school is one of the best in the South. The city is lighted with gas, and is governed by a Mayor and Council. In 1870, it contained 9057 inhabitants.

Natchez is situated in the midst of a rich agricultural country, with which it carries on a large and growing trade. It is one of the principal towns on the Mississippi, and its river trade is extensive and valuable. Large quantities of cotton are shipped from Natchez to New Orleans.

Natchez was settled in 1716 by the French, under Bienville. It was the seat of the famous tribe of Natchez Indians. Bienville called his settlement Fort Rosalie. In 1729, the garrison of the fort was massacred by the Indians. The French at New Orleans punished this outrage by exterminating the Natchez. By the peace of 1763, the Natchez District passed into the hands of Great Britain, and the next year it was included in West Florida. In 1783, it passed into the possession of Spain with the province of Florida. In 1796, it was ceded by Spain to the United States, though the delivery was not made until 1798. In 1803, it was incorporated as a city. During the civil war, it was captured by the forces of the United States.

VICKSBURG,

The second city of the State, is situated in Warren county, on the right bank of the Mississippi, 45 miles west of Jackson, and 395 miles by water above New Orleans. The city is built along a range of hills which rise abruptly from the river. The principal streets run parallel with the river, and the others cross them at right-angles. The principal business streets are those nearest the river. Vicksburg is one of the best built cities in the South. The private residences are situated on the crest of the hills, and are generally neat and tasteful, and often very handsome in appearance. The principal building is the Court House, a handsome structure of white marble, which forms the principal object in any view of the city. The city contains 5 churches, 2 newspaper offices, and several schools. Its public school is the best in the State. It is lighted with gas, and is governed by a Mayor and Council. In 1870, the population was 12,443.

Vicksburg is the most important commercial town in the State. It has direct railway communication with the North and West, and a railway is in progress from De Soto directly opposite the city to Shreveport, La., and Marshal, Texas. It carries on a large river trade, and previous to the war about 125,000 bales of cotton were

shipped from this city to New Orleans. The most of this was brought into the city by the railway. It is slowly recovering this trade.

Vicksburg was settled in the early part of the present century, and was named from Mr. Vick, one of the original settlers. It was incorporated as a town in 1825, and as a city in 1836. At an early period of the civil war, it was fortified by the Confederates, and was their principal stronghold on the Mississippi River. On the 4th of July, 1863, it was surrendered to the United States army under General Grant, after one of the most memorable defences on record. The city suffered greatly during the siege, and after the close of the war the entire lower part was nearly destroyed by fire. Since then, it has been rebuilt on a handsome scale. It is one of the pleasantest and most cultivated cities in the South, and one of the most enterprising.

MISCELLANIES.

EXTERMINATION OF THE NATCHEZ INDIANS.

This remarkable tribe, the most civilized of all the original inhabitants of the States, dwelt in the vicinity of the present city of Natchez.

Their religion, in some respects, resembled that of the fire-worshippers of Persia. Fire was the emblem of their divinity; the sun was their god: their chiefs were called "suns," and their king was called the "Great Sun." In their principal temple a perpetual fire was kept burning by the ministering priest, who likewise offered sacrifices of the first fruits of the chase. In extreme cases, they offered sacrifices of infant children, to appease the wrath of the deity. When Iberville was there, one of the temples was struck by lightning and set on fire. The keeper of the fane solicited the squaws to throw their little ones into the fire to appease the angry divinity, and four infants were thus sacrificed before the French could prevail on them to desist from the horrid rites.

After Iberville reached the Natchez tribe, the Great Sun, or king of the confederacy, having heard of the approach of the French commandant, determined to pay him a visit in person. As he advanced to the quarters of Iberville, he was borne upon the shoulders of some of his men, and attended by a great retinue of his people. He bade Iberville a hearty welcome, and showed him the most marked attention and kindness during his stay. A treaty of friendship was concluded, with permission to build a fort and to establish a trading-post among them; which was, however, deferred for many years.

A few stragglers soon after took up their abode among the Natchez; but no regular settlement was made until 1716, when Bienville, Governor of Louisiana, erected Fort Rosalie, which is supposed to have stood near the eastern limit of the present city of Natchez.

Grand or Great Sun, the chief of the Natchez, was at first the friend of the whites, until the overbearing disposition of one man brought destruction on the whole colony. The residence of the Great Sun was a beautiful village, called the White Apple. This village spread over a space of nearly 3 miles in extent, and stood about 12 miles south of the fort, near the mouth of Second Creek, and

3 miles east of the Mississippi. M. de Chopart, the commandant, was guilty of great injustice toward the Indians, and went so far as to command the Great Sun to leave the village of his ancestors, as he wanted the ground for his own purposes. The Great Sun, finding Chopart deaf to all his entreaties, formed a plot to rid his country of the tyrant who oppressed them. Previous to the tragedy, the Sieur de Mace, ensign of the garrison, received advice of the intention of the Natchez, through a young Indian girl who loved him. She told him, crying, that her nation intended to massacre the French. Amazed at this story, he questioned his mistress. Her simple answers, and her tender tears, left him no room to doubt of the plot. He informed Chopart of it, who forthwith put him under arrest for giving a false alarm. The following is from "Monette's History of the

Valley of the Mississippi :"

"At length the fatal day arrived. It was November 29th, 1729. Early in the morning Great Sun repaired, with a few chosen warriors, to Fort Rosalie, and all were well armed with knives and other concealed weapons.

'The company had recently sent up a large supply of powder and lead, and provisions for the use of the post. The Indians had recourse to stratagem to procure a supply of ammunition, pretending that they were preparing for a great hunting excursion. Before they set out, they wished to purchase a supply of ammunition, and they had brought corn and poultry to barter for powder and lead. Having placed the garrison off their guard, a number of Indians were permitted to enter the fort, and others were distributed about the company's warehouse. Upon a certain signal from the Great Sun, the Indians immediately drew their concealed weapons, and commenced the carnage by one simultaneous and furious massacre of the garrison, and all who were in and near the warehouse. "Other parties, distributed through the contiguous settlements, carried on the bloody work in every house as soon as the smoke was seen to rise from the houses near the fort.

"The massacre commenced at 9 o'clock in the morning, and before noon the whole of the male population of the French colony on St. Catharine (consisting of about 700 souls) were sleeping the sleep of death. The slaves were spared for the service of the victors, and the females and children were reserved as prisoners of war. Chopart fell among the first victims; and, as the chiefs disdained to stain their hands with his despised blood, he was dispatched by the hand of a common Indian. Two mechanics, a tailor, and a carpenter were spared, because they might be useful to the Indians.

"While the massacre was progressing, the Great Sun seated himself in the spacious warehouse of the company, and, with apparent unconcern and complacency, sat and smoked his pipe while his warriors were depositing the heads of the French garrison in a pyramid at his feet. The head of Chopart was placed in the centre, surmounting those of his officers and soldiers. So soon as the warriors informed the Great Sun that the last Frenchman had ceased to live, he commanded the pillage to commence. The negro slaves were employed in bringing out the plunder for distribution. The powder and military stores were reserved for public use in future emergencies.

"While the ardent spirits remained, the day and the night alike presented one continued scene of savage triumph and drunken revelry. With horrid yells they spent their orgies in dancing over the mangled bodies of their enemies, which lay strewed in every quarter where they had fallen in the general carnage. Here, unburied, they remained a prey for dogs and hungry vultures. Every vestige of the houses and dwellings in all the settlements were reduced to ashes.