Chapter III: Preface

To those who vaguely peruse the narratives of travellers for pastime or transitory amusement, the present volume is by no means addressed. It is no part of the author’s ambition to study the gratification of so fastidious a taste as that, which but too generally governs the readers of the present day; a taste, which has no criterion but passing fashion, which spurns at every thing that possesses not the charm of novelty, and the luxury of embellishment. We live no longer in an age that tolerates the plain “unvarnished tale.” Our language must now be crowded with the spoils of those which are foreign to its native idiom; it must be perplexed by variety, and rendered ambiguous and redundant by capricious ornament. Hermes, no longer the plain messenger of the gods, exercises all his deceit, and mingles luxury in the purest of intellectual streams.

Had I solely consulted my own gratification, the present volume would probably never have been offered to the public. But, as it may contain some physical remarks connected with the history of the country, and with that {vi} of the unfortunate aborigines, who are so rapidly dwindling into oblivion, and whose fate may, in succeeding generations, excite a curiosity and compassion denied them by the present, I have considered myself partly excused in offering a small edition to the scientific part of the community, just sufficient to defray the expenses of the printer, who kindly undertook the publication at his own risk. I may safely say, that hitherto, so far from writing for emolument, I have sacrificed both time and fortune to it. For nearly _ten_ years I have travelled throughout America, principally with a view of becoming acquainted with some favourite branches of its natural history. I have had no other end in view than personal gratification, and in this I have not been deceived, for innocent amusement can never leave room for regret. To converse, as it were, with nature, to admire the wisdom and beauty of creation, has ever been, and I hope ever will be, to me a favourite pursuit. To communicate to others a portion of the same amusement and gratification has been the only object of my botanical publications; the most remote idea of personal emolument arising from them, from every circumstance connected with them, could not have been admitted into calculation. I had a right, however, reasonably to expect from Americans a degree of candour, at least equal to that which my labours had met with in Europe. But I have found, what, indeed, I might have {vii} reason to expect from human nature, often, instead of gratitude, detraction and envy. With such, I stoop not to altercate; my endeavours, however imperfect, having been directed to the public good; and I regret not the period I have spent in roaming over the delightful fields of Flora, in studying all her mysteries and enigmas, if I have, in any instance, been useful to her cause, or opened to the idle wanderer one fruitful field for useful reflexion.

Not wishing to enlarge the present publication, or retard it by the addition of a voluminous appendix, I reserve for a subsequent volume, which will shortly be issued, _A general view and description of the aboriginal antiquities_ of the _western states_, and _some essays on the languages of the western Indians_, and their connection with those of other parts of the world, involving, in some measure, _a general view of language, both oral and graphical_.

The surveys and collections towards a history of the aboriginal antiquities, have remained unpublished in my possession for several years, and would have been longer withheld, in hopes of rendering them more complete, had not an unexpected anticipation obliged the author to hasten to do justice to himself, and claim, at least, that which was due to his personal industry.

The aboriginal languages of America, hitherto so neglected and unjustly consigned to oblivion as the useless relics of barbarism, are, {viii} nevertheless, perhaps destined to create a new era in the history of primitive language. In their mazes is infolded a history of morals, of remote connections, of vicissitudes and emigrations, which had escaped the circumstantial pen of history; and yet, however strange it may appear, are more durably impressed than if engraven upon tablets of brass, and possessed of an intrinsic veracity nothing short of inspiration.

The literary character of the aboriginal languages of America, have, of late years, begun to claim the attention of the learned both in Europe and America. The reports and correspondence of the Historical committee appointed by the American Philosophical Society, stand meritoriously preeminent in this research; and it must be highly gratifying to the public to know, that the same members continue still to labour in the field with unabated vigour. These various efforts united, I may venture to predict, will be crowned with successful discoveries which could not have been anticipated, and which will ultimately contribute towards the development of that portion of human history, which, above all others, appeared to be so impenetrably buried in oblivion.

_Philadelphia, November, 1821._

CONTENTS

CHAP. I.--Departure from Philadelphia. Geological remarks. Route through Harrisburgh and Carlisle to Cammel’s town. Loudon, and the adjacent mountain scenery. The North Mountain. Cove Mountain. Passage of the Juniata, and surrounding scenery. Bedford. Organic remains. The Alleghany Ridge. Stoy’s-town. First indications of bituminous coal. Laurel Mountain. Greensburgh. Arrival at Pittsburgh; manufactures; scenery, and peculiar character of its coal-mines.

CHAP. II.--Departure from Pittsburgh. Autumnal scenery. Georgetown. The unfortunate emigrant. Steubenville. Picturesque scenery. Wheeling. Little Grave creek, and the Great Mound. Other aboriginal remains. Marietta. Belpré settlement. Other ancient remains. Coal. Galliopolis. Ancient level of the alluvial forest. Misletoe. Aboriginal remains. Big Sandy creek, and commencement of Cane-land. Corn-husking. Salt creek. Maysville. Organic remains. Cincinnati. Lawrenceburgh. The French emigrant. Vevay. Madison. Louisville. Prevalence of particular winds on the Ohio. Falls of the Ohio.

CHAP. III.--Departure from Shippingsport. Velocity of the current. Troy. Owensville. Indigence of the hunting emigrants. Mounds. Evansville. The Diamond island. Shawneetown. Grandeur of the river, and the uncultivated state of the surrounding country. Fort Massac. Arrival at the mouth of the Ohio. Delayed by the ice of the Mississippi. {x} A visit from the Delaware and Shawnee Indians. Observations on their mutual jealousy and improvidence.

CHAP. IV.--Embark amidst the ice of the Mississippi. Run aground on Wolf’s island in attempting to land. Relieved from this situation, but find ourselves again involved in it, and are imposed upon by the extortion of a neighbouring voyager. Pass the Iron banks. Cypress. Solitude of the country. New Madrid. Oscillations of the earth still frequent. Point Pleasant. Vestiges of the great earthquake. The Little Prairie settlement almost destroyed by it. The Canadian reach. A dangerous and difficult pass of the river. The first Chickasaw Bluffs. Additional danger and uncertainty of the navigation. Stratification of the Bluff. A dangerous accident. The second Chickasaw Bluffs. Observations on their stratification.

CHAP. V.--Pass the third Chickasaw Bluff. Dangers of the navigation, and solitude of the country. The fourth Bluff of the Chickasaws. Lignite prevalent. Chickasaw Indians. St. Francis river. Depopulation of the neighbouring country. Trees of the alluvial forest. Destruction of the Big Prairie settlement. Scrub grass. Difficulties of the navigation. Changes of the soil, produced by the agency of the river. A visit from three of the Arkansa Indians. A dense fog over the river; the cause of it. Arrival near the mouth of the Arkansa and White river.

CHAP. VI.--Proceed up White river for the Arkansa. Suspicious conduct of one of the boatmen. Pass through the connecting bayou, and proceed up the Arkansa; its navigation; soil and surrounding scenery. A small French settlement. Extraordinary mildness of the season. Mounds. Changes in the alluvial lands produced by the agency of the river. Land speculators. Vegetation of the alluvial lands. The town or post of Arkansas. Enormous land {xi} claims. Difficulty of navigating against the current. The Great Prairie. First settlement on the Arkansa; its present state. Agricultural advantages arising from the mildness of the climate. Storax. Aboriginal remains. The Quapaws or Arkansas. Their traditions and character.

CHAP. VII.--Departure from Arkansas. Indian villages. Mooney’s settlement. Curran’s settlement. Interview with the Quapaw chief. The Pine Bluffs. Soil, climate, and productions. The Little Rock. Roads. Mountains. Vegetation. The Mamelle. Cadron settlement. Tumuli. Soil and climate. Pecannerie settlement. Mountains. Cherokees. The Magazine mountain. Dardanelle settlement. Manners and customs of the Cherokees. The war with the Osages.

CHAP. VIII.--Pass several inconsiderable rivulets, and obtain sight of the Tomahawk mountain and the Gascon hills. Mulberry creek; that of Vache Grasse. Lee’s creek. Prairies. Sugarloaf mountain. Arrive at the garrison of Belle Point. A change in the vegetation. The Maclura or Bow-wood. The garrison. Cedar prairie. Rare plants.

CHAP. IX.--Journey to Red river. Prairies and mountains of the Pottoe. Pass the dividing ridge. Kiamesha river. Arrival on the banks of Red river. The murder of a Cherokee; attempts to obtain redress. Wild horses. Character, geological structure, and rare vegetable productions of the prairies. Return to the garrison at Belle Point.

CHAP. X.--Continue my voyage up the Arkansa. Geological remarks. Pass several lesser rivulets, and the outlet of the Canadian and the Illinois. Salt springs. Obstructions in the navigation. Indications of coal. Pass Grand river, and enter the Verdigris.

CHAP. XI.--Character of the surrounding country of the Verdigris river. Remarks on the Osage Indians.

{xii} CHAP. XII.--An excursion up Grand River to visit the Osage salt works. Geological observations. Return across the prairie; its general appearance and phenomena.

CHAP. XIII.--Interviews with the Osages. Occasional observations on their manners, habits, &c. Sickness in the encampment.

CHAP. XIV.--Journey by land to the Great Salt river of the Arkansa. Proceed across the prairies to the Little North Fork of the Canadian. Detained by sickness. Continue up the Little North Fork, arrive at Salt river, and afterwards at the Arkansa. Molested and pursued by the Osages. Arrive again at the Verdigris, and proceed to the garrison. Conclusion of the treaty between the Osages and Cherokees.

CHAP. XV.--Proceed from the garrison to the Pecannerie settlement. Hot springs of the Washita. Phenomena of the seasons.

CHAP. XVI.--Cadron settlement. Arrive at Arkansas. Continue to the Mississippi. The wandering fanatics. Pirates. Natchez; stratification of its site, and remarks on its agricultural productions. The Choctaws. Fort Adams. Point Coupé. Baton Rouge. Opulent Planters. New-Orleans.