The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-09-01
WONDERS or TIP MISSISSIPPI

Memphis to New Orleans is not materially
increased, yet immense additions arc mado
to the quantity Of water in the channal bv
large st'2a'ns from oo,l, the eastern and
western sides of the Mississippi The ques-
ton naturally arises, what becomes of this
vast added Volume Of water? It certainlv
never reaches New Orleans, and us certainly
dose not evaporatc; and of course it is not
confined to the channel Of the rivar, for it
would rise far above the entire region sout|,
Of us.
lfa we'll 10 sunk any where in the Allan.
sai bottom, water is found as soon ms tho
water-Hsel Of the Mississippi is reached.
When the Mississippi goes down, the wa
ter slnEs accord:ngs: in the well. The
owner Of saw-mill, some twenty miles
from the Mississippi in Arkansas, dug a we'll
to suppl the boilers Of his engine, during
the late flood. When the waters rccedcd
his well went down, till his hose would no
longer reach the watcr,and finally lis we'll
was dry. lie dug ditch to an adjacent
lake to let water into his we'll; the lake
WAS drained, and the well was dry again.
having literally drank ten acres OF water IN
less than week. The Inference is that tho
whole valley Of the NIissssp, from its banks
10 the highlands Oh citEer side, rests ona
porus substratum which absorbs the redun-
dant waters, and thus prevents that degree
OF acc::n:u!ation which would long since
have swept New Orleans into the Gulf but
tor this provisit n Of Nature, to which alone
her safety is attributable. In fact, ifthe al
luv'al bottoms Of the Mississippi were ike
the shores of the Ohio the vast plain from
Cairo to New Orleans would to-day bo
part and parcc! of the GuIfof Mexico, ant
the whole valley a fresh water arm of tho
sea. Where the geological character of the
valley different, the construction of leyees
confining the water Of The Mississippi to its
channel, would cause TIC rise in ths river
to become SO great at ;ac South that not
sufficient lcvecs coule! be Luilt The cur
rent would be stronger and accumulation of
water greater as the levces arc extended
north of us.
Such results were reasonably enough an
ticipated; but the water, instead Of breaking
the lcvees, rermeates the porous soil, and the
overflow is really bcneatl, the surface of tho
swamps. Such it seems to us, are the wise
provisions of natural laws for the safety and
ultimate reclamation of the rich country
south of us. Wo believe that the leyee
system will hc successful, and that the OBJ
jcct of its adoption will be attained. tl:e
porousness OF the material used in making
them has caused most if no: all the, crc??:@:S:.
SIS. Men may deem it sure, human task
to wall in the Mississippi from Cairo to-
New Orleans, but our !evecs ire the work Of
pigmies when contrastcd will. tile dukes Of
Holland. The fool tide Of the Missis-
s'pr' is but ripple on the surface Of glas
81 rool compared with the ocean biioc'wiio.
that dash against the artificial shores of
Holland. Tho country to be reclaimed by
our lcyces all of which will not for fifty,
years cost the people rs much ms those Of
the Dutch wl,er c.: ::giraly built-would
n!a!:e ere huudred such Kingdoms as that
over which Bonaparte once welded the
scepter.--Ntmnhis -iru!anche.
DmN-Tho article on "Deatll" in the
New CycIopedia has the following:
Gas life approaches extinction, inscnsibil-
ity supervens numbness and disposition to
renosc, which do ::ot admit of the idea Of /
suffering. Even in those cases where tho
activity Of the mind remains to the last, and
where nervous sensibilty would seem to con-
,nue, it is surprising low often there ha'
been observed state of happy feeling OF
the approach of DEATH If had strength
enough to hold pen, would. write ho,
easy and delightful it is to die,' where I'll
last words Of the celebrated WIN. IIunte
during his last moments.
"Montagne, in one of his essays, dea
crdes an accident which left him so sense
less that lie was taken up for dead. On bei4
restored, however lie says; 'Nlethougl
my life only hung upon my lips; nd
shut my eyes to help thrust it ou:, and
took pleasure in languishing and lettin
myself co. A writer in the Quarterl
I;cview records that gentleman who la,
becn rescued from drowning declared tina
he had not experienced the slightest feeliiiI
Of suffocation. THE stream was transpa
rent, the day brilliant, and as lie stoo
upright he could sec the sun shining throug
the water, with dreamy consciousne
that his eyes were about to be closed on
forever. Yet he :Ieithcr feared his fate nd
wished to avert. "A sleepy sensation, wbid
soothed and gratifed him, made luxurio$