Account of expeditions to the sources of the Mississippi, : and through the western parts of Louisiana, to the sources of the Arkansaw, Kans, La Platte, and Pierre Jaun Rivers

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[ Ill the exct tltion of this vopgc I had no gentleman to aid me, and I literally pcr!ormed the duti<'s (as far as my limited abilities permitted) of astronomer, SUITeyor, commandin~ officer, clerk, spy, !;llide, 3nd hunter ; frequently preceding the party Cor· miles, in or­der to reconnoitre, ami rctmninp; jn the evening, hunr;ry and fatigued, to sit down in the open :lir, uy fire light, to copy the notes and plot the courses or the <lay. On 11\}' retmn from the Mississippi voyage, preparations were making for a !->ccond, which was to he conduct­eel by another gentleman of the anuy; but gener.1l \Vilki11Son so­licited as a favor that (which he had a right to command viz. that I would agree a, take charge oC the expcclition. The late dnnger.:; and hardships T had undergone, together with the idea of again leav­ing my family in a strange country, distant from their connections, made me hesitate; but the ambition of a soldier, ami the spirit ol' entc1·prizc, which was inherent in my breast, induced me to agree to his proposition The great objects in view by this expedition (as l conceived) in addition to my instructions, were to attach the Indians to out· government, and to acquire such geographical knowledge or the ::;outh-weslern boundary of Lonisi,ma ~s to enable government to enter into a definitive arrangement for a line of demarkation be­tween that territory ::ud North l\Iexico. In this expedition 1 had the assistance of lieutenant Jamr.c; 1Vil­kinson, and also of doctor John H. Robinson, a young gentleman of science and enterprize, who volunteered his services. I also wab fitted out with a complete set of asu·onomical ancl mathematical in­stmments, which enabled me to ascertain the geographical situation of various places to a degree of exactitude, that would have been ex­tremely gratifying to all lovc1·s of ~cience, had I not been so unfor­tunate as to loose the grcate1· pa1t of my papers by the seizure of _ the , panish government. \\Tith res1~ect to the great acquisitions which might have been ma'le to the sctenccs of botany and zoology, 1 can only observe, that 11eithcr m~ education no1· tnste led rne to thr pursuit, and if they J1ad, my mu~cl was too much engrossed in making- the annngements f~r our .sub::.1stauc: and S1 tfcty~ to gi,·e time to scJ·utinize the produc­uons of the countnes ovc1· wh1ch we trtn·elled, with the eye of a Lin­~ tacm or Bu!fun, yet doctor Hobinson did !11ake some ol>sc1·,·ations on lhosc subj t:cts which he has not y~t com lllU!licated. \1\Tith re :-.pect to tl~e ~panish part, it has l>ec.:n suggested to me by some re ­fi pectctl fncncl s, that the pi c tur~ 1 drew of the Jllanners morals &c. of individuals, generally of 1'-: ew Spain, if a good Jikcnes: was ceJ:tain­lr not making a propct· n :tmn for the hospitality anc} kindness with L J which those people honored me ; those reasons have induced me to omit many transactions, and draw a veil over various habits and cus­toms which mi~ht appeal' in an unfavorable point of view, at the same time that I have dwelt with delight on their virtues. There has not been wunting, persons ofvarieus ranks, who have endeavored to infuse the idea into the minds of the public, thM the last voyage was undertaken through some sinister designs of gene­ral ~7 ilkinson; and although this report has been amply refuted by two letters from the secretary of war, published with this work; yet I cammot forbear in this public manner, declaring the insinuation to be a g roundlc•s.'l ralumny, arising from the envenomed breasts of per­sons, who through enmity to the general, would in attempting his ruin, hurl destruction on all those, who either through their official stations or habits of friendship, ever had any connection with that gentleman. As a military man-as a soldier from the time I was able to be:ll' arms, it cannot be expected that a production of my pen can stand the test of criticism, and I hope by this candid appeal to the justice and indulgence of the learned, to induce them, to spare their censure if they cannot award theit· praise. The gentleman who prints this work, knows under what a va­riety of disadvantages it has gone to the press.'* At a distance dur­ing its publicottion, and engaged in my professional duties, it was impossible to give to it that attention, which in order to reach its proper degree of correctness such a work necessarily would require. (Signed) Z. M. PIKE. • TilE J>UBLlSIIER owes it to truth, and to colonel Pilcc, to state that he very much doubts whether any hook ever went to prcsa under so many disadvan­tages as the one now presented to the public. Soml! of tho~c dia:tdvnntagcs muse bl! obvious to every man who re:td~ thl! work; but then. were many others of a n:tture not :,ufficiently intcre ting fur publication, yet of &ufficicnt magnitude to retard the work. emb:1rrass the publi&hcr, and impo~c more anxiety than has fJllcn to his lot in the various books whi .. h he has published. It is however, con­fidently believed, that notwithstanding all those circumstances, the JouRNAL and its Arr£NDIXES will br found pa1ticubrly intcrr'l ing and prt•gnant with impor~ t.mt inf~oJrmation.