The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1827-05-11
The Ar6aasos, Us Grapes AID Cypress

| h'Ril aHi lHaHhaith l1AtA5s W 2etl a ifAhA
angles TO ON course We Discovered IN :
thor opening, 1t was the Arkansas,
moving on With majestic current ~
waters of the color oi aiaotlo sdie. This
is, next To the Missouri, the largest and
most interesting ribuiory Of The Missis-
| sippi, aud from Us mouth by is mean-
| defs TO the mountains, is commonly com
pute3 about 1000 miles. Its course has
been traced N ihesu mountains at least
five hundred mlleS, and it ~ believed
that the source of the Arkansas has not
yei been explored by our people One
slngularty distinguishes his liyer from
any other OF the United States. Where
il winds along AMONG the mountains, all
agree that II is a broad and deep river,
and carries great volume Of water.
But no sooner does ii emerge liom the
shelter of woods and mountains into a
boundless and arid plain, composed to
| great depth OF quieksands, than ii be-
gins 10 disappear and In il hundred
miles from the very elevated mountain,
| near which II enters upon the PLAN, il is
fordable during the summer. Slli low
CT down il is stream, according To the
well known phrase OF the country, sunk
in the sand ; that is, it tlickies amidst
the banks of sand and pebbles, 50 as in
many places TO exhibit dry channel of
burning sand from bank 10 bank.
Here on these yasl sandy plains which
will for ages be the Syftes Of America,
the home Of elks and builaloes, arc the
WELD folds of those rich native grapes,
that all travellers n these regions have
spoken Of in terms of such admiration.
| They are said 10 be conlcal in shape,
large, ola beautiful blue, and iran parent.
The CRYING sands rise round the stem,
that advances still above the sand. Thus
sand performs the best office oipruning,
covering the superfluous growth aud To-
liage, uilctlng no wounds, and Afford
ing a most admirable method of ripcn-
ing the clusters in the highest perfection
| by the reflection of the sun from the
sand. in the expedition of Maj. Long,
the extreme sweetness of these grapes
is recorded, aud other travellers have
borne the same testimony. They
speak of vast tracts covered with these
rich clusters. shall have occasion
elsewhere 10 speak OF tho classes of this
native grape, 9blcha arc so much extolled
in the internal proylncesofS pain. They
are common through the pine woods Of
Louisiana, and known BY the name Of
the pine woods grape.
This grape ripons In June. ! would
probably be an admirable grape 10 cult
yate. There are also varieties Of on-
tumnal grapes, and wonderful accounts
arc given OF the immense quantities Of
grapes that rpen on the sand plains at
the sources of Req river. The hunters
assert that they are richer than any cul-
tiyateu grape.
Al distance of a mile or two from
from the river, there are first thick cane
brakes, then series of lakes, exactly
resembling the river IN thclr points and
bcnds, dna in the color OF their walers.
These lakes are covered with tho large
leaves, and in the proper season, the
flowers OF the 'nynphea neluubo,' the
largest and most splendid flower that |
AVE ever seen. | have seen them of
the size Of the crown Of hat, tho ex-
ternal leaves Of the most brilliant white
and the internal OF beautiful yellow.
These lakes are SO entirely covered
with the large conical leaves, nearly OF
the size OF q parasoI, and a smaller class
Of aquatic plant, Of the same form Of
leaves, but with a yellow flower, that e
bird might walk from shore 10 shore,
without dipping its feet in water and
these plants rise from II depths Of wa
ter, up to ten feet.
| Beyond these lakes there are I'M
mense swamps OF cypress, whIclisw mys
constitute a vast portion OF the inundal-
ed / nds Of the Mississippi and its wa
tels. No prospect on earth can be more
gloomy. The pacific Slyx or Achoreu
had not greater union of dismal cir
oumstances. Well my the cypress
have been esteemed funeral and iugl-
brious tree. When the tree has shed
its leaves, for il is deciddous, a cypress
swamp, with lis countless intefldced
branches, of hoary prey, has an as
poet Of desolation and death, that often
as | have been impressed witlilit, ] can
not describe. In summer its fine, short
and deep green leaves invest these hoa-
ry branches with drapery of Grape!
The water in which they grow is vas
: dead level, two or three feet deep, still
leaving the innumcrabIo cypress knees,
as they arc called, resembling circular
beehlves throwing their points above
= the waters. This water is covered witt
a thick court of green matter, resemb-
: ling groom buf'yeiyot. The mosquitoes
swarm above the water in countless mil
3 lions. A very frequent adjunct to this
horrible scenery, is the moccason snake
| with his hlt0e scalu koJ, lxyinp IN fnIde