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Show .. . . 'VHl JAfe of Captuin JJewis. of his fnth(>r's tmrlrs, "as a mrmhr t• of thr l"inh·s rounril, IJcfot·e the 1'('\'0lution. Another or them. Fiddillh lJl'\\lS, manjed n. si tct· of grneral \\'a shin~ton. His t"atht>t'. ' Yilliam Lewis. was thr youngest o£' five sons of colmwl RoL<·r·t Lewis, of Albemaa·lt·, tltt' J'oul'th ol' wllom. Chal'les, was ono .of tht.' cady patt·iots who !->h.'pprd ('ot·wal'tl in the eommenccment of tho revolution. ami comnnwclt•d 01rn ofth(• t'l'~iownts :first raisrd in Virginia, atu1 plac('(l on ront inrntal (' !:;{ ahli·dtDlent. Happily situatrd at home, with a wife ami ~ Ollll!; family. and a fot·tunr plaeing him at (•asc, ht• l~fl all to ai<! in the li1Jr.ra1ion of his <·ountt·y f1·om fol'rign usu1-p. tions, • then first. unmasking their· ultimate ('nd and aim. His ;,;ood sense, integt·ity,ln'twery. entet·prisr. and t·rrmu·kahlc LHHliJy powers, mal'l<ecll&im a.s an offiect· of :?~'Pat Jli'OIIlise; !Jut ltc tmfortunately died cady in tlw t•evolution. Kit:holas Lrwis, the sr<'ond of his father·•s ht·othrrs. <·ommaucJed a t'q;i ment of militia. in the suecessful exprdition of 1776, a~ainst the Cltel'okec Indians; who, seduced b~· the ag<~nts of the Ht·iti sh gove1·nment to tal~e up the hatchrt against us. had com mittell grt•at havoc on out· southern ft•otltiet·, IJy mut·dPt·ing and scalJ,ing hellllrss "omen and <'hildl'('n, a<~eording to tiH·il· ,crud and cowardly p•·inciples of wal'f'a1·r. The cha~tisrmc·nt the~' then l'CCc.ived closrcl thr histot·y of' ( heit• wa.t·s. ancl pl'CparC'd tht•m fot· r·cceiving thr d(•ments or civilization. wlJiC'h, 'lealously itwulratctl hy the pt·escnt gov<•t•nnwnt o£' the Uni. ted States, have r·endct•rd them an itHiustt·ious, peaccahlr:, and Ita lPY pco1,Je. This membct• of the family or LrwiM'.s, whose bt·av{·t·y was so usefully pt·ovrcl on this O(•easion. wa.s rndeared to ~tll who knrw him by his inflt•xiule JWOIJity, courteous disposition, bc.>nevolc·nt hcat·t, and eugaging modesty and manners. He was the umpire ol' all the twivate cliffercnces of his twunty-srlee~{·d always IJy both Jlar·ties. lie was also the guardian of ~ltTiwcthcr Lrwis, of whom we aa·e now to sp<•ak, and who had lost his father at an c~u·ly ag~. He continued somr years undel' th<" l'ostcrint_; eat·e of' a tender mother, of the l'CSIJectable r .. unily of Mcriwethe['S, Life of Captain Lewis • ef the same eounty: and was t·emal'lmble even in infancy for cnterpr·ise, boldness. and discretion. \YlJen onl) cigl1t years of' age he haiJit ually went out, in tl..tc dead of night, alone with his dogs, into the forest to hunt the raccoon and opossum, which. s<·<·king thci•· food in the night, can then only be tal\.cn. In this exercise, no season Ol' circumstance eould obst1'uet his ptn·pose-plunging through the winter's snows and 1'1·ozen su·eams in pursuit or his object. At thirteen he was put to the Latin school, and continued at that until eighteen, when he l'Ctut•ned to his mother, and entered on the cat·es of his farm; having, as well as a )'Ounger brother, IJeen left by ]lis father with a competency for all the f.lorr·cct aml comfol'tablc put·poses of temperate life. His talent for observation, whieh hall led him to an accurate knowledge of the plants and animals of his own country, would have distinguished him as a farmer; IJUt at the age of twenty, yielding to the ardour· of youth, a.nd a passion for more dazzling pm·suits, he engagf'll as a volunteer in the bmly of militia whi<>h were called out by grm·ral Washington, on eccasion of the discontents produced IJy tho excise taxes in the western parts or tht.' United States; and from that situation he was removed to the regular service as a lieutenant in the line. At twenty-three he was promoted to a captain~ ey; and, always attraeting t.ht> first attention where punctuality and fidelity were requisite, he was appointecll>aymaster to his rrgimcnt. AIJout. this time a cil'cumstance occurred which, leading to the tt·ansaction which is the subject of this book, will justify a t•ccur•·ence to its o1·iginal idea~ While I resided in Paris, John I. .. edyard, of Connecticut., ar· J>ived there weH known in the United States for energy or ' l . body and mind. He had accompanied captain Cook on us. voyage to the Pacific ocean; and distinguished himself on that voyage by his intrrpidity. Being of a roaming tlisposition, he was now panting for some new enterprise. His immediate object at Paris was to engage a mercantile company in the fur~ trade of the western coast of A.merhm, in . b |