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Show ( . . 4. grees of latitude. These additions are frmn informa. tiorr collected from Indians ·with whom he had opportunities of communicating, during his journey and residence with them. Copies of this map are now presente~ to both house~ ~f con.gress. With these I communicate also a statistical view, procured and forwarded bv him, of the Indian nations inhabiting the terr)tory of Louisiana, and the countries adjacent to it~ northern and western borders; of their commerce, and of other interesting circumstances respecting them. In order to render the statement as complete as may be, of the Indians inhabiting. the country west of the Mississippi, I add doctor Sibley's account of those residing in and adjacent to the territory of Orleans. I communicate also, from the same person, an account of the Red river, according to the best infor. mation he had been able to collect. Having been disappointed, after considerable preparation, in the purpose of sending an exploring party up that river, in the summer of one thousand eight hundred and four, it ·was thought best to employ the autumn of that year in procuring a knowledge of an interesting branch of the river called the Washita. l'his was undertaken under the direction of J\IIr. Dunbar, of Natchez, a citizen of distinguished science, who had aided, and continues to aid us, with his disinterested and valuable services in the prosecution of these enterprizes. He ascended the river to the remarkable hot springs near it, in latitude 34·0 31' 4w.l6, longitude 92° 50' 4511 west from Greenwich, taking its courses and distances, and correcting them by frequent celestial observations. Extracts fi·mn his observations, and copies of his map of the river, from its mouth to the hot springs, make part of the prese~t co!llmun~cations. The exan1ination of the Red nver Itself, IS but now comtnencine·. t.':l TH : JEFFERSON. February 19, 1806. \ I EXTRACT OF A LETTER FRO:l\l CAPTAIN MEltiWETHSR LEWIS, TO THE PRESID'ENT OF THE UNITED STATEs, DATED FORT MANDAN, Aj1ril 17th, 1805. DEAR SIR, HEREvVITH inclosed you will receive an invoice of certain articles, which I have forwarded to you from this place. Among other articles you will observe, by reference to the invoice, 6 7 specimens of earths, !:ialts and minerals, and 60 specimens of plants ; these are accompanied by their respective labels, expressing the days on which obtained, places where found, and also their virtues and properties, when known. By means of these labels, reference may be n1ade to the chart of the Missouri, forwarded to the secretary of war, on which the encampment of each day has been carefully marked: thus the places at which these specimens have been obtained, may be easily pointed out, or again found, should any of them prove valuable to the community on further investigation. You \Viii also. rece~ve herewith inclosed, a part of ~apt .. Clark's P.nvatc JOUrnal; the other part you will fi~d mclosed .In a separate . tin bo.x. 'l'his journal Will serve to. give you the dmly details of our progress and transactiOns. I shall dispatch a cano~ \Yith three, perhaps four pers?ns from the extreme navigable point of the Missoun, or the portage between this river and the Columbia river, as either 1nay first happen. By the return of this canoe, I shall send you my journal, and some one o~ two of the best of those kept by my men. I have sent a JOUrnal kept by one of the sergeants, to captain Stoddard, my agent at St. Louis, in order as n1uch as possible to multiply the chances of saving sotnething., VVe hav: encouraged our 1nen to keep journals, and stvtn of thc1n . d.o , to wh01n in thi',; respect '\re a-:\ T ~ t~ \'~ ry ns ~.ls tant;e m our po\ver. |