Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1801-1806, 1803-10-13

.iouthealt entrance of the river, Of
which, about thirty years before, there
was not the leaf appearance. In con-
verlation with an experienced officer
in the Spanilh navy, acolonia of Lou.
iiiana, on the fubjed of this prolonga-
tion of the continent, he informed the
writer of theie ohlervations, that in
the fummer of 1900 he remarked a
new illand at the mouth of the river.
That not many years ago, when
laying at Point La Hache, between
the Balife and New Orleans, feanan
died on board his ihip--they fent ON
ihore TO make a grave, but could NOT
find fullicient firm earth TO bury him.
This place has iince become fold land.
He could alo recolleet when Pla-
quemines, where the fort now ftands,
was all quagmire. M. Vandreuil,
formerly Governor of Louifiana, in a
letter dated September al, i7s2, re-
marks, " There is infinite difficulty in
fettling towards the mouth of the riy.
er Miiliiippi, on account of the i'm.
mcnfe expence in banking againa the
intimidation of the lea and land floods.
! am againf fettling it as yel and
for waiting until the ground be more
and more raifed by. the accretion of
foil, as it hath been three feet within
the fpace of fifteen years."
Every thing concurs to fhow that
this river has enlarged the continents
nearly one hundred leagues. Not a
iingle aone,not even a pebble is TO ,hs
found in all this new made ground.
The fca repelling that prodigious
quantity of mud, leaves, boughs and
trunks of trees, which the MiiliGppi is
conaantly walhing down /; all theie
materials continually pufhed backward
and forward, collect and bind them
ielves in a fold MATS, which thus
tends to prolorg this valf continent.
Another itriking fingularity, no where
elic 10 be met with, is, that the waters
OF this great river, when once they
overflow its banks, never return With.
in its bed again. The reafon is this:
The Miili6ppi is annually fwclled
by the melting of the fnows in the
north, which begins in March, and
continues about three months. Thi,
river lies very deep at the upper part,
and does not overflow on the eait fidc
till within one hundred leagues of its
mouth that is to fay ON the low
lands fuppofed TO be new ground.
Thefe muddy grounds, like all others
which have not yet acquired their due
confidence, bear prodigious quantity
of large reeds, which llop and entan-
gle all extraneous bodies that are
wafhed down the river. The colIec-
ZION of all theie fragments, with the
flime that fills up the intermediate
fpaces, railes, in procels of time, the
banks higher than the adjacent ground,
70 that the waters once overhowed,
afe prevented, by this obltscle, from
the pofliSlity of returning into their
natural channels, md are therefore
compelled TO force and bullet into the
fea by other cour(es. The new land
and iilands at the mouth of the Mifi-
Gppi are faid to rife and fall with the
fwelling and abating of the waters.
This tory, however, wants conGrma.
ton.
From the aifonilbing length Of the
Mifii6ppi, and the vaa bodies of water
which flow into it, one is led to ina
CINE that it mutt confequently be pro-
portionably broad. Every traveller
is much furprifed TO find the dire6t
contrary. Inltead of entering an open.
extenlve bay, the mouth Of the river