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cedars,

upper end ditto, and mouth of Little river of the right,

round prairie, right side, (first fording place)

upper end

ditto,

lower end of long prairie, left side,

next prairie same side,
upper end of the same,
3 mile oak and pine bluff,

3

60

197

80

25

25

40

5

12

175

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Pacan grove,

upper end of the same,

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To which may be added for so much the distance being shortened by going through lake Bistino, than the course of the river,

Computed length of Red river from where it falls into the Mississippi, to which add the distance from the mouth of Red river to the ocean, by either the Mississippi, or the Cheffeli, which was once probably the mouth of Red river,

Total length of Red river,

60

1,831

320

miles 2,151

OBSERVATIONS

Made in a voyage commencing at St. Catharine's landing, on the east bank of the Mississippi, proceeding downwards to the mouth of Red river, and from thence ascending that river, the Black river, and the Washita river, as high as the hot springs in the proximity of the last mentioned river; extracted from the Journals of William Dunbar, Esq. and Doctor Hunter.

MR. DUNBAR, Doctor Hunter, and the party employed by the United States to make a survey of, and explore the country traversed by the Washita river, left St. Catharine's landing, on the Mississippi, in latitude 31°. 20′. 30′′. N. and longitude 6h. 5. 56". W. from the meridian of Greenwich, on Tuesday the 16th of October, 1804. A little distance below St. Catharine's creek, and 5 leagues from Natches, they passed the White Cliffs, composed chiefly of sand, surmounted by pine, and from 100 to 200 feet high. When the waters of the Mississippi are low, the base of the cliff is uncovered, which consists of different coloured clays, and some beds of ochre, over which there lies, in some places, a thin lamina of iron ore. Small springs possess ing a petrifying quality flow over the clay and ochre, and nunierous logs and pieces of timber, converted into stone, are strewed about the beach. Fine pure argil of various colours, chiefly white and red, is found here.

On the 17th they arrived at the mouth of Red river, the confluence of which with the Mississippi, agreeably to the observations of Mr. de Ferrer, lies in latitude 31°. 1. 15". N. and longitude Ch. 74. 11". W. of Greenwich. Red river is here about 500 yards wide, and without any sensible current. The banks of the river are clothed with willow; the land low and subject to inundation, to the height of 30 feet or more above the level of the water at this time. The mouth of the Red river is accounted to be 75 leagues from New-Orleans, and 3 miles higher up than the Chafalaya, or Opelousa river, which was probably a continuation of the Red river when its waters did not unite with those of the Mississippi but during the inundation.

On the 18th the survey of the Red river was commenced, and on the evening of the 19th the party arrived at the mouth of the Black river, in latitude 31°. 15. 48". N. and about 26 miles from the Mississippi. The Red river derives its name from the rich fat earth, or marle, of that colour, borne down by the floods; the last of which appeared to have deposited on the high bank a stratum of upwards of half an inch in thickness. The vegetation on its banks is surprisingly luxuriant; no doubt owing to the deposition of marle during its annual floods. The willows grow to a good size; but other forest trees are much smaller than those seen on the banks of the Mississippi. As you advance up the river, it gradually narrows; in latitude 31°. 08. N. it is about 200 yards wide, which width is continued to the mouth of Black river, where each of them appears 150 yards across. The banks of the river are covered with pea vine and several sorts of grass, bearing seed, which geese and ducks eat very greedily; and there are generally seen willows growing on one side, and on the other a small growth of black oak, packawn, hickory, elm, &c. The current in the Red river is so moderate as scarcely to afford an impediment to its ascent.

On sounding the Black river a little above its mouth, there was found 20° feet of water, with a bottom of black sand. The water of Black river is rather clearer than that of the Ohio, and of a warm temperature, which is may receive from the water flowing into it from the valley of the Mississippi, particularly by the Catahoola. At noon on the 23, by a good meridian ob Vol. III. Appendix.

I

servation, they ascertained their latitude to be 30°. 36. 29′′. N. and were then a little below the mouths of the Catahoola, Washita and Bayau Tenza, the united waters of which form the Black river. The current is very gentle the whole length of the Black river, which in many places does not exceed 80 yards in width. The banks on the lower part of the river present a great luxuriance of vegetation and rank grass, with red and black oak, ash, packawn, hickory, and some elms.* The soil is black marle, mixed with a moderate proportion of sand, resembling much the soil on the Mississippi banks; yet the forest trees are not lofty, like those on the margin of the great river, but resembling the growth on the Red river. In latitude 31°. 2. 40. N. they observed that canes grew on several parts of the right bank, a proof that the land is not deeply overflowed; perhaps from one to three feet: the banks have the appearance of stability; very little willow, or other productions of a newly formed soil being seen on either side. On advancing up the river, the timber becomes larger, in some places rising to the height of 40 feet; yet the land is liable to be inundated, not from the waters of this small river, but from the intrusion of its more powerful neighbour the Mississippi. The lands decline rapidly, as in all alluvial countries, from the margin to the Cypress swamps, where more or less water stagnates all the year round. On the 21st they passed a small, but elevated island, said to be the only one in this river for more than 100 leagues ascending. On the left bank, near this island, a small settlement of a couple of acres has been begun by a man and his wife. The banks are not less than 40 feet above the present level of the water in the river, and are but rarely overflowed on both sides they are clothed with rich cane brake, pierced by creeks fit to carry boats during the inundation.

They saw many cormorants, and the hooping crane; geese and ducks are not yet abundant, but are said to arrive in myriads with the rains and winter's cold. They shot a fowl of the duck kind, whose foot was partially divided, and the body covered with a bluish or lead coloured plumage. On the morning of the twenty-second, they observed green matter floating on the river, supposed to come from the Catahoola and other lakes and bayaus of stagnant water, which, when raised a little by rain, flow into the Black river; and also many patches of an aquatic plant, resembling small islands, some floating on the surface of the river, and others adhering to, or resting on the shore and logs. On examining this plant, it was found a hollow, jointed stem, with roots of the same form, extremely light, with very narrow willow shaped leaves projecting from the joint, embracing however, the whole of the tube, and extending to the next inferior joint or knot. The extremity of each branch is terminated by a spike of very slender, narrow seminal leaves from one to two inches in length, and one tenth, or less, in breadth, producing its seed on the underside of the leaf, in a double row almost in contact: the grains alternately placed in perfect regularity: not being able to find the flower, its class and order could not be determined, although it is not probably new. Towards the upper part of the Black river, the shore abounded with muscles and periwinkles. The muscles were of the kind called pearl muscles. The men dressed a quantity of them, considering them as an agreeable food; but Mr. D. found them tough and unpalatable.

Among the plants growing on the margin of the river is the cheria root, used in medicine, and the cantac, occasionally used by the hunters for food; the last has a bulbous root, ten times the size of a man's fist. In preparing it, they first wash it clean from the earth, then pound it well, and add water to the mass and stir it up; after a moment's settlement the water and fecula is poured off: this operation is repeated until it yields no more fecula, the fibrous part only being left, which is thrown away as useless: the water is then poured from the sedi ment, which is dried in the sun, and will keep a long time. It is reduced into powder and mixed with Indian meal or flour, and makes wholesome and agreeable food. The labour is performed by the women whilst they are keeping the camp, and their husbands are in the woods hunting.

On arriving at the mouth of the Catahoola, they landed to procure infor mation from a Frenchman settled there. Having a grant from the Spanish government, he has made a small settlement, and keeps a ferry-boat for carrying over men and horses travelling to and from Natchez, and the settlements on Red river and on the Washita river. The country here is all alluvial. In process of time, the rivers shutting up ancient passages and elevating the banks over which their waters pass, no longer communicate with the same facility as formerly; the consequence is, that many large tracts formerly subject to inundation, are now entirely exempt from that inconvenience. Such is the situation of a most valuable tract upon which this Frenchman is settled. His house stands on an Indian mount, with several others in view. There is also a species of rampart surrounding this place, and one very elevated mount, a view and description of which is postponed till they return; their present situation not allowing of the re, quisite delay. The soil is equal to the best Mississippi bottoms.*

They obtained from the French settler the following list of distances be tween the mouth of the Red river and the post on the Washita, called fort Miro.

From the mouth of Red river to the mouth of Black river
To the mouth of Catahoola, Washita, and Tenza,

To the river Ha-ha, on the right,

10 leagues..

22

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To bayau Calumet,

To the Coalmine, on the right, and Gypsum on the oppo

site shore,

To the first settlement,

To fort Miro,

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Leagues, 91

From this place they proceeded to the mouth of Washita, in lat. 35° 37′ "N. and encamped on the evening of the 23d.

This river derives its appellation from the name of an Indian tribe formerly resident on its banks; the remnant of which, it is said, went into the great plains to the westward, and either compose a small tribe themselves, or are incorporated into another nation. The Black river loses its name at the junction of the Washita, Catahoola, and Tenza, although our maps represent it as taken place of the Washita, The Tenza and Catahoola are also named from Indian tribes now extinct. The latter is a creek twelve leagues long, which is the issue of a lake of the same name, eight leagues in length and about to leagues in breadth. It lies west from the mouth of the Cataboola, and communicates with the Red river during the great an nual inundation. At the west or north-west angle of the lake, a creek called Little river, enters, which preserves a channel with running water at all seasons, meandering along the bed of the lake; but in all other parts its

This

There is an embankment running from the Cataloola to Black river (inclofing about two hundred acres of rich land), at prefent about ten feet high, and ten feet broad. furrounds four large mounds of earth at the diftance of a bow.thot from each other: each of which may be twenty feet high, one hundred feet broad, and three hundred feet long at the top, befides a fupendous turret fituate on the back part of the whole, or fartheft from the water, whofe bafe covers about an acre of ground, rifing by two fteps or stories tapering in the afcent, the whole furmounted by a great cone with its top cut off. This tower of earth on admeafurement was found to be eighty feet perpendicular.

AMERICAN STATE PAPERS.4

superfices, during the dry season from July to November, and often later, is completely drained, and becomes covered with the most luxurious her bage; the bed of the lake then becomes the residence of immense herds of deer, of turkeys, geese, crane, &c. which feed on the grass and grain. Bayau Tenza serves only to drain off a part of the waters of the inundation from the low lands of the Mississippi, which here communicate with the Black river during the season of high water.

Between the mouth of the Washita and Villemont's prairie on the right, the current of the river is gentle, and the banks favourable for towing. The lands on both siles have the appearance of being above the inundation; the timber generally such as high lands produce, being chiefly red, white and black oaks interspersed with a variety of other trees. The magnolia grandiflora, that infallible sign of the land not being subject to inundation, is not, however, among them. Along the banks a stratum of solid clay, or marle, is observable, apparently of an ancient deposition. It lies. in oblique positions, making an angle of nearly thirty degrees with the horizon, and generally inclined with the descent of the river, although in a few cases the position was contrary. Timber is seen projecting from under the solid bank, which seems indurated, and unquestionably very ancient, presenting a very different appearance from recently formed soil. The ri ver is about 80 yards wide. A league above the mouth of the Washita, the bayau Ha-ha comes in unexpectedly from the right, and is one of the many passages through which the waters of the great inundation penetrate and pervade all the low countries, annihilating, for a time, the currents of the lesser rivers in the neighbourhood of the Mississippi. The vegetation is remarkably vigorous along the alluvial banks which are covered with a thick shrubbery, and innumerable plants in full blossom at this late

season.

Villemont's prairie is so named in consequence of its being included with in a grant under the French government to a gentleman of that name. Many other parts on the Washita are named after their early proprietors. The French people projected and began extensive settlements on this river, but the general massacre planned, and in part executed by the Indians against them, and the consequent destruction of the Natchez tribe by the French, broke up all these undertakings and they were not recommenced under that government. Those pairies are plains, or savannas, without timber; generally very fertile, and producing an exuberance of strong, thick and course herbage. When a piece of ground has once got into this state, in an Indian country, it can have no opportunity of re-producing timber, it being an invariable practice to set fire to the dry grass in the fall or winter, to obtain the advantage of attracting game when the young tender grass begins to spring: this destroys the young timber, and the prairie annually gains upon the wood-land. It is probable that the immense plains known to exist in America, may owe their origin to this custom, The plains of the Washita lie chiefly on the east side, and being generally formed like the Mississippi land, sloping from the bank of the river to the great river, they are more or less subject to inundation in the rear; and in certain great floods the water has advanced so far as to be ready to pour over the margin into the Washita. This has now become a very rare thing, and it may be estimated that from a quarter of a mile to a mile in depth, will remain free from inundation during high floods. This is pretty much the case with those lands nearly as high as the post of the Washita, with the exception of certain ridges of primitive high-land; the rest being evidently alluvial, although not now subject to be inundated by the Washita river in consequence of the great depth which the bed of the river has acquired by abrasion. empties its waters into the Washita on the right, a little below the rapids On approaching toward the bayau Louis, which there is a great deal of high land on both sides, which produces pine and

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