University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XXXI.

VOYAGE FROM THE CANTONMENT OF LEAVENWORTH TO PORTSMOUTH, ON THE MOUTH OF THE
OHIO RIVER, FROM MAY 18TH TO JUNE 20TH.

On the afternoon of the 18th of May, I left the Cantonment of Leavenworth amid a very
heavy rain, which continuing on the 19th I lay-to, and made my people light a fire on shore, to
warm themselves, and dry their clothes. As soon as we had left Little Platte River, I observed
numerous isolated settlements, from which others had taken their rise. At Portage d'Independence,
I saw Mr. Soublette, who had been ill for some time. As I had very recently visited
his trading post on the Upper Missouri, I was enabled to give him the most recent intelligence
respecting it. He has always been engaged in the fur trade; in the first instance, in opposition
to the American Fur Company; subsequently, however, in connection with it; he was now waiting
for the steam-boat, Oto, intending to go by it to St. Louis.

About five o'clock we reached the landing-place of Liberty, but I did not make any stay
there. Descoteaux here fell in with one of his acquaintances, a Canadian beaver hunter, and
begged permission to leave me; I did not wish to detain the man, and accordingly set him on
shore with all his furs and skins. At nightfall we came to a settlement called William's Ferry,
or Charaton-Scatty; here, on the northern bank, we lay-to for the night, under shelter of a lofty
umbrageous forest. We passed the 20th on the same spot, our boat having received some
injury, and we accordingly had it repaired; at the same time we caused our effects to be dried, as
they had been thoroughly drenched by the rain.

We met with a friendly reception in a house near the landing-place, where the mistress
sold us poultry, buttermilk, &c., for which she at first declined accepting any payment. The

whole country in the valleys, as well as on the mountains, was covered with a lofty shady forest of
magnificent trees, of every variety common to this climate, which, being refreshed by the late
rains, were clad in the most brilliant verdure. The splendid plumage of the bright red baltimore,
and the vermilion tanagra (Tanagra rubra) was very striking, amidst the dark foliage of the forest;
the latter is here called the flax-bird, from its feeding on the buds of that plant. We listened with
pleasure to the note of the cuckoo, which much resembles that of the European bird. We
heard frogs and tree-frogs in the vicinity, and the whistle of some animal exactly like that of our
yellow-striped salamander, and doubtless one of that family,[1] under the fallen trunks of the
trees. I was much surprised, during these travels in North America, to meet with so few animals
of the lizard kind, whereas tortoises were very numerous.

There was only a single path along the bank from one plantation to another; all else was
covered with a thick forest. There were wild, lonely valleys, with colossal tulip trees, and an
undergrowth of papaw, which was now in flower; a carpet of ferns was spread on the ground in
the dark shade, where a small clear stream meandered among the grasses and other plants. The
dwellings of a few planters were scattered on the hills. In this wild and romantic valley I saw
but few birds; and, in general, I remarked, in these woods on the Missouri, that far more birds
lived in the vicinity of the plantations than in the recesses of the forest, an observation which is
confirmed by Mc Kenney, and of which I have spoken in my travels in Brazil. We saw no
mammalia in these woods, though there are many squirrels; the number of which, however, must
have greatly decreased if what Bradbury says is true, that 2,000 of them had been shot in one
hunting excursion. I unwillingly left a spot so interesting to the naturalist, especially as I had
no agreeable conversation to expect on board the boat. My live bears attracted all the inhabitants

in the neighbourhood; nay, the people here were more eager to see the much-dreaded grizzly
bears than even in Europe.

Our vessel was crowded with curious persons, and, besides these, an unwelcome intruder had
intoxicated the greater part of my people. Among our inquisitive visitors there were several men
belonging to a religious sect known here by the name of Mormons. They complained bitterly of
the unjust treatment which they had lately experienced. They had lived on the other side of the
Missouri, and, as they asserted, had been expelled, on account of their doctrines, by the neighbouring
planters, their dwellings demolished and burnt, their plantations destroyed, and some of
them killed, on which they settled on the north bank of the river. I was not able to learn
whether all this was true, or why, after an interval of one or two years, they have not obtained
redress from the government. So much, however, is certain, that, if these people spoke the
truth, it would be a great disgrace to the administration of justice in this country, which calls
itself the only free country in the world.

According to their account, an angel appeared in 1821 to the founder of their doctrine, and
brought him golden tables of law, on which the contents of a certain chapter of the Bible were
engraved, and which is the substance of the doctrine. The inscription was translated, and the
angel took the tables away. They spoke also of a prophet Mormon, but I was not able clearly
to comprehend the mystical meaning of their words. A sensible old man gave me some notion of
their doctrine, to which he seemed to be much devoted. He affirmed that their sect was perfectly
harmless, and never molested others, a point respecting which their neighbours might, perhaps,
give a different testimony.

These backwoodsmen were much interested by all our effects, and were particularly struck
with our percussion guns and rifles. In those parts where the woods have been cleared, the
country which they inhabit is extremely fertile. Deer and wild turkeys are still met with; but bears
are not numerous, and the panther is only now and then seen. The elk (Cervus Canadensis) has
been long since extirpated. The wood-rat (Neotoma?) is not uncommon; it does mischief to the
fruits, and gets into the so-called smoke-houses, where meat is smoked and dried. The common
grey wolf is said to be very numerous: the black race is seldom seen here, and the white never,
which is a proof that it is a distinct species.

On the 21st of May we passed Fire Prairie and the mouth of Fishing Creek, and again saw
magnificent forests, the trees of which were so lofty that our guns were unable to reach the birds
perched on the upper branches. The ground was covered with flowers, among which was a
beautiful sky-blue iris, and with an undergrowth of papaw trees, above which arose the tall forest
trees, such as the Gleditschia triacanthos, sassafras, tulip trees, &c., entwined with the Vitis hederacea.
The red tanagra shone like a glowing coal amid the dark forest.

On the following day, the 22nd of May, we met the Joway steamer, which could with difficulty

proceed up the shallow river. Old Roubedoux, who was on board, brought news from
St. Louis. He had purchased from the Fur Company, for 500 dollars, the trading house on the
Black Snake Hills, from which we had just come. Having halted near the steam-boat at noon,
with a temperature of 89°, we made a short excursion into the wood, where I procured the beautiful
red adder, Coluber coccineus. The colour of its exquisitely marked body is a brownish vermilion,
and, therefore, not so purely vermilion as the splendid coral adder of Brazil. The forest
was so full of the caterpillars which have been already mentioned, that walking through it was most
disagreeable. At five in the afternoon we passed Grand River, and lay-to for the night six miles
further down, on the south bank, at a plantation, the friendly inmates of which, though very well
disposed, could give us only a small supply of provisions.

On the 23rd, in the neighbourhood of Little Arrow Rock, we saw some persons catching an
immensely large white catfish, the weight of which must have been very great, but I was
not able to stop and examine it. At this place we heard a strange noise under the boat, which
my people affirmed was produced by the prickly fins of the fish called by them casburgot, or
malacigan (Catastomus carpio, Les.), and by the Americans, buffalo-fish. It weighs from five to
six pounds. Towards evening we passed Franklin, and stopped at Boonville. Two negro slaves,
who were returning from the plantations, were very much astonished at the sight of my bears:
one of them had a long tin speaking-trumpet, with which these men, when working in the forest,
are called together. It may not be irrelevant to remark that all the negroes of these parts are
slaves. Fine tall trees covered the hills on the bank, which my people ascended in order to
purchase provisions in the scattered dwellings of the planters.

On the 24th we passed the small town of Columbia, below the mouth of the Manitu stream,
where a quantity of logs of wood, for the use of the steam-boats, was piled up on the bank. At
noon the thermometer was at 90°. An uninterrupted forest, with beautiful scenery, adorned the
canal during the entire extent of this day's voyage. Having passed the village of Maryanne, on
the northern side, we reached Jefferson City at six in the afternoon. This place is still in its infancy
and most of the habitations are scattered, while the ground between them is not yet levelled. It
is covered with heaps of stones and high weeds; and cows and pigs were roaming about at liberty.
We could not obtain any provisions except salt pork, biscuits, and whisky. In the bookseller's shop,
as it is termed, we only found a few school books. In the evening I proceeded to the plantation
of a person named Ramsay, where a number of negroes congregated about our boat, from whom I
was fortunate enough to purchase some poultry. These people were dressed in all sorts of left-off
clothes, and forcibly reminded me of similar scenes in Brazil.

At eight o'clock in the morning of the 25th, we passed Côte sans Dessein; and at noon,
when the thermometer was at 88°, reached the little town of Portland, which was founded about
two years since. Near the mouth of Gasconade River we met the Oto steam-boat. We stopped

for the night below the Rivière à Berger, and on the morning of the 26th lay-to at the
settlement of a man named Porter, to which the name of Washington has been given, though
at present it consists of only a few isolated dwellings: the inhabitants were very courteous and
obliging. The adjacent forest was animated by many interesting birds; and I here purchased
a live young bear. Opposite to this place, four or five miles up the country, a Mr. Von Mertels,
of Hanover, has settled; and here, a few years since, Dr. Duden resided, who has written on
North America, and who is still much talked of in this country. In the evening we reached
St. Charles, to which great numbers of German emigrants now resort, and lay-to at the settlement
of Mr. Chauvin, who keeps an inn, and has set up a stage between this and St. Louis.
Here we passed the night, but the rain was so heavy, that we were prevented leaving the house.
The people spoke to us a great deal of the many persons who had fallen victims to the cholera
the year before. There is a ferry at this place over the Missouri, in which the large wheel is set
in motion by six horses.

On the 27th, after the rain had ceased, we went by land to St. Louis: the weather was warm
and damp, and the brilliant humming-birds fluttered about the plants in the court-yard of the
house. As the stage did not run to-day, I hired a long, open, farmer's wagon, with three horses,
in order to reach the Mississippi as speedily as possible, while Dreidoppel was to go by water,
with my collections, &c. We immediately entered the forest, where colossal trees, especially the
sugar maple, oak, elm, &c., covered a hilly ground, overgrown with many interesting plants, about
which the most beautiful butterflies peculiar to this country were hovering. From time to time
we saw planter's dwellings, all built of wood, covered with planks, and roofed with shingles, the
chimneys being of brick. Among the many species of trees is the black oak, which is used for
dyeing and tanning. A great quantity of the bark is sent to England. The forest extends many
miles, and, becoming gradually thinner, is succeeded by the open prairie, which does not differ
from the prairies of the west, especially of the Upper Missouri. We stopped at an isolated inn to
refresh our horses, and were still six or seven miles from St. Louis. The last part of the road lay
through a wood of dark green oaks, in which I saw many circular pools of water, which undoubtedly
owed their origin to the sinking of the earth, of which Mr. Say speaks, in the account of
Major Long's expedition. These pools are fifty or sixty paces in diameter, and are inhabited by
numerous frogs, whose croaking is heard at a great distance. At noon we alighted at the Union
Hotel in St. Louis, after an absence of above a year.

St. Louis was now healthy, and not suffering from the cholera, as we had expected;
there had, however, been a couple of cases in a steamer from New Orleans. No change of consequence
had taken place since our last visit. At the factory of the American Fur Company I
found very agreeable letters from Europe. Here I saw Mr. Lamont, to whose amiable family
we were introduced, but I greatly regretted the absence of General Clarke. We received much

kindness in the house of Major O'Fallan, who is perfectly acquainted with the Missouri, and the
aboriginal inhabitants. Here we saw a collection of Indian portraits and scenery by Mr. Catlin,
a painter from New York, of which we were able to form an opinion after our recent travels
in the country. Major Dougherty, our friend and travelling companion, had the goodness to give
us a night's lodging, and we were highly gratified by his conversation about the countries which
we had just left, and with which he is well acquainted.

Among the remarkable objects in the vicinity of St. Louis are the ancient Indian barrows,
the traces of which I had hitherto in vain attempted to find on the whole course of the Missouri.
In order to take a view of them, we crossed the Missouri in a steam-ferry, where there is room
for the horses and carriage, and in the upper story of its pavilion, a light, airy chamber.
On the opposite bank are a good many houses, inns, and shops, under the shade of lofty old
trees. Fish, turtles, vegetables, and other provisions, are daily sent from this place to the market
in the town. The surrounding country is level, sandy, and, in part, marshy; the road passes
alternately through open meadows and copses to the skirts of an extensive verdant plain, or
prairie, after we had crossed a wooden bridge thrown over the pretty stream called Kahokia
Creek, the banks of which are picturesquely bordered with fine trees. The colour of the water
is dark brown, like many forest streams in Brazil, and forms a beautiful camera obscura. The
open plain, which we now reached, was everywhere clothed with young grass, and in several
spots with low bushes. As soon as we had passed the skirts of the forest on the Mississippi, a long
row of very flat ancient Indian barrows came in sight, extending parallel with the river, and a
second row, forming an angle with the first, in which some of the barrows are higher than
others. Right in front of the angle formed by the two rows is the most considerable barrow of all,
which does not appear at first sight, though it is at least sixty feet high. It is called Trappist's or
Monk's Hill, because some French monks of the order of La Trappe formerly lived here. I may
remark by the way, that many settlers of French origin live in this part of the country.

We proceeded in the direction of the above hill, which is about six miles from the river; it
is covered with greensward and a few old trees, and some new wooden buildings are erected
on it. In the prairie stood a group of very tall poplars, under which a herd of cattle was reposing.
Here we left our wagon, but the bull, who seemed to be lord and master, was at first much
inclined to oppose our passage. Numerous birds of many species and beautiful butterflies were
fluttering about in the ardent noontide sun. The Indian hills, or barrows, of which Say counted
seventy-five, have a very striking appearance; they stand in a row, generally isolated, but sometimes
two are side by side. Some of them still retain their conical form, while others are very
much flattened. There are similar barrows near St. Louis on the other side of the Mississippi,
most of which have, however, been destroyed by cultivation and building. The destination and
the origin of these remarkable barrows and walls, which have been the subject of so much discussion,

are still involved in obscurity; while the government of the United States alone might
have collected the necessary materials on the subject, if it had employed competent persons to
excavate, carefully to examine, survey, and describe all the monuments of this kind that are
scattered over the states of the Union. Even at this time, it is not wholly too late to do much
towards the accomplishment of so interesting an inquiry; not a moment should, however, be lost.
Baron Alexander Von Humboldt has given an interesting essay on the subject in his valuable
works; and several American writers have collected and published many particulars respecting
these remains. Of some of them Warden has given ground plans and sketches, but no favour
able result can be expected till the excavation is prosecuted in earnest. Perhaps the flint knives
resembling those of Mexico, of which I have given designs in Plate XLVIII,[2] might be found
near St. Louis. These barrows have a close resemblance to the ancient German barrows which
are everywhere found in our forests. A late traveller (Dr. De Wette) conjectures that the
American barrows are not produced by art, but by nature, because there is no fosse round them
from which the earth was taken; this notion is, however, very easily refuted, as the barrows and
walls are arranged in regular figures and lines, and in like manner no fosse or excavation is to be
seen round the barrows in the German forests. The earth was taken from the surface in the
neighbourhood, but it was by no means necessary on that account to excavate a fosse. With
regard to the regular position of the barrows of St. Louis, they have in this respect a close
resemblance to the kurghans of the Russian steppes, which also lie in long regular lines. The
very form, too, of both seems to be quite similar, if we except the stone images which are
often seen on the kurghans. Pallas, in his "Tour through Southern Russia" (Vol. I. Vig. 1),
gives a sketch of a row of barrows which perfectly resemble those of St. Louis.

A pleasant westerly breeze which sprung up, was a great relief to us in the sultry heat, and
continued till we returned to the shady forests on Kahokia Creek, which we reached at two
o'clock. Numerous tortoises live in this stream. The banks of the Mississippi, near St. Louis,
are likewise remarkable for various impressions of shells and zoophytes in the limestone; among
them are the beautiful crinoides, which are found in great perfection close to the buildings of the
town. Mr. Lesueur has collected and sent to France specimens of all these fossil remains, and
every information on the subject is contained in his and other similar works. I neglected, while
I was at St. Louis, to see the tame buffaloes which Mr. Pièrre Chouteau kept on his estate near
the town, though I should have been very glad, for many reasons, to have seen these animals in a
domestic state. I have been frequently told, in America, of hybrids of the buffalo (bison) and
the tame race, but never saw any; and several naturalists, especially Mr. Thomas Say, have

always affirmed that no instance ever occurred of hybrids, capable of propagating their kind,
of that animal and the tame species. He declares that every case into which he examined
turned out to be unproved. Mr. Gallatin has, indeed, lately spoken on the subject, and
pronounced against Mr. Say's opinion. He calls the bison a mere variety of the common
ox; but this may be easily refuted. The bison is quite a different species from the ox, as is
clear, not only from its outward form, high withers, short tail, the formation of the head, and
the peculiarity of its long hair, but likewise from the osteology, the number of the ribs and
vertebræ being different in the two animals.

There is another point on which I differ from Mr. Gallatin, namely, his denial of the great
decrease in the number of buffaloes in general. For when we consider how far these animals
have been driven up the country, and that, in these very parts, they are even less numerous than
formerly, we have a fact which at once proves a great decrease, of which nobody in the interior
of the country can entertain a doubt.

After staying about a week we took leave of our friends at St. Louis, and embarked on
board the Metamore steam-boat, which left on the 3rd of June. Messrs. Chouteau, Lamont,
General Pratte, and Ortley, accompanied me on board, where we bade each other farewell. We
glided rapidly down the Mississippi, and passed Chester before evening, but were soon obliged
to lay-to, because we were apprehensive that the night would be dark.

Our voyage on the 4th of June was extremely pleasant; the forests on the Mississippi were
clothed in the brightest verdure, climbing plants interlaced the tall trees, and the papaw was in
greater luxuriance than I have anywhere seen; but here, too, the caterpillars had partly stripped
the bushes. Towards nine in the morning, after the early vapours were dispelled, we reached
the mouth of the Ohio, the clear green water of which contrasted strongly with the grey and
muddy stream of the Mississippi. We stopped at the landing-place at the junction of the two
rivers, to wait for the steamer expected from New Orleans, and to take on board some of its
passengers. The Ohio is at this time too shallow for the large Mississippi steam-boats to ascend
it, and they, therefore, transfer their passengers to the smaller boats from St. Louis, Cincinnati,
Louisville, and Pittsburg, which, in the present instance, occasioned us a most unpleasant delay.
The Boonslick, a large boat from New Orleans, lay aground in the Mississippi, waiting to be
relieved. We therefore proceeded to her with a flat boat, by the aid of which she was lightened of
a part of her cargo, consisting of lead. This business detained our Metamore a considerable time,
after which we returned to the landing-place: we made use of this delay to undertake an excursion
into the forest which borders upon the town. Papilio Ajax and Turnus were very numerous,
and we caught a great many, especially of the former. In the shade of the forest we found the
red Mississippi tangara, which I had not before seen on my whole journey; and, likewise,
observed its nest, which did not seem to annoy the birds. The beautiful baltimore and many

other interesting birds were likewise frequent. At three o'clock the boat's bell summoned the
scattered party to return. Two large New Orleans steam-boats, the Mediterranean and the
Chester, now arrived. The former, which is the largest on the Mississippi, and about the size of
a frigate, only much higher, came along side our vessel. It had several cholera patients on board,
and two persons had died of that disorder during the voyage. It was by no means pleasant to us
to be obliged to receive passengers from this boat; nevertheless we took a good number of them
on board higher up the river, at Smithland, whither this large boat was able to accompany us. In
the evening we arrived at the village of Paduca, where we passed the night; and at noon the
following day (the 5th of June) reached Smithland at the mouth of Cumberland River, where we
stopped no longer than was necessary to receive the passengers from the Mediterranean; after
which we proceeded on our voyage, in calm, hot weather, up the Ohio, which appeared in all
its beauty, passed Cave-in-Rock (Vignette VII.), continued our voyage during the night, and early
in the morning of the 6th of June reached Mount Vernon, where we quitted the steamer. We
then procured a carriage (dearborn), and pursued our journey to Harmony by land.

This road, which I have already described, was extremely pleasant, on account of the
luxuriant foliage of the lofty forest, though the trees, especially the beeches, had in many
places suffered from the frost. The finest tulip, storax, and sassafras, with many other kinds,
spread a cool shade, while innumerable butterflies afforded us much entertainment. The ajax,
the blue and black philenor, the yellow and black turnus, &c., were countless. Our driver
frequently alighted from his seat to shoot with his rifle some grey squirrels, which are here very
common, for dinner. About noon we had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Say and our other
friends at Harmony, in good health. I here became acquainted with Mr. Robert Dale Owen,
a very well informed man, and derived much instruction and gratification from my conversation
with Messrs. Say, Lesueur, Owen, Macklure, Twigg, &c., by whom we were most kindly received.

On the 9th of June, after taking leave of our friends, I left New Harmony, with Mr.
Lesueur, to continue our journey by way of Vincennes, to which place Mr. Twigg accompanied
us on horseback.

The whole country through which we passed, except near Vincennes, close to the Wabash,
is an uninterrupted forest, in which the dwellings of the settlers or backwoodsmen lie scattered
on both sides of the wood. They are, as I have already described them, for the chief part,
block-houses, &c. and only here and there is a brick building to be seen. The fields are
everywhere surrounded with fences. The country soon becomes hilly, and the soil in the
vicinity of the Wabash is very fertile. The heat and dust were excessively annoying in this
dry season; however, fresh, cool water was everywhere to be found, each dwelling-house
being usually supplied with a well. A stranger is much struck with the dress of the women,
living in small, wretched cottages, where he not unfrequently sees, if not a lady in fashionable

attire, yet in a style of dress which, in Europe, he would neither look for nor see in habitations
far superior. In these little cages there are immense four-post bedsteads, which occupy nearly
the whole of the small chamber, which, like the cobler's stall, "serves for bedroom, parlour,
kitchen, and all." The door and windows of these hovels are generally open. Though the
weather was particularly dry this spring, the corn looked very well; the soil of the forest is
everywhere a very rick black mould, except in one place, where, for a couple of miles, sand
suddenly appears. Mr. Lesueur, who has often visited and examined this part of the country,
directed my attention to the entire change of vegetation. Instead of the many kinds of lofty
trees in the forests of Indiana, we find, in this sandy tract, the low, black oak, which is not
above thirty or forty feet high; as soon as that is passed the tall trees again appear. Here
the fallen trunks give a wild and romantic appearance to the forest, where great numbers of
cattle and swine were feeding. We here saw a place where the inhabitants of the neighbourhood
assemble for religious exercises, which are called camp meetings. These singular assemblies
have been described by many travellers, and Mrs. Trollope does not appear to have exaggerated
in her account of them. We observed vestiges of huts, fireplaces, and the eminences fenced
round, which serve as pulpits, from which their spiritual teachers preach. We stopped, at
noon, at a small village in the wood, consisting of only five or six houses, which is called
Owensville. Close to the cottage where we dined was a large clover field, in which innumerable
butterflies, especially ajax and philenor, were fluttering. Volney observes, that he travelled
through the extensive forest, from Louisville to Vincennes, in the month of July, without seeing
a single settlement, or hearing the song of a bird. The first part of this sentence is no longer
applicable; but I can confirm the latter, for which many authorities might be quoted.

Before evening we reached Prince Town, which is built with a large square in the centre.
We passed the night in a good inn, where, as is common in this country, a sort of punca was
suspended over the table in the dining-room; this was drawn backwards and forwards by a
negro, and served at once to cool the air, and to chase away the swarms of troublesome flies.
On the following day we passed through lofty and more thickly-wooded forests than yesterday,
consisting in many places of old beeches which had suffered much from the frost: indeed, both the
fruit and mast were destroyed completely by the frost in this part of the country. The catalpa
was in full blossom, but, though the ground was covered with a luxuriant growth of plants, none of
them were yet in flower. We saw numbers of the grey squirrel, which was served up to us in
the inn as a delicacy. Beautifully romantic little valleys intersect the tall and gloomy forest,
where we now and then met some farmers, whose wives were all on horseback, smoking their
pipes. After taking some dinner at an isolated saw-mill in the wood, we reached, three miles
further off, the White River, in a fertile valley, where the heat was very oppressive, because the

forest completely impeded any circulation of air. The wild vine flourishes here in great
luxuriance, the soil being very rich.

The White River is a fine stream, rather narrower at this place than the Wabash, and there
is a ferry to cross over to the other side. There the face of the country is considerably changed,
for, the soil being sandy, the vegetation of the sand and prairies of St. Louis again recurs. It
is worthy of remark, that all the plants in the sandy soil were now in flower, whereas in the rich
black mould of the forest none were yet in blossom.

When the rather hilly country on the White River was passed, it became flatter, and we at
length issued from the forest into the verdant plain of the Wabash, in which Vincennes is situated,
at the distance of twelve miles from the White River. As we approached Vincennes, we
observed, on the right hand, a hill covered with oak bushes, called Warrior's Hill, from which
the Americans observed the enemy when they took this place from the English.

Vincennes is one of the most ancient settlements of the French, founded in 1736. There
was formerly a fort here, belonging to the series of posts by which a communication was kept up
in this wilderness. It was subsequently called Old Post, and is said to have received its present
name from a Captain Vincennes, who possessed the confidence of the Indians, and to whom they
presented a piece of land. It is now a mean-looking, scattered place, consisting of several unpaved
streets, on the bank of the Wabash. Many old buildings are still to be seen, remaining from
the time in which so many French settlements were founded in the west. Most of the houses
built at that time are small, and have only one story; which is likewise the case at Vincennes,
but the Americans have, however, erected many new brick buildings. The court-house, standing
at the verge of the prairie, is, as usual, a square edifice, covered with white plaster. The
descendants of the French, of whom there are many families, do not belong to the better class
of the inhabitants, but are low, ignorant, and superstitious. The place is, however, thriving, and
promises to possess, in time, a considerable trade. Many Americans have settled in it, and
some of them have well furnished shops: but a bookseller who set up a shop there met with
no encouragement whatever, and was obliged to leave.

In front of the house of the former governor, which stands in a pleasant open spot near the
river, are some ancient shady trees, and a garden, containing many rare and beautiful plants, is
attached to it; formerly it was kept in good order, but it is now sadly neglected and suffered to
run to ruin.

We put up, in Vincennes, at Clarke's Hotel, where the stages start from; and I intended to
proceed on my journey the following day, but the landlord and postmaster declared, rather laconically,
that I must wait for the next opportunity, because our baggage was too heavy. This
caused a delay of two days, which I endeavoured, in Mr. Lesueur's company, to turn to the best

account. Mr. Badolet, of Geneva, who has long resided at this place, and is thoroughly acquainted
with the country, was unfortunately indisposed. He takes much interest in the promotion of
knowledge, and through his instrumentality a library has been formed, which, though still in its
infancy, consists of about 1500 volumes. New books are added every year, and there are already
some valuable works. Mr. Badolet likewise purchased the well preserved lower jaw of a mastodon,
which was found in the White River. Mr. Lesueur made a drawing of this jawbone, which
is deposited in the library. Another interesting character lives here, but forgotten, neglected,
and in great poverty—I mean Colonel Vigo, who rendered important services to the Americans at
the capture of Vincennes. They, indeed, gave him the rank of colonel, but suffer him to starve.

In our excursions in the vicinity of this place we found many interesting plants. Mr. Bodmer
took a view of Vincennes from the top of Warrior's Hill; while Mr. Lesueur visited the Indian
barrows, of which there are several in the plain, and which the French settlers call mamelon.
One of these hills was examined on a former occasion, and an excavation made through a
wolf's den on one side of it, but nothing was taken from it but white clay; without doubt the
examination must have been superficial.

On the 13th of June we parted from our friend, Mr. Lesueur, and left Vincennes by the
stage. We first passed through a tract of alternate meadows and thickets, and then, for a couple
of miles, through the unbroken forests which characterize Indiana. After proceeding thirteen
miles we came to a solitary post-house in the wood, where breakfast was ready, and of which we
partook while they were changing horses. We then crossed in a ferry, an arm of White River,
which runs between picturesque wooded banks. The roads were bad; decayed trunks of trees
were constantly in the way; the ground broken and uneven; and our stage, drawn by four very
spirited horses, sustained many a violent jolt. We came to Washington and Mount Pleasant,
where the farmers were cultivating their fields, in which isolated trees were frequently seen, but
which afforded no shade from the sultry sun, for they were all destroyed by the fire. They are
cut down, from time to time, when the people are in want of timber; and, as a sign that they are
to be felled in the next winter, a circular ring is hewn into the bark. It is said to be very
difficult to cultivate the land in Indiana, on account of the extremely vigorous vegetation.
Except in the vicinity of the Wabash and the White River, it is, however, not so fertile as in
Illinois, where, in the environs of Springfield, for instance, it is scarcely necessary to do
more than hoe the ground, in order to obtain the finest crops. An acre of land there
yields from sixty to eightly bushels of maize, and fifty bushels of wheat. The effects of the
frost were everywhere visible on the trees: it had caused much damage, and killed all the
fruit for this year. The fruits of the field were about as forward as they would be on the
Rhine at this season. In the plantations there were great numbers of oxen, horses, sheep,
and swine, the former of which were particularly large and handsome. At Mount Pleasant we

found in the inn a good many books lying about; among them were some geographical works.
From this place we descended an eminence to the bank of the second arm of the White River,
which flows through fine forests. The water was transparent, and the banks steep. Being set
over with a ferry, we came to a tall, gloomy forest, consisting almost wholly of large beech trees,
which afforded a most refreshing shade. The forest continued without intermission, but the
beeches were soon succeeded by other species of trees indigenous to this country. We passed the
most elevated part of the road through the picturesque forest scenes, where the lofty crowns of
the trees shut out the sky from our view. They were the most splendid forests I had yet seen
in North America. In the evening we stopped, twenty-three miles from Mount Pleasant, at a
capital inn, called Horsit, surrounded with farm buildings in good condition. We were quite
astonished at meeting, in this lone, wild, sequestered spot, with such a respectable house and table;
everything was particularly neat and comfortable. Early on the morning of the 14th we set out
again. About six miles further on, is the little town of Paoli, in a calcareous spot, where pieces
of limestone everywhere stand out. We then proceeded by the side of Litcreek, some miles
from whence the stage stopped, and the passengers breakfasted at the house of Chambers, a
quaker. We were told that this part of the country is very salubrious, and the air extremely
pure, but it takes strangers some time to get accustomed to the water, which is impregnated
with lime. We saw numbers of horses in the forest, but the breed is not so good in Indiana
as in other states. At Greenville, a small village, was a large concourse of the neighbouring
farmers, whose horses and vehicles were tied to the fences. They had come to take part in the
election of some magistrate. The heat was excessive, and the dust very troublesome. Several
parties of farmers were in the public-houses, where a rude, noisy crowd were drinking whisky and
playing at various games. We soon reached the summit of the calcareous chain of hills, which
we had ascended gradually and imperceptibly, and approached the southern declivity, where
an extensiveand magnificent prospect opened before us. The wide valley, or, rather, the vast plain
of the Ohio, suddenly unfolds itself to the eye of the astonished traveller. As far as the eye can
reach, a dense, uninterrupted forest covers the country, and the beauteous river, like a streak of
silver, meanders through the landscape. In the distance lie the red masses of the houses of the
towns of Louisville and New Albany, which extend on both sides of the Ohio. We soon passed
the slope of the chain, and drove rapidly through a highly cultivated country to New Albany,
on the banks of the river.

I did not stop at New Albany, where there had lately been several cases of cholera, but proceeded
to Louisville, where we soon arrived, and embarked the same evening, on board the Paul
Jones steamer. In this town, too, there had been some cases of cholera, but the people did not
seem to be afraid of that disorder. After proceeding about thirty miles up the Ohio, some accident
happened to our engine, and we were obliged to lay-to. On the following day, the 15th, the

forests of the Ohio appeared in the luxuriant verdure of the varied foliage of their lofty trees,
among which the colossal planes were especially conspicuous. Near Kentucky River our engine
again broke; it was, however, repaired, during the night, at Vevay.

On the 16th we reached Rising Sun, saw Petersburg and Aurora, where the United States
mail steam-boat, the Franklin, passed rapidly by us, then came to Lawrenceburg, and arrived
about noon at Cincinnati.

Cincinnati is a considerable town, and carries on an extensive trade, and is frequented by
numerous steam-boats, of which a considerable number were now lying on the banks of the Ohio.
Many travellers have already described everything worthy of notice in this town, and I will, therefore,
only mention some establishments connected with natural history, which we were now able
to visit at our leisure, as we were no longer apprehensive of the cholera. The Western
Museum, belonging to Mr. Dorfeuille, which Mrs. Trollope has described, is the only one worthy
of notice. I observed several interesting articles, though all American establishments of this
kind are calculated, not for the advantage of science, but for pecuniary gain. This museum is
lighted up every evening at eight o'clock, and an indifferent concert is performed, chiefly by
Germans. In one of the rooms was a small fountain, round which the visitors sat upon benches,
gazing at it with astonishment. The owner has a taste for the sciences, and would pay greater
attention to them, if he met with more encouragement to do so; but his museum did not attract
many visitors till he introduced, in the upper rooms, an absurd representation of hell. Grottoes, in
which a number of frightful skeletons are moving about, and among whom the devil acts a principal
part; these, and other hideous scenes, attract the vulgar multitude, and bring considerable profit.
Mr. Dorfeuille has, however, several interesting specimens, such as petrifactions, fossil impressions,
Indian antiquities, Mexican curiosities, and some fragments of parchment with hieroglyphics
painted on them; the best of which, however, was at this time in the hands of Mr. Bullock, an
Englishman, who resides some miles from hence, and which I therefore did not see.

On examining the booksellers' shops, I found only some elegantly bound works on the belles
lettres, a few on the statistics of different countries, but none relating to natural history, nor any
portraits or history of the too much neglected Indian nations. I there formed several valuable
acquaintances, among others, Dr. Daniel Drake, who is well known as an author, and whose work,
"The Picture of Cincinnati," and other essays, prove that he has not neglected the study of nature.
I met with many old acquaintances, among others, Mr. Richard Owen, of New Harmony; and
in all my excursions saw great numbers of Germans, of whom it is estimated that 10,000 reside
here. German is everywhere spoken. German peasants arrived continually, and traversed the
streets, but most of them are of the lowest and most uneducated class, and are not calculated to
give the Americans a favourable impression of our nation. Instead of going immediately into
the country, and hiring themselves to the farmers, in order to learn the nature of the agriculture

of this country, they loiter about the town, where they fall into the hands of abandoned
countrymen of their own, squander the little property they have brought with them, and are then
despised by the inhabitants. At present, however, there are many respectable and intelligent
Germans here, who have already contributed to give the Americans a more favourable opinion of
our people. Some of these estimable men have conceived the laudable plan of establishing a
society for the protection and settlement of their countrymen, which will certainly prove highly
useful.

On the 19th of June I left this town on board the United States mail-boat, Guyandotte,
and proceeded up the Ohio. The Lady Scott steamer set out at the same time with us, but our
steamer soon left her far behind. As slavery is abolished in the state of Ohio, the crew of
our vessel were nearly all white men. There are three such mail-boats, which have to forward
the despatches of the government, but they perform this office only occasionally, because they
receive only five dollars each time. The most rapid vessels are chosen for this service; they
have the words, "United States Mail," painted on their paddle-box.

About noon, on the 20th of June, we lay-to at Portsmouth, above the mouth of the Sciotto
River, and I landed at this place, intending to proceed on the Ohio Canal.