The Sun.
London, England, 1814-08-31 00:00:00

THE 'SUN REVIEW.

(No. X X'X

Tr..z7els to the SOurre of the Missowi Rivir, and 4trh.frk he
.4»teriecni Contioen-t to' the Padie
sOceali; perfmned
order of the Gmexam:eat 'of the United States, in the yeii;
1904, 5; and a, liyCaPtai LlA,ts. and OA Pahlisho
from the OfficFai Itepiort, anti, illustrated by ..11114 of the
Ito- •e and other Maps.—LONGMAN, lIURST, REES, '9limE,
and BitOWN. IVI4. 4to. pp. C 63.
[Contiliued 'trots Tut Spy of satura'ay.)
Having in I)tfrilitroductory remarks noticed the

open tleelaratioit of the American rinftrunfeilt

that 'the conqueit of 'the Canailits had not only
,ever been, was, anti ivoulct, till eventually aceotp-
plished, he theiibhjeet,,anti the subject of the wort
under Our re‘iiewheing:iiitirc applicable to the Ambi-
tions projects Of these rtepublicans on the Other sitle
of ticeir already prodigious dominions., We Shall
for the pres'ent take bui• Faye of their general
views of
,territoliai'aggranditerbent, and proceed
. the more .limited and hnnietliatc direction of,
those views towards the Mit'siSsipi and Missouri,
and all the western division of the innuense con-
tinent which li'es between these rivers. and the;

Northern Pacific Ocean.
In 1.806 Mr. Jr,Freasot4, the then 'President of
the United Statei, delivered to Congress a Mes-
'sage, in which he detailed the progress of ,Captains.
LEwis and CLARKE, in consequence of their ap-
pointment in Jan. 1803 to explore, the:Missonri
frOtit its mouth to its source, and crossing the
highlands by the shortest passage, to seek the
hest water communication thence to the Pacific
Ocean.• He detailed their entrance into the Mis-
soari,.May 14, 1804-, their progress up 'to winter
quarters near the -Mandan Towns, 1609 Miles
aboVe` the mouth -Ot the river, Nov. I Oat. 47
2.1, 47 sec. ainl long. 99 Min. 2cl, 45 set.
west from Greenwich): '('heir second departure
in April 1805, from this plaCe, and progress to the
sources.ot the Missouri, 3000 miles from its mouth
in August—their, descent of the Columbia—their
observati'Ons-on.the Indian tribes, their negocia-
tions with them, the information they had ob-
tained, &c. ; all which matters are now given to
'the .wOrld by the publication of the volume be-
fore us, which is the official journal of this extra-
ordinary and interesting-Journey. •
In this country nature is.seen Upon the grandest

Rivers, navigable, for three thousand miles,

and forests, which seem from their extent and
magnitude to be co-eval with creation, form a
part of the stupendousaml: majestic 'scenery. For
these, however, otir travellers had not so ninth
feeling as for the task olimposing upon
.the In-
dian tribes notions at, the.mighty power and: in-
fluence of the United, States. Yet, in spite of
themselves, notes of admiration are occasionally
elicited by the magnificent beauties by which they
went-su,rrOunded. The plain and somewhat too
iniutit. narrative of daily transactions displays
little of Mind ; but, to those who are only de-
sirous of ascertaining facts from travellers, con-
veys a great deal of curious and novel informa-
tion, -In fact, the portion of .the globe here de-
scribed, was' till now a terra incognita; and though
its generaffeatures resemble those of parts of this
vast Continent formerly explipred, there are caomr
of distinguishing marks to excite much interest,
and to satisfy a large share of curiosity'.---To this
e ought to add, that there are two maps which
afford particular, and we should imagine, as they
are laid down from actual observation, accurate
ideas, of the topography of the immense tract
%iateted by the Missouri.
Before we proceed to make our intended ex-
tracts from so fruitful a source, we-might in per-
fect good humour notice, that the work has not.
been very well ircm;4,2lo. The Yankee gibberish
is so unpoliShed and nninclligible, that it would
have• been right,,in titeFinglish Editor to -hale
taken greater liberties he appears to have
done with his original. Had he compressed and
altered a little more than he has done, the pub-

licatio►t xrould have been bene-itted by it, anti we
should not hate tntt with an-abundance of Words.
`and phrases which We really do not understand;
such as prairies, portages, prairie-olves, bayous,
bluffs, ovate forms, gigtish, &c. • &e, Neither
would we have been offended with a general
looseneSs of style, the substitution of singu-
lars for plurals; and plurals, for singulars,
and all the reins sirens of American litera-

t►ue. There are One or two other points
which the slihr.df the English Editor alight have
amended, but pi-obeilt he Was restrained, by
'weighty nntsons, frginllnterfering with either the

Manner or matter of the narrative. Like CooKE's
Life, 'by another Transatlantic Author, there is a
good deal too much of the daily adventures ; how
many buffaloes shot,,,houf, many fish caught, or
wolves or squirrels seen ; •and though the real in-
forination is, at the saute time, highly valuable,
we should be happy to acquire it at a less price.
Tire American Captains appear 'to he mainly
,ig-.
norant of botany, chemistry, iiiiineralOgy, and ge-
ology. We greatly miss the Linnean and scienti-
fic names cif the.vegetable productions which they
mention, and their errors, ins mistaking talc for
quartz,--;-their 'blunders, abthit :carbonated wood,
&c. render the little stated on the mineral and che-
mical world very unsatisfactory'. We should also
have rejoiced had they been .further communica--
tive on the natitraVhistory of the numberless ani-
mals which passed in'review before them. They
eugtet to have‘recollected,•that though familiar to
them, some hecottnts of the. variety of elk, deer,
nniledeer, billtal6es, beavers, goats, wolves, cat-
fish; barking squirrels; &c. would have been highly
gratifying to their readeri.
It is but justice, howeVer, to remark, that as
this Journey was undertaken with different and
political views., we have no right to complain 'of
its wanting those. thinga which .ordinary travel-
lers,• whO write to amuse the world, .and. not to
inform a Government, are so prone to enlarge
upon. •On the contrary, we have reason to be
satisfied with the number of new facts, and the
(imiutitv„,f excellent,ioformation, which are.here
prodisced.l;AbUtithltrk;is, perhaps, more cause for
this feeling Allan' for complaints of 'barrenueSs;
(though grumbling is .a Critic's privilege), our
licaaerS maliprOballiy be convinced by the en_
suing.e-xtracts.
(To,be continued to-morrow.)