Travels Through North America, During the Years 1825 and 1826. v. 1-2

Concerning this river, the Western Navigator makes the following remarks: – “The Yazoo rises in the state of Georgia, takes a south-westerly direction, meanders through a fertile country, and empties itself into the Mississippi, in the latitude of 32° 30´. At its mouth it is about one hundred and thirty yards wide.”

The country was again very monotonous, low banks, partly covered with water, covered thickly with trees, of which the fresh green leaves were very much hidden by the disagreeable Spanish moss: some inconsiderable plantations, where cotton and Indian corn were raised, and the dwelling-houses, miserable little log-cabins, which are built on a sort of grate, on account of the overflowing water. We stopt at one of these places for wood, on the left bank. The labourers discovered among the wood prepared for them, a snake two feet long, green and yellow striped, with a white belly. They considered it poisonous, and killed it; I believe, however, that it was not, for at a dinner in the habitation of Mr. Andry, the sons of our host brought a similar snake, which he had found in the garden, into the chamber, and I permitted it, (to the terror of the ladies,) to creep into my sleeve upon the naked skin. Although the head of this snake had been cut off, yet the body still had life, and wound itself so fast upon my finger with the tail that I could carry it a considerable distance. There are many bears in the woods here, as the wife of the planter assured me, which make great havoc among the hogs of the inhabitants, but do not attack men. The islands in the river are very low, and covered thick with timber.

The weather had become cold, on the 31st of March it became warmer. Nothing new! woody shores, high trees, poplars and sycamores, with large creeping plants, mostly of wild vines, and here and there tall cane. We passed several low islands, which, as well as a distance on both shores, were overflowed, also some solitary, mean, and miserable dwellings. The left bank of the river still is in the limits of the state of Mississippi, the right thus far is in Arkansas Territory; of which Little Rock on the Arkansas river is the principal place, at which many emigrants from the eastern states have settled themselves. About ten o’clock at night we reached the mouth of the Arkansas. Of this, the “Western Navigator” speaks as follows: – This very beautiful river is about three hundred and sixty yards wide, at its mouth it is said to be fifteen hundred miles long. It rises at forty degrees north latitude in the Mexican mountains, between the river La Platte on the one side, and the Rio del Norte on the other. “This river, (as Stoddart writes,) has a rocky bed, and the navigation of it is much impeded by rapids and shoals. The extensive country through which it rolls, is diversified by some mountains, numerous elevations, and fruitful vallies, especially along the water-courses; by scattered groves and copses of wood, and by prairies or natural meadows of great extent, where immense flocks of various kinds of wild animals resort to graze.”

The pilot was obliged to be very careful here, since several dangerous “snags”[49 - In these rivers there is a difference understood between the two kinds of trunks of trees which lie in the stream, and are dangerous to vessels, i. e. snags and sawyers. The first, of which I have spoken already in the Alabama river, are fast at one end in the bottom, and stand up like piles; the others are not fastened, by being moved by the current the upper end of the tree takes a sawing motion, from whence its appellation is derived.] lay in the river where we passed by the remains of the steam-boat Putnam, sunk there. We met the beautiful large steam-boat Caledonia, which, coming from Louisville, went down the river in a most imposing style. The mouth of the Arkansas is distant five hundred and ninety and a half miles from New Orleans, and there are still five hundred and fifty-nine and a half miles remaining to St. Louis, so that the distance from New Orleans to St. Louis amounts to eleven hundred and fifty-eight miles.

On the 1st of April, the shores on both sides, as well as most of the islands, continued still as low and woody as those we had noticed during the preceding days. The ugly long moss, however ceased to deform the trees. Upon the right shore, was situated a little new settlement, Helena, which, from the appearance of its buildings, must be in a tolerably thriving condition. Towards evening, we stopped to wood on the right bank, at a small settlement, called Big Prairie. It was an open place, surrounded by forests, in which stood some very handsome live-oaks. As it became dark, we saw in the woods a great number of fire flies, swarming about, which for a moment led us to think that there was a smithy, or a high furnace in the forest, out of which the sparks were flying. The navigation during the night was very dangerous on account of the number of snags: we received some powerful blows, and a branch, to which we approached too near in the dark, forced its way into one of the cabins, and made a considerable breach. Luckily no one at the time was sleeping there.

Upon the following day we still contemplated no object but low and inundated shores. The human dwellings, the most miserable that could be conceived, were placed along in a scattered manner. As we took in wood towards evening, we were obliged to fasten to the wood-pile, as the whole plantation was under water. The lights on the left shore, which may rise about forty feet, are called the Chickesa Bluffs, of which there are reckoned four in a stretch of about sixty miles.

Before we reached the fourth Chickesa Bluff, we passed a large island, called President’s Island. The river changes its course almost every year, and constantly washes the sand-banks away, while it makes others, so that the chart of the stream made a few years back, is not to be depended upon as a guide. The passage in which we sailed along, was at times rather narrow on account of the island, when the river was at least an English mile broad. Upon the fourth Chickesa Bluff stood the quondam Fort Pickering, consisting of a stockade, as were the forts, as they were called in the Creek nation. The two block houses of this fort are still visible, of which a plantation house has been made. A short mile above the fort, stands a group of rather miserable houses: it is the town of Memphis. It is seven hundred and sixty-three miles from New Orleans, and three hundred and eighty-seven from St. Louis.

Above this town of great name, the Wolf river discharges itself into the Mississippi. The state of Mississippi has its boundary here, and the state of Tennessee commences. It is reported, that Miss Wright, of whom notice has been taken before, has settled herself near Memphis, bought several negroes, and located a plantation. During her travels in the northern states, she expressed so great a disgust towards slavery, that she could not be persuaded to cross the Potomac, to go into Virginia. And now, she has even purchased negroes! It is said, however, that she has acted thus from a philanthropical designs, to follow a proposed plan of setting the negroes free, and giving them their liberty by degrees. I have already given my sentiments at Boston, concerning Miss Wright. All that I have since heard respecting her, confirms the unfavourable judgment which I then communicated. A respectable person, who had become acquainted with her in Philadelphia, said, that she stretched herself on a sofa, spoke little, and gave herself little or no trouble about any one, now and then breaking out in detached sentences, such as this, for example; I believe that bears are of more value than men. At Memphis, she will, I have no doubt, enjoy many opportunities of confirming herself in practical experience of the truth of this maxim. In the evening, we were amused again with the great numbers of fire flies, which filled the woods.

On the 3rd of April, we were embarrassed by our fire wood giving out. The banks were overflowed, and there was no regular landing place to be obtained. At the place called the new cut-off, we had a very powerful current against us, which we overcame with great trouble and waste of time. The wood was so far gone, that old barrels were broke up, and a mast and several boards were obliged to be sawed for a supply. This new cut had formed itself in February 1822, and saves the vessels a circuit of thirteen miles. It may be observed on the chart, what a large bend the Mississippi makes here. By degrees it washed the small isthmus of land, which intervened between the bends, and formed itself a new bed directly through. This neck of land, through which this new cut passes, is hardly half a mile wide. It is but a short time since the steam-boats first ventured to take this short route: for the remains of the trees washed away are still visible, and this admonishes the navigator to be on his guard.

After we had passed this strait, which is distant eight hundred and sixty-nine miles from New Orleans, we stopped on the right bank, to provide ourselves with wood. We embraced this opportunity to go ashore for a walk, and into the woods. A young man of our vessel, killed a very handsome snake in the forest. It was one and a half foot long, whitish, with coal-black, edged spots on the back, the belly white with black stripes.[50 - Coluber coccineus.] Farther on, a black eagle with white head and tail was shot. We saw a similar one in the afternoon fly long before our boat, he had found a snake which he held in his talons. We met with several plovers also. After sunset, we stopt at the right bank for the second time, to obtain more wood for the night. This place was called Point Pleasant, and there were about it several small plantations; one of which served as a trade-deposit with the Indians. The Indians bring deer, buck, muskrat and other skins, and barter them for arms, ammunition, woollen blankets, stamped calicoes, &c. one of our travelling companions, Mr. Vallais employed himself in this trade. We accompanied him to the depôt, whence he brought a whole cart-load of pressed skins to the boat, to take up with him.

On the right hand shore the Arkansas territory ceases, and the new state of Missouri begins. This was first received into the Union two years since, and with truly great difficulty, and after long debate; as congress was at issue whether the state should be suffered to permit slavery within its limits or not. The state at length, however, obtained that privilege.

Six miles below Point Pleasant, the little town of New Madrid lies upon the right bank, nine hundred and twelve miles from New Orleans. We past by it in the night, to my great regret; for I should have liked to have seen the remains of the violent earthquake, which prevailed here in the years 1811 and 1812. There are great sink-holes to be seen here yet, in which trees are buried. The soil upon which the town itself stood, has sunk many feet, and the place has suffered very much. New Madrid was a Spanish settlement, and so long as the whole right bank of the Mississippi, that is, from 1763 to 1803, belonged to the Spaniards, under the name of Louisiana, there was a Spanish military post there. On the left bank of the river this evening, we left the jurisdiction of Tennessee, and entered that of Kentucky.

On the 4th of April, it was exactly one year, since I left the city of Ghent, and my family. The time has passed over rapidly with me, I have seen many remarkable things, my mind has been kept on a constant stretch; nevertheless, that which passed more than a year ago is as present, as if performed but a few days since. If the great Architect of the universe shall conduct me in health home to those I love, which I have prayed for, then shall the 4th of April be a festival-day in my family as long as I live.

Both shores of the river, appeared in the forenoon just as they appeared during the last days. Only we remarked two elevations on the left bank, of which one was called Chalk Bank, the other Iron Bank. About one o’clock in the afternoon we found ourselves opposite the mouth of the Ohio river. The river is here very broad, and both streams with their low banks, grown thick with wood, puts one in mind of the Mecklenburg lakes.

The Western Navigator says, in a note concerning the Ohio: “The Ohio arises from the junction of the Alleghany with the Monongahela at Pittsburgh, the first is about three hundred and seventy, the latter near five hundred yards broad at their mouths. After a west-south-westerly course of nine hundred and fifty-two miles the Ohio empties itself into the Mississippi about in the degree of north latitude thirty-seven. It changes its breadth from four hundred to fourteen hundred yards. At Cincinnati it is eight hundred and forty-seven yards wide, which may be considered its medium. Its course is gentle, not broken by falls or rapids, except at Louisville. It is inferior to few streams in the convenience of communication from one part to the other, especially if the operation of canaling the falls, and erecting of locks, which has long been contemplated, be carried through with success. The height of the falls is estimated at twenty-two and a half feet, the length of the descent two miles. The greatest extremes of falling in the height of the river, are between Pittsburgh and the Mississippi; they lessen as the river is descended, and the medium height is from twenty-five to thirty feet. At the lowest state of water, the river is fordable in many places above the falls. ”

The mouth of the Ohio is nine hundred and seventy-seven miles from New Orleans, and one hundred and seventy-three from St. Louis. Two steam-boats, the Friendship and Philadelphia, which had remained near us all the way from New Orleans, here left us, and ascended the Ohio. The Mississippi continues still very broad above the Ohio, and contains many islands. From the mouth of the Ohio, the left shore of the river belongs to the state of Illinois, the right, as already observed, to the state of Missouri. The banks of the Mississippi begin to be something higher, and at times still more rocky. We stopt at a couple of solitary houses on the right bank for wood. During this halt I went into the wood lying back, to walk, and remarked several sycamores of an uncommon height and stoutness; I believe I can affirm that one of them was twenty feet in circumference. We observed from the cooler air, and the less precocious vegetation, that we were again in a more northern climate. A few of the trees were in leaf, others were blossoming, which in New Orleans, occurred six weeks ago. Near the dwellings were large orchards, in which the apple-tree was in blossom. On the bank grew arbres de judée, whose blossoms resemble those of the peach-tree, and near them blossoming white-thorns.

The water in the Ohio had risen very much for some days, and poured with force into the Mississippi; this circumstance assisted our progress, since above the junction we had a weaker stream to contend with. At ten o’clock at night we reached a little town on the right bank, Gape Girardeau, where Mr. Vallais had some goods to land. This place is situated on a high bank, and appears to be thriving and well built, in a fruitful and tolerably populous district. On account of the numerous snags under water and the sawyers, the navigation during the night would have been dangerous, we therefore spent the night at Cape Girardeau. There are here several examples of unlucky steam-boats. The place is one hundred and thirty-two miles from St. Louis.

On the 5th of April we were set in motion before daybreak, and stopped towards morning at a group of five wooden houses, called the town of Bainbridge, one hundred and twenty-two miles from St. Louis, on the right bank. Again goods were landed, and wood taken in. In the outset of our day’s trip, the shores became higher. Upon the right side we saw sandstone rock, probably forty feet high; they were partly worn with water, and had singular forms. One of these rocks, which stands alone, is called the Devil’s tea-table. Farther the river is compressed in its course between two ledges of rock, of which one is called the Devil’s bake-oven, where several steam-boats have gone down. The current is here very strong. On the right bank rises a solitary rock named the Tower, resembling very much an old fortress. It must be about one hundred feet in circumference, and one hundred and fifty feet high. The river became by degrees narrower. The vegetation continued still more backward. Towards evening, we encountered a very heavy storm, that lasted, with severe thunder, rain and hail, for a couple of hours. On this account we could advance no farther without danger, and remained during the night on the right bank near the Saline River’s mouth, sixty-nine miles and a half distant from St. Louis. On this river considerable and profitable salt works are established.

On the sixth of April, we moved again before daybreak. The storm of yesterday had cooled the air very perceptibly. After we had advanced five miles farther, we stopt on the left bank. An establishment was placed there, Simonton’s Warehouse, where the goods intended for Kaskaskia were landed, which is a town in the state of Illinois, lying on the river Ouwa or Kaskaskia, two miles from the warehouse: we soon got under way again. The country on the right bank was very well cultivated. On a small eminence we beheld the little town of St. Genevieve. This place is one mile distant from the river, on a little stream called Gabane creek. Mr. Vallais, and another of our fellow travellers, Mr. Rozier, a native of Nantes, and established as a merchant in St. Genevieve, landed their goods purchased in New Orleans here, and took leave of us.

We stopped several hours. The river takes a new direction against the right bank, wears it out in hollows, and often tears away whole fields, by which the left bank profits. We accompanied our fellow voyagers to the town, which contains about two thousand inhabitants, of both complexions. The road ran between fields of Indian corn, and then over a bridge on Gabane creek. The place has regular streets, but has rather a poor appearance. I remarked only three substantial houses: one of them stands on an open square, and is the court-house. Not far from this is the prison, a box framed of strong timbers. Upon the eminence on which the place slopes down, stands a massive edifice, which indeed had a roof upon it, but was without doors or windows, and threatened to fall in. It was destined for an academy, but for want of funds the plan was not completed. The place receives great advantage from the neighbouring lead mines. The navigation near St. Genevieve is extremely dangerous, from the snags lying under the water. Two steam-boats have been sunk here, the Franklin and the Cincinnati. The accident of the last took place when Prince Paul of Wirtemburg was on board. I noticed here several pieces of a very brittle sandstone, found in the vicinity of St. Genevieve, and sent as an article of trade to Pittsburgh, where it is used in the manufacture of glass.

Before we proceeded on our voyage, we received the visit of a Shawnee Indian on board, a well looking man of about thirty years of age, who spoke tolerably good English. He travelled on horse-back with his gun, hunted on the way, and sold his venison. His dress was very similar to that of the Creek Indians. Between twelve and one o’clock, we were again under way. The right bank continued rocky, and contained below very singular shapes and excavations, which reminded me of the rocks on the Inn, and the one called Buckfarth Castle.

About ten miles above St. Genevieve an island lies on the left shore, called Fort Chartres, where at the time of the first French establishment, a fort of this name was standing. It was nevertheless partly torn away by the current, and at present, has vanished entirely. We passed several islands, of which three are called the Plattan islands. In the woods on these we saw many birds with parti-coloured feathers, the largest among them were cormorants. About 5 o’clock in the evening, we reached Herculaneum, a little town on the right shore. The river Joachim, which has been turned into Owashing creek, which here flows into the Mississippi, divides the place into two parts. Herculaneum is thirty miles from St. Louis, is very small, but contains several decent houses, and supports itself by the lead establishments, furnished by the mines in the neighbourhood, and by two shot factories. The rocks, which form the right bank of the river, open themselves here to let the Owashing pass through, which flows in a narrow, truly picturesque valley, which again recalled the Ilmthal to my mind. Looking from the river, Herculaneum is situated between two high crags of rock, in the back ground woody heights crowned with rocks, and appears very handsome. On each summit of the rocks, stands what is called a shot tower. The material of the rock here is wacke, in which there are many flints. We stopt here to take in wood.

The 7th of April, we continued our voyage about five o’clock, and reached St. Louis about eleven o’clock forenoon. Thus had we accomplished a distance of 1150 miles in less than thirteen days against the current, which before the introduction of the steam-boat required at least three months, a new testimony of the importance of this noble discovery, so honourable to the human intellect.

We enquired in several houses for accommodation, but found the most of them too bad; and remained at length in the Missouri Hotel, a tolerably moderate kind of an inn, where we were obliged to house ourselves very narrowly.

St. Louis has existed since the year 1763, and was settled by French and Canadians. In that year when Canada with the left bank of the Illinois and Mississippi were ceded to England, these people were not willing to be English subjects, and withdrew to the right bank of the Mississippi, which then was under the dominion of France, but soon after was given up to Spain. The emigrants built St. Louis and St. Charles on the Missouri, as well as several other little places: they lived a long time cut off from the civilized world, and surrounded by Indians. They effected but little in the cultivation of the soil, had almost no agriculture, and supported themselves by hunting. They would at length have become savages, had not this territory, with Louisiana, in the year 1803, came into the possession of the United States. Since that time communication and roads have been opened between the United States and St. Louis; many Americans and foreigners removed here, and brought their property and their industry with them: and by the introduction of the use of steam-boats, a new and easy intercourse was opened with the shores of the Ohio, and with New Orleans, that important depôt of the western states. A glance at the map of the United States shows what an interesting place St. Louis is destined to become, when the white population has spread itself more westwardly from the Mississippi, and up along the Missouri river. Perhaps it may yet become the capital of a great nation.

St. Louis lies upon a rather high rocky foundation on the right bank of the Mississippi, and stretches itself out, nearly a mile in length, in the direction of the river. The most of the houses have a garden towards the water, the earth is supported by walls, so that the gardens form so many terraces. The city contains about four thousand inhabitants. It consists of one long main street, running parallel with the river, from which several side streets run to the heights behind the city. Here single houses point out the space, where another street, parallel with the main street can one day be built. The generality of the houses are new, built of brick two stories high; some are of rough stone, and others of wood and clay in the Spanish taste, resembling the old houses in New Orleans. Round the city, along the heights, formerly ran a wall, but it is now taken away. At the corners stood massive round guard-towers, the walls of which one still can see.

In a northern direction from the city, are seven artificial hillocks, in two rows, which form a parallelogram. They belong to the much talked of Indian mounds and fortifications, of which numbers are found on the shores of the Ohio and Mississippi, and which are dispersed over these regions from Lake Erie to New Mexico. There exists neither documents nor traditions concerning the erection of these works, or of the tribe of people who erected them. In some, a great quantity of human bones have been discovered, in others, on the contrary, nothing. This double row near St. Louis has not yet been examined.

Soon after our arrival, we made some visits to deliver the introductory letters given me by Bishop Dubourg. We called first upon General Clark, governor of the state of Missouri. The general was absent in Washington. We were, however, received in a very friendly manner by his wife and daughters. Governor Clark is moreover the well-known fellow traveller of the late Governor Lewis, in the expedition to the mouth of Columbia river, on the Pacific ocean, in the years 1804, 1805, and 1806. We afterwards went to visit Mr. Choteau, who was one of the founders of St. Louis, who was not at home.

As we were so near the Missouri, we were unwilling to leave this part of the country, without at least looking at that interesting river; for St. Charles, a little town on the left bank of the Missouri, which empties into the Mississippi some twenty miles above St. Louis, is but twenty miles distant from this city. Not to lose any time, we determined to go there this very day. We therefore hired a little two-horse carriage, and with it, I and Mr. Hottinguer, and Mr. Huygens, began our journey in the afternoon. At first, all went right. The road ran through an uneven prairie, upon which many cattle pastured. After a ride of eight miles, we came into a forest, which lasted all the way to the Missouri. The country was pretty hilly, the forest consisted of green-leaved timber, oaks, and various nut-bearing trees, of Canadian poplars, and much sumach. On most of the trees, climbing plants mounted over them, wild vines, and ivy. There was hardly any sign of the spring here yet: the vegetation was still as backward as at that period of the year in Flanders. This made no very friendly impression upon us, who had just arrived from New Orleans, where it had long been summer. In the woods we found several solitary inclosures, made by worm-fences. Wheat, oats, and Indian corn were raised here. The cattle, and the numerous swine bivouacked in the woods, and were obliged to take care of themselves. There are a number of emigrants from the eastern states, also Germans, established here in Missouri, who have purchased the land from government for one dollar and a half per acre, and made it arable. Most of them, however, repent of this proceeding; on account of the small population of this state, and the want of a market, they cannot dispose of their produce. We also passed a little village “the station,” and afterwards had nearly been lost in the forest, as our coachman knew nothing of the road. The road was marshy and very bad; and to complete our misfortune the night shut in. One of our companions betook himself to his knowledge of astronomy, and wished to steer us by the pole star. I trusted more to my judgment of localities, and opposed all learned demonstrations. My other companion voted with me, and therefore we proceeded by my guidance, and I had the glory of finding the true road, for we arrived at half-past ten o’clock at night, on the right bank of the Missouri, opposite St. Charles, at Chauvin’s ferry.

The way had latterly become so bad, that to prevent accidents, we proceeded on foot. It was too late to cross the river to St. Charles; we therefore had a frugal supper prepared for us at the ferry-house, and passed the night in a little garret-room. The country in the neighbourhood of the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi, cannot in any manner be healthy; in the summer bilious fevers prevail, and in the winter, what they call the influenza, which has shown itself in most of the northern states. It consists of a very severe cough, joined with rheumatic symptoms. If the disease be neglected, death may be the consequence. To my no small alarm and dissatisfaction, one of our chamber associates was very much affected with this influenza, and another stranger, who slept in the next apartment, was visited by this malady likewise; so that we were fated to hear a most annoying cough duett.

On the next morning we crossed early to the left bank of the Missouri, where St. Charles was situated, in a small canoe. The river is here three-quarters of a mile broad, has excessively thick and muddy water, and a very powerful current. The right bank is rather level, yet so high that it experiences no inundation, while the left is pretty hilly. St. Charles, which has the same origin with St. Louis, lies at the foot of a hill; it consists of a single street running parallel with the river, and is mostly built of brick. These houses are for the greater part built by the Americans who have come here in later times, and are inhabited by them as the most respectable portion of the inhabitants. The Canadian, (or as they are called here, from their original parentage and their language, the French,) are less industrious than the Americans, and occupy themselves of preference in hunting; they live in smaller, older houses, at the commencement and termination of the street. The place may contain one thousand inhabitants, who nearly all belong to the Catholic faith, and have a small wooden church. I spoke to the present pastor, Verhegghen, a native of Ghent, a young man, who, with the Abbé Maenhout in Pensacola, and many other young students from Flanders, accompanied Bishop Dubourg on his return from Europe. Abbé Verhegghen told me, that eight Flanders clergymen were appointed either as pastors through the state, or placed in the seminary five miles from St. Genevieve.

St. Charles has no remarkable exterior, and the streets are not paved. We had it in contemplation to go to an eminence lying below the town, “les Mamelles,” where it was said there was a view of the Missouri and Mississippi both at once. The road carried us through a wood, which begins below St. Charles. We had no guide, lost our way, and came at last to a couple of lonely cabins. These cabins were inhabited by Canadians, who took me for a Catholic pastor. We learned to our dismay, that far from the “Mamelles,” we had six miles between us and St. Charles. In this manner we took a sentimental walk of twelve miles for nothing. Luckily for us we had fine weather. We had constantly remained in the vicinity of the river, the return way took us somewhat differently, and we came to a great marshy meadow, from which we could distinguish the heights on the left bank of the Mississippi. The forest is rather thick, with the same trees before-mentioned, and with large and very thick sycamores. Not a sign of herbage was to be seen. In the forest, however, there were beautiful birds, a pair were of a dazzling sky-blue, and several paroquets, similar to those I had seen on the river Alabama. For snakes, and especially for rattlesnakes, which are found in great numbers here in summer, it was now too cold.

Exceeding fatigued with our useless promenade, we crossed the Missouri immediately from St. Charles to Chauvin’s ferry, where we had slept. We took our dinner here, and set out on the road to St. Louis in our little light carriage, about four o’clock. We got over the worst part of the road by daylight. We were surprised at the great numbers of partridges, upon which we came, and which were so tame, that they would hardly run out of our way: they remained sitting within ten paces of us. As the night overtook us, we reached the better part of the road. We passed a bivouack of an emigrant family, and arrived in St. Louis without accident, in a very cold night about ten o’clock.

The 9th of April found us plunged into the midst of winter. It never ceased snowing and freezing during the whole day. Except a slight fall of it that I had experienced at Harper’s ferry, in the month of November, 1825, this was the first snow that I happened to witness in America. We could not make up our minds to go abroad, but preferred sitting at the fire-side, and entertained ourselves with past happy days. Later, however, we paid Mrs. Clark a visit, and spent the evening at her house.

The steam-boat Mexico, Captain Clark, from the Prairie des Chiens on the upper Mississippi, arrived this day, in the afternoon, at St. Louis, fired a cannon to announce it, and intended to sail the next morning down the Mississippi, and up the Ohio to Louisville and Pittsburgh. I determined to embrace this opportunity to arrive in the Ohio, and then visit New Harmony on the Wabash. My design at first was to have gone by land through the state of Illinois, to Vincennes, and from there down the Wabash to New Harmony. From information since obtained, this road would be almost bottomless at this season of the year, several rivers were to be crossed, and those provided with miserable ferries. For these reasons, I declined the journey by land, in which, without such considerations, there was nothing interesting to attract attention.

I had also felt a desire to visit the lead-mines, of which the most important lie at Potosi, sixty miles from St. Louis, which are almost daily increasing in consequence. I declined to join in this excursion, since the journey there would take at least two days, the return as much, and besides the road was described as wretched in the highest degree. I was told, that the lead ore lies almost on the surface, and is so extensive, that it is not worth the trouble to dig for it deep. If therefore a shaft is pushed so deep as to strike water, this shaft is abandoned and another opened. This easy method of working will last until the owner has laboured over every part of his territory, then he will be obliged to have recourse to water-pumps, and steam-engines. On Fever river, on the upper Mississippi, are also very rich lead-works. These, united to the works at Potosi, have delivered, during nine months, eight hundred and eighty-seven thousand two hundred and ninety-eight pounds of lead; the amount of per centage which the United States receive from these works during that time, was a hundred and four thousand one hundred and thirteen pounds. It is supposed, that in the next year the mine-works will produce from three to four million pounds of lead, which must be three hundred and fifty thousand pounds for the share of the United States. It is but a few years since these mines were worked.

On the 10th of April, we paid yet some other visits, before our departure. First, to Major Biddle of the sixth regiment of infantry. He is a brother to Commodore Biddle, and also of the President of the United States Bank, in Philadelphia. His wife, educated in France, does not appear particularly delighted with these out posts of civilization. We then went to see Mrs. Clark, who, through the secretary of her husband, Mr. Alexander, exhibited to us the museum collected by the governor on his travels, and since considerably augmented. Mr. Alexander showed us articles of Indian clothing of different kinds, and various materials, – except the leather, the larger part of these materials were American, or rather entirely European in their origin. A single garment alone, was made by the Cherokees of cotton, which was pulled, spun, wove on a loom, made by an Indian, and even dyed blue by them. Besides, several weapons of different tribes, wooden tomahawks, or battle-axes, in one of them was a sharp piece of iron to strike into the skulls of their prisoners; another made of elks-horn, bows of elks-horn and of wood, spears, quivers with arrows, a spear head of an Indian of the Columbia river, hewed out of flint, a water-proof basket of the same people, in which cooking can be performed, several kinds of tobacco pipes, especially the calumet, or great pipe of peace. The heads of this pipe are cut out of a sort of argillaceous earth, or serpentine; in time of war the spot where this stone is dug out, is regarded as neutral, and hostile parties, who meet each other at that place, cannot engage in any thing inimical against each other. The pipe which the commissioners of the United States use at treaties with the Indians, has a heavy silver head, and a peculiarly handsome ornamented wooden stem. Farther: Mr. Alexander showed us the medals which the Indian chiefs have received at different periods from the Spanish, English and American governments, and the portraits of various chiefs, who have been at St. Louis to conclude treaties with the governor, who is also Indian agent. Among the remarkable things in natural history, we noticed an alligator, eight feet long; a pelican; the horns of a wild goat, shot by the governor in his tour among the rocky mountains; the horns of a mountain-ram, and those of an elk, several bearskins, among others, of the white bear; buffalo, elk, of the skunk, which were sowed together in a robe, skins of martins, ferrets, &c. &c. moreover, several petrifactions of wood, and animal subjects, among others, of elephants teeth, a piece of rock-salt, tolerably white, yet not shooting in crystals, as the English; various crystals; a large piece of rock crystal; very handsome small agates, which are here taken for cornelians, &c. Among the curiosities, the most remarkable were two canoes, the one of animal-hide, the other of tree-bark, a peace-belt, which consists of a white girdle, set with glass beads two hands breadth wide; farther, snow shoes, nets which are drawn over an oval frame, also the rackets, which they use in playing their game of ball, &c. &c.

After the examination of this interesting collection, we paid our visit to Mr. Choteau. This is a venerable old man of eighty years, a native of New Orleans. He told us that at the founding of St. Louis, he felled the first tree. His house resembling in architecture the old government-house in New Orleans, was the first substantial building erected here. The conversation with this aged man, who received us like a patriarch, surrounded by his descendants, was very interesting. He was of opinion that the people from whom the Indian antiquities have come down to us, either by a pestilential disease, or by an all-destroying war, must have been blotted from the earth. He believed that Behring’s Straits were more practicable formerly than at present, at least it must have been Asiatic hordes that came to America. How otherwise, (asked he,) could the elephants, since there have been none ever upon this continent, have reached the American bottom, where their bones are now found? This bottom is a very rich body of land, running south, opposite to St. Louis. Mounds and fortifications are found there, of the kind spoken of before. Here the elephants bones are not scattered about, but found laid in a long row near each other, as if they had been killed in a battle, or at the assault of some fortification. I gave him a description of the opening of a Roman mound, at which I was present with my father, in the year 1813, and he expressed his astonishment at the great similarity between these mounds, and those of the Indian grave-hills. Among the stone war-hatchets in the governor’s museum, there are several resembling the battle-axes which are found in Germany at these mounds.

In our inn there lodged merchants, who prepare caravans, with which they go in a space of from between forty and fifty days, to Santa Fé in New Mexico. The articles which they mostly carry there, consist of cotton fabrics, cloths, iron ware, &c. These goods they pack in four-horse wagons, covered over, in which they sleep at night. There are about one hundred men in such a caravan. From Santa Fé they bring back dollars and mules.

After dinner the worthy old gentleman, Mr. Choteau, surprised us by a visit, and brought his brother, his sons, and a Captain Smith, of the first regiment of infantry, who is here on recruiting duty, with him. He staid long with us and was very talkative. He related, for example, that at the commencement of the settlement of St. Louis, the Indians attacked the town, which was only defended by one hundred and fifty men, and that they were driven off. After this attack, the Spaniards had built the defensive towers, of which the remains stand yet around the city. They resemble the English Martello towers, and like them were of but little value.

CHAPTER XXI

Travels from St. Louis to New Harmony. – Mr. Owen’s System and Experiment

On the 10th of April at seven o’clock, P. M. we left St. Louis, in the Mexico, a neat boat with a low pressure engine. We went down the stream so rapidly, that we advanced fourteen and fifteen miles per hour. We received an unpleasant shock during the night from a snag. It gave the vessel such a violent blow, that all were roused from sleep, and sprang out of bed: I thought that the boat was going down. Happily we were only scared this time. Towards morning we hastened past Cape Girardeau, and all the places which we had seen a few days before. It was agreeable for us again to come something more southerly, and recognize traces of vegetation. We reached the junction of the Ohio with the Mississippi about twelve o’clock in the day. We then quitted the Mississippi, and steered into the Ohio.

At the period when the French extended their posts from Canada to New Orleans, the Ohio was known to them under the name of “La Belle Riviere;” Mr. Choteau, Senr. used this appellation constantly in speaking of it, while conversing with me. The water of the Ohio is much clearer and purer than that of the Mississippi, which is evidently very foul from the confluence of the Missouri. At the union with the Ohio, this difference in the colour of the streams is striking, when you pass from the turbid waters of the Mississippi into the purer current of the Ohio. They are divided from each other by a perceptible line, disturbed cloudings being visible on each side of this line.

I took a solemn leave of the majestic father of rivers, the Mississippi; but, with God’s permission, not an eternal one.

The banks of the Ohio are at first very low, and exposed to inundations. Upon the right bank, eleven miles above the mouth, lies a small place, consisting of a few wooden houses, called America. It is built upon a bank raised several feet above the highest water-mark. It is only three miles hence across to the Mississippi. A project, therefore has been agitated, and a company formed with a capital of ten thousand dollars, to cut through this narrow piece of land, to unite the rivers sooner, and gain an easier navigation. Since the bank is not exposed to overflow at this point, as I have remarked before, a town may be established here, in process of time, when this design is carried into effect, that will be extremely important and wealthy.

About six miles from the mouth, stand a tavern and warehouses, on the right bank, which is called Trinity. In this vicinity there are several rocks concealed under the water, that must be very dangerous at a low stage of the river. Some miles higher, thirty-seven and a half miles from the mouth, fourteen hundred miles from New Orleans, and three hundred and thirty-four and a half from Louisville, is Fort Massac, situated on an eminence on the right bank. The remains of a stockade, two block-houses, and barracks, are what is left of this fort, which gains its name from the massacre of the French garrison by the Indians. As long as the western military posts of the United States were kept up, an infantry company remained here in garrison. This fort has been abandoned for a long time. Nine miles higher up on the left bank, the Tennessee river flows into the Ohio, upon which the Western Navigator makes the following remarks: “This river is the largest branch of the Ohio, and is navigable for large boats more than six hundred miles. It rises in the north western part of Virginia, and runs through the whole breadth of East Tennessee, in a south-westerly direction. Afterwards it enters at the north-east corner of Alabama, through the breadth of which it runs, then turning in a northern direction, nearly in a direct line with the western boundary of that state, it flows through Tennessee and a part of Kentucky, in which it discharges itself into the Ohio.” The right bank of the river on which we were now sailing, belongs to the state of Illinois, and the left to Kentucky. Both shores are thickly covered with woods. Although our course up the stream did not equal the speed with which we had descended the Mississippi, yet we made handsome progress.

On the second night we went on, in spite of the snags, and without accident. On the third day, 12th of April, we were delighted with the prospect of the beautiful banks of the Ohio, thickly covered with wood. The right shore especially is rocky, and occupied by neat dwellings and little settlements. During the night we had passed the mouth of the Cumberland, an eastern tributary river to the Ohio. This is one of the largest rivers in Kentucky. It rises in the Cumberland mountains, in the vicinity of the heads of Clinch and Kentucky rivers, flows in a westerly direction more than two hundred miles, enters the state of Tennessee, reaching Nashville, after meandering through that state one hundred and twenty miles, in the thirty-sixth degree of north latitude, or thereabouts, flows then one hundred and twenty miles in a north-west course, and discharges itself into the Ohio.

This mouth of Cumberland is eight hundred and ninety-four miles from Pittsburgh, and ten hundred and thirty-five from New Orleans. On the right shore we saw the little town of Golconda, afterwards the Cave in Rock, where a considerable cavern runs into the rock. It reaches one hundred and fifty feet deep under the hill, and was used by a robber in former days for a place of residence, whence he sallied out and plundered the passing flat-boats and smaller craft.

Towards noon we reached Shawnee town, on the right bank, ten hundred and ninety-five miles from New Orleans, and eight hundred and thirty-four from Pittsburgh. The Western Navigator says, “Shawnee town was formerly a village which belonged to the Shawnee Indian nation, and bore its name. It is at present a handsomely situated town, in Gallatin county, state of Illinois. It contains a post-office, a land-office, and a bank, called the Great Bank of Illinois, with a capital of two hundred thousand dollars. Although it is subject to be overflowed, yet it is nevertheless a considerable place, since it is the centre of the emigrants going to Kaskaskias, St. Louis, &c.” It appeared to me safe from inundation, as it lies upon a tolerably elevated bank. The houses, of which many contain stores, are mostly of wood, yet I observed many of brick. It may contain eight hundred inhabitants, mostly white persons. The states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, lying between the Mississippi and Ohio, hold no slaves; a slave coming here from other states is free: and yet these states are only divided by the Mississippi from Missouri, and by the Ohio from Kentucky and Virginia, in which three states, slavery still exists.