This latter fine river flows a little west of south, to North Lat. 29° 50', having an entire course of about 70 rniles ; its mouth is into St. George's sound.
The basin of the Appalachicola affords an inland navi gable expanse of 400 nliles in length, with a mean width of 150, and having an area of about 20,c00 square miles. Though interrupted by some Etlls, and many shoals, the rivers of Chatahooche and Flint are navigable almost to their sources ; and schooners of considerable size ascend the Appalachicola to its hzad.
Cotton, tobacco, grain, tar, and lumber, are the com mon staples of this basin.
In all the immense distance, ftom Pensacola to the bay of Espiritu Santo, except the mouth of the Appala chicola, there is no inlet of any commercial consequence, in a general view.
The tine bay of Espiritu Santo is situated upon the west coast of the peninsula of East Florida, at North Lat. 27° 40' ;" West Long. from Washington city 6° 20'. There is about two feet more water upon the bar of Espiritu Santo than upon that of Pensacola, but the country around the latter remains so imperfectly known, that its commercial value cannot be estimated with any certainty at present.
Both these harbours are so land-locked, as to be safe from all winds, and are of great importance in situations -where capacious or secure havens are rare.
The residue of the coast of Florida, from the bay of Espirittt Santo to St. Augustine, is so imperfectly known as to rcrider any specilic description impracticable, until more precise and detailed information is obtained.
St. Augustine is situated upon the eastern shore of the peninsula of Florida, at North Lat. 29° 42' ; \Vest Long. from Washington city 4° 30'. The harbour of this city is safe and commodious, but the bar at the entrance ad mits, at the highest titles, only vessels of 9 feet draught.
The mouth of St. John's river, at North Lat. 30° 20', and nearly due north from St. Augustine, has still less water than the latter.
St. NIary's river opens a very deep and spacious en trance from the Atlantic ocean, at North Lat. 30° 43', be tween Amelia and Cumberland islands. The St. Mary's river does not derive its source far inland, but the coun try it drains is in a great part fertile. Sugar and cotton are the most common and most valuable staples culti vated upon its banks ; therefore, compared with its length of course, the St. Mary's river is amongst the most im
portant streams upon the Atlantic coast of the United States.
The Altamaha is the first river of the United States, advancing from Cape Florida, which rises in the great spine of the Appalachian mountains. It is formed by two great branches, the Oakmulgee and Oconee, with many lesser tributaries. Both the Oconee and Oakmul gee have their sources in the mountains. Boats of 30 tons can be navigated upon the Altamaha, as far np as the town of Milledgville, 300 miles by the windings of the stream, and about as far in the Oakmulgee branch. This river discharges between St. Simonds and Sapelo islands, over a bar of 14. feet water at low tide.
Skirting the Atlantic Ocean, and extending from Cape Florida to the mouth of the Hudson river, extends a border of level sandy soil, through which the rivers wind in their courses from the interior. In most instances, the ocean tides penetrate this border to the base of the hilly or tocky region, but in no instance south-west of the Hudson does the tide pass the alluvial sea border. Such rivers, the sources of which originate in the Ap palachian mountains, are uniformly precipitated over ledges of rock by rapids, in their passage front the hilly to the flat sandy sea region.
From this circumstance, all the great Atlantic rivers of that part of the United Statcs, south-west of the Hud son, may be divided into three portions; first, the tide section, reaching from the ocean to the first ledges of rock crossing' the streams ; second, the short but sti ongly marked space occupied by the st tapids ; and thirdly, and lastly, the residue of the stream above the hcad of the titles and the rapids already noticed.
These natural features produce an entire difference in the mode and manner of navigating the respective sec tions. Vessels propelled by sails or steam, are used almost exclusively as far as the tides extend. Above the tides and rapids, the navigation is performed with sharp keeled and flat-bottomed boats, which are impel led by oars, poles, or dragged by ropes, and the sail so little used as to scarcely deserve notice.