OCR Text |
Show 3 G Ex. Doc. No. 41. • W ASHIN<:TON CtTY, Ortober 8, 1817. s1n. 1 have the honor to submit, h<·rcwitb, a n·p.orl of .such ob .. J I' C t S (·)I . ]) .cl t Ill. .c l 1 ll'l • tell') '' \'~ ("' lli1C undl'l' my ouservatlOn \\ luJl t' JT .W' a" tt . ·ll"<l to tht• tO}lO''I'~ll)hi< : al.party, under ymtr commanl, 1 llllllb atl L·, H· o'"u rn ·y from Fob1 l L<·aYcnworth to J ent ' s.F ·t 1Trl(' pla~1 ts Ol • . whieh were eoll<•rt('d .w ·rc suh~llltted. to the mspcc- ~· 1' ]) · 'I,o 1·r ·y· to wholll [ <un lllclehtcd ior thea names. tlOJ 0 1. ' · t \ \ . 1'tl1 1r1·e·1t resJ>l'l't I am, :·ar, )OUr wo~t olwd1ent spnan, v o ' ' J. \V. .1\ BEl t'J'. Lieutenant (. S. J10J. l:nginccrs. To. Lieut. \V. Tl. EfltOIU, U. S. Topogrc p!ttcaL RnJ.p'nccrs. J\'utcs of Lic1tfcnant .J. TV . • flbcrt. On tl1 · 27ll1 of Junt' , 181G, W<! ~d out from For~ .Leart'n.worlh. The <by wns d<·nr aud h·ight; tht woods wen: r,•Joiu'tl \\tlh tl.w voil'c of the woc·king bird, and or the many httll' "arhl<·r:::. t1.1a 1 l ,., 0 ulll join in thl' t;horus of his ::-;ong; th<' blu<'lJJrd \\ilS tht'l'l' Wl\l l11s :-;!,rightly. 11otc·s, an<.l the ~llt•adow l.ark, pcrl'lu·d 01,1, .s:>m.c.' .\~ mullein W<'( o, C'aroled Iortlt ltt~. song of len c. As WI''' ct c ~~c~ttt l ~ tiH•d of l'l'U\'lilllllg quid, WC \V('J'(' Well prcparl'd to ('llJO) \(: btautiful scc·Hl' · tltat our progress gradually drH·lopcd. 'I IC ground i~ ~vlw~ is callc!l "rolling prairie," of gentle cun·es, one s w t' 11 m c lt Ill g llll o an n t h cr. . t The soil arour11l i~ L' ·tt·Pmcly rich; the \\hole <'ountry JS vc·rllanf with the ranl .. growth of the "tall gra:-,s," as it is called by ,,ay 0 cmincn ·e, \\ h<•n comparul with that which grO\\ s uc·yond the re· gion of the \\alnut a1~d .the hid·ory. . . _ , ·al· Jll·rc arc many van ·til'S of useful tunber: the hJC'kOr}, the\\ l nut, the linden, the ash, tlH· hornbeam, the maple, the bir<'b,,,an 1 ' the bcc('h, also tl1e cotton \'ood; but, he) ond the 1.l JU.ll S o 1'tlt c ta' 1 grasst there is the cotton wood only. , Five miles from Fo1t Lea\ enworth we pas~c d a large . u\1\t~~ callul "Pilntl<nob·" its to1> is llat ancl unitl's with tlte ,alhrs >C low in a c·un c li. ke 't hat of a rope 's lackly dr,twn; sprcac 1·w g or cr the '\alley ·, and C'limuing almost to the top of the butte, ,,c .sf"' fmc for<'sts of timber, consisting chiclly of oak. Among the• sh~u 1i"' we notic·cd 1h<' hazd, (cory lus Amcric~nus,) an<l the bntton .~1: 1 ~ { cc1)halantu::; oct;itlcntalis ;) among these the wild grape had lWll) cl. E .. ·. Doc. No. 4.1 . Jt.s .tendrils ancl was growing ~o lu:uriautly that it wa~ \\ith grea ddTtc·ulty OJ.ll' 0~1 horscbad~ could fore<' hi~ way through. Ot~ the l11ll sidc.s, the wild r?~H' was. !"till in bloom, and wincrlt•d J(ts ptnk 1 flowAcrs w_1th thc)ben,t 1 t,ttful wl.11~e clu-.;lt•rs of the J(•l'sl'y tt·a, <·c onot t.u:-l merJcanu"i. he pratnt>s were covered with tall :-;ta!ks of ~hr r.attlt'l·makc weed, (rudcbc.ckia purpttr<·a.) • Some oi out. Ill Ill('• }~l'0\'<,'<1 'ny rciral'tory, but W<' Roon c;on· ~pa•rt•d them wttl~ th~· au! ol ~he "l.1zo," or cabricsto, as it j. oft<•n call<·d ~t r 1 c.>pe o{ 1 h 1 an, c 1 H pla11t~ d. h 1 idc', 50 .to (iQ fc·<·t long, in whi<'h <l noo~c ts ormc•< t tat, 'Y. a S< tlfu hand, 1~ easily tltro\\ 11 O\l'l th 1~ m u lc 's h l' a d , t h c 11 o o s e b t• ITl g grad u a II) t i n· h t t • 11 c> d t h C' a 111m 1 [ s 0 n fnJis to all.app '<HanC'c lif<'ll':-s. Now, thturidlc·,' the saddl 1 ·, an~i ~>:t<'ks are ltxcd, the noose loosened, ;wcl tl!c mule rises ready for tht· JOill'lll'y. After a march of lwdv<~ lllil('s, we cn<·amped r1<ar a J 0 ,r lto 11 ~,, do~r to. a flue spring or cold <'It ar water. ll<'l'l' \\ (1 lluticed th~ \dtllc.· Ju('kOr), or do\~·ny hicl~or)~ (.juglan: pHUl':-lCells,) the f') 11·stnu. t oak, (qnerc·t.Ls pnmus ac·urlllllitl.t,) th<' spi<'ewood, (lanrus ))1 , 11_ ZOJil,) and, deep lll th<' woods, tht· JrH!dcs~ .l\l.1y app!<', (podopJ1yJ- 1utn )H'Itatur.n,) and bloodJ(>Ol, {san gttrnana eauad(•Hsts.) As wy rc1rr('d to nst, 1ht• :-,k) IH•I'i\Jnc· eloul), and 111 a littl e tillle a plcnttful shower of' Jain 1<'11, \\hid1 anno)ed ~~ ~ gr<·at/y as it drove through our tc·nts . . 2 IIi.-. Durill l!: the ('ill'l) portion or the mnrnino·, llH· rain I'()Jl~ 1n ll cd w Lt h so lll c a ua t e me n t '· a 11 d , a s t h · sky ::-; h o w <• d . i g 11 s of l Ic . a r _ 1ng off, W<' c·ommcn('ed maklllg our arran~remeuts f'or the rnar1·h. 1 went down to a l ~lg' !tous<'. ri~>S<~ b), and, whilst r..xami11ing it, w~1 ..; attractl'cl by 1hc• cb1qnng- o1 h11·d ·, and on ,'(',trching, f'OIIlld tltat th!• sound proc<·Cdl'd ftom the· chiuttH·}, and I Utc•n• di .·corPn'd a bc~Httifulne~t, in tl1<: shap<: of a half b,t<.ik(•t, firmly attadH!d to the c h tmu e y w a II s w i t h c I a y , I i Ill' d i 11 l < • I'll a 11 y wit h h o 1: ::-; e h a i r a 11 c1 s 0 (' t grass, and covere,l ·.·tt·rnally \\it!! mo ~s; witl1in wen: fi •e 1111 _ fledgt·d birds, their <'}tS f.l<;~u't'ely open, aud at r.Yr.l')' s011nd they hca~· d they \vould open tb<.>tr tnoutl1s and scrl'illn for icJOd. 'fhe anx10us parent S('\f•ral tim<'S dart ed d<H\11 ltrar P1J h<'ad. I wi ·h,·d nuu;h to as<'ert;,in its spcc·ie~, but, although it lit on the trees near the house, I tould not g-d ll<'ar t'IH>I!g}, to make auy dl'c:i. io11 and a~ 1 d.i.d not <le~;ire to kill·~ bi rd with young-,.T had to t'Olll<·n't 111y~ ~c. I[\\ tlh tht• name some of our pc·opll' gayc It, to wholll 1 poillh·d lt Ot~t, and "ho ('allt•d it tlte "gn·) bird." Alter SOl!ll' little trouble \\ilh the llllllc·s, we rot otr allOnt 7 ? ' · I o <'I ; ll1 e r n i n h a 11 rn ad e t h l' road s ~·;] i p p t' r y, a n cl t 1t c w h 1 • l' Is c · n t mlo the soft mould so that the mul<•s L1bon·d bard; at lc•nttth Wl' rca<' It c d a s u d d c 11 1 i s c, w h <' r e, in s pi t e o f our cfi'o r t s, '\ c w c· r ~~ o b I j c red to remain until onP of the Yoluutecr teamster~, s<·eing our diHiculty, kindly brought u· thHc yok ·of o\.cn, and .;;'loll dn·w us u'p t h c ~ l o p c . P a s s i n g o n o ' l' r g en t I y r i "i n g a n d fa 1 J 111 !.{ s w ,·/1 · a 11 1 valltc~, \\ith the delightful brt'<'Z<' that on<· almost always lllt•t•ts o 1 t h e p !'a i I' i c s ' w (' f l' I t 0 11 r s p i I' i l s r i s i ll g w i l h t h e cl c ~r I' i ll g H \\'a y () f 1!1c douds, and wlwn the sun brokl' forth in splc·ndoJ' th · Sl'JJ. atlon Was truly cxhilirating. \Vheneycr \\ c rode to one side of the |