453 
GEO 
alraoft impenetrable ; there is alfo plenty of remarkable 
large red and white cedar, cyprel's, elm, afii, hickory, 
and various kinds of oak. Several people liave fettled 
on this river, who find the foil to anfwer beyond expec¬ 
tation. The lands near the mouth of the Mobile are 
generally low ; as we proceed upwards, the land grows 
higher, and may with propriety be-divided into three 
ftages. Firft, low rice lands, on or near the banks of 
tile river, of a mofi: excellent quality. Secondly, what 
are called by the people of the country, fecond low 
lands, or level flat cane lands, about four or five feet 
higher than the low rice lands. And, thirdly, the high 
upland or open country. The firft, or lov/ lands, ex¬ 
tend about an half or three-quarters of a mile from the 
river, and may almoft every where be eafily drained and 
turned into moft excellent rice fields, and are capable of 
being laid under water at a'moft all feafons of the year. 
They are a deep black mud or dime, which have in a 
fuccclfion of time been accumulated, or formed by the 
overflowing of the river. The fecond low grounds 
being, in general, formed by a regular rifing of about 
four or five feet higJier than the low lands, appear to 
have been originally the edge of the river. The fecond 
dais or kind of land is in general extremely rich, and 
covered with large timber and thick ftrong canes, ex¬ 
tending in width upon an average three-quarters of a 
mile, and in general a perfect level. It is excellent for 
all kinds of grain, and well calculated for the culture 
of indigo, hemp, flax, or tobacco. At the extremity 
of thefe fecond grounds, we come to what is called the 
uplands, which is covered with pine, oak, and hickory, 
and other kinds of large timber. The foil is of a good 
quality, but much inferior to the fecond or low land. 
It anfwers well for raifing Indian corn, potatoes, and 
every thing elfe that delights in a dry foil. Further 
out in the country again, on the weft fide of this river, 
we come to a pine barren, with extenfive reed fwamps 
and natural meadows or favannas, which afford excel¬ 
lent ranges for innumerable herds of cattle. On the 
eaft of the Mobile, towards the river Alabama, is one 
entire extended rich cane-country, not inferior, perhaps, 
to any in America. Whenever portages are made be¬ 
tween the Mobile and Tenneflee, or their branches, 
w-hich are probably but a lew miles apart, the Mobile 
will be the firft river for commerce (the Milliflippi ex¬ 
cepted) in this part of the W'orld, as it affords the 
fiiorteft and moft direft communication to the fea.” 
The principal rivers which meander through this 
tradl of country, are Seprey’s and Cane-Brake rivers, 
both which fall into the Tombigbee, and are navigable 
for boats as high as the thirty-third degree of latitude ; 
and the Cawhawbon river, which falls into the Alaba¬ 
ma, below the jun6|ion of Coofa and Oatfulkee, are 
boatable as far north as the rivers laft mentioned. The 
foil on tile eaft fide of Tombigbee, according to colonel 
Hammond, furveyor-general of Georgia, is of a reddifli 
eaft, producing naturally oak, hickory, and abundance 
of very high grafs. The country appears well calcu¬ 
lated for the culture of wheat, corn, rye, oats, and 
barley. The bottoms or intervales ©u the rivers are 
not lubjedl to inundations, and are exceedingly rich. 
The country is W'eli watered with good wholefome wa- 
tei-. Further noi>ih, the country becomes uneven and 
fomewhat hilly, that part particularly which divides 
the waters of Tombigbee from Tenneflee river; but as 
you defeend to a lower latitude, the country is more 
level ; and down about the mouth of Cane Brake river, 
and thence acrofs to the Alabama, is almoft one entire 
j^ane brake. 
The ridge which divides the Tombigbee and Alaba- 
ma rivers is ftony, and the foil inferior to that on the 
rivers; of this delcription alfo is the country lying be. 
tween the Cawhawbon and Alabama rivers ; buT the 
bottom lands on the water-courfes are exceedingly rich, 
VoL. VIII. No. 516. • 
R G 1 A. 
The country is pleafant and healthy, being generally 
overgrown with high grafs, well calculated for farming, 
particularly for raifing cattle. There are many exteii- 
five and rich botlom.s of cane-land on th.e Alabama. 
Tlie river which falls into the Tombigbee next above 
Seprey’s river, has much rich land on.its banks, and is 
boatable fome diftance in fmall boats, and fpreads into 
many branches, through a pleafant, healthy, and well- 
watered, country. As we advance eaftward of the Ala¬ 
bama, we come firft to the Efcambia river, and then to 
the Chatta Katcha, or Pea river, which Capt. Hutchins 
thus deferibes :—The river Efcambia is the moft confi. 
, derable that fails info the Bay of Pcnfacola. The 
Chatta Hatciia or Pea river, which alfo heads in the Geor¬ 
gia Weftern Territory, empties from the north-eaft into 
Rofe Bay, which is thirty miles long, and from four to 
fix broad. The bar at the entrance into the bay lias 
only feven or eight feet water at deepeft ; but, after 
crofting the bar, has fixteea or feventeen feet. The 
moutlis of the river (for almoft all the louthern rivers 
have feveral mouths) are fo ftioal, that only a I'mall 
boat or canoe can'pafs them. Mr. Hutchins afeended 
this river about feventy-five miles, and found that its 
banks very mucli referabled thofe of Efcambia. Fur¬ 
ther to the. eaft are tlie Appalachicola, Flint, and Ala- 
baha, rivers, which the reader will find deferibed under 
tlieir refpe6tive he.ads. 
The northern parts of this territory are watered by 
the great bend of the Tenneffee, and its tributary 
ftreains. This noble river bends fouthward as far as 
latitude 34. 15. and divides, into nearly equal parts, the 
purchafe of the Tenneflee company. North of the Ten- 
neffee-, in this purchafe, there is not an Indian inhabi¬ 
tant. From the fouth, the 'lennefl’ee, in its courfe 
through Georgia, receives, befides fmaller ftreams, the 
Hiwaffee, Chiccamauga, and Occochappo or Bear creek. 
Travellers fpeak of the lands on the bend of the Ten- 
neffee, in terms of the liigheft commendation. 
Of the territory deferibed above, the ftate of Georgia, 
by aft of their legiflature, palled Jan. 7, 1795, Ibid 
about twenty-two millions of acres to four difterent 
companies, whofe names and the limitsof tlieir refpedtive 
purchafes, as defined by the adt, as follow : 
1. “ All that tradt or parcel of land, including iflands, 
beginning on Mo,bile bay, v/here the lat. 31. N. of the 
equator interfed'es the lame, running thence up the laid 
bay to the mouth of the lake 1 enfaw ; thence up the 
faid lake Tenfaw to the Alabama river, including Cur- 
rey’s and all other iflands therein ; thence up the faid 
river Alabama to the junftion of the Coofa and Oak- 
fulkee rivers ; thence up the Coofa river, above the Big- 
Shoals, to where it interfedts the latitude of 34. N. of 
the equator; thence a due weft courfe to the Milliflippi 
river; thence down tlie middle of the laid river to tiie 
latitude ol 32. 40. thence a due eaft courfe to the Dan 
o'r Tombigbee river ; thence down the middle of the 
faid river to its Junction with the Alabama river • 
thence down the middle of the faid river to Mobile bay; 
thence down the laid Mobile bay, to tlie place of be¬ 
ginning; lliall be fold unto James Gun, Matthew M‘A 1 . 
lifter, and George Walker, and their affociates, called 
Tht Georgia Company 
2. “All that traft of country, including iflands, 
within t.he tollowing boundaries, viz. beginning on the 
river Milliflippi, at 31. 18. N. lat. thence a due eaft 
courfe to the middle of Dan or Tombigbee river; 
thence up the middle of the faid river 10 N. Lit. 32. 40. 
thence a due weft courfe along tlie Georgia Company 
line, to the river Miiuflippi; thence down the middle of 
the lame to the place oi' beginning ; ftiall be fold to Ni¬ 
cholas Long, 1 l(onias Giaflcock, Ambrole Gordon, and 
Thomas Cummings, and their alTociates, called. The 
Georgia Mijjijjippi Company,’' 
3. “All that tract of country^ including iflands’, 
5 Z within 
