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all the trees, wild vines branched aloft, partly from thick 
trunks; also many locust trees grew about here. In the garden 
of the plantation, there stood a large bush of the champagne 
rose, as it is called, which appeared very beautiful, as it was in 
full bloom, and diffused a delicious odour. The raising of bees 
was carried on at this plantation. The vegetation was as far ad¬ 
vanced almost, as it is in Germany about June. The right bank 
of the stream still belongs to Louisiana, the left side however, is 
in Mississippi. Before we reached Fort Adams, we saw to the 
left of us the broad Red river, emptying itself into the Missis¬ 
sippi two hundred and thirty-two miles from New Orleans. 
I take the liberty of inserting the following account of this 
river, which is given in the 66 Western Navigator,” a work which 
is published with charts of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers: 
“ The Red river falls into the Mississippi a little to the south of 
the thirty-first degree of north latitude. At its mouth it is about 
five hundred yards wide, and its general breadth is between two 
hundred and fifty and three hundred yards. The main branch 
of this majestic stream rises in the Mexican range of mountains 
eastward from Santa F6, in nearly the thirty-sixth degree of north 
latitude. It flows about one hundred miles in a north-eastern 
direction, unites itself with another broad branch coming from 
the north-west, makes then a great circuit towards the south-east, 
and follows this direction to the Mississippi for the distance of 
fifteen hundred miles. The country about the lower half of the 
Red river is pretty well examined, and found equal to the other 
part of Louisiana in fertility, except about fifty miles from the 
Mississippi, which district is exposed to annual inundations. 
The cotton and the tobacco raised about Natchitoches and at the 
Rapids, are of the best quality, and command the highest priceSo 
Besides many small craft, the trade employs several steam-boats 
at Natchitoches. The bed and shores of this river consists of 
clear red sand, mixed with clay and gravel, the same colour is 
imparted to the water.” 
On the morning of the 29th March we reached Natchez, and 
made a stop of some hours, to repair a leaky boiler. I employed 
this leisure in writing some letters of thanks to New Orleans. 
This occupied so much of my time, that I was not able to look 
about in Natchez. Several of our company did so, and informed 
me that the city was regularly and well built, and situated 
upon an eminence on the left bank of the river, removed a short 
mile back from it. Upon the bank itself, are some few streets of 
wooden houses, with shops for provisioning and supplying the 
steam-boats, which mostly make this a station. Back of these 
streets, rises a sand-hill, upon which the city stands, and a very 
