Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-04-17

TIE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
1" rHE EDITon o. THE RlcnaoSn EyoUInER
SIR.


SIR,
The writer. who attempts Ia brine ior,vartl
new Facts, III the eucri.to ottbc geographical his
cory ot any portion of the globe is entitled To tie
a,tenihn oFthe public, and especially to tie
attention OF the Anne lean public. when the subject
OF his essays IS part cfthc IT, Ststes end Of that
section of II too of which brt little is known; y
country, which from IFS sitigtioii, must IN few
years b. come ofinmcise Importance to the Union,
and which now, according to the dictates of sound
policy, demands the most attention and pat
ronage ot government.-1hc country mean, is
that bordering the shores Of the Mississippi r.
yer-
In the few desultorv remarks which FOLLOW, | do
not intend (nor indeed would it BE- possible tor mel
to give minute history Of the country. / shall
merely give some general IDEAS OF the river and
its borders, and attempt u solve some of the cny
NAUTICAL appearances, with which the eye of the
traveller IS sslutcd, on visiting il shores.
For more particuIsr and remote descriptions,
rcer the reader TO tn works Of Sts,ldard, Breck
enrdse, and to the " handbook ofthe Mississippi
| boatman /; work entitled " The .Nuuifdts,"
from the present nCtoricty Of the Mississippi r.
yer, s'1sins from the Numerous descriptions which
have been given, 1t may be deemed impairment in
me-. to venture any thing subject already so
much iIackried but, deem it absolutely neeesss-
~ I" the due appreciation uf The hints aud argyll
ments winch shall proeeed to threw out, state the
following facts:
In ascending the Mississippi from its mouth, we
meet With an extensive, low, flat country, on both
It's s'ies we lind ;he soil hearing strong symptoms
| ct having been lately formed such as extreme
ooSeness oi texture, tho existence OF numerous si-
| IT, and the mixture Of vegetable matter with the
| soil at various Depths.
We find the banks Ct the river, the highest
poi Is OF land in the bCtio.u and we il the whole
INV country. presenting an immense number Of
lakes and bavOus, which do not now Constitute the
bed of the river, but lch evidently once did In
hhe, Il IS evident to the most superficial Obs I1er,
tnat the whole low country uf the Mississippi, rs it
is called was once much lower than it is now and
that s has risen, and IS annually rising 10y sue
ceSsiYe dispositions OF mud and drift wood In con-
sequence OF the oyei flowing Of the river
These appearances continue with but li,,le vqria-
ion, unIll We arrive in the vicinity of Cape Gra-
deau, which. according IN Mr.. Stoldard is 1900
! miles from The GIph Of Mexico
At Cape Girsdeau, very astonishing change
Jegns to take PLACE Ia the appearance of the
try. Instead OF the low, swMnpy ground, Which
we have been describing The hills in majestic gram
denr appear 10 make 81 essay at approaching each
other, from the opposite si'.es of tae river; and
tracing the river about 90 miles up il is almost e.
vident to the of t4e teholcer dat thew did
effect Junction at place called the Grand Tow
er.
At this place, situated between Cane Giradeau
and 81. GenevieNe and about 40 miles below the
last mentioned ace, the hills an the opposite sides
oi the river approach in perpendicular manner to
! the waters edge. They present, on each side, ev-
| deut marks OF having had fragments torn away
by acts o. violence ard on the western side ufthe
river, column of OK of considerable height, ri
| ses abruptly out ofthe bed Of the river.
At low water, ledge ofrock is discovered extern
ding across the bed OF ihe river and iar some dis
lance below large fragments Of rock in an unconnec
ted situstion found in the stream At this point
also, the natural mpetuosty Of the river is much -
| creased.
| would call the attention ofthe reader to these
C.if,
taxing cursnry view OF the country above the
| Grand Tower.
Immediately above these irarnense abutments of
rock, which we have been describing, the country
w'dens into bottom Of various breatths, and is al
most universally skirted b. perpendicular walls OF
limestone rock, which, at the height OF more than
goo feet above the pregcnt bed Ofthe river bear e.
IHsnt and incoatestable proofs OF having been at
some former time washed by currents Of water.-
This TACT can be ascerfaned not only by impressions
made on the rock ITSELF but Iy tie discovery ofthe
shells nSwater animals, at that height in the crew.
ces OF the rock. These rocky banks, bearing the
abOveTn entoDed appearances, found (@ith some
intervals, as high up the Missouri, Mississippi and
llmois rivers "a they have been yet explored.
know not, Sic, what effect the consideration Of
these facts will have upon the mind Of Yourself and
the public ; bot upon my own, they have produced
the firm conviction that at some former period all
the low country, from the Guph of Mexico to Cane
tIirsdesu, was Bay, or arm Of ,he s'a that this
nay AS Dten converted INTO dry land, By the dep0-
stOns ri suyious matter from The rivers above aid
ed probably by the reflux of the ocean, that ut the
Grand Tower, rs it is called, cataract existed o.
YER which the waters Of the Mississippi tumbicd
with majestic grandeur and that all the low coun-
Try. which border the great rivers above il. were
| inundated, and formed an extensive, irregular
lake.
When state the fact, that even now, ut seasons
81 high water, hosts pass With ease from the
head waters Of Ouiscousipg, and Illinois rivers into
streams Gem nunicaiing with Lake Nchigan-will
you rot, With myself, be disposed to think, that At
some period. there did exist permanent con,nuui-
cation between this "cidcvant lake of which have
/ been writing, and the Canadian chain
ltstriIcs me, that the construction which ! haze
PIT ~ the shove stated facts, is not an improbable
or unnatural one and believe the present state Of
| things may be accounted for, by referring to the
| operation Of ordinary causes and the occasional
| shock ct an earthquake, to which this country is
| known TO he subject.
IN laying these crude and disj'intd hints before
| the public, fear that shall provoke the charge of
! being speculative tbeorst bot # my ideas should
be pronounced theoretical, ana conscious that tley
| will prove innocent and tba, they may have the ef
feet of exciting enquiry, and discovering truth, the
only wish Ofthe
MISSOURIAN.
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