Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-01-18
G.. PERDICARI.
SKETCHES OF The GEOGRAPHY OF
ARKANSAS TERRITORY.

The territory Of Arkansas has long laborrd
under the most violent and ith.riug prcju-
dice>, which, however uniounhed, hayt sPrr,
throughout III" Uniun, and have operated
greatly 70 It's injury.
1t aas been said, its population is The rrFuse
of society, the scum which has been thrown OH
INFO thai reservoir of fifth, by the moving Of
the more wholesome wate # the States.
That she has some bad citizens viii allow,
but am far from admitting such 10 be the
general character of her population.
They are hospilahle people, free, open and
generous, and arr as kind to strangers as any
neopie with whom have ever been acquainted
- here are n HI terri ory, many good fam
ilss from KIN lucky, Virgin, a"d tennessee
- GRIMES # me .nncss" are row scarcely
K own III the ounlry; and he morals OF the
n oply are ~, more eXc~Dtro able than these
OF ne population Of the "eighboring states.
The cIinas o. Arkansas IS m jst excellent,
and the county free from those diseases
which are Preva'en' on the opposite shore Of
Mississippi w,s Informed by respec-
table PHI ian -" no ha, long resided in ditfe-
rev, part, Of The country, that he has very SCI
dom known, L. the lcrriIory: fever Of such 4
ty.e. is required lie use Of cai0me; they hav-
in am rst 'ormlv WELDED 70 mlder medl
crnes Inter miltent fe,ers are troublesome 10
SIAN, ers who settle on the large wa'ers, but
his IS by $50 mtao, gene al hing. III" in
Rue US witch ae simos' arnua visItants 10
til, la,i ude, and watch are 1T II i.tal 10 It's
inha 5i,ants, are tally unknown in Arkansas
On n, whole cons der it among the most
ue.lthful climates winch have visited. 1t
viii he SAID, Country water"d by such large
rivers. wing IN so low Latitude, cannot be
otherwise than sickIy?
The fact i, otherwise, a, proved by expert
ence and the most substantial! reasons can be
given for this phenomenon, as Ii may possibly
be deemed.
At .rhr distance Of one hundred and fifty
miles from the Mississippi, commences The
prairie county on lht Red River and eradu-
ally growing thinner of timber, as II extends 20
the west, finally becomes vast ocean of open
ground with nothing to cover its nakedness
bu; a coarse grass and some small groves OF
timber 'iew ard far be wern," witch the wea,
~ traveller hcre greets as hospitabl- man.
sion wherein h. can find S eter, and Admins
ter 10 he simple wants Of nature The ocean
of prairie country extends 10 he Rocky noun
ta,ns, and is the western boundary of Arkansas.
|; does not run 9orrlilei wi h the Mississippi,
but from Red River as t proceeds north, grid
ualN rsced from the former liver til il does
not appro ich nearer /" its bank ttan several
hundred miles. From the snowclad sum-
al S u The RYeky mountains, a constant wind
ru>nes dow, a d conU.ucs southeastern d.
eCuon, With nothing to INTERRUPT "the even ,e-
nor # course" til il is mel by the timber
on me WIS en- boundary Of Arkansas terrific
~.
BY tn time this wind has met the timber, II
has acquir, u h force as TO enable II, though
with ,'iminishrG velocity, TO make lis way to
tn Mississippi
his Or eye from the southwest, prevails
thEo gh al tn crritory, and II | am correct-
iy informed, at all seasons Of he year, IL is ex-
uemely pleasant and refreshing, and think
readers Arkansas me Of h mos delightful
climates in the word w Hie TINS wind pre-
walls; which must Oe I'll time shall be no
longer, no nauseous mIasma can iultrf on t"e
breeze, to surprise he unwary traveller by
night mol hover over the smiling village
to pounce uponcsch little ndlsoi elton Of un>
sus2ecting youth. So mucn for popu aion
and ciima e.
The face Of, The country is unduating. though
there are but very few hills of any magnitude;
it is made up Of uplands and bottoms. The
upIands are covered with black-ja jack, scrub
oak, white oak, some chestnut, much pine and
red ash, and is generally sterile. The bottoms,