Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 printed from the original manuscripts in the library of the American Philosophical Society and by direction of its committee on historical documents |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
1806?—PROPOSALS FOR PUBLISHING FRAZER'S
JOURNAL
|
| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
 | Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 |  |
1806?—PROPOSALS FOR PUBLISHING FRAZER'S
JOURNAL[3]
[From a MS. in the Library of the Wisconsin Historical Society.]
Proposals for publishing by subscription Robert Frazer's Journal, from
St. Louis in Louisiana to the Pacific ocean,—containing an accurate
separating the eastern from the western waters, of the Columbia River
and the Bay it forms on the Pacific ocean, of the face of the country in
general; of the several tribes of Indians on the Missouri and Columbia
rivers; of the vegetable, animal [and mineral] productions discovered
in those extensive regions, the latitudes and longitudes of some of the
most remarkable places,—together with a variety of curious and interesting
occurrences during a voyage of 2 years 4 months and 9 days,
conducted by Captains Lewis and Clark.
Published by permission of
Capt. Meriwether Lewis. This work
will be contained in about 400 pages
octavo, and will be put to the
press as soon as there shall be a
sufficient subscription to defray the
expenses. Price to subscribers three
dollars.
Early
in the first decade of our [the nineteenth] century a brother of my father
sold a hat in Vermont to Robert Frazer, a fencing-master there, who
absconded without
paying for it. This Frazer
enlisted under Capt. Lewis, and his name was given
to a rapid and a creek
near the head-waters of the Missouri. Before Frazer's return
to St. Louis,
my uncle himself had removed thither and was managing the hotel to
which
Frazer came for entertainment. Each recognized the other, and my uncle had
no difficulty in collecting his debt. But Frazer proved to be one of the
seven journalists
[of the Lewis and Clark
expedition] and purposed to print his journal, he having,
as well as Gass,
obtained permission from Capt. Lewis. His prospectus, which of
necessity
was written, since there was no printing in St. Louis till 1808, shows beautiful
chirography, and promised a volume of
four hundred pages. A copy of it is in
my hands, which came to my father
in Vermont from his brother at the West.—
James
Davie Butler, in "The New Found Journal of Charles Floyd", Proceedings
of American Antiquarian Soc., April 25th,
1894.
Later, Professor Butler presented this MS. prospectus to the
Wisconsin Historical
Society, as above. Apparently there was insufficient
patronage, for the proposed
book was not published. The whereabouts of the
Frazer Journal is unknown to the
present Editor.—Ed.
| Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 | |