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.