The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-19
NEW BOOKS

History of the Expedition Under tho
Command of Captains Lewis and
Clark to the Sources of the Missouri,
coiunbia River % to- the 'i Paec IN Ss isoas 'Ie In
three volumes. New, York: New Amster.
$500. - = = -, - ~
This edition of this valuable book is a re-
print Of the edition of 1914. which contained
contributions from all the members of the
expedition. Had not Captain Lewis died en-
route to Philadelphia he would have edited
the narrative himself; the papers and memor-
anda, however, were put in the hands of an
editor, who received the aid of Captain Clark
and other members Of the expedition, and
Thomas Jefferson contributed a biographical
sketch Of Lewis, which is very valuable
feature of the book. Jefferson himself first
suggested to the American Philosophical so
ciety in 1892 the raising of a fund with which
to employ q competent person to explore the
region from the Missouri to the Pacific, and
CAPTAIN Lewis was selected for the purpose.
This project failed through the interposition
of the French minister in Philadelphia. In
1903 Jefferson recommended to congress the
sending Of an exploring party to the Pacific
and an appropriation was made, and Lewis,
who was Jeferson's private secretary, was
designated to lead the party, and before he
started France ceded the big territory Of
Louisiana to the United States and the way
was clear frcm foreign obstruction S. Jeffer-
son gave Lewis the most minute instructions,
directing him to return via Cape Horn or
the Cape of Good Hope, but he returned
across the Rockies, then called the Stony
mountains. With him was associated Cap
tain Clark, and they reached Washington on
their return in February. 1907. The whole
country was deeply interested in the expedi-
ton, 1t was regarded by Jefferson and the
public generally as mission to obtain closer
1yr,o ,vl~I1 - Z
to give elbow room for. the future exploita-
tion of American enterprise. Lewis and Clark
started on their long journey beyond the
Mississippi to the farther northwest soon
as the territory Of Louisiana had been ac-
quired, chiefly for the purpose of discover
| ing the sources of the Missouri locating the
most convenient water communication from
the great divide to the Pacific ocean and OBJ
| serving, as far as possible, the resources Of
the region. traversed. The first volume brings
the party to the three forks Of the Missouri: !:
the second brings them to the shores of the
Pacific and the third volume contains the
narrative of the return journey to St Louis
The appendix contains the observations Of
Captain Lewis on the subject of an Indian
trading policy and regulations, and encroach-
ments of Britich traders on our domain He
favored prohibiting the British merchants
from trading in upper Louisiana, for the ad-
vantage of American merchants. -s
The expedition OF Lewis and Clarke gave
Americans of that day a realization OF the
possibilities Of the future trans-Mississippi
region. Manifest destiny did not figure in
the American mind as conviction so much
as did the idea of having room to expand and
liberty to breathe the salt air of the two
great oceans, with no power on earth to shut
us in from either, and limit the seaward
march of the nation. jefferson saw this sea-
to-sea necessity when he bargained with Ma
poleon for Louisiana. Since his day the old
bounds which held US back have again
yielded, one after another, to the unrest
within, and there are strainings against bar
riers yet in the future which will break
them down. =