Texas: the rise, progress, and prospects of the Republic of Texas, Vol.1 Page: 87 of 432
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CItAP. II.]
13AYS AND STRE AMIS.
35
tenacious and slippery red or blue clay, seldom
yield to the force of the current. A substratum of
the same description of clay extends beneath the
sand-bar of. the river and the beach; and it is believed
that a sufficiently solid foundation might be
found for thle construction of works, by which the
bar could be reduced so as to admit vessels drawing
sixteen feet of water, whlich could then ascend the
stream to a considerable distance.
The Brazos enters the gulf without forming any
bay, and a shifting sand-bar extends a considerable
way from its mouth. Velasco and Quintana are
situated, on opposite sides, at the entrance of the
river. In approaching the harbour, the Brazos
must be made N.W. by N. as far up as Velasco on
the eastern shore. The first reach of the river lies
at a short distance above, stretching to the west;
and its course is then very serpentine all the way to
Brazoria (thirty miles), but with an equal depth of
water, sufficient to float vessels of comparatively
heavy burthen. The depth of water over the bar
ranges from six to eleven feet, according to the
winds, averaging, during the year, about seven feet.
A strong current draws south-west, after passing
the bar, running at the rate of from three to four
knots an hour; and in approaching the river at
Velasco, this current must be carefully provided for,
especially with a north-east wind.
The Brazos is exceedingly well adapted fbr steam
navigation. Opposite Velasco its width is about
170 yards, and for five hundred miles it varies
from 150 to 200 yards. A large bayou, called
East Union, runs from the prairie to the Brazos,
D 2
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Kennedy, William. Texas: the rise, progress, and prospects of the Republic of Texas, Vol.1, book, January 1, 1841; London. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth2389/m1/87/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.