The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-06-16

For the Western Democrat.

Mr.. EDITOR: You will please allow me
small space in your paper to give some
items. CLEANED by the way. of South
western travel:
Commencing at the Mississippi Line Sta
ton. which is ga miles from Mobile. the
country along the Railroad presents no
| very attractive features in an agricultural
the exception of the lands on the Chieka-
saw bay. The lands are the prairie and
common sandy soil; and difference of
opinion exists among Planters as TO which
are the preferable lands. The Road passes
up the valley of the Oaktebeha into Lau-
derdale. in which county are situated the
Lauderdale Springs, which have consider
able celebrity for their curative properties.
The counties west of Lauderdale-Scott,
Newton and Ja>per--have fine bodies of
lands; the Railroad from Brandon to the
| Mobile and Ohio Road passing through
| them, gives the Planters choice of either
market, New Orleans or Mobile. Macon,
the present terminus of the Road, is situa-
ted in Noxubee county, on Oak Noxubee
River, and is place of considerable size,
surrounded by fertile prairie country.
The counties of Noxubee, Lowndes and
Monroe. are very productive. Columbus.
in Lowndes, is pleasantly situated on the
| Tombigbee River. Aberdeen, in Monroe
| county, about thirty miles from Columbus,
has a population of about 1000. and is
| also situated on the Tombigbee River,
| and is the head of steamboat navigation.
From this place several thousand bags of
Cotton are annually shipped to Mobile; it
! enjoys an extensive trade with the sur
rounding country. and its prosperity will
| continue to increase when the contempla-
ted Branch from the Mobile and Ohio Rail-
road (8 miles in lengthy is constructed.
The country between Aberdeen and Hous-
ton, the county site of Chickasaw. is as
desirable any in the South western
country. Its temperature is a medium be-
tween excessive cold and heat; the soil as
productive as the best, and the water as
good as man could desire, and | hope that
| will not be charged with fattery when
say, Inhabited by as energetic, enterprizing
and hoSpitable people as exist anywhere.
From Houston to Coffeevile. via Calhoun,
in Oakland county, Lucy Sooner and
Yellowbusha Rivers, there are some very
fine bodies of land. Cofeeville, the county
site of Yellowbusha, is a place of some
note on the line of the New Orleans Central
Railroad. From thence to the mouth of
Cold Water, in the Mississippi Bottom,
via Oakland and Mitchell's Store. the coun-
try is somewhat mountainous, yet the val
leys are extremely productive. Oakland
is Il thriving village near the Memphis and
New Orleans Railroad. Cold Water is
stream sufficiently large for Boats to ascend
| fifty miles, and at the confluence of Cold
Water with Talahatcl4a, Boats carrying
1000 bags of Cotton can ascend at all
seasons. The Mississippi Bottom is thinly
inhabited as yet, owing to the fact that the
Yazoo Pass, when the Mississippi river
is swollen, mandates, in great degree, the
whole Bottom; but the river now being
| leveed and the Pass made sure, the entire
Bottom has come into lively notice. The
! price of entry is six dollars per acre, and
SO quickly has it been entered that it is
difficult to get even an unbroken half Sec
ton. The improved lands are held at S35
to $40 per acre; the Planters say they
average bag of cotton to the acre. and
IS to 40 bushels of corn. The counties
! situated in the Bottom are CoohOma Luna
cha, Tallahatche and Pamela. Friar's
Point is the county site of Coohoma. miles
below Del<a, on the Mississippi river; and
oheritf's Ridge, south of this, is very
finely settled country on the head waters
of Sunfower river. The country from
thence. via Large, Lost and Swan Lakes,
is sparsely settled; and the land being over
grown with cane and wild rye-laying
aside its fertility-makes it quite desirable
for those who might engage in raising
Stock.
The Mississippi Valley, with its exuber-
ant soil, and generally healthy climate, will
beyond doubt, at no distant. day, exhibit
the cotton fields of America.
IT'S folly in the extreme to till
Extensive fields, and till them i'll;
Shrewd common sense sits laughing by,
And sees your hopes abortive die;
| Far more one fertile acre yields
Than the huge breadth of barren fields
G..
RELIEF FOR THE PooR.-It is gratifying