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Show :xi\' Life of Captain Lewfs. "The ohjcct of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, and such principal streams of it, as, by its course and communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregan, Colorado, ot· any other river, may offer the most Llirect and practicable water-communi· cation across the continent, for the {llli'lloses of commerce. "Beginning at the mouth of the Missouri. you will take observations of latitmle and longitude. at all rcmarkaiJI~ point., on tl1e river, and especially at the mouths of rivers, at rapids, at islands, and other }llaces and objects distinguisbe( l by such natural marks and characters, of a durable kind, as that they may with certainty be recognised het•eafter. The courses of the river between these points of obser• yat.ion may IJc supplied by the compass, the log-line, and by time, corrected by the obser,·ations themselves. The variations of the needle. too, in diffet•cnt places, should be noticed. "The interesting pnints of the por·tagc hctw~cn the beads of the Missouri, and of the water otfct·ing the best communication with the Paciiic ocean, should also be fixed by ob! lervation; and the com·se of that water to the ocean, jn the same manner as that of the Missouri. "Your observations are to be taken with great pains and accuracy; to be entered distinrtly aml intelligiblJ for ol hers as well as yourself; to coiDilreheJHl all the elements neces .. sary, with the aid of the usual tables, to fix the latitude and longitude of the places at which they were taken; and at·e to be t·emlered to the war-office, for the purpose of having the calculations made concurrently by proper persons within the United States. Several copies of these, as well as of your other notes, should be ma(le at leisure times, and put into the cal'C of the most trust. worthy of your aUend.wts to guard, by multiplying them against the accidental losses to which they will be eXllosed. A further guard would be, that one of these copies be on the cuticular membranes of tho papcr-bit,ch, as less liable to injury from damp than com'" mon paper. I~ife of Captctin Lewis. XV "'rhe commerce which may be carried on with tho p - l . h I · · co }l e In a ntmg the line you will pur ue, render!3 a knowledge of those peOille important. You will therefore endeavour to ma.kc yourself acquainted. as far as a diligent pursuit of yot~r JOurney shall admit, with the names of the nations and theiJ' numbers; " The extent and limits of their possessions; " Their relations with other tribes or nations· "The n. · Ia nguage, traditions, monuments; , " "1'1 1e.1 r or·,u)m' ar·y occupations in agriculture fi h. b · . , s mg, unt1ng, war. arts, and the im}llcments fm· these· " '1'1 ll".U• 1l'. 00d , c1otlu. ng, and domestic accommo' dations· "'rhe diseases prevalent among them, and the remedlcs they use:; ''Moral and physical cir«\umstanoes which distinguish them ft·om the tribes we know· ' "Peculia1·itics in their· Jaws ' customs , and d1. spos1·u · ons; "And articles of commerce they may need or furnish, and to what extent. . "And.' considet·ing the interest wlaich every nation has ~n e~tendmg and strengthening the authorify of r·cason and JUSti~e among the people around them, it will be useful to ~e~u~re wha~ J:nowle~Jgo you can of the state of morality, 1 ehgaon, and mlor·ma.twn among them; as it may bettct· enable those who may endeavour to civilize and instruct them to adapt theh· measures to Uac existing notions and practice: of those on whom they arc to operate. "Othrr objects worthy of notice will be- " '1'1 1e sot'1 aml face of the country, its growth and ,•egc-tahle productions, CSJ»ecially those not of the United Stales· H '1'1 1c aru. maI s of the rountry gcneraJJy, and cs1wtially' those not known in the United States· "'l'J1 e rcmam. s and accounts of any' which may be deemed rare or extinct; "Tl1e minet·al productions of every kind but more par-t• 1 , ttu nrly metals, lime-stone, pit·coal, an(\ saltpetre; salines |