Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-08-20
HIS TO RECAL.
Valley Of the MissisSippi.

A writer in the National Intelligencer who
has presented some very interesting and impo-
sing views of the magnitude and resources of
this vast internal empire, thus refers to the extent
and capacity of its navigabe rivers.
The Mississippi valley is known by such very
crude and indefinite names as the West, the
Western country, the Lake country, the South
west, the Far West; by some it is called the
Land Of Pigs, and since the elections of 1910,
it is sometimes styled the Coon-skin regions
Its boundaries on the west are the Rocky Noun
tains, Mexico and Texas; on the south the Gulf
of Mexico on the east the Allegheny Noun
tains, and on the north the Lakes and British
possessions. 1t contains nearly as many square
miles as continental Europe, and if populated as
dcnsely as England would sustain a population
Of five hundred millions ofhuman beinqs-more
/ than half the present population Of the earth.-
Stretching from the 29;h to the 49h degree Of
! latitude, it possesses great variety of climate
In richness Of soil and extent Of tillabc land it
is not surpassed by any country Of the same ca
tent. lis surface is almost unbrokcn by noun
tain or hill Of sufficient size to impede cult
walton. Geographically viewed, it is pre-eml-
nently commercial country and is particularly
eligible for foreign commerce, To sec, reader,
for YOURSELF what the Mississippi valley is, sup
pose you 90 on board of one ofthose steamboats,
lying at the wharf in New Orleans, and about
to start for the Upper Mississippi river Leav-
ing 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; if you
think you are not far enough north, You can
walk round the Falls and, taking another boat,
ascend eight hundred or a thousand miles fur
thcr, On your way up, you will have passed
through many climates, and seen the productions
of each under cultivation, and over a vast mi
ming region, Astounding in coal, lead, iron and
copper ore, all found in veins Of wonderful rich
ness As you return, should you wish to take
a peep at the West you will take boat at 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 coun-
try Of the BIacktoot Indians ABOUT thirty-nine
hundred miles above St, Louis, and five thousand
from New Orleans. RETURNING, you would of
course wish to see some of the tributaries Of the
Missouri; for this purpose, you would make a
little excursion of eleven hundred miles up the
yellow Stone, or sixteen hundred up the Platte,
and of twelve hundred up the Kanzas, and so
back to St Louis on the Mississippi river, twelve
hundred miles from New Orleans
There Yoa take a boat for the beautiful Ohio
and run up that stream 10 Pittsburgh, one thou
sand miles from the mouth Of the Ohio, and tive
Thousand from New Orleans. You would sec
the furnishing towns of Louisville, CINCINNATI
and PHtsbur9h the most luXuriant crops Of all
the grains and grasses; fine and numerous flock,
and herds of every kind; you would smile to SEE
> the primitive conrivances waited on the bosom
of the Ohio, bearing the products of the Ohio
4 valley to the 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,
f you would, no doubt, run three or four hundred
| miles up the Cumberland, and six or seven hun
a bred up the Tennessee river, to see what were
the first cotton regions of the valley, and
how highly cultivated and improved Once
more on the Mississippi on your way downward
t you would be prompted to shoot fifteen hundred
or two thousand miles up the Arkansas river
f Just to see where all those hides and lurs come
t 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 O
Mississippi to see the countries that send ou
those stupendous steamboat loads of cotton that
you met on your way up; and Just before you
reached New Orleans, you would be sorell
, tempted to pop thousand or fifteen hundret
miles up Red River, to see the splendid cottoI
plantations of Louisiana, and give finish tC
your excursion.
When you get back to New Orleans, yol
would have tolerabIy accurate idea of what lht
, Mississippi valley is and by putting the distance
together, You will find that you have travelled
very comfortably by steamboat sixteen thousant
miles, aud, in going and returning, double ,h
distance. Should curiosity lead you to investi
r gate, you will find that in the Mississippi rive
and its tributaries, the Mississippi Valley poss
esses a steamboat navigation of from t,pcnty t
MirtV hoasaad mites. Such is brief but tru,
geographical glance at the Valley. Tot min
of an Atlantic or European reader, it may ap
pear more of fancy sketch than true des
cription. Let them not suppose that truth i
, violated because our rivers are large; we did ne
I make them, and are not responsible for that
We have, however, plenty of such little stream
as the Hudson, the Delaware, the Potomac, til
Il Santee the Thames, the Severn, the Mersey
the Humber, but we do not dignity them wit
> the name of rivers; we call them creeks or bay
= Gus, With us it takes river to make riy
I er