Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1843-09-29
AFrom the National Intelligencer.
The Tollev a. tie .MjsstsstNp5.
AHIxrEnEsr1No SKETCH.


AN INTERESTING SKETCH.
The Mississippi valley lie known by sucn
very crude and indefinite names as the west
the Western country, the Lake county 'no
Southwest, the Far West; BY some IT'S call.
the Land Of PIGS s sSS fl l6s sConoaaskin
eion. Its boundaries on the west are the
Rocky Mountains. Mexico, and Texas; on the
south the Gulf Of Mexico !; on the east the Al
leghany mountains; and on the north, the
Lakes and British possessions. 1t contains
nearly as many square miles as continental
Europe and if populated as densely as Eng
land, wonld sustain q population OF i've hum
bred millions Of human beings--more than
half the present population of the EARTH
Stretching from the 18th to the 40 degree Of
latitude, It possesses great variety of climate.
Tn richness Of soil and extent Of tillable
land, it is not surpassed by any country Of the
same extent Its surface is almost unbroken
By a mountain or hill of sufficient size TO
impede cultivation. Geographically viewed,
it is pre-eminently commercial country, and
is particularly eligible for foreign commerce.
To see, reader, for yourself, what the Missis-
sippi valley is, suppose you go on board OF
one of those steamboats, lying at the wharf IN
New Orleans. and about to start for the Up
per Mississippi river. Leaving the Orange
groves and sugar plantations of the South, IN
about ten days the boat will land you at the
Falls Of ST. Anthony, twenty-five hundred
miles up the Mississippi river. II you think
you are not far enough north, you can walk
round the Falls, and, taking another boat, as
cend eight hundred OF thousand miles furth-
er. On your way up you will have passed
through many climates, and seen the produc-
lions of each under cultivation, and over
vast mining region, Astounding in coal, lead.
iron, and copper ore, all found in veins of
wonderful richness. As you return, should
wish to take peep at the West, you will take
boat at st. Louis bound up the Missouri
river.
After couple of weeks or so Of good hard
| running, she will land YOU at the Great Falls,
in the country of the Blackfoot Indians, about
thirty-nine hundred miles above st. Louis and
FIVE thousand from New Orleans. Returning,
you would of course like to see some Of the
tributaries Of the Missouri; for this purpose
you would make little excursion of eleven
hundred miles up the Yellowstone, of sixteen
hundred up the Platte, and Of twelve hundred
Up the Kanzus, and so back TO St. Louis, on
the Mississippi river, twelve hundred miles
from New Orleans. There you would take a
boat for the beautiful Ohio, and run up that
stream to Pittsburgh, enc thousand miles
from the mouth Of the Ohio. and two thou
sand from New Orleans. You would see
the .hourishing cities of Louisville, Cincinna-
ii and Pittsburgh, the most luxurient crops Of
grains and grasses fine and numerous focks
and herds Of every kind you would smile to
see the primitive con.rivances waited on the
bosom of the Ohio, bearing the products Of
the Ohio valley to its distant market in New
Orleans; and more than 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 or
four hundred miles up the Cumberland, six or
seven hundred up the Tennessee river to see
what was the finest cotton region of the val
ley and now highly cultivated ard improved.
Once more On the Mississippi, on your way
downward, you would he prompted to shoot
fifteen hundred or two 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
Yazoo, and two hundred or so up the BIG
Black, both in the state of Mississippi, 10 see
the countries that send out those stupendous
steamboat loads Of cotton that you meet on
your way up; and just before you reached
New Orleans you would be sorely tempted 10
pop thousand or fifteen hundred miles IN
Red River, TO see the splendid cotton planta-
tons of Louisiana, and give finish to your
excursion.
When you got back TO New Orleans, you
would have tolerable accurate idea of what
the Mississippi Valley is, and by putting the
4oI %t,aHv
travelled very comfortably by steamboat six
teen thousand miles, and, in going and re-
turning, double that distance. Should curios-
~ lead you to investigate, you will find tina.
in the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
the Mississippi Valley possesses steamboat
navigation Of from twenty-five 10 thirty thou.
sand miles. Such is brief but true geo.
graphical glance at the valley. To the mind
of an Atlantic or European reader II NAV an.
pear more of fancy sketch than true DIES.
crIptlon. Let them not suppose that truth is
violated because our rivers are large: we did
not make them, and are not responsible for
that. We have, however, plenty of such lit
tie streams as the Hudson, the Delaware. the
Potomac, the Santee, the Thames, the Severn.
the Mersey, the Humber, but we do not dip-
Nifty them with the names of rivers; we call
them creeks or bayous. With us il takes a
river TO make river.
LINING TIA minister in the Hiph
lands of Scotland, found, one of his parish.
toner's intoxicated. The next day he cal
led to reprove him for it. IT'S yerv
wrong TO get drunk, said the domino. Il
ken that said the guilty person, but then
dlnna drink as'meikle as ye do -. What,
sir How is that 2 asked the other with
surprise. Why, gin it please ye,' con-
nnued the other. 'dinna ye aye take glass