University of Virginia Library

LIV. LIV

LEWIS TO JEFFERSON

LIV. [From original MS. in Bureau of Rolls—Jefferson Papers, series 2, vol. 51, doc. 107. First
printed, in revised form, in connection with Jefferson's message to Congress, Feb. 19, 1806; and
later, in other places. It is generally misdated "April 17th" instead of 7th.]

Dear Sir: Herewith inclosed you will receive an invoice of certain
articles, which I have forwarded to you from this place. among other
articles, you will observe by reference to the invoice, 67. specimens of
earths, salts and minerals; and 60 specimens of plants: these are
accompanyed by their rispective labels expressing the days on which
obtained, places where found, and also their virtues and properties when
known. by means of these labels, reference may be made to the Chart
of the Missouri forwarded to the Secretary at War, on which, the
encampment of each day has been carefully marked; thus the places at
which these specimens have been obtained may be easily pointed out, or
again found, should any of them prove valuable to the community on
further investegation. (these have been forwarded with a view of their
being presented to the Philosophical society of Philadelphia, in order
that they may under their direction be examined or analyzed. after
examining these specimens yourself, I would thank you to have a copy
of their labels made out, and retained untill my return. the other articles
are intended particularly for yourself, to be retained, or disposed off as
you may think proper.)

You will also receive herewith inclosed a part of Capt. Clark's private
journal, the other part you will find inclosed in a separate tin box. this
journal (is in it's original state, and of course incorrect, but it) will serve
to give you the daily detales of our progress, and transactions. (Capt.
Clark dose not wish this journal exposed in it's present state, but has
no objection, that one or more copies of it be made by some confidential
person under your direction, correcting it's gramatical errors &c. indeed
it is the wish of both of us, that two of those copies should be made, if
convenient, and retained untill our return; in this state there is no
objection to your submitting them to the perusal of the heads of the

departments, or such others as you may think proper. a copy of this
journal will assist me in compiling my own for publication after my
return.) I shall dispatch a canoe with three, perhaps four persons, from
the extreem navigable point of the Missouri, or the portage betwen this
river, and the Columbia river, as either may first happen; by the return
of this canoe, I shal send you my journal, and some one or two of the
best of those kept by my men. I have sent a journal kept by one of
the Sergeants,[1] to Capt Stoddard, my agent at St. Louis, in order as
much as possible to multiply the chances of saving something. we
have encouraged our men to keep journals, and seven of them do so, to
whom in this respect we give every assistance in our power.

I have transmitted to the Secretary at War, every information relative
to the geography of the country which we possess, together with a
view of the Indian nations, containing information relative to them, on
those points with which, I conceived it important that the government
should be informed. (If it could be done with propriety and convenience,
I should feel myself much obliged by your having a copy taken
of my dispatches to the Secretary at War, on those subjects, retaining
them for me untill my return.) By reference to the Muster-rolls forwarded
to the War Department, you will see the state of the party; in
addition to which, we have two Interpreters, one negroe man, servant
to Capt. Clark, one Indian woman, wife to one of the interpreters, and
a Mandan man, whom we take with a view to restore peace between
the Snake Indians, and those in this neighborhood amounting in total
with ourselves to 33 persons. by means of the Interpreters and Indians,
we shall be enabled to converse with all the Indians that we shall
probably meet with on the Missouri.

I have forwarded to the Secretary at War, my public Accounts
rendered up to the present day. they have been much longer delayed
than I had any idea that they would have been, when we departed from
the Illinois, but this delay, under the circumstances which I was compelled
to act, has been unavoidable.[2] The provision peraque and her
crew, could not have been dismissed in time to have returned to
St. Louis last fall without evedently in my opinion, hazarding the fate
of the enterprise in which I am engaged, and I therefore did not hesitate
to prefer the sensure that I may have incurred by the detention of

these papers, to that of risking in any degree the success of the expedition.
to me, the detention of those papers have formed a serious source
of disquiet and anxiety; and the recollection of your particular charge
to me on this subject, has made it still more poignant. I am fully
aware of the inconvenience which must have arrisen to the War Department,
from the want of these vouchers previous to the last session of
Congress, but how to divert[3] it was out of my power to devise.—

From this plase we shall send the barge and crew early tomorrow
morning with orders to proceed as expeditiously as possible to St. Louis,
by her we send our dispatches, which I trust will get safe to hand. Her
crew consists of ten ablebodied men well armed and provided with a
sufficient stock of provision to last them to St. Louis. I have but little
doubt but they will be fired on by the Siouxs; but they have pledged
themselves to us that they will not yeald while there is a man of them
living.

Our baggage is all embarked on board six small canoes and two
perogues; we shall set out at the same moment that we dispatch the
barge. one or perhaps both of these perogues we shall leave at the falls
of the Missouri, from whence we intend continuing our voyage in the
canoes and a perogue of skins, the frame of which was prepared at
Harper's ferry. this perogue is now in a situation which will enable
us to prepare it in the course of a few hours. as our vessels are now
small and the current of the river much more moderate, we calculate on
traveling at the rate of 20 or 25 miles pr. day as far as the falls of the
Missouri. beyond this point, or the first range of rocky Mountains
situated about 100 miles further, any calculation with rispect to our
daily progress, can be little more than bare conjecture. the circumstance
of the Snake Indians possessing large quantities of horses, is
much in our favour, as by means of horses, the transportation of our
baggage will be rendered easy and expeditious over land, from the
Missouri, to the Columbia river. should this river not prove navigable
where we first meet with it, our present intention is, to continue our
march by land down the river untill it becomes so, or to the Pacific
Ocean. The map, which has been forwarded to the Secretary at War,
will give you the idea we entertain of the connection of these rivers,
which has been formed from the corresponding testimony of a number
of Indians who have visited that country, and who have been seperately
and carefully examined on that subject, and we therefore think it entitled
to some degree of confidence.

Since our arrival at this place we have subsisted principally on meat,

with which our guns have supplyed us amply, and have thus been enabled
to reserve the parched meal, portable Soup, and a considerable
proportion of pork and flour, which we had intended for the more
difficult parts of our voyage. if Indian information can be credited,
the vast quantity of game with which the country abounds through
which we are to pass leaves us but little to apprehend from the want
of food.

We do not calculate on completeing our voyage within the present
year, but expect to reach the Pacific Ocean, and return, as far as the
head of the Missouri, or perhaps to this place before winter. you may
therefore expect me to meet you at Montochello in September 1806.

On our return we shal probably pass down the yellow stone river,
which from Indian informations, waters one of the fairest portions of
this continent.

I can foresee no material or probable obstruction to our progress, and
entertain therefore the most sanguine hopes of complete success. As
to myself individually I never enjoyed a more perfect state of good
health, than I have since we commenced our voyage. my inestimable
friend and companion Capt. Clark has also enjoyed good health generally.
At this moment, every individual of the party are in good health,
and excellent sperits; zealously attatched to the enterprise, and anxious
to proceed; not a whisper of discontent or murmur is to be heard
among them; but all in unison, act with the most perfect harmoney.
with such men I have every thing to hope, and but little to fear.

Be so good as to present my most affectionate regard to all my
friends, and be assured of the sincere and unalterable attatchment of