The Western or Level Region lies between the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers. The surface is traversed by some swells of high grouud ; hut the north-west districts are nearly a dead level, which descends imperceptibly to the banks of the Mississippi, where it terminates in a large wooded swamp, called the Wood Swamp. This level tract is very unhealthy and but thinly peopled. In these regions every kind of grain is grown, and cotton and tobacco are extensively cultivated.
llyclrography and Communkalions.—Numerous rivers drain this state; some of them have a long course, and ere navigable for steam boats for a considerable distance; the others are of much value for mechanical purposes. The Mississippi forms its western boundary for 160 miles, and is of great commercial importance. (Mtestestres] The Tennessee River rise. with numerous branches in the Appala chian Mountains : the most remote of these branches originate in Virginia near 37° N. lat. auil 81° 20' W. long., and run south-west. The largest branches are the Clinch and Holston rivers: they unite with other branches, which rise in North Carolina, in the couutry inclosed by the Blue Ridge and the Iron Mountains, and break through the last-mentioned chain. The largest of them are the Frenchbroad River, the Tennessee, and the Hiwaisee. After these numerous branches have united, the Tennessee traverses the mountain knot between 34° and 35° 2u' N. lat. It passes through the ridge, which on the south Is called Look-out Mountain., and on the north Walden's Range, with great impetuosity over a rocky bed : this place is called the Suck. Its ammo wiggle the mountain tract Is very rapid, and it escapee from it by troths, gap near Fort Deposit, in Alabama. At this place It rhasease the eoutlnweet course Into a wester° course, and after draining Alabama foe about 300 miles, returns to Tennessee. in Alabama the tire, widen. from two to three miles, and in this part there are estessive rocky abed& which are known under the name of the Mussel !;hods, and swampy for seven or eight miles the whole of the bed. A easel 34 mike long enables steamboats to avoid these falls ; the nevi getten I. unimpeded for nearly 250 miles above these fall. up to the Neck. The lower court.' of the Tennessee River, as far as it lies within Teree.see, ts from south to north. After having entered hen tuck, It gradually declines to the west, and falls into the Ohio. The whole eouree of the Tennessee exceeds 1000 miles; its descent from its mores to its mouth is about 1700 feet.
The Ceatitselead rises in Kentucky, in the valley formed by the Cumberland Mountains and the Literal Mountains, and traverses the south-eastern district of that state by a general western course : after • run of about 150 miles It turns to the south-west and enters Tennessee, when it soon reeumes its western course. It drains the northern
districts of Tennemee by • course of above 200 mile.; and turning gradually more to the north, reenter Kentucky. where its general course is to the north. It falls into the Ohio a few miles above the mouth of the Tennessee. This river runs about 600 miles, and as the current is very gentle, the navigation is easy for sloops and steamboats as far as Nashville, 200 miles from its mouth. Steamboats have aseended to Burkesville in Kentucky, but their usual upward limit is Carthage. at the confluence of the Caney Fork. Tho upper course is obstructed by extensive shoals in several places.
Then are no canals in the state, but several of the rivers have been improved and rendered navigable by artificial adjuncts. In all, there are twelve lines of railway in Tennessee, having, on the let of January, 1655, a total of 517 miles in operation; and upwards of 900 miles are stated to be in course of construction. The chief railway centres are Nashville and Knoxville. From Nashville lines diverge northwards towards Loniaville, Cincinnati, &c. ; eastward towards Charleston and Savannah; southwards toward. Mobile and New Orleans; and westwards towards the Iliesisaippi at Memphis, &c. From Knoxville Linea diverge to Louisville, Itlehmond, and the South Atlantic ports.
aseittgy and 5f isteralegy.—There is a considerable diversity of geolo gical fermstions in the state. Lower Silurian strata, known as the Stone 'Heft and Nashville groups, occupy a considerable portion of the centre of Tennessee. A narrow strip of Upper Silurian, locally dasignetad gray limestone, and by Mr. Safford the Ilarpeth and Tennessee River group, extends along the whole of the eastern border of the state. Strata belonging to the Devonian formation, comprising the upper gray limestone, and extending to a depth of from one to two hundred feet, traverse the state from north to south, west of both the Upper and Lower Silurian deposits. Carboniferous rocks are extensively developed around the Central Silurian group. The Lower Carboniferous strata consist of black slate, siliceous, encrinital, and oolitic limestone. Upper Carboniferous strata, or coal measures, traverse the state from south-west to north-east, and form a connecting lick between the great coal basins of the Ohio and Pennsylvania, and those of Alabama. West of the Devonian formation is a broad belt of cretaceous rocks; and west of these, lying along the Mississippi River, an tertiary and recent deposits.