Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-06-28

"a section, al ieas' zen MIies III .engtb. ,g
that noble river, together with The b.n,
full landscape Of the adjacent highly cuI,,
waited country. II is always easy to b,i,.
boats and rails TO landing, as lb.y arr
thrown to tie eastern shore by The crIrep,
four miles above the town, and the Lhs ,
defends them from easterDy winds.
Inhabitanfs-A mixed ,hlong Of freect
Spanish, English, Irish, Scotch, Dutch
and Americans. Free people OF color,apj
a great number Of slaves.
Manners and Languages, are so far 4,
yet, preserved in their original peculiar.
ties, by the various inhabitants.
Public Buildings. To this moment, e..
Their their number or elegance cannc, BE-
boasted OF, but there are some very useful
establishments, such as one Roman Ca,bo.
lie Church, a court house, school hcrse
a new market house, and a public joal.
Parish ofFaa Button Rouge.-Dounded
west by the Mississippi, south by Bayou
Manchac, or river Iberville, east by the
river Amite, and north (frpm said river
AmIte} by line running due west to
the mouth of Tbompson's creek. It's
length from north to south, about 25 miles;
breadth from west to east 60.
Time offrst settlemenr.-About the year
I722-ten Or twelve years before the Ma.
chez massacre.
RiDers-The Mississippi, forming the
western limit of the parish-lhe Amite.
bounding the east-the river Ibervie on
the south; the Comite, about ten miles from
the Mississippi.
Neither mountains, falls or caves, are 10
be seen here the only thing worthy ofre.
mark is tie uninterrupted levelness of the
Countrywide unevenness of which is bare.
ly sufficient to drain of the water.
SoH-Superlatvely fruitful.
Productions.-Sugar cane, cotton, In
dian corn, sweet and Irish potatoes The
country also affords abundance of beet,
Pork and large fowls.
Fruit Trees.-Figs, peaches, cherries,
&c. thrive here. The orange tree would
also succeed il properly attended 70.
Climate Temperate, mild, and Ncal'
thy. The atmosphere, however, * chang
ed with greater proportion Of Humidity
than inland mountainous countries. Dis
eases, bilious ievers, and debiiatjng com.
plants, are by far the most prevalent t.
very family who are industrious and ten.
perate, are healthy.
Speculaioa-To dojustice to the rising
greatness OF future Baton Rouge would he
a task to which the limited abilities OF the
writer can lay no claim. Ii requires no
gift Of dvination, however to predict its
future importance. Situated as it is upon
the first eminence above high water marx,
$50 miles from the sea, upon the margin
of the great reservoir of the Western wa
tiers. or "parent of rivers" the longest in
North America. constituted by the United
Streams of almost numherless rivers, many
ofwbich are the greatest and longest in the
United States, flowing through vastly ez'
tensive and luxuriantly fertile country;
leaving the shores and formulating The soil
of every climate, from 49to 80 north latl'
tude, comprehending width of two they
sand miles, or two thousand FIVE hundred
miles from east to west, The vended pro-
duce of which must pass OF be deposited in
this place--its being equally free from the
of invasion all which fortu-
nate circumstances render it morally GER
tain, that it is destined, some day, and tina:
at no great distance, TO be the greatest and
most Aourishing town in the nation, and
the capital of the state.
But when the heathiness of the climate,
the richness OF the soil of the surrounding
country, together with the facility WITH
which art might augment the means Of
by water, in every dIFee'
tion-I say, when all these advantages are
taken into one view, the asto nisbed spec
tator is lost in admiration, and seeks 10
vain for the cause which has thus tar he''
it in obscurity. Nature, in her par'IaIg.
here, if she has not exhausted her storesU'
bounty, seems to have most profusely Ia
Wished her richest gifts, which indeed are
more conspicuous than even the unaccoun'
table neglect or inattenton, or rather Stu,
pidity oflhose, who, heretofore. have haa