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Show ~J.O Lewis and Clarke's E:qJedition There are no more a1Jpearanccs of burnt earth, eoaJ, or pumiccstone, though that of salt still continues, and the vegetation seems to have advanced lrut little since the twcnty·eighth of last month~ the game is as abundant as usual. The bald-eagles, of whom we see great numbers, probaiJly feed on the careases or dead animals, for on the whole Missouri we have seen neither the bluecrested fisher, nor the fishing-hawks, to supply them with their favourite food, and the water of the river is so turbid that no bird which feeds exclusively on fish can procure a subsistence. Wednesday 8. A light breeze from the cast carried us sixteen miles, till we halted for dinner at the entrance of a river on the north. Captain Clat·ke who had walked on the south, on ascending a high point opposite to its entrance discovet•ed a level and beautiful country which it watered; that its course for twelve or fifteen miles was N. W. when it divided into two nearly equal branches, one pursuing a direction nearly north, the other to theW. of N. W: its width at the entrance is one hundred and fifty yards, and on going three miles up, captain Lewis. found it to be of the,same brea(lth, and sometimes more; it is deep, gentle, and has a large quantity of water; its bed is principally of mud, the banks abrupt, about twelve feet in height, and formed of a dark, rich loam and blue cia;; the low grounds near it are wide and fertile, and possess a considerable proportion of cottonwood and willow. It seems to be navigable for boats and canoes, and this cir· cumstance joined to its course and the quantity of water, which indicates that it passes through a large extent of country, we are led to presume that it may approach the Saskashawan and afford a communication with that river. The water has a peculiar whiteness, such as might be produced by a tablespoon full of milk in a dish of tea, and this circumstance induced us to call it ~Iilk river. In the evening we had made twenty-seven miles, and encamped on the south. The country on that side consists in general of high bro· Up the .lJ'Iissowri. 211 ken hills, with much gray, black and brown gl'anite scattered over the surface of the ground. At a little distance from the river· there is no timber on either side, the wood being confined as below to the margin of the river; so that unless the contrary is particularly mentioned, it is always understood that the upland is perfectly naked, and that we consider the low grounds well timbered if even a fifth be covered with wood. 'rhe wild liquorice is found in great abundance on these hills, as is also the white apple. As usual we are surrounded by butfaloe, elk, common and blacktaile(l dceL·, beaver, antelopes and wolves. We observed a place where an Indian had recently taken the bail' off an antelope's skin, and some of the party thought tbey distinguished imperfectly some smoke and Indian lodges up Milk river, marks which we are by no means desirous of realizing, as the Indians arc 1)roi.Jably Assiniboins, and might be very troublesome. 'rfmrsday, 9th. We again had a favourable wind ami sailed along very well. Between !'our and five miles we passed a large island in a deep bend to the not·th, and a large sandbar at the upper point. At fifteen and a quar· ter miles ''"e reached the bed of a. most extraordinary river which presents itself on the south: though as wide as the Missouri itselr, that is about half a mile, it docs not discharge a drop of water and contains nothing but a few standing pools. On ascending it three miles we found an eminence from which we saw t.Iw direction of the channel, first south for ten or twelve miles, then turning to the east of southeast as far as we could see: it passes through a wide valley without timber, ~ud the surrounding country consists of wa,'ing low hills interspersed with some handsome level plains; the banks are abrupt and consist of a black or yellow clay, or of a rich sandy loam, but though they do not rise more than six or eight feet above the bed, they exhibit no appearance of being overflowed: the bed is entirely eomposed of a light brown sand, the particles of which like |