The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-22 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

A JOURNEY THROUGH TEXAS. By
Edward Smith, HD., LL.B., 6-c.
The attention of emigrants having been recently
iirected to the North American Province of Texas as
a suitable, and indeed desirable, place for location,
the appearance of this little volume is singularly
appropriate, and assumes to some extent a certain
degree of imp,,rtance. Even from the wording of the
title page it would appear that the writer adventured
upon his very agreeable journey across the north-
eastern portion of the province during this present
year, with the express intention of furnilling a report
calculated to aid the purposes of (migration.
hlowever th'it may have been, it is certain that
the narrative of 1)r. E. Smith will afford
an ample store of information to those
who a-re at all solicitous to acquire some knowledge
of the resources of the country before actually pro-
ceeding_ thither with the view of a final settlement
within its boundaries. And considering the immense
_ •

number of the individuals at the present moment
prep 'red to forsake their mother country for the
Purpose of seeking some better fortune elsewhere, the
Utility of the descriptions here given by our traveller
is obviously entitled to all consideration ; for as
nothing is more disastrous to the would-be settler
than to attempt to cross the Atlantic without some
previous consciousness of the difficulties to be
encountered and the exertions required on the oppo-
site shores, so nothing can possibly tend so materially
to secure the prosperous termination of such enter-
prizes as a capability of making all necessary cal-
euletions and of adopting all requisite precautions
beforehand. Such a capacity is only obtainable
through the assistance of some trustworthy depicter
of the characteristics of the western continent, and
such a man Dr. E. Smith appears unquestionably to
be from his very able, lucid, and impartial delinea-
tion of North• Eastern Texas. The extremely com-
prehensive nature of his report leaves scarcely
anything in the way of intelligence to be
desired. Besides giving a minute and exten-
sive picture of the condition, the position, and the
advantages of that province of the United
States, the report likewise furnishes a copy of the
Constitution of Texas, a list of articles, tables of
temperature, and other useful particles of information,
such as the subjoined relating to the relative value of
the English and American currency :
"The American dollar is worth 4s. 2d.; the cent id.;
• the New York shilling, sixpence, and penny, are respec-
tively worth one-half of the like English coins, and the
64 of the Southern and Western States is equal in value
to the New York shilling."
In addition to the particulars collected together by
the writer, it would moreover appear that his report
Was accompanied to this country by specimens of the
rod and black soils ; of iron ore and other minerals ;
of Bois d'Arc and other kinds of timber; and also of
articles of native manufacture. All these things were
submitted, in the first instance,:to the body of gentle-
Men at whose instance the journey was orginally
Undertaken—a body presided over by Mr. Henry
Frearson—and the report is now opened to more
general scrutiny in its present form of publication.
Those who refer to its pages for instruction will not
fail to be arrested by the admirable maps prefixed to
the volume, in illustration of the geographical position
of Texas. What we have now, however, more
Particularly to refer to is the amount of practical in-
formation condensed into the report by our North
American traveller, specimens of which must, even
When separated from the context, prove sufficiently
interesting to justify our subsequent quotations.
diving opened the narrative by a rapid account of
his progress to the country he has now undertaken to
delineate, the writer proceeds at once very explicitly
to describe the different kind of mineral, animal, and
'regetable productions of the province, prefacing that
account with an analysis of the various kinds of soil
"-black, red, grey, ash, and mulatto—all of these
kieds being alluvial in character. Of the Texas
timber he speaks as follows
"Cass, Titus, Smith, Van Zampt, Upshur, and Har-
rison counties, are exclusively covered by wood; whilst
01 Kaufman, Hopkins, Red River, Lamar, Fannin,
C°llinst Grayson, Cooke, and Dallas, both prairie and
l'oedland are found, with the former usually prepon-
derating. The varieties of wood are the black oak,
white oak, red oak, post oak, and black jack, which
exist universally ; with pine, live oak, ash,
tnis, sycamore, • hickory, walnut, sweet gum,
cotton wood, wild plumb, cherry, and blackberry,
tell' commonly ; and the beautiful boil d'Arc, the
!eclat., and the cypress, in isolated localities. The pine
very much esteemed, and we met with it in certain
Darts of Cass and Titus counties, and en Upper Red
River
„, also at the heads of the Trinity, and on the
and in all the parts west of Marshall, in
?-terrison county. It is found but sparingly
IO Hopkins county, and not at all on the
northern prairies. It is yellow, and of fine
finality, being exceedingly full of resinous matter.
At three feet from the ground it is usually from two to
three feet in diameter, and in common with the sweet
"11°,, cotton wood, white oak ash, and sycamore, grows,
lespecially in the vallie.,) to the height of 100 (~r 120
Lett. The varieties of oak are not (coal to the E
°al,, but the live oak is highly esteemed in ship building.
The white and red oak grow to a I:rge size, whilst the
Post oak and black jack is a scrubby wood. The Ash,
°ln, and b, ech are excellent. The bole d'Arc, is a
beitutiful yellow' hard wood, very enduring, from which
arc made exc.-tient waggons, and articles of furniture.
The French use the yellow as a dye, and beautiful
";being sticks use made from the twigs. The hickory
I: a heavy dark coloured wood, very suitable for tool
',tidies and fuel for domestic purposes, and vast herds
" Pigs feed upon its nuts. The red cedar splits readily,
and is very enduring when used as fencing, being even
aueerior to the Week locust tree of the Western States.
r,
3press is used most commonly in the manufacture of
Water-butts and troughs, and is the best fuel fur steam-
eegines."
Most of the principal roads are enumerated, and
among the rivers of Texas especial mention is made
I),t' Shreeveport, Jefferson, Sulphur Fork of Red
River, Upper Red River, the Sabine, and the Trinity.
After referring to the capabilities afforded by Texas
!or railway enterprise, Dr. E. Smith expatiates upon
e-price, the quality, and the quantity of the divers
Products pouring annually from the bosom of the
Province—cotton, corn, wheat, oats, rye, grass, wire
calamus grass, the musquite, vines,
,tobacco,
44x, wool' cattle, horsee, mules, pigs, salted meats,
honey, wax, game, figs, peaches, apples, nuts, olives,
01!s, and vegetables ; the salt springs, sulphur springs,
mineral springs, iron, coal, clay, limestone, soap stone,
land stone, &c., &c. Here is his account of the
4Pabilities opened in Texas in the way of

" MANUFACTURES.
"Perhaps no country offers so many advantages to
manufacturers as does Texas. There the great staple
articles, cotton, wool, silk, and flax, grow in perfection;
Whilst the mechanic would be surrounded with the ne-
%series and comforts of life at a very small cost.
Water power is met with ca the Cypress Creek,
Lilly's Creek, the Sulphurs, Sabine, Bois d'Arc, Sister
Tmreve Creek, East Fork, and other heads of the
; but it cannot be said to be plentiful, and
therefore steam power must supply its place. The
41 for this purpose is purchased at half-a-dollar per
acre and the only expense would be for cutting and
is'
'arrting it.
" Cleaning and carding of cotton and wool; tanning ;
aloe
and harness making; tobacco manufacturing; wine,
brandies and spirit making; wood sawing and grain
trending; iron smelting, casting, and working; the
manufacture of agricultural implements, d all kinds of
Wood-work, with a thousand other occupations, could be
most profitably established. Those who are acquaintel
with Texas believe that it will place itself in the first
rank as a manu'acturing as well as producing country.
41, t present the length and breadth of the country is open
‘° the manufacturer, and he would be welcomed with
°Port arms by every settler."
As to the security afforded to human life and pro
petty 'in that province, he says—
" The most perfect security to life and property re gns
,Illroughout N. E. Texas, far m ,re perfect than can be
4°Litict in the Eastern States or in Europe, or indeed in
„1111 Y well peopled country. We travelled alone by day
":1 night, and never received incivility or injury; and the
11137 attempt to impose upon us was by one of our own
countrymen. The inhabitants behaved very kindly to us,
414 on several occasions would not be paid for our board
141(1 lodging. They are exceedingly desirous to receive
Il'ov settlers, knowing that the resources of their coun-
tPY will thus become developed, and their own property
,;11,,ereased in value; and therefore they are not likely to
injury to those whom they desire to receive amongst
,-",:ta• They are too rich to render theft worthy of their
Cention. Unprotected loaded waggons, which have
waken down on the high road, have been known to re-
-"aul unmolested for many days. They boast of their
admitted,, honesty in paying their debts, and in a legal
regard for the rights and prosperity of others."
• In illustration of the foregoing, he gives an
Interesting anecdote, which may be found at
Page 41. Another subject of immense im-
Portance to all emigrants is treated upon with
with a remarkable degree of particularity, we mean
the dangers and annoyances likely to befal the settler
11 Consequence of the various kinds of beasts, insects,
411,r1 reptiles—for example, bears panthers, wolves,
weld; cats, racoons, alligators, alligator-gars, rattle-
'lakes, moccasin-snakes, tarantulas, centipedes,
l m
prairie flies, and usquitoes. With reference to the
last mentioned, namely, the enusquitoes, he speaks
thus emphatically :
wit 4 A efferson we were much annoyed with them; but
this exception, and that of portions of the riv.r
iunens and hog-wallow plac. s, we never saw them in
the ',LE. Texas, as a whole, is free from them
may
pi settlers do not use musquitue bars. Trees be
i„"ted around the dwellings in dry places, without
'"4ring to harbour these creatures; but in wet localities it
lightl to live away from the wood. They are of a very
frame, and a light breeze blows them away."
All the foregoing advantages above enumerated are
" tl!'gularly enhanced by the extraordinary salubrity of
,‘Le province, as described by the writer, himself a
ysician and consequently well calculated to pro.
+l.o4nee an opinion upon the subject. Dr. Smith not
di l:y eulogises the healthfulness of that particular
thl'ion of the American continent, but enumerates
salubrity -
followitiz as among the principal causes of its
.6 ity
4. The elevation of the country, or of parts of the