The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-11-17
n,nne d a., record OF their own doinss and

penped the record OF their " doings and
I observations. -
We cannot, Of course. attempt TO follow
I4the course OF an expedition which occu-
pied moro than two years, but contne
ourselves 10 a glance at the beginning ana
| the end, a~vailing ourselves Of Mr.. BROOKS :
comments on the purposes and results OF
the first Journey performed by white men
across the American continent within tho
limits OF what were the United states
after the purchase of the louisiana Terri
tory and before the conclusion OF the Treaty
Of Guadalupe IIidalgo.
In his first chapter Mr.. Brooks points out
that TIE area OF the countries ceded by
Franco to the United States in 1908 "incfudedN
the region in which now lie the States OF
Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, a
part of Colorado, the States OF Iowa. Ne
braska. South Dakota, North Dakota.
Wyoming, a part Of Idaho and all OF Mon
tana.- To the list may be added Indian
Territory and a large part OF Minnesota.
Our author says that "the price to bo paid
for this vast domain was fl5,OoO'oo. A
more exact statement Of the terms OF the
! treaty would be hat the United States
agreed not only to pay 6,ODo.OW francs 10Y
the territory but also TO assume all the cla'ins
Of American citizens against Franco grow
ing out II the depreciation of French prlNa-
tcers, claims which at the time amounted
To about 5000, 900 OF francs. The Transaction
was profitable for both parties. Napoleon
himself was willing to sell the territory
for 50.OoO ,OcO francs, being well aware that
he could not keep il In the teeth ~ the
British navy. Wha, the Louisiana Territory
! has proved worth TO us, not only from n
strategic, but from n commercial point OF
view, is too obvious 20 mead reclting IN detail.
We NAV mention, however, that If SIS ,000,rO
had been put out NJ interest AT . per cent.
compounded annually, it would now have
/ amounted to a %stupsndous sum, yet IN"
annual interest Of that sum would he in
comparably less than the yearly value Of
the agricultural and mineral products Of the
| rpgion purchased from France.
As the country now comprised In the States
Of Washington and Oregon was already
ours the acquisition Of the Louisiana Terri
tory, confirmed by the United States Senate
on July 81, 1909, made our dominion continu-
Gus from the Atlantic TO the Pacific, between
the British possessions on the north and the
| Srauish pos-esslons on the south. MIR.
Brooks reminds us on page ? to 3 that
lnlS HOil'nloub lIil~l'I t''h lAA'' wv
years ago when almost nothing was Known
Of tho region 20 %summarily handed from the
! Government of France 20 the Government
| Of the American Republic He goes on 10
say: NO uhitc man had ever trdrersed those
trdckicss plains or scaled the GROWING
ranges Of mountains that barred the way
across the continent. There were living
in the fastncsses Of the mysterious interior
! 81 the Louisiana Purchase many Tribes OF
indians who had never looked In the face Of
the white man" Tho statement seems no'
to he exaggerated except in the few words
which We have italicized A considerable
part Of the plains stretching west Of TN"
Mississippi had been travcrs'd by white
men before they were penetrated by Lewis
and lark. The reader OF this volume Will
observe that the explorers named spent
the winter If isOi-5 in a camp which they
called Fort Mandan on IN" north bank OF
/ the Missouri. In what is now Mclean county.
North Dakota. about | 600 miles up the river
from -. Louis. up To this time, y writes
Mr.. Brooks, "the expedition had passed
I through regions from which vague reports
had been brought 10y the few white mea
who, a. hunters and trappers in pursuit Of
mr-bearing game. had dared TO venture
into those trackless wildernesses.'
The Pacific coast 81 Oregon had, II Is
true. been traced 20 a certain extent by
Spanish navigators, and by such British
seamru as Drake, Cook, Meares and Van
couvcr. but the ~lasr-nlmed explorer had
overlooked tho principal waterway Of
Oregon. and u wa capt. Gray, sailing the
! good ship Columbia OF Boston" who on
4 Nav II. 1872. discovered and entered the
great river that now bears the name Of
his vessel NJ Brooks points out that
I Jcfer-ou'- attention had been early at
traCted 20 the vast. ur"Xplor"d domain.
which hi foresight wa finally 20 q 20 the
territory pf the [ uiied Stiies While b"
was living I'm Paris A. 'lo representative
Of the United States % 1850, he sug-
gestei 10 John Baiyard - Connecticut
who then had in mind a scheme for the
. establishment Of a far .traIing post on tine
western coast 81 N.rth America. that ~"
most fnSlhlc route 10 the fur-bearins
lands air,,-i al would lie through the Kl--
F sian possessions ant downward 90 uc.r the
. latitude Il th, then unknown sources # in"
Missouri River "" arr odd thar 'h"
EY--ilu Government IIt ul,-tt,i,- Boo DO"
way u following thi. rug'e A few years
later. usmaly. 90 l,ss. J,frrsr 20 proposed
90 90" American 81 philosophical N.sl"'V -
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