, flax, indigo, cotton, pot.herbs, pulfe of 
every kind, and pafturage ; and the tobacco made here 
is efteemed preferable to any cultivated in other parts of 
America. Hops grow wild ; all kinds of FAiropean 
fruits arrive to great perfedtion, and no part ot the 
known world is more favourable for the railing of every 
kind of ftock. The rifmg grounds, which are clothed 
with grafs and other herbs of the lineft verdure, are well 
adapted to the culture of vines; the mulberry trees are 
very numerous, and the winters fufficiently moderate 
for the breed of filk W'orms. Clay of different colours, 
fit for glafs-works and pottery, is found here in great 
abundance; and alfo a variety of ftately timber, fit for 
lioule and Ihip building, &c.” 
This country was once famous for its inhabitants, the 
Natchez Indians; who, from their- great number, and 
the improved ftate of fociety among them, were confi- 
dered as the moll civilized Indians on the continent of 
America. Nothing now remains of this nation hut their 
name, by which their country continues to be called. 
The diftriit of the Natchez, as well as ail along the 
eaftern bank of the Milliflippi to the river Ibberville, 
was fettling very faft by emigrations from the northern 
ftates, till the capture of the Britifli troops on the Mif- 
fiflippi, in 1779, put an entire flop to it. 
From Fort Rofailie to the Petit Goufre is thirty-one ' 
miles and a half. There is a firm rock on the eaft fide 
of the Milliflippi for near a mile, which feems to be of 
the nature of lime-ftone. The land near the river is 
much broken and very high, with a good foil, and fe- 
veral plantations on it. From the Petit Goufre to 
Stoney river is four miles and a quarter. From the mouth 
to what is called the fork of this river, is computed to 
be twenty-one miles. In this diftance there are feveral 
quarries of llonej and the land has a clay foil, with 
gravel on the furface 0^the ground. On the north fide 
of this rivmr, the land in general is low and rich; that 
on the fouth fide is much higher, but broken into hills 
and vales ; but here the low lands are not often over¬ 
flowed : both fides are fhaded-with a variety of ufeful 
timber. At the fork, the river parts almoft at right 
angles, and the lands betwxenand on each fide of them 
are faid to be clay and marl foil, not fo uneven as the 
lands, on this river lower down. I'rom Stoney river to 
Loula ChiWo, or Big Black river, is ten miles. This 
river, at the mouth, is about thirty yards wide, but 
within from thirty to fifty yards, and is'laid to be navi¬ 
gable for canoes thirty or forty leagues. About a mile 
and a half up this river, the high lands are clofe on the 
right, and are much broken. A mile and a half fur¬ 
ther, the high lands appear again on the right, whei e 
there are fever.tl fprings of water, but none as yet have 
been difeovered on the left. At about eight miles fur¬ 
ther, the high lands are near the river on the left, and 
appear to be the fame range that comes from the Yaxoo 
cliffs. At fix miles further, the high lands are near the 
river on both (ides, and continue for two or tliree miles, 
but broken and full of fprings of water. This land on 
the left was cholen by general Putnam, captain Enos, 
Mr. Lyman, and other New-Engl.md adventurers, as a 
proper place for a town ; and, by order ot the governor 
and council of Weft Florida, in 1773, it was referyed 
for the capital. The country round is very fit tor fet- 
tlements. For four or five miles above this place, on 
both fides of the river, the land is rich, and not lb much 
drowned, nor fo uneven, as -fome parts lower down. 
About fix miles and a halt further, there is a rapid w'a- 
ter, ftpnes and gravel bottom, 160 yards in length ; and 
in one place a firm rock almoft acrols the river, and aa; 
much of it bare when the water is at a moderate height, 
as confines the ftream to nearly twenty teet; and the 
channel is about four feet deep. 
From the Loufa Chitto to the Yazoo Clifts, is forty 
miles. From this clift'the high lands lie north-eaftward 
and fouth-fouth-eaftward, bearing oft from the river, 
full of cane and rich foil, even on the very higheft 
ridges. Juft at thefouth-end ot the clifts, the bank is 
low, where the water of the Miflillippi, when high, 
flows back, and runs between the bank and high land, 
which ranges nearly northerly and fouth-fouth-eailerly 
to the Loufa Chitto, occalioning much-wet ground, cy- 
prel's fwamp, and Itagnant ponds. l''rom the clifts, is 
feven miles and a half to the river Yazoo. The mouth 
ot this river is upwards ot one hundred yards in,width, 
and was found by IVIr. Gaul to be in lat. 32. 37. and by 
Mr. Purcell in 32.28.N. The water of the Miftillip- 
pi, when the river as high, runs up the \ azoo feveral 
miles, and empties itfelf again by a number ot channels, 
which direct their couife acrols the country, and tall iu 
above the Walnut Hills. 1 he Yazoo runs from the 
north-eaft, and glides through a healthy, fertile, and 
plealant, country, greatly refembling that about the 
Natchez, particularly in the luxuriance and diverfity ot 
its foil, variety of tiiBber, temperature of climate, and 
delightful lituatiop. It is remarkably well watered by 
fprings and brooks ; many of the latter aftord conve. 
nient feats for fiaills. Further up this river tlte canes 
are lefs frequent, and fmaller in fize, and at the diftante 
of twenty miles there are fcarcely any. Here the coiuu 
try is clear of under-wood, and well watered, and the 
foil very ricli, which continues to the Chablaw and 
Chickafaw towns, on the eaftern and north-wefterji 
branches of Yazoo river. Thefe branches unite titty 
miles from the Miflillippi, following the courfe of the 
river; the navigation to their junction, commonly called 
the Fork, is pradlicable with very large boats in the 
fpring feafon, and with fmaller ones a confiderable way 
further, w'ith the interruption of but one fall, where 
they are obliged to make a Ihort portage, twenty miles 
up the north-weftern branch, and leventy miles from 
