the river made a great turn, and fome Canadians by deepening the channel of a small brook, diverted the waters of the river into it. The impetuofity of the ftream was fo violent, and the foil of fo rich and loose a quality, that in a fhort time, the point was entirely cut through, and travellers faved fourteen leagues of their voyage. The old bed has no

water in it, the times of the periodical overflowing only excepted. The new channel has been fince founded with a line of thirty fathoms, without finding a bottom.

In the fpring floods the Miffiffippi is very high, and the current fo ftrong, that with difficulty it can be afcended; but that disadvantage is compenfated by eddies or counter-currents, which always run in the bends clofe to the banks of the river, with nearly equal velocity against the ftream, and affist the ascending boats. The current at this feafon descends at the rate of about five miles an hour. In autumn, when the waters are low, it does not run faster than two miles, but it is rapid in fuch parts of the river, as have clusters of islands, fhoals, and fand-banks. The circumference of many of these fhoals being feveral miles, the voyage is longer, and in fome parts more dangerous than in the fpring. The merchandize neceffary for the commerce of the upper fettlements on or near the Miffiffippi, is conveyed in the fpring and autumn in batteaux, rowed by eighteen or twenty men, and carrying about forty tons. From New Orleans to the Illinois, the voyage is commonly performed in eight or ten weeks. A prodigious number of islands, fome of which are of great extent, intersperse that mighty river. Its depth increases as you afcend it. Its waters, after overflowing its banks below the river Ibberville, never return within them again. These fingularities diftinguish it from every other known river in the world. Below New Orleans, the land begins to be very low on both fides of the river across the country, and gradually declines as it approaches nearer to the fea. This point of land, which in the treaty of peace in 1762, was mistaken for an ifland, is to all appearance of no long date; for in digging ever fo little below the furface, you find water and great quantities of trees. The many beeches and breakers, as well as inlets, which arofe out of the channel within the last half century, at the feveral mouths of the river, are convincing proofs that this peninfula was wholly formed in the fame manner. And it is certain that when La Salle failed down the Miffiffippi to the fea, the opening of that river was very different from what it is at prefent.

The nearer you approach to the fea, this truth becomes more ftriking. The bars that cross most of these fmall channels opened by the current, have been multiplied by means of the trees carried down with the streams; one of which stopped by its roots or branches in a fhallow part, is fufficient to obftruct the paffage of thousands more, and to fix them at the fame place. Such collections of trees are daily feen between the Balize and the Miffouri, which fingly would fupply the largest city in America. with fuel for feveral years. No human force being fufficient for removing them, the mud carried down by the river ferves to bind and cement them together. They are gradually covered, and every inundation not only extends their length and breadth, but adds another layer to their height. In less than ten years time, canes and fhrubs grow on them, and form points and islands, which forcibly shift the bed of the river.

Nothing

Nothing can be afferted with certainty, refpecting its length. Its fource is not known, but fuppofed to be upwards of three thousand miles from the fea as the river runs. We only know, that from St. Anthony's falls, it glides with a pleasant, clear ftream, and becomes comparatively narrow before its junction with the Miffouri, the muddy waters of which immediately difcolour the lower part of the river to the fea. Its rapidity, breadth, and other peculiarities then begin to give it the majestic appearance of the Miffouri, which affords a more extenfive navigation, and is; a longer, broader, and deeper river than the Miffiffippi. It is in fact the principal river, contributing more to the common ftream than does the Miffiffippi, even after its junction with the Illinois. It has been afcended by French traders about twelve or thirteen hundred miles, and from the depth of water, and breadth of the river at that distance, it appeared to be navigable many miles further.

From the Miffouri river, to nearly oppofite the Ohio, the western bank of the Miffiffippi, is (fome few places excepted) higher than the eastern. From Mine au fer to the Ibberville, the eastern bank is higher than the weftern, on which there is not a single discernible rifing or eminence, the distance of seven hundred and fifty miles. From the Ibberville to the fea there are no eminences on either fide, though the eastern bank appears rather the highest of the two, as far as the English turn. Thence the banks gradually diminish in height to the mouths of the river, where they are not more than two or three feet higher than the common furface of the water.

The flime which the annual floods of the river Miffiffippi leaves on the furface of the adjacent shores, may be compared with that of the Nile, which depofits a fimilar manure, and for many centuries paft has infured the fertility of Egypt. When its banks fhall have been cultivated as the excellency of its foil and temperature of the climate deserve, its population will equal that of any other part of the world. The trade, wealth, and power of America, will, at fome future period, depend, and perhaps centre upon the Miffiffippi. This also resembles the Nile in the number of its mouths, all iffuing into a fea that may be compared to the Mediterranean, which is bounded on the north and fouth by the two continents of Europe and Africa, as the Mexican Bay is by North and South America. The fmaller mouths of this river, might be eafily ftopped up, by means of those floating trees with which the river during the floods, is always covered. The whole force of the channel being united, the only opening then left would probably grow deep as well as the bar.

Mr. Carver has travelled higher up this river, and appears to be better acquainted with its northern parts and fource, than any European or American, who has published his obfervations. He is my authority for what follows.

44° 30', received their miffionary, who travelled hundred and eighty, and The whole river, which falls perpendicularly about The rapids below, in the

The falls of St. Anthony, in about latitude name from Father Lewis Hennipin, a French into these parts about the year one thoufand fix was the first European ever seen by the natives. is more than two hundred and fifty yards wide, thirty feet, and forms a moft pleafing cataract. fpace of three hundred yards, render the descent confiderably greater; fo

that

2

that when viewed at a distance, they appear to be much higher than they really are. In the middle of the falls is a fmall island, about forty feet broad, and somewhat longer, on which grow a few cragged hemlock and spruce trees; and about half way between this ifland and the eastern fhore is a rock, lying at the very edge of the fall, in an oblique pofition, five or fix feet broad, and thirty or forty long. These falls are peculiarly fituated, as they are approachable without the leaft obftruction from any intervening hill or precipice, which cannot be faid of any other confiderable fall that I know of in the world. The country around is exceedingly beautiful. It is not an interrupted plain where the eye finds no relief, but compofed of many gentle afcents, which in the fpring and fummer are covered with verdure, and interspersed with little groves, that give a pleafing variety to the profpect.

A little distance below the falls, is a small island of about an acre and an half, on which grow a great number of oak trees, almost all the branches of which, able to bear the weight, are, in the proper season of the year, loaded with eagles nefts. Their inftinctive wifdom has taught them to choose this place, as it is fecure, on account of the rapids above, from the attacks either of man or beast.

The Miffiffippi has never been explored higher up than the river St. Francis; fo that we are obliged to the Indians for all the intelligence relative to the more northern parts.

Mr. Carver relates, that from the best accounts he could obtain from the Indians, together with his own obfervations, he had learned that the four most capital rivers on the continent of North America, viz. the St. Lawrence, the Miffiffippi, the river Bourbon, and the Oregon, or the river of the West, have their fources in the fame neighbourhood. The waters of the three former, are within thirty miles of each other; the latter is rather farther weft.

This fhews that these parts are the higheft lands in North America; and it is an inftance not to be parralleled in the other three quarters of the globe, that four rivers of fuch magnitude should take their rife together, and each, after running feparate courfes, difcharge their waters into different occeans, at the distance of more than two thoufand miles from their fources. For in their paffage from this fpot to the bay of St. Lawrence, eaft; to the Bay of Mexico, fouth; to Hudfon's Bay, north; and to the bay at the ftraits of Annian, weft; where the river Origon is fuppofed to empty, each of them traverses upwards of two thousand miles.

Mr. Jefferfon, whofe extentive and accurate information ranks him among the first authorities, in his notes on Virginia, has given a defcription of the river Ohio, and annexed fuch remarks on the fituation of the weftern waters as will throw great light on this part of our fubject, and may not be omitted. His obfervations, together with thofe already made, will afford the reader a comprehenfive and pretty complete view of the internal navigation of the United States.

The Ohio is the most beautiful river on earth: its current gentle, waters clear, and bosom smooth and unbroken by rocks and rapids, a tingle inftance only excepted. It is one quarter of a mile wide at Fort Fitt: five hundred yards at the mouth of the Great Kanhaway; one mile and twenty-five poles at Louifville: one quarter of a mile on the rapids, three

or

or four miles below Louisville: half a mile where the low country begins, which is twenty miles above Green river: one mile and a quarter at the receipt of the Taniffee: and a mile wide at the mouth.

Its length, as measured according to its meanders by Capt. Hutchins, is as follows:

From Fort Pitt

To Log's town

Big Beaver Creek

Little Beaver Creek

Yellow Creek

Licking Creek

8

Great Miami

26

Hockhocking

16

Big Cave
Shawanee River

52

In common winter and spring tides it affords fifteen feet water to Louifville, ten feet to La Tarte's rapids, forty miles above the mouth of the Great Kanhaway, and a fufficiency at all times for light batteaux and canoes to Fort Pitt. The rapids are in the latitude 38° 8'. The inundations of this river begin about the last of March, and fubfide in July. During thefe a first rate man of war may be carried from Louisville to New Orleans, if the fudden turns of the river and the strength of its current will admit a safe steerage. The rapids at Louisville descend about thirty feet in a length of a mile and a half. The bed of the river there, is a folid rock, and is divided by an island into two branches, the fouthern of which is about two hundred yards wide, and is dry four months in the year. The bed of the northern branch is worn into channels by the conftant course of the water, and attrition of the pebble stones carried on with that, so as to be paffable for batteaux through the greater part of the year. Yet it is thought that the fouthern arm may be the moft eafily opened for conftant navigation. The rife of the waters in thefe rapids does not exceed ten or twelve feet. A part of this island is fo high as to have been never overflowed, and to command the fettlement at Louifville, which is oppofite to it. The fort, however, is fituated at the head of the falls. The ground on the fouth fide rifes very gradually.

At Fort Pitt the river Ohio lofes its name, branching into the Monongahela and Allegany.

From

The Monongahela is four hundred yards wide at its mouth. thence is twelve or fifteen miles to the mouth of Yohogany, where it is three hundred yards wide. Thence to Redftone by water is fifty miles, by land thirty. Then to the mouth of Cheat river by water forty miles, by land twenty-eight, the width continuing at three hundred yards, and

the

the navigation good for boats, Thence the width is about two hundred yards to the western fork, fifty miles higher, and the navigation frequently interrupted by rapids; which however with a fwell of two or three feet, become very paffable for boats. It then admits light boats, except in dry feasons, fixty-five miles further to the head of Tygarts valley, prefenting only fome small rapids and falls of one or two feet perpendicular, and leffening in its width to twenty yards. The Western fork is navigable in the winter ten or fifteen miles towards the northern of the Little Kanhaway, and will admit a good waggon road to it. The Yohogany is the principal branch of this river. It paffes through the Laurel mountain about thirty miles from its mouth; is fo far from three hundred to one hundred and fifty yards wide, and the navigation much obftructed in dry weather by rapids and fhoals. In its paffage through the mountain it makes very great falls, admitting no navigation for ten miles to the Turkey foot. Thence to the great croffing, about twenty miles, it is again navigable, except in dry feafons, and at this place is two hundred yards wide. The fources of this river are divided from those of the Patomak by the Allegany mountains. From the falls, where it interfects the Laurel mountain, to Fort Cumberland, the head of the navigation on the Patomak, is forty miles of very mountainous road. Wills's creek, at the mouth of which was Fort Cumberland, is thirty or forty yards wide, but affords no navigation as yet. Cheat river, another confiderable branch of the Monongahela, is two hundred yards wide at its mouth, and one hundred yards at the Dunkard's fettlement, fifty miles higher. It is navigable for boats, except in dry feafons. The boundary between Virginia and Pennsylvania croffes it about three or four miles above its mouth.

The Allegany river, with a flight fwell, affords navigavion for light batteaux to Venango, at the mouth of French creek, where it is two hundred yards wide; and it is practifed even to Le Boeuf, from whence there is a portage of fifteen miles to Prefque Ifle on Lake Erie.

The country watered by the Miffiffippi and its eastern branches, conftitutes five-eighths of the United States; two of which five-eighths are occupied by the Ohio and its waters: the refiduary ftreams which run into the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic, and the St. Lawrence water, the remaining three-eighths.

Before we quit the fubject of the western waters, we will take a view of their principal connections with the Atlantic. Thefe are three; the Hudfon's river, the Patowmak, and the Miffiffippi itself. Down the laft will pafs all the heavy commodities. But the navigation through the Gulf of Mexico is fo dangerous, and that up the Miffiffippi fo difficult and tedious, that it is thought probable that European merchandize will not return through that channel. It is most likely that flour, timber, and other heavy articles will be floated on rafts, which will themselves be an article for fale as well as their loading, the navigators returning by land or in light batteaux. There will therefore be a competition between the Hudson and the Patomak rivers for the refidue of the commerce of all the country weftward of Lake Erie, on the waters of the lakes, of the Ohio, and upper parts of Miffiffippi. To go to New-York, that part of the trade which comes from the lakes or their waters must first be brought