The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1843-11-20
SIR WILLIAM STEWARDS EXPEDITION.
Correspondence Of the Picayune.l
SEPTEMBER 30, Is43.

DEAR FRIENDS date here, from the Platte river
few miles below the confluence of the North and
South forks. We are arrested in our homeward pro-
gress by having encountered last night violent tenn
pest Of wind and ram, terminating in storm
Sir William Stewart has decided to wait for better
weather, at the time giving the hunters oppor-
tunity TO recruit our supplies OF meat, as we here
leave the buffalo region Some gentlemen Of the par
ty, however, resolve TO go on, and send YOU this nv
them But that Captain Stewart proposes yet visit
TO the Pawnees in their grand vage-a chance that
can by no means miss-iny earnest impotence to
be home again would hurry along with this adj
vanced portion of our party.
seize the chance, however, to assure you of our
full safety, our speedy return home, and fine and
dourishing condition Of health. will prove to YOU
personally, your readers severally panacea concoc-
tors collectively, and all the doctors uneQuiyocally
when get home, that constmp tve persons must no
more sparkle, exhaIe, p and go 10 Hapana but Jump
into dresses of deerskn, and trot off to the noun
tains we are The latest grcasiest set of truant
rogues your iyeliest Imagination call up to view
We are the merriest, raggedest-perhaps you would
add, the ugliest-set Of buffalo butchers that ever
cracked rifle among the big hills Of Wind river
II you can get any of your mesmerisers to give you
ctairroyanf view OF our caravan and cavacade, for
the love of all that is grotesque and curious drop OIL
at once into magnetic somnolency, and just take a
look atus--do.
| can only tell you now that we have made the
most OF our time during this hal(year's excursion
we have pierced the Western wilderness beyond
your Lighthouses of the " Far West" some ten or
twelve hundred miles, where we have wandered
about fortnight or among the Businesses Of the
great Wind river chain Of gigantic rocks we have
crossed the dividing ridge that forms the huge boun-
dairy wall from the declivities of which start the
lesping waters OF the Atlantic and the Pacific and
we have briefly seen something of the Shawnees,
Pawnees, Delawares, Ossges, Oloes, Sioux, Chayen-
mes and Snakes. We are now thus FAR homeward
sale and well, having but fatal mishap 10 record
One OF number have left sleeping his last be-
meath the " Red Buttes''the innnocont victim Of a
frightfuI casualty lie was youth of fifteen named
Francois Cismint and his hapiess story you shall
know anon
OF course, we have had fair share of upsets.
break downs, involuntary leaps from flying steeds.
&c. but nothing else that we may not all laugh AT
when we get home We have had little brush
with the rascally Chayennes that we ma, tell Of.
which left some scalps flying on long poles but our
own damage amounted only to the loss of three ami
mails. On another occasion we lost two. mare
and a mule, stolen by some skulking Sioux. who
logged for days and at length sneaked upon us in
the night
Good by imagine something Of our warnings
now for home, and be ready TO give us a warm wei
como about the middle or latter end Of November.
Ever truly yours, MFG