Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1843-10-19
From tl,s National intelligencsr
The VALLEY or TnE MISSISSIPPI.
AN lSrEREsriso SKETCH.

Sucn very ctuor NV" i''"eh"ho H'ues os
the West, the Western country, the
Lake country, the Southwest, the Far
West by some il is called the Land of
Pigs, and, since the election of 1910, it
il sometimes styled the Coon skin region.
Its boundaries on the ives, a,e the Rocky
Mountains, Mexico, and Texas +; on the
south tho Gulf Of Mexico on The east
tho Allegheny mount aims, and on the
north the Lakes and British possessions.
II contains nearly as many square miles
as continental Europe, and il populated
ms densely as England, would sustain a
population Of fue hundred millions Of
human beings-more than halt the
present population Of iheearth. Stretch
ing from the 29th to the 49th degree Of
latitude, il possesses great variety Of
climate. Ia richness Of soil and extent
Of tillable land, il j. M, surpassed by any
country Of the same extent. It's surface
IS almost unbroken bv mountain or a
hin Of sufficient size TO impede cultivation.
Geog aphica ally viewed, 1t is preeminent-
ly a commercial country, and is parlicu-
larly eligible for foreign commerce. To
ace, reader, for yourself, what the Mis-
sissippi valley is, suppose you 90 on board
ono ofthose STEAMBOATS, lying a, the wharf
in New Orleans nnd ab"u, 1" start for the
Upper Mississippi river. Leaving the
orange groves and sugar plantations o!
Tho South, in about ten days the bont
will land you ni the Fallsof Saint Anthony,
i'seniy: :fve hundred m,I,s mp the Mississ'p-
oi river. you think you are not far
enough north, you can walk around the
Falls, and, taking another boat, ascend
eight hundred or thousand miles further.
On your way up, you will have passed
Through many climates, and seen the
productions of each under cultivation,
and over vast mining rrgi"n, aboundinc
in coal, lead, mon, aud copper ore, all
found in veins of wonderful richness. -
As yon return, should you wish to take a
peep at the West, you will take u boat al
St. Louis bound up the Missouri river.
After a couple Of weeks or so Of good
hard running, she will land you At the
Great Falls, in the country Of the Black
foot lndians, about hiriy-nine hundred
miles above ST. Louis and fire thousand
from New Orlenns. Returning, you
would Of course like TO sec some of the
Tributaries Of the Missouri for this pur-
pose you would make n little excursion
of eieren hundred miles up the yellow
Stone, Of sirieen hundred up the Platte,
and Of hceire hundred up the Ksnzns, and
SO back IN St. Louis, on the Mississippi
river, hreire hundred miles from New
Orleans. There you would take boat
for the beautiful Ohio, and run up that
stream to Pittsburg, one thousand miles
from the mouth Of the Ohio, and t,co
thousand from New Orleans You
would sec the furnishing towns Of Louis
vile, Cincinnati, and Putsburg, the most
luxurian crops Of grains and grnsscs (;
fine numerous hocks aud herds of every
kind you would smile to ace the primi-
tive conirivances waited on the bosom of
the Ohio, bearing the products Of the
Ohio valley TO its distant market in New
Orleans and more that all, you would
rejoice to see the healthy, happy smiling
faces Of the people. Before you again
embarked on the Mississippi, you would
no doubt run three ~ fur hundred miles
up the Cumberland, sir Or ssuen hundred
up the Tennessee river, to see which
we're the finest Cotton regions Of The val
ley, and how highly cultivated and i'm
proved. Once more on the Mississippi,
on your way downward, you would be
prompted to shoe, fifteen hundred or t,ro
thousand miles up the Arkansas river,
Just to see where all those hides and furs
come from You would no doubt run
two or three hundred miles up the Yszoo,
and two hundred or SO up The Big Black,
both in the State Of Mississippi, TO see
The countries that send out those stupend-
Gus steamboat londs of cotton that you
meet on your way up and just before
you reached New Orlenns, you would be
sorely tempted to pop a thousand or e.
teen hundred miles up Red River, to see
the splendid cotton piautaiions Of Louisi-
ana, and give finish to your excursion.
When YOU got back Ia New Orleans,
Won would have n tolerable accurate idea
OF what the Mississippi Valley IL; and by
putting the distances together, you will
find that you travelled very comfortably
ny bcauuOHt stxtett tHOusdNu Wtics, hUu
in going aud returning, double that dis
lance. Should curiosity lead you to in
vestigate you will find that in the Miss
issipp River and its tributaries, the Miss
issippi Valley posse sses steamboat nayi-
cation Of from twenty five to thirty thou
sand miles. Such 10 q brief but true
geographical glance al the valley. To
the mind Of an Atlantic or Europea an
reader il may appear more OF "lancy
sketch" than q true description. lie,
them not suppose that truth is violated
because our rivers are large VIC did 40,
make them, and are not responsible Cor
that. We have, however, plenty Of such
little streams az the Hudson, the Della.
ware, the Potomac, the Sautee, the
Thames, the Severa, the Mersey, the
Humber; but we do sa dignity them
with the name Of rivers wa eaA them
creeks or bayous. With US il takes a
river 10 make q river.
CARE OF FRUIT TREEs.-This meuth
is esteemed by many as favorable for
pruaing as any Of the spring months. -