Mississippi Democrat., 1846-07-15


,yood Theirroad was over level uplonds,
boydering on The river, closely covered with
buiialo erBss. A few days afterwards,
,~hle encatnped ut night, near The river,
IN n prairie. the stream suddenly rose, to.
wards morning from the rains that bad ial.
len rhe day before, and completely food.
ed the whole camp, 60 suddenly that the
baggage was instantly covered and nearly
pIi thetr perighablo collections, the result
of many months Of hard labor were
ruined.
They we're now 2GO miles from the
Arkansas. The whole country, thus far
had presented 10 the eye only success
sion Of lar.sirelcbiug green pruires, cover
cd with buffalo grass, and sparngly wood
cd, even along the slreamsi but now the
country perceplibly began to change its
character becoming more fertile, wooded
more ubundentIy with oaks and eIms, and
walercd with a number Of small streams.
The whole country assumed the appear
Rnce Of the northwest portion Of Missouri
The river was about 100 yards wide with
broad bottoms.
On tho lhe last day Of July 1914, the
party arrived ngain at the little town Of
Kansas, on the Missouri the point whence
they bad departed. On their long and peri.
lous Journey fourteen months before, Here
ended their journey by land. Leaving
their animals in pasture 10 await the
coming expedition in which Capt +. 10 now
enaaped, the next day they continued their
route On board q steamboat for st. Louis,
where they arived on the 6tb Of August,
.~rnd disbanded. The distance travelled
over by Capt +. from the little town Of
Kansas, on the Missouri 70 the DaIles OF
the Columbia and California, and thence
to Kansas again, made q grand circuit OF
0,4s5 miles.
Notwithstanding many heavy losses
Capt 7. brought back with him a large
number Of valuable geological and hotani.
cal specimens, many Of which are entirely
new Of extremely rafe and curious. The
flood ON the Kansas destroyed more Than
half of the botauicHl specimens Of which
he had about 5000 collected in regions
never before visited by any bolanlst ln
his present expedition, he is provided with
such means as will secure his collections
from loss by water at least; and a person
accompanies the expedition who is 20
mako drawings Of all the most interesting
plants, forest trees. and all vegetable pro.
ducii0ns useful as food, medicine, or in the
arts.
The astronomical observations, made y
Capt. II. in every part Of bis vast route for
the purpose OF determining the exact lall.
tude and longitude Of places, were taken
with all possible care, and with the bes, ul
instruments; so that by including ahe Oh
scryatious and surveys of Capt Wilkes, on
the coast OF iho Pacific, and Up the Co.
lumbia as tar as fort Vancouver, wo have
the materials for accurate geographical
knowledge of the whole region from the
Mississippi to the Pacific.
The haromclical observations ma5e by
Capt f.. have enabled him to Furnish the
world with, probably, the most extended
profile Wow even made by any scientific
pcrson--a profile Of The entire country
from tho mouth Of the Knnsas TO the Pa
cilir, q distance Of about 1000 miles, ioun.
dod on nearly 400 barometcal positions.
Though The baromelical observations oi
Capt r., we're taken along the loves, and
leyoleei route that can be found, the pro.
flo is rendered complete by the insertion
of many Of the lofty peaks lowering many
thousands Of leet above the liuo Of travel
We have now followed our hero through
his FIRST and second explorations, more al
length than we had at first proposed, but
not so much so as the interesting nature oi
his narrative and of the information he
communicates, or our own inclination
would have warranted. The book bears
in all parts the impress Of strict trulhi NnC
in freedom from oxaggoralion or hyper
bolc, may invite comparison with any
book Of travels ever written. Tho eV
trcme ditIidence Of the writer keeps him
self as far as possible from view, while he
records the meriorious actions Of his su.
bordinatos with rare grace and fidelity.
Capt Fremont is now engaged IN his
third expedition, intended to embrace that
section of the Rocky Mountains whicl
gives rise to the Arkansas river the Ri,
Bravo, and tho Rio Colorado Of Cullor
ria, md extend we9I and southwest to lht
country towards the Pacific ocean,and con
ploto the examination OF the Great Sal
Lake, and the interesting region surround
ing il. AT the lust accounts, he had pono
traied far down into California, and hat
made several important aud interesting
discoveries, He will return, we presume
during the present summer or next uu
tumn.
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