Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 16.djvu/547

Rh MISSISSIPPI 523 The surface and subsoil of nearly all the upland region of Mississippi, the southern part being the exception, is composed of yellow loam or brick-clay containing no fossils, and showing no stratification. The soil of the Rotten Limestone region is similar in its general make up, but is black, and contains more lime and clay. Both are regarded as an independent aqueous deposit, pos terior to the stratified drift and bluff formations, and anterior to the alluvium of the present epoch. The &quot;second bottoms,&quot; probably, are later than the yellow loam, and belong to the &quot;terrace epoch.&quot; The latest formation, alluvium, is strongly marked, and covers a large area in the Yazoo and Mississippi Bottom, and along other streams. The following are the equivalents of the Mississippi groups in Dana s Geology : Ouitemarv /20&amp;lt;i Alluvium ............................ Alluvium. , 20c Loam and loeSB ................... Loam and loess - ^206 Port Hudson ........................ Port Hudson. (,20a Drift ................................. Stratified drift. Tcrtiiir &amp;gt; ( UUDIT I Uppu Eoccnc ..... | Middlc I Lower Cretaceous., Vicksburg. . -! Buhrstone &amp;gt; Lagrange. t Flat woods. IR& Limestone. Subcarboniferous ......................................................... Keokuk. Minerals. Metallic ores are not found in Mississippi in paying quantities. The only valuable minerals are sandstones and lime stones, marls, sands, lignite or brown coal, and fire-clays. None of these have been extensively brought into market. Potable water is found almost everywhere. Artesian wells furnish it in the Rotten Limestone region, when bored into the underlying Coffee strata. Fauna. Mississippi affords perhaps no species which are not found in the neighbouring States. There are thirty or forty species of Mammalia, the most remarkable being the American opossum, still quite abundant. The deer (C crvus virginianus), black bear (Ursus americanus), wolves (Canis lupus and Lupus americanus}, catamount (Fclis concolor), and wild-cat (Lyncus rufus) have much decreased in number, and may, like the buffalo and elk, shortly become extinct. About one hundred and fifty species of birds are found during at least part of the year. Alany are seen only in transitu, and about twenty species from the north spend the winter here. The mocking bird (Mimus poh/glottus), the most remarkable songster, is very abundant. The wild turkey (Mcleagris gallipavo) survives by virtue of its wary and watchful character. Over fifty species of Reptilia have been found, prominent among which is the alligator (A. mississippiensis), winch attains a length of 12 or 15 feet, and is common in the southern river bottoms. The rattlesnake, moccasin, and copperhead, venomous serpents, are occasionally found. About half of the sixty-three species of fish abounding in the fresh and salt waters of the State are valuable for food. The edible oysters and crustaceans of the coast are remarkably fine. Flora. Originally nearly the entire State was covered with a growth of forest trees of large size, mostly deciduous. The under growth was kept down by annual burnings by the natives, and the ground became carpeted with grasses and herbs. Over 120 species of forest trees are found ; many valuable ones are abundant, and their timber constitutes a large item in the resources of the State. Of the 15 species of oak the most valuable are the live-oak (Q. vircns), found near the coast, and the white-oak (Q. alba), widely distributed. The cypress (Taxodium distichum) is very abundant in the bottoms. Various species of hickory, the chest nut, black walnut, sweet gum, cucumber tree, cottonwood (Populus deltoidcs), red cedar, elms, holly, magnolias, maples, ash, persim mon, sycamore, tupelo, and many others valuable for their timber, are abundant and of large size. The long-leaved pine (P. australis) forms the principal forest growth south of lat. 32 15 . It attains a diameter of 2 or 3 feet, has a tall and shapely trunk, and its timber is unsurpassed in the variety of its uses. The census reports estimate the merchantable timber of this species now standing in the State at 18,200,000,000 feet, board measure. The amount cut in 1880 was 108,000,000 feet. The short-leaved pine (P. mitis), almost as valuable, is found in various parts, the quantity now standing being estimated at 6,775,000,000 feet. The total value of the pine timber of the State is about 250,000,000. Agriculture is the leading industry in Mississippi. Over 300,000 of the population are directly engaged in the cultivation of 4,895,000 acres of land. The character of the soil is varied, and all is productive, except that in the Flatwoods region and in the district covered with long-leaved pine, where only the valleys are fertile. At least half the State is exceptionally fertile. Not more than one-fourth of the arable land has been brought into culti vation, and two millions of acres of the best lands in the State, lying in the Bottom, might be made arable by proper drainage. Cotton is the chief agricultural product ; in 1880 Mississippi ranked first among the States in the amount raised. The crop of 1879-80 amounted to 955,808 bales, worth $43,000,000. Then: were produced also of cotton seed 28,000,000 bushels, worth $3,000,000; of Indian corn, 21,340,800 bushels ; of oats, 1,959,620 bushels ; of wheat, 218,890 bushels ; of rice, 1,718,950 It). Small quantities of rye, barley, molasses, and tobacco, and abundant crops of potatoes, yams, pease, and all garden vegetables, are annually produced. Fruits of various kinds flourish in many parts of the State, and, with early vegetables, are largely shipped to the northern markets in spring and early summer. The value of the cotton crop is about three times as great as that of all the other products of the soil, which are sometimes insufficient for home consumption. Economically this specialization of agriculture is to be regretted; but successful efforts are being made to diversify it by growing other crops to which the soil and climate are equally well suited. Manufactures. The principal articles manufactured are lumber, cotton and woollen goods, cotton seed oil, and agricultural imple ments. Population. The number of inhabitants according to the different census returns from 1850 is given in the following table : Census. Total. White. Coloured. Density per Sq. Mile. 18.50 1800 1870 1880 606,526 791,314 829,609 1,131,592 2!&amp;gt;5,71S 353,910 384,549 470,371 310,808 437,404 445,060 652,221 13-00 17-07 17-9 24-42 Of the coloured population, mostly freedmcn and their descend ants, 1738 were Indians or half-breeds in I860, and about 60,00(1 mulattoes. The whites own nearly all the farms and other real property. The total property valuation in the State decreased from $607,324,911 in 1860 to $209,197,345 in 1870, on account of the losses in war and the liberation of the slaves. There has been, however, a rapid increase in the last decade. The towns in the State have small populations : in 1880 Vicksburg had 11,814 in habitants, Natchez 7058, and Jackson, the State capital, 5204. Administration. The three departments, legislative, executive, and judiciary, are similar to those of other States. The governor and other executive officers are elected for four years. The legis lature, which meets biennially, is composed of forty senators, serving four years, and one hundred and twenty representatives, serving two years. These are apportioned to the seventy-four counties according to population, and elected by the people. The judiciary officers, consisting of three justices of the supreme court, twelve circuit judges, and twelve chancellors, are appointed by the governor with the consent of the senate. One attorney-general and twelve district attorneys are elected by the people. The State maintains a public school system, with separate schools for the two races, costing in 1880 $830,704, besides a State university and other schools of high grade for each of the races. History. Mississippi was first visited by Europeans in 1540, when the adventurous expedition of De Soto reached its northern parts. After the disastrous termination of this expedition no other Europeans visited this region until 1673, when Joliet and Pere Marquette descended the Mississippi to lat. 33. In 1682 La Salle and Tonty descended to the mouth of the river, and claimed the whole region di ained by it for the king of France, giving it the name Louisiana. In 1699 the first colonists reached the coast of Mississippi, sent from France under Iberville. Settlements were made on Ship Island and Cat Island, and upon the mainland on the eastern side of Biloxi Bay, at Bay St Louis, and at Mobile. The colony did not prosper, and in 1712 Anthony Crozat obtained by charter from the king all the commercial privileges of the lower Mississippi valley. Under his management the colony languished, and in 1717 the king accepted the surrender of his charter, and granted another with more extended privileges to the &quot; Western Company,&quot; or &quot; Mississippi Scheme,&quot; with John Law as director-general, and Bienville as governor of the colony. Under this management the rich alluvial lands on the Mississippi river began to be occupied ; tobacco, rice, and indigo were culti vated, and African slaves were introduced. Settlements were made near the present city of Natchez in 1720. Two years later, Law s company becoming bankrupt, much embarrassment in the colony followed, and troubles also began with the natives. On November 28, 1729, the Natchez Indians surprised and murdered about 200 of the white male residents, and made captives of about 500 women and children and negroes. A war followed, resulting in the destruction of the Natchez tribe. The representatives of the &quot; Western Company&quot; returned their franchises to the king in 1732, the number of colonists and slaves being then about 7000. After two unsuccessful campaigns against the Chickasaw Indians in the northern part of what is now Mississippi, Bienville was superseded by the Marquis de Vaudreuil in 1740. By the treaty of Paris, in 1763, France ceded all her possessions east of the Mississippi river to England, excepting the island of New Orleans, ceded to Spain. The British province of West