Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-04-28
To Tie Editors Of Tie Enquirer: anr;, %

narm;ssion afr review of a few facts ana ini-
pressions thrown upon my mind during SCUM
ern ,our. Ailer leaving that city, spent some
time in the inferior of Mississippi, remaining
long enough TO SEQ its princpal varieties OF soll
and natural features, and TO Judge rom inc ple
sent state of their artificial improvement hs. "a
paclies and prospects, with regard 10 !, IN iu.'ie
| do mol pretend TO offer profound ieheclons! ~
even the material for bold po'ilicai Pt1Pnec,.s
but only present observations, WINCH noG W, g
limited and partial are slowly lolmeu' 80 ,a' a. a,
hasly discoveries of analogy The Interviewing
wild conjecture or hearsay. | have not seen
yery large portion of the South West out Inc
country is nearly in a crude state ni Nature, AM
splinter NAV sample the native diamond
though marble chip would not give an idea o.
the Parthenon.
The alluyion Of the Mississippi gradually IN
creases in width, southwardly from Inc POM
whittier its principal tributaries conYerseIhe
Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee ana Gumoeiianu
THIS may be called The apex OF inc Deea, VI
triangle, which increases from an e1ent OF ni'een
or twenty miles at Cairo, and less a, oain. LOUIS
to from fifty 10 eighty between Norm Mississippi
and Arkansas, eighty below Nalcnez, ano one
hundred and fifty in Louisiana. ms IS per
fecty level, and, where mol proec'eu Dy evees,
minor streams, the swampy area is greater, as in
The Northern part OF Mississippi, where The
swamps Of the Yazoo, annually inundated, and
as yet unreclaimed, occupy some or 4,Uoo ooo
of acres. This tract lies between The two
rivers North OF Vicksburg and Tor the entire dis
lance from that town 10 Memphis, four hundred
miles, there is scarcely notable elevation, and
no, ono suited for the site of large town. This
circumstance OF lis being bordered, except at a
few points by almost impossible morasses, is one
great drawback On the value OF The river, as a
means OF transport
Ills unnecessary to say tina. The whole valley
between the Ae,hanes and The Cordilleras, is Of
recent and marne formation. There is lllle
rock, and most Il what there is, is composed oi
aquatic remains, shells, and other fossils, with Inc
exception OF some old Sandstone, along The
edges Of the great basin. On the Mississippi
YOU see no stone IL all Tor 800 miles; even The
bluffs, Two and three hundred feet deep, being all
of crumbling earth. Probably Louisiana is The
only Stale whchhas soil less firm, and less bound
together by rock, than that OF Mississippi. It's sur
face is generally either level bog, or hillocks Of
porous soil, much abraded, where the forests have
been removed by streams and rain. As a pre-
venlivc OF this locomotive propensity in their
landed property, the farmers have OF late intro
duced Bermuda grass, the only kind suited 10 The
climate with some success, and the hills around
Natchez and VicksbuTg are already luxuriant
whit. This is only parla, however, and, in the
meantime, from the depth and versatility OF their
beds, the water power OF the many fine courses
which nlerseci the State, becomes, for the most
part, unavailable. | have not seen a single mill
stream easily iordable. Here, and there loo, you
see deserted saw and grist mills halfburied in the
sand, which has filled the DAM and standing as
sitlly alooi from the cuquellish fluid as though
they had taken the total abstinence pledge. This
disadvantage, together with the non-existence,
as Tar as have seen or heard OF any traces OF
ore or mineral veins, would seem 10 be lasting
bar to any manufacturing Thrift in Mississippi
even were the cxecrable roads capable oftransport
ing bulky materials. Indeed, obstacles TO inter
pal traffic, and The difficulty OF removing them
form a more than ordinary hndrance 10 The SET
Element and advance Of The Stale Roads can
never be McAdamized, canals have not been
thought Of, though they may hereafter answer
we'll and railways seem 10 be the improvement
most suited TO the nature Of The country and its
products. Accordingly what energy the specula-
lion Of '36 and 40 could spare from banking and
improving cities was directed to railways, two
OF which-one Al and the other miles long
were completed and broken up one of IL miles
nearly completed and abandoned; while The only
one now discoverable, out of some half dozen on
paper, is that from Vicksburg 10 Jackson, so
miles, finished las, winter. Banks and railroads
were combined by joint stool, companies, and
banks have been obilsraicd, forbidden By the last
Legislature ever 10 reappear within their borders
Not so with railroads; the members knew better
than TO pluck out and cast away that eye, because
i, had offended. AT the same session bill was
passed for building road from The capital 10 The
A l.lo Ina 10 ~ vi
Georgia route across the former State. This IS
only a scn OF course-the completion of the
work is theme for prophecy. A bill which is,
or was month ago, before Congress, will ena-
bic the State TO apply some three hundred thou
sand dollars to the work within year or two-
This road will pass Tor $50 miles through the most
central and promising portion OF The Stale, be-
tween the high prairie lands OF the North East
and the gravey pine barrens Of the South, roll
ing their gloomy hills down 10 the Gulf Thi.
last region extends Eastwardly through tho At
lan,ic States, and presents The same general and
we'll known characteristics throughout. The bel!
in Mississippi and Alabama is wider than to-
wards the North, stretching about 200 miles in
land Il is also here qualified with many bot
toms Of great fertility, clad with The finest timber
in the world, cypress poplar ard live oak. Even
the hills, when cleared, sometimes produce res
pectabl crops Of cotton. No other crop is at all
common or of Importance, except that Of Indian
corn, which is raised Tor the negroes and stock,
not for export. Indeed, it is curious TO witness
The ercluSre,iess Of the extreme Southern States
in their productive industry: with what perina-
city this last, having received an almost casual d.
reclion, adheres unswerving!ly and almost help
lessy 10 it, abandoning all other paths, though old
and tried. Thus Mississippi, on one side the RI
yer, grows only cotton; Louisiana, half a mile
of, grows sugar and lutte cotton Georgia, Ala
bama and South Carolina all grow cotton and
little else. In mast, perhaps all Of these, indigo
was formerly produced. but its culture is now
quite abandoned In Mississippi the palma CHRIS
Ii or castor oil bean is indigenous, but never cul-
,ivaied. Th. plant has been naturalized in
Southern Illinois and on our own Eastern Shore,
among a variety Of other products. II is super
Auous 10 point out The variety of avenues through
which industry farther North seeks its reward.
This samenesS and narrowness OF enterprise
proceeds, perhaps, mainly from ihe nature Of slave
labor and its narrow range OF applicability. But
as no other kind OF labor car ever avail much in
this almost tropical region, and as the increasing
warmth of the climate from the opening OF the
country. must hereafter make this still more The
case. il becomes evident, If The facts have sta
led be generally true and reliable data that The
Stale al least OF which particularly speak, must
ever be almost purely agricultural. The same
features industrial and natural, may be said 10
mark the surrounding States, and similar deduc-
lions NAV be drawn as 10 their capacities. II is
we'll known that in that region the simplest handi-
crafts are neglected, and that it is dependant for
every article not drawn from the soil, on the
NoI!h; and there is every prospect Of such being
the case for long time 10 come. The olive and
the vine can scarcely be cultivated by negroes,
and white labor will be cheaper in Europe
Northern advantages in material and labor moi
to say in climate born energy, with the exirems
cbea pness OF river transport, will always crush
home competiion and, before it could be olher-
wise, there would have TO be change in the cot.
ton States as great as would be that from the eco
nomy OF Poland and Southern Russia 10 that Of
Lancashire.
Now were those of The Southwest independ-
emf States, this claiming Of all their industry 10
The lillagc Of the soil, might aulhorse no favora-
Bile anlicipations as to their lasting fame, power
and freedom. History in no instance connects
these attributes with nation exclusively rural or
exclusively anything. In every community there
- - l:1rarant hopts pf 1on;ne ,nJ I,rr, a