The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-04-26
Ihe aIsslssIppl valley and alver.


The Mississippi Valley and River.
LETTER NO. ..On Currents.
TO The Editors ef Me NcDOrteaRs Crescent.
GHsrLKMEE-In the prosecution OF The subject we now
come secondly to the downward detected ffom the
pot OF atniOn and abrasion the bend, where
/ the abrasive power b greatest.
Where the great body Of the main current strikes convex
bend OF where point fans and baiiurs being formed
the water reco upon the following descending column and
Fetans lis onward motion, thereby heaping up the fluids in
the channel above this motion is continued from bend 10
bend, from ,nuosy 10 sinuoty, the bends acting DAMS
for the checking of the progress, and giving time for
the waters to be discharged uniformly the Baize than
if the direct This peculiarly . wise pro-
vision in food time, because the power of motion
stored to that portion of water which has by with the
hanks host its proectle force time given the heaped up
waters bend 10 be discharged other This rea
sJng accounts for the seeming Treconclabe fact that the
nver seems TO fall considerably to-day, for insance Don
alsonye, 10 se at Pia1uemine, and fall Baton Rouge
This contact with the bend divides the descending
colunn add. rebounds. part reogrades edde and
part acted upon by centrifugal force and striking the bank
at the eoncave bend is defec,ed downwarI when takes
revolving curveke motion, which produces deep caying
| and undermining Of the natural bank. sla
ThTdy-The diagonal current the river, from the
point OF to the point Of formation the opposite
bank tins Is the effect OF reco and After the
current strikes the bend il is before stated de-
heced downward. and having excavaed portion Of the
bank sets in diagonal direction for the opposite Shore de-
posting iH its the particles carried in soluO which
it has ateed from the bend thus ridge or bar
formed between the points OF excavation and formation the
heaviest particles of first subde. and the lighter are
deposited at the greater distancethus batture fo med
FOurthy-An eddyBg and Fetrograde current, close the
Tes bank, above the points OF atOn the consequences Of
the snuoJy of the lateral banks and the unduaiing and
singular surface Of the natural bed Of the The
rents OF the Mississippi have alone contend with the
nuoy Of the lateral banks of its channel but the bed also
consists Of inny of both lateral and VERTICAL
Between the points Of excavation and formation there
usually elevation of the rivers bed and corresponding
depression AT either sde above below the ridge inie.
daiey the currents contact with the bend, eects
portion of the aqueous column downwards ii rcos from
the bank, Cdownwards diagonay until strikes the foo,
Of the point, in process of formation when recoi up.
wards (dagonayl By the opposite bank, portion Ia
npwars (vericaly9 which occasions the succession o
bos edds and reiIograde currents we always observe be
| hind points and bends. 'A i-.'if
And filthy, vertical ascending and descending currents
produced By the various degrees Of the temperature Of the diff
sren lamninR of the fluid. and the specific gravity of the
| foreign matters, caused in solution
During observations of the Mississippi in Jannary last
remember that humid days, the was covered
with dense pale fog, which completely sIroude its sur.
face at elevation Of about eight feet above level Of
waters This the effect OF tie condensation OF the vnpor
by means of It's gdity and temperature of water This
fog invariably cleared when the sone strongly
at and when evaporation dspaied the humidity Of the
atmosphere In floods of the Mississippi the aceretiou o
wa arises from heavy falls Of Tou, and The breaking up o
ice the upper currents by the Of the incfsaset
particles Of the superstIaum and their accumulation III,
inclination Of the plane made abgupt the water
this snpesatum gaina aceeleraton and ruses
with INFINITE velocity, comparatively little united with the
n
stratum OF Hood waters induces 70 descend and give place
the supersIatum Of water Of higher Temperature Th,
ten one cause loE the ascending and descending
In support Of these views shall beg TO quoe from Hon
bOldts Cosmos the following, viz: The decrease
temperature much less rapid in the air than in the ~
which has tendency, under all latitudes to maintain
temperature in the stratum of water contiguous
atmosphere, owing the sinking of the heavier and mo
cooled PARTICLES As fresh and salt water do no, AIN,
their maximum Of density at the Temperature and
he saness OF the sea lowers the iemometrica degree.
responding TO this point, we can understand how the waite
drawn from great depths of The during the voyages
kozebue and Dupeit Thomas, could have been found
have only the temperature Of 3o and $50 g. This icy
hs o sS Srs ,, which 5 + S ssTe @ | . ma3eS e ID T 4
polar currents, which from both poles towards tn
| equator
The specific gravity and peculiar geological and mners
logical properties of the foreign matters, carried in souto
by the Mississippi, that cannot accurateI
define determine them, considering the rich and
mineral regions through which this river and its butaIe
flow one thing, however, certain that the contain
vast quantity of earthy, vegetable and mineral
suspension (que equal part in eighty of the whoe)
and that the combined effect of such consequence Il
induce precipitation Ito the plane of the hoSizon of te
foreign particles this must be So accorng to the laws
gravation. This inclination however opposed by
stronger prcece force OF CURRENT the component particle
of which, obeyng the same laws Of gravity rush down h
inclined plane OF the rivers fall. until having arrived at Tn
nearly horizontal channel motion continued by the fore
accumulated the sharp gradients Of the nver bed
maintained by cohesion Of the particles and gravity
Should the he destroyed by any whatever
gravitaiOn of the semenary particles will succeed
The chaotic confusion of the currents Of the Mississippi
wise disensaton which prevents the precipitation of
sedimenary PARTICLES and formation of bars, sand banks
shadows, and certain filling up Of the rivers bed, ruinou
in effect to the navigation Of this splendid river and h
commerce Of its cities.
The central surface current Of the Mississippi abou
. three and half miles hour; its surcharge sbou
the rate of one and half miles per hour At CanoIoH
January last, when the river very high, found that h
middle surface beyond four miles per hour;
portions, at the bends, five miles, and in Others quit
equal to sI miles hour. But this subject requires
s time, many experiments at different places along the river
whole course, TO arrive at conclusions shall quot
from Humbodt's ASPECTS of Nature remarks upo
oceanic currents, which applicable, small scale,
" some of the currents of the Mississippi.
OT 'n the Atlanc between Europe, North Africa and til
New Continent the driven round in truly revoly
ing The New Continent, from the isthmus of Pans
y the Northern part Of Mexico. opposes barrier th
of the waters, and thus the current constrained
Norhey OF Yeragua, and thence to folo'
the windngs Of the of Costa Rca, Mosquito, Can
peachy and TObasco. The which the Mexica
Gulf between Cape Cutoche, of Yucatan, and Cape Sa
Antonio, of Cuba after completing great rotary
by Vera Cruz Tamiaqua, the mouth of the Rio Bravo
NOe, and that of the Mississippi force theirway northward
through the Bahama channe and reissue into the ope
n ocean,
The typographical features of the Valley Of the Misissp
will be the subject of my next letter.
Respectfully yours, Tues. EAFARELLE, M. c. L
Of .Nco Orleans. 10th April, 1850.
70 -SOS-
Correspondence of the Baltimore Sum-
WAsHINaToS, April II, 1850.
The Verdict IN the Webster Case-PuJlic Opinion