XXXIX. XXXIX
LEWIS TO AUGUSTE CHOUTEAU
XXXIX. [From Billon's Annals of St. Louis(St. Louis, 1886), pp. 384, 385.]
St. Louis, Jan'y 4, 1804.
Sir: I have taken the liberty to add to this, additional questions of
a mixed nature relating to Upper Louisiana, your answers to which will
be extremely gratifying, and very gratefully acknowledged.
Your friend and Ob't Servant,
Meriwether Lewis,
Capt. 1st U. S. Regt. Infy.
Mr. Aug's. Chouteau,
Mixed questions relating to Upper Louisiana.
1.
What is the present population?
2.
What is the number of Emigrants from the United States into
this country since the last year, ending Oct. 31, 1803, and what is the
proportion of this kind of people, to the other free white population of
Upper Louisiana?
3.
What number of slaves and other people of colour?
4.
What is the quantity of land granted, or which is claimed by
individuals? The nature of the right, or pretensions by which the
present possessors hold these lands? and the probable proportions of
the whole amount which is separately held by these respective titles?
5.
What is the condition of the inhabitants in general in regard to
wealth? and what kind of property generally constitutes that wealth?
6.
What is the situation and extent of the several settlements? and
what is the prospect of each to become the most peopled? that is to
say (allowing as a rule a family for each mile square) what proportion
does the remaining population of each settlement bear to the remaining
number of square miles she contains.
7.
What is the condition of Agriculture? and what improvements,
and to what extent, have been made on newly inhabited lands?
8.
What is the probable amount in dollars of goods annually brought
into Upper Louisiana? What proportion of them is intended for the
consumption of her people, and what proportion for her Indian Trade?
What proportion of all her entries arrives by way of Canada, New
Orleans, or the United States?
9.
What is the amount in dollars of the annual exports of Upper
Louisiana? Of what articles do they consist in, and what proportion
goes out by each of the routes, Canada, New Orleans, or the United
States?
10.
What are the names and nick-names of all the villages of Upper
Louisiana? Where are they situated? When established, and the
number of houses and people they contain at present?
11.
What are your mines and minerals? Have you lead, iron,
copper, pewter, gypsum, salts, salines, or other mineral waters, nitre,
stone-coal, marble, lime-stone, or any other mineral substance? Where
are they situated, and in what quantities found?
12.
Which of those mines or salt springs are worked? and what
quantity of metal or salt is annually produced?
13.
What are the animals, birds and fish of Louisiana? and what
their form, appearance, habits, dispositions, of those especially that are
not abundant in the inhabited parts of the country?
