Missouri contains sixty thousand square miles, being two hundred and
seventy miles in length and two hundred and twenty in breadth. It lies
on the west side of the Mississippi river, between thirty-six and forty
degrees north latitude. It now contains, probably, one hundred and
fifty thousand inhabitants, of whom thirty thousand are slaves.
A large tract of this State, commencing at its south end, extending
up the Mississippi river above the mouth of the Ohio, and running
into the interior, possesses rich alluvial soil, but is low, swampy,
full of lakes, and much of it, subject to overflow. Beyond this to
the west, the country is broken and hilly; sometimes covered with a
small species of oak, and sometimes naked sandy hills and plains.--The
whole southerly half of the State, offers but small inducements to
the farmer. Where the soil is rich, it is too low and unhealthy;
where it is high, dry and healthy, it is too barren and sterile to be
cultivated. The best portion of the State lies between the Missouri
and Mississippi rivers. This section is the most settled of any part
of the State. Its surface is delightfully variegated and rolling, and
possesses large tracts of rich alluvial and high prairies. The soil
contains a greater proportion of sand, than that of the other western
States; so that it is easily cultivated, and is never disagreeably
muddy. There are spots where we find the stiff clayey soil of Ohio
and New-York; but they are not extensive. No part of the globe, in a
state of nature, can so easily be travelled over in carriages as this.
Even in spring, the roads cannot be called muddy or difficult to pass.
There are two extensive tracts of heavily timbered upland, similar
to those of Ohio and Kentucky--the one is called the Bellevue, the
other the Boone's Lick Settlement. The surface rolls gently and almost
imperceptibly. In this region are many springs of good water, and it is
said to be healthy.
The Mississippi is skirted with a prairie, commencing ten miles above
the mouth of the Missouri, for the distance of seventy miles. It is
about five miles in width, and possesses an excellent soil.
There are no prairies of any considerable size on the borders of the
Missouri, within the limits of the State; but its banks are generally
covered with a beautiful growth of tall, straight forest trees. The
bottom land on this river is about four miles in width, is sufficiently
mixed with sand to prevent its being muddy, and is not subject to be
overflowed. There are no bayous, ponds or marshes on the margin of the
Missouri. The bottoms are now considerably settled for four hundred
miles above its mouth. Charaton, over two hundred miles up the river,
is the highest compact settlement. But the largest and most populous
settlement in the State is Boone's Lick, in Franklin county. This is
one hundred and eighty miles above the mouth of the river. Scattered
settlements are, however, found along the river banks for six hundred
miles, to the Council Bluffs. Above the Platte, which is the largest
tributary of the Missouri, the prairies come quite in to the banks of
the river, and extend on either hand, farther than can be measured by
the eye. This is the general complexion of the river banks until you
reach the Rocky mountains.
As far as the limits of this State extend, the river is capable of
supporting a dense population for a considerable distance from its
banks. Above these limits, it is generally too destitute of wood and
water to become habitable by any people, except hunters and shepherds.
All the tributaries of the Missouri are generally copies of the parent
stream, and one general remark will apply to the whole. They all have
narrow margins of excellent bottom land; and as the country recedes
from these, it becomes more and more sandy, barren and destitute of
water, until it resembles the deserts of Arabia.
Wheat and corn are generally the chief productions, and the soil
is excellent for both. The whole western country is remarkable for
withstanding the severest droughts. A crop has never been known to
fail in the driest seasons. From twenty-five to thirty bushels to the
acre is an average crop of wheat, and from fifty to seventy-five,
of corn.--The good lands in Missouri produce corn in as great
perfection as in any part of the world. It is warm, loamy land, and
so mellow that it is easily cultivated. Even where the sand appears
to predominate, great crops are produced. The soil, in the vicinity
of the Missouri, is more pliant, and less inclined to be muddy, than
that on the banks of the Mississippi. Rye, barley, oats, flax, hemp,
tobacco, melons, pumpkins, squashes and all garden vegetables flourish
remarkably well. Peaches, pears, plums, cherries, &c. grow to great
perfection. The land seems well adapted to the use of plaster, and this
is found of excellent quality, in inexhaustible quantities, on the
banks of the Missouri.
Beyond all countries, this is the land of blossoms. Every prairie is an
immense flower garden. In the spring, their prevailing tint is that of
the peach blossom--in summer, of a deeper red--then a yellow--and in
autumn, a brilliant golden hue.
The natural productions of the soil are abundant. The red and yellow
prairie plum, crab apples, pawpaws, persimons, peccans, hazelnuts and
walnuts are generally found in perfection and abundance. Wild hops
cover whole prairies; and two or three species of grapes are found in
various parts of the State. The heats of summer and dryness of the
atmosphere render this suitable for the cultivation of the vine. Silk
might also be raised in great abundance, as the mulberry tree is every
where found among the trees of the forest. Near New-Madrid, cotton is
cultivated.
Bears, wolves and panthers are found here. The prairie wolf is the
most numerous and mischievous. Deer, as the Indians retire, grow more
plenty, and are frequently seen in flocks feeding near the herds of
cattle. There is a species of mole found here, and indeed in all the
western and southern country, called gopher. These animals live in
communities, and build small eminences of a circular form and about a
foot high. They are mischievous in potatoe fields and gardens.
Rattlesnakes, copper heads, and ground vipers are found in the
unsettled regions; especially, near flint knobs and ledgy hills. They
are not so common as in more timbered regions. It is probable that the
burning of the prairie destroys great numbers of them. The waters are
covered with ducks, geese, swans, brants, pelicans, cranes and many
other smaller birds. The prairie hen and turtle dove are numerous.
The domestic animals are the same as in other States. This State and
Illinois have decided natural advantages for the rearing of cattle,
horses, hogs and sheep.
A distinguishing feature in the climate, is in the dryness and purity
of the atmosphere. The average number of cloudy days in a year is not
more than fifty, and not more than half that number are rainy. The
quantity of rain is not more than eighteen inches. The sky in summer
and autumn is generally cloudless. There are no northeast continued
rains as in the Atlantic States. The longest storms are from the
southwest.
The usual diseases are intermittent and bilious fevers. Sometimes
pleurisy and lung fevers prevail in winter. Pulmonic complaints,
attended with cough, are seldom; and consumption, that scourge of the
East, is unknown.
The summers are quite warm, and sometimes oppressive; but generally,
a refreshing breeze prevails. The winters are sometimes cold, and the
wind blows sharp and keen. The Missouri is frozen sufficiently strong
to bear loaded teams. But days are found even in January, when it is
agreeable to sit at an open window. A few inches of snow occasionally
fall, but there is hardly any good sleighing.
This State is known to be rich in minerals, although a large portion
remains yet unexplored. Lead has been found in abundance. The principal
"diggings" are included in a district fifteen miles by thirty in
extent; the centre of which is sixty miles southwest from St. Louis,
and about half that distance from Herculaneum, on the Mississippi. The
earth is of a reddish yellow, and the ore is found embedded in rock and
hard gravel. Fifty diggings are now occupied, from which three millions
of pounds of lead are annually sent to market. It is transported from
the mines in wagons, either to Herculaneum or St. Genevieve, and from
thence by water to New-Orleans. Stone coal abounds, especially in the
region of St. Louis and St. Charles. Plaster, pipe clay, manganese,
zinc, antimony, red and white chalk, ochres, flint, common salt,
nitre, plumbago, porphyry, jasper, porcelain clay, iron, marble and
the blue limestone of an excellent quality for lime, have already been
discovered in this State. Iron, lead, plaster and coal are known to
exist in inexhaustible quantities.
St. Louis is much the largest town in the State. It is not only the
most pleasantly situated, but has the most favorable location for trade
of any town on the Mississippi above New-Orleans. It has, however, been
sufficiently described.
St. Genevieve is situated about a mile west of the Mississippi on the
upper extremity of a beautiful prairie. It is principally settled by
the French and contains about fifteen hundred inhabitants. It is an old
town, and has not increased for the last thirty years.
Jackson, the seat of justice for Cape Girardeau county, is twelve miles
west of the Mississippi, contains one hundred houses, some of them
built of brick and handsome.
The town of Cape Girardeau is situated on a high bluff of the
Mississippi, fifty miles above the mouth of the Ohio. It has a fine
harbor for boats, and commands an extensive view of the river above and
below. It exhibits marks of decay.
Potosi is the county town of Washington. It is situated in the centre
of the mining district, in a pleasant valley sixty-five miles southwest
from St. Louis. St Michael is an old French town among the mines.
There are some other small villages in the vicinity of the mining
district.
Herculaneum is situated among the high bluffs of the river, thirty
miles below St. Louis. There are a number of shot towers in its
vicinity. New-Madrid is fifty miles below the mouth of the Ohio.
Carondolet is a small French village six miles below St. Louis; and
four miles below this, is the garrison, called Jefferson Barracks.
The public buildings are extensive, and a large number of soldiers
are generally stationed here. There are no large villages on the
Mississippi above the mouth of the Missouri. Palmyra is probably as
large as any. The others are Louisianaville, Troy and Petersburg.
There are a number of fine villages on the banks of the Missouri; the
largest of which is St. Charles, twenty miles from the mouth, and just
the same distance from St. Louis by land. It is situated on a high
bank of solid limestone, has one street of good brick houses; and in
its rear, an extensive elevated prairie. It contains a protestant
and a catholic church, was once the seat of government, and numbers
twelve hundred inhabitants; a third of whom are French. It has finely
cultivated farms in its neighborhood, and has as interesting scenery as
any village in the western country.
Jefferson City is the present seat of government, but being thought
to be an unfavorable location has not improved as was expected. It is
situated on the south bank of the Missouri, nine miles above the mouth
of the Osage river, and one hundred and fifty-four by water from St.
Louis. Fifty miles above this, is the town of Franklin. It is situated
on the north bank of the river, contains two hundred houses and one
thousand inhabitants. It is surrounded by the largest body of rich
land in the State; and is the centre of fine farms and rich farmers.
Boonville is on the opposite bank of the river and was originally
settled by Col. Boone, the patriarch of Kentucky. Bluffton, two hundred
and twenty-nine miles by water from St. Louis, is the last village
within the limits of this State.