Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1827-05-24

brakes, then series Of lakes, exactly
| resembling the river in their points and
bends, and in the colour OF their wa
ters--Tnese lakes are covered with
the large leaves, and in the proper sea
son, the flowers of the "nymphea ne
Iombo," the largest and most splendid
| flower that | have ever seen. have
| seen them of the size OF the crown ola
hat; the external leaves OF the most
| brilliant white and the internal OF a
! beautiful yellow. THESE lakes are so
entirely covered with the large conical
leaves, nearly Of the size OF a parasol,
and smaller class of aquatic plant, OF
the same form of leaves, but with
yellow flower, that bird might walk
from shore to shore, without dipping
It's feet in water; and these plants rise
from all depths Of water, up to ten
feet.
| Beyond these lakes there are i'm
mense swamps of cypress, which
swauips constitute vast portion OF
the inundated lands Of the Mississippi
and its waters No prospect on earth
can be more gloomy. The poetic
Styx or Acheron had not greater
union OF dismal circumstances. Well
may the cypress have been esteemed
funeral and luxubrious tree. When
the tree has shed its leaves, for II is
deciduous, a sypress swamp, with its
countless interlaced branches, Of q
hoary grey, has an aspect Of desola
ton and death, that often as | have
been impressed with it, | cannot de
scribe. In summer its fine, short, and
deep green leaves invests their hoary
branches with drapery of Grape.
The water in which they grow is a
vast dead level, two or three feet deep,
still leaving the innumerable cypress
"knees," as they are called, resembling
circular beehives, throwing their
points above the waters. This water
Is covered with thick coat OF green
matter, resembling green buff velvet
The mosquitoes swarm above the wa
Ter in countless millions. A very FIRE
quent adjunct to this horrible scenery,
10 the moccssOn snake, with his huge
scaly body, lying 10 folds upon the
side of cypress knee; and if you up
proach too near, lazy and reckless as
be 10, he throws the upper jaw Of his
hugh mouth almost back to his neck,
| giving you ample warning of hls abii-
ity aud will to defend himself. / ira.
yelled forty miles along this river
swamp, and considerable part of.he
way in the edge Of it; in which the
horse sunk, at every step, oaIt way up
80 bis knees. | was developed for the
whole distance with cloud OF mus
quitoes. Like the ancicn. Avernus, |
do not remember to have seen single
bird in the whole distance, except the
blue jay. Nothing Interrupted the
death. like silence, but the bum OF mus
quItoes.
There cannot be " ell imagined ano
Their feature 10 the gloom OF these vast
and dismal forests, to finish this kind
of landscape, more in keeping with
the rest, than the long moss, or Span
ish beard, and this funeral dtapery at
taches itself 10 the cypress in preference
TO any other tree. There is mob that |
know, an object in nature, which pro.
duces such number of sepulchral ina
ges as the view OF the cypress forests,
all shagged, dark and enveloped in the
hanging fessoons of moss ifyou would
inspire an inhabitapt of New England,
possessed OF the customary portion of
feeling, with the degree of home sick
ness, which would strike 10 the heart,
transfer him instantly from the hill and
dale, the bracing air and varied scene
Try of the north, 10 the cypress swamps
of the south, that are covered with the
long moss.
This curious appendsge to the trees
is first visible in the cypress swamps 81
about SO degrees, and is seen thence
to the gulf. It is the constant accom-.
paniment of the trees in deep bottoms
and swampy lands, and seems to be
an indication of the degree of humidi
ty in the atmosphere. Ihave observed
that in dry and billy pine woods, far
from streams and stsgnant waters, it
almost wholly disappears; bu! in the
pine woods it re.appesrs as you ap
proach bottoms, streams and swamps
have remarked too, that where it so
completely envelopes the cypress, as
TO show nothing but the festoons of the