Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1817-10-16
From tie RalsiSh Register.
WESTERN SETTLEMENTS.
TConcludfd.1

u
try comprised in the new county OF
Howard seems to me like enchant
ment. Where nothing but wild beasts
OF the forest, and savage hunters were
10 BE- met with in 1909. now are
seen thousands oftlnmestiCk animals,
and compact settlement Of indus;ri-
Gus farmers, many ofwhon are IN very
easy circumstances. The almost i'm
pene,rable firest, which 1 passed
thro' in 1909, Of which not tree bad
received the stroke of an aJ, is now
nearly all swept away. and in lis stead
are seen rising comfortable habita-
lions. merchants store houses, a
Court house, and all the appendages
Of a seat of justice. Merchants, ira
ders, lawyers, physicians, licensed
tarern-keepers abound mechanics
End their account in removing there,
such as smiths, saddlers, and yari-
ETY. of others there are several com
mon schools two or three reputable
preachers, and a weekly newspaper
is soon to be printed there by two
gentlemen If fine talents /; two towns
have been laid of, aud | am told the
lots sell well; another is talked Of. Ii
is compated that upwards of an hun
dred families moved to the county al
Howard, from Tennessee, Kentucky,
North Carolina and Virginia. during
the last winter and do not think |
risk any thing when | venture to sa,
tha The emig atoms to this county for
1917 will amount To three hundred ia
miles at The close of the year. In
desd I should 6e safe in saying five
hundred. | expect the settlements
will extend upw ards during the pre-
scu. year, 10 Within twent, miles o.
Fort Usage. The county of Howard
embraces l mean the part settled) as
fine a tract of country as any under
Heaven /; whether We consider its fer
tility. climate, or healthi,hness. A
we'll cultivated Geld will produce one
year with another, go bushels of corn
and s. of wheat per acre. i have a
Seraged so bushels of corn per acre
at this iplace, but my field is small
and highly cultivated.
I:ye, Oats, Barley, Irish Potatoes,
Red and White clover, Timothy and
Blue Grass urn out extremely well.
They raise cotton sufficient for family
consumption at Boone's Lick. Sweet
Potatoes do pretty well, our kitchen
gardens are not excelled by any OF
our country /; Cabbages. lettice, peas
and onions areremarkably fine hops
raspberries, gooseberrles, strawber-
res and currants grow wild and in
great abundance all over the country.
TIE Timber is walnut, hickory, va
riety of oaks, locust, ash, cotton tree,
papgu. pacou, coffee nut, sycamore,
elm, maple, sugar tree, backberry,wil-
low, Ou4, elder. some pine, and some
red cedar. The underground, is ha-
zle, arrow wood, red berry, plumb,
crab apple, wild pea-vine and rushes.
A variety Of grapes, and some wild
cherry and persimmon.-So much for
the settlement of the Missouri river,
particularly that of BOone's Lick, or
Howard county.
| snail now speak Of the Missouri
Territory generally. By reference
to the map you will find it embraces
an immense tract of country, inclu-
ding Within its limits, the Arkansaw,
Waite, ST. Francis, Merrimak, Gas
conade, Usage, Missouri, and many o.
ther large rNers-and l belive il en-
braces some ofthe worst lands as well
AS some of the best in the western
country.
The climate is generally salubri-
Gus and healthy, and the face o. the
country beautiful, romantic, and in
yiting.-Lead and Iron ore are in
very great abundance, salt springs
plenty. In short, nature has been
truly bountiful, in the distribution vi
her Gavors, in this territory. The
Missouri is nasigable for large boats
5000 miles, the Arkanssw upwards OF
1900, the White river 500, St.Francis
500, GascoRade 600, Usage $50
St..Lsuis is the principal commercial
town ia the territory. 1t has from
ESQ To 400 houses, is beautifully stu
slcd on the Mississippi river. twenty
miles below the mouth Of the Missou-