The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1839-04-09
EEH&CgIENA NEG JS.
From Illinois ami The WeSt.'
Him OBS.

Ihct oI chhHlry ,ciiihie, sal, &c, % Illinois, hl
after all, no true impression has been cunveyr
10 eastern people thereof For my own Imrt
i"n'd myself quite at fault, although hat Ia |,
EN- rSl"rinl pnius Ia inform myself buIii hy read
i''' mn'i conversation with those who were we
nrInnInrd herewith. And believe il br,un
any "i" power in give any desc, ipinu OF II,
Ir"nh'rN, which shall convey awning like a,
adequate lien 10 II stranger. II is perfectly uni
q~--toially unlike, in general and in ,I,Iau mn,
iliIiiSnI New England. IL rs called II level tia
r"hp'ry ana II II. compared 10 The eastern Siuir
hat n"t a~ l''v i rs il has been described. Il
Prhrir-, M imr;rular. have heeu represented n.
exceedingly Hat and even, aud We have snppOs
ei an hr'a al from ten 10 titleeI. thirty miles
OF an "nbr"ken plain, win, no elr, atlnlls or .!e
preSSloIIS more tiian with on uiir rXIru
>ire sn' ,iursiirS. Blt lhe rouniry il all uue
pial-nut prt": lti,,il>- the prniries prcsrul
continual clii.,g" of Tables and ~lnI.ilS, white
me 'i'nhers ARE broken hy Iii li knobs aud deep
rnviIlcS. Besides, had SUPPOSED that The Ia
heS III the rolling praiis all in parallel lines
ana equal distances from each other, whereas
'h'y are or all sizes ami shapes, ai'l lay in eve
nv direction ~ the same prairie, thereby uflnri
ing Il greater variety and greater facilities tor
cultivation, etc. eic. The timber on the 'bot-
toms - dense aud heavy, and tangled with II
most Ii'AurIant growth of vines, shrubs, b:inrs
and rank grass These buitutns are ON all tie
nVt'S and creeks, sktrlimg the priiries and max
'nS beautiful b. lis in every direction through
Tie country BESIDES these, there are 'burrciis
or 'oak openings, us they are called which arr.
composed al large trees of HE various kinds oi
oak, hickory, nipple, elm, Sc. These lrers are.
9''iie spnr~"ly scattered aI"uu, making IL tiIusi
l"'arIiul paik, entirely free nom utrlcihrtsh
and The ground is covered with IL lx,i,t grow III,
oi grass h'''' flowers. The openings are all OH
niieuual--iuy ,hrnkru grouih-higli, uhru,,, hills
and gentle Swrls. altrrnnled toy .yreriui,n,s
RI, ines or most pirIuresq que valleys OF perfectly
easy access even with u carriage. Nothing can
exceed the beauty of ol- ct these uu nae forests
Ito art OF mars devise could have accomplish
Ell On :" grand scale work =" perfectly sllrn-
dhi and enchanting. The soil OF ihrsr barrtIls
IL Il fine SiIrlou~ lo.n ana NOR" iiiaii from tIGHT
inches TO eighteen III depth, but rich aml we'll
a,iuptcd Ia IIroducc The lighter grains aud corn,
with careful culture. The secret OF HE open.
ings lies il The annual cohagratinns whirh pass
over all the l'rnir,'s aud hnrrens of the West
This yearly b,uning CONSUMES all The ne W trees
and shrubs, and leaves the ground entirely I'M
encun'hcreh The old trees, ilkeW ise ARE anna
ally diminishing in nuu,htr. Scarcely tree but
is marked wnh fire, and when once The bark Is
penetrated 10y the fire, amt The wood of the tree
scared, the fire takes rehdier and 'leeimr hold
thereon, until M last il overpowers and destroys
II, and the rree falls with startling crash, AMI
generally r"ristints before the fire dies out I'm
less Violent RAIN GXiingu;ier, ana leaves Tor
iO"d Tor the next annual passage ot The devo,r
ng element. | hrheki many ii iinc 0f ashes,
mark ing The si,ui where the entire trunk of II
na-Sy oak was roi,s',lned the previous autumn.
These larrrns the resort of birds of vari
PITS note and punnge, and all the will animals
found IN this c",!iiiry, sucu It's wolves, ecr, oxes
rabbits. ST. 81. ..., ....s
The 'hiut1S' are abrupt elevations, generally IN
Ir Immediate iri2hhurllOod at. and are To he
found, | believe, on all he river, b,n nlpon one
side place lille on the Opposite lie the iiea
w ii,iber,',i bottom lands from "A mile 1" six IN
" id,l,. In the rn,liSt, al twenty, sixty, or an
hundred ,n,S the bl,itf$ ard bottoms chang"
,hi-s-or, tn speak more accurately, the river
uu9r- tia. other side q. the bottom, which Is
bounded on each side by these bluffs. These
bluffs from one hundred To two hundred
lecr high ulrr~ected with deep rariiies AT rlghi
angles Ia III" iivcr, aud are cnmpoSr" at lime
stone, which often forms bold prrp'iriw'sar
lifts "f great height and regularity. Tie bluffs
ire z n,rniy crowned with 'oak openings. aud
present To the. Traveller us he passes 'ii' aud Down
he 'i.er IL most picturesque and charming
scene.
Aud whit shall say of the prairies-tliose
sea fields, clothed wiIl' their iIrnvy
nhe OF green, aud dotted aud slisa with gold
ind azure, vrrniiun and orange, white and vio
LEI, reflected from flowers OF every size a'nl
-h.pe lid ring die Traveller with their intense
hratuy, t''eir rich aud "ndlcss variety.
Tie I,iaires are of two kinds, anl are diS'iu
r,,,hed ~ rolling and fat. TIN. railing praiI les
,re gently and irrrsnlarly unnla'ina, having
sNes of twenty t" sky tret high, AMI ct all
lengths and breH,itiiS; b,Iween which are sou9s
called in the dialect of the 'SLoOs. They ARE la"
anA Swuiupy, aii'I are of the same character ot
81 ,i!ar places in New England n,rat"ws called
runs These rrarie+ ARE beautiful I" the eye "i
II stranger, but their mnhr"k"n ,n"h"iony treS
tn. scllSrS, especially when covered With the de
rayetl growth OF Tie former summer, ci"'ie"
with Il nar:l,rnt of SHOW, or hackcnr" ny the re-
renl conf ,graion. Extra,agant stories OF me
lnxurianI grnwth ofthe grass have been r'rrui"f'
rel NJ the east, indeed everything pertaining l"
his wonderful country has nat r'i'y enough as
.,i,ned exaggerated tone. In Inc h"l1o''
rairi"s, the grass occasionally reaches Tie Top
d uian's head as he sits on his ll'rSe-a rank
."arse grass unfit for the purposes OF t'r"'"@-
,''f ~ The common open prinries from Two ="
hre" aud u halt feet is IL fair average; III me
'l"ushs II often exceeds this by IL foot or eve"
more.
These prarirs, rs well as the barrens aud hot
onIS, afford exhaustless ranges for cattle, horses