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Show ,-, APPl~NDIX TO PAHT II. The main street on the first bank, the 2nd. on the lop of the hill. On t\li!-. ., n·1 t is ~ituutcd a round "ooucn tower, formcl'l~ occupie.d ,_ 1 s . uy t IL' • p \II 1• ,\ 1·<1.", .·. 1 ~ a fot·t ot· ;o-, -uard house, n• ow c•o nvcrteclmt•o a pn-son. FrOIIl this tower you have an c:xtcns1vc vtcw of the nvcr be- Jo ,v. St. Ch3 rlcs consists of about 80 houses, ptincipally occupied uy Jnclian traders o1· their cngagces. It is the seat of justice for the di:-.trict of ~)t. Charles. . l'rom St. Charles to the village of La C harrette, the west stdc is !.';Cncrally low, but hills running parallel. at a ~real d~stance ~ack frorn the river: on the south side, more h1lly w1th sprmgs. Seal· tcring settlements 011 both sides. . . La Charrcttc, is the last settlement we saw on the l\ltssout·J, although there is one above, at a saline o_n the west side. From La Cllarret c· to the Gasconade river, you hnd on the north, low land J1caYily timbered. On the south, hill!:l, rivulets and a smallnumbcl' ol ::;mall creeks; very hi gh cane. The Gasconade is 200 yard::> wide at its t:tltrance; is navif;able at ccnain seasons 100 JTlilc::;. At tlu..: tinH· we were at it, it was backed by the Missis~ippi, hut wa~ clear and transparent, above their conilucncc. () n the oppo~itc side to their couHucncc, commences the liue between the Sue In· tli • .ms ~1ntlthc United States. 1· rOll\ the ua~conade to the entrance of the Osage river, the south side of the rivet· is hilly, but well timbered. On the north arc low uottoms and heavy timber; In this space of the l\lissouri, from its entrance to the Osage river, we find it "ell timbered, rich ~oil, and ret y proper for the cultivation of all tile productions of out· middle and wcstem states. It is timbcrcu generally "ith cotton wood, a~h, oak, pecau, hickol'y unu '"ith so11c elm ; but the cotton. wood predo111inatcs 011 all the made bottoms. From the entrance ol the Osage river, to the <Jravelriver, a distance of 118 miles, the IJ.Lnks of the Osa~c arc covered \\ith timber, and possess a VCI') J ich ~oil. Small hills, with rocks, alternately border the eastan and \\estern shores; tht bottoms being very excellent soil, nnd the L~llll· u·y t.~bu . mtlitw in t•ame. From thence to the Yungar, the Jl\t'l' tl 0 • , ulllillue::, the san1c uppcarat1cc; the bhoals and i.,lantb being dcsJg JJULcd on the chart. The Y uugat· (or N e· hem-gar) as tcrn~e d l>y the l11tlians, derives its name from the vast numbcl' of sprlllgs at its source · it is supposed to be nearly as cxt<'nsive as the Osage , f I . 1 i v r Jlavig<.blc for cunocs 100 miles, and is cclcbmtcd or tiC c.:bun:lancc o! bear, ,., hich m-e found on its branches. On it huut the Cliasscu1 s du llois of Loui~iana, Osage, and Creeks (or l\lu~k~· f't.cs) a \Hmdcri1w 1)urt v of w Lh:h I. arc c tauli ')heel thcm!l<' h c: Jll ) <J • APPENDIX TO PAHT II. t'l " Louisiana; and between whom and the F1·cnch hunlct·s, fre<"}ucnt skirmishes have passed on the head of the Yung-ar. A few miles above this ri ver, the O saR·c river becomes narrower, and evidently !>hews the loss experienced by the defi ciency of the water::; of the Yungar. On the E. shol'c is a pond of water, about 20 paces from the bank of the ri ver, and half a mile in circumference; it was elevated at least 20 feet above the surface of the river. This appeared the more singulru·, as tiLe soil appeared to l>c sanely, from whence it would be concluded, that the waters of the pond would speedily discharg-e i tself through the soil into the river; l>ut there appeared to be no reason fot· any such dcdu lion. From thence to a few miles below the Pa1·k, (sec chart) the banks of the river continue as usual. 'V~ now, fo t· the first time we1·e entertained with the sight oi prairie laud, but it still was in~ terspersccl with clumps of woodland, which clivcrsificd the prospect. In this distl'ict the cliffs which genet·ally b01·dercd one of the sides of the river, were covered with the larg-est nnd most beautiful cedars I C\'et· saw. From thence to the Grand Forks, the banks of the river continue the same, but from hence up to the Osao-c town t l1 erc l. S a 1argct· proportion of prairie. At the place wh<">e re Mr.' Chot~lCntl formerly had his trading cstablishn1cnt, the cast bank of tl.le l'l\'Cr !san entire bed of stone coal; from whence by land to the VIllages, Is but 9 miles, but by water at least so. The country rounu the Osage villages, is one of the most bcnu,iful the eye ever beheld. The three branc he!'> of the river, viz: the large cast fork t~c J~idc.llc one (up which we ascended,) and the nortl~crn one, ali Winding round and past the villages, giving· the advantages of wood al~d W~tcr-und at the same time, the extensive praides crowned ~~~h l'lch and luxuriant g1·ass anc11lowet·s-gcntly diversified by the r.Jsmg swells, and sloping lawns- presenting to the warm imaginatto. n the future scats of hu!:lbuudry, the numerous het·ds of don;<;;)tic 3111 ~als, .~h ich arc no doubt destined to crown with joy those happy plams .. 1 he best comment l can make on the tmvig-ation of the ~sage l'l Vct·, is a refer ·nee to my chart and joumal on that subject. ~rom the last villag·e on the Missouri to the prairies on the Osage r1vet· w f' d ' c oun plenty of deer, bear, and some turkics . From thence to tl1 t 1 . . 1 e O\\ ns, t ICJ c arc some elk and deer, but ncar the nl-agcs they become scarce. . F~·o~n the Osag-e towns to the source of the Osage river, the re 15 no <hflercnce in the <~ppcarance of the country, cxccpl that on the •outh and cast, the view ou the prairies becomes uuboun<.lcd, and is |
