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constant fire to myself, I spent my time pretty confortably. Yesterday
however I learnt to my great sorry by means of two letters that Bishop
O. was taken very ill at Nashville on the 14th inst. - that tho better his
physician had prohibited from traveling - and that he wished me to
make the whole visitation alone. These letters were too informal for me
to act decidedly upon; I am inclined, therefore, to adopt the following
plan: to go tomorrow to Natchez and wait there until I receive an official
communication from him. If he advises me to attempt the whole and so
orders me on his authority I will attempt it, the Lord being my helper - but
if otherwise I will just run down from Natchez to N. Orleans, see how
cousins do - and then return to St. Louis.

I am now in the commencement of the cotton country; and so eager
are the people to raise it and so profitable is it, that they have to buy all the
necessaries of life. The bank of the river opposite the town is lined with
flat boats and arks filled with goods and provisions of every description,
generall from Ohio. One has a tin-man's shop, another a blacksmiths
-one is filled with gowns and another with furniture, etc. A great many of
the inhabitants of this region are from VA. and there is a considerable
number of church people among them.

From this neighborhood to the mouth of the river the banks are so
low that one side or the other is subject to an annual overflow to the
distance of forty miles into the interior. Were it not that there occurs
occasionally a bluff or hillock there would scarcely be a town or landing
place on the river. Arkansas now having such, or scarcely any, the
General Government is making a road opposite to Memphis across the
low, marshy, overflownland for more than 40 miles. This work on which
500 men are employed Major Bowman superintends. When finished it
will be the only wagon road from the Mississippi River into the interior
of Arkansas.

God bless you, precious child. You can contine to write to New
Orleans until further advised. Best love to all. Your affectionate father,
Jackson Kemper