Independent Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1842-1844, 1843-12-02
PATHETIC, NEAR MISSISSIPPI CRY, I
November II, 1913. !
J. A. Talbot, Esq.

DEAR Sir: will now undertake TO re
deem the promise made you, whilst on
visit TO this part of our state last Sept, will
regard to the resources, active and dor
mani, of our land and water, and the agri
cultural capabilities Of our soll', or rathe
our sands, together with our facilities 70
transporting TO marke. whatever We have
for sale--the health of our country--it
capabilities as a stock growing region
fruits, &c.--and prospective value of on
fisheries. However unable | may be t.
do Justice 10 this country and these sub
iects, still | am willing TO give such infor
nation with regard to it as | am able, an.
you, who have examined ii, may fill up the
picture, in accordance with your own judg
ment, from personal observations.
In the first place allow me to remark,
that the whole country, in state of ma
ture, presents to the inexperienced eye,
nothing but sterlity; in one place clay,
another sand, and the balance apparently
nothing but clay and sand mixed, notwith-
standing the whole country is covered with
rich coat of native grass, ntersp ersed
with "reed brakes and dense forest OF
lofty pine, with here and there groves Of
black oak, white oak, hickory, magnolia,
live oak, &c still am persuaded, that
ninety-nine olt of every hundred persons
who had seen nothing cultivated here,
would pronounce it a dry, sterile, and un-
productive country, and compared with
many sickly swamps, and alIuvial river bot
toms which have seen, it is so. Indeed,
it is country of poor land. For the first
mile from The sea shore, it is almost en-
tirely sand, of a yellow colour, from three
10 five feet deep, filled with small particles
Of iron, and some other adhesive properly,
which gives it solidity and compactness
adapting it to cultivation and retention of
manures; under this stratum of yellow sand
is bed of pure white coarse sand, full at
all times of the pureSt water. After leav-
ing the sea shore about mile, the country
is more unduating, the lands mostly clay,
and clay and sand, with large tracts of
"ieyal wet pine woods" these level lands
have never been tested for agricultural
purposes, although there is liula doub
they were once salt mlrShes, and 10 lubt
all the properties of the most val.
liable soils, except ak Iii, which they may
require to have aided in some shane or
other; this can easily BE- done by aiding
lime mlde OF oyster shells: these level
lands are general about ten to fifteen feet
above the waters Of the Gulf at present;
and the reason | have for believing they
wee once "salt Marshes" is their uniform
height, location, near tide wa
ter, bays, blyous, &c, together wit h the
presumption that Florida and Cuba were
once connected, and when that was the
case, tine shape of The Mexican Gulf, the
strong known current Of wind, from S. L.
and s., AMI the strong current of water,
running east, between Florida
and the island of Cuba, all warrant the
helict that before that channel was m lde,
the waters in this part of the Gal! must
have been ten or fifteen feet higher than
at present These level lands, intersper.
sed with rolling lands, continue from five
to ten miles from the sea shore, where the
country becomes more rolling, broken and
billy, except about waller courses, and con.
hnues then what is called the poor " piney
woods" for upwards Of one hundred miles
north, and from Pearl river on the west to
The Alabama river on the east, all cover.
ed with the finest pitch and yellow pine
timber, finely watered with rivers, creeks,
and innumorablc springs Of the finest quail.
ty. There is no limit to the water power
or machinery and manufacturing purpo-
'eS, in this whole region of country. This
Whole tract of country is interspersed with
mail tracts of river and creek bottom
ands, valuable for agriculture, without any
lddltional manure of any kind--hereto-
ore this extensive tract of country has
'een regarded as valuable on account. of
is greatcapaci'y to support immense herds
f cattle winter and summer without any
'Iher food, but of late years the stocks OF
attic have increased beyond the capacity
nf,ty th,,-- i