In
fact, there was no distinct eastern boundary until the admission of the
State into the Union.
The leading men of the communities first formed in the five counties on
the Mississippi were men of intelligence and substance. The very first
were those who, to avoid the consequences of the war of the Revolution,
had sought security here. Some, who conscientiously scrupled as to
their duty in that conflict--unwilling to violate an allegiance which
they felt they owed to the British crown, and equally unwilling to take
part against their kindred and neighbors--had left their homes and come
here. There were not a few of desperate character, who had come to
avoid the penalties of the criminal laws of the countries from which
they had fled. The descendants of all these constitute a large element
of the population of these counties at the present moment. Some of
these sustain the character of their ancestors in an eminent degree;
others again are everything but what their parents were.
One feature of the country is different from that of almost any other
portion of the United States.
Pages:
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662