The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1843-09-27
THE VALLEY OF THE MISSIS.
SlPPI.

The Mississippi valley is known by such
very crude and indefinite names as the
West, the Western country, The Lake coun>
try, the Southwest the far West by some
is called the Land of Pigs. and, since the
election OF 1910, it is sometimes STYLED the
Coon-skin region. Its boundaries on the
west are the Rocky Mountains, Mexico and
Texas; on the south The Gulf OF Mexico :;
on the east the Alleeany Mountains on the
north the Lakes and British Possessions.
II contains nearly as many square miles as
continental Europe. and if populated as
dense " as England. would sustain popu-
laiion of five hundred millions of human be-
ings-more Than half of the present popula-
ton Of the earth. Stretching from the 26ih
10 The 49, degree of latitude, it possrsse>
great variety of climate. In richness of
soil and extent Of tIilable land, it is not sur
passed by any country of the same extent.
lis surface is almos; unbroken by noun.
tain or bill Of sufficient size 10 impede cult.
walton.
Geographically viewed, it is pre- eminent
~ a commercial country. and is PARTICULAR,
eligible for foreign commerce. To see.
r
valley is, suppose YOU go on boar4 of one of
those STEAMBOATS, lying al the wharf at New
Orleans and about 10 start for the upper
Mississippi river. Leaving the orange
groves aud sugar plantations of the South, in
about ten days The boat will land you at the
! falls of 81. Anthony, twenty five hundred
miles up in the Mississippi riverl II you
think you are not qriie far enough north,
you can walk round the Falls, and taking
ouothrr boat, ascend eight hundred or
thousand miles farther. On your wav I'D
you will have passed through many climates
and seen The productions Of each under col
: tivalio.I and over n vast mining region,
Astounding in coal, lead. iron. and copper
ore, ali found in VEINS of wonderful richness.
As you return. should you wish to take q
peep al the West, you will take boat at 81.
! Louis bound up the Missouri river.
After couple weeks or so of g"od hard
running, she wili land al the Great Falls, in
the Country of the BIsckfooi Indians, about
thirty nine hundred miles above 81 LOUIS
and five thousand from New Orleans Re
turning you would of course like TO see
some of the tributaries ofthe Missouri for
this purpose YOU would make n li'Ile excur-
sion of eleven hundred miles up the Yellow
stone, of sixteen hundred up the Platte. and
Of twelve hundred miles from New Orleans.
There vnu would take beautiful boat for
the Ohio, and run up that stream 10 Pitts
hureh one thousand mics from The mouth
of the Ohio. and Two thousand from New
| Orleans. You see The furnishing towns of
Louisville. CINCINNATI, and Pittsburgh, The
most luxurInnl crops of grain aud grass,
| fine ana numerous ilocks ard herds of eve
~ kind YOU would smile 10 see the primi
| live contrivances, waited on the bosom of
! .he Ohio, bearing the products Of he Ohio
valley 10 It's distant market ia New Orleans;
and more than all you would rrinice 10
see the healthy, happy smiling faces of the
people.
! Before YOU again embark on the Mis-
sissippi, YOU would no doubt run three or
! four hundred miles up the Cumberland, six
or seven hundred up the Tennessee river TO
see what were the finest cotton regions of
the valley aud now highly cultiva'ed and
improved. Once more on the MiSsiss; ppi,
on your wav downward. you would be
! 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 Yazou. and two
hundred or so up the Big Black. both in the
State of Mississippi. 10 see the country that
send out those siupcnd1ous steamboat loads
OF cotton that you meet on your way up
and iu,r before you reached New Orleans
you would be sorely tempted to pop a thou
sand or fifteen hundred miles up Red river.
TO see the splendid cotton plantations of
Louisiana, and give finish TO your excur.
sion.
When YOU get back to New Orleans, YOU
would have a tolerably accurate idea of
" AT the Mississippi Valley is; and by put
ting the distances together. YOU will find
that GU Travelled very comfortably By steam.
boat sixteen thousand miles, and in going
and returning. double that distance. Should
curiosity lead you 10 investigate, you will
find that IN the Mississippi River and lis
tributaries. the Mississippi Valley POSSESSES
steamboat navigation of from twenty-five
20 thirty thousand miles. Such is brief
bu, true geographical glance at the vall'.y.
To the mind of an Atlantic or European
reader it may appear more of a q" fancy
sketch" than a true description. Let them
not suppose that truth ia violai, d because
onr rivers are large We did not make them.
and are not responsible for that. We have
however, plenty such streams as the i1ud-
son, the Delaware. the Potomac. the Santee,
the Thames, the Severn, the Mersey, the
Humber; bu' we do not dignity them with
name of rivers we call Them creeks of bav.
Gus. With us Il takes river 10 make a riv.
er.-Nd,. Intel.
IRISH WiDows.-Al Drogheda, the beg
CARS bescged US in il way winch, though
embarrassing to young lady. was quite
amusing 10 the other passengers. In hand