The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1854-02-25
Correspondence Of The Cecil Whis.
Letters from the SONtIl-Vvcs
No. il.
CHEROKEE Co. TEXAS, I
February 9TH, 1854. (

CuERoKEE Co.. TEXAS,
February 9TH, 1854.
ga Hofrbat!-Tec.l Smi|ls-BeamifH and
Vel Cultivated Country-Cacrolee Rose
Uedyc-Sh,ulc TtccS-Emi5 rads-Chol"u
--Loariy Piac floods JnmpilI-oG Pipcc'
-Loag-hofaei C0tHe-7he TUimS Of the
S,Ji,e H'mer-Rct Land-Lon RiccrS-
Loae Bfd5e-.ipp3oyu"ce Of The Country
Nro .doctcs-Iuadsom IOna-SmuH Prai-
ries-(iool Laad5-PriceS Of La"d-H cath-
cr, &c.
Ny Dean R:--It has been some time since
] wrote The Wing, and my excuse is the hur-
ry of travel; but | will make amends in some
measure, by giving you the cream of my jour
nry from Red River to this place, which is
thirty-three miles west of NAcogdochcs.
On the last Sunday in January, left Alex
andra on Red River, on horseback, for Texas.
Mounted Oh Il Texas saddle, which would be
quite curiosity to ride on, to one of you &C.
ell folks, it being little more than the tree Of
Spanish saddle with strraps and sweat leatl-
crs, started for the pine woods of Louisiana,
an the banks Of the Sabine, about six miles
above Sabine town. 1t being late in the af
NIih''H NhSh, IA Soliil'>'I'N WIN iH'ulhtu
Californian, we started up the bayou, or creek
that enters Red River near the town, we onIy
travelled, on the first day, eighteen mil IS, and
stopped at the house Of a planter by the name
OF Hunter. The country on the bayou, has
The appearance Of being an old settled region,
and for beauty Of appearance and high state
Of cultivation, | have seen no place in my
trwcls to surpass it. The mansions of the
planters arc generally well built, and taste
fully adorned with shade trees, and ornamcn-
tai yards.
On this Bayou | slw the Cherokee rose
Ledge, which, when seen in the distance is
like green lawn, extending in beauty before
You. The appearance Of one Of these hedges,
when covered with flowers in the spring mus;
be singularly beautiful. The China tree a&
shade and ornamental tree, appears to be
much priscd in tits country. They are OF
lncdium size, rapid growth, dense foliage, pro
ducing dark, deep Shade, and their flowers
are Of the most exquisite odur.
On the second day, SIC passed many emil
grant trains, vending their lonely way to Tex
as. Numbers Of these wanderers were sick
of the Cholera, aud aftcrwar learned that
many of them lad died in the pine woods
The vast pincy region, which extends from
the head of Ragou Rapids, twenty three miles
from Red River, to the Trinity, in Texas, we
entered on Monday morning. the second day
of our journey by land. After entering this
vast reg on Of pines, the road winds its so!it,-
Si.t, ,,rI viii, lac
human habitatDn apes rs. And thus at lJny
intervals the Traveller meets with lus in this
wilderness, till he reaches the Sabine, the
boundary Of Texas, Il distance Of one Hundred
and fifteen miles.
At small town called Nanny, twenty miles
cast Of the Sabine, and which to me, looked
like the jumping-of place of civilization, we
struck the old San Antonio road, leading from
San Antonio in Texas to Natchitochcs OH Red
River, and which has been travelled by pack
mules and Mexican merchants more than IL
hundred years ago. Here we met the Texan
tca,nstcrs, with long teams of oxen. and heavy
whips, the crack Of which could be heard half
mile. The horns of these cattle are gen
orally from to 81 feet in length. These
Texas Cattle are the greatest in the way of
horns that the United States, and suppose
any other country can produce.
On the first day of February we cross. ID the
Sabine river and stood upon the soil of Texas.
The party whom was with ioid me should
drink of the Sabine water, and through its
wonderful ririucs, become initiated into that
shrcwdncss, which characterizes the Texans
for getting hold Of property and holding it by
q doubtful title. The pines still continue
west of the Sabine, but new kind of soil.
called the cred land,'' is met with few miles
from the river.
This red land continues as far as have vet
come, which is within thirty miles of Crockett,
Houston county, and l an told that large
part of Texas is of this kind of land. The
country is very unprcposscssing in appear
ance, assure you, until the Angelina river
is reached. This stream, like the Sabine, is,
at the present time, abont twenty OF thirty
feet wide, but in times ofhigh water, it over
flows the bottom country for more than mile
from its banks. A bridge, in consequence,
is built over it l! miles long, of the most
novel kind. 1t is a kind Of seafIold. raised
about four feet from the gyound, laid over
with loose, shackling boards. This is long
winding bridge, following the curves of the
road, with a side-railing made of poles, or
sapllngs cut in the neighboring bushes, and
nailed on the top Of stakes, driven in the
ground by the side Of the bridge. At every
curve IN this plank road, or Texan bridge, is
board stuck on o pole, with "Paxs" printed