Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1843-08-12
mo. %.
AUDUBON-THE NATURALIST.

AUDUBoN-THE NATURALIST.
The following extract from letter Jus. re-
csived by DR.. Gideon b. Smith Of Baltimore,
from this distinguished naturalist, will be read
with grea, in,erest:--. Milwaukee Sentinel.
Missouri RIVER. May "a, ls43.
My dear friend:-as il happens that we are
now fast on bar, about $50 miles below For,
ST. Pierre, one of the many establishments Of
the American Fur Company, have taken il
into my head to bore you with another letter.
and you must make the best of it. l will, how
ever. try 10 give il some interest as far as can.
Since my last to you, dated May Is, the coun-
try has assumed a different aspect, and that
for the worse. The river has become more
contracted between the hills through which il
passes, and has also become more straight; we
meet with less water, fewer snags and many
more land bars. The bluffs have become
more abrupt and more picturesque in their
forms, for as the effects Of cold and thaws take
place, their upper portions lose their softer
parts. and the harder parts assume the shapes
Of battlements, towers, &C., and when viewed
from distance look not unlike cusiously built
cities. The trees are becoming scarcer, and
ofextremely stuated growth, and in the ravines,
that wend their way between the hills, the
growth is principally red cedar. Tho hills
themselves, which gradually ascend to plains
of immense extent, are one and all Of the very
poorest description, so much SO that one can
scarcely conceive how millions Of buffaloes.
antelopes, deer, &c., manage to subsist, and
yet they do so, and grow fat between this and
autumn. Then, my dear friend, we have
reached these wild. and. to my eye, melancho-
ly looking districts on which those countless
multitudes ofmonstrous sized animals live, and
die more by the arrow and rifle bullet than even
by drowning whilst attempting TO cross the
rapid Missouri. The shores are strewed with
their carcasses, on which the wolf, the raven,
and the vul.ure gorge themselves at leisure
and unmolested, for hunters rarely, if ever.
shoot any Of these. We have seen many elks.
abundance Of deer, antelopes, buifalocs, wild
cats, wolves, and one bear. Our folks have
shot buffaloes. but have mol done so, simply
because they are worthless through poverty,
and when killed only display mass Of bones
and skin. with very thin portion Of flesh; apd
il you shoot bull, the rankness Of its better
parts is quite enough TO revolt the stomach Of
all but starving men. -
The winter has been so very severe that buf.
faloes have been 3 or 400 miles lower down
the river than they had been for twenty years.
1.-The calves have been nearly all destroyed.
In the way Of plants, we have seen some csc-
fuses unknown 10 us previously, and intend TO
take plenty Of specimens homo with US. We
have also found a beautiful dwarf sweet scent
ed pea, that perfumes the whole atmosphere.
II grows over all the sandy and gravelly, drea-
ry plains and hills Of which l have spoken.
There exists a root called here the white ap
pie, which is farinaceous, and makes good
mush when dried and pounded fine. Ofthese
also we shall take specimens. We have col
lected everything that was in bloom, and shall
continue 10 do so, when in seed and ripe, for
all our friends. far and near. In zoology, we
have done pretty fair; In orinihology better, as
we have already four neW Birds and will, no
doubt, find more. We have felt all the transit
lions Of weather that we have at the eastward.
the Thermometer ranging from Al TO 92' in The
same day.---We are sadly annoyed by heavy
and constant winds that retard our progress.
more or less, almost daily. We have caught
oEly q few catfish, and these do no, much
relish. No offers, beavers, muskrais, or even
minks. are found In or about the turbid waters
of this almighty stream, the water Of which
looks more like hog puddle than any thing
else can compare il 10. About one-.enih Of
its bulk forms a dsposi. in half an hour.
Springs OF magnesia abound in many Of the
ravines. Sulphur and oxide Of iron show
themselves frequently. Immense bluffs Of
white, blue. and yellow sand stone are also
found, az well as banks of granite, even on the
tops Of the highest hills. But not a single
specimen Of fossil remains, as yet, although.
we were assured that they abounded along
these bluffs. We were equally assured We
should see no small birds. but we have seen
millions Of them, including almost every spe-
cies we find in the eastern States.
CousT ZgHzEcHopP-This is The cognomen
OF distinguished admiral Ia the Russian Ma
w. He is a native Of Meredith. N. H., and
whose real name is thomas +. Williams. IL
seems from accounts published Of him that
MANY wears since he went to sea before the
masi, sailing between Boston and ~. Peters,
burgh. At the latter place he was left sick,
and on his recovery entered the merchant ser
vice. The vessel In which be sailed was at.
tackled by pirates but the bravery Of young
Williams saved the ship. He killed the cap
tain and mate ofihe pirates with his own hands,
carried the Russian vessel into port, was then
introduced to the Emperor, who Immediately
made him midshipman in the Imperial Ma
w; and from rank to rank, by sea and land, be
has grown greater. and risen higher and high
or. until he has become Count with a hard
name. and Lord High Admiral Of all the Cos
sacks. lfsny one had told his fortune when
IL. - .E IL