The Mississippi.--General Features of the State of Illinois and its
Inhabitants.
The nearer we approached the Mississippi, the lower the country became,
and the more imposing the scenery. By degrees the river Ohio loses its
blue tinge, taking from the mightier stream a milky colour, which
changes into a muddy white when very near the junction--this junction
itself is one of the most magnificent sights. On the left hand the Ohio,
half a mile wide, overpowered, as it were, by its mightier rival--in
front the more gigantic Mississippi, one mile and a half broad, rolling
down its vast volumes of water with incredible rapidity. Farther on, the
high banks of the state of Missouri, with some farm buildings of a
diminutive appearance, owing to the great distance; in the back ground,
the colossal native forests of Missouri; and lastly, to the south, these
two rivers united and turning majestically to the south-west. The deep
silence which reigns in these regions, and which is interrupted only by
the rushing sound of the waves, and the immense mass of water, produce
the illusion that you are no longer standing upon firm ground; you are
fearful less the earth should give way to the powerful element, which,
pressed into so narrow a space, rolls on with irresistible force. I had
formerly seen the falls of Niagara; but this scene, taken in the proper
point of view, is in no respect inferior to that which they present. The
immense number of streams which empty into the Mississippi, and caused
it to be named, very appropriately, the _Father of Rivers_, render it
powerful throughout the year; it generally rises in February, and falls
in July. In September and October the autumnal rains begin; and they
continue to swell it through the winter. When it overflows its banks,
the Mississippi inundates the country on both sides, for an extent of
from forty-five to fifty miles, thus forming an immense lake. From the
mouth of the Ohio to Walnut hills, in the state of Mississippi, the
difference between the lowest water and the highest inundation, is
generally sixteen feet. The nearer it approaches the gulph of Mexico,
the less is the flood. The water leaving its bed on the west side never
returns, but forms into lakes and marshes. On the east side they find
resistance from the high lands, that follow the meanderings of the
river. Above Natchez, the river inundates the lands for a space of
thirty miles. At Baton Rouge, the high lands take on a sudden a
south-eastern direction, while the river turns to the south-west, thus
leaving the waters to form the eastern swamps of Louisiana. It rises to
thirty feet at that place; whilst at New Orleans it scarcely attains the
height of twelve feet, and at the mouth no difference between a rise and
fall is perceptible. Whoever comes to the Mississippi with the
expectation of beholding a sea-like river flowing quietly along, will
find himself disappointed. The magnitude of this river does not consist
in its width but in its depth, and the immense quantity of water it
pours out into the sea. At the mouth of the Ohio it is a mile and a half
wide. This moderate breadth rather diminishes as it proceeds in its
course. At New Orleans, after receiving the waters of some great
tributary streams, it is not more than a mile in width, and in some
places three quarters of a mile. Its depth, however, continues to
increase; below the Ohio it is reckoned to be from thirty-five to fifty
feet deep. Below the Arkansas to Natchez, from 100 to 150. From Natchez
to New Orleans, from 150 to 250 feet. At its mouth, owing to the sand
bar at the Paliseter, the depth greatly diminishes, and it is well known
that vessels drawing eighteen feet of water can hardly enter the mouth
of the stream. The waters of the Mississippi are not clear at any period
of the year. This was the second time I saw it, when it was said to be
very low; still its waters were of a muddy turbid appearance. When
rising it changes to a muddy yellow. A glass filled with water from the
Mississippi, deposits in a quarter of an hour a mass of mud equal to one
tenth of the whole contents. But when clear, it is excellent for
drinking, and superior to any I have tasted. It is generally used by
those who inhabit its banks.
The accommodations in Trinity are comfortable, and the tables are well
furnished, but the prices exorbitant. It cannot, however, be expected to
be otherwise, owing to the new settlers, whose anxiety never permits
them to neglect an opportunity of improving their means on their first
outset. We found this to be the case on all occasions. Whenever some of
our passengers made purchases of trifles, such as cigars, &c., they had
to pay five times as much as in Louisville. It is therefore advisable to
provide oneself with every thing, when travelling in these backwoods;
the generality of the settlers on these banks being needy adventurers,
partly foreigners, partly Kentuckians, who, with a capital of not quite
100 dollars, with which they purchase some goods in New Orleans, begin
their commercial career, and may be seen with both hands in their
pockets, their legs on the table or chimney-piece, and cigars in their
mouths, selling their goods for five hundred per cent above prime cost.
Towards the north on the banks of the Mississippi, the settlers are
generally Frenchmen, who now assume by degrees the American manners and
language. Many of them are wealthy store-keepers, merchants, and
farmers; but for the most part, however, a lightfooted kind of people,
who, from their fathers, have inherited frivolity, and from their
mothers, Indian women, uncleanliness. The towns of Kaskakia, Cahokia,
&c., as well as several villages up the Mississippi to the Prairie des
Chiens, owe their origin to them. The solid class of inhabitants live on
the big and little Wabash, and between these two rivers and the
Illinois. This is, no doubt, the finest part of the state, and one of
the most delightful countries on the face of the earth. It is mostly
inhabited by Americans and Englishmen. Agriculture, the breeding of
cattle, and improvements of every kind, are making rapid progress. The
settlements in Bond, Crawford, Edward's, Franklin, and White Counties,
are to be considered as forming the main substance of the state. A
number of elegant towns have arisen in the space of a few years: among
others, Vandalia, the capital, and for these three years past the seat
of government, with a state house and a projected university, for which
36,000 acres of land have been assigned. An excellent spirit is
acknowledged to prevail among the inhabitants of this district. Still,
however, the style of architecture--if the laying of logs or of bricks
upon each other deserves this name--the manners, the attempted
improvements, every thing announces a new land, which has only a few
years since started into political existence, and the settlers of which
do not yet evince any anxiety for the comforts of life. Illinois has now
80,000 inhabitants, 1500 of whom are people of colour; the rest are
Americans, English, French, and a German settlement about Vandalia. The
state was received into the Union in the year 1818. The constitution,
with a governor and a secretary at its head, resembles that of the state
of Ohio. In the year 1824, the question was again brought forward
concerning the possession of slaves: it was, however, negatived, and we
hope it will never be pressed upon the people. The state is much
indebted in every point to the late Mr. Birkbeck, who died too soon for
the welfare of his adopted country. He was considered as the father of
the state, and whenever he could gain over a useful citizen, he spared
no expense, and sacrificed a considerable part of his property in this
manner. The people of Illinois, in acknowledgment of his services, had
chosen him for secretary of the state, in which character he died in
1825. He was generally known under the name of Emperor of the Prairies,
from the vast extent of natural meadows belonging to his lands. It is to
be regretted, however, that Mr. Birkbeck was not acquainted with the
country about Trinity. His large capital and the number of hands who
joined him, would no doubt succeed in establishing a settlement here.
This will sooner or later take place, and will eventually render it one
of the finest towns in the United States, as the advantages of its
situation are incalculable. Illinois is, in point of commerce, more
advantageously situated than any of the Ohio states; being bounded on
the west by the river Mississippi, which forms the line between this
state and that of Missouri, to the east by the big Wabash, and to the
south by the Ohio, the river Illinois running through it with some
smaller rivers; thus affording it an open navigation to the north-west,
the west, the south, and the east. Towards the north the banks of the
Upper Mississippi form a range of hills which join the Illinois
mountains to the east, and lowering by degrees lose themselves in the
plains of lakes Huron and Michigan. The country is, on the whole, less
elevated than Indiana, and forms the last slope of the northern valley
of the Mississippi, the hills being intersected by a number of valleys,
plains, prairies, and marshes. The fertility of this state is
extraordinary, surpassing that of Indiana and Ohio. In beauty, variety
of scenery, and fertility, it may vie with the most celebrated
countries. Wheat thrives only on high land, the soil of the valleys
being too rich. Corn gives for every bushel a hundred. Tobacco planted
in Illinois, if well managed, is found to be superior to that of
Kentucky and Virginia. Rice and indigo grow wild, their cultivation
being neglected for want of hands. Pecans, a product of the West Indies,
grow in abundance in the native forests. This state having a temperate
climate, possesses many of the southern products. The timber is of
colossal magnitude. Sycamores and cotton trees of an immense height,
walnut, pecan trees, honey-locusts and maples, cover the surface of this
country, and are the surest indications of an exceedingly rich soil. The
most fertile parts of the state are the bottom lands along the
Mississippi, Illinois, and the big and little Wabash. The country is
complained of as being sickly. There is no doubt that a state which
abounds in rivers, marshes, and ponds, must be subject to epidemic
diseases, but the climate being temperate the fault lies very much with
the settlers and the inhabitants themselves. The settler who chooses for
his dwelling-house a spot on an eminence, and far from the marshes,
taking at the same time the necessary precautions in point of dress,
cleanliness, and the choice of victuals and beverage, may live without
fear in these countries. All agree in this opinion, and I have myself
experienced the correctness of it. The greatest part, however, of the
new comers and inhabitants live upon milk or stagnant water taken from
the first pond they meet with on their way, with a few slices of bacon.
Their wardrobe consists of a single shirt, which is worn till it falls
to pieces. It cannot, therefore, be matter of astonishment if agues and
bilious fevers spread over the country, and even in this case a quart of
corn brandy is their prescription. This being the general mode of
living, and we may add of dying, among the lower classes, disease must
necessarily spread its ravages with more rapidity.