Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1857-04-11
FROM NEBRASKA.
Correspondence Of the Wheeling lmciljsrnteF.i
nm, C,4,. Mach Oh lSTT

from her angry bosom the long Worn yoke Of
Ice. Commerce is again disturbing her lIrbld
waters, and new !ifeis inYigoraiing the veins OF
our western home Few readers in the east,
who have not seen the Missouri river, cAn form
proucr idea 0fiLs vaStncSs. They see de.ineatcd
on the mans stream Of water more than thrte
thousand miles in length, aud draining m area
of country nearly rs large as the whole OF Eu'
rope. They know, also, that steamboats, naHl,
gatc il somewhat: but the real magnitude Of
the river the immense and rapidly growing
commerce noatng on its watcrS-and the beau
" and fertility Of the country through which
It passes, are but partially understood. The
Missouri river, orr Biographies teach us, liOwS
into the Mississippi about thirty'eight degree,
fifty minutes north; but common sense w0n1d
seem to indicate that ii flows into the Gun o!
Mexico The conjunction with the Mississippi
changes entirely the appearance Of that stream,
throws into it n volume 0f water greater in
quantity, length, and velocity, than floss from
the head waters Of the Mississippi 10 the Delta
yet as that tributary Of the Missouri has been
disnHvd with the cognomcn Of 'Fathcr Of Wa
tiers" and is recognised as the main channel to
the sen, We will, not to appear pedantir, say tue
rivuIct flowing from lta>,n lake is N" river, ana
to crafty the MiuncSOianS, the Badgers, the
IIaW KEYS, and the Suckers, grant that Missouri
dos How into the Mississippi, aud cXnIt that
stream from mill pOwcrto the dignity ola n"Il'
gnLle river The course Of the river through the
state Of Missouri is nearly due east -meandrr'
ing distance Of three hundred anil righiy.twn
miles from its intcriunctiOn by the Kansas, and
for That distance is wholly within that state
II flows through the wCalthest aud mast heaut
full portions Of that really, By nature, most
favored state. The river bottoms arc very fer
tile and well timhcred. Numerous towns and
prospective cities dot the margin Of the stream
and otnpy delightful sites; but the miIdcw of
the peculiar institution" is settled upon them,
aud Missouri, notwithstanding her immense ila'
tural advantages, her untold mineral and agrcnI-
tural wealth, her unlimited capacity Tor Internal
navigation and. commerce, stands like giant
Shurn Of his strength She sleeps in DcIIIalIS
Ian while the fair drceivcr is rapidly clipping
the locks Of strength. Her miniature cities
stand lowering over the banks Of her mighty ri
yer, mere shadows Of what they mis't hay,
been. They present the melancholy spectacle
Of alolcscent SeniIity. But few of them merit
the title even Of village Among the most I'M
por,ant are St. Charles OH the left bank O[
the river, twenty miles above It's confluence,
with, the Mississippi, Jefferson City the Capital
Of the state. lI0Onvie, Lexington and lndep"nd
rnce on the right bank, all Of which towns in
connection, would make one city nearly as large
MS any one of the half dozen principal villages
grown within the last two years on the upper
Mississippi. And when we consider that all o.!
the above named towns have existed from TWEEN.
ty to firlv years, and that the country NroInd
them is surprisingly fertile, that their corpora.
| tons arc bathcd by one Of the mighticst rivers
that flows over the Surlaco oG the earth, and Is
naviCabe more than two Thousand miles, cXc!u
Siyc Of the great channel which leads her wa
tiers to the sea, We cannot help SOrr0wing over
this decay-and thinking the great river can save
them only by washing S,rflom from their So,
The bed Of the rivers mostly n body Of quick.
sand, ever changing by the action Of the water
forming numerous sand bars, and partially
ob>tructing, while at the same time advancing
navigation, BY causing the current 10 take Il
siuuouS course, which checks its velocity. and
makes the StcmminG Of the stream more tatilc.
The constant dctrition Of the banks gives III"
river turhid appearance, which is, from it,
source to the delta, peculiar characteristic.
distinguishing it from any Of its numerous nnd
extended tributaries.
InnumerabC SnagS, forest trees and the like,
are imLrddedi in the andnCaIIy the whole course
Of the river, which render navigation somewhat
dangerous and uncertain, though half dozen
Snac boats would he sufficient To keep open
clear ard distinct channel. From the conIiuX
of the Kansas 10 the Great Missouri Falls, the
head Of navigation, distance of more than two
thousand miles, the character Of the stream Is
nearly the Same-br0ad bott0mS alternating with
high and picturesque bla!IS, skirtcd with timber,
and fronting vast extent Of well watcrcd, IN.
,lulnting country surprisingly fertile, and capa'
bic Of sustaining as dense n population MS any
section Of our continent. The line Of the river
from the month Of the Kansas TO the "Eig SinUT,
in Iowa, lies little WcStnf North, and from the
latter point to its source, its direction is from
North Of West. 1t is uaviSabc to the Great
Falls, the whole distance. nj oil seasons "l the
year, when not obstrnCtrl with lee, by boats
drawing from eighteen To twrnty inches o! water,
and twO.third, Gf the season Ivy boats 81 from
two to three feet draugH. ThcavrIagr velocity
is nearly six miles per horIr-the with from
four hundred yards to one mile y description
Of the first three hundred miles from the mouth
Of the river describes nearly its Whole course,
with the exception Of the towns along the
banks.
The towns above the Missouri state lac, pre-
sent marked contrast to those within that State.
Though nearly all of the up river towuS have
sprung into being within the last five years, yet
they invariably exhibit Thrift and prosperity
unknown to towns in Missouri. The most int.
porttnt Of the up river towns are Erownvir,
Nebraska City, and PnttSmouih; South Of Plat.
Z N aln