Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1854-07-09
DR.. Duff'S Speech in the Scottish General
Assembly.
PITTsBURG AND THE WEST.

PITTsBURG AND THE WEST.
turned westward, across the Allegheny noun
tains to Pittsburgh in the Ohio valley aceonlpaDi
ed by an admirable man-the Rev. Mr.. Patterson.
In that town, held private and public meetings,
and was much refreshed ministers and laymen Of
all denominations uniting in the most marked dem
Onstrations of genuine brotherly kindness. 1t is
great Presbyterian place, Pittsburgh. great
number of Seotcnmen have settled there and it
is a singular fact that one finds in the valley Of
the Ohio all the Old divisions of our own Presby
terianism in full operation. They have Reformed
Presbyterian, Associated Reformed, and Reformed
without associated or anything else. Laughter)
The COvenaters are yonder, too Why they show
you their covenanting testimOny-you would think
it had come from AirsmOss but yesterday. Zap
plause.)
Proceeding along the singularly beautiful valley
of the Ohio, with its meadows, and groves, and
cultured plains, with rolling wooded hills, by Gin
cnnati and Louisville, the junction of the Mis-
sissippi, and from that to st. Louis, then north
ward to Chicago, on the Lake Michigan; thence
crossed eastward to Detroit, and entered Canada,
visiting the principni places there as far as Mon
treal, and returning by Boston to New York
Holding public meetings in the principal places as
l went along, everywhere met with the same kind
and generous reception. Indeed, no language can
adequately express the personal kindness exhibited
and the enthusiasm of our meetings.
People hear of the greatness of this country,
but they must go and see before they realize it.
If you 90 from the sea to Philadelphia, distant
100 miles, thence West to Pittsburgh, $50 more,
on to the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi,
1000 miles more and then go on to St. Louis,
200 miles more, there you are told that, proceed
ing farther West, you will be approaching abont
half the distance westward of this vast territory
There are some three millions of square miles in
the United States, which would be equal to twenty
Scotlands Joined TO twenty Englands and added to
twenty Irelands. And in this country, too you see
all the various steps of progress There is Pitts
burgh, a comparatively old place, you would i'm
agine you were entering some of the regions near
Glasgow-a region of COAL iron, and furnaces
Then there is such place as Cincinnati glori-
Gus city, only half century old, now stocked with
nearly 100000 inhabitants, and furnished with all
that art and luxury can devise. And then, west
ward are Louisville and st Louis also noble cities.
! In that Western region, you have the prairies-
those strange places which cannot be described
When you come to the centre of one of these vast
places, you see nothng-not tree or shrub
nothing-but the smooth surface of the grass,
! and underneath the richest, black loamy soil on
earth-no trees to fell-but there ii is lying ready
| to be upturned for the seed Ia going through the
prairies my mind always went back to our poor
! Highlands of Scotland and the many who were
driven to find livelihood from the barren rock al
/ most and ] could not but wish that thousands oI
these poor cteatures were transported suddenly to
this glorious SOIL where it only requires to be turn
| ed up and in three or four months you have q
splendid crop. (Hear, hear) @ ~
THE INDIANS. ..-r -
1 1t is singular fact that the lower part of al
this great valley of the Mississippi capable some
day of supporting 2OOOOO,OOO inhabitants, is sup
posed to have been once the bed of a vast lake
exhibiting traces Of it in the SUGGEST ion OF terrace
like fats while at the same time, monuments Of a
vast extraordinary character have been discovered
mounds. tumpli, ard hundreds Of skeletons o
human bodies not belonging to the races and tribe;
which have peopled that region for one or two
thousand years. Many Of these remains look lk'
Roman camps and forti6cations and an idea ha
got abroad and is actually entertained by man,
able men, that Roman colony, carried somehow
across the Atlantic, was founded there, long, lon
ago. Again, when you go westward, along tn
Missouri, you come 70 people who have manner
and custom and language very like the Welsh
and some old stories are also abroad about them
1t is mentioned that long ago some vessels left tn
coast of Wales, and were never heard of; and it