At the mouth of the Kaskaskia river, on the east side of the Mississippi, commences the celebrated valley called the American Bottom, extending along {47} the eastern bank of the river last mentioned to the Piasa hills, four miles above the mouth of the Missouri. It is several miles in width, and has a soil of astonishing fertility, consisting of comparatively recent depositions from the river. It has all the disadvantages usually attending tracts of recent river alluvion, the most valuable parts of it being liable to be swept away by the current of the Mississippi, and its surface descending from the brink of the river to the stagnant pools and lagoons, at the outskirts of the valley. But the inexhaustible fertility of its soil makes amends for the insalubrity of the air, and the inconveniences of a flat and marshy situation; and this valley is undoubtedly destined to become one of the most populous parts of America. We were formerly shown here a field that had been cultivated, without manure, one hundred years in succession, and which, when we saw it (in August, 1819) was covered with a very luxuriant growth of corn.
The town of Kaskaskia, the villages of Prairie de Roches, Kahokia, Prairie du Pont, Harrisonville, and Fort Chartres, are situate in this tract. Some of them are in a flourishing condition. Fort Chartres, which was built by the French government, at the expense of one million and a half of dollars, stood near the bank of the river, about twenty miles from Kaskaskia. Not long after they were erected, a part of the works were undermined by the washing of the river; since which time the whole has[pg102] been suffered to remain in ruins, which are now one-fourth of a mile distant from the river.[068]
The country west of the Mississippi, opposite the American Bottom, is of a very different character. The high lands approach the river, presenting abrupt declivities, prominent points, and in many places perpendicular precipices from one to two hundred {48} feet high, frowning over the brink of the river. One of the most remarkable of these is known by the name of the Cornice Rock. It bounds a narrow arm of the river, which has generally sufficient water to admit the passage of boats. The rock extends nearly in a straight line, having a front of about four hundred yards, the brow of the precipice at some points impending over the channel through which boats pass. The rock rises above, to the height of fifty or sixty feet, smoothly rounded by the attrition of the water, which never rising to the upper part of the precipice, leaves that to project in the form of a cornice. Though the lands on the west side of the Mississippi are less fertile than those of the American Bottom, they are of great value, and have long been objects of scandalous speculation.
Among a variety of stratagems, practised in this part of the country to obtain titles to lands, was one which will be[pg103] best explained by the following anecdote, related to us by a respectable citizen of St. Genevieve. Preparatory to taking possession of Louisiana in 1805, the legislature passed a law, authorising a claim to one section of land, in favour of any person who should have actually made improvements, in any part of the same, previous to the year 1804. Commissioners were appointed to settle all claims of this description; more commonly known by the name of improvement rights. A person, somewhere in the county of Cape Girardeau, being desirous of establishing a claim of this kind to a tract of land, adopted the following method:—The time having expired for the establishment of a right, agreeably to the spirit of the law, he took with him two witnesses to the favourite spot, on which he wished to establish his claim, and in their presence marked two trees, standing on opposite sides of a spring; one with the figures 1803, the other 1804, and placed a stalk of growing corn in the spring. He then brought the witnesses before the commissioners, who upon their {49} declaration, that they had seen corn growing at the place specified, in the spring between 1803 and 1804, admitted the claim of the applicant, and gave him a title to the land. In the old district of Cape Girardeau, as in other parts of Louisiana, the difficulty of establishing indisputable titles to the lands, arising out of the great number of Spanish grants, pre-emption, and improvement claims, has greatly retarded the settlement of the country.[069] Establishments were made here more than one hundred and fifty years since; yet the features of the country are little changed, retaining[pg104] the rudeness and gloominess of the original forest.[070]
At five o'clock, on the afternoon of the sixth, we passed the Platteen rock, a perpendicular precipice, not unlike the Cornice rock, near the mouth of a creek of the same name. Along the base of this cliff, we found the water three and sometimes four fathoms deep. In the evening we arrived at Herculaneum, a small village on the west side of the Mississippi, depending principally upon the lead mines for its business.[071]
Here are three shot manufactories, all of them built at the summits of perpendicular precipices; by which means, the expense of erecting high towers has been avoided. Thirty or forty miles to the south-west of Herculaneum, commences the region of the lead mines, which, though not yet satisfactorily explored, is known to extend for many miles through the hilly country, at the sources of the Merameg, the St. Francis, and the other small rivers, rising in the angle between the Mississippi and Missouri, below the mouth of the latter river.
Soon after the cession of Louisiana to the United States, particular care was taken to have all claims to land investigated and registered. Some few {50} may have been omitted, which may be hereafter revived, but these cannot be numerous. In all the recent sales of public lands in the[pg105] western states and territories, liberal reservations have been made for the encouragement of learning. We subjoin some particulars, extracted from a communication of the commissioner of public lands. From this statement, it will be easy to form an idea of the liberal provision made by government, for the future support of schools and colleges. It is probable, similar grants will be made to the Eastern States. [072]
On the 7th, after taking in wood at Herculaneum, we moved up the river; but had scarcely passed the mouth of the Merameg,[073] when we found ourselves unable to stem the heavy current of the Mississippi, on account of the great quantities of mud that had accumulated in the boilers, and prevented our raising the requisite pressure of steam. While we were lying at anchor, to afford the steam engineer an opportunity to clean the boilers, some gentlemen of the party returned along shore to the Merameg, a beautiful river, whose limpid and transparent waters present a striking contrast to the yellow and turbid Mississippi. They were fortunate in meeting with many interesting objects, and, among others, an undescribed mus, which has received, from Mr. Ord, the name of floridanus.[074] [pg107]Upon the specimen, which was a male, was a dilated, glabrous, ventral line, 2¼ inches long. This species is well known in some districts, under the name of large hairy-tailed rat, and is by no means rare in Florida. It is as large as the ordinary stature of the Norway rat, and is equally troublesome. The contents of its stomach were entirely vegetable, consisting of the green bark of trees, and the young shoots of plants. Their nests are large, and are composed of a great quantity of brush. Dr. Baldwin had rarely been able to join in the excursions on shore. Plants were, however, collected and brought to him on board the boat, {51} where he spent much of his time in the examination of such as were interesting or new.[075]
A few rods above our anchoring ground, were two graves, supposed to be those of Indians. One of them was quite recent, and both were covered with heaps of loose stones, probably designed as monuments, and to protect the graves from the ravages of wolves or other animals. The eighth of June brought us to the small village[pg108] of Vide Poche,[076] and the following day to St. Louis, where our arrival was noticed by a salute from a six-pounder on the bank of the river, and the discharge of ordnance on board several of the steam-boats lying in front of the town.