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Show Lc·wis a1L£t ()lal'f.w'.-t- Bxpcllilion tention which we had recciv('d fl'om him. and addetl a Hllll:tl substantial pt'OOf of Otlt' gt·a.titude, the t;ift of all OUr hi)USC!s and furniture. To thr Cl&inuook chief Del a hclwilt, we gave a certificate of the same kind: we also cit·culated among the natives several papers, one or which '"e also posted u11 iu the J(H·t, to the following cllcet: "'I'he objco-t or this last, is, that t]u·ough the medium ol' some civilized l)erson, who may sec the same, it may be made }mown to the world, that the pal'ty consisting ol' tho llersous whose names arc hereunto annexed, and who were sent out by the govm·nment. or the Uniteu States to exploro the intcriot• of the continent of N 01·th Amct'ica, did llCnctt ·atc the same by the way of the 1'\lissoul'i and Columhia ri vet·s, to the discha.t·ge of the lattct· into the l.>acilic oecan, n hcr·c they an·jveci on the 1 i..tJa day of N ovembct· 1805, and devartcd the 2Sd day of March, 180u, on thoit' l'elm·n to the United States, hy the same route by whieh they had come t>u t.''* On the back of some of these llapel's, we sketched ·~ By a singular cusua1ty, this note fell into the possession of captJin .Hill, who, while on the CO:l5t oft he Pacific, procurecl it ft·om the nitlives. This note acrompaniccl him on hi l:i voy:11;c tu Canton, ftom whence it arrived in the United State s. The fullou·~ ing is an extract of a lette r, from a ~ cntleman at Canton to !Ji·.-.. friend in }Jhibdelphia: E ,rtract fJj' a lettc1·j1·om --to--in l'hiladt:/jJ!a'a. CANTON, January, 1807. 1 wrote you last by the Governot· Strong, Cleveland, for Boston; the present is by the !:>rig Lydia, Hill, of the same place, Captain Hill, while on the coast, met some Indian natives !lCiU' the mouth of the Columbia river, who delivered t~ him tJ /tajle1·, of which I enclose you a. copy. It had been committed to theit· charge by captains Clarke and Lewis, who had pcnctra· ted to the Pacific ocean. The ori£!inal is a rouo-h draft with a pen C> :-;, of their outward route, and that which they intended returuing by. Jus~ below the junction of Madison's river, they found an immense fal\ of three ll1mdred and s~xty.· t-:vo feet pcrpendicul ~n· Vp lhc .J1l'it>8ow.-i. 20lJ t.1H~ connexion of' tliC upJlCL~ branches of Hac .l\lissouri and Columhia rivers, with om· route, and the t1·ack which we intended to iolJow on our t•etnl'n. This memol'andum was all that we deemed it Jfcccssat·y to make; fot' i here ·ccmcd but little r.hance that. any detailed l'('pot·t to out• government, which we mit:;"ht leave in the laa.ntls of the savages, to be delivcl'ed to foreign t.t·aders, would ever reaeh the United States. 'l'o Jcavc any of out· men here., in hopes of theit• }ll'Ocuring a passage home in some tnmsicnt vessel, would too much wcalH·n our pat·t.y, wl1icll we must necessarily tlhide um·ing qur route; besides that, we will most pt'obably be there our ·clves soonet• than any tl'a<lcr, who, after spending then xi sum mel' here, might go on some (:ir·cuitous voyage. The rains and wind still confined us to the fort; hut at last our provisions dwill(lJe(l dl>wn to a siugle day's stocli, and it became absolutely necessat·y to rc•movc: we thel'efo•·e sent a f'ew launters ahead, ami stOJlpccl the boats as 'Yell as we could with mud. 'l'hc next mot·ning, Sunday, Mat·ch 23, 1SOG, the canoes were loadrd, aml at one o'<·1<H'k in the afternoon we took a final leave of fort Clatsop. The wind wa st ill high, but 1 he alternative of l'('mainin!; wifhout. pt·ovj!:lions WHS so unpl easant. that we lwpcclto be a.blc to cloulJlc point'" illiam. 'Ve had scarcely ld't the f01·t when we nact .Dch shelwiH, and a pm·ty nf twenty Chinnooks. who unclt•t•sta.ntlin;:; 1 hat we had been tt·ying to proenrc a canoe, had ba·ought ouc fot· sale. llcing, .ho~c v t'l', already supplied, we left them, and aftcl' getting out or Mcl'iwethcr's hay, bcg~Ul to coast along the south side of tbe river: we cloulJled point 'Villiam without any iujm~ y, and at six o'cloc.k reached, at the distance or sixteen This, I believe, exceeds in m :.~gnitu dc :my oth<'r known. Frem the natives captain Hill learned that they were all in good health and spirits; hacl met m ~ny dillicullics on th e ir· progress, from variQus tribes of Indians, but had fouud them about the source :~ of the :Missouri very friendly, as wcl'e tho:sc on Columbia rin' r. .md the coa t. |