Camden gazette. (Camden, S.C.) 1816-1818, November 08, 1817, Image 1
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?S. C.) SATJJRDAY, NOV&MBEI* 8, 1817.
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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