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.