FOOTNOTES:
[53] Not the lake of that name noted in our volume xxii, p. 368, note 344, but one between Knife and Heart River, North Dakota.—Ed.
[54] For the location of Butte Carré (Square Butte), see our volume xxii, p. 340, note 312.—Ed.
[55] This post was probably at or near Apple Creek, which by its connection with the lakes east of the Missouri furnishes communication with the upper James, the usual habitat of the Yanktonai.—Ed.
[56] See our volume xxii, p. 338, note 306.—Ed.
[57] For the site of these villages, see our volume xxii, p. 335, note 299.—Ed.
[58] See our volume xxii, p. 173, note 87.—Ed.
[59] Grand River, the Weterhoo of Lewis and Clark (Original Journals, i, p. 183; vi, p. 49), rises near the sources of the Little Missouri in northwestern South Dakota, and flows east into the Missouri in Boreman County. It is a prairie stream paralleling Cannonball and Cheyenne rivers, and largely destitute of timber.—Ed.
[60] For this stream, see our volume xxii, p. 334, note 295.—Ed.
[61] For Fort Pierre, see our volume xxii, p. 315, note 277.—Ed.
[62] See, for this man, Bradbury's Travels, our volume v, p. 38, note 7.—Ed.
[63] For the visit of this Teton Sioux, see our volume xxii, p. 329.—Ed.
[64] This tract was the area later famous as the Bad Lands of White River. Had Maximilian been able to visit this region, he might have antedated the discoveries made by J. V. Hayden and F. B. Meek, which awakened much interest in the scientific world. This area, extending nearly five hundred miles in each direction, lies between Cheyenne and White rivers east of the Black Hills. It is a tertiary formation of indurated sands, clays, and marl, cut up into ravines and cañons by streams and climatic action. In certain places it takes on the form of a gigantic city in ruins. To the scientist, however, the chief interest is its fossils, immense numbers of which are imbedded in the formation. The first descriptive account was that of Dr. H. A. Prout, who visited the region in 1847, given in the American Journal of Science, iii, 2d series, pp. 248-250. Two years later, Dr. John Evans went through this district, and the next year it was visited by Thaddeus A. Culbertson in the interest of the Smithsonian Institution. A thorough examination was made in 1853 by J. V. Hayden and F. B. Meek; the former passed through again in 1857, the results being embodied in American Philosophical Society Transactions, xii, new series (Phila., 1863). The fossil remains were described by Professor Joseph Leidy in Contributions to Extinct Vertebræ Fauna (Washington, 1873). Hayden made still another visit to this region in 1866, the results of which were published in his Geographical and Geological Survey of the Territories. The White River Bad Lands are still difficult of access, and not as yet visited by tourists.—Ed.
[65] See p. [59], for portrait of Little Soldier (Tukan Haton), a Sioux chief. Consult also our volume xxii, pp. 311-313, for Maximilian's relation of this chieftain's visit.—Ed.
[66] See Plate 44, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.—Ed.
[67] In the early part of the nineteenth century there was a free-trader of this name on Minnesota River, where he was later murdered by his Indian wife. See Henry-Thompson Journals, p. 941.—Ed.
[68] The opposition post had been built since our author ascended the river. It was begun October 17, 1833, a "little below old Fort Tecumseh." According to Maximilian it was directly at the mouth of Teton River, probably in the northern angle. It was occupied only about a year, then being sold with all its effects to the American Fur Company. See Chittenden, Fur-Trade, iii, p. 956.—Ed.
[69] See our volume xxii, p. 313, note 272.—Ed.
[70] For the agency and agent, see our volume xxii, p. 235, note 171, and p. 304, note 261.—Ed.
[71] For Bijoux Hills and White River, see our volume xxii, pp. 301, 302, notes 258, 259, respectively.—Ed.
[72] For Little Cedar Island, see our volume xxii, p. 296, note 257. Maximilian here intends the present island of that name.—Ed.
[73] For Primeau and Ponca River, see our volume xxii, p. 286, note 248, and p. 291, note 253. The trader was William, half-breed son of Colonel Robert Dickson, who had been agent for the British government among the Northwestern Indians during the War of 1812-15. William's mother was a Sioux, and he assisted his father during that war, being still in the pay of that government in 1817; see Wisconsin Historical Collections, xi, p. 350. By 1821 he was established in trade on Lake Traverse, whence one of his letters (written in French) shows traces of considerable education; ibid., x, p. 140. He accompanied a delegation to Washington in 1824 as interpreter for the United States (consult Minnesota Historical Collections, vi, p. 205), and two years later was licensed as a trader. Some time before 1832, he crossed to the Missouri River and entered the employ of the American Fur Company, for whom he had a post called by his name, near the mouth of Petit Arc Creek in South Dakota. There Larpenteur met him in 1838, and states that he shortly after committed suicide. Compare also E. D. Neill, History of Minnesota (Minneapolis, 1882), p. 452.—Ed.
[74] For Niobrara River (l'eau qui court), see our volume v, p. 90, note 54. Emanuel Creek (Rivière à Manuel) is noted in volume xxii, p. 290, note 251.—Ed.
[75] For the Ponca Indians, see our volume v, p. 96, note 63. When Lewis and Clark ascended the river (1804) the village of this tribe was on the stream called by their name, not on the Niobrara. The name of the chief Schudegacheh signified Smoke, and Catlin speaks (North American Indians, i, p. 212) of him as "a noble specimen of native dignity and philosophy."—Ed.
[76] For James River (à Jacques), see our volume xxii, p. 282, note 238.—Ed.
[77] See our volume vi, p. 87, note 31.—Ed.
[78] For this trapper, see our volume xxiii, p. 197, note 153.—Ed.
[79] For the earlier adventures of Hugh Glass, see our volume xxii, p. 294, note 255. Powder River, called Red Stone by Lewis and Clark, is the most easterly of the great southern affluents of the Yellowstone. It rises in Central Wyoming, on the eastern slopes of the Big Horn Mountains and south thereof, near the sources of the Big Cheyenne and North Fork of Platte. The valley of Powder River was a favorite rendezvous of trappers, for it afforded both game and pasturage in abundance.—Ed.
[80] For these streams, see our volumes xxii, p. 280, note 236; and vi, p. 85, note 30, respectively.—Ed.
[81] For Floyd's grave, see our volume v, p. 91, note 56. Omai is now Omadi Creek, in Dakota County, Nebraska.—Ed.
[82] See Plate 12, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv. For this noted chief, known in English as Blackbird, see Bradbury's Travels, our volume v, pp. 84-86.—Ed.
[83] These are all three Iowa streams, the last two entering the Missouri in Harrison County, and Boyer's in Pottawattamie County. See our volume xxii, p. 275, note 231, for the fort at Council Bluffs.—Ed.
[84] For Cabanné and his post, see our volume xxii, p. 271, note 226. Cabanné had been obliged to return to St. Louis to defend himself against the legal action of Le Clerc. See Chittenden, Fur-Trade, i, pp. 346-350. A brief sketch of Joshua Pilcher is in our volume xiv, p. 269, note 193.—Ed.
[85] For this chieftain, see our volume v, p. 90, note 52; also, our volume xiv, pp. 258-262, where Big Elk holds council with the officers of Long's expedition.—Ed.
[86] For a brief history of Bellevue, see our volume xxii, p. 267, note 221.—Ed.
[87] For the geographical places mentioned in this paragraph, see our volume xxii, p. 264, note 217.—Ed.
[88] For the rivers mentioned, see our volume vi, pp. 72, 73, notes 23, 24. Both Solomon's Island and Wolf Creek are mentioned by Lewis and Clark (Original Journals, i, pp. 72, 73); the former has been swept away by the river. For Wolf Creek, see our volume xiv, p. 181, note 150.—Ed.
[89] Nodaway River is described in our volume v, p. 37, note 5.—Ed.
[90] For this trader and his post, see our volume xxii, p. 257, note 210.—Ed.
[91] See our volume xxii, p. 253, note 204, for the persons and places mentioned in this paragraph.—Ed.
[92] The eastern boundary of the Indian country, which was also the western boundary of Missouri, consisted of a line running directly north and south through the middle of the channel of the mouth of Kansas River. In 1824 commissioners were appointed to survey the western and southern line of Missouri, and in 1830 this was adopted as the boundary of the Western Territory (see our volume xxi (Wyeth), p. 50, note 31). This boundary is, however, nearly thirty miles (by the river) below Fort Leavenworth. Probably Maximilian confused this with the boundary of Fort Leavenworth military reservation.
The treaty of 1832 with the Kickapoo tribe arranged for their removal to a tract southwest of the Missouri, situated about Fort Leavenworth; see Indian Treaties (Washington, 1837), pp. 532-535.
Major Morgan was not the military officer who accompanied Long's expedition, referred to by Maximilian, ante (our volume xxii, p. 260). The one here mentioned was a trader and early settler near Fort Leavenworth—probably Alexander G. Morgan, who in 1831 was postmaster at the fort.—Ed.
CHAPTER XXXI
VOYAGE FROM THE CANTONMENT OF LEAVENWORTH TO PORTSMOUTH, ON THE MOUTH OF THE OHIO RIVER, FROM MAY 18TH TO JUNE 20TH
Little Platte River—William's Ferry—The Mormons, a Religious Sect—St. Charles—Land Journey to St. Louis—Residence there—The Indian Barrows—Mouth of the Ohio—New Harmony—Journey to Vincennes and Louisville on the Ohio—Cincinnati—Portsmouth.
On the afternoon of the 18th of May, I left the Cantonment of Leavenworth amid a very heavy rain, which continuing on the 19th I lay-to, and made my people light a fire on shore, to warm themselves, and dry their clothes. As soon as we had left Little Platte River, I observed numerous isolated settlements, from which others had taken their rise. At Portage l'Independence, I saw Mr. Soublette, who had been ill for some time.[93] As I had very recently visited his trading post on the upper Missouri, I was enabled to give him the most recent intelligence respecting it. He has always been engaged in the fur trade; in the first instance, in opposition to the American Fur Company; subsequently, however, in connection with it; he was now waiting for the steam-boat, Oto,[94] intending to go by it to St. Louis.
About five o'clock we reached the landing-place of Liberty, but I did not make any stay there. Descoteaux here fell in with one of his acquaintances, a Canadian beaver hunter, and begged permission to leave me; I did not wish to detain the man, and accordingly set him on shore with all his furs and skins. At nightfall we came to a settlement called William's Ferry, or Charaton-Scatty; here, on the northern bank, we lay-to for the night, under shelter of a lofty umbrageous forest.[95] We passed the 20th on the same spot, our boat having received some injury, and we accordingly had it repaired; at the same time we caused our effects to be dried, as they had been thoroughly drenched by the rain.
We met with a friendly reception in a house near the landing-place, where the mistress sold us poultry, buttermilk, &c., for which she at first declined accepting any payment. The {471} whole country in the valleys, as well as on the mountains, was covered with a lofty shady forest of magnificent trees, of every variety common to this climate, which, being refreshed by the late rains, were clad in the most brilliant verdure. The splendid plumage of the bright red baltimore, and the vermilion tanagra (Tanagra rubra) was very striking, amidst the dark foliage of the forest; the latter is here called the flax-bird, from its feeding on the buds of that plant. We listened with pleasure to the note of the cuckoo, which much resembles that of the European bird. We heard frogs and tree-frogs in the vicinity, and the whistle of some animal exactly like that of our yellow-striped salamander, and doubtless one of that family,[96] under the fallen trunks of the trees. I was much surprised, during these travels in North America, to meet with so few animals of the lizard kind, whereas tortoises were very numerous.
There was only a single path along the bank from one plantation to another; all else was covered with a thick forest. There were wild, lonely valleys, with colossal tulip trees, and an undergrowth of papaw, which was now in flower; a carpet of ferns was spread on the ground in the dark shade, where a small clear stream meandered among the grasses and other plants. The dwellings of a few planters were scattered on the hills. In this wild and romantic valley I saw but few birds; and, in general, I remarked, in these woods on the Missouri, that far more birds lived in the vicinity of the plantations than in the recesses of the forest, an observation which is confirmed by McKenney,[97] and of which I have spoken in my travels in Brazil. We saw no mammalia in these woods, though there are many squirrels; the number of which, however, must have greatly decreased if what Bradbury says is true, that 2,000 of them had been shot in one hunting excursion.[98] I unwillingly left a spot so interesting to the naturalist, especially as I had no agreeable conversation to expect on board the boat. My live bears attracted all the inhabitants {472} in the neighbourhood; nay, the people here were more eager to see the much-dreaded grizzly bears than even in Europe.
Our vessel was crowded with curious persons, and, besides these, an unwelcome intruder had intoxicated the greater part of my people. Among our inquisitive visitors there were several men belonging to a religious sect known here by the name of Mormons. They complained bitterly of the unjust treatment which they had lately experienced. They had lived on the other side of the Missouri, and, as they asserted, had been expelled, on account of their doctrines, by the neighbouring planters, their dwellings demolished and burnt, their plantations destroyed, and some of them killed, on which they settled on the north bank of the river. I was not able to learn whether all this was true, or why, after an interval of one or two years, they have not obtained redress from the government. So much, however, is certain, that, if these people spoke the truth, it would be a great disgrace to the administration of justice in this country, which calls itself the only free country in the world.[99]
According to their account, an angel appeared in 1821 to the founder of their doctrine, and brought him golden tables of law, on which the contents of a certain chapter of the Bible were engraved, and which is the substance of the doctrine. The inscription was translated, and the angel took the tables away. They spoke also of a prophet Mormon, but I was not able clearly to comprehend the mystical meaning of their words.[100] A sensible old man gave me some notion of their doctrine, to which he seemed to be much devoted. He affirmed that their sect was perfectly harmless, and never molested others, a point respecting which their neighbours might, perhaps, give a different testimony.
These backwoodsmen were much interested by all our effects, and were particularly struck with our percussion guns and rifles. In those parts where the woods have been cleared, the country which they inhabit is extremely fertile. Deer and wild turkeys are still met with; but bears are not numerous, and the panther is only now and then seen. The elk (Cervus Canadensis) has been long since extirpated. The wood-rat (Neotoma?) is not uncommon; it does mischief to the fruits, and gets into the so-called smoke-houses, where meat is smoked and dried. The common grey wolf is said to be very numerous: the black race is seldom seen here, and the white never, which is a proof that it is a distinct species.
On the 21st of May we passed Fire Prairie and the mouth of Fishing Creek,[101] and again saw magnificent forests, the trees of which were so lofty that our guns were unable to reach the birds perched on the upper branches. The ground was covered with flowers, among which was a beautiful sky-blue iris, and with an undergrowth of papaw trees, above which arose the tall forest trees, such as the Gleditschia triacanthos, sassafras, tulip trees, &c., entwined with the Vitis hederacea. The red tanagra shone like a glowing coal amid the dark forest.
On the following day, the 22nd of May, we met the Joway steamer, which could with difficulty {473} proceed up the shallow river. Old Roubedoux, who was on board, brought news from St. Louis. He had purchased from the Fur Company, for 500 dollars, the trading house on the Black Snake Hills, from which we had just come.[102] Having halted near the steam-boat at noon, with a temperature of 89°, we made a short excursion into the wood, where I procured the beautiful red adder, Coluber coccineus. The colour of its exquisitely marked body is a brownish vermilion, and, therefore, not so purely vermilion as the splendid coral adder of Brazil. The forest was so full of the caterpillars which have been already mentioned, that walking through it was most disagreeable. At five in the afternoon we passed Grand River,[103] and lay-to for the night six miles further down, on the south bank, at a plantation, the friendly inmates of which, though very well disposed, could give us only a small supply of provisions.
On the 23rd, in the neighbourhood of Little Arrow Rock,[104] we saw some persons catching an immensely large white catfish, the weight of which must have been very great, but I was not able to stop and examine it. At this place we heard a strange noise under the boat, which my people affirmed was produced by the prickly fins of the fish called by them casburgot, or malacigan (Catastomus carpio, Les.), and by the Americans, buffalo-fish. It weighs from five to six pounds. Towards evening we passed Franklin, and stopped at Boonville.[105] Two negro slaves, who were returning from the plantations, were very much astonished at the sight of my bears: one of them had a long tin speaking-trumpet, with which these men, when working in the forest, are called together. It may not be irrelevant to remark that all the negroes of these parts are slaves. Fine tall trees covered the hills on the bank, which my people ascended in order to purchase provisions in the scattered dwellings of the planters.
On the 24th we passed the small town of Columbia, below the mouth of the Manitu stream, where a quantity of logs of wood, for the use of the steam-boats, was piled up on the bank. At noon the thermometer was at 90°. An uninterrupted forest, with beautiful scenery, adorned the canal during the entire extent of this day's voyage. Having passed the village of Maryanne, on the northern side, we reached Jefferson City at six in the afternoon.[106] This place is still in its infancy and most of the habitations are scattered, while the ground between them is not yet levelled. It is covered with heaps of stones and high weeds; and cows and pigs were roaming about at liberty. We could not obtain any provisions except salt pork, biscuits, and whisky. In the bookseller's shop, as it is termed, we only found a few school books. In the evening I proceeded to the plantation of a person named Ramsay,[107] where a number of negroes congregated about our boat, from whom I was fortunate enough to purchase some poultry. These people were dressed in all sorts of left-off clothes, and forcibly reminded me of similar scenes in Brazil.
At eight o'clock in the morning of the 25th, we passed Côte sans Dessein; and at noon, when the thermometer was at 88°, reached the little town of Portland, which was founded about two years since. Near the mouth of Gasconade River we met the Oto steam-boat.[108] We stopped {474} for the night below the Rivière à Berger, and on the morning of the 26th lay-to at the settlement of a man named Porter, to which the name of Washington has been given, though at present it consists of only a few isolated dwellings: the inhabitants were very courteous and obliging.[109] The adjacent forest was animated by many interesting birds; and I here purchased a live young bear. Opposite to this place, four or five miles up the country, a Mr. Von Mertels, of Hanover, has settled; and here, a few years since, Dr. Duden resided, who has written on North America, and who is still much talked of in this country.[110] In the evening we reached St. Charles, to which great numbers of German emigrants now resort,[111] and lay-to at the settlement of Mr. Chauvin, who keeps an inn, and has set up a stage between this and St. Louis. Here we passed the night, but the rain was so heavy, that we were prevented leaving the house. The people spoke to us a great deal of the many persons who had fallen victims to the cholera the year before. There is a ferry at this place over the Missouri, in which the large wheel is set in motion by six horses.
On the 27th, after the rain had ceased, we went by land to St. Louis: the weather was warm and damp, and the brilliant humming-birds fluttered about the plants in the court-yard of the house. As the stage did not run to-day, I hired a long, open, farmer's wagon, with three horses, in order to reach the Mississippi as speedily as possible, while Dreidoppel was to go by water, with my collections, &c. We immediately entered the forest, where colossal trees, especially the sugar maple, oak, elm, &c., covered a hilly ground, overgrown with many interesting plants, about which the most beautiful butterflies peculiar to this country were hovering. From time to time we saw planters' dwellings all built of wood, covered with planks, and roofed with shingles, the chimneys being of brick. Among the many species of trees is the black oak, which is used for dyeing and tanning. A great quantity of the bark is sent to England. The forest extends many miles, and, becoming gradually thinner, is succeeded by the open prairie, which does not differ from the prairies of the west, especially of the upper Missouri. We stopped at an isolated inn to refresh our horses, and were still six or seven miles from St. Louis. The last part of the road lay through a wood of dark green oaks, in which I saw many circular pools of water, which undoubtedly owed their origin to the sinking of the earth, of which Mr. Say speaks, in the account of Major Long's expedition.[112] These pools are fifty or sixty paces in diameter, and are inhabited by numerous frogs, whose croaking is heard at a great distance. At noon we alighted at the Union Hotel in St. Louis, after an absence of above a year.
St. Louis was now healthy, and not suffering from the cholera, as we had expected; there had, however, been a couple of cases in a steamer from New Orleans. No change of consequence had taken place since our last visit. At the factory of the American Fur Company I found very agreeable letters from Europe. Here I saw Mr. Lamont, to whose amiable family we were introduced, but I greatly regretted the absence of General Clarke.[113] We received much {475} kindness in the house of Major O'Fallan, who is perfectly acquainted with the Missouri, and the aboriginal inhabitants. Here we saw a collection of Indian portraits and scenery by Mr. Catlin, a painter from New York, of which we were able to form an opinion after our recent travels in the country.[114] Major Dougherty, our friend and travelling companion, had the goodness to give us a night's lodging, and we were highly gratified by his conversation about the countries which we had just left, and with which he is well acquainted.
Among the remarkable objects in the vicinity of St. Louis are the ancient Indian barrows, the traces of which I had hitherto in vain attempted to find on the whole course of the Missouri. In order to take a view of them, we crossed the Missouri in a steam-ferry, where there is room for the horses and carriage, and in the upper story of its pavilion, a light, airy chamber. On the opposite bank are a good many houses, inns, and shops, under the shade of lofty old trees. Fish, turtles, vegetables, and other provisions, are daily sent from this place to the market in the town. The surrounding country is level, sandy, and, in part, marshy; the road passes alternately through open meadows and copses to the skirts of an extensive verdant plain, or prairie, after we had crossed a wooden bridge thrown over the pretty stream called Kahokia Creek, the banks of which are picturesquely bordered with fine trees.[115] The colour of the water is dark brown, like many forest streams in Brazil, and forms a beautiful camera obscura. The open plain, which we now reached, was everywhere clothed with young grass, and in several spots with low bushes. As soon as we had passed the skirts of the forest on the Mississippi, a long row of very flat ancient Indian barrows came in sight, extending parallel with the river, and a second row, forming an angle with the first, in which some of the barrows are higher than others. Right in front of the angle formed by the two rows is the most considerable barrow of all, which does not appear at first sight, though it is at least sixty feet high. It is called Trappist's or Monk's Hill, because some French monks of the order of La Trappe formerly lived here.[116] I may remark by the way, that many settlers of French origin live in this part of the country.
We proceeded in the direction of the above hill, which is about six miles from the river; it is covered with greensward and a few old trees, and some new wooden buildings are erected on it. In the prairie stood a group of very tall poplars, under which a herd of cattle was reposing. Here we left our wagon, but the bull, who seemed to be lord and master, was at first much inclined to oppose our passage. Numerous birds of many species and beautiful butterflies were fluttering about in the ardent noontide sun. The Indian hills, or barrows, of which Say counted seventy-five, have a very striking appearance; they stand in a row, generally isolated, but sometimes two are side by side. Some of them still retain their conical form, while others are very much flattened. There are similar barrows near St. Louis on the other side of the Mississippi, most of which have, however, been destroyed by cultivation and building. The destination and the origin of these remarkable barrows and walls, which have been the subject of so much discussion, {476} are still involved in obscurity; while the government of the United States alone might have collected the necessary materials on the subject, if it had employed competent persons to excavate, carefully to examine, survey, and describe all the monuments of this kind that are scattered over the states of the Union.[117] Even at this time, it is not wholly too late to do much towards the accomplishment of so interesting an inquiry; not a moment should, however, be lost. Baron Alexander Von Humboldt has given an interesting essay on the subject in his valuable works; and several American writers have collected and published many particulars respecting these remains. Of some of them Warden has given ground plans and sketches, but no favourable result can be expected till the excavation is prosecuted in earnest.[118] Perhaps the flint knives resembling those of Mexico[119] might be found near St. Louis. These barrows have a close resemblance to the ancient German barrows which are everywhere found in our forests. A late traveller (Dr. De Wette) conjectures that the American barrows are not produced by art, but by nature, because there is no fosse round them from which the earth was taken; this notion is, however, very easily refuted, as the barrows and walls are arranged in regular figures and lines, and in like manner no fosse or excavation is to be seen round the barrows in the German forests. The earth was taken from the surface in the neighbourhood, but it was by no means necessary on that account to excavate a fosse. With regard to the regular position of the barrows of St. Louis, they have in this respect a close resemblance to the kurghans of the Russian steppes, which also lie in long regular lines. The very form, too, of both seems to be quite similar, if we except the stone images which are often seen on the kurghans. Pallas, in his "Tour through Southern Russia" (Vol. I. Vig. 1), gives a sketch of a row of barrows which perfectly resemble those of St. Louis.[120]
A pleasant westerly breeze which sprung up, was a great relief to us in the sultry heat, and continued till we returned to the shady forests on Kahokia Creek, which we reached at two o'clock. Numerous tortoises live in this stream. The banks of the Mississippi, near St. Louis, are likewise remarkable for various impressions of shells and zoophytes in the limestone; among them are the beautiful crinoides, which are found in great perfection close to the buildings of the town. Mr. Lesueur has collected and sent to France specimens of all these fossil remains, and every information on the subject is contained in his and other similar works. I neglected, while I was at St. Louis, to see the tame buffaloes which Mr. Pièrre Chouteau kept on his estate near the town, though I should have been very glad, for many reasons, to have seen these animals in a domestic state. I have been frequently told, in America, of hybrids of the buffalo (bison) and the tame race, but never saw any; and several naturalists, especially Mr. Thomas Say,[121] have {477} always affirmed that no instance ever occurred of hybrids, capable of propagating their kind, of that animal and the tame species. He declares that every case into which he examined turned out to be unproved. Mr. Gallatin has, indeed, lately spoken on the subject, and pronounced against Mr. Say's opinion. He calls the bison a mere variety of the common ox; but this may be easily refuted.[122] The bison is quite a different species from the ox, as is clear, not only from its outward form, high withers, short tail, the formation of the head, and the peculiarity of its long hair, but likewise from the osteology, the number of the ribs and vertebræ being different in the two animals.
There is another point on which I differ from Mr. Gallatin, namely, his denial of the great decrease in the number of buffaloes in general. For when we consider how far these animals have been driven up the country, and that, in these very parts, they are even less numerous than formerly, we have a fact which at once proves a great decrease, of which nobody in the interior of the country can entertain a doubt.
After staying about a week we took leave of our friends at St. Louis, and embarked on board the Metamore steam-boat, which left on the 3rd of June. Messrs. Chouteau, Lamont, General Pratte, and Ortley, accompanied me on board, where we bade each other farewell.[123] We glided rapidly down the Mississippi, and passed Chester before evening, but were soon obliged to lay-to, because we were apprehensive that the night would be dark.
Our voyage on the 4th of June was extremely pleasant; the forests on the Mississippi were clothed in the brightest verdure, climbing plants interlaced the tall trees, and the papaw was in greater luxuriance than I have anywhere seen; but here, too, the caterpillars had partly stripped the bushes. Towards nine in the morning, after the early vapours were dispelled, we reached the mouth of the Ohio, the clear green water of which contrasted strongly with the grey and muddy stream of the Mississippi. We stopped at the landing-place at the junction of the two rivers, to wait for the steamer expected from New Orleans, and to take on board some of its passengers. The Ohio is at this time too shallow for the large Mississippi steam-boats to ascend it, and they, therefore, transfer their passengers to the smaller boats from St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Pittsburg, which, in the present instance, occasioned us a most unpleasant delay. The Boonslick, a large boat from New Orleans, lay aground in the Mississippi, waiting to be relieved.[124] We therefore proceeded to her with a flat boat, by the aid of which she was lightened of a part of her cargo, consisting of lead. This business detained our Metamore a considerable time, after which we returned to the landing-place: we made use of this delay to undertake an excursion into the forest which borders upon the town. Papilio Ajax and Turnus were very numerous, and we caught a great many, especially of the former. In the shade of the forest we found the red Mississippi tanagra, which I had not before seen on my whole journey; and, likewise, observed its nest, which did not seem to annoy the birds. The beautiful baltimore and many {478} other interesting birds were likewise frequent. At three o'clock the boat's bell summoned the scattered party to return. Two large New Orleans steam-boats, the Mediterranean and the Chester, now arrived. The former, which is the largest on the Mississippi, and about the size of a frigate, only much higher, came along side our vessel.[125] It had several cholera patients on board, and two persons had died of that disorder during the voyage. It was by no means pleasant to us to be obliged to receive passengers from this boat; nevertheless we took a good number of them on board higher up the river, at Smithland, whither this large boat was able to accompany us. In the evening we arrived at the village of Paduca, where we passed the night; and at noon the following day (the 5th of June) reached Smithland at the mouth of Cumberland River, where we stopped no longer than was necessary to receive the passengers from the Mediterranean; after which we proceeded on our voyage, in calm, hot weather, up the Ohio, which appeared in all its beauty, passed Cave-in-Rock,[126] continued our voyage during the night, and early in the morning of the 6th of June reached Mount Vernon, where we quitted the steamer. We then procured a carriage (dearborn), and pursued our journey to Harmony by land.[127]
This road, which I have already described, was extremely pleasant, on account of the luxuriant foliage of the lofty forest, though the trees, especially the beeches, had in many places suffered from the frost. The finest tulip, storax, and sassafras, with many other kinds, spread a cool shade, while innumerable butterflies afforded us much entertainment. The ajax, the blue and black philenor, the yellow and black turnus, &c., were countless. Our driver frequently alighted from his seat to shoot with his rifle some grey squirrels, which are here very common, for dinner. About noon we had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Say and our other friends at Harmony, in good health. I here became acquainted with Mr. Robert Dale Owen,[128] a very well informed man, and derived much instruction and gratification from my conversation with Messrs. Say, Lesueur, Owen, Macklure, Twigg, &c., by whom we were most kindly received.
On the 9th of June, after taking leave of our friends, I left New Harmony, with Mr. Lesueur, to continue our journey by way of Vincennes, to which place Mr. Twigg accompanied us on horseback.[129]
The whole country through which we passed, except near Vincennes, close to the Wabash, is an uninterrupted forest, in which the dwellings of the settlers or backwoodsmen lie scattered on both sides of the wood. They are, as I have already described them, for the chief part, block-houses, &c. and only here and there is a brick building to be seen. The fields are everywhere surrounded with fences. The country soon becomes hilly, and the soil in the vicinity of the Wabash is very fertile. The heat and dust were excessively annoying in this dry season; however, fresh, cool water was everywhere to be found, each dwelling-house being usually supplied with a well. A stranger is much struck with the dress of the women, living in small, wretched cottages, where he not unfrequently sees, if not a lady in fashionable {479} attire, yet in a style of dress which, in Europe, he would neither look for nor see in habitations far superior. In these little cages there are immense four-post bedsteads, which occupy nearly the whole of the small chamber, which, like the cobbler's stall, "serves for bedroom, parlour, kitchen, and all." The door and windows of these hovels are generally open. Though the weather was particularly dry this spring, the corn looked very well; the soil of the forest is everywhere a very rich black mould, except in one place, where, for a couple of miles, sand suddenly appears. Mr. Lesueur, who has often visited and examined this part of the country, directed my attention to the entire change of vegetation. Instead of the many kinds of lofty trees in the forests of Indiana, we find, in this sandy tract, the low, black oak, which is not above thirty or forty feet high; as soon as that is passed the tall trees again appear. Here the fallen trunks give a wild and romantic appearance to the forest, where great numbers of cattle and swine were feeding. We here saw a place where the inhabitants of the neighbourhood assemble for religious exercises, which are called camp meetings. These singular assemblies have been described by many travellers, and Mrs. Trollope does not appear to have exaggerated in her account of them.[130] We observed vestiges of huts, fireplaces, and the eminences fenced round, which serve as pulpits, from which their spiritual teachers preach. We stopped, at noon, at a small village in the wood, consisting of only five or six houses, which is called Owensville.[131] Close to the cottage where we dined was a large clover field, in which innumerable butterflies, especially ajax and philenor, were fluttering. Volney observes, that he travelled through the extensive forest, from Louisville to Vincennes, in the month of July, without seeing a single settlement, or hearing the song of a bird.[132] The first part of this sentence is no longer applicable; but I can confirm the latter, for which many authorities might be quoted.
Before evening we reached Prince Town, which is built with a large square in the centre.[133] We passed the night in a good inn, where, as is common in this country, a sort of punca was suspended over the table in the dining-room; this was drawn backwards and forwards by a negro, and served at once to cool the air, and to chase away the swarms of troublesome flies. On the following day we passed through lofty and more thickly-wooded forests than yesterday, consisting in many places of old beeches which had suffered much from the frost: indeed, both the fruit and mast were destroyed completely by the frost in this part of the country. The catalpa was in full blossom, but, though the ground was covered with a luxuriant growth of plants, none of them were yet in flower. We saw numbers of the grey squirrel, which was served up to us in the inn as a delicacy. Beautifully romantic little valleys intersect the tall and gloomy forest, where we now and then met some farmers, whose wives were all on horseback, smoking their pipes. After taking some dinner at an isolated saw-mill in the wood, we reached, three miles further off, the White River, in a fertile valley, where the heat was very oppressive, because the {480} forest completely impeded any circulation of air. The wild vine flourishes here in great luxuriance, the soil being very rich.
The White River is a fine stream, rather narrower at this place than the Wabash, and there is a ferry to cross over to the other side.[134] There the face of the country is considerably changed, for, the soil being sandy, the vegetation of the sand and prairies of St. Louis again recurs. It is worthy of remark, that all the plants in the sandy soil were now in flower, whereas in the rich black mould of the forest none were yet in blossom.
When the rather hilly country on the White River was passed, it became flatter, and we at length issued from the forest into the verdant plain of the Wabash, in which Vincennes is situated, at the distance of twelve miles from the White River. As we approached Vincennes, we observed, on the right hand, a hill covered with oak bushes, called Warrior's Hill, from which the Americans observed the enemy when they took this place from the English.[135]
Vincennes is one of the most ancient settlements of the French, founded in 1736. There was formerly a fort here, belonging to the series of posts by which a communication was kept up in this wilderness. It was subsequently called Old Post, and is said to have received its present name from a Captain Vincennes, who possessed the confidence of the Indians, and to whom they presented a piece of land.[136] It is now a mean-looking, scattered place, consisting of several unpaved streets, on the bank of the Wabash. Many old buildings are still to be seen, remaining from the time in which so many French settlements were founded in the west. Most of the houses built at that time are small, and have only one story; which is likewise the case at Vincennes, but the Americans have, however, erected many new brick buildings. The court-house, standing at the verge of the prairie, is, as usual, a square edifice, covered with white plaster. The descendants of the French, of whom there are many families, do not belong to the better class of the inhabitants, but are low, ignorant, and superstitious. The place is, however, thriving, and promises to possess, in time, a considerable trade. Many Americans have settled in it, and some of them have well furnished shops: but a bookseller who set up a shop there met with no encouragement whatever, and was obliged to leave.
In front of the house of the former governor, which stands in a pleasant open spot near the river, are some ancient shady trees, and a garden, containing many rare and beautiful plants, is attached to it; formerly it was kept in good order, but it is now sadly neglected and suffered to run to ruin.[137]
We put up, in Vincennes, at Clarke's Hotel, where the stages start from; and I intended to proceed on my journey the following day, but the landlord and postmaster declared, rather laconically, that I must wait for the next opportunity, because our baggage was too heavy. This caused a delay of two days, which I endeavoured, in Mr. Lesueur's company, to turn to the best {481} account. Mr. Badolet, of Geneva, who has long resided at this place, and is thoroughly acquainted with the country, was unfortunately indisposed.[138] He takes much interest in the promotion of knowledge, and through his instrumentality a library has been formed, which, though still in its infancy, consists of about 1500 volumes. New books are added every year, and there are already some valuable works. Mr. Badolet likewise purchased the well preserved lower jaw of a mastodon, which was found in the White River. Mr. Lesueur made a drawing of this jawbone, which is deposited in the library. Another interesting character lives here, but forgotten, neglected, and in great poverty—I mean Colonel Vigo, who rendered important services to the Americans at the capture of Vincennes. They, indeed, gave him the rank of colonel, but suffer him to starve.[139]
In our excursions in the vicinity of this place we found many interesting plants. Mr. Bodmer took a view of Vincennes from the top of Warrior's Hill; while Mr. Lesueur visited the Indian barrows, of which there are several in the plain, and which the French settlers call mamelon.[140] One of these hills was examined on a former occasion, and an excavation made through a wolf's den on one side of it, but nothing was taken from it but white clay; without doubt the examination must have been superficial.
On the 13th of June we parted from our friend, Mr. Lesueur, and left Vincennes by the stage. We first passed through a tract of alternate meadows and thickets, and then, for a couple of miles, through the unbroken forests which characterize Indiana. After proceeding thirteen miles we came to a solitary post-house in the wood, where breakfast was ready, and of which we partook while they were changing horses. We then crossed in a ferry, an arm of White River, which runs between picturesque wooded banks. The roads were bad; decayed trunks of trees were constantly in the way; the ground broken and uneven; and our stage, drawn by four very spirited horses, sustained many a violent jolt. We came to Washington and Mount Pleasant,[141] where the farmers were cultivating their fields, in which isolated trees were frequently seen, but which afforded no shade from the sultry sun, for they were all destroyed by the fire. They are cut down, from time to time, when the people are in want of timber; and, as a sign that they are to be felled in the next winter, a circular ring is hewn into the bark. It is said to be very difficult to cultivate the land in Indiana, on account of the extremely vigorous vegetation. Except in the vicinity of the Wabash and the White River, it is, however, not so fertile as in Illinois, where, in the environs of Springfield, for instance, it is scarcely necessary to do more than hoe the ground, in order to obtain the finest crops. An acre of land there yields from sixty to eighty bushels of maize, and fifty bushels of wheat. The effects of the frost were everywhere visible on the trees: it had caused much damage, and killed all the fruit for this year. The fruits of the field were about as forward as they would be on the Rhine at this season. In the plantations there were great numbers of oxen, horses, sheep, and swine, the former of which were particularly large and handsome. At Mount Pleasant we {482} found in the inn a good many books lying about; among them were some geographical works. From this place we descended an eminence to the bank of the second arm of the White River, which flows through fine forests. The water was transparent, and the banks steep. Being set over with a ferry, we came to a tall, gloomy forest, consisting almost wholly of large beech trees, which afforded a most refreshing shade. The forest continued without intermission, but the beeches were soon succeeded by other species of trees indigenous to this country. We passed the most elevated part of the road through the picturesque forest scenes, where the lofty crowns of the trees shut out the sky from our view. They were the most splendid forests I had yet seen in North America. In the evening we stopped, twenty-three miles from Mount Pleasant, at a capital inn, called Horsit, surrounded with farm buildings in good condition. We were quite astonished at meeting, in this lone, wild, sequestered spot, with such a respectable house and table; everything was particularly neat and comfortable. Early on the morning of the 14th we set out again. About six miles further on, is the little town of Paoli, in a calcareous spot, where pieces of limestone everywhere stand out. We then proceeded by the side of Litcreek, some miles from whence the stage stopped, and the passengers breakfasted at the house of Chambers, a Quaker.[142] We were told that this part of the country is very salubrious, and the air extremely pure, but it takes strangers some time to get accustomed to the water, which is impregnated with lime. We saw numbers of horses in the forest, but the breed is not so good in Indiana as in other states. At Greenville, a small village, was a large concourse of the neighbouring farmers, whose horses and vehicles were tied to the fences. They had come to take part in the election of some magistrate. The heat was excessive, and the dust very troublesome. Several parties of farmers were in the public-houses, where a rude, noisy crowd were drinking whisky and playing at various games. We soon reached the summit of the calcareous chain of hills, which we had ascended gradually and imperceptibly, and approached the southern declivity, where an extensive and magnificent prospect opened before us. The wide valley, or, rather, the vast plain of the Ohio, suddenly unfolds itself to the eye of the astonished traveller. As far as the eye can reach, a dense, uninterrupted forest covers the country, and the beauteous river, like a streak of silver, meanders through the landscape. In the distance lie the red masses of the houses of the towns of Louisville and New Albany, which extend on both sides of the Ohio. We soon passed the slope of the chain, and drove rapidly through a highly cultivated country to New Albany, on the banks of the river.[143]
I did not stop at New Albany, where there had lately been several cases of cholera, but proceeded to Louisville, where we soon arrived, and embarked the same evening, on board the Paul Jones steamer. In this town, too, there had been some cases of cholera, but the people did not seem to be afraid of that disorder. After proceeding about thirty miles up the Ohio, some accident happened to our engine, and we were obliged to lay-to. On the following day, the 15th, the {483} forests of the Ohio appeared in the luxuriant verdure of the varied foliage of their lofty trees, among which the colossal planes were especially conspicuous. Near Kentucky River our engine again broke; it was, however, repaired, during the night, at Vevay.[144]
On the 16th we reached Rising Sun, saw Petersburg and Aurora, where the United States mail steam-boat, the Franklin, passed rapidly by us, then came to Lawrenceburg, and arrived about noon at Cincinnati.[145]
Cincinnati is a considerable town, and carries on an extensive trade, and is frequented by numerous steam-boats, of which a considerable number were now lying on the banks of the Ohio. Many travellers have already described everything worthy of notice in this town, and I will, therefore, only mention some establishments connected with natural history, which we were now able to visit at our leisure, as we were no longer apprehensive of the cholera. The Western Museum, belonging to Mr. Dorfeuille, which Mrs. Trollope has described, is the only one worthy of notice. I observed several interesting articles, though all American establishments of this kind are calculated, not for the advantage of science, but for pecuniary gain. This museum is lighted up every evening at eight o'clock, and an indifferent concert is performed, chiefly by Germans. In one of the rooms was a small fountain, round which the visitors sat upon benches, gazing at it with astonishment. The owner has a taste for the sciences, and would pay greater attention to them, if he met with more encouragement to do so; but his museum did not attract many visitors till he introduced, in the upper rooms, an absurd representation of hell. Grottoes, in which a number of frightful skeletons are moving about, and among whom the devil acts a principal part; these, and other hideous scenes, attract the vulgar multitude, and bring considerable profit. Mr. Dorfeuille has, however, several interesting specimens, such as petrifactions, fossil impressions, Indian antiquities, Mexican curiosities, and some fragments of parchment with hieroglyphics painted on them; the best of which, however, was at this time in the hands of Mr. Bullock, an Englishman, who resides some miles from hence, and which I therefore did not see.[146]
On examining the booksellers' shops, I found only some elegantly bound works on the belles lettres, a few on the statistics of different countries, but none relating to natural history, nor any portraits or history of the too much neglected Indian nations. I there formed several valuable acquaintances, among others, Dr. Daniel Drake, who is well known as an author, and whose work, "The Picture of Cincinnati," and other essays, prove that he has not neglected the study of nature.[147] I met with many old acquaintances, among others, Mr. Richard Owen, of New Harmony;[148] and in all my excursions saw great numbers of Germans, of whom it is estimated that 10,000 reside here. German is everywhere spoken. German peasants arrived continually, and traversed the streets, but most of them are of the lowest and most uneducated class, and are not calculated to give the Americans a favourable impression of our nation.
Instead of going immediately into the country, and hiring themselves to the farmers, in order to learn the nature of the agriculture {484} of this country, they loiter about the town, where they fall into the hands of abandoned countrymen of their own, squander the little property they have brought with them, and are then despised by the inhabitants. At present, however, there are many respectable and intelligent Germans here, who have already contributed to give the Americans a more favourable opinion of our people. Some of these estimable men have conceived the laudable plan of establishing a society for the protection and settlement of their countrymen, which will certainly prove highly useful.
On the 19th of June I left this town on board the United States mail-boat, Guyandotte, and proceeded up the Ohio. The Lady Scott steamer set out at the same time with us, but our steamer soon left her far behind. As slavery is abolished in the state of Ohio, the crew of our vessel were nearly all white men. There are three such mail-boats, which have to forward the despatches of the government, but they perform this office only occasionally, because they receive only five dollars each time. The most rapid vessels are chosen for this service; they have the words, "United States Mail," painted on their paddle-box.
About noon, on the 20th of June, we lay-to at Portsmouth,[149] above the mouth of the Sciotto River, and I landed at this place, intending to proceed on the Ohio Canal.