It has been already shown, that the Appalachian chains are not the superlative of hills, though such is the received opinion on the subject. The moun tains are considered as the dividing ridge of the waters. So far from this being the fact, the Mo hawk branch of Hudson, the higher branches of Delaware, and Susquehannah river all rise to the westward of the Appalachian nucleus. It is, there fore, in a qualified sense that the mountain masses can he considered as the most elevated part of the physical section to which they belong. We shall have another and more appropriate occasion to no tice this important feature of the geography of the United States, and now proceed to survey the mountain system under view.
Taking the extremes of the northwestern section of the Appalachian system, the course is between S.W. and by \V., but between these extremes there are very considerable inflections. For in stance, leaving the Hudson basin, the chains incline to the westward, and still curving in that direction, traverse the Delaware basin and enter that of Sus quehannah, ranging something W. of S.W. by W. A curve is again made in the opposite direction in passing over the latter, and when reaching the Po tomac basin, the course of the chains is very little west of south. Passing over the northern side of the Potomac basin, the system once more deflects, and with the basins of the Potomac, Rappahannoc, York, James, Roanoke, Yadkin, and Santee, to the southeast, and the great confluents of Ohio, the 'Monongahela, Little Kenhawa, Great Kenhawa, Sandy, Licking, Kentucky, Cumberland, and Ten nessee, on the northwest.
With the higher valley of Tennessee, the Appa lachian chains undergo a noted change in their re lative courses. From the Hudson basin to the higher Tennessee valley, the chains which compose the system deflect in a general conformity to each other, but with the latter physical section, the two most prominent chains, Blue Ridge on the south east, and Cumberland mountains on the northwest, first diverge from, and thence incline upon each other, enclosing one of the most remarkable moun tain wallies of the earth. This singular valley will be more particularly noticed in the sequel, but we may here observe, that with its southwestern ex treme, the distinctive chains of the Appalachian system no longer appear, and the basins of Mobile, and Appalachicola. continence the declivity or slope of the Gulf of Ales ico.
Considering the basin on the southwest ward and the Hudson basin on the northeastward, as the limits of the southwestern section of the Ap palachian system, the general course does not ma terially differ from N.E. and S.\V., nor does the length vary essentially from 900 miles. The rela tive bearing and length are easy to determine, how ever, when compared with the breadth of the sys tem. An attentive observer, comparing the objects in nature with any of our maps, must very soon perceive, that the chains of the Appalachian sys tem, southwest from the Hudson, are too much re stricted on both sides. Again, comparing the
courses of the rivers with the ranges of the moun tains, will enforce the conviction that the mountain structure prevails and exerts influence over the water channels far from the extreme chains marked on our maps. With these remarks we proceed to examine the chains specifically, premising that as no connected and scientific survey of this mountain system, much of what will be given under the sec tion of chains may be regarded as theory to stimu late to future inquiry.
It may seem, indeed, the excess of hypothesis to consider the falls of the rivers as the outer chain of the Appalachian system, but if we trace a line from the perpendicular rocks on the Hudson, through the lower falls of Passaic, Raritan, Dela ware, Schuylkill, Christiana, Susquehannah, Gun powder, Patapsco, Patuxent, Potomac, Rappahan noc, Mattapony, I'amunky, James, Appamattox, Nottaway, Mehexin, Roanoke, &c., and continue a similar demarcation to the Mississippi, and then compare its inflections with those of the Blue Ridge, the correspondence will appear in a remark able manner striking. The series of falls in the Atlantic rivers, southwest from the Hudson outlet, is in no place passed by the ocean tide, but these cataracts do not, however, regularly bound the tides, as they are not in every river channel reach ed by the ocean swell. A remark on the great de fect of our maps is here irresistible. On the very expensive maps of Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, the limit of ocean tides is alike wanting, and what renders the omis sion the more to be regretted, is the great import ance of such data, in the commercial and physical history of the Atlantic rivers. In fact, the still more obvious if not equally important feature, the river falls arc also omitted, but the points are in most instances marked by the rise of cities, and very prominent landmarks are determined by the cities or towns of New York, Paterson, New Bruns wick, Trenton. Philadelphia, Wilmington, Balti more, Georgetown, Fredericksburg, Richmond, Pe tersburg, Weldon, Fayetteville, Columbia, Mil ledgeville, and others of lesser note. By drawing a marked line through these points on a map, a great physical limit is obtained, separating the sea sand alluvial region from the hilly, or more cor rectly, the mountainous interior. The most care ful view of external nature, cannot in every place trace the line of separation, but if that line is crossed at right angles, or nearly parallel to the general course of the rivers, the features of the country so completely change as to demonstrate the essential distinction between the components of formation above and below the river falls.