_Grazing_, although it has been carried to a great extent in Attakapas and Opelousas, has never proved so lucrative as might be supposed. Many of the cattle perish there during winter, for the want of proper nourishment. There is a grass, however, known by the name of _muskeet_, an ever-green, which flourishes abundantly in Texas, spreads rapidly, is exceedingly nutritious, and much sought for by animals, and might easily be introduced into these prairies. This improvement would make this section of country the best for grazing in the United States. More attention is being paid to breeding cattle, and the improvement of stock, than formerly. Sheep may be raised among the hills, in and about Natchitoches, in almost any numbers. In Lafourche, also, although they are of small size, they are fat and of fine flavor. This is a business which is yet in its infancy here. The capabilities for its extension are immense, and there is no doubt that the enterprise of the inhabitants will soon find means to make it profitable. The mutton of this state is already superior to any produced in the Union; good judges in these matters have even pronounced it to be equal to the best English. The minerals of Louisiana, so far as known, are very limited. Lead has only been found in fragments; and none of these have proved to be rich. Valuable beds of gypseous marl exist in the vicinity of the Wachita, which admit of being worked to great advantage. Lignite coal has been discovered in tertiary formations, which never present any article of this kind beyond an ordinary quality, the better being always confined to the secondary strata. On the lands north of lake Pontchartrain, clay exists of an excellent quality and very pure, suitable for manufacturing not only the best bricks, but pottery of all kinds. It is to be hoped that this will remedy the great evil that New Orleans has hitherto experienced, by the use of a bad material for buildings. This has arisen from the employment of a substance too near the surface of the earth; whereas, by going a little deeper, a prime clay is obtained, that would bid defiance, when well burnt, to the humidity peculiar to this southern atmosphere. FOOTNOTES: [1] Many of the preceding statements are the result of an extensive personal observation; for others, the work is indebted to McCulloch, a compilation of considerable value, but, unfortunately, not always to be relied on as authority. In some points, he is glaringly incorrect.