Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1826-04-14

From re Missouri .?dr9caie
New route IN the Paciac Ocean, discovered Ivy Gen. WILL
LIAM II. ASHLEY, during his late Expedition the
Rocky Mountains
The Ga'eral Government having under consideration
oprety oi establishing military post some poiu with
in our T ritoal limits the coast of the acifc the
PRESENTS, perhaps the opriate time to con,nun
cate any Information, which may tcnd to fari-
itac the e"nsummation of i,i opinion
! mech national importance.
Heretofore those barriers OF nature the Rocky
Mountains, have been called up in judgment against the
facticaHii';y OF establishing communication between
this point and te Profile Ocean the great Author Of
nature IN ms wisdom, has prepared aud individual enter
prise discovered that easy is tho way" that
thousands may irav"! 1t in safety, without meeting With
any o5Strurtio" deserving the name a mountain.
Ihe route proposed after leaving st. and passing
generally on the North side of the Missouri River strikes
the rIver Platte short distance above junction " the
missouri; then prSues the e: the Platte 70 their
sources and in continuation, head waters Of
what Gen Ashley believes be the Rio c, dorado of ,c
Hcsanh strikes for the first time, ridge single con-
Meeting chain of mountains, running from = oh to Sa
ihis, however presents no difficulty, wide gap is
ound' apparently prepared for the purpose of MASSAGE
river, called by Gen. Ashrv the Buenavenura and runs
with that river 20 the Pacific Ocean.
Ih&frce Of he country, in the general IS Il continuation
"i hish rugged aud barren mountains the SUBMITS OF
which are either mhcrcd with pine quakiug-asp or CEDAR
OF, In act almost entirely destitute vegetation Other
parts billy and undu atiue; the valleys and ,abI
lands (c%cept the boi,iers of wacr-cD,rscs i. aro
less timbcred with cottonwood and w,oysA are
destitute OF wood; but this Indispensable lie is sutsi;t
grows from one &c five feet high found in Great abun-
canoe in most parts or the country.
S9-Ihe steriiy Of the country. geucraiy is almost
Incredible That part OF IL howovc bounded nv tho three
principal ranges OF mountains, and bv the
Of the supposed Buenevcuturn less stcc vet the propor-
tion Of arabic land within those limits IS conYara-
lively small; and district OK country visited by Cen
Ashley or of which he obtained satisfactory nfoIvtion
offers Inducements 10 civilized people, sufficient 10 Justify
! expectation of permanent: settlements.
RirerSIhe river visited b. General A. .lpv and n;c
) o he he Col
fifty miles from its northern source eighty wards wide
At TINS point, General a. embarked and descended the III
vef which gradually increased iu width one hundred Il
eigh'y yards In passing through tie mountains; the cha IL
mel IS contracted to fifty sixty yards. and so much o.
str''ed by rocks as to make lis descent extremely danger
ous, and it's inpracticablc After desrendg s
river about 100 niles Gen. 4. shaped his course norya
~ and fell what nc supposed be the sourccs of the
Buennventura; ard represents branches as bold
streams, irons twenty fifty yards wide, forming i,inc-
lion few miles below where hc crossed them, and then
emptics into large lake. (callrd Grand nke0 rr,csci
by the Indians being 40 50 niles wide and sixty
seventy miles long. This information is senotlersd ~
that of the white hunters, vino have explored parts of the
Lake The Indians represent, that tho extreme west
end O. this Lake, large river flows out and rms II,
w,stwardiy direction
Cen A. when those frs: thought Il p,oha bic
they tho Of the Mulnonah; but The account
given by the Indians supported by the opinion of some NOR
belonging 10 the Hudson Bay Company, confirms him i,
the belief that they the head Of the river rc
presented tive Buenavcntura. 70 tie north and north
west from Grand Lake, the country is represented as H.
4 bounding IN SALT.
The Indians, west Of the mountains are remarkably vel
disposed towards the citizens Of tic United States the ~
ays and Fat-'cads particularly en-. ard cxr-css
great wish that the Americans should visit them t,e
| qucutiy
600
'tr'egn ITare'icrs- At n meeting ocihc French Aca
deny OF Sciences, the 18th Feb NJ Jomard anoo,-c
ca the death ofhe intrepid African traveller de Beau
ior ne stated that, resolved penetrate farther t,r
naG yet been achieved d. dc 70. had taken the course
OF me iga Senegal and was directing his route toward.
ImDuctoo wien he fcI. -ayoter victim tc fls rltsl