Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1805-07-10
LEXINGTON, (Ken.) July I.

mouth ofthe Missouri on the 1871 OF May
18o4.
4 An express with dispatches from their
winter quarters, which left them on the
18th of April, has returned to- St. LOUIS.
By the express letters were received from
captain Clark, tohis correspondents IN Ken.
tucky. A gentleman from Jefferson county
has obligingly favored the editor OF the
Kentucky Gazette, with the following ac-
count which he obtained from one OF the
men who returned with the express. & from
letters from some of the party. They for
tilted themselves in November last, on the
bank of the Missouri, sixteen hundred and
nine miles from the mouth, by actual mea-
sure ment, in latitude AZ, 81, North called
the Fort Mandane, after a nation OF lndl.
ans who reside in the nelgsborhood, and
who have been very friendly to than. Ga
! their passage up, they were delighted with
the beautiful appearance OF the country, tor
about 200 leagues, Or to the mouth OF the
river La Plate, which comes in from the
south; after which to their winter quar-
tiers, it is described not to be SO fertile. The
person who brought the dispatches speaks
of the opening made By the river, being a.
bout one mile wide with high cliffs on each
fside. The bed of the river occupies about
"a fourth part oft, the reunainde, OF the
bottom entirely composed OF coarse sand,
covered with cotton wosd. The bottom
is continually giving way either on one side
or the other, and gaming on the opposite
side. The cliffs in some places are covered
with red cedar, which with the cotton and
la few small black ash trees, is the on
| " timber described to be in that country.
Prom the height, there is not tree or
lswig to be seen, as far as the sight can ex.
tend, or as they have explored. Out from
the river the land goes of perfectly level,
with but few exceptions and their plains
covered with grass. Til y passed the
mouths of number of streams, the most
! ofwhich had names given by the French.
| One they have named Floyd's river TO per-
petuate the name of young man, of their
party, named Charles Floyd, who died
much regretted on the 2Oth August. -
They represent the Indians to have been
friendly, with but a few exceptions. The
Sioux are the most numerous, are organ
lied in bacds bearing different names,
move abou, from place TO place, from the
banks of the river QUITO the, plains, 10 pur-
suit Of game and plumber having no fixed
place of residence, and in a continual state
of warfare.
These were the most troublesome Indi.
| ans to the party of discovery. as they
expressed jealousy, least they would supply
their enemies higher up with arms,~ac.
The higher up they went, the more friend
| ~ they found the, sapages, and the better
armed. They have a more regular trade
with the North West Company, and the
Hudson bay company; which supplies come
60 them by the way of Lake Winnepeck.
! The Mandsnes cultivate corn, which is ola
small kind, from whom the party was sup.
tplied during the winter, and their hunters
1 kept the m in abundance of meat.
/ Buffaloes are said to be in great num-
bers, aud of large size. Two description
Of deer are described; those resembling
the common kind of this country being lar
ger, and the tails Is inches Ing, and the
hair much longer on their bodies; the o.
Ither kind having a black tail. Elks and
goats are numerous. The grouse, praire
hen are in plenty and before the closing
of the river 10 the fall, water fowls in album
dance. Fish scarce, and those principally
Fof the Cat kind. Some of the white bear
skius had been brought to the fort by visit
I ing Indians from higher up; bu, the party
: had seen none of those animals. The In.
&. dams keep horses, which are used entirely
for the chase, and in war.
1 From such Information as they have re-
I: ceived OF the country above there, it is a.
): bout 600 miles to the great falls, which are
made BY aledge of mountains, called Rocky