Arkansas intelligencer., 1843-11-25

| A GreDt Salt Plain.--'I informed you in
hasty letter of my departure from Fort Gibson to
overtako Captain Greene. We have Travelled
about seventy miles up the north side of Arkan.
sas. where the Gross limb ers' come against that
stroam. These Cross Timbsrs get their name
from being continuous belt of timber of twenty
or thirty miles in width, running north and south
from the Red River to the Arkansas, and some
distance beyond it, separating the grand prairies
of the West from the E E,st side of it. 1t is COM
posed Of black jack oak, principally, and filled in
with grape vines and plumb bushes. making the
passage of it very difficult for the most part
We crossed the Arkansas river above this, and
kept up the south bank until we came within one
hundred miles of the Rocky Mountains, About
Salt Pan! s Vas one object of
Journey, and the sight was truly gratifying. The
bed of the river Qhe Nescutanga) was widened,
being hear six miles in width and ten in length;
the river running by side of it. through a
small channel in the sand, while the upper plain
throughout was covered with u crust of salt as
white as snow. We approached it through sand
hills, and when within four or five miles of it, the
plain looked like an immense salt lake which had
dried up and left the salt in its bed. We found
the salt to have local origin; it comes to the RI
YER IN a creek which is very salt. This over
flows the plain and leaves the salt to crystaze on
| tieaVy rams VIII wash the salt
away; but tho overflow from the creek comes at
the same time to bring more salt water for crys-
taIization. At this point we first began to find
buffalo. These animals wore ten years ago 10 be
found east OF Fort Gibson; they arc now found
IN strip OF country one hundred and fifty miles
at the base of the mountains. They are saugh-
| Tered IN such great numbers that in few Yea rs
| the Indians who are now dependent on them for
support must 60 to work starvo. Around the
salt plain is the hunting ground Of the Osages, the
largest as well as the most rascay and cowa rdl v
Of all the indians. We fell among them, and the
| old Captain, trusting to a we'll known Indian rule
never to steal from person they encamp with
put on too small guard one night. and some of
them stole ten Of our horses and two mules this
embarrassed us not q little. They tried to make
out that the Pawnees had been among them and
took Of their horses, but their deceprion
proved too shallow although they led me on a
false trail for thirty miles, with party in pursuit
at full gallop. Wo afterwards surprised party
! of them one of them mounted on one of our mules,
whic convinced US Of their guilt.
'Wnhin two days journey Of the Great Salt
Plain we came to the Salt Rock, rs it is Called
We found it in the bed of the Semirone, stream
south of the ono the Great Plain is on, and is an
Immense spring of salt wator, rising at the base
oil a high clay hill, and boils up over space Of
one hundred and sixty acres, crystazng as fast
as it reaches the surf.c,, forming a rock of salt
all over the covo SO Eard that We broke one mat.
took in vain attempts to get a mass of it. The
holes where the water comes out arc lined with
salt as far down as the arm could reach.-Cinctn,
Ga..
Temperance speech Of an old Sea Cap,ain-"l
have como twelve miles to attond this meeting
yet do not value my tint feel rewa rded by
what see around me. My friends, have seen
more of tho world than most of you. | have
troi the streets Of proud London nnd the winds OF
distant India have famed these furrowod cheeks
of mine. My keel has been upon every sea, and
my name upon every tongue. Heaven blessed
me with one of the bsst Of wives-and my child
ren-oh, why should speak of them! My homo
was once paradise. But bowed, like a brute,
to the killing cup-my eldest tore himself
from his degraded father and has never returned.
My young hearts idol-my beloved and suffering
wito--has gone brokenh hearted to the gravo.-
And my lovely daughter, whose image seem to
see in the beautiful around mo--once my pride
and my hope-pined away in sorrow and mourn.
ing because her father was drunkarI. and now
sleeps by her mothers side. But | still live to
toll the history of my shame, and the ruin of nv
family. still live-and stand before you 10 Of.
fer up my hearts fervenr gratitude to my heaven.
| ly Father, that l have been snatched from the
! brink OF drunkards grave. And while | live,
shall struggle to restore my wandering brethren
again to the bosom Of society. This form ii
mno is wasting and bending under the weight Of
years. But, my young friends, you are just
blooming into lifo; tho places of your fathers and
mothers will soon be vacant. See that you come
up TO Gil them with pure hearts and anoned lips
Bind the blessed pledge firmly to your hearts and
be it tho Shibboleth Of lile's warfare!''
The Forgery Casr--Mr. WilI;s"'s Goddard, o!
Petcrsham, of whose forgerics to the amount OF
Sal 900 an account has been before published
was arraigned before the Court Of Commoa Pleas
II tjuoxo Cummins) on Friday last. upon three sew.
eral indictments. He pleaded guli,y to them all
Major Aaron Brooks, Of Petersham, who has suf
fered on account Of the forgeries to consdora.
BILE extent, voluntarily put upon the stand tc
testify to tho unlarnished character which Mr.
i Goddard had always sustaned-it being the pur.
pose of the testimony to appeal to the Court in
mitigation of punishment. A deep and painful
interest was manifested upon tho subject. His
honor took time to consider the matter, and on
Saturday morning sentenced the defendant to two
wears confinement and labor in the state prison
, upon each indictment, in all sir years.
!, The individuals who have been defrauded in
this case did not appear against tho defendant-
partly, perhaps, because it was known that he
!, would surrender himself to tho judgment o
a. L.. L.