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Show ( 39 J QO content of three hundrecl and sixty thousand ::;q~1are miles, whicJ: is mt!ch laq~cr than the prinripal l<in~nnm~ of Europe. rh: form ?r ro.nfi~.Ur:ttJon of 'thP. countn· is the most pcrf0ct and admirable wh1~h t.he II~ag~natiOn can conr.civc. A. II itP. out lines arc distinctlv marked; all 1t~ mte. r10r IS con.nccted 1 og;ct hP.r. Fro;rcn r egions to the north, the ocean and 1ts mounta m~us coa ·t to the we ·t, the Rocky mountains to the eac;:t, sandy and tlcscrt plams to thP south; ~uch ~rc its boundaries. . . vVit hin the whole country is watered by the streams of a smglc nvcr, issuing; fr~m 1 he nn1 th, east, and south,. uniting in the region of tide water, and cnmmunicati ng with the sea by a smp;Je outlet. . , uch a coun1ry is formed for defence; and whatever power get:s posses~10n of it will probably he ab le to ]{f~ep it. Scn~ral years ago the max.m1 was proclatmed bv President. i\1onroc, :mel re-echoed hy the whole Amcncan people, that no part of this continent was opco to European colonization. Sine~ that time, the ~ettlemcnts of the IIudson's Bay Company have been formed In the valley of the Columbia; and this company art· under the ?ba~·tcr: the treatirs, :mel the acts of Parliament of the British crown. It IS nch In wealth, strong; in power, and efficient in its organization. !t i~ second. only to the East Indi~ Company, and, like it, has immen~c tcrntoncs an~l mnumerab1c trihcs of nativPs, besides it~ own proper stren~th, under 1ts command. This company, thus hacked by the power of th~ Britisl~ ~ovcrnmcnt, rna) bring the maxim of President Monroe to a practical dcciSlon. After making these rcmarl<s upon the soil, climate, extent, and configuration of this country, it is hardly necessary to intimate that the power wh~ch po.scsscs it will also command the navigation and commerce of the Pacific ocean. S. NUM:RER AND S'l'ATE OF THE INDIAf\S. These may be s~ated at thirty thousand souls, exclusive of the Snake Indians. This estimate is not a random !!;Ll ess, but founded on accurate information, derived from the H urlson ,s Bay Company. The Snakes arc exceedingly numerous, and ranob ·e throu,Ir"h the ·mountains. None of these Indians cultivaleany thing; they depend upon hunting and flshing. and of course are exposed to the extremes of feast. · and fam inc. The salmon fishery is their ~rcat re-source ; and to avai l themselves of it, they a~scmblc from great djstanccs 1 and collect a]ong the banks of the river, and principa11y at the different falls, from the head of tide water to the main source of the river in the Rocky mountains. They cure these fish without salt, by drying in the sun. In the absence of game and fish, they are driven to every extremity to sustain lift-devouring every bird, beast, insect, and creeping thing they can get hold of, and tearing up the ground for roots. Those in the plains and gorges of the mountains arc excellent horsemen. In point of temper and disposition, they are milder than the Indians cast of the mountains, and in morals more ho11est; but this may be an effect of the discipline of the Hudson's Bay Company, for I never saw Indians in a state of nature who would not ~teal to which may be added three other bad qualities, to wit: begging, drinking, and lying. On the other haud, they have the virtue of hospitality, and offer without request a part of their food to every traveller. They usc their arms with great dexterity on horseback, while pursuing the game at full speed; and are capable of becoming a very formidable enemy, as irregu~ ar cavalry, when properly trained. 21 [ 39 ] These observations I address t.o you, sir, as an organ of communic~tion with 1 he President. As an American citizPn, anxious for 1 he prosperity of my country J dcc1n it my duty to communicate to the Government the ob~er·vation·s' which I hnvc made upon the state of things to the west of the Rocky mountains. Aiming at truth, brevity, and prcci~io11, ~nd to th.o prcsentntion of prominent points, I have. o~ni.ttcd pcr~onal dctads nnd ~11- nutc descriptions, :md endeavored to cxhllHt 1n one v1evv- the facts wh1ch it may be necessary for the Government to possess. · I have the honor to be, sir, Your obedi ent humble servant, .TOSIIUA P.i.LCI1ER. • ST. Lours, October 29, IS30. SrR: The business commenced hy General Ashley some years 3go~ of taking furs from the United ~tate~ te r:itorY: beyond. the Rocky mOLIIlta'n.~. has since been continued by .Teded1ah S. Sm1th, Dav1d E. Jackson, and William L. Sublette, under the firm of Smith, Jackson, and Sublette. They commenced busines in 1826, and have since continued it; an'.! have made observations and gained information which they think it important to communicate to the Government. The num bcr of men they have employed has usually been from eighty to one hundred and ci~hty; and with these, di,videu into parties, they hav·e travcrsed everY. rart ~f th? country west ot ~he Roeky mountains, from the peninsula of California to dlC mouth of tJ:e ,_~ oJumbia river. Pack-horses, or rather mules, \\·ere at first. used; bnt 1 n the beo-innin~ of the present year. it was determined to try wagon.;;; and in the m.;;1th of April last, on the lOth day of the month, a :aravan of ten wagons, drawn by five mules each, anti two ~lcarborns, dra".. ·. .n by one muJ( each, set out fr01n St. Louis. vVc have e1ghty-one men. 1n company,. all mounted on mules· and these were exclu ·ive of a pnrty left 1n the mountams. Our route from St: Louis was nearly due west to the western iimits of the State; and thence alor1g the Santa Fe trail about forty miles; from which the course was som~ deo-rc~s north of west, across the w:lters of the Kam~as, and np the Great Platte~ ri vcr, to the Rocky mountains, ~md t.o the !1Cad of \Vind. .river, where it issues from the 1notmtains. This took us unt.!l the lGth oi .f uly, and was as far as we wished the wagons to go, as thr _fur. to be brought in were to be collected at this pla~e, which is, or was th_" _rear, tl~c great rendezvous of the persons engaged In that. bu I?css.. IIctc t.hc wabons could easily have crossed the Rocky mountains, 1t be111g wh~t 1s ~:11led the Southern Pass, had it been tlcsirable for them to do ~o, .\'vl11d! 1L was not for the reason stated. For our support, at lcavin2; the M1ssoun scttlclncnts, until we should get into fhc buflalo country, ~ve drove. twelve head of cattle beside a milk cow. EiO'ht of these only bemg requ1red for use before "~e got to the buffaloes, th~ others went on to the head of '''ind river. We began to fall in with the buffaloes on the Platte, abo~1t tl~~cc hundre~ and fifty miles from the white settlements; and fron1 tblt ttme nved on buffaloes, the quantity being infinitely beyond what we need.cd. On the fou~·th of August, the w·wons being in the mean time loaded '-~Ith th~ furs which had been prcvior1sly taken, we cet out on the return .to ~t: Loms. Ali the hio·h points of the mountains then in view were wh1te With snow; but the pa~ses and valleys, and all the level country, were green with grass. Our route |
