540 NATCHEZ IN 1820.
The agricultural richness of the surrounding country was shewn by the
heaps of cotton bales and other produce that encumbered the streets. The
churches, however, did not please me ; but as if to make up for this, I
found myself unexpectedly accosted by my relative Mr BERTHOUD, who
presented me with letters from my wife and sons. These circumstances put
me in high spirits, and we proceeded towards the best hotel in the place,
that of Mr GARNIER. The house, which was built on the Spanish plan,
and of great size, was surrounded by large virandas overlooking a fine
garden, and stood at a considerable distance from any other. At this
period the City of Natchez had a population not exceeding three thousand
individuals. I have not visited it often since, but I have no doubt that,
like all the other towns in the western district of our country, it has greatly
increased. It possessed a bank, and the mail arrived there thrice in
the week from all parts of the Union.
The first circumstance that strikes a stranger is the mildness of the
temperature. Several vegetables as pleasing to the eye as agreeable to
the palate, and which are seldom seen in our eastern markets before May,
were here already in perfection. The Pewee Fly-catcher had chosen the
neighbourhood of the city for its winter quarters, and our deservedly
famed Mocking Bird sang and danced gratis to every passer by. I was
surprised to see the immense number of Vultures that strode along the
streets, or slumbered on the roofs. The country for many miles inland
is gently undulated. Cotton is produced abundantly, and wealth and
happiness have taken up their abode under most of the planter's roofs,
beneath which the wearied traveller or the poor wanderer in search of a
resting place, is sure to meet with comfort and relief. Game is abundant,
and the free Indians were wont in those days to furnish the markets with
ample supplies of venison and Wild Turkey. The Mississippi, which
bathes the foot of the hill, some hundred feet below the town, supplies
the inhabitants with fish of various kinds. The greatest deficiency is that
of water, which for common purposes is dragged on sledges or wheels from
the river, while that used for drinking is collected in tanks from the roofs,
and becomes very scarce during protracted droughts. Until of late years,
the orange-tree bore fruit in the open air ; but owing to the great change
that has taken place in the temperature, severe though transient frosts occasionally
occur, which now prevent this plant from coming to perfection
in the open air.
The remains of an old Spanish Fort are still to be seen at a short dis-
NATCHEZ IN 1820. 541
tance from the city. If I am correctly informed, about two years previous
to this visit of mine, a large portion of the hill near it gave way, sank
about a hundred feet, and carried many of the houses of the lower town
into the river. This, it would appear, was occasioned by the quicksand
running springs that flow beneath the strata of mixed pebbles and clay,
of which the hill is composed. The part that has subsided presents the
appearance of a basin or bowl, and is used as a depot for the refuse of the
town, on which the Vultures feed when they can get nothing better.
There it was that I saw a White-headed Eagle chase one of those filthy
birds, knock it down, and feast on the entrails of a horse, which the Carrion
Crow had partly swallowed.
I did not meet at Natchez with many individuals fond of Ornithological
pursuits, but the hospitality with which I was received was such
as I am not likely to forget. Mr GARNIER subsequently proved an excellent
friend to me, as you may find elsewhere recorded. Of another individual,
whose kindness towards me is indelibly impressed on my heart,
I would say a few words, although he was such a man as FENELON alone
could describe. CHARLES CARRE7 was of French origin, the son of a
nobleman of the old regime. His acquirements and the benevolence of
his disposition were such, that when I first met with him, I could not help
looking upon him as another MENTOR. Although his few remaining
locks were grey, his countenance still expressed the gaiety and buoyant
feelings of youth. He had the best religious principles; for his heart and
his purse were ever open to the poor. Under his guidance it was that I
visited the whole neighbourhood of Natchez ; for he was acquainted with
all its history, from the period at which it had first come under the power
of the Spaniards to that of their expulsion from the country, its possession
by the French, and subsequently by ourselves. He was also well
versed in the Indian languages, spoke French with the greatest purity, and
was a religious poet. Many a pleasant hour have I spent in his company
; but alas ! he has gone the way of all the earth !