Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1806-02-24
CONG RESS
or THE
UNITED STATES
or THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Wedueday February 8.
The following message was received from
the president of the us.

the president of the US.
s TO the Senate and Hoase OF Representatives,,
ofthe u. States.
In pursuance OF measure proposed to
congress by message of January 1S, 1903,
and sanctioned by their appropriations for
carry1ng IL into execution, captain Merrl-
s wesher Lewis Of the ist regiment otintan-
sr,.s was appointed with party OF men to
s exs,e,ret he river Missouri, from its mouth
"a rs. source and crossing the highlands
b. the shortest portage,to seek the best
,vater communication thence to the Pacific
Ocean. aud lieutenant Clark, was appolns-
ed second IN command. Iney were 60
an.er iuto conference with the Indian
oa,;nns on their route, with view TO the
establishment of commerce with them
'pbev entered the Missouri May II, 1904,
!. and on the Ist of November took up their
winner quarters near the Mandan towns,
1909 miles above the mouth OF the river,
IN latitude Al degrees 2l minutes, ~ sec.
north, and longitude 90 degrees "a MI
nutes, As sec. wess from Greenwich. On the
ath. Of Apyil 1905, they proceeded up
s 1he river in pursuance tf the objects pre-
soribed 70 them. A letter of the preced-.
5 Ing day April z, from captain Lewis, is
herewith communicated. Durlng ms stay
among the Mandans, he had been able
70 lay down the Missouri, according to the
courses and distances. taken on his passage
! mn il corrected by frequent observations
OF longitude and latitude; aud TO add to
the actual survey of this portion OF the ri.
yer, general map of the country between
the Mississippi and the Pacific, from the
4s24th to the 56th degree oflatitude. These
additions are from information collected
from Indians, with whom ne had opportu-
! mites of communicating, during his jour
s-ney and residence with them. Copies OF
fhis map are now presented TO both houses
of congress. With these communicate also
a statistical view, procured and forwarded
by him, of the Indian nations inhabltmg
the territory of Louisiana, and the coun.
4ries adjacent 20 It's northern and western
borders. of their eommerces aad OF other
interesting circumstances respecting them.
To order 70 render the statement as COM
plete as NAV be, of the Indians inhabiting
ihe country west of the Mississippi, add
DIR. Sibley's, account OF those residing IN
and adjacent 10 the territory OF Orleans.
I communicate also from the same per.
son, an account of the Red river, accord
ing TO the information he had been q"
sble to collect.
Having been disappointed after consl.
derable preparation, in the purpose of send.
imp an exploring party up that river IN the
summer of 1904, it was thought best to
employ the autumn of thatyear IN procur-
ing knowledge of an interesting branch
of the river called the -Washita. This was
undertaken under the direction or Mr..
Dunbar OF Natchez, a citizen or distln.
unished science, who had aided and contl-
Sues 20 aid us, with his disinterested aud
valnable services in the prosecution OF
these enterprises. He assembled the river
20 the remarkable Hotspriugs near II, in
latitude 81, S1-4,'16, longitude %, SO,
]. as. west from Greenwich, taking its cours.
es and distances, and correcting them by
frequent celestial observations. Extracts
from his observations. and copies of his
map of the river, from It's mouthto the
Hotsprings, makepart of the present com
ynunications. The examination of Red
river itself is but now commencing.
Ta:JEFFERSON.
February 19, 1906.
Ordered, That 1000 copies of the mes.
sage, together with the accompanying CONF
snSnicasion, be printed for the use of the
members.
Mr.. I. Clay madesa reporton the Pc
tision of William Lewis and Hugh Max
well, recommending the purchasing frena
shena 4 certain. number of copies of the
Journals Of the old congress within q limit.
ed price.