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*r? m w ?S. C.) SATJJRDAY, NOV&MBEI* 8, 1817. Bwweeaw ? i a.1 ae . \*L (Number . PRINTED $Y ... . GF.ORG&JZp mmJtltBY. For thi Proprietors. Tkt / iriee to Subscriber* is gS ficr artn< exclusive i aiutin na ciiteTvnrr e W" *" <**"" ?J Price he 5 0 a P^WnMPifX months a fit ? subsc firing THE ALABAMA. - ^tg.k the Astv* Yc?k Hcrall, 'Towss in thz Alabama Territory. Much valuable information to Emigrants and others, ia contained in the following letter from a gen tleman nenv fh the Alabama Terri tory, to his friend in New-York : . Dear Sir ? In answer-to your inqui ries respecting the commercial to wits already located in tht territorry of Alabama,' as weil as the most eli gible sites for such have not yet wen established, I submit the fol lowing view, with such observations as .appertain to the subject. - W-The ci0Wn ?* Mobile is situated on a low sandy pine plain, on the west bank of the west mouth of Mobije river, within one mile of the bay. , It was founded by the French upwir&s of one hundred J?rs ago, ancrts older than New Urlearts. Its population (iocs not exceed eight hundred soul , inha biting one hUnd/ed apd twenty tene ments, of very inferior sii^Tand nearly all cf an ancient gothVc ap pearance. The inhabitants of Mo bile are of various descriptions. 4 A^out joo are of colour, of every shade, who are generally free and t possessed of real estate, &c. The balance are whites of a hetcYogene , ous Character. , % ,,r manners and customs qi *j*e French and Spaniards at present appear to prcviiL There is no | house of public worship there, ex cept n small Roman chapel, in which a Spanish priest occasionally says v .?! The trade, of Mobijp is very i;i epnodetable, but is i/ftreasihg as tKe up country settles There aic^ at present 1 5 good stores and a few ' groceries. , \ "The want of good fresh witer in < . Mobile i* at present a serious in convenience an J disadvantage to i that place. Nearly all die potable i water Used there for six jpontU in , th? y?Ar is drawn by wagons, &c. i "ifrkegs ani bi?i'eJiHfrOftr a effek j mij<is west of the town. ^During he winter the fiver affords wKole water lor every use. It is, y..fBileve, in Contempla e water conducted into 1 froflii?'? branflP tour miles fVom . With res^cec t6 fchip navigation to ( notvso great as could be Although Mobile H Vis of twenty fret those of fifteen 1 $ miles of it* head t yetfj^o ? : over twelve feet e?vinot enter the montW of Mobile Rjver. Owning to the Rainess of the shores of ie Bay, ttO town can be erected below the outlets of the river; consequently the seaport of the ? labama Terri tory mast inevitably be on the ri ver i dnd on account of the extryrnc - crookedness of the river, and. (He impassibility of "aaieftdirtg them, with practical economy, with At lantic fhippinp, the emporium of trade upon these waters II forever be confined to the head of Mttbik ??*>'? ' . ? Whether'the town of Mobile^ to become t he ^reat conimtiK c ity, w;Ich appears to he at $|uii0Vprat the outlet of the cx Mpive and interesting waters of Tcmibigbee and Alabama, or some .^thej* place, time w'u'l soon deter mine. However respectable the town of MoBIIe lias become by its , great age, the American*, who are emigrating to that country, seem generally to turn their attention to a new town laid ouc, in pursuance of an act of the Territorial Legisla ture, on the east channel of Mobile river. This "place is styled in the law the "Towq of Blakeley," ft lies six mi.es "north of Mobile Hay on the ca^: margin of the main direct j ship channel of Mobile river; which, < from near ]/ort Stoddart down to t?e Bay, is denominated Tensa" ? This channel subdivides in front of Blake'ey, and its orinripa) month runs south westwai d!y to near the ?centre of the head of the Bay, where it forms a junction with Span ish River, (which is the main chan nel into Mobile,) and both make one common chai/iel over the bar, 12 feet deep at high water ? there ! being but two feet How of tide or dinary i and but one flood and one ebb in 24 hours in Mobile Biy. The other four mouths cf Mobile river have not more than 8 or 9 feec at high v/atcr on their bars ? Vessels drawing more than 8 fere Vv3ter must pass up Spanish liver, (which is the thir rt mouth from the high J an(l ) _aJI' 1 jjouble ?<1 Mand; six. miles north of Mobile, and then, j with a northerly wipd, drop down 1 to to\vn. Ves.yls of the same draft pass directly from the sea into port of Blakeley, withoutthc least delay. The harbor of Blakeley,. is spacious, i convenient, ? and secure, ? Having I , bold shore's on ali sides, and entire ly land-locked close. The high 1 lands on which the town stands, shield the shipping entirely from all easterly and southerly gales, (the only dangerous winds in Mobile bay.) * I The town of Rlakeley is rr^utnr !y laid our, with ttreers 99 fer c wide, running at right angles, ,-a-t and west, north anci soiuh. It is squ ared upon two general brxiche^ of land : ? the one in front of the rivrr (300 ftrt from the margin) is 2j feet m hi^ht above tide water j then about one quarter of a mile back the ground nscs gradtiiily for a half a mite, till it gains an elevation above the level of the sea of one hundred feet ? thcnce a beautiful plane fwr nearly mile, when rhe landP rises \ntofa lid^of two hurt- 1 dred and fifty feet, above nigh water l^iark. ' ^ No town in the United States is better applied with fresh water, t^an frlakeley. A great multitude of ftever-fkiling copious springs of the purest *ater in? sue frpin the higkifAk bf land within the pint of th??(rtq^ as well as from the high ridge in. its So tfifct however ettcm ive th?f. town may become igl process of time, |jif>art$ may,J0y means. of aqueduct*, be accommo dated with a plenty of the hclt of Myater? Such a privilege is latwy ro be realized ito seaports, e speciality in ip warm a clirmtc is that on the coast of Florida. Jr The numerous gro/ffc qjfftriajes tic live oaks, iitterspeftc^raver the site of Eflaktley , will, witfeudiclouT ! re se rvafi oh s~ofs ucTi as fall with the] u recta, not only agrcauimamcnt to the town, but be a atfitrce of much comfort to the iabkbitaMs during the influence of ail almost vertical f. ? ? ? -, 4 improvtng-^Sor merchants ac M' i- ' ~tr~* lobuc, n idaiioJev rral mercantile ,gertlemcrv from j New- York, ? Boston, N. Orleans, and elsewhere, have recently pur chased lots o i the original proprie tors* anil arc no.vV o'ectin^ suitable Warehouses, stores, and dwelling houses in Blakeley, preparatory to extensive business there in the rail. I here is, at present, a ^reat competition between the proprie tors of Khlceley and Mobile. Which tjwn is to cake the lead in trade is at present unknown. It will depend much upon the' force of ^apital, and the description ot peo ple, who are not yet ..ettlcc 1 1 either tfi'.vn. F\'vr the eapit*;; thf ? now ij very inconsiderable, aiul iiie popu lation small. St. Stephens ;s*i ^"Hirishin^ and promises co btxome a'town o! j considerable importance, I: i> si tu ue on the west Ou^i; of ;hc iiver Tombioc.ce, abo--: one 'lunurftj miles from Mobile by land, and much father by watei. I hotigli this place is marked on many maps aw the luad of tide - water, stilly effect of the ride is never perceptible, except when the river is at its lowest stage dur ing dry weir her. No riv.r can, however, be better adapted ;o large barges and steavh boat navigation, not only to Sr. Step. ens, but at kusr 4 hundred miles above there. 1 hi* town has nr present more tra^e than the town of Mobile. A ? ftiAV* miles above ? St. Strphml* there is a > hoal across the bed or the riv c; > wiisn it is v^;y low; bite the ; obstruction is a soit cnaiky sc<;nef wliich can, - with a small c<pt*oce, be hliapped so :*:? to turn *11 the wa.cf ' in;*o chanm 1, and render it passible Ik aii seat?on$cwirh five feet war r. ?fc At i he rails of the TV?ac^ warrior, (the east b.mk of f ombio-bee,) a very flourisr.'.ng ;own, mail proba bility, will ere lop* be erecud The place cJiLg lJuj. neural iu *A of boat na v. Ration on that ?ivcr in the heart o! a lernie country, and being a vi of some trade, no doubucfn e:Ue rained of it* im - mediare pro;pe:ry. The lands, however, are not yet surveyed, and it is uncertain, therefor-, when they will be in .market. It may be re marked that merdiAlizr destined to HuntsViilw in Mkiison county, (A. T.)pa>dcs from this place over land to Tennessee liver. I think these (alls are 300 miles by wa^vr from Sc. Stephens. On the main Tom bigbec no place is yet located for a town as I rccoiJece. At fort CUi borne, on the Alabi. ma river, 1 00 miles from Mobile by land, and 40 miles east of Sr. Stephens, a considerable village has been made since the war, where there is a brisk retail trade to the settlement if* its vicinity ? It lies on >he east sicje of the river. onVvery elevated crouad, jfrlyk ? , ^/?The town of Jackson lie* on rhe east side of Tombigbee, ten miles below $t, Stephens, iiear what is callrd Bassett*s Creek. It is **egu iaily laid out and. incorporated has 8 or 10 stores, am! is a handsome . _ i' ? . - k[ * \ ; place, and well watered, I At tK- falls of Cahaba rivc^ which runs into' Alabama, nearly loo , mites north of fort Claiborne fryitukc notdiweuf Jfaid is-J icllow to the Blackwarrior^ a town of *ome - Importance will probably bo esta blished when the Jands are sold. Boats attend to this place with fa cility, except in dry times: Const dcrjihtt settlement are making on tlits river 4 {W At tji? mouth of this viver, ot ? in lis vicinity,' an important fo\*r I will undoubtedly soon locate!. 1 he lands arc now selling at fvlil ledgeyillc in Georgia; und die itiosr extensive body of goov\ land lies cdht ol Alabama and ainuit this place of any pare of the Creek ces sion. ? _ II lias been tlKmghr by in any tha*: --- a large town would forthwith spring ? lip at For: Jackson, in the fork or Coosa and Vallapoosa rivers j but, a j tivj India. i boundary is within ten - miles c t that place, in my opinion \c will not be the case, till th\ U. Stare;, acquirr c'.e lands up to those rivers. K m r J.ickson is 500 miles from Mobile by the me A iders of tii-:. .ivcr'y and goou barge naviga tion eacnJs to that place at ali Sea Sony . It is i.n/o sible to foresee where every domiciling inland town Is to [ be permanent in a new country ; so | muc.i depends on the effect of cap ! ltvilj and loading roads, where head or navigation does not settle the question. Great speculations* are constantly agisting the minds of the adven turers with regard to the location ot ! towns, and every discerning pru^ dent man will calculate for himself on th*s subject. . , , Huntsvilie, in Ma Aon coupty, and now in the Alabama Territory, is a very prosperous inland town; ic lies north of the Great ttend of Fennrsscc river, near the 3 5 tK de^ g+tc of-httitric or ^pJth lincr.of the state of Terin??see. The ex tensive bejies of land of the* first i|U*l :v\ wnicn .irroar 1 it, will rii, ~ suie i.s permanent prosperity.; * Its population was, according to a cen-r sik 1 'ken last year* 14,260 souls, i o,ooo,of to hom were whites. Ma rt uort county is ,\wcry\- three miles square, Wa> been settled but ten or 1 I ivveive years, and as I have been in* | torrud, raised last year io,oouj j oa.:s of cotton. Huntsvilie h^fl I upwards of 30 stores in it. Th? j planters in the country have become 1 wealthy by their own industry in a1 I teV years, in th? worst of times; Tnough slavery is tolerated in the Alabama Territory, there are but few t>Iavei?*in \Iadison_ County j their cotton is chiefly raised by the whites, which is a proof that this^ valuable staple of our country can be raised in abundance without the laoour of slaves. y . * '? ?; The purchase from the Cl)icka-1 saw Indians, last fall, of territory sufficient for six counties as Urge as Madison, each, which lies on b<*th sides of Tennessee river, aWpm the Muscle Shaals, open another grCH f\dd for enterprising people of all description* ! - ? v AUC This extensive body of land lies within the Alabama 7>rrirdry. The trade not only of the i\orth <oart of our territory will into the waters of Mobile/ but. East ^Tcnnessc^ (ooj^U find it her inter est to fr(M^j|^pifoto_tbc szmj Itiaitne If--"-;- !^T The navigation^ Sh'wls is dangerou^ ?n_ learti ?<* remote for reciprocal deal ing, n> advantage. Considerable merchandise has* already pasted in to Huntsvillr, by *? way of Mobile, ' and the falls of the nlackwarrior, on much better terms than by the former routes. f 1 Coniidctin.r die crcat cxtei#of the territory of Alabartia? ^ $hcva?t ? bodict of fertile Jami3 every few months coming into market, jtiic* principal of Which will be pwrch*>et| at two dollars per acre, in a country: t/jo, which, is congenial to the col* turc cr one of the most valuable Slavics rhtr j ? r ran pMsc-rpnvi.., rvcrSj of