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Show 16 APPENDIX TO PAH f' I. arc in those boundaries. *' The village of the Prairie des Chic:ns i:-; ~it uat ed about one league above the mouth or the Oui ·cousing ri\'er. On the E. bank of the ri,·er there is a small pond or marsh which runs parallel to the ri\'el' in the rear of the town, which, in front of the marsh, consists of 18 dwelling~homws, in two st rects; 16 in Front-~il'(' Ct, and 2 in First-street. In the J'Co\1' or the })IJIHI arc 8 dw~llin g- h ouscs : part of the houses ure fran1cd, and iu place o[ w cathcr!Joanl in ~ , there arc small logs let into morti~e s rnacle in tla! uprights, joinccl clo~e. daubed on the outside with clay, ancl handsume~ y whi te-washed rvithin. The inside furniture of t heir hou ses From the But de Mort to the Lac a Puckw:ly is twenty-ci~ht leagues. Here is another Puant village of seven or eight large lmlges. This lake is thn:e leagues long: four leagues above it Lac du Ba:uf begins, which is also four leagues lung, and i~ full of wild rice, and a great many fowls in their sca~on. From Lac du l3a:uf to the fork~, which is five leagues from the portJgc of the Ou i~cou;ing, and ten leagues <1 bovc th t: fot ks i~ a very sm::tli lake, c,dlcd Lac Vascux, and is so choakc..d w ith ...,. ild ri el' as to render it almo>t impassab le. The r iver, although very willding-, b cc<>n\L~ here more and more serpentine on approachiug the porta ~e, aRd the nvcr narrows so much a~ almost to prevent the usc of oars. The length of the portage to the Ouiscou~ing i~ two miles, and when the water~ arc high, canoes and boats loaded pa~s over. Here the waters at that time separate, the one part going •o the gulph of Mexico, and the other to that of St. L awrence. In wet seasoni the portage road io very bad, the soil being of :4 swampy nJturc. There is for nc.tr ly IJ ,Jlf way a kind of natural canal, which is l.Omctimes used, :md I think a canal between the two rivers might l1e easily cut. The expense at preslnt attending the transport is one.. third of a dollar per hundred weight; for a cauoe five dollars, and a boat eirht dollars but this is not cash, but in goods, at the rate of 200 jlt' l' ccm on the ~te rli11g. 'fhere arc at present two white mcu, who have estJbl i~hmcnts there; hut they arc much incommorlcd by the Puanb of the ~ode river, who arc trouhlt:some visitors. The Ouiscousing is a large river, its bottom sandy, full of islands :.md sand-bars during the summer season. The navigation is difiicult even for canoes, owing to the lowneds of the water . From the port:~ge to itb confluence with the Mis~issippi is 6o leagues. Thc Saques and Reyn a rd~ formerly liv d on its hanks, but were drove off hy the S.lutcaux. Thty were accustomed to raise a gr eat deal of corn and beans, the soil being excellent. Opposite to the Detour de P in, half way from the P ortage, on the south side, arc kad mines, said to be the best in any part of the country, and may be wrought with great case. Boats of more th an four ton s arc improper for the commuuication between the Mibsisoippi ami MichilimaLkinac. [DickJOII·l " The present village of the Prairie des Chicns, was first settled in the year 1783, and the firot ~c ttlers were l>vlr. Giard, Mr. Antaya, and Mr. Dubuque. The old village is about :1 mile below the present one, and had existed during the time the Frc..nch were possessed of the country. It derives its name f10m a f.nnily of Reynards who formerly lived there, distinguished by the appdlation of Dogs. The pn.sent vi\l,tge was scttlccl under the English government, and the ground was purchased from the Reynard Indians. API>ENDIX TO PART I. is drccnt, o.n<l indc d, in those of the most wealthy dispbys a dc~~ 1·r~· of <'kganrc nne! ta ste. T h.crc arc eig·ht honc;es scattered ronnel the country, at the distance ot one, two, th1 r e and fi"e nti lcs : also, on tltc \V. side oi the Mis!:>issippi, three houses, situated on a Sllla ll stream called t lw ~;ia 1:cls I'i\cr, makin g-, in the village and vicinity, 37 houo;cs, which ~~ Will not l>c too much to calculate at 10 persons each, the pop ulal! OI~ would be 370 souls; but this calculation " ' ill nol anc;w er for the ~~r~n ~ o1· a.utumn, as there arc then, at least 5 OJ' GOO white persons. 11~1!:. .'~ O\\ 1n ~~· to th~ concourse of traders and tlt ci1· cng-ngccs from ~.hcluhmack~Iwc and ~thcr_ parts, who make this th ci1·last stage, preVIOus to th ~Ir launclung· lllto the savage wildcl'lless. They ag·c.tin meet here In the sprino·, on their r etur11 t'1·o1n th · · · ;.., ('11' Wll1 tCI'JI10' grounds, ~1ccomp~~nicd by 3 or 400 Indians, when they hold a jiJir: th.c one (h.sposes ~f ~'C nt nants of goods, and the others 1·escrved peltrJ. cs. It Is astolllshlllg there arc not more n1urders and a ffrays at tll!S plac: .as there. mct:ts su ch an heterogeneous mass to traclc; the usc of spu.·ttuous hquon; being· in no manner restricted; but !:Iince the Amcncan g-overnment has become known, such accidents are much lc~s frequent th 11n formerly. The prairie 011 which the village is. ~ituatcd is bounded in the rear by hig·h bald hills. Jt is from one nule to three quartc t·s of . a mile from the ri ,·e1·' a11(1 e.x te nc 1 S about eight miles from the Mississippi, to where it su·ikcs the () ~ • . ll 1scousmg at the P etit G1·ey, which bears from tlte vilhg. ~ I; byE. ' Cu." . If the marl>h before spoken of wa~ (h·ained (which n1ight be castly d.o~1c), I am of the opinion it would render the situation of t~c P1'aJ I'te hc,,lthy, which now s ubjects its inhabitants to in tct·mit· Nng fe\·c1·s i11 the ~pring and autumn. There are u few g-entlemen residi ng at the Prai rie des Chicns, and. many othcJ•s c l.aimin ~ that appellation; but the ri\·alship of the l~chan tJ·ad c~ occa~wns them to be g·uilty of acts at the it· wintering g.t?unds, wh1ch they would blush to be thou!;ht gu ilty of in the ci~ Vli.i zed. world · 'I'I1ey ))O." ,·s e~· s tl 1e sp1· r1· t o f gcncrost. ty anrl ltospi-tahty 111 an eminent degTee ; but this is the lc ucling- feattll'c in the cha-t• acter of ft·ontict• I. n1I a. b1' ta· n t s. rl'lI CI. I' mode of II. V.l l lg' had oblig-ed them to have trrtn !-lic1 t · · 1 h f · . ' · 1 connexwn Will t e ndwn women ; and what .w a.s at fn·st /10/ic;u; is no w s o c.o n fil l'tnccI l) y IH I lJ .l t and m. cll.! latJ.O n, t lwt It IS· b('COme ( WI' tf1 a tr ew cxceptt' ons) the ntlt. ng- practice of all tlw ll'aclcrs ; and, in t:tct, almost one half of the inhabitants under 2n Y~ars have the blood of the aborigines in thcil' veins. From the VIllage to l "' lk e (> c, pm• we I1 avc, on the \V. shore, first Y<·llow river. |