CHAPTER IX

JOURNEY FROM NEW HARMONY TO ST. LOUIS ON THE MISSISSIPPI, AND OUR STAY

THERE, FROM MARCH 16TH TO APRIL 9TH, 1833

Mount Vernon--Mouth of the Wabash--Shawneetown--Battery

Rock--Cave-in-Rock--Cumberland River--Tenessee River--Mouth of

the Ohio--Cape Girardeau--Grand Tower--St. Genevieve--Merrimack

River--Vide Poche--Kahokia--St. Louis--Sac and Fox

Indians--Meeting of the Black Hawk with his Countrymen at

Jefferson Barracks--The American Fur Company--Preparations for

the Journey up the Missouri.

After taking leave of our friends at Harmony, who, during a residence

of four months, had given us unvarying proofs of kindness and

hospitality, we set out on horseback early in the morning of the 16th

of March, leaving our baggage to be conveyed by the Ohio. The day was

fine, and, rejoicing in the warm spring sun, we reached the hills that

bounded the valley of the Wabash. We were immediately surrounded by

lofty forests, and cast a farewell look on the cheerful country which

had so long sheltered us. Perched on the top of the maple, oak, and

tulip tree, the robin poured forth his morning song. The turtle-dove

was cooing with her sweet low moan, and the shrill voice and hammering

of the woodpeckers resounded on every side. In Europe the soft note of

the turtle is not heard till spring is more advanced, and the trees

are clothed with verdure. Many trees were covered with buds; those of

the dog-wood were particularly forward, the beautiful white flowers of

which appear before the leaves; this is the case with many of the

trees of this country. We passed Rush Creek, on the eminences near

which grow many sugar-maple trees, the juice of which was tapped, and

had in some of them already ceased to flow. At the lower part of all

the trunks, we found small tubes of elder inserted, from which the

insipid sweetish juice ran into the troughs placed below them. It is

said to flow in great abundance, when hot spring days are succeeded by

cold frosty nights. We soon reached what is called a sugar camp in the

forest; it is a hut, in the floor of which four kettles are fixed for

boiling the juice. This [pg. 94] hut contains likewise large troughs, in

which the juice from the smaller, placed at the trees, is collected.

Such a hut, with the maples growing around it, is called a sugar camp,

and the quantity of sugar produced depends on the number of maples in

the vicinity. Many camps furnish in one spring 300, 500, or even 1000

lbs. of sugar, which is crystallized in loaves. It is brown, but very

sweet, and has no disagreeable flavour. We refreshed ourselves with

the juice in the small troughs, which our horses drank greedily.

The people in the isolated dwellings in the forest were partly engaged

in burning the timber. Many of the small wooden houses of these

peasants were without windows; glass windows are quite a luxury, and

the only light enjoyed in the daytime is admitted by the open door. We

saw in all these dwellings, very wide, large beds. We crossed the Big

Creek, a considerable stream, with rising banks, by a wooden bridge;

here we saw many piles of oak bark, which is sold to the tanneries. At

noon, the weather being excessively hot, we reached Mount Vernon, on

the Ohio.

In this little scattered place, with about 600 inhabitants, among whom

there are five medical men, about one third of the buildings are of

brick; the town-hall stands in an open square. The Ohio, which we

immediately visited, had now a much more striking appearance than at

our first visit in the autumn. It is considerably broader than the

Rhine, and it is said that it often rises thirty feet higher--up to

the very thresholds of the buildings standing on the bank. The view

both up and down the river was beautiful. The immediate environs of

Mount Vernon consist of damp marshy forests; hence the water is very

bad, and the inhabitants prefer even that of the Ohio. The temperature

at noon was now very warm; 14 deg. Reaumur.

We were obliged to wait a couple of days in this little town for a

steam-boat, to go down the river. The rushing noise of the steamers

often called us to the river, but they were mostly going up, and

disappeared at Diamond Island. At last, on the 18th of March, about

ten in the morning, two steam-boats appeared, of which the largest,

the Napoleon, did not stop; while the smaller one, the Conveyance,

took us in.[105] We proceeded rapidly, reached before noon Wabash

Island, near the mouth of that river, and after dinner landed at

Shawneetown.

Shawneetown or Shawaneetown is a hamlet lying along the banks of the

river, and containing from 600 to 700 inhabitants. The best buildings

are some inns, shops, and the post-office. The tribe of the Shawnee

Indians formerly dwelt in this country, and were succeeded by some

Delawares, who have been long since expelled or extirpated.

Arrow-heads of flint, as well as the bones, &c., of these people, are

frequently found in the neighbourhood. The Shawnees were said to have

previously dwelt on the Savaney River, on the coast of Florida, and

afterwards lived for about sixty-five years in the state of Ohio. They

consisted, according to Dr. Morse, of four tribes:--1. The Piqua; 2.

The Maguachake; 3. The Kiskopokoke, to which the celebrated prophet,

Elsquataway, and his distinguished brother, Tecumseh, belonged. They

were very warlike. In [pg. 95] 1806 they settled near Greenville, in the

State of Ohio, and their subsequent history is well known. They

afterwards went to the country about Tippecanoe. 4. The Chillicothes,

who live in the vicinity of the town of that name; these, and further

accounts of these people, are to be found in Dr. Morse, and other

writers.[106]

Twelve miles inland from Shawneetown are the celebrated salt works on

Saline River,[107] near Equality; much salt is annually manufactured

there, and sent to Shawneetown, on the Ohio, where it is embarked.

Here, as at Mount Vernon, the environs of the place consist of damp

forests, with many marshes, from which noxious exhalations arise. The

weather was chilly, windy, and rainy, especially towards evening, so

that a fire was very welcome. Coals are found about seven miles from

the town, and seem to be of a good kind. There were many negroes in

Shawneetown; whereas, in Harmony and Mount Vernon, there were only two

or three families of that race.

On the morning of the 19th, the weather being warm, and the sky

clouded, we embarked in the Paragon steamboat.[108] The fine broad

river shone brightly; on the banks the summits of the forest formed an

even line parallel to the shore, as even as if they had been cut, the

snow-white stems of the planes glistening among the sombre mass. The

kingfisher, the wild duck, and red-breasted goose, were numerous in

the wild, romantic willow islands. The banks of the Ohio now began to

be higher; the rocks are of limestone, which forms, in many parts of

the forests, romantic masses of rock, partly yellow, partly of a grey

colour. The river was at this time nearly of the same colour as the

Rhine, when clear. After passing the mouth of the Saline River, we

reached, on the right, or Illinois bank, the long flat bank of rocks

known by the name of Battery Rock.[109] This wall of rock, at the

lower part of the bank, is marked with horizontal strata, or stripes,

from sixty to eighty feet high, covered with whitish or bluish green

and bright green lichens and mosses, rent by several ravines, and

crowned with woods, and a small house or cottage on the very summit.

From this place we saw, on the rocky banks, some red cedars here and

there, from twenty to thirty feet in height. I observe, for the

botanist, that this tree is not found except where the bank consists

of rocks. After passing Cave-in-Rock Island, a long, wooded island, we

glided past Cave-in-Rock,[110] a cavern which traverses from side to

side a steep rock in Illinois, and has been drawn by Lesueur. The

rocky wall, in which this well-known opening is situated, is marked

with regular, narrow, yellowish grey or reddish strata of limestone,

and is crowned with cedars and other trees. It is twenty-five miles

below Shawneetown. Calcareous petrifactions, or rather impressions,

are very numerous. Above the larger mouth of the cavern, towards the

Ohio, is a smaller chamber, which is said to have formerly been the

retreat of banditti and coiners. The rock is hard limestone, with sea

shells and animal remains scattered in it, but no fossil bones have

ever been found there.

Towards noon we reached Golconda Island, twenty and a half miles from

Cave-in-Rock, [pg. 96] and then Golconda in Illinois, a small town, with

a few white buildings, in which they were erecting a court-house, and

which is the seat of the tribunals of Pope County. Near Sister Islands

we met the Brunswick steamer, which had in tow two large flat boats,

full of horses, which were being conveyed from Mount Vernon to New

Orleans. The owners of the horses have to pay above 500 dollars for

the voyage. Opposite Cumberland Island is the mouth of the Cumberland

River, which comes from Kentucky, and falls into the Ohio, at an acute

angle. This river is not so large as the Wabash. A small village,

called Smithland, is built at the mouth, which reminded me of a little

Brazilian villa, the houses, mostly one story high, lying in a row by

the water-side.[111]

At this place the Paragon took in wood and provisions. Not far from

Smithland is the mouth of the Tenessee River, which is said to be more

considerable than the Cumberland, and to have a course of 1,200 miles.

The little village, Paduca, on the left bank of the Ohio, appeared to

have much traffic, and a number of new shops had been built. The

Western Pilot of the year 1829 does not mention this place--a proof of

its recent origin. From hence we came to the spot where Fort Massac

formerly stood, stones of which are still found.[112] We lay to some

hundred paces below to take in wood, of which our vessel consumed

twelve cords daily. The grass on the banks was already of a bright

green colour, and a race of large long-legged sheep were grazing on

it. We lay to for the night.

Early in the morning of the 20th of March we approached the mouth of

the Ohio, where it falls into the Mississippi, 959 miles from

Pittsburg, and 129-3/4 miles from St. Louis. The tongue of land on the

right, which separates the two rivers, was, like the whole of the

country, covered with rich woods, which were partly cleared, and a few

houses erected, with an inn and store, and the dwelling of a planter,

where we took in wood. In this store we saw, among heaps of skins,

that of a black bear, lately killed, of which one of the three cubs, a

very comical little beast, had been kept alive. This young bear had on

his breast a semicircle of white hair. The settlement, at which we now

were, has no other name than Mouth of the Ohio.[113] We now entered

the Mississippi, and ascended it, keeping to the left or eastern bank.

This river is not broader here than the Ohio, and the water of both

was of the same colour; the bank was steep, covered with broken stems

of trees, and crowned on the summit with high slender poplars. The

lower banks were clothed with lofty trees, and at their feet strips

of poplar and willows bending over the water. On the right hand, in

particular, were romantic forest scenes; a wilderness of fallen trees,

which the floods and storms had thrown and piled upon each other, like

an _abatis_. Parasite plants wound round the trees, and matted them

together; while, further on, rose the picturesque terraces of the

wood-covered bank. There being many snags (trunks lying in the water)

in the river, we could only proceed by daylight. The islands, covered

with high poplars, were generally bordered with thickets of willow,

which had now no appearance whatever of green, but looked of a bright

yellowish red, from the colour of their branches. Gleams of sunshine

[pg. 97] sometimes cast over these willow thickets a fine red glow, and

gave them a very original appearance. Large quantities of drifted wood

were frequently seen on the points of the islands towards the current.

The water being very low, we were obliged to take soundings, and yet

our vessel proceeded five or eight hours against the stream. The

O'Connell steam-boat had run aground in this place, and its people

were employed in landing the cargo, consisting chiefly of lead.[114]

In many places on the bank, slender poplars form thick groves, whose

tall stems spread into branches at the summit. They are all of an

equal height, and are one of the characteristic features in the

landscape scenery of the Mississippi and Missouri. At twelve at noon,

Reaumur's thermometer was at +14-1/2 deg., with a high wind, which blew

the sand of the sand banks into the air. We lay to, to take in fuel,

which cost three dollars for two cords. Here was a high, steep, sandy

bank, and a small, very wretched planter's log-house, exposed on all

parts to the wind, the sides of which consisted only of boards set

upright. A couple of bad beds took up almost the whole of the

interior. The woman, with her pipe in her mouth, was occupied at the

miserable fire-place; the man was just returned, with a boy, from the

forest; the two other children looked unhealthy, weak and pale; one of

these girls was employed in planting onions in a small patch of

newly-prepared ground. A couple of oxen, five or six young hogs, and

some Muscovy ducks, were feeding about the cottage. Immediately

behind, and close to it, commenced the magnificent, dense, and lofty

forest, which we resolved at once to explore, and there very sensibly

felt the heat of the spring, because the wind could not penetrate. The

underwood of the forest consisted of the spicewood (_Laurus benzoin_),

which grows to the height of ten and fifteen feet; its bark is highly

aromatic, and it was covered with small yellow blossoms, which appear

before the leaves, and resemble those of our cornelian cherry. The

abundance of these flowers gives to the underwood a lively tint, which

strikes the eye at a distance. Large, lofty trees, overgrown with

climbing plants, formed the forest on the Mississippi, and the ground

was covered with a delicate yellow flowering plant (_Corydalis flava,

N._) In the front of the cottage, which was close to the bank, stood a

tree, about which a beautiful _Bignonia radicans_ entwined; and the

turkey buzzards hovered high in the air above the forest.

As we proceeded on our voyage, the wind was so high, and it raised the

waves and the sand so excessively, that we sought the protection of

the opposite bank. We passed many islands, several of which give a

great insight into the formation of the banks of the Mississippi. One

of them, especially, showed, at a certain place, a bank which had sunk

down, where we perceived layers of large trunks of trees, heaped one

upon another, the tops of which were visible. On such foundations the

river throws its sand, willows and poplars grow up, by the leaves of

which good earth is formed, and, in the end, lofty forests of hard

wood arise. Though the Paragon drew only five feet of water, we were

often aground; the wind laid the vessel a little on the side, the crew

shoved with poles, sounded, stopped the engine, then made the vessel

go backwards [pg. 98] and then sidewards, and so got afloat again.

Little villages were seldom seen on this part of the banks of the

Mississippi; however, we came to the village of Commerce,[115] on a

rocky hill, and it is here that rows of hills of a very interesting

appearance commence on the left or Missouri bank. Fragments of rock

lie about, and the cedar (_Juniperus Virginiana_) immediately appears

again. The forest seems to decrease in height in these calcareous

rocks, especially the planes, which are more colossal in Indiana; and

on the eminences in the forests, isolated groups of rocks are often

seen, frequently of singular forms, like pulpits. Night setting in, we

retired to our cabin to avoid the cold evening air, and lay to under

cover of the bank. At this spot there was a single planter's dwelling

upon the steep bank, which was fifty or sixty feet high. A large fire

was kindled at the top, which brilliantly illuminated the high trunks

of the forest, and warmed our crew by its intense heat. In the cleanly

cottage of the peasant, which was well closed on all sides, we

conversed with his wife, who told us that their house had been burnt

down a short time before, and rebuilt; she said also that wild animals

abound in this part of the country; stags especially are numerous, but

bears are rarely met with.

On the 21st of March we reached Cape Girardeau, an ancient French

settlement, now a large scattered village, which, as we were told, had

of late much improved. Beds of limestone appeared on the bank, and

heaps of it were piled up; it contains many shells. After passing

Devil's Island, we found in the river a sunk steam-boat, which was now

quite broken up; many of these vessels passed us. The spicewood was

everywhere in flower in the forests on the bank, and it is said that

its appearance indicates a fine soil. The pretty narrow-leaved willow,

on the contrary, was still covered with its last year's dry leaves. We

passed by the villages of Bainbridge and Harrisburg, and then came to

that part of the river which is called Hanging-Dog-Bend, where the

Mississippi is wide and beautiful. Various strata and ravines are

observed in the wooded calcareous mountains; such a stratified rock,

cleft perpendicularly, has the name of Devil's Tea-table; other rocks

resembled round towers standing close to each other, all crowned with

wood, where the turkey buzzard resorted.[116] The opposite or Illinois

bank has very seldom any such rocks, and it is more cultivated close

to the river. Flocks of ducks, probably _Anas rufitorques_, were

swimming on the water. The calcareous rocks, grey, bright yellow,

bright blue, or yellowish red, were frequently very singularly formed,

especially a little further up, the interesting Grand Tower, an

isolated, cylindrical rock, from sixty to eighty feet in height, which

we reached when it was splendidly illumined by the setting sun.[117]

To the right, on the Illinois bank, opposite the Tower Rock, at the

point or corner of the mountain projecting towards the Mississippi,

three or four very strangely formed rocks are standing, full of

clefts and ravines, the foremost of which is called the Devil's

Bake-oven, and is covered at the summit with pines. The Grand

Tower[118] stands [pg. 99] quite isolated on the left bank; and its

summit is crowned with red cedars. Behind it there is another large

rock, split into several perpendicular divisions, like towers, and the

whole group forms, as it were, a most original portico. Some

habitations were picturesquely situated against these rocks. A little

above that narrow rocky portico of the river, the Obrazo Creek, in the

State of Missouri, appears, where we took in fuel. The ravine of the

stream was covered with fine tall timber, to which the kingfisher

resorted. A couple of cottages were inhabited by negroes, and in front

of them lay a piece of fertile land, where rows of cotton trees were

planted. The high old elms were now in flower by the side of the

stream, and the large red cedars, around the dwellings, were still

partly laden with their black berries. The _Mnium ciliare_ (Grev.;

Bryum) was abundant in this neighbourhood. Above Hat Island, we lay to

for the night on the Missouri bank.

The morning of the 22nd of March was serene; the sight of the rising

sun from the poop of the vessel was truly magnificent; as the flaming

disk of the king of day rose above the woody banks of the Mississippi,

the waves formed by the rapid course of the vessel glowed with the

most resplendent colours; the wild geese and ducks, frightened by our

Paragon, hastened away with rustling wings; the kingfisher was

frequent on the shrubs. Near St. Mary River we ran aground, but were

not long delayed by this accident. The cords of wood for the

steam-boat were lying ready piled up on the bank, stating the price

and the quantity. The village of Chester, in Illinois, where we took

in wood, was quite a new settlement, consisting at present of but a

few houses. Among the limestone and wood on the bank, we shot a

beautiful lizard (_Agama undulata_, Daud.), which is said to attain a

considerable size, especially on the river St. Peter. The buds of the

red oak were very forward. At noon the weather was excessively warm,

and on the river the thermometer was +11-1/2 deg. Reaumur. We saw the

mouth of the Kaskaskia River, on the Illinois bank, six miles up which

Kaskaskia is situated, one of the oldest French settlements on the

Mississippi.[119] The tribe of Kaskaskian Indians dwelt in these

parts, and some remains of them still live near the settlement. We

were told that there was at present only one man among them of the

pure race. A wooded chain of hills runs along the Kaskaskia, in which

large columns of smoke were rising, doubtless occasioned by the woods

being on fire. Numbers of tortoises were basking at noon on the trunks

of trees and stones in the river. They have hard shells, and most of

them are not large; though we often shot at them, we did not succeed

in getting a single one. Wild geese were walking upon the sand-banks;

we fired at them; the first shot did not in the smallest degree

discompose them; at the second, when the ball whizzed close by them,

they flew away, but only to a short distance. At St. Genevieve Island,

the river divides, and we steered to the west of the island. It is

covered with lofty trees; the banks are abruptly broken; large trunks

[pg. 100] of trees were lying in the water. Before us we saw St.

Genevieve,[120] where columns of smoke ascended in the distance; on

the island was a small settlement, with a hut, worse than that of an

Indian, and near, the canoe, turned bottom upwards. The inhabitants

were sunburnt, badly clothed, of a savage aspect, like the Indians. A

tall forest surrounded this characteristic scene. The Mississippi is

here very broad, and is certainly a very noble stream. The prospect up

the river is highly picturesque. Gentle eminences bound the horizon,

and on account of a bend which the river makes to the right, it

appears to come through a narrow opening. St. Genevieve, an old French

settlement, now a large village, with 600 or 800 inhabitants, is about

twenty minutes' walk from the landing-place, and appears to be in a

state of decline; it was founded at the same time as Kaskaskia. The

streets are at right angles, unpaved, and bordered with hedges. The

houses, which are of one story, are separate from each other, and

have, in general, a verandah in front. The church is built of red

brick. French and English are spoken, and there are several German

inhabitants. Caravans go every spring from hence to the interior of

the western prairies, to Sante Fe and the Rocky Mountains; they

consist of many armed men, with their horses and wagons. The

well-known lead mines are further up the country.[121] Limestone

everywhere stands out: the water is very bad, and not fit for

drinking.

On the morning of the 23rd of March, the sun shining very brightly,

strange forms of rock, alternating with high forests, appeared on the

banks of the river; on the left, or western bank especially, the walls

of rock were cleft by rude valleys, from which a small stream

generally issued. Single pines are scattered in the woods; on the

right bank, on the skirts of the forest, is a row of poplars, of

perfectly equal height, but the planes are not so high as those we

have before seen. We passed the place where Fort Chartres formerly

stood.[122] The limestone rocks in these parts assume the most highly

original shapes and formations, about which much might be said if our

limits would permit. They have often natural caverns and excavations,

like the niches cut for the images of saints, which we see in

Europe.[123] Others have regular [pg. 101] projecting ledges and lofty

cones; sometimes they are so rounded as to represent a row of

perpendicular towers, &c. On many of the rocks shot towers have been

erected, the whole country, as is well known, abounding in lead.

[Illustration: Formations of limestone rocks]

We passed by the settlement of Selma, and the village of

Herculaneum;[124] the latter consisting of about thirty houses, the

immediate vicinity of which is remarkable for a perforated limestone

rock. The distance from hence to Genevieve is twenty-one miles, and to

St. Louis, thirty. After passing round the point of Little Rock, which

is about forty feet high--beyond which the small Platteen Creek falls

into the river--we soon reached the mouth of the Merrimack River,

where we saw large flocks of ducks and sea-gulls.[125] About Robert's

Island the country becomes flat and uninteresting. Towards evening we

reached Jefferson barracks, on the left bank, where the 6th

regiment of regular infantry was in garrison, and the flag of the

United States was hoisted. These barracks were interesting at this

time, because the celebrated Indian chief, Black Hawk, was imprisoned

in them. Before night, we passed the French settlement of Vide-Poche,

or Carondelet, founded about 100 years ago, a large scattered village,

the inhabitants of which are reported to be not very industrious. The

neighbouring hills are covered with low oak bushes. We passed the

night nearly opposite Kahokia, and on the morning of the 24th of

March, to our great joy, beheld the town of St. Louis.[126] Its first

appearance is not prepossessing, as it has no high steeples. The mass

of houses, however, unfolds itself as you approach; the environs are

low and monotonous. We landed about nine o'clock in the morning, in a

cold high wind. The people whom we first saw were mostly negroes, or

labourers.

St. Louis is a rapidly increasing town, with 6,000 or 8,000

inhabitants, on the western bank of the Mississippi, about 1,200 miles

from New Orleans, and 1,134 miles from Pittsburg. It is built on a

rather bare, gently rising, and not very elevated part of the banks;

forms two streets parallel to the river, besides many houses lying on

the summit in the prairie, where building seemed to be proceeding

rapidly. On this upper part there are churches and other considerable

buildings, of which the town has many of different kinds; and the

highly favourable situation, in the centre of the trade of the

Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri, will soon make it one of the most

important places in the west. St. Louis was originally founded by the

French; at first there was only a fort, and it was not till 1764 that

the building of the town commenced, which in 1816 contained about

2,000 inhabitants. Persons were still living--for instance, M.

Chouteau--who had the wood felled on the spot where the buildings of

the town now stand.[127] The principal streets are full of handsome

shops; numerous steam-boats come and go, daily, to and from New

Orleans, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Louisville, Prairie du Chien, &c.; and

a very brisk trade employs the motley population of many nations. Most

of the merchants have their warehouses, which are mostly built of

solid stone, on the bank of the Mississippi. The greater part of the

workmen in the port, and all the servants in St. Louis, are negroes,

and their descendants, who, as in the State [pg. 102] of Missouri, are

all slaves. They are very numerous here; and though modern travellers

represent in very favourable colours the situation of this oppressed

race, the negro slaves are no better off here than in other countries.

Everywhere they are a demoralized race, little to be depended upon;

and the manner in which they are treated is generally not so good as

has been represented. We were witnesses of deplorable punishments of

these people. One of our neighbours at St. Louis, for instance,

flogged one of his slaves in the public streets, with untiring arm.

Sometimes he stopped a moment to rest, and then began anew.

St. Louis was the more interesting to us, at this moment, because we

had, here, the first opportunity of becoming acquainted with the

North American Indians in all their originality; for the office for

all the Indian affairs of the west is at St. Louis, under the

direction of General Clarke, celebrated for his journey with Captain

Lewis to the Rocky Mountains and Columbia River, who has the title of

superintendent of Indian affairs.[128] He manages all these matters;

and all strangers who wish to visit the interior of the western

territory are obliged to have a passport from him, and all Indian

agents and sub-agents are under him. It happened that, during our stay

at St. Louis, a deputation came down the Mississippi from two Indian

tribes, the Saukies (Sacs) and the Foxes or Outagamis, to intercede

for the Black Hawk, who was a prisoner in Jefferson barracks.[129] A

Saukie chief, named Kiokuck, was at the head of this numerous

deputation, and he was the very same person who had delivered the

unfortunate Black Hawk into the hands of the Americans.[130] General

Clarke, to whom I was introduced by the kindness of Duke Bernhard of

Saxe Weimar, had very obligingly informed me of the meetings or

councils which he held with the Indians, and we had the pleasure of

being able thoroughly to observe and study these remarkable people.

Quarters were assigned them in a large magazine near the harbour, to

which we immediately repaired. We saw already on the beach a

collection of the populace, and amidst the crowd of curious

spectators, distinguished the strange dark brown figures, enveloped in

red, white, or green blankets. We did not come up to them till they

were in the house, and the first sight of them, which did not a little

surprise me, convinced me at once of their great affinity to the

Brazilians, so that I cannot hesitate to consider them as belonging to

the same race.[131] They are stout, well formed men, many of them

above the middle size, broad shouldered, muscular and brawny. The

features of the men are expressive, and strongly marked; the cheek

bones prominent, the lower jaw broad and angular; the dark brown eyes

animated and fiery, and especially in youth, the inner corner rather

drawn down, but not so much so as in the Brazilians. The outer corner

of the eye is not elevated either in the North or South Americans, at

least I have seen it [pg. 103] in very few instances. The forehead

appears to me not to recede so much in the North Americans as has

been generally assumed, which is also the case with the Brazilians.

Meyen[132] confirms this with respect to the people west of the

Cordilleras. The teeth are strong, firm, and white, and generally

perfectly sound, even at an advanced age. The nose is large and

prominent, often much arched, but not always, a trait which occurs

much more rarely among the Brazilians.[133] The lips are usually

rather thick; the hair straight, smooth, and black, as in all the

Americans. The colour of the skin a darker or lighter brown, often

deeper than in the Brazilians, but, on the whole, perfectly the same.

Some of these Indians resemble the Chinese, which Bossu, too, affirms

of the now extirpated race of the Natchez. The features of others

strongly reminded me of the Botocudos.[134]

It may be observed here, with Von Humboldt and Meyen,[135] that,

notwithstanding a certain general affinity and resemblance of the

race, there are, however, very great diversities among the people of

American descent. Thus, for instance, the large aquiline nose of

several northern nations may be mentioned, which must have been very

remarkable among the ancient tribes of Mexico, as is proved by the old

monuments of that, historically, most interesting country. Though this

similarity appears to indicate an affinity of the Mexicans with more

northern nations, a similar conformation was found here and there in

South America also; as Duperrey[136] represents the Peruvians, and as

Dr. Meyen also states. I am, however, of opinion that the notion of

the last-named learned travellers is untenable, _viz._, that on

account of the different[137] form of their skulls, the Puris and the

Botocudos, who live so near to each other, are distinct races. I have

compared numbers of Mandan skulls with each other, which were all

genuine, and found great diversity in them, especially with respect to

the receding of the forehead and the flattening of the head. In the

same manner the brown colour of the American is of different shades.

Mr. Von Humboldt found the Mexicans darker than many South

Americans;[138] and many of the North American nations which I have

seen, were likewise of a darker complexion than many Brazilians. My

observations with respect to this point coincide so perfectly with the

views of that distinguished traveller, that I might copy the passages

in his works which treat of the Americans, and confirm them by many

additional proofs. Among the Botocudos I met with individuals who were

nearly white; Volney was certainly deceived by Michichinakua (the

little tortoise), who wanted to raise himself to the dignity of a

white man, for the North Americans are not of a lighter colour on

[pg. 104] those parts of their bodies which are clothed, than on those

which are exposed to the air and sun. Pike, and some other

travellers, pretend to have found the Mongol physiognomy among the

North American Indians, especially the Pawnees and the Sioux;[139] but

I can affirm that I met with no such physiognomy, though I saw a few

instances of it in Brazil. Mr. Von Humboldt very justly observes, on

this head, that not merely the bodily conformation, but likewise the

mode of living, of the two races, are entirely different. The great

contrast between the American and Mongol races is immediately

apparent, when we consider that the former have no breed of cattle,

and do not subsist on milk, without which the latter cannot live.[140]

The Tartar features, which are very handsome, did not occur to me in

North America. Warden, in his work on American antiquities,[141] gives

a drawing of a vessel found near the river Cany, which is adorned with

three human heads. These heads have not the Tartar physiognomy, as the

author believes, but precisely that of the North American Indians.

From this digression on the general conformation of the North

Americans, we return to our narrative.

The Saukies and Foxes had shaved their hair off the whole head except

a small tuft behind, the greater part of which was cut short, like a

brush, and which terminated in a thin braid, to which was fastened the

chief ornament of the head, the deer's tail, which is a tuft of hair

from the tail of the Virginian stag, white, with some black hair, the

white part being dyed red with vermilion.[142] It is fastened in an

ingenious manner, with some strings and pegs of wood, to the tuft of

hair at the back of the head; and in the middle of it, concealed

between the hair, is a small piece of carved wood, to which a small

bone box is affixed, into which a large eagle's feather is fastened,

projecting horizontally behind; this feather is often dyed with

vermilion, and is the characteristic distinction of a brave warrior.

He who has become renowned for horse-stealing, which, according to

their notions, is a heroic exploit, fastens to the tip of this feather

the rattle of a rattlesnake. The whole deer's tail, when it is not

worn, is rolled up in the form of a thick ball, fastened with leather

straps, and kept in this manner, that the hair may remain smooth, and

in the proper position. Mr. Bodmer took an admirable likeness of

Watapinat (eagle's nest), a handsome Fox Indian, wearing this

head-dress.[143] The North Americans pluck out their eyebrows, beard,

&c., like the Brazilians, and, at present, employ in this operation a

spiral wire, between the windings of which they take hold of the hair.

These nations adorn their ears in a very original manner; three large

holes, one above the other, are made at the outer rim, in which short

strings of blue and white wampum shells[144] are hung, like tassels.

Some of the men had even cut through [pg. 105] the whole outer rim,

which remained attached only above and below, and was adorned with

strings of wampum and metal rings; similar strings, and pieces of blue

and white shells, are worn in many rows around the neck.

The women are small and thickset; most of them have large round heads,

and broad, flat, round faces. They let their hair grow naturally, part

it on the forehead, and tie it together, at the back of the head, in a

short, thick bunch, which is bound round with red and green ribbon. A

few old men had not shaved their heads; but in winter it is said that

these Indians let their hair grow, to protect them against the cold.

Both sexes had their faces more or less painted red: the Saukies

mostly red, in different designs; the Foxes, red and yellow, or red,

white, and black. The manner of painting depends on the taste of the

individual; nearly all of them had red circles round the eyes and

ears, and red stripes down the cheeks, the rest of the face being left

of the natural colour. They use, for this purpose, vermilion, which

they obtain from the merchants. The Fox Indians had often the whole

head painted red; a yellow or white stripe on the forehead, and the

mouth and chin with the figure of a yellow hand, or else quite black.

A tall, handsome Saukie Indian, called Massica (the tortoise), had a

bold, fierce countenance, and an aquiline nose; his cordiality was

very striking; his brown eyes sparkled, and his white teeth looked

quite dazzling, contrasted with the dark brown face, which had a good

deal of red paint on it. On his forehead he wore a band of otter skin,

which was fastened behind the head, and then fell down in two long

stripes to the ground. He had attached a black and white eagle's

feather to his deer's tail, and was covered with a large red blanket.

Mr. Bodmer has given a very good likeness of this handsome man in

Plate 36, but without his head-dress, in order to show the manner in

which the tuft of hair was cut. Many of these people wore coloured

calico shirts, and all used the Indian leather leggins, which come

down to the shoes, and are ornamented at the ankles with leather

fringes. They are fastened, with leather straps, above the girdle.

They also wear a piece of woollen cloth, generally striped blue and

white, round the waist, which is fastened under the girdle. The

girdle and knee bands were often very elegantly adorned with glass

beads, and in the former is a sheath, similarly ornamented, for a

large, broad, and very sharp knife, which they obtain, by barter, from

the merchants, and employ for various purposes, especially for cutting

up game, and scalping their enemies. The shoes, generally called

mocassins, are made of soft, tanned buckskin, and the upper edge

turned down below the ankle. These people wear them very plain,

without any ornament. Many of them had fastened swan skins, with the

down, or that of polecats, much marked with white, below their knees,

the long hairy tail of which hung down to the ground, or to the ankle.

Most of them had no other covering, on the upper part of the body,

under their blankets; and [pg. 106] many wore brass necklaces and

bracelets. The men, who were between thirty and forty in number, never

appeared without their arms; they carried tomahawks,[145] or else the

common Indian club,[146] which has, at the upper end, a steel plate,

sharp on both edges, and pointed.[147] We did not see any bows and

arrows among these Indians, because they had not come out on a warlike

expedition, but on a festal visit; many of them had a kind of lance,

made of a long sword blade, fastened to a pole, which was covered with

red cloth, and ornamented with many black raven's or eagle's feathers,

hanging down either in a long row, or in long bunches.[148] These

weapons they had always in their hand, and never laid them aside. The

women, like those of Brazil, carried their bundles on their backs,

with a leather strap passing over the forehead; they had their

children with them, some of whom were in very convenient cradles. They

all had very neat bast mats, ornamented with black figures, on which

they slept, and some had, likewise, bear skins. Their travelling

sacks, or bags, in which they had all their effects, were of the same

material.

The chief or leader of the Indians assembled here, was the Saukie

chief, Kiokuck, a slender man, of the middle size, with agreeable

features, not very different from those of an European, though of a

darker colour. He wore a coloured calico shirt, and, on his breast, a

large medal, which he had received from the President of the United

States; and likewise wore a figured handkerchief round his head, and

was wrapped in a green blanket. He carried in his hand a calumet,

ornamented with feathers. His face was not painted, his ears not

disfigured, and it was affirmed that he was not of pure Indian origin.

He wore brass rings round his neck and wrists.

The dwelling-place of these Indians is on the western banks of the

Mississippi, about Rock River and Rock Island, where the agent

appointed for them by the government resides. In 1805 they sold, to

the United States, their territory on the east of the Mississippi;

still claiming a large tract of land, which extends from the upper

Jowa River, along the west bank of the Mississippi, down to the river

Des Moines, and further back to the Missouri.[149] The Fox Indians

call themselves Musquacki, or Mus-quack-ki-uck. They live sociably in

villages, in permanent arched huts, and it is said that they can

muster 1,600 warriors (according to Dr. Morse, however, only

800),[150] and that they number about 5,000 souls. They plant maize,

beans, gourds, &c. The men hunt, and work in their lead mines, which

are very productive, so that, it is said, they have yielded 500,000

lbs. in one season.[151] Their language has not a barbarous sound; it

has some nasals and gutturals; the words are very frequently

pronounced indistinctly, so that [pg. 107] it is often difficult to

write them down; though, on the whole, less so than is the case with

many other nations.

The French and English find much more difficulty than the Germans, in

pronouncing all the Indian languages of North America, with which I

have become acquainted. It was highly interesting to us, to observe so

many of these Indians together. They were by no means grave and still;

on the contrary, they were very cheerful, and often laughed heartily.

If one went up to them familiarly, and spoke to them, many of them had

a very agreeable, friendly expression; others were cold, and appeared,

to us, hostile. Several repeated, with pleasure, the words of their

language, and were very willing to have their portraits drawn, for

which they always required a present. At last they were so annoyed by

the importunity of the motley crowd, that we could have no more

intercourse with them. They sold many of their effects, for which they

received money, which they soon disposed of, but always examined

whether it was genuine or false. There were some grave, dignified men

among them, who carefully observed what was passing around them. Of

these, I especially noticed Watapinat and Massica.

General Clarke invited us to a small assembly, which he was to hold in

his house with the Indians. We accordingly repaired thither. This

meeting took place in the apartments, which are ornamented with a

highly interesting collection of arms and utensils, which the General

had procured on his extensive travels with Captain Lewis.[152] The

rooms contain, likewise, portraits of the most distinguished Indian

chiefs of different nations. General Clarke, with his secretary, was

seated opposite to the Indians, who sat in rows along the walls of the

apartment. We strangers sat at the General's side, and near him stood

the interpreter, a French Canadian. The Indians, about thirty in

number, had done their best to ornament and paint themselves; they all

looked very serious and solemn, and their chief sat at their right

hand. The general first told them, through the interpreter, for what

reason he had assembled them here, on which Kiokuck rose, with the

calumet in his left hand, gesticulating with his right hand, in

harmony with his thoughts; he spoke very loud, in broken sentences,

interrupted by short pauses. His speech was immediately translated and

written down. This conference lasted above half an hour. General

Clarke had introduced us to the Indians, telling them that we had come

far over the ocean to see them; they all testified their satisfaction

in a rather drawling "Hah!" or "Ahah." Before and after the sitting

all the Indians passed us in a line, each giving us his right hand,

and looking steadfastly in our faces. They then withdrew, headed by

their chiefs. The General had told them that they should persevere in

their amicable sentiments as hitherto; and they had expressed the

wish that their brethren might soon be set at liberty, because their

wives and children at home were suffering hunger and distress. Upon

this the General advised them, when Black Hawk and his associates

should be set at liberty, to keep a watchful eye over them. On this

condition he would intercede for the prisoners. We were invited by the

General to accompany him, on the [pg. 108] following day, on board the

Warrior[153] steam-boat, when he intended to convey the Indians to the

barracks, to grant them an interview with Black Hawk.

On the 26th of March we found the Indians already on board the

Warrior, which was hired for this excursion; others of these original

figures, wrapped in their red blankets, were walking on the beach. We

had provided cigars and other trifles, by which we soon gained their

confidence. Massica, the tall young Saukie Indian, was the most

interesting among them. As soon as General Clarke came, the anchor was

weighed, and the Warrior proceeded down the Mississippi. The Indians

assembled on the fore part of the ship, to sing: the bleak wind was

much felt by many of them, as they wore no covering under their

blankets, yet they always remained on deck. Below, in the after hold

of the vessel, they had a fire, at which they boiled and roasted the

provisions that were given them. They examined, with much attention,

the steam-engine, the hissing and roaring of which interested them

extremely. They formed groups of different kinds; many were busy in

improving the painting of their faces, at their small looking-glasses;

others were smoking their pipes in philosophical ease; and others lay

asleep on the floor, wrapped in their blankets. They very readily

acquiesced, whenever we asked them to sing; their chorus-singing was

remarkable; it rises and falls, now loud now low, often quavering,

yet, on the whole, not inharmonious; and though it has some

resemblance with that of the Botocudos, in Brazil, it was by no means

so rude and savage. Sometimes they shouted aloud, and generally ended

their song with their war-whoop--a shrill cry, in which they cause the

voice to quaver, by holding the hand before the mouth.

About ten o'clock the Warrior approached Jefferson barracks, where the

inhabitants had assembled on the shore to see the Indian deputation

land. The Indians sung a wild chorus, rattling their weapons, and, as

soon as they had landed, marched in procession, led by their chiefs,

to the heights, where the barracks formed a quadrangle, open to the

river, enclosing a large space. General Clarke introduced us to

General Atkinson, the commandant of the place;[154] and, after resting

a short time in his house, we proceeded to a spacious empty hall in

one of the adjoining buildings, where the Indians were already seated

in rows. The Generals sat opposite to them, surrounded by the

spectators, among whom were several ladies. When all were assembled,

Kiokuck, with the aid of the interpreter, delivered an address to

General Atkinson, who replied, on which the prisoners were introduced.

First of all, Black Hawk appeared, a little old man, perhaps seventy

years of age, with grey hair, and a light yellow complexion; a

slightly curved nose, and Chinese features, to which the shaven head,

with the usual tuft behind, not a little contributed.[155] None of

the prisoners were painted. These poor men entered with downcast

looks; and though no Indian betrayed any lively demonstrations of

emotion, such feelings were very manifest in many of them. The

prisoners gave their hands to their countrymen all round, and then sat

down with them. Two of the Indians, known as particularly [pg. 109]

dangerous men, one of them the celebrated Winnebago prophet, who has a

repulsive countenance, had chains with large iron balls at their

feet.[156] The other prisoners were not chained, and we were told that

they were taken out every day to walk, by the guard. The speeches now

recommenced: Kiokuck spoke often, and interceded for the prisoners;

and General Atkinson repeated to them pretty nearly what General

Clarke had already said, on which the Indians again uttered their

"Hah," or "Ahah." When the speeches were ended, the company withdrew,

and left the prisoners alone with their countrymen, to give free vent

to their feelings. The sight of old Black Hawk, and the whole scene of

the prisoners and their friends, was affecting, and many of the

spectators appeared to participate in their feelings.

We then examined the barracks, in which four companies of the 6th

regiment were quartered. The hospital is a detached building; the

surrounding country is open prairie; in the vicinity of the

buildings, however, it is covered with a wood of slender oaks, without

underwood, and from the eminence is a very agreeable prospect over the

river. General Atkinson invited us to dinner, and introduced us to his

family. At three o'clock we again embarked on the Warrior with all the

Indians, and reached St. Louis late in the evening.

As it was my intention to travel through the interior of the western

part of North America, and, if possible, the Rocky Mountains, St.

Louis was unquestionably the most proper basis for such an enterprise.

The question was, whether it was more advisable to go by the caravans

by land to Santa Fe, or to proceed by water up the Missouri? Captain

Stewart (of Grand Tully), an English traveller, with whom I had become

acquainted at St. Louis, was on the point of setting out by land by

the caravan, and it would have been agreeable to me to travel in his

company;[157] but after I had consulted many persons well acquainted

with the country, the plan of following the course of the Missouri

seemed to be the most suitable for my purposes; for, first, I should

not be able to observe any Indians on the land journey; for if you

happen to meet with them, you must fight them, and, therefore, cannot

become well acquainted with them; and, secondly, it is extremely

difficult, nay impossible, to make considerable collections of natural

history on such a journey. These reasons were decisive: I hoped,

therefore, to obtain from the gentlemen of the American Fur Company, a

passage up the Missouri in their steam-boat, the Yellow Stone, which

was daily expected to return from New Orleans; and as soon as it had

taken in a cargo, was to set out on its voyage up the Missouri.[158]

It is necessary to prefix a few words respecting this American Fur

Company. The first regular company of this kind in the United States

was the Michilimakinack Fur Company, established in 1790. Its capital

belonged chiefly to some persons in Canada; but as foreigners were not

allowed to trade with the Indians in the United States, some citizens

of the latter gave it the sanction of their names.[159] The last war

with England dissolved the company, and during that time no trade was

carried on with the Indians. About 1816, Mr. Astor, of New York, a

countryman of ours, formed a fur company, under the name of [pg. 110]

the American Fur Company.[160] His plan was well conceived, very

extensive, and designed to carry on trade with all the Indian tribes.

Mr. Astor's enterprises towards the Columbia River did not succeed,

but in all other parts the fur trade prospered, and is carried on, up

to the present time, with great success.[161] About the same time two

other companies were formed at St. Louis--the Missouri Fur Company,

and the French Company, which proposed to carry on the trade on that

river. The first continued its operations for about five or six years,

when it terminated, having met with many difficulties.[162] In 1822

the Columbia Fur Company was established, and violent opposition and

rivalry arose between the three companies, which continued till

1826.[163] During this time the fur trade had afforded but little

profit to any of the persons engaged in it. In the spring of that

year, a person of the name of Crooks was sent from New York by the

American Fur Company to buy up the two other companies, in which he

succeeded.[164] Some of the members of these companies were received

into the American Company, and thus the whole of the very extensive

fur trade was concentrated in the hands of that company, and remains

so up to this moment. Some individuals and small associations have

since made frequent attempts to carry on the trade in the Indian

territory and the Rocky Mountains,[165] but have always been obliged

to give way to the powerful and wealthy company, which has now spread

its commercial stations over a great part of the interior of North

America, and continues to extend them more and more.[166]

In British North America, two great fur companies were founded at an

earlier period--the North-west, and the Hudson's Bay Company, which

for a long time were at open war with each other, but afterwards

joined, and still exist under the name of the Hudson's Bay

Company.[167] To the north of the Missouri on the borders of British

North America, they are rivals of the American Company, and both

parties endeavour to draw over the Indians to their side. But as no

white settlers have yet penetrated to those remote and desolate

regions, the American Company rules _there_ alone, by its commercial

stations and its numerous servants, the goods with which they carry on

the trade having become necessary even to the most dangerous Indian

tribes; for this reason foreign travellers cannot expect to succeed in

their enterprises without the consent and assistance of this

company.[168]

At St. Louis I had become acquainted with several very interesting

persons; Major Ofallon, having been formerly agent of the Indian

nations on the Missouri, was well acquainted with the country, and

assisted me with his advice, as well as Major Dougherty,[169] now

agent for the nations of the Pawnees, Otos, and the Joways: they both

advised me, as the only practicable means of visiting those countries

with safety, to join the American Fur Company, and to obtain from the

[pg. 111] directors a passage on board their steam-boat. Fully

appreciating the value of this counsel, I endeavoured to become

acquainted with Mr. Pierre Chouteau, who directed the affairs of the

company at St. Louis, and with Mr. Mc Kenzie, who usually lived on the

Upper Missouri, and was now on the point of proceeding on board the

steamer to Fort Union, at the mouth of the Yellow Stone River. Both

gentlemen received me with great politeness, and readily acceded to my

request.[170]

Our necessaries for this journey,[171] and many small articles for

bartering with the Indians, were procured and placed on board the

Yellow Stone steamer. General Clarke favoured me with his advice, as

well as several other gentlemen, particularly Major Pilcher,[172] who

had penetrated far into the Indian territory to the Rocky Mountains,

while he was a member of the Missouri Fur Company; likewise Messrs.

Sanford and Bean, the former of whom was agent for the Crows, Mandans,

Assiniboines, Manitaries and Blackfeet, and the latter for the Puncas

and Sioux.[173] All these persons, who were well acquainted with the

Indian territory, were to accompany us up the Missouri to their

several stations. Major Ofallon, whom we visited at his pleasant

country seat, near St. Louis, had the kindness to furnish me with the

map of the course of the Missouri, by Lewis and Clarke, on a large

scale.[174] We found at his house an interesting collection of Indian

articles, and a great number of Indian scenes by Catlin, a painter

from New York, who had travelled in 1831 to Fort Union.

Before we left St. Louis, another deputation of Saukie Indians arrived

from the Lower Missouri, who held councils with General Clarke. They

came down the Missouri in long double canoes. Among them were several

very strong, robust men, who, when they were in liquor, were

dreadfully savage and wild. One of their most distinguished warriors,

who was remarkable for a curved nose, exactly such as we see in the

Mexican sculptures, suffered severely from consumption; his family

seemed much concerned about him; the women sat around him and

lamented. The time passed rapidly in observing these interesting

people, till the 10th of April, which was the day fixed for our

departure.

FOOTNOTES:

[105] The "Napoleon" (100 tons) was built at Pittsburg in 1831, and

the "Conveyance" (90 tons) at Cincinnati in the same year.--ED.

[106] For the Shawnee Indians and Shawneetown, see Croghan's

_Journals_, in our volume i, p. 138, note 108.

The reference is to Dr. Jedidiah Morse (1761-1826), _Report to

Secretary of War on Indian Affairs_ (New Haven, 1822), the result of a

tour among the Western tribes in 1820.--ED.

[107] Saline Creek (or River), formed by the union of the North and

South Forks in Gallatin County, Illinois, flows southeast and enters

the Ohio River about ten miles below Shawneetown. For a short

statement on salt deposits, see James's _Long's Expedition_, in our

volume xiv, p. 58, note 11.--ED.

[108] The "Paragon" (90 tons) was constructed at Cincinnati in

1829.--ED.

[109] Battery Rock is twelve miles below Shawneetown.--ED.

[110] See Plate 7, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv. See also

Cuming's _Tour_, in our volume iv, p. 273, note 180.--ED.

[111] For Golconda consult Woods's _English Prairie_, in our volume x,

p. 327, note 77. Sister's Island, a narrow strip a mile in length,

lies twenty miles below Elizabethtown, Illinois. Smithland is the

county seat of Livingston County, Kentucky, immediately below the

mouth of the Cumberland.--ED.

[112] Paducah, the seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, and forty-eight

miles above Cairo, was laid out in 1827 and named from a well-known

Indian chief. It is a large shipping place and in 1900 had a

population of 12,797. It is the seat of Paducah University.

The book here referred to is Samuel Cumings' _Western Pilot,

containing Charts of the Ohio River and of the Mississippi from the

Mouth of the Missouri to the Gulf of Mexico, accompanied with

Directions for navigating the same, and a Gazetteer or Description of

Towns on their Banks, Tributary Streams, etc., also a variety of

Matter interesting to Travelers and all concerned in the Navigation of

these Rivers_ (Cincinnati, 1828, 1829, 1834).

For a brief sketch of Fort Massac, see A. Michaux's _Travels_, in our

volume iii, p. 73, note 139.--ED.

[113] Several fruitless attempts were made to establish a city at the

confluence of the two rivers. Trinity, long time a rival of Cairo, was

first settled in 1817 at Cache River. Shortly afterwards Shadrach

Bond, John Comyges, and others entered a land claim for eighteen

hundred acres between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and incorporated

it as the City and Bank of Cairo. At Comyges's death, however, the

claim was allowed to lapse. In the same year William Bird occupied

three hundred and sixty acres at the extreme point of the peninsula,

and named his proposed city Bird's Point. A few houses were built; but

during the War of Secession were removed to the Missouri side. In 1828

John and Thompson Bird built the first houses on the present site of

Cairo. Here boats were long accustomed to stop for supplies. In 1835,

Sidney Breeze, Baker Gilbert, and others re-entered the forfeited land

of the City and Bank of Cairo, and two years later obtained its

incorporation as Cairo City and Canal Company. Speculation followed;

the company purchased at a high price ten thousand acres, comprising

all the territory between the Ohio, Mississippi, and Cache rivers,

including Bird's Point. Plans for extensive improvements were made. D.

B. Holbrook, one of the leading promoters, sold in Europe two million

dollars in bonds. Sharp reverses followed and Cairo was not

incorporated as a city until 1858.--ED.

[114] The steamboat "O'Connell" was built at Pittsburg in 1833.--ED.

[115] Commerce, on the Missouri side thirty miles above Cairo, was a

trading post, as early as 1803. It was laid out in 1822, incorporated

in 1857, and made the seat of Scott County in 1864. See Campbell,

_Gazetteer of Missouri_ (St. Louis, 1875).--ED.

[116] For the early history of Cape Girardeau, see A. Michaux's

_Travels_, in our volume iii, p. 80, note 154. Devil's Island, less

than three miles in length, is near the Illinois side four miles above

Cape Girardeau. Bainbridge, Missouri, twelve miles above the town of

Cape Girardeau, was on the road from Kentucky and Illinois to the

White River and Arkansas. Hamburg (not Harrisburg), in Calhoun County,

Illinois, is directly across the river from Bainbridge, and at the

time of Maximilian's visit was a new landing. The Devil's Tea Table is

on the Missouri side eighteen miles above Cape Girardeau. For more

particulars concerning the places between St. Louis and the mouth of

the Ohio, see Flagg's _Far West_, in our volume xxvi, pp. 50-83

(original pagination), and footnotes to the same.--ED.

[117] See Plate 9, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.

[118] It is well known that the whole tract contains shell limestone.

Mr. Lesueur has made important collections of this kind on the Tower

Rock at Vicksburg, Natchez, and other places on the banks of the

Mississippi, of part of which he has made descriptions and drawings.

He has accurately stated the several strata, with the shells of

animals and fishbones occurring in them. The shells are very friable

when taken out of the rock--afterwards, and especially if washed in

water, they are firmer. Mr. Lesueur has sent large collections of

these things to France.--MAXIMILIAN.

[119] St. Mary's River rises in Perry County, Illinois, and enters the

Mississippi six miles below the mouth of the Kaskaskia. Chester is the

seat of Randolph County, seventy-six miles below St. Louis. Large

quantities of bituminous coal and building stone are in the vicinity.

For the early history of Kaskaskia, see A. Michaux's _Travels_, in our

volume iii, p. 69, note 132.--ED.

[120] An account of the founding of Ste. Genevieve is given in

Cuming's _Tour_ in our volume iv, p. 266, note 174.--ED.

[121] The mines here referred to are the _Mine La Mothe_ and the _Mine

a Burton_; a more extended account of these will be given in Flagg's

_Far West_, in our volume xxvi.--ED.

[122] For the history of Fort Chartres, see A. Michaux's _Travels_, in

our volume iii, p. 71, note 136.--ED.

[123] See opposite page for formations of limestone rocks.--ED.

[124] Herculaneum is a small village in Jefferson County, Missouri, at

the mouth of Joachim Creek, about twenty-eight miles below St. Louis,

and a few miles above the hamlet of Selena. Herculaneum was laid out

in 1808 by Moses Austin and S. Hammond, and subsequently was made the

seat of Jefferson County.--ED.

[125] Platteen (commonly spelled Plattin) Creek is a small stream

rising in the southern part of Jefferson County, flowing north, and

emptying into the Mississippi at the northern extremity of the county,

four and a half miles below Herculaneum.

The Maramec (often pronounced and written Merrimac) River finds its

source in Dent County, Missouri, and flowing northeast joins the

Mississippi nineteen miles below St. Louis. Its estimated length is a

hundred and fifty miles, draining a territory rich in mines of copper,

iron, and lead.--ED.

[126] For an account of Jefferson Barracks, see Townsend's

_Narrative_, in our volume xxi, p. 122, note 2.

Carondelet, named for Baron Carondelet, Spanish governor of Louisiana

in 1791, was formerly a village in St. Louis County, Missouri; but in

1860 it was merged with the First Ward of St. Louis, under the name of

South St. Louis.

For Cahokia, see A. Michaux's _Travels_, in our volume iii, p. 70,

note 135.--ED.

[127] For the early history of St. Louis, see A. Michaux's _Travels_,

in our volume iii, p. 71, note 138. Probably the author here intends

Auguste Chouteau, stepson of Laclede, founder of the city--for the

former consult our volume xvi, p. 275, note 127.--ED.

[128] For a brief sketch of General William Clark, see Bradbury's

_Travels_, in our volume v, p. 254, note 143; for a more extended

notice, consult Thwaites, _Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark

Expedition_ (New York, 1905), introduction. This is an interesting

glimpse of General Clark in the professional duties of his later

life.--ED.

[129] For the early history and the alliance of the Sauk and Foxes,

see J. Long's _Voyages_, in our volume ii, p. 185, note 85. Black Hawk

and his fellow prisoners were being kept as hostages for the good

behavior of the remainder of the tribe, after the war of 1832. See

Thwaites, "Black Hawk War," in _How George Rogers Clark won the

Northwest_ (Chicago, 1903), pp. 116-200; and _Treaties between the

United States of America and the several Indian Tribes_ (Washington,

1837), pp. 508-510. Soon after Maximilian's visit, Black Hawk was sent

on a tour to the East, in order that he might appreciate the resources

and power of the American people.--ED.

[130] Keokuk (Watchful Fox) was not a chieftain by birth, but by his

address and eloquence raised himself to a prominent place in the

allied Sauk and Fox tribes. Born at Saukenuk about 1780, he was

younger than Black Hawk, and early took opposition to his policy.

Keokuk was for peace and the American alliance, and about 1826 removed

his division of the tribe across the Mississippi to a village

southwest of the present Muscatine, Iowa. During the Black Hawk War he

kept a large portion of the tribe neutral, and at its close was

recognized by the federal government as head-chief of the tribe. In

1836 a large tract of Iowa land was ceded by the Indians to the

federal government, whereupon the tribesmen removed to Kansas. Keokuk

visited Washington several times, notably in 1837, when he made

addresses from the platform of Catlin's museum. Catlin painted his

portrait in the full garb of an Indian councillor, and daguerreotypes

of him also exist. His features were of a Caucasian type, for his

father was part French. Keokuk died in Kansas in 1848; in 1883 his

remains were removed to Keokuk, Iowa. It is not true that in person

Keokuk surrendered Black Hawk to the American authorities. Consult on

the capture of the latter, _Wisconsin Historical Collections_, v, p.

293; viii, p. 316.--ED.

[131] In confirmation of the similarity of the Americans to each

other, we may quote the authority of Humboldt, and other travellers.

(See Essay on the Political State of New Spain, vol. i. p. 115). Dr.

Meyen gives a figure of a Peruvian Mummy (N. Acta Acad. Caes. Leop.

Car. I. xvi. Suppl. 1. Tab. 1), which perfectly expresses the

character of the North American Indians.--MAXIMILIAN.

[132] See Meyen, Loc. cit. p. 45.--MAXIMILIAN.

[133] There are numerous tribes in North America, also, among whom the

aquiline nose is very rare. This is certified, with respect to the

Chippeways, in Major Long's account of his journey to St. Peter's

River; and Captain Bonneville says that the people to the east of the

Rocky Mountains have, in general, aquiline noses, but that the tribes

to the west of those mountains, mostly straight or flat noses. (See

Washington Irving's Adventures of Captain Bonneville, p.

221.)--MAXIMILIAN.

[134] N. Bossu, a French officer who in 1750 came with troops to

Louisiana. He remained about twelve years in the country, and

published _Nouveaux Voyages aux Indes occidentales_ (Paris, 1768), an

English translation of which appeared in 1771.

For the fate of the Natchez, consult Nuttall's _Journal_, in our

volume xiii, p. 303, note 226.

The Botocudo are a Tapuyan tribe of southeastern Brazil.--ED.

[135] For Baron von Humboldt, see our volume xviii, p. 345, note 136.

Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen was a German botanist who voyaged around

the world in 1830-32. Upon his return he was called to a chair at

Berlin, but died prematurely in 1840 at the age of thirty-eight. He

published many memoirs in scientific journals, and in 1834-35 an

account of his world-wide voyage.--ED.

[136] Louis Isidore Duperrey, a French naval officer (1786-1865),

entered the navy in 1802. Soon afterwards he made two long voyages

around the world, and published much hydrographic and scientific

matter. In 1842 he was chosen member of the French Academy of

Sciences.--ED.

[137] Loc. cit. p. 18.--MAXIMILIAN.

[138] Loc. cit. p. 117.--MAXIMILIAN.

[139] For Zebulon M. Pike, see Evans's _Pedestrious Tour_, in our

volume viii, p. 280, note 122.--ED.

[140] Loc. cit., vol. i. p. 3.--MAXIMILIAN.

[141] Warden, Loc. cit., part ii. plate x. fig. 4.--MAXIMILIAN.

_Comment by Ed._ Referring to D. B. Warden, _Recherches sur les

Antiquities de l'Amerique Septentrionale_. The stream where the

antique vase was found, was Caney Fork of Cumberland, in central

Tennessee.

[142] The Foxes call this ornament kateueikunn. I have given a figure

of it, in the Plate of utensils and arms.--MAXIMILIAN.

_Comment by Ed._ See Plate 81, in the accompanying atlas, our volume

xxv.

[143] See Plate 36, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.

Watapinat, a Fox Indian, is cited as being here portrayed. This

drawing could not, however, be engraved; and so another Musquake (Fox)

Indian, Wakassasse was pictured.--MAXIMILIAN (in German edition).

[144] These small shell cylinders are known to be cut out of the

shells of the _Venus mercenaria_, and strung on threads; they are

arranged blue and white alternately. All the northern and eastern

nations, in the neighbourhood of the great lakes, and even the tribes

on the Lower Missouri, use this ornament, but not those on the Upper

Missouri. On this subject see Blumenbach, Handbuch der Naturgeschichte,

12 ed., p. 359, 385.--MAXIMILIAN.

[145] An iron battle-axe, made by the whites, which has a pipe bowl at

the back, the handle being bored through, to serve as tube to the

pipe.--MAXIMILIAN.

[146] This instrument is the only weapon of the Indians which has lost

something of its original character, since the merchants have had them

manufactured with a steel point, as an article of trade with the

Indians. A specimen of the original form is found in Pennant's "Arctic

Zoology," Plate VI., the middle figure.--MAXIMILIAN.

[147] See Plate 81, figure 4, in the accompanying atlas, our volume

xxv.--ED.

[148] See the same Plate, figure 3.--ED.

[149] In 1816, in order to control the neighboring territory, Fort

Armstrong was erected on Rock Island. For many years Thomas Forsyth

was Indian agent to the Sauk and Fox tribe at this place, and by many

it was thought that had he not been removed the Black Hawk War might

have been prevented. Felix St. Vrain, his successor, was slain at the

outset of that uprising (1832). At the time of Maximilian's journey,

W. S. Davenport was agent at Fort Armstrong.

This treaty referred to was made in 1804 at St. Louis, by Governor

William H. Harrison. It was not ratified, however, until January,

1805. It was the inciting cause of the Black Hawk War. See Thwaites,

_op. cit._ in note 127, _ante_, pp. 116-126.--ED.

[150] For this reference see note 104, _ante_, p. 201.--ED.

[151] See Thwaites, "Early Lead Mining on the Mississippi," in _How

George Rogers Clark won the Northwest_, pp. 299-332.--ED.

[152] Portions of this collection are still in possession of Clark's

descendants; see Thwaites, "Newly Discovered Records of Lewis and

Clark," in _Scribner's Magazine_, xxxv, pp. 685-700.--ED.

[153] The "Warrior," built at Pittsburg in 1832, was rated at 110

tons. It was used during the Black Hawk War to convey federal

supplies, and took effective part in the battle of Bad Axe, by which

Black Hawk's band was nearly annihilated. See J. H. Fonda's

"Reminiscences," in _Wisconsin Historical Collections_, v, pp.

261-264.--ED.

[154] General Henry Atkinson was born in North Carolina in 1782. In

1808 he entered the regular army as captain, mounting through various

grades to that of brigadier-general (1821). He was connected with the

Yellowstone expeditions of 1819 and 1825, but perhaps his most

important service was as leader of the federal troops in the Black

Hawk War, wherein he was called "White Beaver" by the Indians. At its

close he took command of Jefferson Barracks, where he died in

1842.--ED.

[155] See Townsend's _Narrative_, in our volume xxi, p. 123, note 3,

for a brief sketch of Black Hawk. His portrait was painted by Catlin

at Jefferson Barracks, and again by R. M. Sully at Fortress Monroe.

The latter canvas is in the museum of the Wisconsin Historical

Society.--ED.

[156] Winnebago Prophet, more commonly known as White Cloud (a

translation of his Indian name Wabokieshiek), was the "medicine man"

of Black Hawk's revolt. He was Winnebago on his mother's side, and had

a village on Rock River, forty miles above Rock Island--the present

Prophetstown, Illinois. After the war he was captured, and shared

Black Hawk's imprisonment, dying among the Winnebago about 1841. His

portrait was painted by Catlin at Jefferson Barracks, and again at

Fortress Monroe by R. M. Sully--the latter, in the museum of the

Wisconsin Historical Society, portrays a cunning, rather low type of

face, stronger and more subtle than that of Black Hawk.--ED.

[157] For Captain Stewart, see Townsend's _Narrative_, in our volume

xxi, p. 197, note 42.--ED.

[158] For the building and first voyages of the "Yellowstone" see our

volume xxi, p. 46, note 26 (Wyeth).--ED.

[159] For the Mackinac Company see Ross's _Oregon Settlers_, our

volume vii, pp. 34, 35--ED.

[160] See Washington Irving's Astoria.--MAXIMILIAN.

[161] Astor's company had originally been organized in 1808. After

absorbing the Mackinac Company it was until 1816 known as the South

West Company, when a re-organization occurred, resulting in the

American Fur Company. See Chittenden, _Fur-Trade_, i, pp. 309-311. The

Columbia River enterprise is narrated in our volumes vi and vii.--ED.

[162] The Missouri Fur Company was organized (1808) soon after the

return of the Lewis and Clark expedition, with Clark, a brother of

Lewis, and several well-known merchants of Illinois and St. Louis as

members. Its chief trader, later the president, was Manuel Lisa. After

his death in 1820 the fortunes of the company declined.

By the French Company Maximilian intends a firm composed of Papin,

Cerre, and Picotte, which in 1830 sold out to the American Fur

Company. Its career was but about three years long.--ED.

[163] The Columbia Fur Company was organized after the consolidation

of the British companies (1821) had thrown a number of enterprising

Scotch and Canadian traders out of employment. Its leading spirits

were Kenneth McKenzie, William Laidlaw, and Daniel Lamont. Organized

to trade within the boundaries of the United States, it was

technically known as Tilton and Company, of New York. The chief

outfitting post was built upon Lake Traverse, Minnesota, whence

passage to the upper Missouri was quickly secured. The operations of

this company harassed the American Fur Company, which in 1827 entered

into a combination with the Columbia, thus securing control of the

upper Missouri trade. See Chittenden, _Fur-Trade_, i, pp.

323-327.--ED.

[164] For Ramsay Crooks, see our volume v, p. 36, note 3.--ED.

[165] The Rocky Mountain Fur Company--first under General William H.

Ashley, later under the Sublettes, Thomas Fitzpatrick, etc.--absorbed

a large proportion of the Western fur-trade in the decade before

Maximilian arrived in St. Louis. It was one of their caravans that

Captain Stewart urged the prince to accompany. Consult our volume xxi,

for the operations of this corporation.--ED.

[166] Mr. Schoolcraft, in his latest journey to Itasca Lake (page 35),

gives a short history of the fur trade, which, in many places, has

already fallen into entire decay; for instance, on Lake St. Croix

(page 141), if the inhabitants of those parts do not take to

agriculture, they must emigrate or starve.--MAXIMILIAN.

[167] For the early history of the Hudson's Bay and North West

companies see preface to J. Long's _Voyages_, in our volume ii.--ED.

[168] The "Upper Missouri Outfit" branch of the American Fur Company

controlled the upper Missouri and its tributaries, from the date of

consolidation with the Columbia Company (1827) until the advance of

emigration and settlement made fur-trapping unprofitable.--ED.

[169] For Major Benjamin O'Fallon and John Dougherty, see Faux's

_Journal_ in our volume xii, p. 49, note 127, and James's _Long's

Expedition_, in our volume xiv, p. 126, note 92.--ED.

[170] Pierre Chouteau, jr., son of the elder of that name (for whom

see our volume xvi, p. 275, note 127), was born at St. Louis, January

19, 1789; among his family he was known as "Cadet." Early evincing

unusual talents as a trader, he entered his father's business at the

age of sixteen. The years 1806-08 he spent at the lead mines with

Julien Dubuque, and in 1809 made his first fur-trade voyage to the

upper Missouri, whose commercial destinies he was so long to control.

In 1813 he formed a partnership on his own account with Bartholomew

Berthold, which operated independently until they were bought out by

the American Fur Company, for whom Chouteau became local manager.

Later he extended his financial operations to New York, and became one

of the moneyed princes of that city, although dying in St. Louis in

1865. His public services were chiefly local, but he served in the

state constitutional convention of 1820. He was interested in

scientific pursuits, and ready to assist travellers bound on such

errands.

For Kenneth McKenzie see Wyeth's _Oregon_, in our volume xxi, p. 45,

note 25. The winter of 1834-35 McKenzie paid a visit to Prince

Maximilian in his German home, where he was received with much

hospitality and brought news to his host of recent affairs on the

Missouri, which the latter reports in the appendix to the German

edition of his work, ii, p. 616.--ED.

[171] Especially provisions, coffee, sugar, brandy, candles, fine

gunpowder, shot of every kind, colours, paper, some books,

&c.--MAXIMILIAN.

[172] For Joshua Pilcher, see our volume xiv, p. 269, note 193.--ED.

[173] Major John F. A. Sanford was a native of Winchester, Virginia.

Upon appointment to an Indian sub-agency, he came west, and (1827-34)

lived among the Mandans; later (1837), he was agent at Fort Gibson. He

married Emilie Chouteau, daughter of Pierre, jr. Subsequently becoming

interested in American Fur Company affairs, he (about 1838) removed to

New York as its representative.

Jonathan L. Bean, of Pennsylvania, was government sub-agent (1827-34)

for the Sioux.--ED.

[174] Major Benjamin O'Fallon was a nephew of William Clark, and the

map of the upper Missouri, which he furnished to Maximilian, was a

manuscript copy of an original map by the hand of the famous explorer.

Inquiry of the reigning prince of Wied-Neuwied elicits the following

information: "Major O'Fallon made a present to the prince in the year

1833, at the beginning of his journey of that year, of a copy of this

chart, which the prince [Maximilian] during his journey completed and

supplied its deficiencies. This copy, a little atlas of thirty-seven

leaves, is in the archives here. Upon one leaf, in the handwriting of

Prince Max, is the following inscription: 'I received this exact copy

of the original by the goodness of the late Indian agent, Major

O'Fallon.'" See Thwaites' _Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark

Expedition_, introduction, concerning Clark's maps and the extant

originals.--ED.