42 
distance amounts, in a straight line, to about twelve miles; 
some marshy islands covered with cane and shallows, lengthen 
the passage to fourteen miles. The Emeline, Captain Fow¬ 
ler, is the smallest steam-boat that I ever saw. She is only of 
thirty-two tons burthen, is built of planks, which are laid over 
each other without ribs, like a skiff, and the engine, a low pressure, 
has only eight horse-power. The boat belongs to the captain, 
and, with its engine, was constructed in New York. When it 
left that city to sail for Mobile, no insurance company would un¬ 
dertake to underwrite it, and Mr. Fowler was compelled to come 
on his individual risk. His capital embarked in it, will, never¬ 
theless, produce a very good profit. Yet the smallest steam-boats 
which navigate the Florida and Alabama rivers, are insured. 
Some are too old and rotten for any company to insure, es¬ 
pecially as the navigation on these rivers is so dangerous, that 
the few good vessels must give one per cent, monthly, as a pre¬ 
mium. 
From the water side, Mobile, with its ships in harbour, has 
a pretty appearance. We had also a handsome view of Mo¬ 
bile Bay, in which we counted nine ships of various sizes stretch¬ 
ing in. A number of wild ducks flew about among the islands. 
In two hours we crossed the bay, and landed at five o’clock in 
the evening at Blakely. 
This place has a very good situation, on rather an elevated 
bank, in a grove nearly composed of live oaks, of which some 
are full twenty feet in circumference. A bushy kind of palm 
tree grows here which is called Spanish bayonet, which appears 
to partake of the nature of the macaw trees. Blakely was found¬ 
ed in the year 1816, by a Mr. Blakely, dead about five years 
since, and then sold to various speculators. This place was es¬ 
tablished to injure Mobile, and to draw the commerce of that 
place away from it. The design has, however, failed of success. 
Mobile is superior in capital, and Blakely has injured itself alone. 
Upon the shore stand two large wooden buildings in ruins, the 
smallest part of them only is rented, and used as stores. On the 
eminence behind these buildings are placed about twenty wooden 
houses, of which the largest is the only tavern, and it is really 
a respectable one. We took our lodging there. The houses are 
very neatly built, with projecting roofs and piazzas, and surrounded 
with gardens. Some, however, are deserted, and exhibit the de¬ 
cay of the place. A large wooden edifice two stories high, pro¬ 
vided with a cupola, was originally intended for an academy; 
from the want of scholars, this academy has never been in opera¬ 
tion, the building therefore is used as a place of worship, and as 
a court-house. The number of inhabitants cannot exceed two 
hundred. 
