Madison Whig advocate. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1839-1841, 1839-06-01

As we are always ready TO lend a
helping hand to any enterprise, having
for its object the advancement OF the
interests of any portion Of our State. we
transfer to columns the following artI
Gle from the Natche= Free Trader.
The Town OF CoMMERCE.-lt IS not
often that a new town attracts as much
attention as the town of Commerce has
during a time of gloom and dependence
consequent upon pecuniary embarrass-
ments. During period Of general and
inflated prosperity, the rapid growth Of
this town would not have been astOnish-
ing, nor that early rapid growth an in
dex of future greatness. Hundreds of
little towns in the South and West that
were started in those sunny days, are
now dllapldating and almost deserted,
while Commerce is vigorously striding
on to claim the proud title of city. Those
towns were forced upon the country for
speculation and profit, this was forced in
to existence By the country-its great
wealth seeking a channel for and place
to trade. Those had no country around
them except it were a wilderness. a
swamp, or a barren waste. and were
laid out with reference to nothing but
the pockets of the proprietors, while
this has the largest extent of fertile ter
ritory stretching back from its settle of
any town on the river, the resources of
which have not been one tenth develop
ed, and yet they are great enough at
tins time to sustain a commercial town
of three thousand inhabitants. II pos
sesses all the advantages Of health. the
finest landing in the world, and an in
terror country surpassed by none in rich
ness of soil. What then is there to pre-
vent its growth?
Memphis has improved more since
the ChlckaSaw country came into mar
ket than it ever had done before in the
same period of time. She grew with
astonishing rapidity; new vigor was
lent them by the trade of that rich coun-
try. And what advantages has Memphis
that could elicit a valuable trade from
any land? None whatever except that
advantage which rose from necessity
there being no other trading place on
the river at that time which could be
reached by the citizens of North Mis-
slsslppi. Now, in competition with
Commerce, Memphis has to overcome
the disadvantages and expense of one
of the most difficult landings in the
world; the hatred engendered by their
shaving, cut-throat policy, which en-
bitters the brest of every man in the
Chlckasaw nation who has been compeI-
ed TO trade there; TO shorten the distance.
and also 20 make up the loss which Mis-
sissippians will sustain by having their
cotton shipped as Tennessee cotton. All
these obstacles has Memphis to over
come before she can be upon an equality
with Commerce in competition for the
trade Of North Mississippi.
Better TO show what the business Of
that section of the country will be, we
present the following data, which may
be relied upon as critically correct.
TUNIcA county, in which Commerce
is located, is bounded north by the Mis-
sissippi river and De Soto county. east
by De Soto and Ponola, south BY Tall
lahatchie and Coahoma counties, and
west by the Mississippi river. 1t is of
an irregular form and has an area of
about SIX hundred and eighty-four miles. |