treaty

ries of and in

the eastern boundary of the latter district was run, a marked by the English surveyor.

By the treaty of Hopewell, made by Col. Hawkin the American commissioner, with the Indians at Keowe on the 3d of January, 1786, the boundary was aga established, and, finally, by the treaty held by Gener Wilkinson, at Fort Adams, with the Choctaw Indian on the 17th December, 1801, was fully recognized, a a survey authorized under the superintendence of con missioners, which was soon afterwards made by order the American government.

By the treaty of Mount Dexter, made on the 16th November, 1805, the Choctaws ceded to the United Stat all the lands embraced in the counties of Lawrend Covington, Jones, and Wayne, and those lying to t south of them, except perhaps Jackson, Harrison, a Hancock, which probably belonged to the Baluxis, a some other small tribes, which had removed or becon extinct before the acquisition of the country by t United States, as it does not appear that the Chocta claimed the lands in that quarter west of the Chickas hay River.

A further cession was made, at the treaty of Doal stand, on the Natchez road, on the 18th of October, 182 of the lands on the Mississippi, from the mouth of t Yazoo to a point nearly opposite the Arkansas Rive comprising the counties of Washington, Yazoo, Madiso Rankin, Simpson, Copiah, and Hinds, as first establishe

The residue of the Choctaw possessions in the Sta were ceded by the treaty of Dancing Rabbit, made the 27th September, 1830, and the Choctaws remov to the west of the Mississippi, to lands given them exchange by the United States.

By the treaty made at Pontotoc Creek, on the 20th

LAND TITLES.

er, 1832, the Chickasaws also ceded all their lands Ississippi, to be sold by the United States, and the eds, deducting expenses of survey and sale, paid to and within three years removed across the Mispi River to lands purchased by them from the aws.*

all of these treaties, from that of Mount Dexter,

m reservations were made; these consisted of imments of some of the Indians who chose to remain arger reservations to the chiefs and others, and for enefit of Indian orphans.

ides these, Congress, in providing for the sales of ublic lands, made other reservations, such as the nth section of every township for schools-the of a township of lands to Jefferson College, and ownships for a State University.

gress also granted two sections to the State, for a f government, upon which the city of Jackson was ff.

ge grants have also been made to the State, for al improvements; and lastly, all the swamp lands been surrendered to it to constitute a fund for the se of reclaiming them from inundation, and to fit for cultivation.

ddition to the claims derived from the British and h governments, and the lands sold and patented › United States, all the grants and reservations rated, constitute the basis of title by which the s of the State hold their lands.

quantity of land, held by title derived from for

I convention at Washington City, the 24th of May, 1834, the aws obtained a modification of the treaty to allow of grants in le to all heads of families and others.

eign

amo Natc

trict,

has

it w

repor of wh

Th

acres,

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the

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ated

ions

the

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4, the

eign governments, and confirmed by the United State amounts to 767,547 acres, 545,480 of which lie in th Natchez district, and 222,067 in the Augusta land di trict, east of Pearl River. The whole area of the Sta has elsewhere been stated at 35,520,000 acres; of thi it would appear, from data furnished by the cens report of 1850, 10,490,000 acres are held by individual of which 3,444,000 are in cultivation.

The unimproved lands amount therefore to 32,076,00 acres, of which 25,036,000 acres are still held by th United States, or by the State of Mississippi.

III. AGRICULTURE.

THE EARLY STATE AND PROGRESS OF
AGRICULTURE.

SEVERAL years elapsed, after the establishment of t French colony at Baluxi, before even the comm vegetables of the garden were cultivated, and the steri soil of the sea-shore was not calculated to invite a mo extended culture, if the character and habits of t colonists, chiefly soldiers, deriving all their supplies fro the mother country, had inclined them to such pursuit

It was, therefore, not until the province came und the control of the Company of the Indies, that the tilla of the earth became to any extent a fixed pursuit. T first impulse was then given to planting by the lar grants to European capitalists, who sent out laborers open and improve their lands.

The most efficient of these were German redem tioners; but the nature of the climate, and the hea labor of removing the dense forests, rendered the pr gress of improvement tedious and discouraging.

It was soon found necessary to resort to Africa f suitable operatives for the prosecution of agricultur enterprise; these were introduced by the company, fro time to time, to a limited extent, and disposed of to t