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Show I REPORT. To Col. J. J. AnERT, '\r:AsUINGToN, March 1, 1 43. Chief of the Corps C?f Topographical Ru[[ineers : Srr:.: Agreeably to your orders to explore and report upon the countrybetween the frontiers o[ 1\Iissonri and the outh Pa::s in the Rocky mountains, and on the tine of the Knnsas and Great Platte rivers, L Sdt ont from \Vashington city on the 2d clay o[ May, J 42, arrived at St. Louis, by way of New York, the 22d of M·1y, where tlte necessary preparations were completed, and the expedition commenced. I proceeded in a steamboat to Chouteau's Landing, about 4.00 miles by water from St. Loui~, and ncar the n1onth of the Kan as river, whence we proceeded twelve miles to 1\'fr. Cyprian Choutean;s ttading house, where we completed our fiuul arrangements for the expedition. Bad weather, which interfered with astronomical observations, delayed us several days in the early part of Jnne at this po t, which is on the right h:1.nk of the Knn~as river, ahont ten mile" above the month and six beyond the western boundary of Missouri. The ~ky clcarrd ofr at length, and we were enabled to determine our posit10n, in lon,O'itudc 94 ° 30' 16'', imd 1 atitude 39° 5' 57''. ,.rhc cle,·ation above the sea is about 700 feet. Our camp: in the rneantimc, presented an anin1atr.d and bustling c::ccnc. All were busily occttpicd in completing the ne~c ary nrran~cmcnts for onr campaign in the wilderne~ s. and protitin~ by this short delay on the verge of civilization, to proYide ourselves with all the little e scntials to comfort in the nomadic life \Ve were to lead for the ensuing Sllllltpcr 1nonth . Gradually, however, everything, the materiel of the camp, men, bor cs, and even mules, settled into it plncc: and by the 1Oth we were ready to depart · but, before we n1onnt onr horses, I will give a short description of the party with which I performed this service. I had collected in the neio·hhorhood of St. Louis twenty-one men, principally Creole and Canadian vova~cu7'~, wl10 hac.l become familiar with prairie li fe in the service oC the fur companies in the Indian country. ~Ir. Charles Pren s, a native of Uermany, wa~ my assistant in the topoO'raphicaL part of the urvcy. L. I\laxwcll, of Knska.J.;:ia, had been en~aged as hunter, and ChrL topher arson, more familiarly known for his exploits in the •.110Unt:1ins as Kit Carson, was our guide. 1"'he per.sons c.mgaged in St. Lollis, were : Clement Lambert, .T. D. L'Esperancc, .T. B. Lefevre, Benjamin Potra, J.oni' Gouin, J. B. Dnme., Basil Lajcnncs. c, F 1·an~ois 'l'essicr, Bcnja-n1in Cadotte, Joseph Clement, Danie! Simonds, Leonard Benoit, Mtchel 1 J\tlorl y, Baptiste Bernier. Honor , A yot, Fran yoi ~Latulippe Fran yo is Badeau, Lon is Menan!, Joseplt Ruelle, Moise Chardonnai::;, Auguste Janissc, Raph3el Prone. |