In ascending from Bellefontain to Charboniere, where we came to an anchor, on the evening of the 24th, we were opposed by a very strong current, and much impeded by sand-bars. On the upper ends of these sand-bars are many large rafts of drift wood; these are also frequent along the right hand shore. In several places we observed portions of the bank in the act of falling or sliding into the river. By this operation, numerous trees, commonly cotton-woods and willows, are overturned into the water.
The forests, on the low grounds immediately in the vicinity of the Missouri, are remarkably dense; but in many instances, the young willows and poplars (which are the first and almost the only trees that spring up on the lands left naked by the river) have not attained half their ordinary dimensions, before, by another change in the direction of the current, they are undermined, and precipitated down, to be borne away by the river. The growth of the cotton-tree is very rapid, that of the salix angustata, the most common of the willows found here, is more tardy, as it never attains to great size. The seeds of both these trees are produced in the greatest profusion, and ripened early in the summer, and being furnished by nature with an apparatus to ensure their wide dissemination, they have extended themselves and taken root in the fertile lands along all the ramifications of the Mississippi, prevailing almost to the exclusion of other trees.
{64} Charboniere[091] is on the right bank of the Missouri.[pg126] This name was given it by the boatmen and the earliest settlers, on account of several narrow beds of coal, which appear a few feet from the water's edge, at the base of a high cliff of soft sandstone. The smell of sulphur is very perceptible along the bank of the river, occasioned doubtless by the decomposition of pyrites, in the exposed parts of the coal beds. Some small masses of sulphate of lime also occur, and have probably derived their origin from the same source.
At St. Charles we were joined by Maj. O'Fallon, agent for Indian affairs in Missouri, and his interpreter, Mr. John Dougherty, who had travelled by land from St. Louis.[092] When Lewis and Clark ascended the Missouri, the town of St. Charles was said to contain one hundred houses, the inhabitants deriving their support principally from the Indian trade. This source having in a great measure failed, on account of the disappearance of the aborigines, before the rapid advances of the white population, the town remained in a somewhat declining condition for several years; but as the surrounding country was soon occupied by an agricultural population, a more permanent though less lucrative exchange is taking the place of the Indian trade. Accordingly within two or three years, many substantial brick buildings had been added, and several were now in progress: we could enumerate, however,[pg127] only about one hundred houses. There are two brick kilns, a tanyard, and several stores.[093]
A mile or two below St. Charles, are many trunks of trees projecting from the bank, like those mentioned at Bellefontain. In the face of the banks are usually great numbers of the holes made by the bank-swallow for its nest, and the birds themselves are frequently seen.
At St. Charles, arrangements were made for the purpose of transporting baggage for such of the gentlemen {65} of the party as should choose to ascend the Missouri by land, that they might have the better opportunities for investigating the natural history of the country. Messrs. Say, Jessup, Peale, and Seymour, having provided themselves with a horse and pack-saddle, on which they fastened their blankets, a tent, and some provisions, accompanied by one man, left St. Charles at 7 o'clock on the morning of the 26th, intending to keep nearly an equal pace with the steam-boat, in order to rejoin it as occasion might require. Dr. Baldwin, still confined by debility and lameness, was compelled to forego the pleasure of accompanying them.
The Western Engineer proceeded on her voyage, soon after the departure of Mr. Say and his detachment. Having grounded several times in the course of the day, and contending all the way against a heavy current, she proceeded but a few miles. We passed some rocky cliffs; but in general the immediate banks of the river presented the same appearance as below, consisting of a recent alluvium. After we had anchored at evening, Dr. Baldwin[pg128] was able to walk a short distance on shore, but returned much fatigued by his exertions.[094]
On the morning of the 27th, after having taken in a small supply of indifferent fuel, we crossed over to the right-hand side of the river, and took on board one of the party, who had left the boat at an early hour, to visit a friend residing a short distance from the river. At evening we came to anchor half a mile below Point Labidee,[095] a high bluff, where observations for latitude were taken. Here we were detained a day making some necessary repairs.
A fine field of wheat, which appeared to be ripe, extended down to the brink of the river opposite the spot where we lay. This belonged to the plantation of a farmer, recently from Virginia. From him we obtained a plentiful supply of milk, and some bacon hams. A portion of the bank had lately fallen into {66} the river, and with it a part of the wheat field, and the dwelling house and other buildings seemed destined soon to follow.
The shore here was lined with the common elder, (sambucus canadensis) in full bloom, and the cleared fields[pg129] were yellow with the flowers of the common mullein. This plant, supposed to have been originally introduced from Europe, follows closely the footsteps of the whites. The liatris pycnostachia, here called "pine of the prairies," which was now in full bloom, has a roundish tuberous root, of a warm somewhat balsamic taste, and is used by the Indians and others for the cure of gonnorrhœa.