diff options
| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-01-22 01:28:25 -0800 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-01-22 01:28:25 -0800 |
| commit | 905a3b113b262cebaa87ff550ac29bcaf8fddf43 (patch) | |
| tree | 28fbe576533bd7bd9a3cce2bb95b330d4fbaa9e9 | |
| parent | 6b1963ecfa7e0d07cc798204d4f2b01891627433 (diff) | |
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-0.txt | 13074 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-0.zip | bin | 293242 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h.zip | bin | 1943145 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/67730-h.htm | 17971 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/ahc-co.jpg | bin | 3718 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 84810 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus1.jpg | bin | 58754 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus10.jpg | bin | 47718 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus11.jpg | bin | 59638 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus12.jpg | bin | 53591 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus13.jpg | bin | 60584 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus14.jpg | bin | 57060 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus15.jpg | bin | 48403 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus16.jpg | bin | 53491 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus2.jpg | bin | 53371 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus3.jpg | bin | 27102 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus4.jpg | bin | 55566 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus5.jpg | bin | 73847 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus6.jpg | bin | 60694 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus7.jpg | bin | 60709 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus8.jpg | bin | 57704 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/illus9.jpg | bin | 62738 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67730-h/images/map.jpg | bin | 658802 -> 0 bytes |
26 files changed, 17 insertions, 31045 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3592166 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #67730 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67730) diff --git a/old/67730-0.txt b/old/67730-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5ac4352..0000000 --- a/old/67730-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13074 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Part II of Farnham's Travels in the -Great Western Prairies, etc., October 21-December 4, 1839; and De Smet's -Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky Mountains, 1845-1846, by -Reuben Gold Thwaites - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Part II of Farnham's Travels in the Great Western Prairies, etc., - October 21-December 4, 1839; and De Smet's Oregon Missions and - Travels over the Rocky Mountains, 1845-1846 - -Authors: Thomas Jefferson Farnham - Pierre Jean De Smet - -Editor: Reuben Gold Thwaites - -Release Date: March 28, 2022 [eBook #67730] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Greg Bergquist and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team - at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive/American - Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PART II OF FARNHAM'S TRAVELS -IN THE GREAT WESTERN PRAIRIES, ETC., OCTOBER 21-DECEMBER 4, 1839; AND DE -SMET'S OREGON MISSIONS AND TRAVELS OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, -1845-1846 *** - - - - - - -Early Western Travels - -1748-1846 - -Volume XXIX - - - - -[Illustration: The Lodge Pole (Indian name); Great Chief of the -Flat-heads. Victor (in baptism)] - - - - - Early Western Travels - - 1748-1846 - - A Series of Annotated Reprints of some of the best - and rarest contemporary volumes of travel, descriptive - of the Aborigines and Social and - Economic Conditions in the Middle - and Far West, during the Period - of Early American Settlement - - Edited with Notes, Introductions, Index, etc., by - - Reuben Gold Thwaites, LL.D. - - Editor of “The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents,” “Original - Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition,” “Hennepin’s - New Discovery,” etc. - - Volume XXIX - - Part II of Farnham’s Travels in the Great Western Prairies, - etc., October 21-December 4, 1839; and De Smet’s - Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky - Mountains, 1845-1846 - - [Illustration] - - Cleveland, Ohio - The Arthur H. Clark Company - 1906 - - COPYRIGHT 1906, BY - THE ARTHUR H. CLARK COMPANY - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - - The Lakeside Press - R. R. DONNELLEY & SONS COMPANY - CHICAGO - - - - -CONTENTS OF VOLUME XXIX - - - I - - TRAVELS IN THE GREAT WESTERN PRAIRIES, THE ANAHUAC AND ROCKY - MOUNTAINS, AND IN THE OREGON COUNTRY [Part II, being chapter - v of Volume II of the London edition, 1843.] _Thomas Jefferson - Farnham._ - - Text: [CHAPTER V] Departure from Vancouver—Wappatoo Island—The - Willamette River—Its Mouth—The Mountains—Falls—River above - the Falls—Arrival at the Lower Settlement—A Kentuckian—Mr. - Johnson and his Cabin—Thomas M’Kay and his Mill—Dr. Bailey and - Wife and Home—The Neighbouring Farmers—The Methodist Episcopal - Mission and Missionaries—Their Modes of Operations—The - Wisdom of their Course—Their Improvements, &c.—Return to - Vancouver—Mr. Young—Mr. Lee’s Misfortune—Descent of the - Willamette—Indians—Arrival at Vancouver—Oregon—Its Mountains, - Rivers and Soil, and Climate—Shipment for the Sandwich - Islands—Life at Vancouver—Descent of the Columbia—Astoria—On - the Pacific Sea—The Last View of Oregon—Account of Oregon, by - Lieut. Wilkes, Commander of the late exploring Expedition 13 - - II - - OREGON MISSIONS AND TRAVELS OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, IN 1845-46. - _Pierre Jean de Smet, S. J._ - - Copyright Notice 108 - - Author’s Dedication 109 - - Preface by the First Editor. C. C. P. 111 - - An Outline Sketch of Oregon Territory and its Missions. - _Anonymous_ 115 - - Text 145 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOLUME XXIX - -[_Note_: In the original edition the illustrations not only are not -placed with reference to the text, but some of them do not even -illustrate the text. The inscriptions printed below several of the -plates, referring to certain of the Letters, are also misleading. We -have, therefore, rearranged the order of the plates, placing them -as nearly as possible in juxtaposition to the appropriate textual -matter.—ED.] - - - “The Lodge Pole (Indian name), Great Chief of the Flat-heads. - Victor (in Baptism).” From De Smet’s _Oregon Missions_ _Frontispiece_ - - Facsimile of illuminated title-page, De Smet’s _Oregon Missions_ 105 - - Facsimile of regular title-page, De Smet’s _Oregon Missions_ 107 - - “Oregon Territory, 1846”—folding map 114 - - “Interior of St. Mary’s Church, Flat-head Mission: Communion - at Easter” 175 - - “Mission of St. Ignatius at Kalispel Bay, among the Pends - d’Oreilles” 187 - - “The Hunters at the Buffalo Feast” 227 - - “View of the new Mission Establishment in 1846, among the - Pointed-Hearts” 315 - - “St. Mary’s, among the Flat-heads” 323 - - “Insula, or Red Feather (Michel), Great Chief and Brave - among the Flat-heads” 333 - - “Great Buffalo Hunt,—View of the Muscle-Shell Mountains” 337 - - “Announcement of the Discovery of Buffalos” 347 - - “The Chief reports to his Camp that Buffalos are in sight” 351 - - “The Chief at the head of his Hunters” 355 - - “Buffalos discovered” 387 - - “A Prayer for success in hunting” 401 - - - - -PART II OF FARNHAM’S TRAVELS IN THE GREAT WESTERN PRAIRIES, ETC., OCTOBER -21-DECEMBER 4, 1839 - -Reprint of chapter v of Volume II of original London edition, 1843 - - - - -TRAVELS IN THE GREAT WESTERN PRAIRIES, &c., &c. - -[PART II] - - - - -CHAPTER V[1] - - Departure from Vancouver—Wappatoo Island—The Willamette - River—Its Mouth—The Mountains—Falls—River above the - Falls—Arrival at the Lower Settlement—A Kentuckian—Mr. Johnson - and his Cabin—Thomas M’Kay and his Mill—Dr. Bailey and Wife - and Home—The Neighbouring Farmers—The Methodist Episcopal - Mission and Missionaries—Their Modes of Operations—The - Wisdom of their Course—Their Improvements, &c.—Return to - Vancouver—Mr. Young—Mr. Lee’s Misfortune—Descent of the - Willamette—Indians—Arrival at Vancouver—Oregon—Its Mountains, - Rivers and Soil, and Climate—Shipment for the Sandwich - Islands—Life at Vancouver—Descent of the Columbia—Astoria—On - the Pacific Sea—The Last View of Oregon—Account of Oregon, by - Lieut. Wilkes, Commander of the late exploring Expedition. - - -On the morning of the 21st, I left the Fort and dropped down the -Columbia, five miles, to Wappatoo Island. This large tract of low land -is bounded on the south-west, south and south-east, by the mouths of the -Willamette, and on the north by the Columbia. The side contiguous to the -latter river is about fifteen miles in length; the side bounded by the -eastern mouth of {201} the Willamette about seven miles, and that bounded -by the western mouth of the same river about twelve miles. It derives -its name from an edible root called _Wappatoo_, which it produces in -abundance.[2] It is generally low, and, in the central parts broken with -small ponds and marshes, in which the water rises and falls with the -river. Nearly the whole surface is overflown by the June freshets. It is -covered with a heavy growth of cotton-wood, elm, white-oak, black-ash, -alder, and a large species of laurel, and other shrubs. The Hudson Bay -Company, some years ago, placed a few hogs upon it, which have subsisted -entirely upon roots, acorns, &c. and increased to many hundreds. - -I found the Willamette deep enough for ordinary steamboats, for the -distance of twenty miles from its western mouth. One mile below the -falls are rapids on which the water was too shallow to float our canoe. -The tide rises at this place about fourteen inches. The western shore -of the river, from the point where its mouths diverge to this place, -consists of lofty mountains rising immediately from the water-side, and -covered with pines. On the eastern side, beautiful swells and plains -extend from the {202} Columbia to within five or six miles of the -rapids. They are generally covered with pine, white-oak, black-ash, and -other kinds of timber. From the point last named to the rapids, wooded -mountains crowd down to the verge of the stream. Just below the rapids -a very considerable stream comes in from the east. It is said to rise -in a champaign country, which commences two or three miles from the -Willamette, and extends eastward twenty or thirty miles to the lower -hills of the President’s range. This stream breaks through the mountain -tumultuously, and enters the Willamette with so strong a current, as to -endanger boats attempting to pass it.[3] Here were a number of Indian -huts, the inmates of which were busied in taking and curing salmon. -Between the rapids and the falls, the country adjacent to the river is -similar to that just described; mountains clothed with impenetrable -forests. - -The river, thus far, appeared to have an average width of four hundred -yards, water limpid. As we approached the falls, the eastern shore -presented a solid wall of basalt, thirty feet in perpendicular height. -On the top of this wall was nearly an acre of level area, on which the -Hudson Bay Company {203} have built a log-house.[4] This plain is three -or four feet below the level of the water above the falls, and protected -from the floods by the intervention of a deep chasm, which separates -it from the rocks over which the water pours. This is the best site in -the country for extensive flour and lumber-mills. The valley of the -Willamette is the only portion of Oregon from which grain can ever, to -any extent, become an article of export; and this splendid waterfall can -be approached at all seasons, from above and below, by sloops, schooners, -&c. The Hudson Bay Company, aware of its importance, have commenced a -race-way, and drawn timber on the ground, with the apparent intention of -erecting such works. On the opposite side is an acre or two of broken -ground, which might be similarly occupied. - -The falls are formed by a line of dark rock, which stretches diagonally -across the stream. The river was low when I passed it, and all the water -was discharged at three jets. Two of these were near the eastern shore; -the other was near the western shore, and fell into the chasm which -divides the rocky plain before named, from the cliffs of the falls. At -the mouth of this chasm {204} my Indians unloaded their canoe, dragged it -up the crags, and having borne it on their shoulders eight or ten rods, -launched it upon a narrow neck of water by the shore; reloaded, and rowed -to the deep water above. - -The scene, however, was too interesting to be left so soon, and I tarried -awhile to view it. The cataract roared loudly among the caverns, and -sent a thousand foaming eddies into the stream below. Countless numbers -of salmon were leaping and falling upon the fretted waters; savages -almost naked were around me, untrained by the soothing influences -of true knowledge, and the hopes of a purer world; as rude as the -rocks on which they trod; as bestial as the bear that growled in the -thicket. On either hand was the primeval wilderness, with its decaying -and perpetually-renewing energies; nothing could be more intensely -interesting. I had passed but a moment in these pleasant yet painful -reflections, when my Indians, becoming impatient, called me to pursue my -voyage. - -A mile above the falls a large creek comes in from the west. It is said -to rise among the mountains near the Columbia, and to run south and -south-east and eastwardly through a series of fine prairies, interspersed -{205} with timber.[5] Above the falls, the mountains rise immediately -from the water’s edge, clothed with noble forests of pine, &c.; but at -the distance of fifteen miles above, their green ridges give place to -grassy and wooded swells on the west, and timbered and prairie plains on -the eastern side. This section of the river appeared navigable for any -craft that could float in the stream below the falls. - -It was dark when I arrived at the level country; and emerging suddenly -in sight of a fire on the western bank, my Indians cried “Boston! -Boston!” and turned the canoe ashore to give me an opportunity of -speaking with a fellow countryman. He was sitting in the drizzling rain, -by a large log-fire—a stalwart six foot Kentucky trapper. After long -service in the American Fur Companies, among the rocky mountains, he -had come down to the Willamette, accompanied by an Indian woman and his -child, selected a place to build his home, made an “improvement,” sold -it, and was now commencing another. He entered my canoe and steered -across the river to a Mr. Johnson’s.[6] “I am sorry I can’t keep you,” -said he, “but I reckon you’ll sleep better under shingles, than this -stormy sky. Johnson {206} will be glad to see you. He’s got a good -shantee, and something for you to eat.” - -We soon crossed the stream, and entered the cabin of Mr. Johnson. It -was a hewn log structure, about twenty feet square, with a mud chimney, -hearth and fire-place. The furniture consisted of one chair, a number -of wooden benches, a rude bedstead covered with flag mats, and several -sheet-iron kettles, earthen plates, knives and forks, tin pint cups, an -Indian wife, and a brace of brown boys. I passed the night pleasantly -with Mr. Johnson; and in the morning rose early to go to the Methodist -Episcopal Mission, twelve miles above. But the old hunter detained -me to breakfast; and afterwards insisted that I should view his -premises, while his boy should gather the horses to convey me on my -way. And a sight of fenced fields, many acres of wheat and oat-stubble, -potato-fields, and garden-vegetables of all descriptions, and a barn well -stored with the gathered harvest compensated me for the delay. Adjoining -Mr. Johnson’s farm were four others, on all of which there were from -fifty to a hundred acres under cultivation, and substantial log-houses -and barns. - -One of these belonged to Thomas M’Kay, {207} son of M’Kay, who figured -with Mr. Astor in the doings of the Pacific Fur Company.[7] - -After surveying these marks of civilization, I found a Dr. Bailey waiting -with his horses to convey me to his home. We accordingly mounted, bade -adieu to the old trapper of Hudson Bay and other parts of the frozen -north, and went to view M’Kay’s mill. A grist-mill in Oregon! We found -him working at his dam. Near by lay French burr stones, and some portions -of substantial and well-fashioned iron work. The frame of the mill-house -was raised and shingled; and an excellent structure it was. The whole -expense of the establishment, when completed, is expected to be £1,400 or -£1,600. M’Kay’s mother is a Cree or Chippeway Indian; and M’Kay himself -is a compound of the two races. The contour of his frame and features, is -Scotch; his manners and intellects strongly tinctured with the Indian. He -has been in the service of the Fur Companies all his life, save some six -or seven years past; and by his daring enterprise, and courage in battle -has rendered himself the terror of the Oregon Indians. - -Leaving M’Kay’s mill, we travelled along a circuitous track through a -heavy forest of fir and pine, and emerged into a beautiful {208} little -prairie, at the side of which stood the doctor’s neat hewn log cabin, -sending its cheerful smoke among the lofty pine tops in its rear. We soon -sat by a blazing fire, and the storm that had pelted us all the way, lost -its unpleasantness in the delightful society of my worthy host and his -amiable wife. I passed the night with them. The doctor is a Scotchman, -his wife a Yankee. The former had seen many adventures in California and -Oregon and had his face very much slashed in a contest with the Shasty -Indians near the southern border of Oregon. The latter had come from the -States, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Mission, and had consented to -share the bliss and ills of life with the adventurous Gael; and a happy -little family they were.[8] - -The next day Mrs. Bailey kindly undertook to make me a blanket coat by -the time I should return, and the worthy doctor and myself started for -the Mission. About a mile on our way, we called at a farm occupied by an -American, who acted as blacksmith and gunsmith for the settlement. He -appeared to have a good set of tools for his mechanical business, and -plenty of custom. He had also a considerable tract of land under fence, -and a comfortable house and {209} out-buildings. A mile or two farther -on, we came upon the cabin of a Yankee tinker:[9] an odd fellow, this; -glad to see a countryman, ready to serve him in any way, and to discuss -the matter of a canal across the isthmus of Darien, the northern lights, -English monopolies, Symmes’s Hole, Tom Paine, and wooden nutmegs. Farther -on, we came to the Catholic Chapel, a low wooden building, thirty-five or -forty feet in length; and the parsonage, a comfortable log cabin.[10] - -Beyond these, scattered over five miles of country, were fifteen or -twenty farms, occupied by Americans and retired servants of the Hudson -Bay Company. Twelve or thirteen miles from the doctor’s we came in -sight of the Mission premises. They consisted of three log cabins, a -blacksmith’s shop, and outbuildings, on the east bank of the Willamette, -with large and well cultivated farms round about; and a farm, on -which were a large frame house, hospital, barn, &c., half a mile to -the eastward.[11] We alighted at the last-named establishment, and -were kindly received by Dr. White and his lady. This gentleman is the -physician of the Mission, and is thoroughly devoted to the amelioration -of the physical condition of the natives.[12] - -{210} For this object, a large hospital was being erected near his -dwelling, for the reception of patients. I passed the night with the -doctor and his family, and the following day visited the other Mission -families. Every one appeared happy in his benevolent work.—Mr. Daniel -Leslie, in preaching and superintending general matters;[13] Mr. Cyrus -Shepard, in teaching letters to about thirty half-breed and Indian -children; Mr. J. C. Whitecomb, in teaching them to cultivate the earth; -and Mr. Alanson Beers, in blacksmithing for the mission and the Indians, -and instructing a few young men in his art.[14] I spent four or five days -with these people, and had a fine opportunity to learn their characters, -the objects they had in view, and the means they took to accomplish -them. They belong to that zealous class of Protestants called Methodist -Episcopalians. Their religious feelings are warm, and accompanied with -a strong faith and great activity. In energy and fervent zeal, they -reminded me of the Plymouth pilgrims, so true in heart, and so deeply -interested were they with the principles and emotions which they are -endeavouring to inculcate upon those around them. Their hospitality and -friendship were {211} of the purest and most disinterested character. I -shall have reason to remember long and gratefully the kind and generous -manner in which they supplied my wants. - -Their object in settling in Oregon I understood to be twofold; the one -and principal, to civilize and christianize the Indians; the other, -and not less important, the establishment of religious and literary -institutions for the benefit of white emigrants. Their plan of operation -on the Indians, is to learn their various languages, for the purposes -of itinerant preaching, and of teaching the young the English language. -The scholars are also instructed in agriculture, the regulations of a -well-managed household, reading, writing, arithmetic and geography. - -The principles and duties of the Christian religion form a very -considerable part of the system. They have succeeded very satisfactorily -in the several parts of their undertaking. The preachers of the Mission -have traversed the wilderness, and by their untiring devotion to their -work, wrought many changes in the moral condition of these proverbially -debased savages; while with their schools they have afforded {212} them -ample means for intellectual improvement. - -They have many hundred acres of land under the plough, and cultivated -chiefly by the native pupils. They have more than a hundred head of -horned cattle, thirty or forty horses, and many swine. They have -granaries filled with wheat, oats, barley, and peas, and cellars well -stored with vegetables. - -A site had already been selected on the opposite side of the river for -an academical building; a court of justice had been organised by the -popular voice; a military corps was about to be formed for the protection -of settlers, and other measures were in progress, at once showing that -the American, with his characteristic energy and enterprize, and the -philanthropist, with his holy aspirations for the improvement of the -human condition, had crossed the snowy barrier of the mountain, to mingle -with the dashing waves of the Pacific seas the sweet music of a busy and -virtuous civilization. - -During my stay here, several American citizens, unconnected with the -Mission, called on me to talk of their fatherland, and inquire as to -the probability that its {213} laws would be extended over them. The -constantly repeated inquiries were— - -“Why are we left without protection in this part of our country’s domain? -Why are foreigners permitted to domineer over American citizens, drive -their traders from the country, and make us as dependent on them for the -clothes we wear, as are their own apprenticed slaves?” - -I could return no answer to these questions, exculpatory of this national -delinquency, and therefore advised them to embody their grievances -in a petition, and forward it to Congress. They had a meeting for -that purpose, and afterwards put into my hand a petition, signed by -sixty-seven citizens of the United States, and persons desirous of -becoming such, the substance of which was, a description of the country, -their unprotected situation, and, in conclusion, a prayer that the -Federal Government would extend over them the protection and institutions -of the Republic. Five or six of the Willamette settlers, for some reason, -had not an opportunity to sign this paper. The Catholic priest refused to -do it.[15] - -These people have put fifty or sixty fine {214} farms under cultivation -in the Willamette valley, amidst the most discouraging circumstances. -They have erected for themselves comfortable dwellings and outbuildings, -and have herds of excellent cattle, which they have from time to time -driven up from California, at great expense of property and even life. -The reader will find it difficult to learn any sufficient reasons for -their being left by the Government without the institutions of civilised -society. Their condition is truly deplorable. They are liable to be -arrested for debt or crime, and conveyed to the jails of Canada![16] - -For, in that case, the business of British subjects is interfered with, -who, by way of retaliation, will withhold the supplies of clothing, -household goods, &c., which the settlers have no other means of -obtaining. Nor is this all. The civil condition of the territory being -such as virtually to prohibit the emigration to any extent of useful and -desirable citizens, they have nothing to anticipate from any considerable -increase of their numbers, nor any amelioration of their state to look -for, from the accession of female society. - -{215} In the desperation incident to their lonely lot, they take wives -from the Indian tribes around them. What will be the ultimate consequence -of this unpardonable negligence on the part of the Government upon -the future destinies of Oregon cannot be clearly predicted; but it is -manifest that it must be disastrous in the highest degree, both as to its -claims to the sovereignty of that territory, and the moral condition of -its inhabitants. - -Mr. W. H. Wilson, superintendent of a branch mission on Puget’s Sound, -chanced to be at the Willamette station, whose polite attentions it -affords me pleasure to acknowledge.[17] He accompanied me on many -excursions in the valley, and to the heights, for the purpose of showing -me the country. I was also indebted to him for much information relative -to the Cowelitz and its valley, and the region about the sound, which -will be found on a succeeding page. - -My original intention had been to pass the winter in exploring Oregon, -and to have returned to the States the following summer, with the -American Fur traders. But having learned from various credible sources, -that {216} little dependence could be placed upon meeting them at -their usual place of rendezvous on Green river, and that the prospect -of getting back to the States by that route would, consequently, be -exceedingly doubtful, I felt constrained to abandon the attempt. My next -wish was to have gone by land to California, and thence home through the -northern States of Mexico. In order, however, to accomplish this with -safety, a force of twenty-five men was indispensable; and as that number -could not be raised, I was compelled to give up all hopes of returning by -that route. - -The last and only practicable means then of seeking home during the -next twelve months, was to go to the Sandwich Islands, and ship thence -for New York or California, as opportunity might offer. One of the -company’s vessels was then lying at Vancouver, receiving a cargo of -lumber for the Island market, and I determined to take passage in her. -Under these circumstances, it behooved me to hasten my return to the -Columbia. Accordingly, on the 20th I left the mission, visited Dr. Bailey -and lady, and went to Mr. Johnson’s to take a canoe down the river. On -reaching this {217} place, I found Mr. Lee, who had been to the Mission -establishment on the Willamette for the fall supplies of wheat, pork, -lard, butter, &c., for his station of the “Dalles.” - -He had left the Mission two days before my departure, and giving his -canoe, laden with these valuables, in charge of his Indians, proceeded to -the highlands by land. He had arrived at Mr. Johnson’s, when a message -reached him to the effect that his canoe had been upset, and its entire -contents discharged into the stream. He immediately repaired to the -scene of this disaster, where I found him busied in attempting to save -some part of his cargo. All the wheat, and a part of the other supplies, -together with his gun and other paraphernalia, were lost. I made -arrangements to go down with him when he should be ready, and left him to -call upon a Captain Young, an American ex-trader, who was settled near. -This gentleman had formerly explored California and Oregon in quest of -beaver—had been plundered by the Mexican authorities of £4,000 worth of -fur; and, wearied at last with his ill-luck, settled nine or ten years -ago on a small tributary of the Willamette coming in from the west.[18] - -{218} Here he has erected a saw and grist mill, and opened a farm. He has -been many times to California for cattle, and now owns about one hundred -head, a fine band of horses, swine, &c. He related to me many incidents -of his hardships, among which the most surprising was, that for a number -of years, the Hudson Bay Company refused to sell him a shred of clothing; -and as there were no other traders in the country, he was compelled -during their pleasure to wear skins.[19] A false report that he had been -guilty of some dishonourable act in California was the alleged cause for -this treatment; but perhaps, a better reason would be, that Mr. Young -occasionally purchased beaver skins in the American territory. - -I spent the night of the 12th with the excellent old captain, and in -the afternoon of the 13th, in company with my friend Mr. Lee, descended -the Willamette as far as the Falls. Here we passed the night, more to -the apparent satisfaction of vermin than of ourselves. These creature -comforts abound in Oregon. But it was not these alone that made our -lodging at the {219} Falls a rosy circumstance for memory’s wastes. The -mellifluent odour of salmon offal regaling our nasal sensibilities, and -the squalling of a copper-coloured baby, uttered in all the sweetest -intonations of such an instrument, falling with the liveliest notes upon -the ear, made me dream of war to the knife, till the sun called us to our -day’s travel. - -Five miles below the Falls, Mr. Lee and myself left the canoe, and struck -across about fourteen miles to an Indian village on the bank of the -Columbia opposite Vancouver. It was a collection of mud and straw huts, -surrounded and filled with filth which might be smelt two hundred yards. -We hired one of these cits to take us across the river, and at sunset of -the 15th, were comfortably seated by the stove in “Bachelor’s Hall” of -Fort Vancouver. - -The rainy season had now thoroughly set in. Travelling any considerable -distance in open boats, or among the tangled underbrush on foot, or on -horseback, was quite impracticable. I therefore determined to avail -myself of whatever other means of information were in my reach; and -as the gentlemen in charge of the various trading-posts {220} in the -territory, had arrived at Vancouver to meet the express from London, I -could not have had for this object a more favourable opportunity. The -information obtained from these gentlemen, and from other residents in -the country, I have relied on as correct, and combined it with my own -observations in the following general account of Oregon. - -Oregon Territory is bounded on the north by the parallel of 54 deg. 40 -min. north latitude;[20] on the east by the Rocky Mountains; on the south -by the parallel of 42 deg. north latitude; and on the west by the Pacific -Ocean. - -Mountains of Oregon. Different sections of the great chain of highlands -which stretch from the straits of Magellan to the Arctic sea, have -received different names—as the Andes, the Cordilleras, the Anahuac, -the Rocky and the Chippewayan Mountains. The last mentioned appellation -has been applied to that portion of it which lies between 58° of north -latitude and the Arctic sea. The Hudson Bay Company, in completing the -survey of the Arctic coast, have ascertained that these mountains -preserve a strongly defined outline entirely to the sea, and hang in -towering cliffs over it, {221} and by other surveys have discovered that -they gradually increase in height from the sea southward. - -The section to which the term Rocky Mountains has been applied, extends -from latitude 58° to the Great Gap, or southern pass, in latitude 42° -north. Their altitude is greater than that of any other range on the -northern part of the continent. Mr. Thompson, the astronomer of the -Hudson Bay Company, reports that he found peaks between latitudes 53 -and 56 north, more than twenty-six thousand feet above the level of the -sea.[21] That portion lying east of Oregon, and dividing it from the -Great Prairie Wilderness, will be particularly noticed. Its southern -point is in the Wind River cluster, latitude 42° north, and about seven -hundred miles from the Pacific Ocean. Its northern point is in latitude -54° 40′, about seventy miles north of Mount Browne,[22] and about four -hundred miles from the same sea. Its general direction between these -points is from N. N. W. to S. S. E. - -This range is generally covered with perpetual snows; and for this -and other causes is generally impassable for man or beast. There are, -however, several gaps through {222} which the Indians and others cross -to the Great Prairie Wilderness. The northernmost is between the peaks -Browne and Hooker. This is used by the fur traders in their journeys -from the Columbia to Canada.[23] Another lies between the head waters of -the Flathead and the Marias rivers. Another runs from Lewis and Clarke’s -river to the southern head waters of the Missouri. Another lies up -Henry’s fork for the Saptin, in a northeasterly course to the Big-horn -branch of the Yellowstone. And still another, and most important of all, -is situated between Wind river cluster and Long’s mountains.[24] - -There are several spurs or lateral branches protruding from the main -chain, which are worthy of notice. The northernmost of these parts off -north of Fraser’s river, and embraces the sources of that stream. It is -a broad collection of heights, thinly covered with pines. Some of the -tops are covered with snow nine months of the year. A spur from these -passes far down between Fraser’s and Columbia rivers. This is a line of -rather low elevations, thickly clothed with pines, cedar, &c. The highest -portions of them lie near the Columbia. Another spur {223} puts out on -the south of Mount Hooker, and lies in the bend of the Columbia, above -the two lakes. - -These are lofty and bare of vegetation. Another lies between the Flatbow -and Flathead rivers; another between the Flathead and Spokan rivers; -another between the Kooskooskie and Wapicakoos rivers.[25] These spurs, -which lie between the head waters of the Columbia and the last mentioned -river have usually been considered in connexion with a range running off -S. W. from the lower part of the Saptin, and called the Blue Mountains. -But there are two sufficient reasons why this is an error. The first is, -that these spurs are separate and distinct from each other, and are all -manifestly merely spurs of the Rocky Mountains, and closely connected -with them. - -And the second is, that no one of them is united in any one point with -the Blue Mountains. They cannot therefore be considered a part of the -Blue Mountain chain, and should not be known by the same name. The -mountains which lie between the Wapicakoos river and the upper waters -of the Saptin, will be described by saying that they are a vast cluster -of dark naked heights, descending from the average elevation of fifteen -thousand feet—the altitude of the {224} great western ridge—to about -eight thousand feet—the elevation of the eastern wall of the valley of -the Saptin. The only qualifying fact that should be attached to this -description is, that there are a few small hollows among these mountains, -called “holes;” which in general appearance resemble Brown’s hole, -mentioned in a previous chapter; but unlike the latter, they are too cold -to allow of cultivation. - -The last spur that deserves notice in this place is that which is called -the “Snowy Mountains.” It has already been described in this work; and it -can only be necessary here to repeat that it branches off from the Wind -river peak in latitude 41° north, and runs in an irregular broken line -to Cape Mendocino, in Upper California. - -The Blue Mountains are a range of heights which commence at the Saptin, -about twenty miles above its junction with the Columbia, near the 46° -of north latitude, and run south-westerly about two hundred miles, and -terminate in a barren, rolling plain. They are separated from the Rocky -Mountains by the valley of the Saptin, and are unconnected with any other -range. Some of their loftiest peaks are more than ten thousand feet above -the level of the sea. Many beautiful valleys, many hills covered {225} -with bunch grass, and very many extensive swells covered with heavy -yellow pine forests, are found among them. - -The President’s range is in every respect the most interesting in Oregon. -It is a part of a chain of highlands, which commences at Mount St. Elias, -and gently diverging from the coast, terminates in the arid hills about -the head of the Gulf of California. It is a line of extinct volcanoes, -where the fires, the evidences of whose intense power are seen over the -whole surface of Oregon, found their principal vents. It has twelve lofty -peaks; two of which, Mount St. Elias and Mount Fairweather, lie near -latitude 55° north;[26] and ten of which lie south of latitude 49° north. -Five of these latter have received names from British navigators and -traders. - -The other five have received from American travellers, and Mr. Kelly, -the names of deceased Presidents of the Republic. Mr. Kelly, I believe, -was the first individual who suggested a name for the whole range. For -convenience in description I have adopted it.[27] And although it is a -matter in which no one can find reasons for being very much interested, -yet if there is any propriety in adopting Mr. Kelly’s name for the whole -{226} chain, there might seem to be as much in following his suggestion, -that all the principal peaks should bear the names of those distinguished -men, whom the suffrages of the people that own Oregon[28] have from time -to time called to administer their national government. I have adopted -this course. - -Mount Tyler is situated near latitude forty-nine degrees north, and about -twenty miles from the eastern shore of those waters between Vancouver’s -Island, and the continent. It is clad with perpetual snow.[29] Mount -Harrison is situated a little more than a degree south of Mount Tyler, -and about thirty miles east by north of Puget’s Sound. It is covered -with perpetual snow.[30] Mount Van Buren stands on the isthmus between -Puget’s Sound and the Pacific. It is a lofty, wintry peak, seen in clear -weather eighty miles at sea.[31] Mount Adams lies under the parallel of -forty-five degrees, about twenty-five miles north of the cascades of -the Columbia. This is one of the finest peaks of the chain, clad with -eternal snows, five thousand feet down its sides. Mount Washington lies -a little north of the forty-fourth degree north, and about twenty miles -{227} south of the Cascades.[32] It is a perfect cone, and is said to -rise seventeen thousand or eighteen thousand feet above the level of the -sea. More than half its height is covered with perpetual snows. Mount -Jefferson is an immense peak under latitude forty-one and a half degrees -north. It received its name from Lewis and Clark.[33] Mount Madison is -the Mount McLaughlin of the British fur-traders. Mount Monroe is in -latitude forty-three degrees twenty minutes north, and Mount John Quincy -Adams is in forty-two degrees ten minutes; both covered with perpetual -snow.[34] - -Mount Jackson is in latitude forty-one degrees ten minutes. It is the -largest and highest pinnacle of the President’s range.[35] This chain of -mountains runs parallel with the Rocky Mountains, between three hundred -and four hundred miles from them. Its average distance from the coast of -the Pacific, south of latitude forty-nine degrees, is about one hundred -miles. The spaces between the peaks are occupied by elevated heights, -covered with an enormous growth of the several species of pines, and -firs, and the red cedar, many of which rise two hundred feet without -a limb; and are five, six, seven, eight, and even nine fathoms in -circumference at the ground. - -{228} On the south side of the Columbia, at the Cascades, a range of low -mountains puts off from the President’s range, and running down parallel -to the river, terminates in a point of land on which Astoria was built. -Its average height is about one thousand five hundred feet above the -river. Near the Cascades the tops are higher; and in some instances are -beautifully castellated. They are generally covered with dense pine and -fir forests. From the north side of the Cascades, a similar range runs -down to the sea, and terminates in Cape Disappointment.[36] This range -also is covered with forests. Another range runs on the brink of the -coast, from Cape Mendocino in Upper California to the Straits de Fuca. -This is generally bare of trees; mere masses of dark stratified rocks, -piled many hundred feet in height. It rises immediately from the borders -of the sea, and preserves nearly a right line course, during their entire -length. The lower portion of the eastern sides is clothed with heavy pine -and spruce, fir and cedar forests. - -I have described in previous pages the great southern branch of the -Columbia, called Saptin by the natives who live on its banks, and the -valley of volcanic deserts, through which it runs, as well as the -Columbia {229} and its cavernous vale, from its junction with the Saptin -to Fort Vancouver, ninety miles from the sea. I shall therefore in the -following notice of the rivers of Oregon, speak only of those parts -of this and other streams, and their valleys about them, which remain -undescribed. - -That portion of the Columbia, which lies above its junction with the -Saptin, latitude forty-six degrees eight minutes north, is navigable for -bateaux to the boat encampment at the base of the Rocky Mountains, about -the fifty-third degree of north latitude, a distance, by the course of -the stream, of about five hundred miles.[37] The current is strong, and -interrupted by five considerable and several lesser rapids, at which -there are short portages. The country on both sides of the river, from -its junction with the Saptin to the mouth of the Spokan, is a dreary -waste. The soil is a light yellowish composition of sand and clay, -generally destitute of vegetation. In a few nooks, irrigated by mountain -streams, are found small patches of the short grass of the plains -interspersed with another species which grows in tufts or bunches four -or five feet in height. A few shrubs (as the small willow, the sumac, -and furze), appear in distant and solitary {230} groups. There are no -trees; generally nothing green; a mere brown drifting desert; as far as -the Oakanagan River, two hundred and eight miles, a plain, the monotonous -desolation of which is relieved only by the noble river running through -it, and an occasional cliff of volcanic rocks bursting through its arid -surface. - -The river Oakanagan is a large, fine stream, originating in a large lake -of the same name situate in the mountains, about one hundred miles north -of its mouth. The soil in the neighbourhood of this stream is generally -worthless. Near its union, however, with the Columbia, there are a number -of small plains tolerably well clothed with the wild grasses; and near -its lake are found hills covered with small timber. On the point of land -between this stream and the Columbia, the Pacific Fur Company in 1811 -established a trading post. This in 1814 passed by purchase into the -hands of the North-West Fur Company of Canada, and in 1819 by the union -of that body with the Hudson Bay Company, passed into the possession of -the united company under the name of Hudson Bay Company. It is still -occupied by them under its old name of Fort Oakanagan.[38] - -{231} From this post, latitude forty-eight degrees six minutes, and -longitude one hundred and seventeen degrees west, along the Columbia to -the Spokan, the country is as devoid of wood as that below. The banks -of the river are bold and rocky, the stream is contracted with narrow -limits, and the current strong and vexed with dangerous eddies. - -The Spokan river rises among the spurs of the Rocky Mountains east -south-east of the mouth of the Oakanagan, and, after a course of about -fifty miles, forms the Pointed Heart Lake, twenty-five miles in length, -and ten or twelve in width; and running thence in a north-westerly -direction about one hundred and twenty miles, empties itself into the -Columbia. About sixty miles from its mouth, the Pacific Fur Company -erected a trading-post, which they called the “Spokan House.” Their -successors are understood to have abandoned it.[39] Above the Pointed -Heart Lake, the banks of this river are usually high and bold mountains, -sparsely covered with pines and cedars of a fine size. Around the lake -are some grass lands, many edible roots, and wild fruits. On all the -remaining course of the stream, are found at intervals {232} productive -spots capable of yielding moderate crops of the grains and vegetables. -There is considerable pine and cedar timber on the neighbouring hills; -and near the Columbia are large forests growing on sandy plains. In a -word, the Spokan valley can be extensively used as a grazing district; -but its agricultural capabilities are limited. - -Mr. Spaulding, an American missionary, made a journey across this valley -to Fort Colville,[40] in March 1837, in relation to which, he thus writes -to Mr. Levi Chamberlain of the Sandwich Islands: “The third day from home -we came to snow, and on the fourth, came to what I call quicksands, -plains mixed with pine trees and rocks. The body of snow upon the plains -was interspersed with bare spots under the standing pines. For these, our -poor animals would plunge whenever they came near, after wallowing in -the snow and mud until the last nerve seemed almost exhausted, naturally -expecting a resting-place for their struggling limbs; but they were no -less disappointed and discouraged, doubtless, than I was astonished, to -see the noble animals go down by the side of a rock or pine tree, till -their bodies struck the surface.” - -{233} The same gentleman, in speaking of this valley, and the country -generally, lying north of the Columbia, and claimed by the United States -and Great Britain, says, “It is probably not worth half the money and -time that will be spent in talking about it.” - -The country, from the Spokan to Kettle Falls, is broken into hills and -mountains thinly covered with wood, and picturesque in appearance, among -which there is supposed to be no arable land. A little below Kettle -Falls,[41] in latitude 48°, 37′ is a trading post of the Hudson’s Bay -Company, called Fort Colville. Mr. Spaulding thus describes it:—“Fort -Colville is two hundred miles west of north from this, (his station on -the Clear Water), three days below Flatland River, one day above Spokan, -one hundred miles above Oakanagan, and three hundred miles above Fort -Wallawalla. It stands on a small plain of two thousand or three thousand -acres, said to be the only arable land on the Columbia, above Vancouver. -There are one or two barns, a blacksmith shop, a good flour mill, several -houses for labourers, and good buildings for the gentlemen in charge.” - -Mr. McDonald[42] raises this year (1837) {234} about three thousand five -hundred bushels of different grains, such as wheat, peas, barley, oats, -corn, buckwheat, &c., and as many potatoes; has eighty head of cattle, -and one hundred hogs. This post furnishes supplies of provisions for a -great many forts north, south and west. The country on both sides of -the stream, from Kettle Falls to within four miles of the lower Lake, -is covered with dense forests of pine, spruce, and small birch. The -northwestern shore is rather low, but the southern high and rocky. In -this distance are several tracts of rich bottom land, covered with a kind -of creeping red clover, and the white species common to the States. The -lower lake of the Columbia is about thirty-five miles in length, and four -or five in breadth. Its shores are bold, and clad with a heavy growth of -pine, spruce, &c.[43] From these waters the voyager obtains the first -view of the snowy heights in the main chain of the Rocky Mountains. - -The Flathead River enters into the Columbia a short distance above Fort -Colville. It is as long, and discharges nearly as much water as that -part of Columbia above their junction. It rises near the {235} sources -of the Missouri and Sascatchawine.[44] The ridges which separate them -are said to be easy to pass. It falls into the Columbia over a confused -heap of immense rocks, just above the place where the latter stream -forms the Kettle Falls, in its passage through a spur of the Rocky -Mountains. About one hundred miles from its mouth, the Flathead River -forms a lake thirty-six miles long and seven or eight wide. It is called -Lake Kullerspelm. A rich and beautiful country spreads off from it in -all directions, to the bases of lofty mountains covered with perpetual -snows. Forty or fifty miles above this lake, is the “Flathead House,” a -trading post of the Hudson Bay Company.[45] - -McGillivray’s, or Flat Bow River, rises in the Rocky Mountains, and -running a tortuous westerly course about three hundred miles, among the -snowy heights, and some extensive and somewhat productive valleys, enters -the Columbia four miles below the Lower Lake. Its banks are generally -mountainous, and in some places covered with pine forests. On this stream -also, the indefatigable British fur traders have a post, “Fort Kootania,” -situated {236} about one hundred and thirty miles from its mouth.[46] -Between the lower and upper lakes of the Columbia, are “the Straits,” -a narrow, compressed passage of the river among jutting rocks. It is -four or five miles in length, and has a current, swift, whirling, and -difficult to stem. The upper lake is of less dimensions than the lower; -but, if possible, surrounded by more broken and romantic scenery, forests -overhung by lofty tiers of wintry mountains, from which rush a thousand -torrents, fed by the melting snows.[47] - -Two miles above this lake, the Columbia runs through a narrow, rocky -channel. This place is called the Lower Dalles. The shores are strewn -with immense quantities of fallen timber, among which still stand heavy -and impenetrable forests. Thirty-five miles above is the Upper Dalles; -the waters are crowded into a compressed channel, among hanging and -slippery rocks, foaming and whirling fearfully.[48] A few miles above -this place, is the head of navigation, “The Boat encampment,” where the -traders leave their bateaux, in their overland journeys to Canada.[49] -The country from the upper lake to this place, is a collection {237} of -mountains, thickly covered with pine, and spruce, and fir trees of very -large size. - -Here commences the “Rocky Mountain portage,” to the navigable waters -on the other side. Its track runs up a wide and cheerless valley, on -the north of which, tiers of mountains rise to a great height, thickly -studded with immense pines and cedars, while on the south are seen -towering cliffs, partially covered with mosses and stinted pines, over -which tumble, from the ices above, numerous and noisy cascades. Two days’ -travel up the desolate valley, brings the traveller to “La Grande Cote,” -the principal ridge. This you climb in two hours. Around the base of this -ridge, the trees, pines, &c., are of enormous size; but in ascending,[50] -they decrease in size, till on the summit they become little else than -shrubs. - -On a table land of this height, are found two lakes a few hundred yards -apart; the waters of one of which flow down the valley just described, to -the Columbia, and thence to the North Pacific; while those of the other, -forming the Rocky Mountain River, run thence into the Athabasca, and -thence through Peace River, the Great Slave Lake, {238} and McKenzie’s -River, into the Northern Arctic Ocean. The scenery around these lakes -is highly interesting.[51] In the north, rises Mount Browne, sixteen -thousand feet, and in the south, Mount Hooker, fifteen thousand seven -hundred feet above the level of the sea. In the west, descends a vast -tract of secondary mountains, bare and rocky, and noisy with tumbling -avalanches. In the vales are groves of the winter-loving pine. In the -east roll away undulations of barren heights beyond the range of sight. -It seems to be the very citadel of desolation; where the god of the north -wind elaborates his icy streams, and frosts, and blasts, in every season -of the year. - -Frazer’s River rises between latitudes 55° and 56° north, and after a -course of about one hundred and fifty miles, nearly due south, falls -into the Straits de Fuca, under latitude 49° north. It is so much -obstructed by rapids and falls, as to be of little value for purposes of -navigation.[52] The face of the country about its mouth, and for fifty -miles above, is mountainous and covered with dense forests of white pine, -cedar, and other evergreen trees. The soil is an indifferent vegetable -deposit six or seven inches in depth, resting on a stratum of sand or -{239} coarse gravel. The whole remaining portion of the valley is said to -be cut with low mountains running north-westwardly and south-eastwardly; -among which are immense tracts of marshes and lakes, formed by cold -torrents from the heights that encircle them. The soil not thus occupied, -is too poor for successful cultivation. Mr. Macgillivray, the person in -charge at Fort Alexandria, in 1827, says:[53] “All the vegetables we -planted, notwithstanding the utmost care and precaution, nearly failed; -and the last crop of potatoes did not yield one-fourth of the seed -planted.” The timber of this region consists of all the varieties of the -fir, the spruce, pine, poplar, willow, cedar, cyprus, birch and alder. - -The climate is very peculiar. The spring opens about the middle of April. -From this time the weather is delightful till the end of May. In June -the south wind blows, and brings incessant rains. In July and August the -heat is almost insupportable. In September the whole valley is enveloped -in fogs so dense, that objects one hundred yards distant cannot be seen -till ten o’clock in the day. In October the leaves change their colour -and begin to fall. In November, the lakes, and portions of the rivers are -{240} frozen. The winter months bring snow. It is seldom severely cold. -The mercury in Fahrenheit’s scale sinks a few days only, as low as ten or -twelve degrees below zero. - -That part of Oregon bounded on the north by Shmillamen River,[54] and -on the east by Oakanagan and Columbia Rivers, south by the Columbia, -and west by the President’s Range, is a broken plain, partially covered -with the short and bunch grasses; but so destitute of water, that a -small portion only of it, can ever be depastured. The eastern and -middle portions of it are destitute of timber—a mere sunburnt waste. -The northern part has a few wooded hills and streams, and prairie -valleys. Among the lower hills of the President’s Range, too, there are -considerable pine and fir forests; and rather extensive prairies, watered -by small mountain streams; but nearly all of the whole surface of this -part of Oregon, is a worthless desert. - -The tract bounded north by the Columbia, east by the Blue Mountains, -south by the forty-second parallel of north latitude, and west by the -President’s Range, is a plain of vast rolls or swells, of a light, -yellowish, sandy clay, partially covered with the short and bunch -grasses, mixed with the prickly {241} pear and wild wormwood. But water -is so very scarce, that it can never be generally fed; unless, indeed, -as some travellers, in their praises of this region, seem to suppose, -the animals that usually live by eating and drinking, should be able -to dispense with the latter, in a climate where nine months in the -year, not a particle of rain or dew falls, to moisten a soil as dry -and loose as a heap of ashes. On the banks of the Luhon, John Days, -Umatalla, and Wallawalla Rivers[55]—which have an average length of -thirty miles—without doubt, extensive tracts of grass may be found in the -neighbourhood of water; but it is also true that not more than a fifth -part of the surface within twenty-five miles of these streams, bears -grass or any other vegetation. - -The portion also which borders the Columbia, produces some grass. But of -a strip six miles in width, and extending from the Dalles to the mouth of -the Saptin, not an hundredth part bears the grasses; and the sides of the -chasm of the river are so precipitous, that not a fiftieth part of this -can be fed by animals which drink at that stream. In proceeding southward -on the head waters of the small streams, John Days and Umatalla, the face -of the plain rises gradually {242} into vast irregular swells, destitute -of timber and water. On the Blue Mountains are a few pine and spruce -trees of an inferior growth. On the right tower the white peaks and -thickly wooded hills of the President’s Range. - -The space south-east of the Blue Mountains is a barren, thirsty waste, -of light, sandy, and clayey soil—strongly impregnated with nitre. A -few small streams run among the sand hills; but they are so strongly -impregnated with various kinds of salts, as to be unfit for use. These -brooks empty themselves into the lakes, the waters of which are salter -than the ocean. Near latitude 43° north, the Klamet River rises and runs -westerly, through the President’s Range.[56] On these waters are a few -productive valleys; westwardly from them to the Saptin the country is -dry and worthless. - -The part of Oregon lying between the Straits de Fuca on the north, -the President’s Range on the east, the Columbia on the south, and the -ocean on the west, is thickly covered with pines, cedars, and firs of -extraordinary size; and beneath these, a growth of brush and brambles -which defies the most vigorous foot to penetrate. Along the banks of the -Columbia, indeed, strips {243} of prairie may be met with, varying from a -few rods to three miles in width, and often several miles in length; and -even amidst the forests are found a few open spaces. - -The banks of the Cowelitz, too, are denuded of timber for forty miles; -and around the Straits de Fuca and Puget’s Sound, are large tracts of -open country.[57] But the whole tract lying within the boundaries just -defined, is of little value except for its timber. The forests are so -heavy and so matted with brambles, as to require the arm of a Hercules -to clear a farm of one hundred acres in an ordinary life-time; and the -mass of timber is so great that an attempt to subdue it by girdling would -result in the production of another forest before the ground could be -disencumbered of what was thus killed. The small prairies among the woods -are covered with wild grasses, and are useful as pastures. - -The soil of these, like that of the timbered portions, is a vegetable -mould, eight or ten inches in thickness, resting on a stratum of hard -blue clay and gravel. The valley of the Cowelitz is poor—the soil, thin, -loose, and much washed, can be used as pasture grounds for thirty miles -up the stream. At about that distance some tracts {244} of fine land -occur. The prairies on the banks of the Columbia would be valuable land -for agricultural purposes, if they were not generally overflown by the -freshets in June—the month of all the year when crops are most injured by -such an occurrence. It is impossible to dyke out the water; for the soil -rests upon an immense bed of gravel and quicksand, through which it will -leach in spite of such obstructions. - -The tract of the territory lying between the Columbia on the north, the -President’s range on the east, the parallel of forty-two degrees of north -latitude on the south, and the ocean on the west, is the most beautiful -and valuable portion of the Oregon Territory. A good idea of the form -of its surface may be derived from a view of its mountains and rivers -as laid down on the map. On the south tower the heights of the snowy -mountains; on the west the naked peaks of the coast range; on the north -the green peaks of the river range; and on the east the lofty shining -cones of the President’s range—around whose frozen bases cluster a vast -collection of minor mountains, clad with the mightiest pine and cedar -forests on the face of the earth! The principal rivers are the Klamet and -the Umpqua in the south-west, and the Willamette in the north. - -{245} The Umpqua enters these in a latitude forty-three degrees, thirty -minutes north.[58] It is three-fourths of a mile in width at its mouth; -water two-and-a-half fathoms on its bar; the tide sets up thirty miles -from the sea; its banks are steep and covered with pines and cedars, -&c. Above tide water the stream is broken by rapids and falls. It has a -westwardly course of about one hundred miles. The face of the country -about it is somewhat broken; in some parts covered with heavy pine and -cedar timber, in others with grass only; said to be a fine valley for -cultivation and pasturage. The pines on this river grow to an enormous -size: two hundred and fifty feet in height—and from fifteen to more than -fifty feet in circumference;[59] the cones or seed vessels are in the -form of an egg, and oftentimes more than a foot in length; the seeds are -as large as the castor bean. Farther south is another stream, which joins -the ocean twenty-three miles from the outlet of the Umpqua. At its mouth -are many bays; and the surrounding country is less broken than the valley -of the Umpqua.[60] - -{246} Farther south still, is another stream called the Klamet. It rises, -as is said, in the plain east of Mount Madison, and running a westerly -course of one hundred and fifty miles, enters the ocean forty or fifty -miles south of the Umpqua. The pine and cedar disappear upon this stream; -and instead of them are found a myrtaceous tree of small size, which, -when shaken by the least breeze, diffuses a delicious fragrance through -the groves. The face of the valley is gently undulating, and in every -respect desirable for cultivation and grazing. - -The Willamette rises in the President’s range, near the sources of the -Klamet. Its general course is north northwest. Its length is something -more than two hundred miles. It falls into the Columbia by two mouths; -the one eighty-five, and the other seventy miles from the sea. The arable -portion of the valley of this river is about one hundred and fifty miles -long, by sixty in width. It is bounded on the west by low wooded hills of -the coast range; on the south by the highlands around the upper waters -of the Umpqua; on the east by the President’s range; and on the north -by the mountains that run along the southern bank of the Columbia. Its -general appearance as seen from the heights, is that of a {247} rolling, -open plain, intersected in every direction by ridges of low mountains, -and long lines of evergreen timber; and dotted here and there with a -grove of white oaks. The soil is a rich vegetable mould, two or three -feet deep, resting on a stratum of coarse gravel or clay. The prairie -portions of it are capable of producing, with good cultivation, from -twenty to thirty bushels of wheat to the acre, and other small grains -in proportion. Corn cannot be raised without irrigation. The vegetables -common to such latitudes yield abundantly, and of the best quality. The -uplands have an inferior soil, and are covered with such an enormous -growth of pines, cedars and firs, that the expense of clearing would be -greatly beyond their value. Those tracts of the second bottom lands, -which are covered with timber might be worth subduing, but for a species -of fern growing on them, which is so difficult to kill, as to render them -nearly worthless for agricultural purposes. - -The climate of the country between the President’s range and the sea, is -very temperate. From the middle of April to the middle of October, the -westerly winds prevail, and the weather is warm and dry. Scarcely a drop -of rain falls. During the remainder of the year, the southerly winds -{248} blow continually, and bring rains; sometimes in showers, and at -others terrible storms, which continue to pour down incessantly for many -weeks. - -There is scarcely any freezing weather in this section of Oregon. Twice -within the last forty years the Columbia has been frozen over; but this -was chiefly caused by the accumulation of ice from the upper country. The -grasses grow during the winter months, and wither to hay in the summer -time. - -The mineral resources of Oregon have not been investigated. Great -quantities of bituminous coal have however been discovered on Puget’s -Sound,[61] and on the Willamette. Salt springs also abound; and other -fountains highly impregnated with sulphur, soda, iron, &c., are numerous. - -Many wild fruits are to be met with in the territory, that would be very -desirable for cultivation in the gardens of the States. Among these -are a very large and delicious strawberry, the service berry, a kind -of whortleberry, and a cranberry growing on bushes four or five feet -in height. The crab apple, choke cherry, and thornberry are common. Of -the wild animals, there are the white tailed, black tailed, jumping and -moose deer; the elk; red and black and grey wolf; the black, brown, and -grisly bear; {249} the mountain sheep; black, white, red and mixed foxes; -beaver, lynxes, martin, otters, minks, muskrats, wolverines, marmot, -ermines, wood-rats, and the small curly-tailed short eared dog, common -among the Chippeways. - -Of the feathered tribe, there are the goose, the brant, several kinds -of cranes, the swan, many varieties of the duck, hawks of several -kinds, plovers, white eagles, ravens, crows, vultures, thrush, gulls, -woodpeckers, pheasants, pelicans, partridges, grouse, snowbirds, &c. - -In the rivers and lakes are a very superior quality of salmon, brook and -salmon trout, sardines, sturgeon, rock cod, the hair seal, &c.; and in -the bays and inlets along the coast, are the sea otter and an inferior -kind of oyster. - -The trade of Oregon is limited entirely to the operations of the British -Hudson Bay Company. A concise account of this association is therefore -deemed apposite in this place. - -A charter was granted by Charles II, in 1670, to certain British subjects -associated under the name of “The Hudson’s Bay Company,” in virtue of -which they were allowed the exclusive privilege of establishing {250} -trading factories on the Hudson’s Bay and its tributary rivers. Soon -after the grant, the Company took possession of the territory, and -enjoyed its trade without opposition till 1787; when was organized a -powerful rival under the title of the “North American Fur Company of -Canada.” This company was chiefly composed of Canadian-born subjects—men -whose native energy and thorough acquaintance with the Indian character, -peculiarly qualified them for the dangers and hardships of a fur trader’s -life in the frozen regions of British America. Accordingly we soon find -the North-westers outreaching in enterprise and commercial importance -their less active neighbours of Hudson’s Bay; and the jealousies -naturally arising between parties so situated, led to the most barbarous -battles, and the sacking and burning each others posts. This state of -things in 1821, arrested the attention of Parliament, and an act was -passed consolidating the two companies into one, under the title of “The -Hudson’s Bay Company.”[62] - -This association is now, under the operation of their charter, in sole -possession of all that tract of country bounded north by {251} the -northern Arctic Ocean; east by the Davis’ Straits and the Atlantic Ocean; -south and south-westwardly by the northern boundary of the Canadas, and -a line drawn through the centre of Lake Superior; thence north-westwardly -to the Lake of the Wood; thence west on the 49th parallel of north -latitude to the Rocky Mountains, and along those mountains to the 54th -parallel; thence westwardly on that line to a point nine marine leagues -from the Pacific Ocean; and on the west by a line commencing at the last -mentioned point, and running northwardly parallel to the Pacific coast -till it intersects the 141st parallel of longitude west from Greenwich, -England, and thence due north to the Arctic Sea. - -They have also leased for twenty years, commencing in March, 1840, all -of Russian America, except the post of Sitka; the lease renewable at the -pleasure of the Hudson’s Bay Company.[63] They are also in possession of -Oregon under treaty stipulation between Britain and the United States. -Thus this powerful company occupy and control more than one-ninth of the -soil of the globe. Its stockholders are British capitalists, resident in -Great Britain. From these are elected a board of managers, who {252} hold -their meetings and transact their business at “The Hudson’s Bay House” in -London. This board buy goods and ship them to their territory, sell the -furs for which they are exchanged, and do all other business connected -with the Company’s transactions, except the execution of their own -orders, the actual business of collecting furs in their territory. This -duty is entrusted to a class of men who are called partners, but who in -fact receive certain portions of the annual net profits of the Company’s -business, as a compensation for their services. - -These gentlemen are divided by their employers into different grades. -The first of these is the Governor-General of all the Company’s posts in -North America. He resides at York Factory, on the west shore of Hudson’s -Bay.[64] The second class are chief factors; the third, chief traders; -the fourth, traders. Below these is another class, called clerks. These -are usually younger members of respectable Scottish families. They are -not directly interested in the Company’s profits, but receive an annual -salary of £100, food, suitable clothing, and a body servant, during an -apprenticeship of seven years. At the expiration {253} of this term they -are eligible to the traderships, factorships, &c. that may be vacated -by death or retirement from the service. While waiting for advancement -they are allowed from £80 to £120 per annum. The servants employed about -their posts and in their journeyings are half-breed Iroquois and Canadian -Frenchmen. These they enlist for five years, at wages varying from £68 to -£80 per annum.[65] - -An annual Council composed of the Governor-General, chief factors and -chief traders, is held at York Factory. Before this body are brought the -reports of the trade of each district; propositions for new enterprises, -and modifications of old ones; and all these and other matters deemed -important, being acted upon, the proceedings had thereon and the reports -from the several districts are forwarded to the Board of Directors in -London, and subjected to its final order. - -This shrewd Company never allow their territory to be overtrapped. If the -annual return from any well trapped district be less in any year than -formerly, they order a less number still to be taken, until the beaver -and other fur-bearing animals have time to increase. The income of the -company {254} is thus rendered uniform, and their business perpetual. - -The nature and annual value of the Hudson Bay Company’s business in the -territory which they occupy, may be learned from the following table, -extracted from Bliss’s work on the trade and industry of British America, -in 1831:[66] - - Skins. No. each £. _s._ _d._ £. _s._ _d._ - - Beaver 126,944 ” 1 5 0 158,680 0 0 - Muskrat 375,731 ” 0 0 6 9,393 5 6 - Lynx 58,010 ” 0 8 0 23,204 0 0 - Wolf 5,947 ” 0 8 0 2,378 16 0 - Bear 3,850 ” 1 0 0 3,850 0 0 - Fox 8,765 ” 0 10 0 4,382 10 0 - Mink 9,298 ” 0 2 3 929 16 0 - Raccoon 325 ” 0 1 6 24 7 6 - Tails 2,290 ” 0 1 0 114 10 0 - Wolverine 1,744 ” 0 3 0 261 12 0 - Deer 645 ” 0 3 0 96 15 0 - Weasel 34 ” 0 0 6 00 16 0 - -------- ----------- ----------------- - £203,316 9 0 - -Some idea may be formed of the net profit of this business, from the -facts that the shares of the company’s stock, which originally cost -£100, are at 100 per cent premium, and that the dividends range from ten -per cent upward, and this too while they are creating out of the net -proceeds an immense reserve fund, to be {255} expended in keeping other -persons out of the trade. - -In 1805 the Missouri Fur Company established a trading-post on the -headwaters of the Saptin.[67] In 1806 the North-West Fur Company of -Canada established one on Frazer’s Lake, near the northern line of -Oregon.[68] In March, 1811, the American Pacific Fur Company built Fort -Astoria, near the mouth of the Columbia.[69] In July of the same year, -a partner of the North-West Fur Company of Canada descended the great -northern branch of the Columbia to Astoria. This was the first appearance -of the British fur traders in the valleys drained by this river.[70] - -On the 16th of October, 1813, (while war was raging between England -and the States) the Pacific Fur Company sold all its establishments in -Oregon to the North-West Fur Company of Canada. On the 1st of December -following, the British sloop of war Raccoon, Captain Black commanding, -entered the Columbia, took formal possession of Astoria, and changed its -name to Fort George.[71] On the 1st of October, 1818, Fort George was -surrendered by the British Government to the Government of the States, -according to a stipulation in the Treaty of Ghent.[72] - -{256} By the same treaty, British subjects were granted the same rights -of trade and settlement in Oregon as belonged to the citizens of the -Republic, for the term of ten years; under the condition, that as both -nations claimed Oregon the occupancy thus authorized should in no form -affect the question as to the title to the country. This stipulation was -by treaty of London, August 6, 1827, indefinitely extended; under the -condition that it should cease to be in force twelve months from the date -of a notice of either of the contracting powers to the other, to annul -and abrogate it; provided such notice should not be given till after the -20th of October, 1828.[73] And this is the manner in which the British -Hudson’s Bay Company, after its union with the North-West Fur Company of -Canada, came into Oregon. - -They have now in the territory the following trading posts: Fort -Vancouver, on the north bank of the Columbia, ninety miles from the -Ocean, in latitude 45½°, longitude 122° 30′; Fort George, (formerly -Astoria), near the mouth of the same river;[74] Fort Nasqually, on -Puget’s Sound, latitude 47°; Fort Langly, at the outlet of Fraser’s -River, latitude 49° 25′; Fort McLaughlin, on the Millbank Sound, latitude -52°;[75] Fort {257} Simpson, on Dundas Island, latitude 54½°.[76] -Frazer’s Fort, Fort James, McLeod’s Fort, Fort Chilcotin, and Fort -Alexandria, on Frazer’s river and its branches between the 51st and -54½ parallels of latitude;[77] Thompson’s Fort, on Thompson’s River, -a tributary of Frazer’s River, putting into it in latitude 50° and odd -minutes; Kootania Fort, on Flatbow River; Flathead Fort, on Flathead -River; Forts Hall and Boisais, on the Saptin; Forts Colville and -Oakanagan, on the Columbia, above its junction with the Saptin; Fort Nez -Percés or Wallawalla, a few miles below the junction;[78] Fort McKay, -at the mouth of the Umpqua river, latitude 43° 30′, and longitude 124° -west.[79] - -They also have two migratory trading and trapping establishments of fifty -or sixty men each. The one traps and trades in Upper California; the -other in the country lying west, south, and east of Fort Hall. They also -have a steam-vessel, heavily armed, which runs along the coast, and among -its bays and inlets, for the twofold purpose of trading with the natives -in places where they have no post, and of outbidding and outselling any -American vessel that attempts to trade in those seas. They likewise have -five sailing vessels, measuring from one hundred to five hundred tons -{258} burthen, and armed with cannon, muskets, cutlasses, &c. These are -employed a part of the year in various kinds of trade about the coast -and the islands of the North Pacific, and the remainder of the time in -bringing goods from London, and bearing back the furs for which they are -exchanged. - -One of these ships arrives at Fort Vancouver in the spring of each year, -laden with coarse woollens, cloths, baizes, and blankets; hardware and -cutlery; cotton cloths, calicoes, and cotton handkerchiefs; tea, sugar, -coffee and cocoa; rice, tobacco, soap, beads, guns, powder, lead, rum, -wine, brandy, gin, and playing cards; boots, shoes, and ready-made -clothing, &c.; also, every description of sea stores, canvas, cordage, -paints, oils, chains and chain cables, anchors, &c. Having discharged -these “supplies,” it takes a cargo of lumber to the Sandwich Islands, -or of flour and goods to the Russians at Sitka or Kamskatka; returns in -August; receives the furs collected at Fort Vancouver, and sails again -for England. - -The value of peltries annually collected in Oregon, by the Hudson Bay -Comp., is about £140,000 in the London or New York market. The prime -cost of the goods exchanged {259} for them is about £20,000. To this -must be added the per centage of the officers as governors, factors, &c. -the wages and food of about four hundred men, the expense of shipping to -bring supplies of goods and take back the returns of furs, and two years’ -interest on the investments. The Company made arrangements in 1839 with -the Russians at Sitka and at other ports, about the sea of Kamskatka, -to supply them with flour and goods at fixed prices. As they are now -opening large farms on the Cowelitz, the Umpqua, and in other parts of -the Territory, for the production of wheat for that market; and as they -can afford to sell goods purchased in England under a contract of fifty -years’ standing, 20 or 30 per cent cheaper than American merchants can, -there seems a certainty that the Hudson’s Bay Company will engross the -entire trade of the North Pacific, as it has that of Oregon. - -Soon after the union of the North-West and Hudson’s Bay Companies, the -British Parliament passed an act extending the jurisdiction of the -Canadian courts over the territories occupied by these fur traders, -whether it were “owned” or “claimed by Great Britain.” Under this act, -certain {260} gentlemen of the fur company were appointed justices of the -peace, and empowered to entertain prosecutions for minor offences, arrest -and send to Canada criminals of a higher order, and try, render judgment, -and grant execution in civil suits where the amount in issue should not -exceed £200; and in case of non-payment, to imprison the debtor at their -own forts, or in the jails of Canada. - -It is thus shown that the trade, and the civil and criminal jurisdiction -in Oregon are held by British subjects; that American citizens are -deprived of their own commercial rights; that they are liable to be -arrested on their own territory by officers of British courts, tried in -the American domain by British judges, and imprisoned or hung according -to the laws of the British empire, for acts done within the territorial -limits of the Republic. - -It has frequently been asked if Oregon will hereafter assume great -importance as a thoroughfare between the States and China? The answer is -as follows: - -The Straits de Fuca, and arms of the sea to the eastward of it, furnish -the only good harbours on the Oregon coast. Those in Puget’s Sound offer -every requisite facility {261} for the most extensive commerce. Ships -beat out and into the straits with any winds of the coast, and find -in summer and winter fine anchorage at short intervals on both shores; -and among the islands of the Sound, a safe harbour from the prevailing -storms. From Puget’s Sound eastward, there is a possible route for -a railroad to the navigable waters of the Missouri; flanked with an -abundance of fuel and other necessary materials. Its length would be -about six hundred miles. Whether it would answer the desired end, would -depend very much upon the navigation of the Missouri.[80] - -As, however, the principal weight and bulk of cargoes in the Chinese -trade would belong to the homeward voyage, and as the lumber used in -constructing proper boats on the upper Missouri would sell in Saint Louis -for something like the cost of construction, it may perhaps be presumed -that the trade between China and the States could be conducted through -such an overland communication. - -The first day of the winter months came with bright skies over the -beautiful valleys of Oregon. Mounts Washington and Jefferson reared their -vast pyramids of ice and {262} snow among the fresh green forests of the -lower hills, and overlooked the Willamette, the lower Columbia, and the -distant sea. The herds of California cattle were lowing on the meadows, -and the flocks of sheep from the downs of England were scampering and -bleating around their shepherds on the plain; and the plane of the -carpenter, the adze of the cooper, the hammer of the tinman, and the -anvil of the blacksmith within the pickets, were all awake when I arose -to breakfast for the last time at Fort Vancouver. - -The beauty of the day, and the busy hum of life around me, accorded well -with the feelings of joy with which I made preparations to return to -my family and home. And yet when I met at the table Dr. McLaughlin, Mr. -Douglas, and others with whom I had passed many pleasant hours, and from -whom I had received many kindnesses, a sense of sorrow mingled strongly -with the delight which the occasion naturally inspired. I was to leave -Vancouver for the Sandwich Islands, and see them no more. I confess that -it has seldom been my lot to feel so deeply pained at parting with those -whom I had known so little time. But it became me to hasten {263} my -departure; for the ship had dropped down to the mouth of the river, and -awaited the arrival of Mr. Simpson, one of the company’s clerks,[81] Mr. -Johnson, an American from St. Louis, and myself. While we are making the -lower mouth of the Willamette, the reader will perhaps be amused with the -sketch of life at Fort Vancouver. - -Fort Vancouver is, as has been already intimated, the depot at which -are brought the furs collected west of the Rocky Mountains, and from -which they are shipped to England; the place also at which all the goods -for the trade are landed; and from which they are distributed to the -various posts of that territory by vessels, bateaux, or pack animals, as -the various routes permit. It was established by Governor Simpson, in -1824, as the great centre of all commercial operations in Oregon;[82] is -situated in a beautiful plain on the north bank of the Columbia, ninety -miles from the sea, in latitude 45½° north, and in longitude 122° west; -and stands four hundred yards from the water side. The noble river -before it is sixteen hundred and seventy yards wide, and from five to -seven fathoms in depth; the whole surrounding country is covered with -{264} forests of pine, cedar, and fir, &c., interspersed here and there -with small open spots; all overlooked by the vast snowy pyramids of the -President’s Range, thirty-five miles in the east. - -The fort itself is an oblong square two hundred and fifty yards in -length, by one hundred and fifty in breadth, enclosed by pickets twenty -feet in height. The area within is divided into two courts, around -which are arranged thirty-five wooden buildings, used as officers’ -dwellings, lodging apartment for clerks, storehouses for furs, goods, -and grains; and as workshops for carpenters, blacksmiths, coopers, -tinners, wheelwrights, &c. One building near the rear gate is occupied as -a school-house; and a brick structure as a powder-magazine. The wooden -buildings are constructed in the following manner. Posts are raised at -convenient intervals, with grooves in the facing sides; in these grooves -planks are inserted horizontally; and the walls are complete. Rafters -raised upon plates in the usual way, and covered with boards, form the -roofs. - -Six hundred yards below the fort, and on the bank of the river, is a -village of fifty-three wooden houses, generally constructed {265} like -those within the pickets. In these live the Company’s servants. Among -them is a hospital, in which those who become diseased are humanely -treated. At the back, and a little east of the fort, is a barn containing -a mammoth threshing machine; and near this are a number of long sheds, -used for storing grain in the sheaf. And behold the Vancouver farm, -stretching up and down the river (3,000 acres, fenced into beautiful -fields) sprinkled with dairy houses, and herdsmen and shepherds’ -cottages! A busy place. - -The farmer on horseback at break of day, summons one hundred half-breeds -and Iroquois Indians from their cabins to the fields. Twenty or thirty -ploughs tear open the generous soil; the sowers follow with their seed, -and pressing on them come a dozen harrows to cover it; and thus thirty or -forty acres are planted in a day, till the immense farm is under crop. -The season passes on, teeming with daily industry, until the harvest -waves on all these fields. Then sickle and hoe glisten in tireless -activity to gather in the rich reward of this toil; the food of seven -hundred at this post, and of thousands more at the posts on the deserts -in the east and {266} north. The saw mill, too, is a scene of constant -toil. Thirty or forty Sandwich Islanders are felling the pines and -dragging them to the mill; sets of hands are plying two gangs of saws -by night and day. Three thousand feet of lumber per day; nine hundred -thousand feet per annum; are constantly being shipped to foreign ports. - -The grist mill is not idle. It must furnish bread stuff for the posts, -and the Russian market in the north-west. And its deep music is heard -daily and nightly half the year. - -We will now enter the fort. The blacksmith is repairing ploughshares, -harrow teeth, chains and mill irons; the tinman is making cups for the -Indians, and camp-kettles, &c.; the wheelwright is making waggons, and -the wood parts of ploughs and harrows; the carpenter is repairing houses -and building new ones; the cooper is making barrels for pickling salmon -and packing furs; the clerks are posting books, and preparing the annual -returns to the board in London; the salesmen are receiving beaver and -dealing out goods. Listen to the voices of those children from the school -house. They are the half-breed offspring of the gentlemen and servants -of {267} the Company, educated at the Company’s expense, preparatory -to their being apprenticed to trades in Canada. They learn the English -language, writing, arithmetic and geography. The gardener, too, is -singing out his honest satisfaction, as he surveys from the northern gate -ten acres of apple trees laden with fruit, his bowers of grapevines, his -beds of vegetables and flowers. The bell rings for dinner; we will now -pay a visit to the “Hall” and its convivialities. - -The dining-hall is a spacious room on the second floor, ceiled with pine -above and at the sides. In the southwest corner of it is a large close -stove, giving out sufficient caloric to make it comfortable. - -At the end of a table twenty feet in length stands Governor McLaughlin, -directing guests and gentlemen from neighbouring posts to their places; -and chief-traders, traders, the physician, clerks, and the farmer, -slide respectfully to their places, at distances from the Governor -corresponding to the dignity of their rank in the service. Thanks are -given to God, and all are seated. Roast beef and pork, boiled mutton, -baked salmon, boiled ham; beets, carrots, turnips, cabbage and potatoes, -and wheaten bread, are tastefully distributed {268} over the table among -a dinner-set of elegant queen’s ware, burnished with glittering glasses -and decanters of various-coloured Italian wines. Course after course -goes round, and the Governor fills to his guests and friends; and each -gentleman in turn vies with him in diffusing around the board a most -generous allowance of viands, wines, and warm fellow-feeling. The cloth -and wines are removed together, cigars are lighted, and a strolling -smoke about the premises, enlivened by a courteous discussion of some -mooted point of natural history or politics, closes the ceremonies of the -dinner hour at Fort Vancouver. These are some of the incidents of life at -Vancouver. - -But we moor on the lower point of Wappatoo Island, to regale ourselves -with food and fire. This is the highest point of it, and is said to be -never overflown. A bold rocky shore, and the water is deep enough to -float the largest vessels, indicate it to be a site for the commercial -mart of the island. But the southern shore of the river, half a mile -below, is past a doubt the most important point for a town site on the -Columbia.[83] It lies at the lower mouth of the Willamette, the natural -outlet of the best agricultural district of {269} Oregon. It is a -hillside of gentle acclivity, covered with pine forests. There is a gorge -in the mountains through which a road from it to the prairies on the -south can easily be constructed. At this place the Hudson’s Bay Company -have erected a house, and occupy it with one of their servants. - -Having eaten our cold lunch, we left Wappatoo Island to the dominion of -its wild hogs, and took again to our boat. It was a drizzly, cheerless -day. The clouds ran fast from the south-west, and obscured the sun. The -wind fell in irregular gusts upon the water, and made it difficult to -keep our boat afloat. But we had a sturdy old Sandwich Islander at one -oar, and some four or five able-bodied Indians at others, and despite -winds and waves, slept that night a dozen miles below the Cowelitz. -Thus far below Vancouver, the Columbia was generally more than one -thousand yards wide, girded on either side by mountains rising very -generally, from the water side, two or three thousand feet in height, -and covered with dense forests of pine and fir. These mountains are used -by the Chinooks as burial-places. During the epidemic fever of 1832, -which almost swept this {270} portion of the Columbia valley of its -inhabitants, vast numbers of the dead were placed among them. They were -usually wrapped in skins, placed in the canoes, and hung from the boughs -of trees six or eight feet from the ground. Thousands of these were -seen.[84] - -They hung in groups near the water side. One of them had a canoe inverted -over the one containing the dead, and lashed tightly to it. We were often -driven close to the shore by the heavy wind, and always noticed that -these sepulchral canoes were perforated at the bottom. I was informed -that this is always done for the twofold purpose of letting out the water -which the rains may deposit in them, and of preventing their ever being -used again by the living. - -The 3rd was a boisterous day. The southerly winds drove in a heavy tide -from the Pacific, and lashed the Columbia into foam; but by keeping -under the windward shore, we made steady progress till sunset, when the -increased expanse of the river indicated that we were about fifteen -miles from the sea. The wind died away, and we pushed on rapidly; but -the darkness was so great that we lost our course, and grounded upon -a sand-bar three miles to the {271} north of Tongue Point.[85] After -considerable trouble, we succeeded in getting off, steered to the -northern shore, and in half an hour were again in deep water. But “the -ship, the ship,” was on every tongue. Was it above or below Tongue Point? -If the latter, we could not reach it that night, for the wind freshened -again every instant, and the waves grew angry and fearful, and dashed -into the boat at every sweep of the paddles. - -We were beginning to calculate our prospects of another hour’s breathing -when the shadowy outline of the ship was brought between us and the open -horizon of the mouth of the river, a half mile below us. The oars struck -fast and powerfully now, and the frail boat shot over the whitened waves -for a few minutes, and lay dancing and surging under the lee of the -noble “Vancouver.” A rope was hastily thrown us, and we stood upon her -beautiful deck, manifestly barely saved from a watery grave. For now the -sounding waves broke awfully all around us. Captain Duncan received us -very kindly, and introduced us immediately to the cordial hospitalities -of his cabin. The next morning we dropped down to Astoria, and anchored -one hundred {272} yards from the shore. The captain and passengers -landed about ten o’clock; and as I felt peculiar interest in the spot, -immortalized no less by the genius of Irving than the enterprize of John -Jacob Astor, I spent my time very industriously in exploring it. - -The site of this place is three quarters of a mile above the point of -land between the Columbia and Clatsop Bay. It is a hillside, formerly -covered with a very heavy forest. The space which has been cleared -may amount to four acres. It is rendered too wet for cultivation by -numberless springs bursting from the surface. The back ground is still a -forest rising over lofty hills; in the foreground is the Columbia, and -the broken pine hills of the opposite shore. The Pacific opens in the -west. - -Astoria has passed away; nothing is left of its buildings but an old -batten cedar door; nothing remaining of its bastions and pickets, but -half a dozen of the latter, tottering among the underbrush. While -scrambling over the grounds, we came upon the trunk of an immense tree, -long since prostrated, which measured between six and seven fathoms in -circumference. No information {273} could be obtained as to the length of -time it had been decaying. - -The Hudson’s Bay Company are in possession, and call the post Fort -George. They have erected three log buildings, and occupy them with a -clerk,[86] who acts as a telegraph keeper of events at the mouth of the -river. If a vessel arrives, or is seen laying off and on, information -of the fact is sent to Vancouver, with all the rapidity which can be -extracted from arms and paddles. - -This individual also carries on a limited trade with the Chinook and -Clatsop Indians; such is his influence over them, that he bears among -the Company’s gentlemen the very distinguished title of “King of the -Chinooks.” He is a fine, lusty, companionable fellow, and I am disposed -to believe, wears the crown with quite as little injury to his subjects -as to himself. - -In the afternoon we bade adieu to Astoria, and dropped down toward -Cape Disappointment.—The channel of the river runs from the fort in -a north-western direction to the point of the Cape, and thence close -under it in a south-westerly course the distance of four miles, where it -crosses the bar. The wind was quite baffling while we {274} were crossing -to the northern side; and we consequently began to anticipate a long -residence in Baker’s Bay.[87] But as we neared the Cape, a delightful -breeze sprang up in the east, filled every sail, and drove the stately -ship through the heavy seas and swells most merrily. - -The lead is dipping, and the sailors are chanting each measure as they -take it; we approach the bar; the soundings decrease; every shout grows -more and more awful! the keel of the Vancouver is within fifteen inches -of the bar! Every breath is suspended, and every eye fixed on the leads, -as they are quickly thrown again! They sink; and the chant for five -fathoms enables us to breathe freely. We have passed the bar; Captain -Duncan grasps his passengers by the hand warmly, and congratulates them -at having escaped being lost in those wild waters, where many a noble -ship and brave heart have sunk together and for ever. - -Off the mouth of the Columbia—on the deep, long swells of the Pacific -seas. The rolling surges boom along the mountainous shores. Up the vale -one hundred miles the white pyramid of Mount Washington towers above the -clouds, and the green {275} forest of Lower Oregon. That scene I shall -never forget. It was too wild, too unearthly to be described. It was seen -at sunset; and a night of horrid tempest shut in upon this, the author’s -last view of Oregon. - -The following abstract of Commander Wilkes’ Report on Oregon came to hand -while this work was in the press, and the author takes great pleasure -in appending it to his work. Mr. Wilkes’ statistics of the Territory, -it will be seen, agree in all essential particulars with those given in -previous pages. There is one point only of any importance that needs -to be named, in regard to which truth requires a protest; and that is -contained in the commander’s concluding remarks. It will be seen on -reference to them, that the agricultural capabilities of Oregon are -placed above those of any part of the world beyond the tropics. This is -a most surprising conclusion; at war with his own account of the several -sections which he visited, and denied by every intelligent man living in -the territory. What! Oregon, in this respect, equal to California, or the -Valley of the Mississippi! This can never be, until Oregon be blessed -with a vast increase of productive soil, and California {276} and our own -unequalled Valley be greatly changed. - - -_Extracts from the Report of Lieutenant Wilkes to the Secretary of the -Navy, of the examination, by the Exploring Expedition, of the Oregon -Territory._[88] - -The Territory embraced under the name of Oregon, extends from latitude -42° north to that of 53° 40′ north, and west of the Rocky Mountains. Its -natural boundaries, were they attended to, would confine it within the -above geographical boundaries. - -On the east it has the range of Rocky Mountains along its whole extent; -on the south those of the Klamet range, running on the parallel of 42° -and dividing it from California; on the west the Pacific Ocean; and on -the north the western trend of the Rocky Mountains, and the chain of -lakes near and along the parallels of 54° and 55° north, dividing it -from the British territory. It is remarkable that, within these limits, -all the rivers which flow through the Territory take their rise. - -The Territory is divided into three natural belts or sections, viz: - -{277} 1st. That between the Pacific Ocean and Cascade Mountains, -(President’s range) or western section; - -2nd. That between the Cascade mountains and blue mountain range, or -middle section; - -3rd. That between the Blue and Rocky Mountain chains, or eastern section. - -And this division will equally apply to the soil, climate, and -productions. - -The mountain ranges run, for the most part, in parallel lines with the -coast, and, rising in many places above the snow line (here found to be -6,500 feet), would naturally produce a difference of temperature between -them, and also affect their productions. - -Our surveys and explorations were confined, for the most part, to the -two first, claiming more interest from being less known, and more in -accordance with my instructions. - -MOUNTAINS.—The Cascade range, or that nearest the coast, runs from the -southern boundary, on a parallel with the sea coast, the whole length of -the territory, north and south, rising, in many places, in high peaks, -from twelve to fourteen thousand feet above the level of the sea, in -regular cones. Their {278} distance from the coast line is from one -hundred to a hundred and fifty miles, and they almost interrupt the -communication between the sections, except where the two great rivers, -the Columbia and Frazer’s, force a passage through them. - -There are a few mountain passes, but they are difficult, and only to be -attempted late in the spring and summer. - -A small range (the Claset) lies to the northward of the Columbia, -between the coast and the waters of Puget’s Sound, and along the strait -of Juan de Fuca. This has several high peaks, which rise above the snow -line, but, from their proximity to the sea, they are not at all times -covered.[89] - -Their general direction is north and south, but there are many spurs or -offsets that cause this portion to be very rugged. - -The Blue mountains are irregular in their course, and occasionally -interrupted, but generally tend from north by east to north-east, and -from south to south-west. - -In some parts they may be traced as spurs or offsets of the Rocky -Mountains. Near the southern boundary they unite with the Klamet range, -which runs east and west from the rocky mountains.[90] - -{279} The Rocky Mountains are too well known to need description. The -different passes will, however, claim attention hereafter. North of 48° -the ranges are nearly parallel and have the rivers flowing between them. - -ISLANDS.—Attached to the territory are groups of islands, bordering -its northern coast. Among these are the large islands of Vancouver and -Washington or Queen Charlotte; the former being two hundred and sixty -miles in length, and fifty in width, containing about fifteen thousand -square miles, and the latter a hundred and fifty miles in length and -thirty in breadth, containing four thousand square miles.[91] - -Though somewhat broken in surface, their soil is said to be well adapted -to agriculture. - -They have many good harbours, and have long been the resort of those -engaged in the fur trade; they enjoy a mild and salubrious climate, -and have an abundance of fine fish frequenting their waters, which are -taken in large quantities by the natives. Coal of good quality is found, -specimens of which I obtained. The Hudson’s Bay Company have made a trial -of it, but, owing to its having been taken from near the surface, it -{280} was not very highly spoken of. Veins of minerals are also said to -exist by those acquainted with these islands. - -They both appear to be more densely inhabited than other portions of the -territory. The natives are considered a treacherous race, particularly -those in the vicinity of Johnson’s Straits,[92] and are to be closely -watched when dealing with them. - -At the south-east end of Vancouver’s, there is a small archipelago of -islands, through which the canal de Arro runs.[93] They are for the most -part uninhabited, well wooded, and composed of granite and pudding stone, -which appear to be the prevailing rock to the northward of a line east -from the strait of Juan de Fuca. They are generally destitute of fresh -water, have but few anchorages, and strong currents render navigation -among them difficult. - -The islands nearer the main land, called on the maps Pitt’s Banks, -or the Prince Royal islands, are of the same character, and are only -occasionally resorted to by the Indians, for the purpose of fishing.[94] - -The coast of the mainland, north of the parallel of 49°, is broken up -by numerous inlets called canals, having perpendicular sides, and very -deep water in them, affording {281} no harbours, and but few commercial -inducements to frequent them. - -The land is equally cut up by spurs from the Cascade range, which here -intersects the country in all directions, and prevents its adaptation for -agriculture. - -Its value is principally in its timber, and it is believed that few if -any countries can compare with it in this respect. - -There is no part on this coast where a settlement could be formed between -Frazer’s river, or 49° north, and the northern boundary of 54° 40′ north, -that would be able to supply its own wants. - -The Hudson’s Bay Company have posts within this section of the country: -Fort McLaughlin, in Millbank sound, in latitude 52° 10′ north, and Fort -Simpson, in latitude 54° 30′ north, within Dundas island, and at the -entrance of Chatham sound; but they are only posts for the fur trade of -the coast, and are supplied twice a year with provisions, &c. - -It is believed that the Company have yet no establishment on any of -the islands; but I understood it was in contemplation to make one -on Vancouver’s island, in the vicinity of Nootka sound, or that of -Clayoquot.[95] - -{282} Owing to the dense fogs, the coast is extremely dangerous; and -they render it at all times difficult to approach and navigate it. The -interior of this portion of the territory is traversed by the three -ranges of mountains, with the several rivers which take their rise -in them, and is probably unequalled for its ruggedness, and from all -accounts incapable of anything like cultivation. - -The Columbia in its trend to the westward, along the parallel of 48°, -cuts off the central or Blue mountain range, which is not again met with -until on the parallel of 45°. From 45° they trend away to the southward -and westward, until they fall into the Klamet range. This latter portion -is but partially wooded. - -RIVERS.—The Columbia claims the first notice. Its northern branch takes -its rise in the Rocky mountains, in latitude 50° north, longitude 116° -west; from thence it pursues a northern route to near McGillivray’s Pass, -in the Rocky mountains.[96] At the boat encampment, the river is three -thousand six hundred feet above the level of the sea (here it receives -two small tributaries, the Canoe river and that from the Committee’s -Punch Bowl), from thence it {283} turns south, having some obstructions -to its safe navigation, and receiving many tributaries in its course to -Colville, among which are the Kootanie, or Flat Bow, and the Flat Head or -Clarke river from the east, and that of Colville from the west. - -This great river is bounded thus far on its course by a range of high -mountains, well-wooded, and in places expands into a line of lakes before -it reaches Colville, where it is two thousand and forty-nine feet above -the level of the sea, having a fall of five hundred and fifty feet in two -hundred and twenty miles. To the south of this it trends to the westward, -receiving the Spokan river from the east, which is not navigable, and -takes its rise in the Lake of Cœur d’Alène. Thence it pursues a westerly -course for about sixty miles, receiving several smaller streams, and at -its bend to the south it is joined by the Okanagan, a river that has its -source in a line of lakes, affording canoe and boat navigation for a -considerable extent to the northward. - -The Columbia thence passes to the southward until it reaches Wallawalla, -in the latitude of 45° a distance of one hundred and sixty miles, -receiving the Piscous, Y’Akama, and Point de Boise, or Entyatecoom,[97] -from {284} the west, which take their rise in the Cascade range, and -also its great south-eastern branch, the Saptin or Lewis, which has its -source in the Rocky mountains, near our southern boundary, and being -a large quantity of water to increase the volume of the main stream. -The Lewis is not navigable, even for canoes, except in reaches. The -rapids are extensive and of frequent occurrence. It generally passes -between the Rocky mountain spurs and the Blue mountains. It receives -the Koos-koos-ke, Salmon, and several other rivers, from the east -and west (the former from the Rocky mountains, the latter from the -Blue mountains)[98] and, were it navigable, would much facilitate the -intercourse with this part of the country. Its length to its junction -with the Columbia is five hundred and twenty miles. - -The Columbia at Wallawalla is one thousand two hundred and eighty-six -feet above the level of the sea, and about three thousand five hundred -wide; it now takes its last turn to the westward, receiving the -Umatilla, Quisnel’s, John Day’s, and de Chute rivers from the south, and -Cathlatate’s from the north,[99] pursuing its rapid course of eighty -miles, previous to passing through the range of Cascade mountains, in -{285} a series of falls and rapids that obstruct its flow, and form -insurmountable barriers to the passage of boats by water during the -floods. These difficulties, however, are overcome by portages. - -From thence there is a still water navigation for forty miles, when its -course is again obstructed by rapids. - -Thence to the ocean, one hundred and twenty miles, it is navigable for -vessels of twelve feet draught of water at the lowest state of the river, -though obstructed by many sand-bars. - -In this part it receives the Willamette from the south, and the Cowelitz -from the north. The former is navigable for small vessels twenty miles, -to the mouth of the Klackamus, three miles below its falls; the latter -cannot be called navigable except for a small part of the year, during -the floods, and then only for canoes and barges.[100] - -The width of the Columbia, within twenty miles of its mouth, is much -increased, and it joins the ocean between Cape Disappointment and Point -Adams, forming a sand-pit from each by deposit, and causing a dangerous -bar, which greatly impedes its navigation and entrance. - -Frazer’s river next claims attention. It {286} takes its rise in the -Rocky mountain, near the source of Canoe river, taking a north-western -course of eighty miles; it then turns to the southward, receiving the -waters of Stuart’s river, which rises in a chain of lakes near the -northern boundary of the Territory.[101] - -It then pursues a southerly course, receiving the waters of the -Chilcotin, Pinkslitsa, and several smaller streams, from the west, and -those of Thompson’s river, Quisnell’s[102] and other streams, from the -east, (these take their rise in lakes, and are navigable in canoes, by -making portages); and under the parallel of 49° it breaks through the -Cascade range in a succession of falls and rapids, and, after a westerly -course of seventy miles it empties itself into the gulf of Georgia, in -the latitude of 49° 07′ north. This latter portion is navigable for -vessels that can pass its bar drawing twelve feet water; its whole length -being three hundred and fifty miles. - -The Chikeelis is next in importance. It has three sources among the range -of hills that intersect the country north of the Columbia river. After a -very tortuous course, and receiving some small streams issuing from the -lakes in the high ground near the {287} headquarters of Hood’s canal and -Puget’s Sound, it disembogues in Grey’s harbour;[103] it is not navigable -except for canoes; its current is rapid, and the stream much obstructed. - -To the south of the Columbia there are many small streams, three of which -only deserve the name of rivers: the Umpqua, Too-too-tut-na, or Rogues’ -river, and the Klamet, which latter empties itself into the ocean south -of the parallel of 42°.[104] None of these form harbours capable of -receiving a vessel of more than eight feet draught of water, and the bars -for most part of the year are impassable from the surf that sets in on -the coast. The character of the great rivers is peculiar—rapid and sunken -much below the level of the country, with perpendicular banks; indeed -they are, as it were, in trenches, it being extremely difficult to get at -the water in many places, owing to the steep basaltic walls; and during -the rise they are in many places confined by dalles, which back the water -some distance, submerging islands and _tracts of low prairie_, giving the -appearance of extensive lakes. - -LAKES.—There are in the various sections of the country many lakes. The -Okanagan, Stuart’s, Quisnell’s, and Kamloop’s are the largest in the -northern section.[105] - -{288} The Flat Bow, Cœur d’Alène, and Kulluspelm, in the middle section, -and those forming the head-waters of the large rivers in the eastern -section.[106] The country is well watered, and there are but few places -where an abundance of water, either from rivers, springs, or rivulets, -cannot be obtained. - -The smaller lakes add much to the picturesque beauty of the country. They -are generally at the head-waters of the smaller streams. The map will -point out more particularly their extent and locality. - -HARBOURS.—All the harbours formed by the rivers on the sea-coast are -obstructed by extensive sand-bars, which make them difficult to enter. -The rivers bring down large quantities of sand, which is deposited on -meeting with the ocean, causing a gradual increase of the impediments -already existing at their mouths. None of them can be deemed safe ports -to enter. The entrance to the Columbia is impracticable two-thirds of the -year, and the difficulty of leaving is equally great. - -The north sands are rapidly increasing, and extending further to the -southward. In the memory of several of those who have been longest in the -country, Cape Disappointment has been encroached upon some {289} hundred -feet by the sea, and, during my short experience, nearly half an acre of -the middle sands was washed away in a few days. These sands are known to -change every season. - -The exploration made of the Clatsop, or South channel, it is believed, -will give more safety to vessels capable of entering the river. The depth -of water on the bar seems not to have changed, though the passage has -become somewhat narrow. - -Grey’s harbour will admit of vessels of light draught of water, (ten -feet), but there is but little room in it, on account of the extensive -mud and sand flats. A survey was made of it, to which I refer for -particulars. - -This, however, is not the case with the harbours formed within the -straits of Juan de Fuca, of which there are many; and no part of the -world affords finer inland sounds or a greater number of harbours than -can be found here, capable of receiving the largest class of vessels, and -without a danger in them which is not visible. From the rise and fall of -the tides, (eighteen feet), every facility is afforded for the erection -of works for a great maritime nation. For {290} further information, our -extensive surveys of these waters are referred to. - -CLIMATE.—That of the western section is mild throughout the year, -neither experiencing the cold of winter nor the heat of summer. By my -experiments, the mean temperature was found to be 54° of Fahrenheit. - -The prevailing winds in the summer are from the northward and westward, -and in the winter, from the southward and westward, and south-east, -which are tempestuous. The winter is supposed to last from December to -February; rains usually begin to fall in November, and last till March, -but they are not heavy though frequent. - -Snow sometimes falls, but it seldom lies more than three days. The frosts -are early, occurring in the latter part of August; this, however, is -to be accounted for by the proximity of the mountains. A mountain or -easterly wind invariably causes a great fall in the temperature; these -winds are not frequent. During the summer of our operations, I found but -_three days_ noted of easterly winds. - -The nights are cold, and affect the vegetation so far, that Indian corn -will not ripen. Fruit-trees blossom early in April {291} at Nisqually and -Vancouver; and at the former place, on the 12th of May, peas were a foot -high, strawberries in full blossom, and salad had already gone to seed. - -The mean height of the barometer, during our stay at Nisqually, was -30.046 inches, and of the thermometer 66° 58′ Fahrenheit. The thermometer -at 4 A. M. on the 4th of July, was at 50° Fahrenheit, and on the same -day, at 2 P. M., 90° Fahrenheit. The lowest degree was 39° at 4 A. M., -May 22d, and at 5 P. M. of the same day, the temperature was 72° of -Fahrenheit. - -From June to September at Vancouver the mean height of the barometer -was 30.32 inches, and the thermometer 66° 33′ of Fahrenheit. Out of one -hundred and six days, seventy-six were fair, nineteen cloudy, and eleven -rainy. The rains are light; this is evident from the hills _not being -washed_, and having a sward to their tops, _although of great declivity_. - -The second, or middle section, is subject to droughts. During the summer -the atmosphere is much drier and warmer, and the winter much colder than -in the western section. Its extremes of heat and cold are more frequent -and greater, the mercury at times falling as low as minus 18° of {292} -Fahrenheit in the winter, and rising to 180° [_sic_] in the shade in -summer; the daily difference of temperature is about 40° Fahrenheit. It -has, however, been found extremely salubrious, possessing a pure and -healthy air. - -The stations of the missionaries and posts of the Hudson’s Bay Company, -have afforded me the means of obtaining information relative to the -climate. Although full data have not been kept, yet these observations -afford a tolerably good knowledge of the weather. - -In summer the atmosphere is cooled by the strong westerly breezes, which -replace the vacuum produced by the heated prairie grounds. No dews fall -in this section. - -The climate of the third, or eastern section, is extremely variable. The -temperature during the day, differing from 50° to 60°, renders it unfit -for agriculture, and there are but few places in its northern part where -the climate would not effectually put a stop to its ever becoming settled. - -In each day, from the best accounts, all the changes are experienced -incident to spring, summer, autumn, and winter. There are places where -small farms might be located, but they are few in number. - -{293} SOIL.—That of the first, or western section varies in the northern -parts from a light brown loam to a thin vegetable earth, with gravel -and sand as a sub-soil: in the middle parts, from a rich heavy loam and -unctuous clay to a deep heavy black loam on a trap rock; and in the -southern, the soil is generally good, varying from a black vegetable loam -to decomposed basalt, with stiff clay, and portions of loose gravel soil. -The hills are generally basalt, and stone, and slate. - -Between the Umpqua and the boundary, the rocks are primitive, consisting -of talcon slate, hornblende, and granite, which produce a gritty and poor -soil; some places of rich prairie however, occur covered with oaks. - -The soil of the second, or middle section, is for the most part a light -sandy loam, in the valleys rich alluvial, and the hills are generally -barren. - -The third, or eastern section, is a rocky, broken, and barren country. -Stupendous mountain spurs traverse it in all directions, affording little -level ground; snow lies on the mountains nearly, if not quite, the year -through. - -AGRICULTURE, PRODUCTIONS, &C.—The {294} first section, for the most part, -is a well-timbered country; it is intersected with the spurs, or offsets, -from the Cascade mountains, which render its surface much broken: these -are covered with a dense forest. It is well-watered, and communication -between the northern, southern, and middle parts is difficult, on account -of the various rivers, spurs of mountains, &c. - -The timber consists of pines, firs, spruce, oaks, (red and white), ash, -arbutus, arbor vitæ, cedar, poplar, maple, willow, cherry, and tew, with -a close undergrowth of hazel, rubus, roses, &c. The richest and best -soil is found on the second or middle prairie, and is best adapted for -agriculture, the high and low being excellent for pasture land. - -The pine woods run on the east side, and near the foot of the Cascade -range. The climate and soil are admirably adapted for all kinds of -grain, wheat, rye, oats, barley, peas, &c. Indian corn does not thrive -in any part of this territory where it has been tried. Many fruits -appear to succeed well, particularly the apple and pear. Vegetables grow -exceedingly well, and yield most abundantly. - -The surface of the middle section is about one thousand feet above the -level of the first {295} or western section, and is generally a rolling -prairie country. That part lying to the north of the parallel of 48° is -very much broken with mountain chains and rivers, consequently barren and -very rugged. From the great and frequent changes in its temperature, it -is totally unfit for agriculture, but is well supplied with game of all -the kinds which are found in the country. - -The mountain chains on the parallel of 48° are cut off by the Columbia, -as before stated, leaving an extensive rolling country in the centre of -the Territory, which is well adapted for grazing. - -The southern part of this section is destitute of timber or wood, unless -the wormwood (artimesia) may be so called. To the northward of the -parallel of 49° it is covered with forests. Wheat and other grains grow -well in the bottoms, where they can be irrigated. The soil in such places -is rich, and capable of producing almost any thing. - -The missionaries have succeeded in raising good crops. Stock succeeds -here even better than in the lower country. Notwithstanding the severe -cold, the cattle are not housed, nor is provender laid in for them, the -country being sufficiently supplied with fodder in the natural hay that -is abundant {296} everywhere in the prairie, which is preferred by the -cattle to the fresh grass at the bottoms. - -No attempts at agriculture have been made in the third section, except -at Fort Hall. The small grains thrive tolerably well, together with -vegetables, and a sufficient quantity has been obtained to supply -the wants of the post. The ground is well adapted for grazing in the -prairies, and, despite its changeable climate, stock is found to thrive -well and endure the severity of the winter without protection. - -This section is exceedingly dry and arid, rains seldom falling, and -but little snow. The country is partially timbered, and the soil much -impregnated with salts. The missionary station on the Koos-koos-ke, near -the western line of this section, is thought by the missionaries to be a -_wet climate_.[107] - -The soil along the river bottoms is generally alluvial, and would yield -good crops, were it not for the overflowing of the rivers, which check -and kill the grain. Some of the finest portions of the land are thus -unfit for cultivation; they are generally covered with water before the -banks are {297} overflown, in consequence of the quicksands which exist -in them, and through which the water percolates. - -The rivers of this Territory afford no fertilizing properties to the -soil, but, on the contrary, are destitute of all substances. The -temperature of the Columbia in the latter part of May was 42°, and in -September 68°. - -The rise of the streams flowing from the Cascade mountains takes place -twice a-year, in February and November, from the rains; that of the -Columbia in May and June, from the melting of the snows. Sometimes the -rise of the latter is very sudden, if heavy rains occur at that period; -but usually it is gradual, and reaches its greatest height from the -6th to the 15th of June. Its perpendicular rise is from eighteen to -twenty feet at Vancouver, where a line of embankment has been thrown up -to protect the lower prairie; but it has been generally flooded, and -the crops in most cases destroyed. It is the intention to abandon its -cultivation, and devote it to pasturage. - -The greatest rise in the Willamette takes place in February; and I was -informed that it rose sometimes twenty to twenty-five feet, {298} and -quite suddenly, but soon subsides. It occasionally causes much damage. - -Both the Willamette and the Cowelitz are much swollen by the backing -of their waters during the height of the Columbia, and all their lower -grounds submerged. This puts an effectual bar to their prairies being -used for any thing but pasturage, which is fine throughout the year, -excepting in the season of the floods, when the cattle are driven to the -high grounds. - -My knowledge of the agriculture of this Territory it will be well to -mention, is derived from visits made to the various settlements, except -Fort Langley and Fort Hall. - -The Indians on the different islands in Puget’s Sound and Admiralty -Inlet cultivate potatoes principally, which are extremely fine, and -raised in great abundance, and now constitute a large portion of their -food.[108] - -At Nisqually the Hudson’s Bay Company had fine crops of wheat, oats, -peas, potatoes, &c. The wheat, it was supposed, would yield fifteen -bushels to the acre. The farm has been two years under cultivation, and -is principally intended for a grazing and dairy farm. They have now -seventy milch cows, and make butter, &c., to supply their contract with -the Russians. - -{299} The Cowelitz farm is also in the western section. The produce of -wheat is good—about twenty bushels to the acre. The ground, however, has -just been brought under cultivation. The Company have here six hundred -acres, which are situated on the Cowelitz river, about thirty miles from -the Columbia, and on the former are erecting a saw and grist mill. The -farm is finely situated, and the harvest of 1841 produced seven thousand -bushels of wheat.[109] - -Several Canadians are also established here, who told me that they -succeeded well with but little work. They have erected buildings, live -comfortably, and work small farms of fifty acres. - -I was told that the stock on these farms did not thrive so well as -elsewhere. There are no low prairie grounds on the river in this -vicinity, and it is too far for them to resort to the Kamas plains, -a fine grazing country, but a few miles distant. The wolves make sad -depredations with the increase of their flock, if not well watched. - -The hilly portion of the country, although its soil in many places is -very good, is yet so heavily timbered as to make it, in the present state -of the country, valueless: this is also the case with many fine portions -of {300} level ground. There are, however, large tracts of fine prairie, -suitable for cultivation, and ready for the plough. - -The Willamette valley is supposed to be the finest portion of the -country, though I am of opinion that many parts of the southern portion -of the territory will be found far superior to it. The largest settlement -is in the northern part of the valley, some fifteen miles above the -falls. About sixty families are settled there, the industrious of whom -appear to be thriving. They are composed of American missionaries, -trappers, and Canadians, who were formerly servants of the Hudson’s Bay -Company. All of them appeared to be doing well; but I was on the whole -disappointed, from the reports that had been made to me, not to find the -settlement in a state of greater forwardness, considering the advantages -the missionaries have had. - -In comparison with our own country, I would say that the labour necessary -in this territory to acquire wealth or subsistence is in the proportion -of one to three; or in other words, a man must work through the year -three times as much in the United States, to gain the like competency. -The care of stock, which occupies so much time {301} with us, requires no -attention there, and on the increase only a man might find support. - -The wheat of this valley yields thirty-five to forty bushels for one -sown, or twenty to thirty bushels to the acre; its quality is superior to -that grown in the United States, and its weight nearly four pounds to the -bushel heavier. The above is the yield of new land; but it is believed -it will greatly exceed this after the third crop, when the land has been -broken up and well tilled. - -After passing into the middle section, the climate undergoes a decided -change; in place of the cool and moist atmosphere, one that is dry and -arid is entered, and the crops suffer from drought. - -The only wood or bush seen, is the wormwood, (artimesia), and this -only in places. All cultivation has to be more or less carried on by -irrigation. - -The country bordering the Columbia, above the Dalles, to the north and -south of the river, is the poorest in the territory, and has no doubt led -many to look upon the middle section as perfectly useless to man. Twenty -or thirty miles on either side of the river are so; but beyond that a -fine grazing country exists, and in very many places there are portions -of it that might be advantageously {302} farmed. On the banks of the -Wallawalla, a small stream emptying into the Columbia, about twenty-five -miles from the Company’s post, a missionary is established who raises -very fine wheat on the low bottoms, by using its waters for the purpose -of irrigation. This is also the case at the mission station at Lapwai, -on the Koos-koos-ke, where fine crops are raised; grains, vegetables and -some fruits thrive remarkably well. In the northern part of this section, -at Chimekaine, there is another missionary station. Near the Spokan, -and at Colville, the country is well adapted for agriculture, and it is -successfully carried on. Colville supplies all the northern posts, and -the missionaries in its vicinity are doing well. The northern part of -this section will be able to supply the whole southern part with wood. -At Colville the changes of temperature are great during the twenty-four -hours, but are not injurious to the small grain. The cultivation of fruit -has been successful. - -FISHERIES.—It will be almost impossible to give an idea of the extensive -fisheries in the rivers and on the coast. They all abound in salmon of -the finest flavour, which run twice a year, beginning in May {303} and -October, and appear inexhaustible; the whole population live upon them. -The Columbia produces the largest, and probably affords the greatest -numbers. There are some few of the branches of the Columbia that the -spring fish do not enter, but they are plentifully supplied in the fall. - -The great fishery of the Columbia is at the Dalles; but all the rivers -are well supplied. The last one on the northern branch of the Columbia is -near Colville, at the Kettle falls; but salmon are found above this in -the river and its tributaries. - -In Frazer’s river the salmon are said to be very numerous, but not large; -they are unable to get above the falls some eighty miles from the sea. - -In the rivers and sounds are found several kinds of salmon, salmon-trout, -sturgeon, cod, carp, sole, flounders, ray, perch, herring, lamprey eels, -and a kind of smelt, called “_shrow_,” in great abundance; also large -quantities of shell fish, viz: crabs, clams, oysters, muscles, &c., which -are all used by the natives, and constitute the greater proportion of -their food. - -Whales in numbers are found along the coast, and are frequently captured -by the {304} Indians in and at the mouth of the straits of Juan de Fuca. - -GAME.—Abundance of game exists, such as elk, deer, antelope, bears, -wolves, foxes, musk-rats, martins, bears and siffleurs, which are eaten -by the Canadians. In the middle section, or that designated as the -rolling prairie, no game is found. The fur-bearing animals are decreasing -in numbers yearly, particularly south of the parallel of 48°; indeed it -is very doubtful whether they are sufficiently numerous to repay the -expense of hunting them. - -The Hudson’s Bay Company have almost the exclusive monopoly of this -business. They have decreased, owing to being hunted without regard to -season. This is not, however, the case to the north; there the Company -have been left to exercise their own rule, and prevent the indiscriminate -slaughter of either old or young, out of the proper season. - -In the spring and fall, the rivers are literally covered with geese, -ducks, and other water fowl. - -In the eastern section, the buffalo abound, and are hunted by the -Oregon Indians, as well as the Blackfeet. Wolves are troublesome to -the settlers, but they are not so {305} numerous as formerly. From the -advantages this country possesses, it bids fair to have an extensive -commerce on advantageous terms with most ports of the Pacific. It is -well calculated to produce the following which, in a few years after its -settlement, would become its staples, viz: furs, salted beef and pork, -fish, grain, flour, wool, hides, tallow, lumber, and perhaps coal. A -ready market for all these is now to be found in the Pacific; and in -return for them sugar, coffee and other tropical productions, may be had -at the Sandwich Islands—advantages that few new countries possess, viz: -the facility of a market, and one that in time must become of immense -extent. - -_Manufacturing power._—This country, it is believed, affords as many -sites for water power as any other, and in many places within reach of -navigable waters. The timber of the western section, to the south of 49°, -is not so good as that of the north. This is imputed to the climate being -milder and more changeable. A great difference is found between the north -and south sides of the trees, the one being of a hard and close grain, -while the other is open and spongy. - -To the north of the parallel 49°, on Frazer’s River, an abundance of fine -timber {306} for spars of any dimensions is easily obtained. - -There will always be a demand for the timber of this country at high -prices throughout the Pacific. The oak is well adapted for ship timber, -and abundance of ash, cedar, cypress and arbor vitæ, may be had for fuel, -fencing, &c.; and, although the southern part of the middle section is -destitute of timber, it may be supplied from the eastern or northern -sections by water carriage. - -Intercommunication would at first appear to be difficult between the -different parts of the country, but I take a different view of it. - -Stock of all kinds thrive exceedingly well, and they will in consequence -always abound in the territory. The soil affords every advantage for -making good roads, and, in process of time, transportation must become -comparatively cheap. - -SETTLEMENTS.—They consist principally of those belonging to the Hudson’s -Bay Company, and where the missionaries have established themselves. -They are as follows: In the western section, Fort Simpson, Fort -McLaughlin, Fort Langley, Nisqually, Cowelitz, Fort George, Vancouver, -and Umpqua; Fort St. James, Barbine, Alexandria, Chilcothin, Kamloop’s, -(on Thompson’s {307} River); Okanagan, Colville and Wallawalla, in -the middle; and in the eastern, Kootanie and Fort Hall. Fort Boise -has been abandoned, as has also Kaima, a missionary settlement on the -Koos-koos-ke.[110] - -These are all small settlements, surrounded by palisades, with bastions -at their corners, enclosing the houses and stores of the Company, -sufficient to protect them against the Indians, but in no way to be -considered as forts. A few Indians reside near them, who are dependant -for their food and employment on them. - -These forts being situated for the most part near the great fisheries, -are frequented by the Indians, who bring their furs to trade for -blankets, &c., at the same time they come to lay in their yearly supply -of salmon. - -Vancouver is the principal depot from which all supplies are furnished, -and to which returns are made. - -At Vancouver, the village is separated from the fort, and nearer the -river. In addition to its being the depot of the Hudson’s Bay Company, -there is now attached to it the largest farm of the Puget Sound Company, -the stockholders of which are generally the officers and servants of -the Hudson’s Bay Company. They have now {308} farms in successful -operation at Vancouver, Cowelitz, Nisqually, Colville, Fort Langley, -and the Tualatine plains, about ten miles from Vancouver, all of which -are well stocked, and supply the Russian post at Sitka, under contract, -with a variety of articles raised on them. They have introduced large -herds and flocks into the territory from California, and during our stay -there several thousand head were imported.[111] They are thus doing -incalculable good to the territory, and rendering it more valuable -for future settlers. At the same time, this exerts an influence in -domesticating the Indians, not only by changing their habits, but food, -and attaching them to a locality. - -The Indians of the Territory are not a wandering race, as some have -asserted, but change for food only, and each successive season will -generally find them in their old haunts, seeking it. - -The settlements established by the missionaries, are at the Willamette -falls and valley, Nisqually and Clatsop, in the western section, and at -the Dalles, Wallawalla, Lapwai, and Chimekaine, on the Spokan, in the -middle.[112] - -Those of the middle section are succeeding well; and although little -progress has been made in the conversion of the Indians {309} to -Christianity, yet they have done much good in reforming some of the vices -and teaching some of the useful arts, particularly that of agriculture, -and the construction of houses, which has had the effect, in a measure, -to attach them to the soil. The men now rear and tend their cattle, plant -their potatoes and corn, which latter they exchange for buffalo meat -with those who hunt. The squaws attend to their household, and employ -themselves in knitting and weaving, which they have been taught. They -raise on their small patches, corn, potatoes, melons, &c., irrigating the -land for that purpose. There are many villages of Indians still existing, -though greatly reduced in numbers from former estimates. - -_Population._—It is extremely difficult to ascertain, with accuracy, -the amount of population in the Territory. The Indians change to their -different abodes as the fishing seasons come round, which circumstance, -if not attended to, would produce very erroneous results. - -The following is believed to be very nearly the truth; if any thing, it -is overrated: - - {310} Vancouver or Washington Island 5,000 - From the parallel of 50° to 54° north 2,000 - Penn’s Cove, Whidby’s Island, mainland (Shatchet tribe) 650 - Hood’s canal, (Suquamish and Toando tribe) 500 - At and about Okanagan 300 - About Colville, Spokane, &c. 450 - Willamette falls and valley 275 - Pillar rock, Oak Point, and Columbia River 300 - Port Discovery 150 } - Fort Townsend 70 } Chalams 420 - New Dungeness 200 } - Wallawalla, including the Nez-percés, Snakes, &c. 1,100 - Killamouks, north of Umpqua 400 - Cape Flattery and Queen Hythe to Point Granville, (Classet tribe) 1,250 - Blackfeet tribes that make incursions west of the Rocky Mountains 1,000 - Birch Bay 300 - Frazer’s River (Neamitch tribe) 500 - Chenooks 209 - Clatsops 220 - At the Cascades 105 - At the Dalles 250 - Y’Akama River 100 - {311} De Chute River 125 - Umpquas 400 - Roger’s [Rogue’s] River 500 - Klamets 300 - Shastys 500 - Kallapugus 600 - Nisqually 200 - Chikelis and Puget’s Sound 700 - Cowelits or Klakatacks 350 - Port Orchard 150 - ------ - 19,154 - -The whole Territory may be estimated as containing twenty thousand. Of -whites, Canadians, and half-breeds, there are between seven hundred and -eight hundred, of whom about one hundred and fifty are Americans; the -rest are settlers, and the officers and servants of the Company. The -Indians are rapidly decreasing in all parts of the country; the causes -are supposed to be their rude treatment of diseases, and the dissipated -lives they lead. - -The white American population, as far as I have been able to judge of -them, are orderly, and generally industrious; although they are, with -the exception of the missionaries, men who have led, for the most part, -dissolute lives. - -{312} The absence of spirits, as long as it continues, will probably -secure them from excesses. Very much to their credit, they have abandoned -the use of spirituous liquors, by consent of the whole community. - -I cannot but view this Territory as peculiarly liable to the vice of -drunkenness. The ease with which the wants of man are obtained, the -little labour required, and consequent opportunities for idleness, -will render it so. The settlers of the Willamette valley have, with -a praiseworthy spirit, engaged to prevent the establishment of -distilleries, and there are, as yet, no places where spirits can be -bought (to my knowledge) in the Territory. - -It is highly creditable to the Hudson’s Bay Company, that on a vessel -arriving on the coast with some spirits on board, in order to prevent -its introduction, they have purchased the whole cargo, while, at the -same time, their storehouses were filled with rum. They have, with -praiseworthy zeal, interdicted its being an article of trade, being well -satisfied that it is contrary to their interest, and demoralizing in -its effects on all the tribes and people with whom they have to deal, -rendering them difficult to manage, quarrelsome among themselves, {313} -and preventing their success in hunting. Endeavours have likewise been -made by the officers of the Company to induce the Russians, on their -side, to adopt this example, and do away with it as an article of trade, -but hitherto without success.[113] This no doubt has been one of the -causes affecting the decrease of tribes, as it was formerly almost the -only article of trade. - -In the event of the territory being taken possession of, the necessity -of circumscribing the use and sale of spirits cannot be too strongly -insisted upon by legal enactment, both to preserve order and avoid -expense. - -As far as the Indians have come under my notice, they are an inoffensive -race, except those in the northern parts. The depredations committed -on the whites may be traced to injuries received, or arise from -superstitious motives. - -MISSIONARIES.—Little has yet been effected by them in christianizing the -natives. They are principally engaged in the cultivation of the mission -farms, and in the care of their own stock, in order to obtain flocks -and herds for themselves, most of them having selected lands. As far as -my personal observations went, in the part of the {314} country where -the missionaries reside, there are very few Indians to engage their -attention; and they seemed more occupied with the settlement of the -country and in agricultural pursuits than in missionary labours. - -When there, I made particular inquiries whether laws were necessary for -their protection, and I feel fully satisfied that they require none at -present, besides the moral code it is their duty to inculcate. - -The Catholic portion of the settlement, who form a large majority, are -kept under good control by their priest, who is disposed to act in unison -with the other missionaries in the proper punishment of all bad conduct. - -I cannot close this report without doing justice to the officers of the -Hudson’s Bay Company’s service for their kind and gentlemanly treatment -to us while in the territory, and bearing testimony that, during all my -intercourse, and in their dealings with others, they seemed to be guided -by one rule of conduct highly creditable to them, not only as business -men, but gentlemen. - -They afforded us every assistance that was in their power both in -supplies and in {315} means to accomplish our duties. There are many -persons in the country who bear testimony to the aid and kindness -rendered them in their outset; and of their hospitality it is needless to -speak, for it has become proverbial. - -To conclude, few portions of the globe, in my opinion, are to be found so -rich in soil, so diversified in surface, or so capable of being rendered -the happy abode of an industrious and civilized community. For beauty of -scenery and salubrity of climate, it is not surpassed. It is peculiarly -adapted for an agricultural and pastoral people, and no portion of the -world beyond the tropics can be found that will yield so readily with -moderate labour, to the wants of man. - -THE END - - - - - DE SMET’S OREGON MISSIONS AND TRAVELS OVER THE - ROCKY MOUNTAINS, 1845-1846 - - Reprint of New York edition, 1847 - - [Illustration] - - [Illustration] - - Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1847, by - EDWARD DUNIGAN, - In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United - States, for the Southern District of New York. - - - - -TO THE RIGHT REVEREND DR. HUGHES, BISHOP OF NEW YORK. - -MONSEIGNEUR, - -From the distant solitudes of the Rocky Mountains, in the midst of my -missions among the Children of the Forests, I had the honor of addressing -to you most of the letters contained in this Volume. I may, therefore, I -feel, take the liberty of inscribing it to you, not only as a token of -veneration for the distinguished qualities and eminent abilities which -mark your character and add lustre to your dignity, but, likewise, as a -tribute of personal friendship and esteem, with which I am allowed to -subscribe myself, - - Monseigneur, - - Your humble servant, - - P. J. DE SMET, S. J. - -New-York, April 19th, 1847. - - - - -PREFACE - - -The contents of the present volume, from the pen of the celebrated -Missionary of the Rocky Mountains, will be found, by the reader, to be -fraught with extraordinary interest. The manners and customs of the -North American Indians—their traditions, their superstitions, their -docility in admitting the maxims of the gospel, and the edifying lives -of thousands who have received the grace of baptism and instruction, are -described with a freshness of coloring, and an exactness of detail, that -will render them invaluable not only to our own times, but, especially, -to posterity. He travels through those vast and unexplored deserts, not -merely as a missionary, filled with the zeal which characterized the -apostles of the primitive Society to which he belongs, but with the eye -of a poet, and an imagination glowing with a bright yet calm enthusiasm. -Hence the exquisite descriptions of scenery, of incidents, of events; -descriptions which breathe the spirit of a mind imbued with the loftiest -conceptions of nature, and chastened with the sacred influences of faith. - -{xii} The reverend author having, before his recent departure for his -native land, left the supervision of this work to my care, I feel bound, -in justice to his modesty, to state, that the Introduction, taken from -the Catholic Almanac, is not from his pen: and he is not, therefore, -accountable for the epithets of praise (so eminently deserved, and yet so -repugnant to his humility), which, through it, are occasionally coupled -with his name. - -The lithographic sketches that accompany this Volume, are copied from the -original drawings of the Reverend Father Point, S. J.;[114] drawings of -such exquisite perfection, that they would do honor to any master: and -the more admirable, from the circumstance of their having been executed -with the pen, in the midst of the privations and difficulties of his -remote and arduous missions. - -In conclusion, I cannot but express the pleasure, instruction, and -edification, I have derived from the careful perusal of these beautiful -letters: and I feel convinced that they will prove, to all who read them, -a source of interest and delight which few volumes of the same dimensions -can open to the intellectual and Christian reader. - - C. C. P. - -New-York, August 1st, 1847. - - - - -[Illustration: OREGON Territory, 1846.] - - - - -OREGON MISSIONS - -AN OUTLINE SKETCH OF OREGON TERRITORY AND ITS MISSIONS - - -The political discussion, which has been going on for years between -the British government and that of the United States, in regard to the -boundary which defines their respective portions of the Oregon territory, -has turned upon this distant region a large share of public attention, -and has won for it an interest which will increase in proportion to the -advances of civilization and commerce within its borders. But it becomes -an object of much deeper interest in the eyes of the philanthropist and -Christian, when we look to the efforts which have been made, and which -are still continued, in order to diffuse the blessings of religious truth -among {14} its benighted inhabitants. To the Catholic, especially, does -this remote country present the most pleasing scenes for contemplation, -and by this reason we have been induced to lay before the reader, a brief -account of its discovery and settlement, and of the missions undertaken -for the spiritual welfare of its inhabitants. - -Oregon territory is that important part of North America which extends -from the 42d to the 50th degree of N. latitude, and from the Rocky -Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.[115] It is bounded on the north by the -Russian possessions, and on the south by California; forming a kind of -parallelogram, about seven hundred and fifty miles in length and five -hundred in breadth, and containing 375,000 square miles. - -There appears no reason to doubt of the Spaniards having been the first -to visit this country.[116] The documents we possess, and the tradition -of the natives, concur to render this opinion incontestible. According -to them a vessel made its appearance south of the Columbia river before -1792, and there is still living among them a woman whose father was one -of the crew attached to the vessel, and whose mother belonged to the -tribe of the Kilamukes.[117] When we add to this that crucifixes have -been {15} found in their hands transmitted to them from their ancestors, -that the island of Vancouver still exhibits the ruins of colonial -habitations, that the strait which separates it from the mainland bears -the name of _Juan Fuca_, and that the country itself is contiguous to -California, where the Spanish missionaries had penetrated nearly two -hundred years before, we cannot but look upon the Spaniards as the -discoverers of Oregon. - -After the voyage of Captain Cook in 1790, by which it was ascertained -that the sea along the N. W. coast of America abounded in otters, this -region was visited by vessels from almost every part of the world. The -people of the United States were not behind others in enterprise; in -1792, Captain Gray sailed up an unknown river of that country, to the -distance of eighteen miles, and the stream has since retained the name -of _Columbia_, from the ship which he commanded. In leaving the river, -Captain Gray passed the vessel of Captain Vancouver, who also navigated -the Columbia river about one hundred miles, to the point which bears his -name. In 1793 the country was visited by Sir Alexander McKenzie, after -discovering the river which retains his name.[118] In 1804, Messrs. {16} -Lewis and Clark were commissioned by the United States to explore the -sources of the Columbia, and they descended the river as far as Gray’s -Bay. A few years after, in 1810, Mr. Astor fitted out two expeditions -to Oregon, for the purpose of securing the interest of the fur-trade in -those parts. The party that had embarked by water arrived first, and -erected a fort called Astoria, about nine miles from the mouth of the -Columbia.[119] The company of the North-West (English) also considered -the fur-trade of Oregon as well worthy of attention, and they immediately -despatched an agent by land for the purpose of securing it; but he -arrived at Astoria several months after the first expeditions from the -United States. - -During the war of 1812, a British vessel sailed to the Columbia, in order -to take possession of Astoria and its treasure; but the captain was -cruelly disappointed in discovering that the place was already held by an -agent of the North-West Company, who had purchased it in anticipation of -the future war with the United States.[120] The Canadians who had settled -there under its original owners, were employed by the new proprietors, -and their numbers increased in proportion as the Company extended its -{17} operations. In this way the country was visited in every direction, -and many of the Indian tribes heard from them of the Catholic religion -and the worship of the true God. In 1821, the North-West and Hudson -Bay Companies united their interests, and gave a new impulse to the -fur-trade. Mr. John McLaughlin, who went to Oregon in 1824, was chiefly -instrumental in promoting the prosperity of the country.[121] He added to -the business posts, and gave employment to a greater number of Canadians -and Iroquois. They commenced at the same time the cultivation of wheat. -One of the settlers having undertaken, in 1829, to till the soil in the -valley of Willamette, his example was soon followed by others, and the -colony became so numerous that in 1834 an application was made to Dr. -Provencher, Vicar Apostolic of Hudson Bay, to procure a clergyman for -the service of the people.[122] The colonists, however, did not succeed -in obtaining a favorable answer to their petition, until the following -year, when two clergymen were appointed for the mission; but, owing to -the arrival of a Methodist preacher and of an Episcopalian minister in -Oregon, the former in 1834, and the latter in 1837,[123] the departure -of the Catholic clergymen was considerably {18} delayed. Rev. Mr. Demers -went as far as the Red River in 1837, and arrangements having been made -for himself and fellow-laborer to pass into Oregon the following year, -Rev. F. N. Blanchet left Canada at the appointed time, and joined his -companion at Red River, whence they both started on the 10th of July, and -after a perilous journey of between four and five thousand miles, and -the loss of twelve of their fellow-travellers in the rapids of Columbia -River, they arrived at Fort Vancouver, the 24th of November, of the same -year.[124] On their route the two missionaries were treated with the -utmost courtesy by the traders whom they met, and at Vancouver they were -received with every demonstration of respect by James Douglas, Esq., who -commanded that post during the absence of Mr. McLaughlin in England.[125] -On seeing the missionaries at length among them, the Canadians wept for -joy, and the savages assembled from a distance of one hundred miles, to -behold the _black gowns_ of whom so much had been said. - -Before we follow the ministers of God in their apostolic labors, we -shall allude as briefly as possible to the aspect of the country, to the -difficulties and dangers it presents to the missionary, {19} and to its -commercial and agricultural resources. - -We shall observe, in the first place, that the Columbia River stretches -from its mouth about 290 miles to the east, as far as Fort Walla Walla; -it then takes a northerly direction 150 miles, to Fort Okanagan; -thence it extends 170 miles easterly to Colville. Fort Vancouver, the -principal post in Oregon, is situated in 45° 36′ N. latitude, about one -hundred miles from the mouth of the Columbia, and on its western bank, -in ascending the river. The Willamette is a tributary of the Columbia, -falling into it four miles below Vancouver on the opposite side. Twenty -miles up the stream is a cascade of about twenty-five feet, and thirty -miles further is a Canadian establishment, which in 1838 numbered -twenty-six Catholic families, besides the settlers from the United -States. The residence of the Methodist minister was ten miles higher -up.[126] The River Cowlitz falls into the Columbia thirty miles below -Vancouver, on the same side. Forty-five miles from its mouth is seen the -establishment which bears its name. Four Catholic families resided here -on the arrival of the missionaries. From this place to {20} Nesqualy at -the southern extremity of Puget Sound, the distance is nearly seventy -miles, and it is equally far from the latter point to the island of -Whitby.[127] Two days’ journey further north will bring you to the River -Frazer, on which Fort Langley is situated.[128] This river falls into -Puget Sound or the Gulf of Georgia. - -The mission of St. Mary’s among the Flatheads is ten days’ journey from -Colville, towards the south-east, and about five hundred miles from -Vancouver.[129] The most distant to which Mr. Demers has penetrated -as yet, is Bear Lake in New Caledonia,[130] seven hundred miles from -Vancouver. The reader may form some idea of the almost insurmountable -difficulties to be encountered by our two missionaries, in visiting -their various posts, so widely distant from each other, especially in a -country overrun in every direction by lofty mountains. These mountains -generally extend from north to south. From the Valley of Willamette are -seen three elevated peaks, which have the form of a cone, and are covered -with perpetual snow; hence called _Snowy Mountains_. One of them Mt. St. -Helena, stands opposite Cowlitz to the east, and for some years past has -been noted for its volcanic {21} eruptions.[131] Besides the rivers we -have mentioned, there are several others, the principal of which are the -Clamet, Umpqua, and the Chikeeles.[132] The Columbia is navigable as far -as the cascade, fifty-four miles above Vancouver. - -The immense valleys in Oregon Territory, covered with extensive and -fertile prairies, follow the course of the mountains from north to -south, and are crossed in different directions by rivulets bordered -with trees. They easily yield to the plough, and though the first crop -is not very abundant, the second is generally sufficient to repay the -labor of tillage. The soil is for the most part fertile, particularly in -the south. Every kind of grain is successfully cultivated near Cowlitz, -Vancouver, in the Willamette Valley, and further south. The same may be -said of the neighborhood of Fort Walla Walla, Colville; the mission of -St. Mary’s; the mission of the Sacred Heart, of St. Ignatius, and St. -Francis Borgia, among the Pend-d’oreilles; of St. Francis Regis, in the -valley to Colville; of the Assumption and the Holy Heart of Mary, {22} -amongst the Skalsi. Other districts that are not tillable, afford an -excellent pasture for cattle. - -As to the climate of Oregon, it is not so severe as might be supposed -from its elevated latitude. The snow never falls to a greater depth than -three or four inches in the lower portions of the territory, and seldom -remains long on the ground. When the snows, after having accumulated -on the mountains and their vicinity in consequence of extreme cold, -begin to melt, and the heavy rains supervene, the plains around are -covered with water, and sometimes considerable damage is caused by the -inundation. The rains commence in October, and continue until March with -little interruption. The very cold weather lasts only for a few weeks. -In the month of June the Columbia always overflows its banks, from the -thaw which takes place on the mountains, and every four or five years -its waters rise to an extraordinary height, and do much injury in the -vicinity of Vancouver. - -Until the year 1830, the Territory of Oregon was thickly settled by -numerous tribes of Indians; but at that period the country bordering on -the Columbia was visited by a fatal scourge which carried off nearly -two-thirds of {23} the inhabitants.[133] It showed itself in the form -of an infectious fever, which threw the individual into a state of -tremor, and produced such a burning heat throughout the body, that the -patient would sometimes cast himself into the water to obtain relief. The -population of entire villages was cut off by this terrible pestilence. -Other villages were burnt in order to arrest the infection which would -have arisen from the pile of dead bodies that were left unburied. During -this fearful visitation, which attacked the colonists as well as the -natives, Dr. McLaughlin displayed the most heroic philanthropy, in his -laborious attention to the sick and dying. The Indians superstitiously -attributed this scourge to a quarrel between some agents of the Hudson -Bay Company and an American captain, which led the latter to throw a -species of charm into the river by way of revenge. The fever, however, -made its appearance annually, though in a less malignant form; and the -inhabitants have discovered both its preventive and its remedy. The -smallpox is the principal disease that alarms the natives; they are in -continual dread of it, and imagining that they have a short time to live, -they no longer build the large and convenient cabins to {24} which they -were formerly accustomed. Notwithstanding the ravages above mentioned, -the population of Oregon amounts to nearly 110,000 souls, residing -chiefly in the north. This part of the country, fortunately, escaped the -diseases which decimated the inhabitants of Willamette and the Columbia, -and still rages from time to time in the south. - -The tribes of this territory differ much in character and personal -appearance. The savages who frequent the coast, especially towards the -north, are of a much more barbarous and ferocious temperament than those -of the interior; nor are they less dissimilar in their manners, customs, -language, and external features. The tribes and languages are almost as -numerous as the localities. From twenty-five to thirty different idioms -have been distinguished among them, a circumstance which increases in -no small degree the labors of the missionary. In the interior of the -country, the natives are of a mild and sociable disposition, though proud -and vindictive; intelligent though inclined to indolence. Their belief -in the immortality of the soul consists in admitting a future existence, -happy or unhappy, that is, a state of plenty or want, according to -the merits or demerits of {25} every individual. The morals of this -savage race can scarcely be termed corrupt, considering their very -limited means of “_enlightenment_.” They have distinct ideas of right -and wrong, and recognize many leading principles of the natural law. -Theft, adultery, homicide, and lying, are condemned as criminal, and if -polygamy is tolerated, it is not approved; it is principally confined to -the chiefs, by way of maintaining peace with the neighboring nations. -Laxity of morals is far short of what might be supposed inevitable, in -their rude and uneducated state. Modesty, indeed, would require more; -but its rules are for the most part respected. But little intercourse -is carried on among young persons of different sex, and even in regard -to matrimonial unions, the engagement is arranged by the parents of the -parties. When a man of comfortable means takes to himself a wife, he is -obliged to compensate the parents of the latter by considerable presents. -But upon the death of the woman, these presents may be reclaimed. If in -consequence of harsh treatment she puts an end to her existence, the -circumstance reflects disgrace upon the husband, who is compelled, in -this case, to propitiate her parents by additional gifts. - -{26} Most of the work among these savages is performed by slaves, who are -well treated, except in case of old age or other inability, when they are -left to perish of want. Besides those who are born in this unhappy state, -there are others who become so, by the fortunes of war. All prisoners are -considered slaves by their conquerors, though, in general, only their -children experience this hard lot. Wars are sometimes engaged in for -the express purpose of acquiring slaves, which is considered a great -advantage among the savages. The white population have little to fear -from their attacks, except on the northern coast, where life is far from -being safe, and where the natives, in some cases anthropophagi, do not -hesitate to feast upon the flesh of their prisoners. - -Throughout the whole country, the habitations of the Indians are rather -huts than houses, from fifteen to twenty-five feet long, proportionably -wide, and verging into a conical form. Cross pieces of wood are -suspended in the interior for the purpose of drying their salmon and -other articles of food. Fire is kindled on the ground in the centre of -the cabin, the smoke escaping through the roof above. The dress of the -Indians is not more _recherché_ than their {27} dwellings. Formerly they -clothed themselves very comfortably and neatly, with the furs which -they possessed, but since the trade in skins has become so extensive, -the natives of Oregon are much worse provided for in this respect, and -the poor can scarcely protect themselves against the severity of the -seasons. To this circumstance, in part, is attributed the decrease of the -population, which has been observed within a few years past. Hunting and -fishing are the resources on which the Indian depends for subsistence. -His principal food is salmon, sturgeon, and other kinds of fish, with the -ducks, wild turkeys and hares, in which the country abounds. The fruits -of spontaneous growth, and particularly the root of the _cammas_, also -afford them nourishment.[134] - -Among the aborigines of Oregon there is no trace of any religious -worship. They have a belief which consists in certain obscure -traditions;[135] but no external forms of religion are visible among -them. The juggler exercises his {28} profession, though it is almost -universally done in behalf of the sick, for the purpose of curing them. -If he fail in his attempt, he is suspected of having used some evil -influence, and is made to pay the forfeit of his supposed offence. Though -nearly all these tribes, of whom we are speaking, possess no particular -form of worship, they are naturally predisposed in favor of the Christian -religion, especially those who live in the interior. We shall find the -most ample evidence of this in the sequel of our narrative. - -At the period when the two Catholic missionaries arrived in Oregon -territory, the Hudson Bay Company possessed from ten to twelve -establishments for the fur-trade, in each of which there was a certain -number of Canadians professing our holy faith, and in addition to these -there were twenty-six Catholic families at Willamette, and four at -Cowlitz. It is easy to imagine to how many dangers they had been exposed -of losing their faith, deprived as they were of religious instruction and -of every external incentive to the practice of piety, and surrounded by -individuals who were not inactive in their efforts to withdraw them from -the fold of Catholicity. - -The Methodist missionaries had already formed {29} two establishments, -one in the Willamette, where they had a school, and another about -fifty miles from the cascade. An Anglican minister, who resided at -Vancouver two years, left it before the arrival of the Catholic clergy. -The Presbyterians had a missionary post at Walla Walla, and among the -Nez-percés, and in 1839 they established a third station on the river -Spokane, a few days’ journey south of Colville.[136] In 1840, the Rev. -Mr. Lee brought with him fellow-laborers for the vineyard, with their -wives and children, and a number of husbandmen and mechanics. It was a -real colony. The preachers stationed themselves at the most important -posts, as at Willamette Falls, the Clatsops below fort George, and -Nisqualy, and thence visited the other settlements: they even penetrated -as far as Whitby.[137] Nothing short of the most arduous toil and -constant vigilance on the part of the Catholic clergymen, could have -withdrawn so many individuals from the danger of spiritual seduction. Our -two missionaries were indefatigable in their exertions, almost always -journeying from one post to another, to begin or to consolidate the good -work they had in view. - -{30} Vancouver was the first place that experienced the happy influence -of their apostolical zeal. Many of the settlers had lost sight of -the religious principles they had imbibed in their youth, and their -wives were either pagans in belief, or, if baptized, but superficially -acquainted with the nature of that holy rite. In this state of things, -which had given rise to many disorders, the missionaries found it -necessary to spend several months at Vancouver, and to labor with united -energies in instructing the people, baptizing children, performing -marriages, and inspiring a greater respect for the Christian virtues. -With this view they remained at Vancouver until the month of January, -1839, when Mr. Blanchet visited the Canadians at Willamette. It would be -difficult to describe the joy which his arrival awakened among them. They -had already erected a chapel seventy feet in length, which was dedicated -by the missionary under the invocation of St. Paul. His ministry at -this place was attended with the most signal success. Men, women and -children, all seemed to appreciate the presence of one who had come, as -a messenger from Heaven, to diffuse among them the {31} consolations of -religion. Before his departure, Mr. Blanchet rehabilitated a good number -of marriages, and baptized seventy-four persons. In April he started -for Cowlitz, where he remained until the latter end of June. Here also -his efforts were most successful. He had the happiness of instructing -twelve savages of Puget sound, who had come from a distance of nearly one -hundred miles in order to see and hear him. It was on this occasion he -conceived the idea of the Catholic _ladder_, a form of instruction which -represents on paper the various truths and mysteries of religion in their -chronological order, and which has proved vastly beneficial in imparting -catechetical instruction among the natives of Oregon.[138] These twelve -Indians having remained at Cowlitz long enough to acquire a knowledge of -the principal mysteries of our faith, and to understand the use of the -_ladder_ which Mr. Blanchet gave them, set about instructing their tribe -as soon as they returned home, and not without considerable success; for -Mr. Blanchet, the following year, met, in the vicinity of Whitby island, -with several Indians who had never seen a priest, and yet were acquainted -with the sign of the cross, and knew several pious canticles. - -{32} While Mr. Blanchet was at Cowlitz,[139] his fellow-laborer visited -Nisqualy, where he found the savages in the best dispositions. Having but -a short time, however, to pass among them, he merely laid the foundation -of a more important mission, and returned to Vancouver by the month -of June,—the time when the agents from New Caledonia, Upper Columbia, -and other different posts assemble there to deposite their furs. After -spending a month at Vancouver, availing himself of the favorable -opportunity for instruction which the concourse of visitors afforded, -he set out for Upper Columbia, where he visited Walla Walla, Okanagan -and Colville,[140] baptizing all the children that were brought to him -in the course of his journey. He spent three months in this excursion, -during which Mr. Blanchet attended to the wants of the faithful at -Vancouver, Willamette, and {33} Cowlitz. Though these stations afforded -ample occupation for a missionary, Mr. B. paid another visit to Nisqualy, -where he was again met by a considerable number of savages from Puget -sound, who hastened to Nisqualy as soon as they heard of his arrival, and -listened with joy and profit to the words of life. - -In October the two missionaries met at Vancouver, which was their place -of residence through the courtesy of James Douglas, Esq., and on the -10th of the same month they again separated, Mr. Blanchet starting for -Willamette, and Mr. Demers for Cowlitz. Their object was to spend the -winter months at these points in the further instruction of their flocks. -During the first year they baptized three hundred and nine persons. The -following spring Mr. Demers visited the Chinouks, a tribe living below -fort George.[141] From the Chinouks he repaired to Vancouver, to meet the -concourse of traders who assemble there in the month of June, after which -he set out for his stations at Walla Walla, Okanagan and Colville, as he -had done the preceding year. About this time Father De Smet, S. J., was -sent on a visit by his superior to the Flathead Indians, who had implored -this favor by repeated deputations from their country to {34} the bishop -of St. Louis. He found, to his great surprise, that Oregon already -possessed two Catholic missionaries; he wrote to Mr. Demers, informing -him that he would return to St. Louis, according to the order of his -superiors, to procure further aid for the promising missions of the Rocky -Mountains. - -Mr. Blanchet having visited the people at Nisqualy, was soon called away -by a special embassy from the Indians of Puget sound, who requested -his ministry. It was on this occasion at Whitby that he met with the -savages already acquainted with certain practices of the Catholic church, -though they had never seen a missionary.[142] His labors among the -Indians at this place were most consoling. A large cross was erected -as a rallying-point, many children were {35} baptized, and two tribes, -who were at war with each other, were reconciled. The Catholic _ladder_ -was passed from one nation to another, and all prayed to be instructed -still more fully in the truths of salvation. After baptizing one hundred -and four persons, the missionaries returned to Vancouver, and thence -repaired to their respective stations during the winter season. A wide -field was here opened to their zeal, not only among the catechumens who -solicited baptism, but among the settlers, who were anxious to repair -by their fervor the neglect of former years. In the summer of 1840 the -Columbia was visited by Captain Belcher, from England, for the purpose of -surveying the river.[143] - -In the spring of 1841, Mr. Demers, after giving the usual mission at -Vancouver, went to Nisqualy, and with the aid of Indian guides penetrated -as far as Fort Langley on the river Fraser. Here he was surrounded by an -immense number of savages, to whom he announced without delay the tidings -of salvation. His appeal was not in vain, all permitting their children -to be baptized, and soliciting the residence of a priest among them. -Seven hundred children received, on this occasion, the sacrament {36} of -regeneration. While Mr. Demers was thus occupied in gathering the first -fruits of the mission at Puget sound, Mr. Blanchet was equally engaged at -Willamette, Vancouver, Cowlitz and the Cascades. At the last mentioned -place several children were baptized, and a number of adults instructed -in the faith. - -During the year 1841, Oregon Territory was visited by two expeditions, -one from England under Sir George Simpson,[144] and the other from the U. -States, under the command of Captain Wilkes.[145] - -{37} Faithful to his word, Father De Smet returned among the Flatheads in -the autumn of the same year, accompanied by the Rev. Fathers Point and -Mengarini, and three lay brothers.[146] The mission of St. Mary’s was at -once established, and the most abundant harvest collected, (see Indian -sketches).[147] About the same time Messrs. Blanchet and Demers retired -to their usual winter stations, where they had the pleasure of learning -that two other missionaries, Messrs. John B. Bolduc and Ant. Langlois -had {38} set out from Canada to join them in their labor of love.[148] -During the winter, Mr. Blanchet narrowly escaped a watery grave, in -ascending the river Willamette on a visit to his friend Mr. Demers. In -the spring of 1842, Father De Smet unexpectedly made his appearance at -Vancouver, after a providential escape from shipwreck, in descending -the river Columbia. Fortunately he had left the barge in which his -fellow-travellers and his baggage were; and by this means he was saved, -while his effects and five of his companions were swallowed up in the -rapids.[149] - -The three missionaries met together, first at Willamette, and then at -Vancouver, and formed their plans for a concert of action in the great -work of evangelizing the natives of Oregon. The Indians of New Caledonia -had repeatedly asked for Catholic missionaries, and Mr. Demers started -for that country. Having embarked in a boat of the Hudson Bay Company, -he reached his destination after a travel of two months. The journey, -though fatiguing, was most consoling in its results. He was received by -the savages with open arms, and it is impossible to describe the ardor -with which they drank in the words of heavenly life as they fell from his -{39} lips. The Indians in this region appear to be no less predisposed to -receive the truths of Christianity than the Flatheads, who have evinced a -peculiar propensity to virtue. - -While Mr. Demers was so successfully occupied among the tribes of New -Caledonia, Father De Smet was bending his steps back to St. Louis, -to procure additional laborers for the mission. Two clergymen, the -Rev. Fathers De Vos and Hoeken,[150] with three lay brothers, were -immediately sent out, but they did not reach their destination until -the autumn of 1843. Mr. De Smet was at the same time despatched to -Europe, to make further provision for the conversion and civilization of -Oregon. In this way Mr. Blanchet found himself charged with the care of -all the stations, except those among the Flatheads, and upper Indians -of the Columbia, and was continually moving about to meet the wants of -the various missions. Fortunately Messrs. Langlois and Bolduc, after -a journey of one year since their departure from Canada, arrived at -Willamette on the 16th of September. They at once set themselves to work, -Mr. Langlois remaining at Willamette during the winter season, while Mr. -Blanchet was at Vancouver, {40} and Mr. Bolduc at Cowlitz. In the spring -of 1843, Mr. Demers returned from New Caledonia, much exhausted by the -labors he had undergone, and the privations he had suffered during his -journey; but these causes were not capable of diminishing his missionary -ardor. His fellow-laborers and himself found ample occupation, during -the summer months, at the three principal stations, and in fact such -was the call upon their services at these posts, and in the vicinity, -in consequence of the increasing numbers of their flock, that they were -unable to visit the more distant points, and were obliged to defer to a -later period the execution of their design, for some time contemplated, -of forming a mission at Whitby. - -In addition to his numerous cares, Mr. Blanchet undertook the erection of -an academy at Willamette, for which funds had been given by a Mr. Joseph -Laroque of Paris, and which is called St. Joseph’s College, in honor of -that gentleman. - -A teacher of French, and another of the English language, were employed -in the institution, which was opened in the month of October, and -numbered from the very commencement {41} twenty-eight boarders. Rev. Mr. -Langlois, who attended to the Willamette mission, also superintended the -Academy. - -About a year after, a public examination of the students was held, and -the inhabitants who attended, appeared much gratified at the progress -made by the pupils in the study of French and English, in writing, -arithmetic, and other branches. - -In the spring of 1844, Mr. Blanchet withdrew Mr. Demers from Cowlitz -and placed him at the _Falls_ or Oregon City, an important post, which -contained already sixty houses. The parsonage where Mr. Demers resided -could not be rented at less than ten dollars a month. Mr. Bolduc remained -at Cowlitz, and Mr. Blanchet went from one station to another, to -ascertain and provide for the wants of the different localities. - -During the vacation of the college Mr. Blanchet remained at Willamette, -to replace Mr. Langlois, who had set out upon a visit to the Jesuit -fathers, among the Flatheads, with a view to obtain some assistance for -his school. Mr. Demers was at this time at Vancouver. The missionaries, -not aware of Mr. De Smet’s voyage to Europe, had been long and anxiously -awaiting his arrival in Oregon. About fifteen {42} months had elapsed -since his departure for the east, and the vessel of the Hudson Bay -Company, which had reached Oregon in the spring, brought no intelligence -respecting his movements. Under these circumstances, Mr. Blanchet -and his companions began to be alarmed, when, in the midst of their -apprehensions, the indefatigable Jesuit made his appearance suddenly at -Vancouver, about the beginning of August. On the 9th of January, he had -left Belgium, with four priests, Rev. Fathers Accolti, Nobili, Ravalli, -and Vercruysse and Huybrechts a lay brother,[151] and six religious -ladies of Notre Dame of Namur, and after doubling Cape Horn the vessel -touched at Valparaiso and Lima, for the purpose of obtaining some -information regarding the entrance of the Columbia River and to leave a -part of a cargo.[152] Not having received a satisfactory answer to their -inquiries, they set out again for the north, and continued their course -until they found themselves in latitude 46° 19′, and longitude 123° 54′. -Here the captain passed three days in discovering the mouth of the river, -which was at length made known to him by the sight of a vessel going out. -Though it was growing dark, he immediately despatched an officer towards -the sail to make inquiries concerning {43} the mode of entering the -Columbia; but he did not return with the required information, and the -captain, being thrown upon his own resources, at once made preparations -for entering the river, and proceeded from east to west through a channel -altogether unknown to him. It was the 31st of July, feast of St. Ignatius -of Loyola. As he advanced, by the soundings, he found that the vessel was -in very shallow water, having only two and a half feet under her keel, -although at a considerable distance from the mainland. At this moment, -the safety of the vessel and crew seemed hopeless; but while shipwreck -was staring them in the face, they fell unexpectedly into deeper -soundings; the bar was crossed, and two hours after, the vessel anchored -off Fort George or _Astoria_.[153] {44} Mr. Blanchet and the people -of Willamette no sooner heard of Mr. De Smet’s arrival at Vancouver -than they hastened to meet him. The good father and the colony that -accompanied him, were received with every demonstration of civility by -Dr. McLaughlin and Mr. Douglas, who also tendered one of the company’s -boats to convey the missionary band to Willamette. Their journey to this -place was a real triumph, such was the joy and excitement produced among -the inhabitants by the accession of these new laborers to the vineyard. -The sisters [of] _Notre Dame_ soon occupied the building which had been -undertaken for their purposes, and in the month of December it was opened -as a boarding academy for girls. Father De Smet, about the same time, -directed his course towards the Flatheads, Father Devos having come to -supply his place in the south. The labors of the Jesuits among the tribes -of the north have been crowned with the most abundant success. In 1842, -a new mission, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was founded about eight days’ -journey south of St. Mary’s.[154] In addition to the increased resources -{45} which the mission received in 1844, we must mention also the arrival -of two other Jesuit Fathers and one lay brother, who went to Oregon, by -the way of the Rocky Mountains.[155] - -Such was the state of the country, and such the progress of religion -among the natives and colonists, when Mr. Blanchet received letters from -Canada in November last, informing him that, upon the application of -the Fifth Provincial Council of Baltimore, he had been appointed Vicar -Apostolic of Oregon Territory, and that bulls to that effect, dated -the 1st December, 1843, had been despatched to him. He was immediately -solicited by his fellow-laborers to accept the charge, and at first -determined to go to California for the ceremony of consecration. But -desirous of obtaining a further reinforcement for his extensive mission, -he concluded to visit Europe. Having appointed Rev. Mr. Demers his _Vicar -General_ and _administrator_ of the Vicariate during his absence, he -left Vancouver towards the end of November, arrived on the 22d of May at -London, and thence embarking for this country the 4th of June, in the -Cunard line of steamers, he reached Canada on the 24th of the same month, -after a journey of more than 22,000 miles. Mr. Blanchet recently received -{46} the episcopal consecration in Montreal, and has gone to Europe on -business connected with his mission. Six thousand savages brought within -the fold of the Christian church, form, indeed, but a small number among -the 100,000 who inhabit that immense region; but this success, achieved -in a few years, by a missionary force so limited, and compelled to -grapple with so many difficulties, is a bright and consoling evidence of -what can and will be accomplished by those who have been commissioned to -“go and teach all nations.” - -On the 1st of December, 1843, his Holiness, Gregory XVI, erected Oregon -Territory into an Apostolic Vicariate, and the Rev. Francis N. Blanchet, -was appointed to the episcopal charge of this extensive mission. His -consecration took place in Montreal, C. E., about the middle of the -year 1844. He immediately repaired to Europe, with a view to increase -the resources of his mission, and to devise means for promoting the -interests of religion in Oregon. At his request, and by a recent act of -the Holy See, the Territory of Oregon, from the 42d to the 54th degree -of N. latitude, has been divided into eight diocesses, viz: Oregon City, -Nesqualy, Vancouver’s Island, and Princess Charlotte, {47} on the coast, -and Walla Walla, Fort Hall, Colville, and New Caledonia, in the interior. -These diocesses form an ecclesiastical province, of which Oregon City is -the Metropolitan See. For the present, only three bishops are appointed -for the province, viz: those of Oregon City, Walla Walla, and Vancouver’s -Island, who will have a provisional jurisdiction over the other -diocesses. The episcopal districts of _Vancouver’s Island_, _Princess -Charlotte_, and _New Caledonia_, are not included within the territory -belonging to the United States. The Rt. Rev. Modest Demers, one of the -missionaries that visited Oregon in 1838, has been charged with the See -of Vancouver’s Island, and the administration of the two other districts -in the British portion of the territory. The region within the limits of -the United States embraces the five other diocesses above-mentioned. - - -ARCHDIOCESS OF OREGON CITY - -This district is under the jurisdiction of the Rt. Rev. F. N. Blanchet, -who has also the administration of Nesqualy. - - -DIOCESS OF WALLA WALLA - -This diocess is under the charge of the Rt. {48} Rev. Magloire Blanchet, -who was consecrated in Montreal, on the 27th of September, 1846. He has -also the present administration of Fort Hall and Colville.[156] - -The following clergymen are engaged in the missions of Oregon:— - - Rev. Accolti, Michael, - ” De Smet, Peter J., - ” De Vos, Peter, - ” Hoecken, Adrian, - ” Joset, Joseph, - ” Mengarini, Gregory, - ” Nobili, John, - ” Point, Nicholas, - ” Ravalli, Anthony, - ” Vercruysse, Aloysius, - ” Langlois, Anthony, - ” Bolduc, John Baptist, - -Who are all, with the exception of the last two, members of the Society -of Jesus. - -Archbishop Blanchet lately embarked from Europe, on his way to Oregon, -with ten secular priests and two regulars, three lay brothers of the -Society of Jesus, and seven female religious, for the wants of the -mission. The total number of clergymen is twenty-six. - -{49} Our information is not sufficiently detailed, to allow us to present -the religious statistics of the different diocesses into which Oregon has -been divided. We can only state in general, that since the year 1845, -several new stations have been formed, new churches erected, and a large -number of the aborigines of various tribes converted to the true faith. - -The state of religion is as follows: there are eighteen chapels, viz.: -five in the Willamette Valley; St. Paul’s Cathedral; St. Mary’s at the -Convent of the Sisters; St. Francis Xaverius’ Chapel; the new Church in -the Prairie; St. John’s Church in Oregon City; one at Vancouver; one at -Cowlitz; one at Whitby; four in New Caledonia, to wit: at Stuart’s Lake, -at Fort Alexandria, at the Rapids, and at the Upper Lake; St. Mary’s -Church among the Flatheads; the Church of the Sacred Heart among the -Pointed-Hearts; the Church of St. Ignatius among the Pend-d’oreilles -of the Bay; the Chapel of St. Paul among the Kettle-Fall Tribe near -Colville. The following are stations of 1846, where chapels are to be -erected, to wit: St. Francis Borgia among the Upper Kalispels; St. -Francis Regis in Colville Valley; St. Peter’s at the great Lakes of the -Columbia; the Assumption {50} among the Flatbow Indians; the Holy Heart -of Mary among the Koetenais. - -The institutions that have been commenced in Oregon, consist: 1st, of the -school of St. Mary’s among the Flatheads; 2d, of a college at St. Paul’s, -Willamette; and 3d, of an academy for girls at the same place, under the -charge of six sisters of Notre Dame. Other establishments are soon to be -commenced. - -The total number of Indians in the territory is about 110,000, of whom -upwards of 6,000 have been converted to the true faith. The number of -Catholics among the Canadians and settlers amounts to about 1,500. - - -No. I - -LETTER OF MR. BOLDUC, APOSTOLICAL MISSIONARY - -TO MR. CAYENNE. - - Cowlitz, 15th Feb., 1844. - -SIR,—Nearly a year has elapsed since I had the satisfaction of addressing -you. During that period, I have made many new excursions, of which I now -intend giving you an account. - -From the observations made by the first English navigators who visited -the coasts of America towards the north of the Columbia River, it appears -that the territory bearing the same name, was formerly discovered and -peopled by Spaniards. Even at the present day, we find ruins of birch -edifices, constructed for the purpose of drawing the savage nations to -the knowledge of the gospel. Among the natives, relics have been found -attesting this fact; a certain tribe has possessed for ages a brazen -crucifix, bearing the appearance of great antiquity, when, how, and -by whom it was brought thither, none can tell. It is probable it {52} -may have been introduced at that period, when the Spaniards seized on -California, and formed a settlement on Vancouver’s Island, separated -from Terra Firma by the strait of Juan de Fuca.[157] Gray discovered the -Columbia River; Vancouver ascended it to the point whereon is built the -fort that bears his name, and took possession of the surrounding country. - -The vast territory extending between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific -Ocean is divided into two zones, differing in their climate, soil and -productions. The line of separation runs parallel to the coasts of the -South Sea, from which it is distant about 200 miles. Less woody than the -regions of the West, the eastern part rises into table-land, which forms -the basis of the Mounts Hood, St. Helena, Reignier, and Baker.[158] The -summits of these mountains rise to the height of 15 or 16,000 feet, and -are crowned with eternal snow. Last year, Mounts St. Helena and Baker -became volcanoes. The latter, within the last few months, has undergone -considerable changes on the side where the crater was formed. - -In the oriental zone the climate is dry and salubrious; in winter as -well as summer, rain is very rare. Snow never covers the earth {53} -more than a foot deep; no marshy land is to be found; and the air being -neither foggy nor misty every species of fever is totally unknown. In -the inferior part, from October to March, the rains are continual; thick -clouds envelope the atmosphere, and hide the sun for entire weeks. -When the vapours no longer obscure the air, a mild and vivifying heat -is diffused around. This winter has been quite remarkable by the small -quantity of rain. During the greater part of February and the beginning -of March, the weather was delightful, we could have imagined ourselves in -May. The grass was verdant in the meadows, and strawberries were in full -bloom. - -In March, rain seldom falls; a glowing sun reanimates nature, which soon -appears in her gayest attire. Wheat sown in autumn surpasses in April, -that which we are accustomed to behold in Canada in the month of June. - -During summer, the weather is clear and sultry, sometimes, however, thick -clouds gather around, and appear as if they would burst in torrents over -our heads, but they are soon dissipated without thunder, and without -shedding on the earth a drop of that moisture which she seems to require -to perfect her harvest. - -{54} In June, the rivers, swollen by the melted snow, inundate the -plains, and increase the stagnant water formed by the rains of winter. -The vapors arising from the influence of a meridian sun, cause fever -and ague, which are more frequent when the rivers overflow their banks. -This malady reigns throughout the country from the end of August to -the middle of October, and persons once attacked generally suffer from -its baneful effects for several years; and as I have not escaped this -year, I have every reason to dread a recurrence in the future. You could -scarcely credit the relation of the terrible ravages which this epidemic -causes among the numerous tribes inhabiting the shores of the Columbia. -Entire camps have been swept away by this fatal scourge. When the savages -find themselves attacked by it, they hasten to plunge into the cold -rivers, and die immediately. The whites with proper attention baffle the -distemper. - -I informed you last year, that I intended opening a mission at Puget -Sound; and hoped, if possible, to reach Vancouver’s Island; this project -has been executed, and I will now give you a few details. - -To attain this object, I thought it better not {55} to go alone on the -island; no priest had as yet trodden the soil, and the savages were -little familiarized with the whites. Happily, the Hon. Hudson Bay Company -was about constructing a fort at the southern extremity of the island. -Mr. Douglas, the director of this expedition, generously invited me to -take my passage on board his vessel. Most willingly did I accept the -kind offer, and quitted Cowlitz 7th of March, for Shwally.[159] The -Steamboat Beaver awaited us some days; for, having several preparations -to make, we did not get on board before the morning of the 13th. After -having pursued our course during the day, towards evening we cast anchor -in still water, at a place named Pointe Perdrix, formed by a projection -of the Isle Whitby.[160] Fishing lines were soon prepared, and we had the -satisfaction of procuring an excellent dinner for the next day. We caught -a quantity of beautiful fish, not unlike the cod of Canada, some of them -were four feet in length. - -The waters of Puget Bay are richly stocked; salmon abound, and form -one of the principal resources of the natives. In July, August and -September, more are taken than can be consumed. A small fish, peculiar -to the north-western {56} coast is here found; it comes up the rivers -in spring, and contains such a quantity of oil, that when dried and lit -by the tail it burns like a candle. From this fish the savages extract -excellent oil, which they use for seasoning their food.[161] Early on -the 14th we raised anchor and directed our course towards Juan de Fuca -Strait. We landed, and after having visited a small camp of savages, -belonging to the Tribe of Klalams,[162] we bore away for the southern -point of Vancouver’s Island, whither we arrived about 4 o’clock in the -afternoon.[163] At first, only two canoes were perceived; but, after a -discharge of cannon, we saw the natives issuing from their haunts and -surrounding the steamboat. Next morning, the pirogues (Indian boats) came -from every side. I went on shore with the commander of the expedition -and the captain of the vessel; having received unequivocal proofs of the -good-will of the Indians, I visited their village situated six miles from -the port, at the extremity of the bay. - -Like the surrounding tribes, this one possessed a little fortress, -formed by stakes enclosing about 150 square feet.[164] The inhabitants -endeavor to secure themselves in this manner from the incursions of the -Toungletats, a powerful {57} and warlike tribe; one part of which encamps -on Vancouver’s Island, the other on the continent, north of Frazer’s -River.[165] These ferocious enemies enter the villages by night, massacre -all the men, and carry off the women and children whom they reduce -to slavery. On my arrival, all the tribe, men, women and children, -assembled to shake hands with me; a ceremony which these savages never -omit. They repaired to the great lodge belonging to their chief, where -I spoke to them concerning the existence of a God, the Creator of all -things; of the recompense promised to good actions, and the eternal -chastisements which await the commission of crime. My instructions were -often interrupted by the harangues of my auditors. The following one may -prove interesting: “Chief, listen to my words; ten years ago, I heard -that there was a Master above, who hated evil; and that among the French, -men were to be found who taught the knowledge of this Master. I also -heard that men of this description would come to our home. Since that -time, my heart, which was formerly very wicked, has become good; I no -longer do evil; and since you are come, all hearts are filled with joy.” - -{58} Another day, whilst I was speaking of baptism, and recounting to -them that several nations had caused their children to be baptized, a -man arose and said: “Thy words are good, but we have been told that all -who were baptized among the Kwaitlens, and the Kawitskins (near Frazer -River), died immediately;[166] however, since thou sayest it is a good -thing, we believe thee. If the sacred water will cause us to see the -Great Master after death, baptize all our camp; perform this charity, for -they nearly all die.” I promised I would return the following Sunday, and -confer the sacrament. - -My arrival being noised abroad, several neighboring nations came hither -in crowds. Saturday, the 18th, was employed in constructing a kind of -repository, whereon to celebrate mass the ensuing morn. Mr. Douglas gave -me several of his men to aid in the work. Branches of fir-trees formed -the sides of this rustic chapel; and the awning of the boat, its canopy. -Early Sunday morning, more than twelve hundred savages, belonging to the -three great tribes, Kawitskins, Klalams, and Isanisks, were assembled -in this modest sanctuary.[167] Our commander neglected nothing that -could render the ceremony imposing; he gave me liberty to {59} choose on -board, all that could serve for its decoration. He assisted at the mass -with some Canadians, with two Catholic ladies. It was in the midst of -this numerous assembly, that, for the first time, the sacred mysteries -were celebrated; may the blood of the Spotless Lamb, fertilize this -barren land, and cause it to produce an abundant harvest. This being the -day fixed for the baptism of the children, I repaired to the principal -village accompanied by all who had assisted at the divine service. On -arriving, I was again compelled to present my hand to about 600 persons. -The children were arranged along the sea-coast; I distributed to each -a small piece of paper with a name written thereon; and immediately -commenced the ceremony. It was about ten o’clock in the morning, and I -did not finish before night, the new Christians numbered 102. Though much -exhausted, I was obliged to walk two leagues to rejoin the steamboat. - -According to the plan traced out for our voyage, we were to remain here -but a few days; and then continue our course from fort to fort, until -we arrived at the Russian establishment at Sitka,[168] but the little -vessel bearing the provisions, came not. This delay grieved me {60} much, -for the grand vicar had communicated to me his intention of establishing -at the beginning of summer, a mission in Whitby Isle, and also of -employing me in this work of zeal. Fearing I would not return in time -if I delayed my departure, I resolved immediately to retrace my steps. -I purchased a canoe, and engaged the chief of the Isanisks and ten of -his men to conduct me direct to Whitby Isle. I quitted Vancouver the -24th of March, bearing with me the most lively sentiments of gratitude -towards the commander of the expedition and Captain Brotchie, for all -their kind and delicate attentions. The sea was calm, but the atmosphere -clouded; luckily, I took with me a compass, otherwise I should have -strayed from my course, having twenty-seven miles to traverse. The first -day we reached a little island between the extremity of Vancouver and -the continent where we passed the night.[169] My Indians, having shot -a sea-wolf, made a great feast. You would scarcely believe how much a -savage can devour at a repast; but if he is voracious in time of plenty, -he knows how to fast several successive days without enduring much -fatigue. - -The 25th there arose a strong north-westerly breeze. The rowers, before -quitting the coast, {61} ascended a hill to ascertain if the sea was much -agitated in the middle of the strait; they were some time before they -could decide the point; at last they declared, that with the aid of a -sail, we might brave the danger. A mast was prepared, a blanket affixed -to it, and thus equipped we confided ourselves to the mercy of the waves. -Towards three o’clock we landed at the isle of Whitby; not, however, -without experiencing some danger. - -A great number of savage Klalams and Skadjats came to meet us; I knew, by -reputation, the chief of the Skadjats, and asked to see him.[170] They -replied that he had left two days previously, to meet me at Vancouver’s -island. His two sons presented themselves; one of them, pressing my hand, -said, “My father, Netlan, is not here, he is gone to Ramoon (this is the -name of the southern point of Vancouver’s island); when he learns thou -art here he will soon return. He will be delighted if thou wilt remain -among us, for he is tired saying ‘_Mass_’ every Sunday, and preaching -to these people.” Later, I was informed that his Mass consisted in -explaining to the savages of his tribe the chronological history of -religion (traced on a map), in teaching them to make {62} numberless -signs of the cross, and singing a few canticles with the _Kyrie Eleison_. - -I pitched my tent near the cross planted by Mr. Blanchet when he first -landed in the island, in 1840. The next morning all the camp of the -Skadjats surrounded me to hear the word of God. You may form some idea of -the population of this tribe when I tell you, that I gave my hand to a -file of 650 persons, besides 150 others who had passed the night near my -tent not included in this number: and nearly all the old men and women, -besides the children, had remained in their huts. After the instruction, -several canticles were chanted in such full chorus that the sound was -deafening. - -Several parents had begged me to baptize their children. I repaired to -the village and requested to see all the children, under seven, who had -not received the grace of regeneration. Not one was forgotten; there were -150 present. The ceremony took place in a little meadow, surrounded -by lofty and antique fir-trees. It was not 12 o’clock when I began the -administration of the sacrament, and I did not finish before sun-set. -The day was most beautiful, but the ardent rays of the sun, joined to -the want of a substantial breakfast, caused me to {63} suffer much by -a violent headache. The 27th, the chief of the Skadjats declared to me -that I ought not to be lodged in a cotton house (under a tent); “for this -reason,” added he, “to-morrow thou must tell me in what place we shall -construct thee an abode, and thou wilt see how powerful is the effect -of my words when I speak to my people.” Beholding the good-will of the -chief, I pointed out a little eminence. Immediately afterward I saw two -hundred workmen, some having hatchets to fell the trees, others preparing -to remove them; four of the most skilful undertook the arrangement of the -edifice. In two days all was terminated, and I found myself installed in -a house 28 feet long by 25 in width. The wood was rough, the roof covered -with cedar-bark, and the interior overlaid with rush mats. During the -week I gave them several instructions, and taught them some canticles—for -without singing, the best things are of little value; noise is essential -to their enjoyment. - -I had terminated the exercises of the mission, when several savages -arrived from the continent; as soon as they perceived me, they cast -themselves on their knees, exclaiming, “Priest, priest, during four days -we have travelled to {64} behold thee, we have walked night and day, -and have scarcely tasted any food; now that we see thee our hearts are -joyful, take pity on us; we have learned that there is a Master on high, -but we know not how to speak to him. Come with us, thou wilt baptize our -children as thou didst those of the Skadjats.” I was moved by these -words, and would willingly have followed them to their forests, but it -was impossible to do so, my intended arrival having been announced at -Skwally. I quitted these good Indians the 3d April; during my abode -among them I experienced nothing but consolations which surpassed all my -expectations. - -By this relation you will perceive, sir, that the savages of Puget Bay -show much zeal for religion, yet they do not understand the full extent -of the term. If to be a Christian it were but necessary to know some -prayers, and sing canticles, there is not one among them who would not -adopt the title; but a capital point still to be gained is, a reformation -of morals. As soon as we touch this chord, their ardor is changed into -indifference. In vain the chieftains harangue their inferiors; how can -they expect to make any impression where they are themselves the more -guilty! - -{65} I do not mistrust Divine Providence, but I may say, without exposing -myself to illusion, that our best hopes are centred in the tribes -inhabiting the coasts of the ocean, or which are settled at the mouth of -the numerous tributaries. - - Sir, I have the honor to remain, - - Your very humble and obedient servant in Jesus Christ, - - _J. B. Z. Bolduc_, - Apostolical Missionary. - - -No. II - -A. M. D. G. - - Sainte Marie du Willamette, 9th October, 1844. - -MY DEAR BROTHER,—On the 28th July, after a tedious navigation of nearly -eight months, we came in sight of the Oregon Territory. Oh! with what -transports of delight we hailed these long-desired shores. What heartfelt -thanksgivings burst from every tongue. All, with one accord, entoned that -magnificent hymn of praise, the “Te Deum.” But these moments of happiness -were not of long duration; they were succeeded by others, of deep -anxiety, as the remembrance of the perils yet to be encountered flashed -upon our minds. We were approaching the “Columbia.” The entrance into -this river is difficult and dangerous, even for seamen provided with good -charts; and our captain, unable to procure any, was, we know, entirely -unacquainted with the rocks and breakers, which, at this season, render -it almost impracticable. - -We soon perceived Cape Disappointment,[171] which seems to point out to -travellers the course {67} they are to pursue. It was growing late, and -the captain resolved to steer out into the open sea, to avoid the danger -of running aground during the night. As the vessel moved slowly onward, -leaving the shore in the distance, we stood upon deck, contemplating -from afar the high mountains and vast forests of Oregon. Here and there -we could distinguish the clouds of smoke curling upwards from the huts -of our poor Indians. This aspect filled my very soul with indescribable -emotions. It would be necessary to be placed in the same position, to -understand fully what were then our feelings. Our hearts palpitated with -joy as we gazed on those boundless regions, over which were scattered -so many abandoned souls—the young, the aged—dying in the shades of -infidelity, for want of missionaries; an evil which we were about to -alleviate, if not for all, at least for a great number. - -The 29th all the fathers celebrated the Holy Sacrifice, wishing to offer -a last violence to heaven, and force, as it were, a benediction on our -mission. The morning was dark and gloomy: so were our spirits. About 10 -o’clock the sky cleared, and allowed us to approach, with caution, the -vast and fearful mouth of the {68} Columbia. We soon discovered immense -breakers, several miles in extent—the infallible sign of a sand bank. The -shoals crossed the river, and seemed to oppose an invincible barrier to -our entrance. This sight filled us with consternation. We felt that to -attempt a passage would be exposing ourselves to an almost certain death. -What was to be done? What become of us? How extricate ourselves from so -perilous a situation? - -On the 30th our captain, from the topmast, caught the glimpse of a -vessel, slowly rounding the Cape, on its way out of the river. This -cheering sight was in a moment snatched from our eager view by an -intervening rock, under the shade of which it cast anchor, to await a -favourable wind. Its appearance, however, led us to conclude that the -passage of the river was yet practicable, and we hoped to be directed -by its course. About 3 o’clock the captain sent the lieutenant, with -three sailors, to sound the breakers, and seek a favorable opening for -our entrance on the morrow, which happened to be the 31st July, feast of -the great “Loyola.” This auspicious coincidence re-animated our hopes, -and roused our drooping courage. Full of confidence in the powerful -protection of our {69} glorious founder, we prostrated ourselves, and -fervently implored him not to abandon us in our extreme need. This duty -accomplished, we hastened on deck, to await the return of the shallop. -It was not until 11 o’clock that their little vessel came alongside -the “Indefatigable.” No one dared interrogate the sailors, for their -dejected countenances foreboded discouraging tidings. However, the -lieutenant assured the captain that he had found no obstacle, and that -he had passed the bar the preceding night, at 11 o’clock, with five -fathoms (30 feet) of water. Immediately were the sails unfurled, and -the “Indefatigable” slowly resumed her majestic course, under the favor -of a rising breeze. The sky was serene, the sun shone with unwonted -brilliancy. For a long time we had not beheld so lovely a day; nothing -but the safe entrance into the river was wanting, to render this the -_most beautiful_ day of our voyage. As we approached, we re-doubled -our prayers. All appeared recollected, and prepared for every event. -Presently our wary captain gave orders to sound. A hardy sailor fastened -himself to the side of the vessel, and lowered the plummet. Soon was -heard the cry, “Seven fathoms.” At intervals the cry was repeated: -“Six fathoms,” {70} “Five fathoms.” It may be imagined how our hearts -palpitated at each reiteration. But when we heard the thrilling cry of -“_Three fathoms_,” all hope vanished. At one moment it was thought the -vessel would be dashed against the reefs. The lieutenant said to the -captain, “We are between life and death; but we must advance.” The Lord -had not resolved on our destruction, but He wished to test the faith -of his servants. In a few moments the tidings of four fathoms roused -our sinking spirits: we breathed once more, but the danger yet impended -over us; we had still to sail two miles amidst these fearful breakers. -A second time is heard the chilling cry of “Three fathoms!” “We have -mistaken our route,” exclaimed the lieutenant. “Bah!” exclaimed the -captain, “do you not see that the Indefatigable passes over everything? -Keep on.” Heaven was for us; otherwise, neither the skill of our captain, -nor the sailors’ activity, could have rescued us from inevitable death. -We were amidst the southern channel, which no vessel had ever crossed. A -few moments after we learned that our escape had been miraculous. - -Our vessel had, at first, taken the right course for entering the river, -but, not far from its mouth, the Columbia divides into two branches, -{71} forming, as it were, two channels. The northern, near Cape -Disappointment, is the one we should have followed; the southern is not -frequented, owing to the tremendous breakers that obstruct its entrance -over which we had passed, the first, and probably the last. We also -learned, that the deputy of Fort Astoria, having descried our vessel two -days before, hastened, with some savages, to the extremity of the cape, -and endeavored, by means of large fires, hoisted flags, and the firing -of guns, to warn us of danger. We had, indeed, perceived these signals, -but without suspecting they were intended for us. God, no doubt, wished -to show us that he is sufficiently powerful to expose us to peril, and to -withdraw us from it unharmed. Glory to His holy name! glory, also, to St. -Ignatius, who so visibly protected his children on this, his festal day. - -About 4½, a canoe approached us: it contained Clatsop Indians, commanded -by an American resident of the coast.[172] The whoop of these wild men of -the forest much astonished our fathers, and the sisters of Notre Dame. -The only word we could distinguish was “Catche,” which they vociferated -countless times. Our captain made them a sign to approach, and permitted -them to {72} come on board. The American immediately accosted me, and -spoke of our perilous situation, saying, that he would have come to our -aid, but his Indians refused to brave the danger. The Indians, on their -side, endeavored by signs to make us comprehend how great had been their -terror, for, at every moment, they expected to see our vessel dashed -into a thousand pieces. They had wept for us, convinced, that without -the intervention of the “Great Spirit,” we could never have escaped the -dangers. Verily, these brave savages were not mistaken. All who know the -history of our passage affirm the same; they cease not to congratulate us -on so miraculous an escape. - -The second visit we received, was from some Tchinouks, a small tribe, -inhabiting the immense forests of the northern shore. The Clatsops, -whose number amounts to not more than one hundred and fifty men, occupy -the southern shore. The Tchinouks inhabit three villages beyond the -forest. The men wrap themselves in blankets when they appear before the -“whites,” and are excessively vain of their collars and ear-rings. Their -disposition is extremely sociable, and we found it necessary to be on the -reserve, to prevent their too great familiarity. {73} They are content, -provided they be not driven away, and they require no further attention -paid them. They are of a peaceable temper, and, as their wants are easily -supplied, they lead an inactive and indolent life. Fishing and the chase -form their sole occupation. Game abounds in their forests, and their -rivers are teeming with salmon. After providing for their daily wants, -they spend entire hours motionless, basking in the sun; it is needless to -add, they live in the most profound ignorance of religion. These are the -Indians who have the custom of flattening their children’s heads. - -The following morning we perceived a small skiff making its way towards -us. It belonged to Mr. Burney, the gentleman who, in our recent danger, -had acted so friendly a part.[173] He accosted us with the utmost -kindness, and invited us to return with him to Fort Astoria, of which -he is the Superintendant, that his wife and children might have the -pleasure of seeing us. Persuaded, that after so tedious a voyage, the -visit would be agreeable to all parties, I readily consented. Whilst this -hospitable family were preparing dinner we made a little excursion into -the neighboring forest. We were in admiration of the immense height and -prodigious {74} bulk of the fir trees, many of which were two hundred -feet high, and four and a half in diameter. We beheld one which measured -forty-two feet in circumference. - -After a ramble of two hours, Mr. Burney re-conducted us to the fort. - -In a second promenade several of our company greatly admired the tombs -of the savage. The deceased is placed in a sort of canoe, or hollow -trunk of a tree; the body is then covered with mats or skins; and the -savage entombing consists in thus suspending the corpse to the branches -of trees, or exposing it on the banks of the river. In one place we saw -about twelve of these sepulchres; they are ordinarily found in places -of difficult access, the better to secure them from the rapine of wild -beasts.[174] Not far from this cemetery one of our fathers, more curious -than the others, wandered a little distance into the woods; he speedily -hastened back, apparently in a panic, saying that he had seen the _muzzle -of a bear_, which did not look very tame. - -I set out for Fort Vancouver the 2d August, wishing to reach there -before my companions, that I might inform the Rev. Mr. Blanchet of our -happy arrival. As to our fathers, the remainder {75} of their voyage may -be summed up in few words. On the 3d and 4th their vessel was almost -stationary, for want of a favorable wind. At a glance, their three days’ -voyage might be measured. Towards evening a gentle breeze sprung up, and -thus permitted them to pursue their course. In a few hours they passed -the rocks, extending the distance of six leagues. They were then enabled -to keep the centre of the river, where the numerous windings of the -stream compelled them to make continual manœuvres. - -In this place the river is most magnificent: the smooth polished surface -of the waters—the rapid current, almost concealed from view by the -contraction of its rocky bed—the sullen roaring of the waterfalls and -cascades—produce upon the mind an effect of sublimity and grandeur not -to be described. One is never weary admiring the richness, beauty, and -variety of these solitary regions. The shores on either side are bordered -by lofty forests, and crowned with thickly-wooded forests. It is more -especially in the _forest_ that the grand, the picturesque, the sublime, -the beautiful, form the most singular and fantastic combinations. From -the loftiest giants of the forest down to the humblest {76} shrubs, _all_ -excite the spectator’s astonishment. The parasites form a characteristic -feature of these woodlands. They cling to the tree, climb it to a certain -height, and then, letting their tops fall to the earth, again take -root—again shoot up—push from branch to branch—from tree to tree, in -every direction—until tangled, twisted, and knotted in every possible -form, they festoon the whole forest with drapery in which a ground-work -of the richest verdure is diversified with garlands of the most varied -and many-colored flowers. In ascending the Columbia we meet, from time -to time, with bays of considerable extent, interspersed with handsome -little islands, which, thrown, as it were, like groups of flowers and -verdure, present a charming spectacle. Here the painter should go to -study his art—here would he find the loveliest scenery, the most varied -and brilliant coloring. At every step the scene becomes more ravishing; -the perspective more noble and majestic. In no other part of the world is -nature so great a _coquette_ as here. - -At length, on the 5th August, the vessel arrived at Fort Vancouver, about -7 o’clock in the evening. The governor, an excellent and truly pious -man, together with his lady, and the most {77} respectable personages -of the place, were assembled on the shore to receive us. As soon as the -ship had cast anchor we landed, and hastened to the fort, where we were -received and treated with all possible cordiality. Here we were obliged -to tarry eight days, for the Rev. Mr. Blanchet, who did not arrive till -the 12th, not having received my letter, informing him of our arrival. No -sooner was he aware of it than he hastened to join us, bringing with him -a considerable number of parishioners. He had travelled the entire night -and day, and we were delighted to meet this indefatigable clergyman. -Though so comfortably situated at the fort, yet we were anxious to arrive -as soon as possible at the place destined us by Divine Providence. The -pious religious likewise sighed after their convent home of Willamette. -Monsieur Blanchet accordingly made the necessary arrangement for our -departure, and we left Fort Vancouver on the 14th. - -An affecting adieu awaited us. Our worthy captain stood upon the shore. -The emotion was sensibly felt by each one of us. For eight months we had -shared the same dangers, and so often stood together, gazing in the very -face of death: could we then restrain the parting {78} tear, which seemed -to gush from the fountain of the heart, as we remembered his kindness. - -Our little squadron consisted of four canoes, manned by the parishioners -of Mr. Blanchet, and our own sloop. We sailed up the river, and soon -entered the Willamette, whose waters flow into the Columbia. - -As night approached we moored our vessels and encamped upon the shore. -There, grouped around the fire, we partook of our evening meal. The -night was calm and serene—all nature was hushed in profound silence—all -invited us to repose; but the swarms of musquetoes with which these woods -abound, prevented our slumber. The religious, to whom we had yielded the -tent, suffered equally with those who had nothing but the star-spangled -canopy of heaven above them. You will not, consequently, be surprised, -that the night appeared somewhat long, and that the morning’s dawn found -us on foot. It was the festival of the glorious Assumption of the Mother -of God, which, in these regions, is usually solemnized on the following -Sunday. Aided by the religious, I erected a small altar. Mr. Blanchet -offered the Holy Sacrifice, at which all communicated. - -Finally, the 17th, about 11 o’clock, we came {79} in sight of our -dear mission of Willamette. Mr. Blanchet charged himself with the -transportation of our baggage. A cart was procured to conduct the -religious to their dwelling, which is about five miles from the river. In -two hours we were all assembled in the chapel of Willamette, to adore and -thank our Divine Saviour, by the solemn chanting of the Te Deum, in which -all hearts and lips joined with lively emotion. - -Early in the morning of Sunday, the 18th, the day on which the Assumption -is celebrated here, we saw the Canadian cavaliers arriving in crowds -with their wives and children, whom they had brought from great -distances, to assist at the solemn services of the church. - -At 9 o’clock all were arranged in perfect order in the church; the men -on one side, the women on the other. The Rev. Mr. Blanchet celebrated -the August Sacrifice, assisted by twenty acolytes. The piety of his -parishioners contributed much to our edification. - -On arriving at the mission of St. Paul, of Willamette, we proceeded -at once to the residence of the Very Rev. Mr. Blanchet, who received -us with the greatest kindness, and immediately placed at our disposal -everything on {80} the place. My first care was, to seek some convenient -locality where, according to the plan of our Very Rev. Father General, -a mother mission could be established. For this purpose I made several -unsuccessful excursions into the adjacent country. The most eligible -situations were already occupied. The Methodists, indeed, offered to sell -me their Academy, which is a sufficiently large and handsome house, but -entirely destitute of wood and arable land.[175] In this perplexity Mr. -Blanchet relieved me, by a generous and disinterested offer. He proposed -to examine the property belonging to the mission, and take such portions -of it as I should judge most proper for our projected establishment. We -accordingly set out on this new excursion; but we had scarcely proceeded -two miles when we came to a point uniting every desirable advantage. -Picture to yourself an immense plain extending as far as the eye can -reach; on one side the snowy crests of the gigantic Hood, Jefferson, and -St. Helena (the three highest peaks of Oregon), towering majestically -upwards, and losing themselves in the clouds; on the east a long range -of distant hills, their blue-tinged summits melting, as it were, into -the deep azure of the sky; on the west the {81} limpid waters of two -small lakes, on whose beautiful shores the beaver, the otter, and the -musk-rat, sport in careless security, heedless of our presence. The -elevation on which we were standing, gradually sloping downward, and -forming a charming amphitheatre, extended to the borders of one of the -lakes. I hesitated not a moment in selecting this spot for the mother -mission. The sweet recollections of our first establishment on the -Missouri returned to my mind; and the remembrance of the rapid progress -of the Mission of St. Stanislaus, near St. Ferdinand, whose branches -now extend over the greater part of Missouri, Ohio, Louisiana, reaching -even the Rocky Mountains, and penetrating to the eastern boundary of -America, led me to breathe a fervent prayer, that here, also, might be -formed a station, whence the torch of faith would diffuse its cheering -light among the benighted tribes of this immense Territory. We have -also a fine view of the Willamette River, which, in this place, makes a -sudden bend, continuing its course amidst dense forests, which promise -an almost inexhaustible supply of materials for the construction of -our mission house. In no part of this region have I met with a more -luxuriant growth of pine, fir, elm, {82} oak, buttonball, and yew trees. -The intervening country is beautifully diversified with shadowy groves -and smiling plains, whose rich soil yields abundant harvests, sufficient -for the maintenance of a large establishment. Besides these advantages, -there are a number of springs, on one side of the hill, one of which is -not more than 100 feet from the house, and it will probably be of great -use hereafter.[176] Having now made choice of the locality, we commenced -without delay the erection of the buildings. The first thing to be done -was to clear the ground by cutting away the under-brush and isolated -trees, after which, with the aid of the inhabitants, we constructed three -wooden buildings, covered by a single roof of 90 feet; these were to -serve as workshops for the brother blacksmith, carpenter, etc. - -Besides these, a house, 45 by 35 feet, is now under way. It is to be two -stories, and will be the dwelling-house of the missionaries. - -We arrived in the Oregon Territory during the prevalence of a disease -(bloody flux) which was considered contagious, though the physicians -attributed it to the unwholesome properties of the river-water. Numbers -of savages fell victims to it, especially among the Tchinouks, {83} and -the Indians of the Cascades, large parties of whom encamped along the -banks of the river, on their way to Vancouver, to obtain the aid of a -physician. Those who could not proceed were abandoned by their friends; -and it was truly painful to see these poor creatures stretched out, and -expiring on the sand. The greater part of our sailors, and three of the -sisters, were attacked by the pestilence; the Rev. Father Accolti also -experienced its terrible effects; for myself, I was obliged to keep -my bed during 15 long days, and to observe a rigorous diet. But the -captain of our vessel was the greatest sufferer. The disease attacked -him so violently, that I seriously fear he will never again return to -the cherished family—the affectionate wife and children of whom he -used daily to speak with so much tenderness. He was a worthy man—an -experienced and skilful navigator; I esteemed him highly, although I -could not forbear blaming him for the little courage he had shown in -repressing the profane language of one of the passengers, who, from the -time of his embarkation until we landed him at Fort Vancouver, had never -ceased to offend our ears by his horrid oaths. The Almighty has denounced -his curse against the blasphemer; {84} and sooner or later it will fall -upon him. Poor “Indefatigable,” I tremble for thy fate. - -The winter was rapidly approaching, and, notwithstanding my weak state, I -could not resist my pressing desire to visit, once more, my dear Indians -of the mountains, who, on their side, await my return with the greatest -impatience, as I was informed by the Rev. F. Mengarini, who had come to -meet me.[177] To-day I shall have the happiness to set out for the Rocky -Mountains. - - I am, &c., - - _P. J. De Smet_. - -P. S.—On the 9th September the good sisters commenced instructing the -women and children, who were preparing for their first communion. As -their house was not yet habitable, they were obliged to give their -instructions in the open air. In three days’ time they had already 19 -pupils, from 16 to 60 years of age, all of whom came from a distance, -bringing with them provisions for several days, and sleeping in the -woods, exposed to all the inclemencies of the weather. It is easy to -conceive by this how eager these poor people are for instruction. Each -day the sisters devote six hours to teaching {85} them the usual prayers, -and manner of making the sign of the cross. On one occasion, it was -discovered that a woman had remained two days without food; the dogs had -devoured her little provision, and, lest she should miss the instruction, -she was unwilling to go home for another supply. - -24th.—The convent having as yet neither doors nor sashes, owing to the -scarcity of mechanics, some of these good Sisters were seen endeavoring -to handle the plane, others glazing, painting the windows and doors, &c. -They were the more ardently desirous for the completion of their new -habitation, as already thirty Canadian pupils had been offered them; and -thus would they be enabled to procure the means of giving a gratuitous -support and protection to the hapless orphans of the forests. These poor -children, rescued from their destitute condition, and placed under the -benign care of the kind Sisters, would enjoy the blessings of a Christian -education, and become, one day, co-operators in the mission. But, to -effect this, and to realize the cheering hopes it holds forth, funds -must be raised to provide the necessary clothing for the orphans, as -the profits arising from the school will not be more than sufficient to -defray {86} the expenses of their board. I here give you the brilliant -prospectus of their Academy. Per quarter, 100 lbs flour, 25 lbs pork, or -36 of beef, 1 sack of potatoes, 4 lbs hogs’ lard, 3 gallons peas, 3 doz. -eggs, 1 gallon salt, 4 lbs candles, 1 lb tea, 4 lbs rice. - -The Sisters took possession of their convent in the month of October; a -few days after, their chapel was solemnly consecrated by the Rev. Mr. -Blanchet; and they have since enjoyed the happiness of assisting every -day at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, offered up at their simple altar -by one of the missionaries, stationed at St. Francis Xavier.[178] They -have also twice had the consolation of presenting at the table of the -Lord the little band of fervent neophytes, whom they had prepared with -so much care, for this solemn action. This success, in so short a time, -has induced us to conceive the project of founding another house of this -order in the village of Cuhute.[179] Monsieur Blanchet and Father De -Vos think, that the departure of the Protestant ministers, on account -of their fruitless labors, renders this an auspicious moment for the -establishment of a religious house. The station of Willamette would -furnish occupation sufficient for twelve Sisters, but unfortunately they -are but six in number. - -{87} We learn with pleasure that it is the intention of Monseigneur -Blanchet to visit Europe immediately after his consecration, in order -to obtain, if possible, twelve more of these zealous and devoted -religious, for the mission. God grant he may succeed; and that the want -of pecuniary means may not oppose an insurmountable obstacle to the -generous sacrifice, which, we are all well-assured, the pious Sisters of -the Congregation of Notre Dame are disposed to make again in our behalf. - - -No. III - -A. M. D. G. - - At the Foot of the Great Glaciere, one of the Upper Sources - of the Athabasca River, May 6th, 1846. - -MONSEIGNEUR,—I am late, but not forgetful of my duty and promises, for I -will remember the many obligations I have contracted, and the happy hours -I passed, when travelling in your paternity’s company. I now come to -redeem them, by troubling you with a dozen Rocky Mountain letters,[180] -including a narrative of my last year’s excursions and missions among -several Indian tribes; of what I have seen and heard; and of what -happened, as I was travelling along. I hope my letters may be consoling -to you, and serve as a proof that the work of God is progressing among -the long-benighted children of the Oregon desert, and among the lonely -tribes on the northern waters of the great Mackenzie River. Four priests -from Red River will soon find ample employment in the dreary regions of -the Hudson Bay Territory. How lamentable it is, that the great western -desert alone, extending from the States to the eastern {89} base of the -Rocky Mountains, and south to the Mexican lines, should be lying waste. -This would, indeed, present an extensive field to the zeal of Catholic -missionaries; and, from my personal observations, and those of all the -priests who have passed this desert, their efforts would be crowned with -the greatest success. Indians are, in general, carelessly judged and -little known in the civilized world; people will form their opinions from -what they see among the Indians on the frontiers, where the “fire water,” -and all the degrading vices of the whites have caused the greatest havoc. -The farther one penetrates into the desert the better he finds the -aborigines; and, in general, I found them most willing and anxious to -receive religious instruction, and to hear the good tidings of salvation. - -A bishop, and two or three priests, who would make it their business to -visit the different tribes of this vast land, remaining among each of the -tribes a reasonable and sufficient time to instruct the Indians, would -most certainly meet with the most abundant harvest; the scalping-knife -might thus soon be laid aside, and where the Indian war-whoop has for -centuries resounded, might be heard in its stead, {90} the canticles -and praises of the true and only living God. The idea of collecting -and settling these wandering nations, would, in my humble opinion, be -impossible, or, at least, a very slow work. The Indians might be made -good Christians, and still continue, at the same time, to lead a hunter’s -life, as long as buffalo and deer will supply their wants. - -Nothing, but the interest I feel for these poor people, and the assurance -I have that they will find a patron and friend in your paternity, make -me bold enough to make an appeal to you in their favor, so that a speedy -remedy may be applied to the existing and most distressing want of this -large district of the United States. Thousands of whites are well cared -for and are straying from the true path—the Indians have likewise souls -to be saved, redeemed by the Saviour’s precious blood, and thousands of -these bereft children are most anxious to enjoy the salutary blessings -with which their white brethren are favored. - -I remain, with the greatest esteem and respect, recommending myself at -the same time to your holy sacrifices and prayers. - -Your very humble and obedient servant in Christ, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. IV - -A. M. D. G. - - St. Francis Xavier, Willamette, June 20th, 1845. - -RIGHT REV. BISHOP,[181] - -SIR,—In the beginning of February, I set out to visit our different -settlements and stations, and to form new ones among the neighboring -tribes of our reductions. The entire surface of this region was then -covered with snow, five feet deep; and I was compelled to go from the Bay -of Pends-d’oreilles to the Horse Plain, in a bark canoe, a distance of -250 miles.[182] - -I was among my dear _Flatheads_ and _Pends-d’oreilles_[183] (ear-rings) -of the mountains, during the Paschal time, and had the great consolation -of finding them replete with zeal and fervor in fulfilling the duties of -true children of prayer. The solemn feast of Easter, all the _Flatheads_ -at St. Mary’s devoutly approached the most blessed sacrament during my -mass; and about three hundred _Pends-d’oreilles_, (the greater number -adults), belonging to the station of St. Francis {92} Borgia,[184] -presented themselves at the baptismal font. Five chiefs were among the -number; the most distinguished are _Stiettiedloodsho_, or chieftain of -the Tribe Valiant; _Selpisto_, the head chieftain, and _Chalax_, that is -to say the _White Robe_, surnamed the Juggler or great medicine man.[185] -The word _medicine man_, in their language, is synonymous with juggler. - -How consoling it is to pour the regenerating waters of baptism on the -furrowed and scarified brows of these desert warriors,—to behold these -children of the plains and forests emerging from that profound ignorance -and superstition in which they have been for so many ages deeply and -darkly enveloped; to see them embrace the faith and all its sacred -practices, with an eagerness, an attention, a zeal, worthy the pristine -Christians. - -[Illustration: Interior of St. Mary’s Church, Flat-head Mission: -Communion at Easter - -(See Letter 4th)] - -Were I to give you the history of these chiefs, I should greatly exceed -the limits I have proposed. Suffice it to say, that these heroes of -the Rocky Mountains have been for years the terror of their enemies. -Chalax had acquired great celebrity _as a juggler_, and in predicting -future events; if we may credit the _Kalispels_ and the whites who have -travelled in company with him, these prophecies have been verified. -{93} He indicated the day, the place, and the number of _Blackfeet_ -who would attack their camp. Having interrogated him relative to this -affair, he, with great simplicity and candor, replied: “I am called -the Great Doctor, yet, never have I given myself up to the practices -of juggling, nor condescended to exercise its deceptions. I derive all -my strength from prayer; when in a hostile country, I address myself to -the Master of life, and offer Him my heart and soul, entreating him to -protect us against our enemies. A voice had already warned me of coming -danger; I then recommend prudence and vigilance throughout the camp; -for the monitory voice has never deceived me. I have now a favor to -request: the mysterious voice calls me by the name of _Chalax_, and, if -you will permit, I desire to bear that name until my death.” I willingly -consented, and then explained to him the ceremony of the _White Garment_ -he was about to receive, in the holy sacrament of baptism. To the name of -_Chalax_ I affixed that of the Prince of the Apostles. This is the same -chief, who on my first visit to the mountains, aided by only sixty men, -sustained during five days, an obstinate struggle against 200 lodges of -_Blackfeet_, whom he put to flight, {94} leaving on the ground eighty -men, whilst among the _Flatheads_ only one man was wounded. He died three -months after. - -With regret I parted from these good Indians, and my beloved brothers in -Jesus Christ, the Rev. Fathers Mengarini, Zerbinati, and four coadjutor -brothers; who are laboring with indefatigable zeal in this portion of our -Lord’s vineyard. - -As the snow was fast disappearing, the Kalispels of the bay were awaiting -my arrival. I re-entered my fragile canoe, guided by two Indians, and -made all possible haste to descend Clarke’s River. You may judge of its -impetuosity when I inform you, that we were sixteen days ascending the -river, and but four in descending the same. On returning to the bay, -accompanied by Rev. Father Hocken and several chiefs, my first care -was to examine the lands belonging to this portion of the Tribe of -Kalispels, and select a fit site for erecting the new establishment of -St. Ignatius.[186] We found a vast and beautiful prairie, three miles in -extent, surrounded by cedar and pine, in the neighborhood of the cavern -of New Manrese,[187] and its quarries, and a fall of water more than two -hundred feet, presenting every advantage {95} for the erection of mills. -I felled the first tree, and after having taken all necessary measures -to expedite the work, I departed for Walla Walla, where I embarked in -a small boat and descended the Columbia, as far as Fort Vancouver. -The melting of the snow had occasioned a considerable freshet, and -our descent was very rapid. The place was indicated to me where a few -months previously, four travellers from the United States had miserably -perished, victims of their own temerity and presumption. When advised to -provide themselves with a guide, they answered they had no need of any; -and when warned that the river was dangerous and deceptive, the pilot, -with a scoffing boast, replied, “I am capable of guiding my barge, were -it even across the infernal gulf.” The monitor wished them a fortunate -voyage, but at the same time trembled for their fate, saying: “This pilot -is not a native Indian, he is not an Iroquois, nor even a Canadian.” The -turbulent stream soon engulfed its presumptuous and daring victims. They -steered out into the midst of the river, and in an instant the canoe was -borne along with the rapidity of lightning, leaving in its train a thick -foam, caused by the violent plying of oars. Approaching the rapids, {96} -they fearlessly hurried onward—alas, their fate was soon to be decided. -Drawn by the eddy into the centre of a whirlpool, vainly they struggled -to extricate themselves—they beheld the dread abyss yawning to receive -its prey! Yet, an instant, the ill-fated barge twirled upon the surface, -and then sank, amidst the despairing shrieks of the helpless crew, -which the roaring waves rendered the more appalling, whilst the dismal -sounds re-echoing from shore to shore, proclaimed the new disaster of -the “Columbia.” Soon the waters resumed their wonted course, and left -no trace of the sad catastrophe. This fatal spot might appropriately -be designated, Presumptive’s Rapids; doubtless, it will be a lesson -to future boasters, not to venture, without pilot or guide, upon this -formidable tributary of the western ocean. - -After a prosperous voyage of five days, I debarked at Vancouver, where -I had the happiness of meeting Father Nobili, who, during eight months, -had applied himself to study the Indian language, while he exercised his -sacred ministry among the Catholics of the fort and the Indians of the -neighborhood. More than a tenth of the latter had been swept off by a -mortal disease; happily, they all had the consolation {97} of receiving -baptism before they expired. - -Father Nobili accompanied me in a Tchinouk canoe, up the beautiful -River of Multonomah or Willamette, a distance of about sixty miles, as -far as the village of Champois,[188] three miles from our residence of -St. Francis Xavier. On our arrival all the fathers came to meet us, -and great was our delight in being again reunited after a long winter -season. The Italian fathers had applied themselves chiefly to the study -of languages. Father Ravalli, being skilled in medicine, rendered -considerable services to the inhabitants of St. Paul’s Mission; for every -dwelling contained several sick. Father Vercruysse, at the request of -Right Rev. Bishop Blanchet, opened a mission among the Canadians who were -distant from St. Paul’s, and he succeeded in causing them to contribute -to the erection of a new church, in a central location. Father De Vos is -the only one of our fathers of Willamette who speaks English. He devotes -his whole attention to the Americans, whose number already exceeds 4,000. -There are several Catholic families, and our dissenting brethren seem -well disposed; many among them are eager to be instructed in the Catholic -faith. - -{98} Nowhere does religion make greater progress, or present brighter -prospects for the future, than in Oregon Territory. The Very Rev. Mr. -Demers, Vicar General and Administrator of the diocess in the absence -of the bishop, is preparing to build a brick cathedral. There is now -being built, under his superintendence, a fine church at the Falls of -Willamette, where, three years ago, was commenced the first town of -Oregon.[189] This rising village numbers more than 100 houses. Several -lots have been selected for a convent and two schools. A Catholic church -has been erected at Vancouver. - -The Convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame is fast progressing, and it -will be the finest building of Willamette. The church is eighty feet -long, and proportionably wide; it is under the invocation of the Blessed -Virgin. The religious have already fifty boarders. The Bishop’s College, -under the management of the Very Rev. Mr. Bolduc, is very prosperous. The -number of pupils has augmented; forty young men, chiefly _Metis_, are -receiving a Christian education. Some years ago, a church was erected at -Cowlitz, and the inhabitants are now preparing to construct a convent -under the direction of Rev. Mr. Langlois. - -{99} Our residence of St. Francis Xavier is completed; it will hereafter -serve for a novitiate and seminary, to prepare young men for the missions. - -Measures, which I trust will be realized, have been taken by our fathers -for visiting, during this year, the numerous tribes inhabiting the -Pacific coast north and south of the Columbia; where, already, the visits -of the bishop and his grand vicar have been so productive of favorable -results. The 17th Feb., 1842, Bishop Blanchet thus wrote to the Bishop of -Quebec: “God has deigned to bless our labors, and to fructify the divine -word. The adorable name of Jesus has been announced to new nations of the -north. Mr. Demers bent his steps to Fort Langley on Frazer’s River, in -which place he administered baptism to upwards of 700 children. Many of -them already enjoy the precious fruits of regenerating grace.” - -In my preceding letters, I gave you the details of our missions among -the mountains of the higher Oregon; of the conversion of two tribes, -the _Flatheads_ and the _Cœurs-d’Alène_ or _Pointed Hearts_; of the -first communion of the latter, and conversion of several _Kalispels_ -of the Bay, on the solemn festival of Christmas. From {100} 1839, -when the mission was established, to July, 1845, the reverend Canadian -missionaries baptized 3,000 persons. The number of Catholics residing at -the different stations of the Hon. Hudson Bay Co. in Oregon, together -with the colonists of the same nation, amounts to several hundreds. -By adding to these 2857 baptized since 1841 in the different mountain -missions, it gives us a total of more than 6,000 Catholics in Oregon. The -diminutive grain of mustard is fast extending far and wide its branches, -over this once sterile and neglected region. In the month of June, Father -Nobili, accompanied by a brother novice, left Willamette to visit the -tribes of New Caledonia. The Very Rev. Mr. Demers saw the following named -tribes: _Kameloups_, the _Atnans_ or _Shouwapemot_, the _Porteurs_ or -_Ltavten_, which names vary according to the different places where the -tents are pitched.[190] They affix the word ten which signifies people, -i. e., _Stelaoten_, _Nashkoten_, _Tchilkoten_, _Nazeteoten_.[191] Rev. -Mr. Demers had the consolation of baptizing 436 children among these -tribes. - -Such has since been the fervor and zeal of these poor Indians; who, -though deprived of a priest, have built three churches, hoping that a -{101} nepapayattok, or father would settle among them. - -Many Catholics reside in the different forts of this country. The -honorable gentlemen of the Hudson Bay Co., although Protestants, were -strongly interested in favor of these savages, and did all in their power -to facilitate the introduction of a clergyman into this portion of their -jurisdiction. - -I have the honor to be, with the most profound respect and esteem, -Monseigneur, your most humble and obedient servant in Jesus Christ. - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. V - -A. M. D. G. - - Kalispel Bay, Aug. 7th, 1845. - -MONSEIGNEUR,—A few days after the departure of Father Nobili, who -obtained a place in a barge belonging to the Hon. Hudson Bay Co., I -started from St. Francis Xavier’s with eleven horses laden with ploughs, -spades, pickaxes, scythes, and carpenters’ implements. My companions -were the good Brother McGill,[192] and two metis or mongrels. We -encountered many obstacles and difficulties among the mountains, owing -to the cascades formed by the water, which, at this season, descends -on every side in torrents, and with irresistible fury upon the rocks, -over which we were compelled to cross. In the narrow valleys between -these mountains, the rhododendron displays all its strength and beauty; -it rises to the height of fifteen or twenty feet. Entire groves are -formed by thousands of these shrubs, whose clustering branches entwine -themselves in beautiful green {103} arches, adorned with innumerable -bouquets of splendid flowers, varying their hues from the pure white, to -the deepened tint of the crimsoned rose. - -Our path was strewed with the whitened bones of horses and oxen, -melancholy testimonies of the miseries endured by other travellers -through these regions. We passed the foot of Mt. Hood, the most elevated -of this stupendous chain. It is covered with snow, and rises 16,000 -feet above the level of the sea.[193] Capt. Wyeth, on beholding this -ridge from the summit of the Blue Mountains, thus speaks of it in his -journal:—“The traveller on advancing westerly, even at the distance of -160 miles, beholds the peaks of the Cascade Mountains. Several of them -rise 16,000 feet above the level of the sea. Every other natural wonder -seems to dwindle, as it were, into insignificance when compared to -this.”[194] From one single spot I contemplated seven of these majestic -summits extending from north to south, whose dazzling white and conic -form resemble a sugar loaf. - -We were twenty days going from Willamette to Walla Walla, across desert -and undulating lands, abounding in absinthium or wormwood, cactus, tufted -grass, and several species of such {104} plants and herbs as are chiefly -found in a sterile and sandy soil. - -Game is scarce in these latitudes; however, we found large partridges -and pheasants, aquatic fowls, small birds of various kinds, hares and -rabbits. Salamanders swarm in sandy places, and armadilloes are not -rare in the vicinity of the great Dalles. Fort Walla Walla is situated -in latitude 46° 2′, and longitude 119° 30′. The sandy neighborhood of -this settlement likens it to a little Arabia. The River Walla Walla pours -its waters a mile distant from the fort. The lowlands, when watered, are -tolerably fertile, and produce maize, wheat, potatoes, and pulse of every -kind. Cows and hogs are easily raised, and horses abound in this part of -the country. - -Having already spoken to you of the desert Nez-Percé and Spokane, I have -nothing further to add relative to this dreary region. On advancing -easterly towards the Blue Mountains, we find beautiful and fertile -plains, interspersed with limpid and wholesome streams. The valleys are -picturesque, covered with luxuriant prairies, and forests of pine and -fir. The _Nez-Percé Kayuses_ inhabit these delightful pastures.[195] They -are the most wealthy tribes in Oregon; {105} even some private families -possess 1500 horses. The savages successfully cultivate potatoes, pease, -corn, and several kinds of vegetables and fruits. No situation affords -finer grazing for cattle; even in winter they find an abundance, nor do -they need shelter from the inclemency of the weather. Snow is never seen, -and the rains are neither destructive nor superabundant. - -About the middle of July, I arrived safely with all my effects, at the -Bay of Kalispels. In my absence the number of neophytes had considerably -increased. On the feast of the Ascension, Father Hocken had the happiness -of baptizing more than one hundred adults. Since my departure in the -spring, our little colony has built four houses, prepared materials for -constructing a small church, and enclosed a field of 300 acres. More -than four hundred _Kalispels_, computing adults and children have been -baptized. They are all animated with fervor and zeal; they make use of -the hatchet and plough, being resolved to abandon an itinerant life -for a permanent abode. The beautiful falls of the Columbia, called the -Chaudières,[196] in the vicinity of Fort Colville, are distant two days’ -journey from our new residence of St. Ignatius. - -From eight to nine hundred savages were {106} there assembled for the -salmon fishery. I repaired thither in time to spend with them the nine -days preceding the feast of our holy founder. Within the last four years, -considerable numbers of these Indians were visited by the “black-gowns,” -who administered the sacrament of baptism. I was received by my dear -Indians with filial joy and tenderness. I caused my little chapel of -boughs to be placed on an eminence in the midst of the Indians’ huts, -where it might not inaptly be compared to the pelican of the wilderness -surrounded by her young, seeking with avidity the divine word, and -sheltering themselves under the protection of their fostering mother. I -gave three instructions daily; the Indians assisted at them with great -assiduity and attention. - -Last year, the feast of St. Ignatius proved for me a day of danger, -trial, and uneasiness. I love to recall it to my mind, for it terminated -joyfully, and so gloriously, that I know my companions can never forget -it, and they will return lasting thanks to the Almighty, for the -display of His mercy. Without a chart or any knowledge of the mouth -of the Columbia, we traversed, as if borne on angels’ wings, this -formidable river. This year, I passed the feast {107} of St. Ignatius -amidst many occupations, but they were of such a nature as to console -the missionary’s heart, and repay him a hundred-fold, for the trifling -privations, pains, and fatigues he endures. - -[Illustration: Mission of St. Ignatius at Kalispel Bay, among the Pends -d’Oreilles - -(See Letter 5th)] - -More than one hundred children were presented for baptism, and eleven old -men borne to me on skins, seemed only awaiting regenerating waters, to -depart home and repose in the bosom of their divine Saviour. The eldest -among them, apparently about one hundred, and blind, addressed me in the -following pathetic words:—My life has been long on earth, and my tears -have not ceased to flow; even now I daily weep, for I have beheld all my -children and early associates disappear. I find myself isolated among my -own nation, as if I were in a strange land, thoughts of the past alone -occupy me, and they are of a mournful and bitter nature. Sometimes I find -consolation in remembering that I have avoided the company of the wicked. -Never have I shared in their thefts, battles or murders. This blessed -day, joy has penetrated the inmost recesses of my soul; the Great Spirit -has taken pity on me, I have received baptism, I return him thanks for -this favor, and offer him my heart and life. - -{108} A solemn mass was celebrated, during which the Indians chanted -canticles in praise of God. The ceremonies of baptism followed, and -all terminated in the most perfect order, to the great delight and -gratification of the savages. It was indeed a most imposing spectacle, -all around contributed to heighten the effect. The noble, and gigantic -rock, the distant roar of the cataracts breaking in on the religious -silence of that solitude, situated on an eminence overlooking the -powerful Oregon River, and on the spot where the impetuous waters freeing -themselves from their limits, rush in fury, and dash over a pile of -rocks, casting upwards a thousand jets d’eau, whose transparent columns -reflect, in varied colors, the rays of the dazzling sun. - -There were besides the _Shuyelphi_ or _Chaudière_ Indians, the -_Sinpoils_, the _Zingomenes_ and several _Kalispels_, accompanied me in -the capacity of singers and catechists.[197] - -I gave the name of St. Paul to the _Shuyelphi_ nation, and placed under -the care of St. Peter the tribe inhabiting the shores of the great -Columbia lakes, whither Father Hocken is about to repair, to continue -instructing and baptizing their adults. My presence among the Indians did -not interrupt their fine and abundant {109} fishery. An enormous basket -was fastened to a projecting rock, and the finest fish of the Columbia, -as if by fascination, cast themselves by dozens into the snare. Seven or -eight times during the day, these baskets were examined, and each time -were found to contain about 250 salmon. The Indians, meanwhile, were seen -on every projecting rock, piercing the fish with the greatest dexterity. - -They who know not this territory may accuse me of exaggeration, when -I affirm, that it would be as easy to count the pebbles so profusely -scattered on the shores, as to sum up the number of different kinds -of fish, which this western river furnishes for man’s support; as the -buffalo of the north, and deer from north to east of the mountains, -furnish daily food for the inhabitants of those regions, so do these -fish supply the wants of the western tribes. One may form some idea of -the quantity of salmon and other fish, by remarking, that at the time -they ascend the rivers, all the tribes inhabiting the shores, choose a -favorable location, and not only do they find abundant nutriment during -the season, but, if diligent, they dry, and also pulverize and mix -with oil a sufficient quantity for the rest of the year. Incalculable -shoals of {110} salmon ascend to the river’s source, and there die in -shallow water. Great quantities of trout and carp follow them, and regale -themselves on the spawn deposited by the salmon in holes and still water. -The following spring the young salmon descend towards the sea, and I have -been told, (I cannot vouch for the authenticity,) that they never return -until the fourth year. Six different species are found in the Columbia -River.[198] - -I left Chaudière or Kettle Falls, August 4th, accompanied by several -of the nation of the _Crees_ to examine the lands they have selected -for the site of a village. The ground is rich and well suited for all -agricultural purposes. Several buildings were commenced; I gave the -name of St. Francis Regis to this new station, where a great number of -the mixed race and beaver hunters have resolved to settle, with their -families.[199] The 6th I traversed the high mountains of the _Kalispels_, -and towards evening reached the establishment of St. Ignatius. The Rev. -Fathers Hocken and Ravalli, with two lay brothers, superintend this -interesting little settlement. These fathers likewise visit the different -neighboring tribes, such as the _Zingomenes_, _Sinpoils_, _Okinaganes_, -the stations of St. Francis {111} Regis, of St. Peter, and that of St. -Paul, the _Flat-bows_, and the _Koetenays_.[200] I purpose visiting -these two tribes, who have never yet had the consolation of beholding -a “black gown” among them. All these tribes comprehend, on an average, -about five hundred souls. - -I am, with profound respect and esteem, - - Your lordship’s most obedient servant, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. VI - -A. M. D. G. - - Station of the Assumption, Arcs-a-plats, August 17th, 1845. - -MONSEIGNEUR,—The 9th of August I continued my route towards the country -of the _Arcs-a-plats_. The roads were still inundated by the great -freshet. I preferred ascending the Clark or Flathead River, in my bark -canoe, and sent my horses across the forests bordering the river, to -await me at the great lake of the _Kalispels_.[201] I had here a very -agreeable and unexpected interview; as we approached the forests, several -horsemen issued forth in tattered garments. The foremost gentleman -saluted me by name, with all the familiarity of an old acquaintance. I -returned the gracious salutation, desiring to know whom I had the honor -of addressing. A small river separated us, and, with a smile, he said, -“Wait until I reach the opposite shore, and then you will recognise -me.” He is not a {113} beaver hunter, said I to myself; yet under this -tattered garb and slouched hat, I could not easily descry one of the -principal members of the Hon. Hudson Bay Co., the worthy and respectable -Mr. Ogden. I had the honor and good fortune of making a voyage with him, -and in his own barge, from Colville to Fort Vancouver, in 1842; and no -one could desire more agreeable society.[202] It would be necessary -for you to traverse the desert, to feel yourself insulated, remote -from brethren, friends, to conceive the consolation and joy of such an -rencounter. - -Mr. Ogden left England in the month of April last, accompanied by two -distinguished officers. It was a source of great pleasure to receive -recent news from Europe. The Oregon question appeared to me somewhat -alarming. It was neither curiosity nor pleasure that induced these two -officers to cross so many desolate regions, and hasten their course -towards the mouth of the Columbia. They were invested with orders from -their government to take possession of “Cape Disappointment,” to hoist -the English standard, and erect a fortress for the purpose of securing -the entrance of the river, in case of war.[203] In the Oregon question, -“John Bull,” without much talk, attains his {114} end, and secures the -most important part of the country; whereas “Uncle Sam,” displodes a -volley of words, inveighs and storms! Many years have been passed in -debates and useless contention, without one single practical _effort_ -to secure his real or pretended rights. The poor Indians of Oregon, -who alone have a right to the country, are not consulted. Their future -destiny will be, undoubtedly, like that of so many other unfortunate -tribes, who, after having lived peaceably by hunting and fishing, during -several generations, will finally disappear, victims of vice and malady, -under the rapacious influence of modern civilization. - -The route from the great _Kalispel_ lake to the _Arcs-a-plats_, or -Flatbow country, is across dense forests, and much obstructed by fallen -trees, morasses, frightful sloughs, from which the poor horses with much -difficulty extricate themselves; but, having finally surmounted all these -obstacles, we contemplate from an eminence a smiling and accessible -valley, whose mellow and abundant verdure is nourished by two lovely -lakes, where the graceful river of the Arcs-a-plats or McGilvray, winds -in such fantastic beauty, that it serves to make the weary traveller not -only forget his past dangers, but {115} amply compensates him for the -fatigues of a long and tiresome journey.[204] - -This section of the valley of _Arcs-a-plats_ greatly resembles the two -valleys of the _Pointed Hearts_; same fertility of soil, lakes, pastures, -willow and pine groves; elevated mountains covered to the very summit -with dense forests of trees, low lands, in which the towering cedar -displays all its majesty and splendid foliage; and, as Racine says:— - - “Elevent aux cieux - Leurs fronts audacieux!” - -The river is, in this place, deep and tranquil; moving along with a tardy -pace until aroused from its inertness by the universal thaw; it then -descends with such astounding impetuosity that it destroys the banks, and -in its furious course, uproots and bears along trees, fragments of rocks, -&c., which vainly oppose its passage. In a few days the entire valley is -overflowed, and it presents to view immense lakes and morasses, separated -by borders of trees. Thus does the kind providence of God, assist his -poor creatures who inhabit these regions, by the liberality with which he -ministers to their wants. - -{116} These lakes and morasses, formed in the spring, are filled with -fish; they remain there inclosed as in natural reservoirs, for the use -of the inhabitants. The fish swarm in such abundance that the Indians -have no other labor than to take them from the water and prepare them for -the boiler. Such an existence is, however, precarious; the savages, who -are not of a provident nature, are obliged to go afterwards in quest of -roots, grain, berries and fruits; such as the thorny bush which bears a -sweet, pleasant, blackberry; the rose-buds, mountain cherry, cormier or -service berry, various sorts of gooseberries and currants of excellent -flavor; raspberries, the hawthorn berry, the wappato, (sagitta-folia,) -a very nourishing, bulbous root; the bitter root, whose appellation -sufficiently denotes its peculiar quality, is, however, very healthy; -it grows in light, dry, sandy soil, as also the caious or biscuit -root.[205] The former is of a thin and cylindrical form; the latter, -though farinaceous and insipid, is a substitute for bread; it resembles -a small white radish; the watery potatoe, oval and greenish, is prepared -like our ordinary potatoe, but greatly inferior to it; the small onion; -the sweet onion, which bears a lovely flower resembling the {117} tulip. -Strawberries are common and delicious. To this catalogue I could add a -number of detestible fruits and roots which serve as nutriment for the -Indians, but at which a _civilized_ stomach would revolt and nauseate. I -cannot pass over in silence the camash root, and the peculiar manner in -which it is prepared. It is abundant, and, I may say, is the queen root -of this clime. It is a small, white, vapid onion, when removed from the -earth, but becomes black and sweet when prepared for food. The women -arm themselves with long, crooked sticks, to go in search of the camash. -After having procured a certain quantity of these roots, by dint of long -and painful labor, they make an excavation in the earth from twelve to -fifteen inches deep, and of proportional diameter, to contain the roots. -They cover the bottom with closely-cemented pavement, which they make red -hot by means of a fire. After having carefully withdrawn all the coals, -they cover the stones with grass and wet hay; then place a layer of -camash, another of wet hay, a third of bark overlaid with mould, whereon -is kept a glowing fire for fifty, sixty, and sometimes seventy hours. The -camash thus acquires a consistency equal to that of the jujube. {118} It -is sometimes made into loaves of various dimensions. It is excellent, -especially when boiled with meat; if kept dry, it can be preserved a long -time.[206] - -As soon as their provisions are exhausted the Indians scour the plains, -forests, and mountains, in quest of game. If they are unsuccessful in the -chase, their hunger becomes so extreme, that they are reduced to subsist -on moss, which is more abundant than the camash. It is a parasite of -the pine, a tree common in these latitudes, and hangs from its boughs -in great quantities; it appears more suitable for mattresses, than for -the sustenance of human life. When they have procured a great quantity, -they pick out all heterogeneous substance, and prepare it as they do the -camash; it becomes compact, and is, in my opinion, a most miserable food, -which, in a brief space, reduces those who live on it to a pitiable state -of emaciation.[207] - -Such are the _Arcs-a-plats_. They know neither industry, art, nor -science; the words _mine_ and _thine_ are scarcely known among them. -They enjoy, in common, the means of existence spontaneously granted them -by Nature; and as they are strangely improvident, they often pass from -the greatest abundance to extreme scarcity. {119} They feast well one -day, and the following is passed in total abstinence. The two extremes -are equally pernicious. Their cadaverous figure sufficiently demonstrates -what I here advance. I arrived among the _Arcs-a-plats_ in time to -witness the grand _fish festival_, which is yearly celebrated; the men -only have the privilege of assisting thereat. Around a fire fifty feet -long, partially overlaid with stones of the size of a turkey’s egg, -eighty men range themselves; each man is provided with an osier vessel, -cemented with gum and filled with water and fish. The _hall_ where this -extraordinary feast is celebrated is constructed of rush mats, and has -three apertures, one at either extremity for the entrance of guests; -the middle one serves for transporting the fish. All preparations being -completed, and each man at his post, the chief, after a short harangue -of encouragement to his people, finishes by a prayer of supplication to -the “Great Spirit,” of whom he demands an abundant draught. He gives the -signal to commence, and each one armed with two sticks flattened at the -extremity, makes use of them instead of tongs, to draw the stones from -the embers, and put them in his kettle. This process is twice renewed, -and in {120} the space of five minutes the fish are cooked. Finally, they -squat around the fire in the most profound silence to enjoy the repast, -each trembling lest a bone be disjointed or broken,—an indispensable -condition (a _sine quâ non_) of a plentiful fishery. A single bone broken -would be regarded as ominous, and the unlucky culprit banished the -society of his comrades, lest his presence should entail on them some -dread evil. - -A species of sturgeon which measures from six to ten, and sometimes -twelve feet in length, is taken by the dart in the great lake of -_Arcs-a-plats_.[208] - -Since my arrival among the Indians, the feast of the glorious Assumption -of the Blessed Virgin Mary has ever been to me a day of great -consolation. I had time to prepare for the celebration of this solemn -festival. Thanks be to the instructions and counsels of a brave Canadian, -Mr. Berland,[209] who for a long time has resided among them in the -quality of trader, I found the little tribe of _Arcs-a-plats_ docile, -and in the best disposition to embrace the faith. They had already been -instructed in the principal mysteries of religion. They sang canticles -in the French and Indian tongues. They number about ninety families. I -celebrated the first Mass ever offered in their {121} land; after which -ten adults already advanced in age and ninety children received baptism. -The former were very attentive to all my instructions. In the afternoon, -the erection of the cross was as solemn as circumstances would admit. -There was a grand salute of ninety guns, and at the foot of the lowly -standard of the God-Saviour, the entire tribe made a tender of their -hearts to Him, with the promise of inviolable attachment to all the -duties of true children of prayer, availing themselves of this occasion -to renounce the remains of their ancient juggling and superstition. The -cross was elevated on the border of a lake, and the station received -the beautiful name of the Assumption. Under the auspices of this good -Mother, in whose honor they have for many years sung canticles, we -hope that religion will take deep root and flourish amidst this tribe, -where union, innocence, and simplicity, reign in full vigor. They -ardently desire to be taught agriculture, the advantages of which I have -explained, and promised to procure the necessary seed and implements of -husbandry. - -I have the honor to be, monseigneur, your most humble and obedient -servant in Jesus Christ, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. VII - -A. M. D. G. - - Ford of Flat-Bow River,[210] Sept. 2d, 1845. - -MONSEIGNEUR,—The _Flat-bows_ and _Koetenays_ now form one tribe, -divided into two branches. They are known throughout the country by the -appellation of the _Skalzi_.—Advancing towards the territory of the -Koetenays we were enchanted by the beautiful and diversified scenery. -We sometimes traversed undulatory woods of pine and cedar, from which -the light of day is partially excluded. We next entered sombre forests, -where, axe in hand, we were forced to cut our way and wind about to avoid -hosts of trees that had been levelled by the autumnal blasts and storms. -Some of these forests are so dense that, at the distance of twelve feet, -I could not distinguish my guide. The most certain way of extricating -one’s-self from these labyrinths, is to trust to the horse’s sagacity, -which, if left unguided, will follow the track of other animals. This -expedient has saved me a hundred times. - -{123} I cannot refrain from communicating to your lordship the gloomy -and harrowing thoughts which imagination conjures up in these dismal -regions. The most fearful apprehensions dismay the bravest heart and -cause an involuntary shudder, as some dire apparition of a bear or -panther stalks in fancy before the mind, whilst groping our way amidst -these dark and frightful haunts, from which there is no egress. We caught -a transitory glimpse of many charming spots covered with vegetation as -we pursued our winding path near the river, wherever it deviated from -its natural course. At a place called the Portage, the river crosses a -defile of mountains, or rather of precipitous and frightful rocks; and -the traveller is compelled, for the distance of eight miles, to risk his -life at every step, and brave obstacles that appear, at first sight, -insuperable.[211] - -Whatever can be imagined appalling seems here combined to terrify the -heart—livid gashes of ravines and precipices, giant peaks and ridges -of varied hue, inaccessible pinnacles, fearful and unfathomable chasms -filled with the sound of ever-precipitating waters, long, sloping and -narrow banks, which must be alternately ascended, and many times have I -been obliged {124} to take the attitude of a quadruped and walk upon my -hands; often during this perilous passage did I return fervent thanks to -the Almighty for his protection from impending danger. Amid these stern, -heaven-built walls of rocks, the water has forced its way in varied -forms, and we find cataracts and whirlpools engulfing crags and trees, -beneath their angry sway. Whilst the eye rests with pleasure on the rich -and russet hues of distant slopes, upland turf and rock-hung flower—the -ear is stunned by the confused sounds of murmuring rills, rushing -streams, impetuous falls, and roaring torrents. - -An extensive plain at the base of the Portage mountain presents every -advantage for the foundation of a city. The mountains surrounding this -agreeable site are majestic and picturesque. They forcibly recalled -to my memory the noble Mapocho Mountains that encompass the beautiful -capital of Chili (Santiago). Innumerable little rills, oozing from the -mountain’s stony bosom, diffuse a transparent haze over the valleys and -lower slopes. The fine river Des Chutes comes roaring down and crosses -the plain before it joins its waters to the McGilvray, which tranquilly -pursues its course.[212] The quarries and forests appear inexhaustible; -and having remarked {125} large pieces of coal along the river, I am -convinced that this fossil could be abundantly procured. What would -this now solitary and desolate land become, under the fostering hand of -civilization? Indeed, the entire tract of the _Skalzi_ seems awaiting -the benign influence of a civilized people. Great quantities of lead -are found on the surface of the earth; and from the appearance of its -superior quality, we are led to believe there may be some mixture of -silver.[213] - -Poor, unfortunate Indians! they trample on treasures, unconscious of -their worth, and content themselves with the fishery and chase. When -these resources fail, they subsist upon roots and herbs; whilst they eye, -with tranquil surprise, the white man examining the shining pebbles of -their territory. Ah! they would tremble, indeed, could they learn the -history of those numerous and ill-fated tribes that have been swept from -their land, to make place for Christians who have made the poor Indians -the victims of their rapacity. After a few days’ journey we arrived at -the Prairie du Tabac, the usual abode of the _Koetenays_.[214] Their -camp is situated in an immense and delightful valley, bounded by two -eminences, which, from their gentle and regular declivity, covered with -{126} smooth pebbles, appear to have originally bounded an extensive lake. - -On my arrival, I found about thirty lodges of _Koetenays_; hunger had -forced many families to cross the great mountain. They came in quest -of the buffalo, elk, antelope, and stag. I was received with every -demonstration of joy and filial affection by those who remained in the -lodges. They hailed me with a long and boisterous discharge of musketry. -Several showed me their journal, consisting of a square stick on which -they had notched the number of days and weeks elapsed since I abode with -them in the neighborhood of the great lake Teteplatte.[215] They had -computed forty-one months and some days. - -Mr. Berland had exerted his zeal to maintain the _Koetenays_ and their -brethren in the good dispositions in which I had the consolation of -finding them. Since my last visit they have followed, to the very letter, -all they remembered of my recommendations. I was obliged to decide some -controversial points, which they had misinterpreted or misapprehended. -They habitually assembled for morning and evening prayer, continued -the practice of singing canticles, and faithfully observed the Sabbath -precept. - -{127} On the feast of the Holy Heart of Mary I sang High Mass, thus -taking spiritual possession of this land, which was now for the first -time trodden by a minister of the Most High. I administered the Sacrament -of Baptism to one hundred and five persons, among whom were twenty -adults. An imposing ceremony terminated the exercises of the day. Amidst -a general salute from the camp, a large cross was elevated. The chiefs, -at the head of their tribe, advanced and prostrated themselves before -that sacred ensign, which speaks so eloquently of the love of a Man-God, -who came to redeem a fallen race. At the foot of that sacred emblem, they -loudly offered their hearts to him who has declared himself our Master, -and the Divine Pastor of souls. This station bears the name of the Holy -Heart of Mary. One of our Fathers will soon visit the two branches of -this tribe. - -Though these poor people were much in want of food, they pressed me to -remain some days amongst them, whilst they listened with avidity to my -instructions relative to their future conduct. After my departure they -divided into small bands to go in search of provisions among the defiles -of the mountains. - -The 30th August I bade adieu to the _Koetenays_. {128} Two young men of -their tribe offered to conduct me to the country of the _Black-feet_, -and a third Indian, an expert hunter and good interpreter, completed -the number of my little escort. I then journeyed on towards the sources -of the Columbia.—The country we traversed was highly picturesque and -agreeably diversified by beautiful prairies, from which poured forth -spicy odors of flower, and shrub, and fresh spirit-elating breezes, -smiling valleys and lakes, surrounded by hoary and solemn pines, -gracefully waving their flexible branches. We also crossed magnificent -dark Alpine forests, where the sound of the axe has never resounded; -they are watered by streams which impetuously rush over savage crags and -precipices from the range of mountains on the right.[216] This stupendous -chain appears like some impregnable barrier of colossal firmness. - -I am, with every sentiment of the most profound respect, your lordship’s -humble and obedient servant in Jesus Christ, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. VIII - -A. M. D. G. - - Head of the Columbia, September 9th, 1845. - - All hail! Majestic Rock—the home, - Where many a wand’rer yet shall come, - Where God himself from his own heart, - Shall health, and peace, and joy impart.[217] - -MONSEIGNEUR,—The 4th September, towards noon, I found myself at the -source of the Columbia. I contemplated with admiration those rugged and -gigantic mountains where the Great River escapes—majestic, but impetuous -even at its source; and in its vagrant course it is undoubtedly the most -dangerous river on the western side of the American hemisphere. Two small -lakes from four to six miles in length, formed by a number of springs and -streams, are the reservoirs of its first waters.[218] - -I pitched my tent on the banks of the first fork that brings in its -feeble tribute, and which we behold rushing with impetuosity over the -inaccessible rocks that present themselves on {130} the right. What -sublime rocks! How varied in shape and figure! The fantastic in every -form, the attractive, the ludicrous, and the sublime, present themselves -simultaneously to the view; and by borrowing ever so little the aid of -the imagination, we behold rising before our astonished eyes, castles of -by-gone chivalry, with their many-embattled towers—fortresses, surrounded -by their walls and bulwarks—palaces with their domes—and, in fine, -cathedrals with their lofty spires. - -On arriving at the two lakes, I saw them covered with swarms of aquatic -birds—coots, ducks, water-fowl, cormorants, bustards, cranes, and swans; -whilst beneath the tranquil water lay shoals of salmon in a state of -exhaustion. At the entrance of the second lake, in a rather shallow and -narrow place, I saw them pass in great numbers, cut and mutilated, after -their long watery pilgrimage among the rapids, cataracts, valleys, and -falls; they continue this uninterrupted procession during weeks and -months.[219] - -Perhaps I shall scarcely be believed when I affirm that the salmon fish -are quarrelsome. I witnessed with surprise the sharp and vengeful bites -they mutually inflicted. These two lakes {131} form an immense tomb, -for they there die in such numbers as frequently to infect the whole -surrounding atmosphere. - -In the absence of man, the grey and black bear, the wolf, the eagle, and -vulture assemble in crowds, at this season of the year. They fish their -prey on the banks of the river, and at the entrance of the lakes;—claws, -teeth and bills serving them instead of hooks and darts. From thence, -when the snow begins to fall, the bears, plump and fat, resume the road -back to their dens in the thick of the forests, and hollows of rocks, -there to pass the four sad wintry months in complete indolence, with no -other pastime or occupation, than that of sucking their four paws. - -If we may credit the Indians, each paw occupies the bear for one moon,(a -_month_,) and the task accomplished, he turns on the other side, and -begins to suck the second, and so on with the rest. - -I will here mention, _en passant_, all the hunters and Indians remark -that it is a very uncommon incident for a female bear to be killed when -with young, and, notwithstanding, they are killed in all seasons of the -year. Where they go—what becomes of them during the period {132} they -carry their young—is a problem yet to be solved by our mountain hunters. - -When emigration, accompanied by industry, the arts and sciences, shall -have penetrated into the numberless valleys of the Rocky Mountains, the -source of the Columbia will prove a very important point. The climate -is delightful; the extremes of heat and cold are seldom known. The snow -disappears as fast as it falls; the laborious hand that would till these -valleys, would be repaid a hundred fold. Innumerable herds could graze -throughout the year in these meadows, where the sources and streams -nurture a perpetual freshness and abundance. The hillocks and declivities -of the mountains are generally studded with inexhaustible forests, in -which the larch tree, pine of different species, cedar and cypress abound. - -In the plain between the two lakes, are beautiful springs, whose waters -have re-united and formed a massive rock of soft sandy stone, which -has the appearance of an immense congealed or petrified cascade. Their -waters are soft and pellucid; and of the same temperature as the milk -just drawn from the cow.[220] The description given by Chandler of the -famous fountain of Pambouk Kalesi, on the ancient Hieropolis of {133} -Asia Minor, in the valley of Meander, and of which Malte Brun makes -mention, might be literally applied to the warm springs at the source of -the Columbia.[221] The prospect unfolded to our view was so wonderful, -that an attempt to give even a faint idea of it, would savor of romance, -without going beyond the limits of fact. - -We contemplated with an admiring gaze, this vast slope, which, from a -distance, had the appearance of chalk, and when nearer, extends like an -immense concreted cascade, its undulating surface resembling a body of -water suddenly checked or indurated in its rapid course. - -The first lake of the Columbia is two miles and a half distant from the -River des Arcs-a-plats, and receives a portion of its waters during the -great spring freshet. They are separated by a bottom land.[222] The -advantages Nature seems to have bestowed on the source of the Columbia, -will render its geographical position very important at some future day. -The magic hand of civilized man would transform it into a terrestrial -paradise. - -The Canadian! Into what part of the desert has he not penetrated? The -monarch who rules at the source of the Columbia is an honest emigrant -{134} from St. Martin, in the district of Montreal, who has resided for -twenty-six years in this desert. The skins of the rein and moose deer -are the materials of which his portable palace is composed; and to use -his own expressions, he EMBARKS on horseback with his wife and seven -children, and LANDS wherever he pleases. Here, no one disputes his right, -and Polk and Peel, who are now contending for the possession of his -dominions, are as unknown to our carbineer, as the two greatest powers -of the moon. His _sceptre_ is a beaver trap—his _law_ a carbine—the -one on his back, the other on his arm, he reviews his numerous furry -subjects the beaver, otter, muskrat, marten, fox, bear, wolf, sheep, and -white goat of the mountains, the black-tailed roe-buck, as well as its -red-tailed relative, the stag, the rein and moose deer; some of which -_respect his sceptre_—others _submit to his law_. He exacts and receives -from them the tribute of _flesh_ and _skins_. Encircled by so much -grandeur, undisturbed proprietor of all the sky-ward palaces, the strong -holds, the very last refuge which Nature has reared to preserve alive -liberty in the earth—solitary lord of these majestic mountains, that -elevate their icy summits even to the clouds,—Morigeau (our Canadian) -{135} does not forget his duty as a Christian. Each day, morning and -evening, he may be seen devoutly reciting his prayers, midst his little -family. - -Many years had Morigeau ardently desired to see a priest; and when he -learned that I was about to visit the source of the Columbia, he repaired -thither in all haste to procure for his wife and children the signal -grace of baptism. The feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, this -favor was conferred on them, and also on the children of three Indian -families, who accompany him in his migrations. This was a solemn day for -the desert! The august sacrifice of Mass was offered; Morigeau devoutly -approached the Holy Table;—at the foot of the humble altar he received -the nuptial benediction; and the mother, surrounded by her children -and six little Indians, was regenerated in the holy waters of baptism. -In memory of so many benefits, a large cross was erected in the plain, -which, from that time, is called the _Plain of the Nativity_. - -I cannot leave my good Canadian without making an honorable mention of -his royal CUISINE A LA SAUVAGE. The first dish he presented me contained -two paws of a bear. In Africa, {136} this ragout might have given some -alarm; in effect, it bears a striking resemblance to the feet of a -certain race. A roast porcupine next made its appearance, accompanied by -a moose’s muzzle; the latter I found delicious. Finally, the great kettle -containing a sort of hotch-potch, or salmagundi, was placed in the midst -of the guests, and each one helped himself according to his taste. - -Some remains of beef, buffalo, venison, beavers’ tails, hare, partridges, -&c., made an agreeable, substantial, famous soup. - -I am, monseigneur, your most humble and obedient servant in Jesus Christ, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. IX - -A. M. D. G. - - Foot of the Cross of Peace, September 15th, 1845. - - “——Here - Poplars and birch trees ever quivering played, - And nodding cedars formed a vagrant shade; - On whose high branches, waving with the storm, - The birds of broadest wings their mansion form; - The jay, the magpie, the loquacious crow, - And soar aloft and skim the deeps below. - Here limpid fountains from the clefts distil, - And every fountain forms a noisy rill, - In mazy windings wand’ring down the hill.” - -MONSEIGNEUR,—We bade adieu to the Morigeau family on the 9th, and to -their companions of the chase, the _Sioushwaps_.[223] We quitted the -upper valley of the Columbia by a small footpath, which soon conducted -us to a narrow mountain defile, where the light of day vanished from -view, amidst the huge, bold barriers of colossal rocks. The grand, the -sublime, the beautiful, here form the most singular and fantastic {138} -combinations. Though gray is the prevailing color, we find an immense -rock of porphyry, or white-veined granite. Here and there, from the -fissures of the rock, or wherever there is a handful of dust, the -heavy and immortal pine enroots itself, adding its gloomy verdure to -the variegated hues of the torpid rocks. These circuitous paths often -present the most ravishing and picturesque vistas; surrounded by colossal -walls, the greatest diversity and most beautiful scenery in nature is -spread out before the eye, where the plush and cedar rise majestically -in these venerable woods, the graceful poplar waves on high its emerald -plumes, and fights its battles with the howling storm, whilst over the -precipitous and jagged rocks, the scarcely-waving pine fills the brown -shade with religious awe. The birch springs from an earth carpetted with -moss, and shines like magnificent silver columns, supporting diadems of -golden autumnal leaves, amidst the redolent purple-berried juniper and -azure turpentines, of these humid dells and forests. - -After a day’s journey through these primeval scenes, we reached the banks -of the river Arcs-a-plats, where innumerable torrents rush headlong, -with a thousand mazes from the mountain’s {139} brow, and in their union -form this noble river. From afar is heard the deafening and continuous -sound of its own dashes, as it traverses a rocky bed with extraordinary -rapidity. We crossed the river in order to attempt the passage of another -defile, still more wonderful, where the waters of the Vermillion have -forced an opening.[224] Here, everything strikes the eye; all is wild -sublimity, in this profound but turbulent solitude. Projecting mountains -rise like holy towers where man might commune with the sky;—terrible -precipices hang in fragments overhead—the astounding noise of the -deep-tongued waves, in their unconfined flow, resembles that of the angry -tempest, sweeping wild and free, like the spirit of liberty. Now the -breaking waves play low upon the rock-ribbed beach, and madly plunge into -an abyss—anon it returns foaming to its sedgy bed, apparently sporting -with the sedges for diversion—falling from slope to slope, from cascade -to cascade, passing in its course a long train of rapids—now concealing -itself under the tufted foliage of cedar and pine—again pouring its -brilliant and crystalline waters into a capacious basin, as if to take -breath before quitting the ravine, and {140} finally precipitating its -wandering course with renovated vigor. - -From this almost impenetrable forest issues a harmonious sound. ’Tis the -whistling or lowing of the noble stag, calling its companion. The moose, -the most vigilant of animals, gives the signal of alarm. He has heard the -crackling branch—he has inhaled the hunter’s deadly breath; a confused -noise is heard from the mountain; the sportsman raises his eager eye to -its summit, and scans a flock of rein-deer perched upon the snow; they -are startled at the approach of man; in an instant they are lost among -the inaccessible pinnacles, the - - “Palaces where Nature thrones - Sublimity in icy halls.” - -We often catch a glimpse of the graceful forms and nimble feats of the -roe-bucks, as they caper and gallop, or tarry an instant to look around, -with their lancet ears distended to catch every sound; these wild, forest -stragglers resume their course, and finally penetrate into the sombre -forest. Flocks of wild goats gambol carelessly and tranquilly beside -herds of mountain sheep above overhanging precipices and peaked rocks, -chequered by patches of snow, far beyond the reach of human footsteps. - -{141} A monstrous animal, the grey bear, which replaces on our mountains, -the African lion, is not content with growling and menacing the intrepid -venturer, who dares infringe on his cavernous dominions, but grinds his -teeth, expressive of his rage. Suddenly, a well-aimed gun-shot forces him -to make a lowly reference; the formidable beast rolls in the dust, biting -the sand saturated with his blood, and expires. - -The ordinary music of the desert is, the shrill cry of the panther, and -the howling of the wolf. The diminutive mountain hare, six inches high, -and whose biography has not yet found a place in natural history, amuses -itself amidst the stony rubbish, and exhibits wonderful activity; whilst -his neighbor, the lubberly porcupine, clambers up, seats himself upon -a branching cypress and gnaws the bark. He views the eager huntsman -with a careless and indifferent air, unconscious that his tender flesh -is regarded as a most delicious morsel. The industrious beaver, like -a wary sentinel, warns his family of man’s approach by striking the -water with his tail. The muskrat, or musquash, plunges immediately into -the water. The otter quits his sports and slides upon his belly among -the reeds—the timid squirrel leaps from bough to {142} bough, until it -reaches the topmost shade of the cypress; the marten jumps from tree to -tree, and buries itself in the foliage—the whistler and weasel repair -to their respective domicils:—a precipitous flight alone saves the -fox his rich silvery pelisse—the badger, or the groundhog, too remote -from his dwelling, digs the sandy soil, and buries himself alive, to -avoid pursuit—his magnificent skin is destined to adorn the loins of an -Indian—it requires the joint efforts of two men to force him from his -hiding place, and to kill him. - -The evening previous to our egression from the blind mazes of this -tangled wood, our eyes were recreated by a ravishing scene. When it -presents itself after a disastrous combat, the spectacle consoles the -afflicted heart of the savage warrior. From the mountain’s top we -contemplated the “dance of the manitous or spirits, and the glorious -entrance of departed champions into the country of souls.” Vast columns -of light varying in splendor, appeared to divert and balance themselves -in the heavens:—some of perpendicular form; others resembling undulatory -waves; now concealing, now exhibiting themselves under diversified -aspects until the entire hemisphere seemed brilliantly {143} illuminated. -All these masses united at the zenith, and then separated under a variety -of forms. - - Mysterious, solemn, cold and clear, - Their steps majestic rise, - Like barriers round this earthly sphere, - Like gates of Paradise. - Well may imagination faint - Before your sacred blaze, - And baffled science fail to paint - The source of heaven-lit rays. - -The aurora borealis, is a phenomenon which I always contemplate with -mingled admiration and pleasure. All that is seen, all that is heard -in this unfathomable solitude, is both agreeable and instructive. It -strikes, captivates, and elevates the mind towards the Author of nature. -_Mirabilia opera Domini!_ - -After much fatigue, labor, and admiration, on the 15th we traversed the -high lands separating the waters of Oregon from those of the south branch -of the Sascatshawin, or the ancient Bourbon river, so called before the -Canadian conquest by the British.[225] It is the largest tributary of -the Winnepeg, which flows into Hudson’s Bay by the River Nelson, 58 deg. -north latitude.[226] - -{144} The Christian’s standard, _the cross_, has been reared at the -source of these two rivers: may it be a sign of salvation and peace to -all the scattered and itinerant tribes east and west of these gigantic -and lurid mountains. - -On the cypress which serves for constructing the cross, the eagle, emblem -of the Indian warrior, perches himself. The huntsman aims—the noble bird -lies prostrate, and even in his fall, seems to retain his kingly pride. -It so forcibly recalls to memory the beautiful lines of the illustrious -Campbell, that I quote them in full:— - - Fallen as he is, the king of birds still seems - Like royalty in ruins. Though his eyes - Are shut, that looked undazzled on the sun, - He was the sultan of the sky, and earth - Paid tribute to his eyrie. It was perched - Higher than human conqueror ever built - His bannered fort.... - - ... He cloved the adverse storm - And cuffed it with his wings. He stopped his flight - As easily as the Arab reins his steed, - And stood at pleasure ’neath heaven’s zenith, like - A lamp suspended from its azure dome; - Whilst underneath him the world’s mountains lay - Like mole-hills, and her streams like lucid threads. - -We breakfasted on the bank of a limpid lake at the base of the “Cross of -Peace,” from whence {145} I have the honor of dating my letter, and of -giving you the renewed assurance of my profound respect and veneration; -recommending to your fervent prayers, in a special manner, this vast -desert, which contains so many precious souls still buried in the shades -of death. - -Monseigneur, your very humble and devoted servant in Jesus Christ, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. X - -A. M. D. G. - - Camp of the Assiniboins, Sept. 26th, 1845. - - “Here bloomy meads with vivid greens are crown’d, - And glowing violets throw sweet odors round.” - -MONSEIGNEUR,—By a steep declivity we entered a rich valley, agreeably -diversified by enamelled meads, magnificent forests, and lakes—in -which the salmon-trout so abound, that in a few minutes we procured -sufficient for an excellent repast. The valley is bounded on either -side by a succession of picturesque rocks, whose lofty summits, rising -in the form of pyramids, lose themselves in the clouds. The far-famed -Egyptian monuments of Cheops and Cephren dwindle into nought, before -this gigantic architectural cliff of nature. The natural pyramids of the -Rocky mountains seem to deride the artificial skill of man; they serve as -a resting place for the clouds that come hither to seek repose, and to -encircle their giant brows. The Lord’s omnipotent {147} hand has laid the -foundations—_he_ has permitted the elements to form them, and in every -age they proclaim His power and glory! - -We emerged from this delightful valley, on the 18th of September, after -a three days’ excursion, and recommenced our mountainous peregrination, -which presented nothing but obstacles and contusions, both to men and -horses. For the space of six hours we were compelled to trace our route -across fragments of broken rocks, through an extensive and parched -forest, and where millions of half-consumed trees lay extended in -every direction. Not a trace of vegetation remained, and never had I -contemplated so dismal and destructive a conflagration! - -We reached the River des Arcs or Askow, in the evening, and pitched our -solitary tent upon the shore.[227] Here we discovered some vestiges of -a savage party. Five days previous, nine lodges of Indians had encamped -upon the very spot. We made a careful search, and my guides imagined they -were the formidable Black-feet![228] We, the same day, saw two smokes at -the extremity of the plain over which these barbarians had travelled. -My companions seemed to hesitate, as we drew near the vicinity {148} -of these fearful Black-feet. They recounted to me their inauspicious -dreams, and wished to deter me from proceeding. One said: “_I_ saw -myself devoured by a wild bear;” another, “_I_ saw ravens and vultures, -(ill-omened birds), hovering over the head of our father;” a third saw -a bloody spectacle. I gave them, in my turn, the history of one of _my_ -sentries, the archetype of vigilance, courage and simplicity. - - “Midst the dark horrors of the sable night - (No idle dream I tell nor fancy’s strain) - Thrice rose the red man’s shade upon my sight, - Thrice vanished into dusky air again. - With courage high my panting bosom swells, - Onward I rushed upon the threatening foe, - When, hark! Horrific rise the spectre’s yells - He points the steel and aims the fatal blow; - Guard, sentinel! to arms! to arms! to arms! - Indians! Indians! my voice swelled loud and deep: - The camp is roused at dread of my alarms, - They wake and find—_that I am sound asleep_!” - -They were greatly amused at the recital of _his_ imaginary fancies, -and seemed to understand how little import I attached to such visions. -“Happen what may,” said they, “we shall never quit our father until -we see him in a place of safety.” This was precisely what I desired. -I could not, however, deceive myself. {149} I had finally entered a -land, the theatre of so many sanguinary scenes. I was now on the very -confines of these barbarous people, from which, possibly, I should never -return! It not unfrequently happens, that, in their unbridled fury -when they hear some relative has been killed, the Black-feet despatch -the first stranger they meet, scalp him—and then abandon to the wolves -and dogs, the palpitating limbs of the unfortunate victim of their -vengeance, hatred, and superstition. I declare to you, I was beset by a -thousand disquietudes concerning the fate that awaited me. Poor nature! -this timid and fragile _meus homo_ is sometimes terrified. He would -wish to look back and listen to dreams. My longing desires repeated -incessantly—_Advance_! I placed my whole confidence in God—the prayers -of so many fervent souls encouraged and re-animated me; I resolved not -to be deterred by an uncertain danger. The Lord can, when he pleases, -mollify these pitiless and ferocious hearts. The salvation of souls is -at stake, and the preservation of the mission of St. Mary’s depends -on my proceeding; for there, the incursions of the Black-feet are very -frequent. What consideration could deter me from a project {150} which my -heart had cherished, since my first visit among the mountains? - -The 19th and 20th, we followed the tracks of our unknown predecessors, -and they appeared more and more recent. I despatched my two guides to -reconnoitre, and ascertain whom we were so closely pursuing.—One of them -returned the same evening, with the news that he had found a small camp -of Assiniboins of the forest; that they had been well received; that a -disease reigned in the camp, of which two had lately died, and that they -expressed great desire to see the _Black-gown_. The following morning we -joined them, and journeyed several days in company. - -The Assiniboins of the forest do not amount to more than fifty lodges -or families, divided into several bands.[229] They are seldom seen in -the plains; the forest is their element, and they are renowned huntsmen -and warriors. They travel over the mountains and through the woods, over -the different forks and branches of the sources of the Sascatshawin -and Athabaska. Agriculture is unknown to this tribe; they subsist -exclusively on small animals, such as big-horns, goats, bucks; but -especially on the porcupine, which swarms in this region. When pressed by -{151} hunger, they have recourse to roots, seeds, and the inner bark of -the cypress tree. They own few horses, and perform all their journeys on -foot. - -Their hunters set out early in the morning, kill all the game they meet, -and suspend it to the trees, as they pass along,—their poor wives, -or rather their slaves, often bearing two children on their backs, -and dragging several more after them, tardily follow their husbands, -and collect what game the latter have killed. They had a long file of -famished dogs, loaded with their little provisions, etc. Every family has -a band of six to twelve of these animals, and each dog carries from 30 -to 35 lbs. weight. They are the most wretched animals in existence; from -their tender-hearted masters and mistresses they receive more bastinados -than morsels, consequently they are the most adroit and incorrigible -rogues to be found in the forest. Every evening we find it necessary -to hang all our property upon the trees, beyond the reach of these -voracious dogs. We are even compelled to barricade ourselves within our -tents at night, and surround them with boughs of trees; for, whatever is -of leather, or whatever has pertained to a living being, these crafty -rogues bear away, and devour. You will say I have little charity {152} -for these poor brutes—but be not astonished. One fine evening, having -neglected the ordinary precaution of blocking up the entrance of my tent, -I next morning found myself without shoes—with a collarless cassock—and -_minus_ one leg to my _culottes de peau_!!! One of the chiefs of this -little camp recounted to me, that last winter, one of his nation, having -been reduced to extreme famine, (and such cases are not rare,) had eaten -successively, HIS WIFE AND FOUR CHILDREN. The monster then fled into the -desert, and he has never been heard of since. - -The Oregon missionary, Rev. Mr. Bolduc, related in his journal, that -at Akena, one of the Gambia Isles, he saw an old dame, who, having had -_eight_ husbands, had eaten three of them, during a time of famine!! I -add this last fact to give you a reverse to the above horrible picture. - -The Assiniboins have the reputation of being irascible, jealous, and -fond of babbling; in consequence of these bad qualities, battles and -murders are not unfrequent among them, and of course continual divisions. -Every evening I gave them instruction, by means of an interpreter. They -appeared docile, though somewhat timorous: for they had frequently -been visited {153} by persons who defamed both priests and religion. I -rendered all the little services in my power to their invalids, baptized -six children and an old man who expired two days after, he was interred -with all the funeral ceremonies and prayers of the church. - -Cleanliness is a virtue which has no place in the Indian catalogue -of domestic or personal duties. The Assiniboins are filthy beyond -conception; they surpass all their neighbours in this unenvied -qualification. They are devoured by vermin, which they, in turn, consume. -A savage, whom I playfully reprehended for his cruelty to these little -invertebral insects, answered me: “He bit me first, I have a right to be -revenged.” Through complacency, I overcame natural disgust, and assisted -at their porcupine feast. I beheld the Indians carve the meat on their -leathern shirts, highly polished with grease—filthy, and swarming with -vermin, they had disrobed themselves, for the purpose of providing a -table-cloth!—They dried their hands in their hair—this is their only -towel—and as the porcupine has naturally a strong and offensive odor, -one can hardly endure the fragrance of those who feast upon its flesh and -besmear themselves with its oil. - -{154} A good old woman, whose face was anointed with blood, (THE INDIANS’ -MOURNING WEEDS,) presented me a wooden platter filled with soup; the horn -spoon destined for my use was dirty and covered with grease; she had the -complaisance to apply it to the broad side of her tongue, before putting -it into my unsavory broth. - -If a bit of dried meat, or any other provision is in need of being -cleansed, the dainty cook fills her mouth with water and spirts it -with her whole force upon the fated object. A certain dish, which is -considered a prime delicacy among the Indians, is prepared in a most -singular manner, and they are entitled to a patent for the happy faculty -of invention. The whole process belongs exclusively to the female -department. They commence by rubbing their hands with grease, and -collecting in them the blood of the animal, which they boil with water; -finally, they fill the kettle with fat and hashed meat. But—HASHED WITH -THE TEETH! Often half a dozen old women are occupied in this mincing -operation during hours; mouthful after mouthful is masticated, and thus -passes from the mouth into the cauldron, to compose the choice ragout -of the Rocky mountains. Add to this, by way of an exquisite desert, an -immense dish of crusts, {155} composed of pulverized ants, grass-hoppers -and locusts, that have been dried in the sun, and you may then be able to -form some idea of Indian luxury. - -The American porcupine, the _Hystrix dorsata_, is called by modern -Zoologists, the _Prickly Beaver_. In fact there is great similarity -between the two species in size and form, and both inhabit the same -region. The porcupine, like the beaver, has a double peltry or fur; -the first is long and soft; the second, is still softer, and greatly -resembles down or felt. They both have two long sharp, strong tusks, at -the extremity of the jaw-bone. The Flat-heads affirm that the porcupine -and beaver are brothers, and relate that anciently they abode together; -but that, having frequently been discovered by their enemies, through the -indolence, idleness and extreme aversion of the porcupines for the water, -the beavers met in council and unanimously agreed upon a separation. The -latter availed themselves of a fine day and invited their spiny brethren -to accompany them in a long ramble, among the cypress and juniper of the -forest. The indolent and heedless porcupines, having copiously regaled -themselves with the savory buds of the one, and the tender rind {156} of -the other, extended their weary limbs upon the verdant moss, and were -soon lost in profound sleep. This was the anticipated moment for the wily -beavers to bid a final adieu to their porcupine relatives. - -The Assiniboins inhabiting the plains are far more numerous than their -mountain brethren. They number about six hundred lodges; they own a -greater number of horses, and the men, in general, are more robust, and -of a commanding stature. They are more expert in thieving, are greater -topers, and are perpetually at war. They hunt the buffalo in the great -plains between the Sascatshawin, the Red river, Missouri, and Yellow -Stone.[230] - -The Crows, Black-feet, Arikaras and Sioux are their most inveterate -enemies.—They speak nearly the same language as the Sioux, and have the -same origin. - -I have the honor to be, with the most profound respect and veneration, -monseigneur, your very humble and very obedient servant in Christ Jesus, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XI - -A. M. D. G. - - Fort of the Mountains, October 5, 1845. - -MONSEIGNEUR,—The last few days we journeyed with the little Assiniboin -camp, the aspect of the country offered nothing very interesting. We -passed from valley to valley between two high chains of adamantine -mountains, whose slopes are, here and there, ornamented with mounds of -perpetual snow. A beautiful crystalline fountain issues from the centre -of a perpendicular rock about five hundred feet high, and then pours its -waters over the plain in foam and mist. - -The 29th we separated from the Assiniboins; the path conducted us through -a thick forest of cypress; I am told this is the last—DEO GRATIAS! -These belts of tall firs are very numerous, and form great obstacles -and barriers to land communications between the east and west of the -mountains. I have a little word of advice to {158} give all who wish to -visit these latitudes. At the entrance of each thick forest, one should -render himself as slender, as short, and as contracted as possible, -imitating the different evolutions in all encounters of an intoxicated -cavalier, but with skill and presence of mind. I mean to say, he should -know how to balance himself—cling to the saddle in every form, to avoid -the numerous branches that intercept his passage, ever ready to tear -him into pieces, and flay his face and hands. Notwithstanding these -precautions, it is rare to escape without paying tribute in some manner -to the ungracious forest. I one day found myself in a singular and -critical position: in attempting to pass under a tree that inclined -across the path, I perceived a small branch in form of a hook, which -threatened me. The first impulse was to extend myself upon the neck -of my horse. Unavailing precaution! It caught me by the collar of my -surtout, the horse still continuing his pace.—Behold me suspended in the -air—struggling like a fish at the end of a hook. Several respectable -pieces of my coat floated, in all probability, a long time in the forest, -as an undeniable proof of my having paid toll in passing through it. A -crushed and torn hat—{159} an eye black and blue—two deep scratches on -the cheek, would, in a civilized country, have given me the appearance -rather of a bully issuing from the _Black Forest_, than a missionary. - -To render a bad forest superlatively so, a great fall of snow is -necessary. This special favor was lavished upon us in this last passage. -Wo to the first pedestrians! The branches groan under the burden of their -wintry shroud, and seem to present the motto: “_Si tangas frangas!_” and -assuredly, at each rubbing of the hat, the least touching of the arm -or leg, a deluge of snow showers down upon the shivering cavalier and -horse. Immediately the branch rises proudly as if in derision. On such -occasions, there is nothing better to be done than to form a rear guard, -and walk in the track of the predecessor. - -In pursuing our route, the 27th, on one of the branches of the river -“a la Biche,” (Red Deer on the maps), we remarked several sulphurous -fountains, which furnish great quantities of sulphur, and a coal mine, -apparently very abundant.[231] - -[Illustration: Hunters at the Buffalo Feast] - -I here beg the favor of a short digression from my subject. Coal abounds -east of the Rocky {160} Mountains, on the borders of the Missouri and -Yellow Rock, on the Sascatshawin and Athabaska. Saltpetre is found in -abundance, and iron is not scarce in many parts of the mountains. I have -already spoken of lead in the country of the “Koetenays,” the name of the -river at the copper mine in the north, indicates its riches; bars of this -precious metal are discovered among the rocks bordering the river. Rock -salt is found in powder, and very plentiful in the Pays Serpent.[232] - -The valley is picturesque and variegated; flocks of sheep and goats -contribute to beautify the scenery. We find many tracks of the bears -and buffaloes; on seeing the latter my party became animated; for the -buffaloes’ flesh is, without contradiction, the most delicate of these -regions. One is never tired of it. Hitherto, the animals of the mountains -had abundantly satisfied our necessities, for the huntsmen killed no -less than eighteen pieces, without counting the fowl and fish which -are so plentiful in this country. The same evening the remainder of -our provisions was consumed, and a buffalo chase was proposed for the -following day. One of the sportsmen set out early, and at breakfast time -we perceived him coming, with a round {161} fat cow; immediately the -ribs, tripes, etc., honored the fire with their presence. The rest of the -day was spent in seeking fresh provisions. - -The 30th, we continued our route through the valley, where a rivulet -of clear water meanders. It is similar to all the other valleys west -of the mountains, agreeably diversified with meadows, lakes, and -forests—the valley widens in proportion as one descends—the rocky banks -disappear—the mountains decrease, and appear insensibly to commingle with -one another. Some are covered with forests even to their tops, others -present cones, elevated ramparts, covered with rich verdure. - -The 4th October, after having traversed the great chain of mountains -nineteen days in pursuit of the Black-Feet, we entered the vast plain, -this ocean of prairies, inhabited by a multitude of roving savages, -buried in the deepest superstition. The Black-Feet, Crows, Serpents, -Arikaras, Assiniboins of the plains, the Sheyennes, Camanches, Sioux, -Omahas, Ottos, Pawnees, Kants, Saucs, Ajouas,[233] etc., etc., are -without pastors! We hope that Divine Providence has not deferred the -epoch when the darkness now overwhelming these immense regions will -give place to the beneficial light of {162} the gospel;—that worthy and -zealous pastors will come to guide in the way of salvation these poor and -unhappy children of the desert, who, during so many ages, have groaned -under the dominion of the devil, and among whom the war-song and the cry -of carnage never ceased to resound. There, we hope, will reign in their -turn, peace and Christian charity, and the fragrance of divine love and -praise ascend to the only true God. - -The worthy Bishop of Juliopolis has established his See on the Red -river, a tributary of the Winnepeg, amidst the possessions of the -Anglo-Indians.[234] Already two of his zealous missionaries, Rev. Messrs. -Thibault and Bourassa, have penetrated to the very foot of the Rocky -Mountains, whilst other indefatigable priests have been employed, for -many years, in extending the kingdom of God in this immense diocess. -The population of Red River is about 5,500 souls, of whom 3,175 are -Catholics. There are 730 houses inhabited. I had the honor of receiving a -letter from the Rev. Mr. Thibault on my arrival in this latitude. He says: - -“From the month of March to September last, I have labored among the -mountain nations; they are well disposed to embrace the {163} faith. I -cannot give you a better idea of these people than by comparing them to -the Flatheads. I have baptized more than five hundred children and adults -in the course of this mission. As soon as I find the opportunity of a -water conveyance, I shall continue my labors among these good savages, -and extend my route as far as McKenzie’s river. A rich harvest would be -there found for many laborers in the sacred ministry, for this nation is -populous and occupies a vast extent of country, without including several -other nations I visited this summer. ‘Come, then, to us,’ said they, -‘we, also, shall be happy to learn the joyful news you have brought our -brethren of the mountains; we are to be pitied, not knowing the word of -the Great Spirit; be, therefore, charitable to us—come, teach _us_ the -way of salvation—we will listen to it.’ - -“My fellow-laborer, Bourassa, set out in September, to announce the -Gospel to the Indians residing near the river de la Paix.”[235] - -From Lake St. Anne, or Manitou, the ordinary residence of these two -gentlemen, they extend their apostolic course to the different tribes on -the rivers Athabaska and McKenzie, Peace river, and Slave lake.[236] - -{164} Within the limits, as far as they have travelled, are found -the Black-Feet, Crees, Assiniboins of the forest, of the mountains, -Beaver Hunters, Flat-side Dogs, Slaves, and Deer-Skins.[237] (It is by -these names that the different Indians are known among the whites and -travellers.) - -The great Indian district of the United States is (if I may say so) the -only one deprived of spiritual succor and the means of salvation. It -contains several hundred thousand savages. This vast territory is bounded -on the north-west by the Anglo-Indian possessions—east by the Western -States—south by Texas and Mexico—west by the Rocky Mountains. It contains -many forts or trading houses, in which the greater number of persons -employed are Canadian Catholics or French creoles. The principal of these -forts are, Fort des Corbeaux, or Alexander, on the Yellow Stone, Fort la -Ramee, on a branch of the river Platte, Fort Osage, on the river of the -same name—Fort Pied-noir, or Lewis, at the mouth of the river Maria, Fort -Union near the mouth of the Yellow Rock, Fort Berthold, Fort Mandan or -Clark, near the mouth of the Little Missouri, Fort Pierre, Fort Look-out -and Fort Vermillion at the mouth of this river, the other trading {165} -houses among the Pottowatomies of Council Bluffs and of Belle-vue for the -Ottos and Pawnees. The great depository which furnishes these Forts and -receives all the peltry and buffalo hides, is kept at St. Louis.[238] - -Monseigneur Loras, Bishop of Dubuque, has sent two priests among the -Sioux, on the river St. Pierre, a tributary of the Mississippi.[239] - -The Society of Jesus has a mission among the Pottowatomies on Sugar -Creek, a tributary of the Osage river.[240] The Ladies of the Sacred -Heart have an establishment here. During the summer of 1841, the late -distinguished Madame de Galitzin, provincial of the Order in America, -visited this section of the country for the purpose of founding, among -these rude savages, a house of education, in which the hapless children -of the desert now enjoy the benefit of being instructed in the Christian -faith, of being formed to habits of industry and cleanliness, and -acquiring a knowledge of those branches of education suited to their -condition.—These two missions are located near the frontiers of the -States, and are the only ones in this immense territory. - -The upper Missouri, and all its branches as far as the Rocky Mountains, -are without spiritual assistance {166}. Wherever _the priest_ has passed -in traversing the desert, he has been received with open arms among the -tribes that rove over this country—alas! so long a time forgotten and -neglected! - -The evening of 4th October, I arrived at the Fort des Montagnes, -belonging to the Hon. Hudson Bay Company, without having accomplished -the object of my travels and my desires, namely, meeting the -_Black-feet_.[241] The respectable and worthy commander of the Fort, -Mr. Harriot, an Englishman by birth, is among the most amiable gentlemen -I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He invited, and received into -his hospitable Fort the poor missionary, a Catholic and stranger, with -politeness and cordiality truly fraternal. These qualities characterize -all the gentlemen of the Hudson Bay Company, and although Mr. Harriot -is a Protestant, he encouraged me to visit the _Black-feet_, who would -soon arrive at the Fort, promising me to use all his influence with these -barbarians to obtain me a friendly reception. He has resided many years -among them, nevertheless he did not conceal from me that I should soon be -exposed to great dangers. “We are in the hands of God—may His holy will -be done.” - -{167} I am, with the most profound respect and esteem, monseigneur, your -very humble and obedient servant in Jesus Christ, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XII - -A. M. D. G. - - Fort of the Mountains, October 30th, 1845. - -MONSEIGNEUR,—A band of about twenty Crees, encamped near the Fort, came -to shake hands cordially with me on my arrival. The joy my presence -seemed to occasion them, proved that I was not the first priest they -had seen. Moreover, the greater number wore medals and crosses. -They informed me that they too had been so fortunate as to have a -_Black-Gown_, (Rev. Mr. Thibault,) who taught them to know and serve the -Great Spirit—and baptized all their little children, with the exception -of three, who were absent on the occasion. These children were brought -to me—I administered baptism to them, and at the same time to one of -my guides, a Koetenay. During their stay at the Fort, I gave them -instructions every evening. - -Two Crees, of the same band and family, father and son, had been killed -in a quarrel two {169} years since. The presence of the offending party -for the first time since the perpetration of the murder, rekindled in -the others that spirit of rancor and revenge so natural to an Indian’s -breast, and there was every reason to apprehend fatal consequences from -the old feud. - -With the approbation of Mr. Harriot, I assembled them all in the Fort; -the governor himself had the kindness to be my interpreter. He made a -long discourse on the obligation and necessity of their coming to a -sincere reconciliation; the matter was discussed in form, each Indian -giving his opinion in turn, with a good sense and moderation that -surprised me. I had the pleasure and satisfaction of seeing the calumet -passed around the assembly. This is the solemn pledge of peace—the -token of Indian brotherhood—the most formal declaration of the entire -forgetfulness and sincere pardon of an injury. - -The Cree nation is considered very powerful, and numbers more than six -hundred wigwams. This tribe is one of the most formidable enemies of -the Black-Feet, and continually encroaches upon the territory of its -adversaries. The preceding year they carried off more than six hundred -horses. The actual limit of the country {170} they traverse extends -from the bases of the Rocky Mountains, between the two forks of the -Sascatshawin, some distance beyond the Red River. Their turbulent and -warlike spirit, and rapacity for plunder, especially for horses, are -among the great obstacles which retard the conversion of the larger -portion of this tribe. - -The example of their brethren, who listen with docility to the -exhortations of their zealous and indefatigable missionary will, we -trust, produce fruit in due time, and be imitated by the entire nation. - -To give you an idea of their military discipline, and of the profound -superstition in which these unfortunate people are still immersed, I will -relate to you some of their proceedings. - -The Crees were meditating a deadly stroke upon the Black-Feet, and for -this purpose they collected all their ready forces, amounting to more -than eight hundred warriors. Before setting out in quest of the enemy, -every species of juggling and witchcraft imaginable was resorted to, in -order to secure the success of the expedition. It was decided that a -young girl, with a bandage over her eyes, should be placed at the head of -the Indian army, and thus blindfold, serve as a guide to the combatants. -In case {171} of success, the heroine was destined to become the bride -of the most valiant. According to the Oracle, none but the great _chief_ -himself had the privilege of shoeing or unshoeing her. - -This concluded, they began their march, intoxicated with confidence -and presumption, following this extraordinary guide over the hills and -valleys, ravines, marshes, and swamps. One day she would direct her -steps towards the north, the next to the south or west—the point of the -compass mattered naught—the Manitou of war was supposed to guide her, -and day after day the infatuated Crees continued to follow the steps of -the blindfolded Indian. They had already penetrated far into the plain, -when they were discovered by a party of seven Black-feet. The latter -might easily have escaped under favor of the night, but the Partisan, -or Black-foot Chieftain, a man of undaunted courage, determined to -oppose this formidable force. With the aid of their poniards they made -themselves a hollow, in which they took shelter. - -The following morning, at day-break, the eight hundred champions -surrounded their feeble prey. The first who pressed forward to dislodge -them were driven back several times, with the loss of seven men and -fifteen wounded. The failure of {172} ammunition at length put the -Black-feet at the mercy of the Crees, by whom they were cut into pieces. -The first engagement threw the victorious party into consternation, for -they too numbered seven killed and fifteen wounded. They removed the -bandage from the young heroine’s eyes, and the _Manitous_ whom they had -thought so propitious, being now judged unfavorable to their warlike -projects, the warriors hastily dispersed, taking the nearest road back to -their respective homes. - -The Crees have rather a singular custom among them, and one contrary to -the practice of other nations. They stain the faces of the warriors who -fall in combat, clothe them in their richest ornaments, and thus expose -them in places conspicuous to their enemies. They place near them their -guns, bows and arrows, to show that in their death there was no cause -for compassion; and this they do purposely that they may be cut into -pieces—an opportunity which an enemy never suffers to escape, and which -a Cree warrior regards as the height of his wishes. Other nations, on -the contrary, carry off and conceal their dead, to save them from the -rapacity and insults of their enemies, and to be cut into pieces, even -after death, is {173} considered a great dishonor among them.—The Crees -and _Sauteux_ are allies, and considerably intermixed by reciprocal -marriages. The latter form the most numerous and widely-diffused nation -of these parts.—They are to be met with from the confines of Lower Canada -even to the foot of the Rocky Mountains.[242] - -This is also the nation of medicine, _par excellence_:—for all pretend -to be jugglers, and sell their medicines and quackery at a high price. -In consequence of this attachment to their old, superstitious practices, -and the great profits they derive from them, the seed of the Divine Word -has hitherto fallen upon an unprofitable soil. An adroit impostor who has -been baptized, and who is, moreover, a great medicine man among them, has -contributed not a little to keep his nation in an obstinate ignorance, -which makes them prefer the shades of paganism to the beneficial light of -the gospel. Falling one day into a species of lethargy, it was thought -that he had expired—but recovering after a short time, he assembled his -band, and told them the following story: - -“Immediately after my death I repaired to the heaven of the white man, -or Christians, where the Great Spirit and Jesus Christ dwell, {174} -but they refused to admit me on account of my red skin. I then went to -the country where the souls of my ancestors are, and there, too, I was -refused admittance on account of my baptism. I am, therefore, come back -to this earth, to renounce the promises I made in baptism and resume my -medicine bag, hoping to expiate my former error by my sincere attachment -to jugglery, and thus render myself once more worthy of the beautiful -and spacious plains of that happy and delightful abode, where reigns -everlasting spring, and numberless flocks and herds afford an abundant -and everlasting subsistence to all the inhabitants of the Indian Elysium.” - -This extravagant report which has been circulated throughout the whole -tribe and among the neighboring people, has greatly contributed to attach -them to their old customs and superstitions,—and make them turn a deaf -ear to the instructions of their worthy missionary. - -The Rev. Mr. Belcourt has, notwithstanding, succeeded in converting a -considerable number, whom he has persuaded to renounce the illusions of -their brethren, and united in a village at St. Paul des Sauteux, where -they persevere fervently in all the practices of religion. The {175} -number of faithful, in this spot, increases every year.[243] - -At length, on the 25th October, thirteen Black-Feet arrived at the -Fort. They saluted me with a politeness truly _à la sauvage_, rough and -cordial, at the same time. The old chief embraced me quite tenderly -when he learned the object of my journey. He was distinguished from his -companions by his dress—being decorated from head to foot with eagles’ -plumes, and wearing a large breast-plate in form of medallion, _figured -with blue_, as a mark of distinction. He was profuse in attention to -me, making me sit beside him whenever I went to visit them in their -apartment—shaking me affectionately by the hand and amicably rubbing -my cheeks with his scarlet-painted nose. He cordially invited me to his -country, offering to be my guide and to introduce me to his people. The -difference of physiognomy existing between the Indians inhabiting the -plains east of the mountains and those near the upper waters of the -Columbia, is as great as the stupendous rocks that separate them. The -latter are remarkable for their mildness, serenity and affability, while -cruelty, craft—the word BLOOD, in fine, may be read in every feature of -the Black-Foot Indian. {176} Scarcely could an innocent hand be found in -the whole nation. The Lord, however, is all powerful—“from stones he can -raise up children unto Abraham,” and, full of confidence in the treasures -of His holy grace and mercies, I purpose to visit them. The essential -point and my greatest perplexity is, to find a good and faithful -interpreter; the only one now at the Fort is a suspicious and dangerous -man:[244] all his employers speak ill of him—he makes fine promises. In -the alternative of either renouncing my project or being of some utility -to those poor, unfortunate Indians, I accept his services. May he be -faithful to his engagement! - -I have the honor to be, monseigneur, your very humble and very obedient -servant in Jesus Christ, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XIII - -A. M. D. G. - - Fort of the Mountains, October 30th, 1845. - -The year 1845 will be a memorable epoch in the sad annals of the -Black-Feet nation. It has been a year of disasters. In two skirmishes -with the Flat-heads and Kalispels, they lost twenty-one warriors. The -Crees have carried off a great number of their horses, and twenty-seven -scalps. The Crows have struck them a mortal blow—fifty families, the -entire band of the _petite Robe_, were lately massacred, and one hundred -and sixty women and children have been led into captivity.[245] - -What a dreadful state for these unfortunate beings. In the first -excitement, numbers of the captives were sacrificed by the Crow squaws -to the manes of their husbands, brothers, fathers, or children. The -survivors were condemned to slavery. The smallpox shortly after made its -appearance in the conquerors’ camp, and spread {178} rapidly from lodge -to lodge. The Black-Feet had suffered from this scourge a few years -previous, and thousands had fallen victims to it. - -The Crows, therefore, interrogated their captives to know by what means -they had escaped death. A dark spirit of vengeance seized the latter; -they counselled cold baths as the only efficacious remedy, to stop the -progress of the disease. The sick immediately plunged into the water, and -mothers went to the river to bathe their little children. Some plunged -into their graves; others gave up their last sigh while endeavoring to -reach the shore—and disconsolate mothers returned to their cabins with -dead or expiring infants in their arms. Cries of despair succeeded to the -shouts of victory—desolation and mourning replaced the fanatic, barbarous -joy of the Crows. Death visited every tent of the victorious camp! - -The tradition of man’s creation and future immortality exists among -most of the Indian tribes; I have had the opportunity of visiting and -questioning them on the subject. Those who live by fishery, suppose their -Heaven to be full of lakes and rivers, abounding in fish, whose enchanted -shores and verdant islands produce fruits of every kind. - -{179} I encamped on the banks of two lakes to the east of the Rocky -Mountains, which the Black-Feet call the _lake of men_ and the _lake of -women_. According to their traditions, from the first of these issued -a band of young men, handsome and vigorous, but poor and naked. From -the second an equal number of ingenious and industrious young women, -who constructed and made themselves clothing. They lived a long time -separate and unknown to each other, until the great Manitou Wizakeschak, -or the old man, (still invoked by the Black-Feet,) visited them; he -taught them to slay animals in the chase, but they were yet ignorant of -the art of dressing skins. Wizakeschak conducted them to the dwelling -of the young women, who received their guests with dances and cries of -joy. Shoes, leggins, shirts, and robes, garnished with porcupine quills, -were presented them. Each young woman selected her guest, and presented -him with a dish of seeds and roots; the men, desiring to contribute to -the entertainment, sought the chase, and returned loaded with game. The -women liked the meat, and admired the strength, skill, and bravery of -the hunters. The men were equally delighted with the beauty of their -trappings, and admired the industry of the women. {180} Both parties -began to think they were necessary to each other, and Wizakeschak -presided at the solemn compact in which it was agreed that the men -should become the protectors of the women, and provide all necessaries -for their support: whilst all other family cares should devolve upon the -women. - -The Black-Feet squaws often bitterly complain of the astonishing folly of -their mothers in accepting such a proposition; declaring, if the compact -were yet to be made, they would arrange it in a very different manner. - -The Black-Foot heaven is a country composed of _sandy hills_, which they -call _Espatchekie_, whither the soul goes after death, and where they -will find again all the animals they have killed, and all the horses -they have stolen. The buffalo, hind, and stag, abound there. In speaking -of the departed, a Black-Foot never says, such a one is dead, but -_Espatchekie etape_—to the _Sand hills_ he is gone. - - Fort Auguste, on the Saschatshawin, December 31st, 1846. - -MONSEIGNEUR,—I arranged with the thirteen Black-Feet of whom I spoke in -my last, that {181} they should precede me among their people, to pave -the way, as it were, and prepare their minds to receive me.—Everything -seemed propitious, and accordingly, on the 31st of October, I took leave -of the friendly Mr. Harriot. I was accompanied by my interpreter, a young -Metif of the Cree nation, who had charge of the horses. Notwithstanding -his good resolutions, my interpreter did not long leave me in doubt of -his true character. The wolf cannot remain concealed beneath the sheep’s -clothing. He became sullen and peevish, always choosing to halt in those -places where the poor beasts of burden could find nothing to eat, after -their long day’s journey. The farther we penetrated into the desert, the -more and more sulky he became. It was impossible to draw from him a -single pleasant word, and his incoherent mutterings and allusions became -subjects of serious apprehension. Thus passed ten sorrowful days; my last -two nights had been nights of anxiety and watching; when fortunately, I -encountered a Canadian, on whom I prevailed to remain with me some time. -The following day my interpreter disappeared. Although my situation was -extremely precarious in this dangerous desert, without interpreter, -without guide, {182} yet I could not but feel relieved of a heavy burden -by the departure of this sullen and gloomy fellow. Had it not been for -my opportune meeting with the Canadian, it is probable I should not have -escaped his deep laid scheme against me. - -Friends and travellers in the desert, beware of choosing for your guide, -or placing your dependence on a morose Metif, especially if he has been -for some time a resident among the savages; for such men usually possess -all the faults of the white man joined to the cunning of the Indian. I -determined to continue my route in search of a Canadian interpreter, whom -we understood was some distance in advance of us on the same road. For -eight successive days we wandered on in that labyrinth of valleys, but -in vain; although in the heart of their territory, neither the Canadian -nor the Black-Feet were to be found. Large marauding parties of the Crees -were beating the country at that time, and it appeared evident from the -tracks, that they had carried everything before them. It snowed without -intermission during four days;—our poor horses were nearly exhausted—my -wallet contained nothing but crumbs—the passage from the east to the -western {183} side of the mountains was become impracticable, and I had -no alternative, but to repair to one of the forts of the Hudson Bay -Company, and beg hospitality during the inclement season. - -The entire region in the vicinity of the first eastern chain of the Rocky -Mountains, serving as their base for thirty or sixty miles, is extremely -fertile, abounding in forests, plains, prairies, lakes, streams, and -mineral springs. The rivers and streams are innumerable, and on every -side offer situations favorable for the construction of mills. The -northern and southern branches of the Sascatshawin water the district -I have traversed, for a distance of about three hundred miles. Forests -of pine, cypress, thorn, poplar and aspen trees, as well as others of -different kinds, occupy a large portion of it, covering the declivities -of the mountains, and banks of the rivers. - -These, ordinarily, take their rise in the highest chains, whence they -issue in every direction like so many veins. The beds and sides of -these rivers are pebbly, and their courses rapid, but as they recede -from the mountains they widen, and the currents lose something of their -impetuosity. Their waters are usually very clear. In this climate wens -are not unfrequent. {184} The country would be capable of supporting a -large population, and the soil is favorable for the produce of barley, -corn, potatoes, and beans, which grow here as well as in the more -southern countries. - -Are these vast and innumerable fields of hay forever destined to be -consumed by fire, or perish in the autumnal snows? How long shall these -superb forests be the haunts of wild beasts? And these inexhaustible -quarries, these abundant mines of coal, lead, sulphur, iron, copper, and -saltpetre—can it be that they are doomed to remain for ever inactive? -Not so—the day will come when some laboring hand will give them value: -a strong, active, and enterprising people are destined to fill this -spacious void.—The wild beasts will, ere long, give place to our domestic -animals; flocks and herds will graze in the beautiful meadows that -border the numberless mountains, hills, valleys, and plains of this -extensive region. A large portion of the surface of the country is -covered with artificial lakes, formed by the beavers. On our way, we had -frequently occasion to remark, with wonder and admiration, the extent and -height of their ingeniously constructed dams and solid lodges. These are -remains of the admirable {185} little republics, concerning which so many -wonders have justly been recorded. Not more than half a century ago, such -was the number of beavers in this region, that a good hunter could kill a -hundred in a month’s space. - -I reached Fort Augustus or Edmondton towards the close of the year. Its -respectable Commandant, the worthy Mr. Rowan, received me with all the -tenderness of a father, and together with his inestimable family, showed -me every kindness and attention.[246] Never shall I have it in my power -to cancel the debt of gratitude I owe them.—May heaven protect and repay -them with its choice blessings; such is the most sincere prayer of a poor -priest, who will ever remember them. - -I must await a more favorable moment for visiting the Black-Feet. The -skirmishing parties appear to be still scouring the country. The tidings -which reach us concerning them tell only of plunder and bloodshed. -Meanwhile, I have the honor of being, with profound respect and esteem, -Monseigneur, your very humble and obedient servant in Jesus Christ, - - _P. J. [De] Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XIV - -A. M. D. G. - - Fort Jasper, April 16th, 1846. - -MONSEIGNEUR,—Fort Edmondton or Auguste is the great emporium of -the Hudson Bay Company in the districts of Upper Sascatshawin and -Athabasca:[247] Forts Jasper, Assiniboine, Little Slave Lake, on the -river Athabasca,[248] Forts des Montagnes, Pitt, Carrollton, Cumberland, -on the Sascatshawin, depend on it.[249] The respectable and worthy Mr. -Rowan, Governor of this immense district, unites, to all the amiable -and polite qualities of a perfect gentleman, those of a sincere and -hospitable friend; his goodness and paternal tenderness render him a true -patriarch amidst his charming and numerous family. He is esteemed and -venerated by all the surrounding tribes, and though advanced in age, he -possesses extraordinary activity. - -The number of servants at Edmondton, including children, is about eighty. -They form a {187} well-regulated family. Besides a large garden, a -field of potatoes and wheat, belonging to the establishment, the lakes, -forests, and plains of the neighborhood furnish provisions in abundance. -On my arrival at the Fort, the ice-house contained thirty thousand white -fish, each weighing four pounds, and five hundred buffaloes, the ordinary -amount of the winter provisions. Such is the quantity of aquatic birds in -the season, that sportsmen often send to the Fort carts full of fowls. -Eggs are picked up by thousands in the straw and reeds of the marshes. - -The greater number of those employed being Catholics, I found sufficient -occupation. Every morning I catechized the children, and gave an -instruction; in the evening, after the labors of the day, I recited the -prayers for the honorable Commander and his servants. I must acknowledge, -to the credit of the inhabitants of Edmondton, that their assiduity and -attention to religious duties, and the kindness and respectful regard -evinced for me, were a source of great consolation during my sojourn of -two months among them. May God, who has granted them so liberally and -plentifully the dews of the earth, enrich them likewise with those of -Heaven; {188} such is the most sincere wish and prayer of a friend who -will never forget them. - -I visited Lake St. Anne, the ordinary residence of Messrs. Thibault and -Bourassa; the latter gentleman was absent. The distance from the fort to -the lake is about fifty miles. I mentioned this interesting mission in my -preceding letters, and I will now say a word relative to the country.—The -surface of this region is flat for the most part, undulating in some -places—diversified with forests and meadows, and lakes teeming with fish. -In Lake St. Anne alone were caught, last autumn, more than seventy -thousand white fish, the most delicious of the kind; they are taken with -the line at every season of the year. - -Notwithstanding the rigor and duration of the winter in this northern -region, the earth in general appears fertile; vegetation is so forward -in the spring and summer, that potatoes, wheat and barley, together with -other vegetables of Canada, come to maturity. Lake Saint Anne forms -one of a chain of lakes; I counted eleven of them, which flow into the -Sascatshawin by the small river Esturgeons, or _Sturgeon_. Innumerable -republics of beavers formerly existed there; each lake, each marsh, each -river, {189} bears, even to this day, proofs of their labors. What I here -say of beavers is applicable to almost all the Hudson territory. When -the reindeer, buffalo, and moose abounded, the Crees were then peaceful -possessors;—animals have disappeared, and with them the ancient lords of -the country. Scarcely do we meet with a solitary hut—but now and then the -tracks of some large animal. Seventeen families of Metifs, descendants of -English Canadians and savages, have assembled and settled around their -missionaries. The Crees have gained the buffalo plains, and they contend -for them with the Black-Feet, whose mortal foes they have become. - -In proportion as the rigors of winter began to give place to the cheering -dawn of spring, simultaneously did my pulse beat to approach near the -mountain, there to await a favorable opportunity to cross it, so that I -might arrive as early as possible at the mission of St. Ignatius. - -The 12th of March, I bade farewell to the respectable Rowan family, -and to all the servants of the Fort. I was accompanied by three brave -Metifs, whom Mr. Thibault was so kind as to procure me. At this season, -the whole country lies buried in snow, and voyages are {190} made in -sledges drawn by dogs. Our provisions and baggage were conveyed in two -of these sledges; the third, drawn by four dogs, was reserved for me. I -found this mode of travelling quite a novelty; and on the glittering ice -of the rivers and lakes, it was particularly convenient and agreeable. -The third day we encamped near Lake de l’Aigle Noir, which abounds in -white fish; on the sixth, we arrived at Fort Assiniboine,[250] built in a -meadow on the river Athabasca, where it is two hundred and thirty-three -fathoms broad, which breadth it seems to preserve more or less until it -leaves the Rocky Mountains, its current is extremely rapid. In the spring -it can be descended in three days from Fort Jasper to Fort Assiniboine, -a distance of more than three hundred miles. With our sledges we were -nine days accomplishing the journey. The bed of the river is studded -with islands, which, by their various positions and features, render the -prospect very agreeable. Its shores are covered with thick forests of -pine intersecting rocks and high hills which embellish and give a touch -of the picturesque to the general monotony of the desert. - -The principal branches are the Pembina, which measures four hundred and -sixty-four {191} feet across—the river des Avirons, one hundred and -twenty-eight feet; the river Des Gens Libres, the branch McCloud, and -river Baptist Berland, are about eighty fathoms wide at their mouth. The -rivers Du Vieux, du Milieu, des Prairies, and des Roches, form beautiful -currents.[251] Lake Jasper, eight miles in length, is situated at the -base of the first great mountain chain. The fort of the same name, -and the second lake, are twenty miles higher, and in the heart of the -mountains.[252] The rivers Violin and Medicine on the southern side, and -the Assiniboine on the northern, must be crossed to arrive there,[253] -and to reach the height of land at the _du Committees Punch Bowl_, we -crossed the rivers Maline, Gens de Colets, Miette and Trou, which we -ascended to its source.[254] The river Medicine mingles its waters with -those of the Sascatshawin; the Assiniboine and Gens de Lolets with those -of the Boucane, a tributary of a la Paix.[255] The waters of the Miette, -have their source at the same height, with some branches of the river -Frazer, which crosses New Caledonia.[256] - -Some years since, the valleys and high forests of Athabasca were -exclusively appropriated to the chase by the Assiniboines of the forests: -{192} the scarcity of game forced them to quit their land—since their -departure the animals have increased in an astonishing manner. In various -places on the river, we saw ravages of the beavers which I should have -taken for recent encampments of savages, so great a quantity of felled -trees was there. Many wandering families of the carrier tribe and -Achiganes or Sock Indians of New Caledonia,[257] compelled by hunger, -have quitted their country, traversed the last of the mountains, and -now cross the valleys of this region in quest of food. They nourish -themselves with roots, and whatever they can catch, many of them have -their teeth worn to the gums by the earth and sand they swallow with -their nourishment. In winter they fare well: for then the moose, elk and -reindeer are plentiful. The reindeer feed on a kind of white moss, and -the paunch is considered delicious when the food is half digested. By way -of a dainty morsel, the Indians pluck out the eyes of fish with the end -of the fingers and swallow them raw, likewise the tripes with their whole -contents, without further ceremony than placing them an instant on the -coals, from thence into the omnibus or general reservoir, without even -undergoing the operation of the jaws. - -{193} The Montagnees Indians[258] inhabit the lower part of Athabasca, -also the great lake of this name.[259] The elk is very common, and the -reindeer are found in large bands; the chase of the latter is both easy -and singular. They regularly bend their course northward in autumn, and -return towards the south in the spring. The Indians know their usual -crossing-places over the lakes and rivers—and when the herd (often many -hundreds in number) are in the water, and approach the opposite shore, -the huntsmen leave their concealment, jump into their light canoes, and -yell with all their strength to make them return to the centre; there -they harass them, continually driving them from the shore, until the -poor animals become exhausted; then begins the work of carnage; they are -killed without difficulty by daggers and darts, and it rarely happens -that one effects his escape. They cover their huts and dress themselves -with the skins of the reindeer. Lakes and marshes being so numerous in -this country, swans, geese, bustards, and ducks of various species, come -hither in thousands during the spring and autumn. The savages travel -over these marshy places in _Rackets_ in quest of eggs, on which they -mostly subsist during this season. Often squares of {194} several acres -are found covered with nests. White fish, carp, trout, and unknown fish, -abound in all these lakes and rivers. - -Two missionaries, a Father of the order of Oblats of Marseilles and a -Canadian priest, are on the way, with the intention of penetrating into -the interior of the country. The reception given to Mr. Thibault last -summer by the Montagnees, leaves little doubt of the happy results of -this praiseworthy and holy enterprise.[260] On the banks of the Jasper, -we met an old Iroquois called Louis Kwaragkwante, or the travelling sun, -accompanied by his family, thirty-six in number. He has been forty years -absent from his country, during which he has never seen a priest—has -dwelt in the forest of Athabasca on Peace river and subsisted by hunting -and fishing. The good old man was overwhelmed with joy, and the children -experienced a similar feeling with their father. I will give you the old -man’s words in English, on learning that I was a priest: “How glad I am -to have come here, for I have not seen a priest for many years. To-day I -behold a priest, as I did in my own country-my heart rejoices—wherever -you go I shall follow you with my children-all will hear the word of -prayer-all will have the happiness {195} to receive baptism.—Therefore -my heart rejoices and is happy.” The little Iroquois camp immediately -set out to follow me to Fort Jasper. Most of them know their prayers in -Iroquois. I remained fifteen days at the Fort, instructing them in the -duties of religion—after Mass, on Sunday, all were regenerated in the -waters of baptism, and seven marriages renewed and blessed. The number -of baptized amounted to forty-four; among whom was the lady of Mr. -Frazer, (Superintendent of the Fort), and four of his children and two -servants.[261] - -I have the honor to be, with the most profound respect and high regard, -Monseigneur, your very humble and obedient servant in Jesus Christ, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XV - -A. M. D. G. - - Foot of the Great Glaciere, at the Source of - the Athabasca, May 6th, 1846. - -MONSEIGNEUR—Provisions becoming scarce at the Fort, at the moment when -we had with us a considerable number of Iroquois from the surrounding -country, who were resolved to remain until my departure, in order -to assist at the instructions, we should have found ourselves in an -embarrassing situation had not Mr. Frazer come to our relief, by -proposing that we should leave the Fort and accompany himself and family -to the Lake of Islands, where we could subsist partly on fish.[262] As -the distance was not great, we accepted this invitation, and set out to -the number of fifty-four persons, and twenty dogs. I count the latter, -because we were as much obliged to provide for them, as for ourselves. A -little note of the game killed by our hunters during the twenty-six days -of {197} our abode at this place, will perhaps afford you some interest; -at least, it will make you acquainted with the animals of the country, -and prove that the mountaineers of Athabasca are blessed with good -appetites. Animals killed—twelve moose deer, two reindeer, thirty large -mountain sheep or big horn, two porcupines, two hundred and ten hares, -one beaver, two muskrats, twenty-four bustards, one hundred and fifteen -ducks, twenty-one pheasants, one snipe, one eagle, one owl; add to this -from thirty to fifty fine white fish every day and twenty trout, and then -judge whether or not our people had reason to complain; yet we heard them -constantly saying; “How hard living is here? The country is miserably -poor—we are obliged to fast.” - -As the time approached at which I was to leave my new children in Christ, -they earnestly begged leave to honor me, before my departure, with a -little ceremony to prove their attachment, and that their children might -always remember him who had first put them in the way of life. Each -one discharged his musket in the direction of the highest mountain, a -large rock jutting out in the form of a sugar loaf, and with three loud -hurrahs gave it my name. {198} This mountain is more than 14,000 feet -high, and is covered with perpetual snow. - -On the 25th April, I bade farewell to my kind friend Mr. Frazer, and his -amiable children, who had treated me with every mark of attention and -kindness. - -All the men in the camp insisted on honoring me with an escort, and -accompanied me a distance of ten miles. Here we separated, each one -affectionately pressed my hand—mutual good wishes were exchanged—tears -flowed on both sides—and I was left with my companions in one of those -wild ravines where nothing meets the eye, but ranges of gloomy mountains -rising on all sides, like so many impassable barriers. - -Upper Athabasca is, unquestionably, the most elevated part of North -America. All its mountains are prodigious, and their rocky and snow-capt -summits seem to lose themselves in the clouds. At this season, immense -masses of snow often become loosened and roll down the mountains’ sides -with a terrific noise, that resounds throughout these quiet solitudes -like distant thunder—so irresistible is the velocity of their descent, -that they frequently carry with them enormous fragments of rock, and -force a {199} passage through the dense forests which cover the base of -the mountain. At each hour, the noise of ten avalanches descending at -once, breaks upon the ear; on every side we see them precipitated with a -frightful rapidity. - -From these mountains, the majestic river of the north, the upper branch -of the Sascatshawin, the two great forks of the McKenzie, the Athabasca -and Peace rivers, the Columbia, and Frazer at the west, derive the -greater part of their waters. - -In the neighborhood of the Miette river, we fell in with one of those -poor families of Porteurs or “Itoaten,” of New Caledonia, of whom I -spoke to you in a former letter; they saw us from the summit of the -mountain that overlooks the valley through which we were passing, and -perceiving we were whites, hastened down to meet us. They appeared -overjoyed at seeing us, particularly when they discovered that I was a -Black-gown; they crowded around me, and begged me to baptize them with -an earnestness that affected me to tears, though I was able to grant -this favor to only two of their smallest children, the others required -instruction, but there was no interpreter. I exhorted them to return soon -to their own country, where they {200} would find a Black-gown (Father -Nobili) who would instruct them. They made the sign of the cross, recited -some prayers in their own language, and sang several hymns with great -apparent devotion. The condition of these people seemed very wretched; -they had no clothes but a few rags and some pieces of skins, and yet, -notwithstanding their extreme poverty, they laid at my feet the mountain -sheep they had just killed. - -The history of a poor young woman, one of their number, deserves to be -recorded, as it affords a lively picture of the dangers and afflictions -to which these unfortunate people are often exposed. When she was about -fifteen years of age, her father, mother, and brothers, together with -another family of her nation, were surprised in the wood by a party -of Assiniboine warriors, and massacred without mercy. At the time of -this horrid scene, the young girl was in another part of the forest -with her two sisters, both younger than herself; they succeeded in -concealing themselves, and thus escaped falling into the hands of the -assassins. The hapless orphan wandered about the desert for two years, -without meeting any human being, subsisting on roots, wild fruits, and -porcupines. {201} In winter she sheltered herself in the abandoned den -of a bear. The sisters left her at the end of the first year, since which -they have never been heard of. At length, after three years, she was -fortunately found by a good Canadian, who took her home, provided her -with comfortable food and clothing, and six months after restored her to -her tribe. - -We resumed our journey the following day, and arrived about nightfall on -the banks of the Athabaska, at the spot called the “Great Crossing.” Here -we deviated from the course of that river, and entered the valley de la -Fourche du Trou.[263] - -As we approached the highlands the snow became much deeper. On the 1st -of May, we reached the great Bature, which has all the appearance of a -lake just drained of its waters. Here we pitched our tent to await the -arrival of the people from Columbia, who always pass by this route on the -way to Canada and York Factory. Not far from the place of our encampment, -we found a new object of surprise and admiration. An immense mountain of -pure ice, 1,500 feet high, enclosed between two enormous rocks. So great -is the transparency of this beautiful ice, that we can easily distinguish -{202} objects in it to the depth of more than six feet. One would say, by -its appearance, that in some sudden and extraordinary swell of the river, -immense icebergs had been forced between these rocks, and had there piled -themselves on one another, so as to form this magnificent glacier. What -gives some color of probability to this conjecture is, that on the other -side of the glacier, there is a large lake of considerable elevation. -From the base of this gigantic iceberg, the river Trou takes its rise. - -The people of Columbia have just arrived. I must therefore take this -present opportunity, the only one I shall have for a long time, of -sending you my letters, and before closing this, permit me again to -recommend myself and all my missions to your holy sacrifices and fervent -prayers.[264] - -Meantime, I have the honor to be, with the most sincere respect and -esteem, Monseigneur, your very humble and obedient servant in Jesus -Christ, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XVI - -A. M. D. G. - - Boat Encampment on the Columbia, May 10th, 1846. - -VERY REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL:—By my last letter to the -distinguished Prelate of New-York, in which I gave my different -missionary excursions during 1845-46 among several tribes of the Rocky -Mountains, you have learned that I had arrived at the base of the Great -Glacier, the source of the river _du Trou_, which is a tributary of -the Athabaska, or Elk river. I will now give to your reverence the -continuation of my arduous and difficult journey across the main chain -of the Rocky Mountains, and down the Columbia, on my return to my dear -brethren in Oregon. - -Towards the evening of the 6th of May, we discovered, at the distance -of about three miles, the approach of two men in snow shoes, who soon -joined us. They proved to be the forerunners {204} of the English Company -which, in the spring of each year, go from Fort Vancouver to York -Factory, situated at the mouth of the river Nelson, near the fifty-eighth -degree north latitude.[265] In the morning my little train was early -ready; we proceeded, and after a march of eight miles we fell in with the -gentlemen of the Hudson Bay Company. The time of our reunion was short, -but interesting and joyful. The great melting of the snow had already -begun, and we were obliged to be on the alert to cross in due time, the -now swelling rapids and rivers. The news between travellers, who meet -in the mountains is quickly conveyed to one another. The leaders of the -company were my old friends, Mr. Ermatinger, of the Honorable Hudson -Bay Company,[266] and two distinguished officers of the English army, -Captains Ward and Vavasseur, whom I had the honor of entertaining last -year at the Great Kalispel lake. Capt. Ward is the gentleman who had the -kindness to take charge of my letters for the States and for Europe. - -Fifteen Indians of the Kettle-Fall tribe accompanied him. Many of them -had scaled the mountains with one hundred and fifty pounds weight upon -their backs. The worthy Capt. {205} Ward spoke many things in praise of -them. He admired their honesty and civility, and above all, their sincere -piety and great regularity in their religious duties; every morning and -evening, they were seen retiring a short distance from the camp, to sing -one or two hymns, and join in common prayer. “I hope,” added the Captain, -“I shall never forget the example, which these poor, but good savages, -have given me. During the time that they were with me, I was much struck -by their becoming deportment, and I have never seen more sincere piety -than they exhibited.” - -The gentlemen of the English Company were now at the end of their chief -difficulties and troubles. They gladly threw away their snow shoes to -take horses for four days; at Fort Jasper they were to enter skiffs, to -go to Fort Assiniboine, on the river Athabasca. For myself, I had to try -the snow shoes for the first time in my life; by means of them, I had to -ascend those frightful ramparts, the barriers of snow, which separate the -Atlantic world from the Pacific Ocean. I have, in my previous letters, -already told you, that this is probably the most elevated point of the -Rocky Mountains, where five great rivers derive their sources, {206} -viz.: the north-branch of the Sascatshawin, flowing into Lake Winnepeg, -the Athabasca and Peace rivers, uniting and flowing into Great Slave -Lake, which is discharged into the Northern Ocean, by the Mackenzie, the -most solitary of rivers. From the bosom of these mountains the Columbia -and Frazer rivers derive water from a thousand fountains and streams. - -We had now seventy miles to travel in snow shoes, in order to reach -the boat encampment on the banks of the Columbia. We proposed to -accomplish this in two days and a half. The most worthy and excellent -Messrs. Rowan and Harriot, whose kindness at the Rocky Mountain House -and Fort Augustus I shall ever acknowledge, were of opinion, that it -was absolutely impossible for me to accomplish the journey, on account -of my heavy mould, and they wished to dissuade me from attempting it. -However, I thought I could remedy the inconvenience of my surplus stock, -by a vigorous fast of thirty days, which I cheerfully underwent. I found -myself much lighter indeed, and started off somewhat encouraged, over -snow sixteen feet deep. We went in single file—alternately ascending and -descending—sometimes across plains piled up with avalanches—sometimes -{207} over lakes and rapids buried deeply under the snow—now, on the side -of a deep mountain—then across a forest of cypress trees, of which we -could only see the tops. I cannot tell you the number of my summersets. -I continually found myself embarrassed by my snow shoes, or entangled in -some branch of a tree. When falling, I spread my arms before me, as one -naturally would do, to break the violence of the fall; and upon deep snow -the danger is not great,—though I was often half buried, when I required -the assistance of my companions, which was always tendered with great -kindness and good humor. - -We made thirty miles the first day, and then made preparations to -encamp. Some pine trees were cut down and stripped of their branches, -and these being laid on the snow, furnished us with a bed, whilst a -fire was lighted on a floor of green logs. To sleep thus—under the -beautiful canopy of the starry heavens—in the midst of lofty and steep -mountains—among sweet murmuring rills and roaring torrents—may appear -strange to you, and to all lovers of rooms, rendered comfortable by -stoves and feathers; but you may think differently after having come and -breathed the pure air of the {208} mountains, where in return, coughs -and colds are unknown. Come and make the trial, and you will say that it -is easy to forget the fatigues of a long march, and find contentment and -joy even upon the spread branches of pines, on which, after the Indian -fashion, we extended ourselves and slept, wrapped up in buffalo robes. - -The next morning we commenced the descent of what is called the Great -Western Slope. This took us five hours. The whole slope is covered with -gigantic cedars, and with pine trees of different species. Wo to the -man, who happens to have a heavy body, or to make a false step. I say -this from experience; for many times I found myself twenty or thirty feet -from the point of my departure—happy indeed if, in the fall, I did not -violently strike my head against the trunk of some great tree. - -At the foot of the mountain an obstacle of a new kind presented itself. -All the barriers of snow, the innumerable banks, which had stopped the -water of the streams, lakes, and torrents, were broken up during the -night, and swelled considerably the Great Portage river.[267] It meanders -so remarkably in this straight valley, down which we travelled for a day -and a half, {209} that we were compelled to cross the said river not less -than forty times, with the water frequently up to our shoulders. So great -is its impetuosity, that we were obliged mutually to support ourselves, -to prevent being carried away by the current. We marched in our wet -clothes during the rest of our sad route. The long soaking, joined to -my great fatigue, swelled my limbs. All the nails of my feet came off, -and the blood stained my moccasins or Indian shoes. Four times I found -my strength gone, and I should certainly have perished in that frightful -region, if the courage and strength of my companions had not roused and -aided me in my distress. - -We saw May-poles all along the old encampments of the Portage. Each -traveller who passes there for the first time, selects his own. A young -Canadian, with much kindness, dedicated one to me, which was at least one -hundred and twenty feet in height, and which reared its lofty head above -all the neighboring trees. Did I deserve it? He stripped it of all its -branches, only leaving at the top a little crown; at the bottom my name -and the date of the transit were written. Moose, reindeer, and mountain -goats are frequently found in this region. - -{210} We next passed through a thick and mountainous forest, where hoary -pines lay prostrate by thousands—and where many a giant tree, in its -full vigor, had been levelled to the ground by the raging tempest. On -issuing from the forest, an extensive marsh presented itself, through -which we had to plod, up to the knees in mud and water; this trouble was -trifling compared to the past, and we were still more encouraged at the -sight of a beautiful and verdant plain, where four reindeer were seen -carousing, bouncing, and jumping in the midst of plenty. No doubt they, -as well as ourselves, had issued forth from the snowy and icy cliffs, and -felt light-hearted and joyful at the delightful prospect of mountain and -plain at this season of the year. On approaching, a dozen guns were at -once levelled against the innocent and timid creatures. I was pleased to -observe, by the wonderful rapidity with which they used their legs, that -no one had injured their noble and beautiful frames. - -Towards the middle of the day we arrived at the Boat Encampment, on the -bank of the Columbia, at the mouth of the Portage river.[268] Those who -have passed the Rocky Mountains at fifty three degrees of north latitude, -during {211} the great melting of the snows, know whether or not we merit -the title of good travellers. It required all my strength to accomplish -it, and I confess that I would not dare undertake it again. - -After so many labors and dangers, we deserved a repast. Happily, we found -at the encampment all the ingredients that were necessary for a feast—a -bag of flour, a large ham, part of a reindeer, cheese, sugar, and tea in -abundance, which the gentlemen of the English Company had charitably left -behind. While some were employed refitting the barge, others prepared -the dinner; and in about an hour we found ourselves snugly seated and -stretched out around the kettles and roasts, laughing and joking about -the summersets on the mountains, and the accidents on the Portage. I -need not tell you, that they described me as the most clumsy and awkward -traveller in the band. - -Three beautiful rivers unite at this place: the Columbia, coming from the -south-east—the Portage river, from the north-east, and the Canoe river -from the north-west. We were surrounded by a great number of magnificent -mountains, covered with perpetual snow, and rising from twelve to sixteen -thousand feet {212} above the level of the ocean. The Hooker and the -Brown are the highest, the latter measuring sixteen thousand feet.[269] - -Very Rev. and dear Father Provincial, your humble brother in Jesus Christ, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XVII - -A. M. D. G. - - St. Paul’s Station, near Colville, May 29th, 1846. - -VERY REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL—The Columbia at the Boat Encampment -is 3,600 feet above the level of the sea. Having finished our meal, we -launched the barge and rapidly descended the river, which was now swollen -many feet above its usual level. Did not more serious avocations call him -away, an admirer of Nature would willingly linger in a region like this. -The volcanic and basaltic islands—the range of picturesque mountains, -whose bases came to bathe in the river, whilst their summits seemed to -be struggling, in the giant efforts of the avalanche, to throw off the -winding-sheet of winter, in order to give place to the new and beautiful -verdure of the month of May, with its smiling and varied flowers—the -thousand fountains which we could at one view behold, {214} leaping out -with soothing music from the shelves of perpendicular rocks bordering the -river—all lent their aid to increase the beauty of the scenery of Nature, -which, in this region of the Columbia, seems to have put forth all her -energy to display her grandeur and magnificence. - -After some hours of descent we came to Martin’s rapid, where a Canadian, -so called, together with his son, found a watery grave. Its roar is -deafening, and the agitation of the water resembles that of a raging -sea-storm. The whole bed of the river is here strewed with immense -fragments of rocks. Guided by an expert Iroquois pilot, and aided with -ten oars, the boat darted over its boisterous surface, dancing-like and -leaping from wave to wave, with the rapidity of lightning. - -At sunset we were at the Dalle of the Dead. (_Dalle_ is an old French -word, meaning a trough, and the name is given by the Canadian voyageurs -to all contracted running waters, hemmed in by walls of rocks.) Here, -in 1838, twelve unfortunate travellers were buried in the river.[270] -The waters are compressed between a range of perpendicular rocks, -presenting innumerable crags, fissures and cliffs, through which the -Columbia leaps with irresistible impetuosity, {215} forming, as it dashes -along, frightful whirlpools, where every passing object is swallowed and -disappears. By means of two long ropes we dropped down our boat through -the Dalle, and encamped for the night at its outlet. - -On the 11th we continued our route at early dawn—the mountain scenery was -hidden from our view wrapped up in dense mist and fog, which were seen -ascending in dense pillars, adding to the forming clouds above, till the -whole sky was overcast. Occasionally, as if to break upon the unusual -monotony, would a fallow or reindeer be observed on the margin of the -stream, or peeping with uplifted ears from a thicket, as the strange -sound of oars, or the Canadian song, came stealing louder and louder upon -them in their quiet abode:—off they bounded, affrighted at the sight -of men, so hateful, it appears, to the wild and timid creatures of the -forest. In the evening we encamped at the entrance of the Upper Lake. - -This beautiful sheet of crystalline water, whilst the rising sun was -tinting the tops of a thousand hills around, came most refreshing to the -eye. It is about thirty miles long, by four or five wide. Its borders are -embellished by overhanging precipices and majestic peaks, {216} which, -rearing their white heads above the clouds, look down like venerable -monarchs of the desert upon the great forests of pines and cedar -surrounding the lake. The two highest peaks are called St. Peter and St. -Paul. - -Twenty Indian families, belonging to the station of St. Peter, were found -encamped on the borders of the lake. I gladly accepted their invitation -to visit them. It was the meeting of a father with his children, after -ten months of absence and dangers. I dare say the joy was mutually -sincere. The greater part of the tribe had been converted during the past -year, at Kettle Falls. These families were absent at that time. I passed, -therefore, several days among them, to instruct them in the duties and -practices of religion. They then received baptism, with all the marks of -sincere piety and gratitude. Gregory, the name of their chief, who had -not ceased to exhort his people by word and example, had the happiness to -receive baptism in 1838, from the hands of the Rev. Mr., now Archbishop, -Blanchet. The worthy and respectable chief was now at the height of his -joy, in seeing at last all his children brought under the standard of -Jesus Christ. The tribe of these lake Indians are a part of the Kettle -{217} Fall nation. They are very poor, and subsist principally on fish -and wild roots. As soon as we shall have more means at our disposal, we -will supply them with implements of husbandry and with various seeds and -roots, which I have no doubt, will thrive well in their country; this -will be a great assistance to these destitute people. The second lake is -about six miles distant from the first. It is of about the same length, -but less wide. We passed under a perpendicular rock, where we beheld an -innumerable number of arrows sticking out of the fissures. The Indians, -when they ascend the lake, have a custom of lodging each an arrow into -these crevices. The origin and cause of the custom is unknown to me.[271] - -The mouth of the river McGilvray or Flat-Bow, is near the outlet of the -Lower Lakes. It presents a beautiful situation for the establishment of -a future Reduction or Mission, and I have already marked out a site for -the construction of a church. About twenty miles lower, we passed the -Flat-Head or Clark’s river, which contributes largely to the Columbia. -These two beautiful rivers derive a great portion of their waters from -the same chain of the Rocky Mountains, from which a great number of the -{218} forks of the south branch of the Sascatshawin and of the Missouri -are supplied. For a distance of about thirty miles from their junction -with the Columbia, are they obstructed by insurmountable falls and -rapids. Among the many lakes connected with the Flat-Head river, three -are very conspicuous, and measure from thirty to forty miles in length, -and from four to six in width. The Flat-Head lake receives a broad and -beautiful stream, extending upwards of a hundred miles in a north-western -direction, through a most delightful valley, and is supplied by -considerable torrents, coming from a great cluster of mountains, -connected immediately with the main chain, in which a great number of -lakes lie imbedded. Clark’s fork passed through Lake Kalispel.[272] Lake -Roothaan is situated in the Pend-d’oreille and Flat-Bow mountains, and -discharges itself by the Black-gown river into the Clark, twenty miles -below Kalispel Lake.[273] The St. Mary’s, or Bitter-root river, from -the south-east, is the greatest tributary of Clark’s fork, and the chief -residence of the Flat-Heads. All these waters contain an abundance of -fish, especially trout. The geography of the head of Clark’s Fork, is -little known, as appears from the maps, the south-east {219} branch or -the Saint Mary’s river being only a small tributary compared to the -main stream, coming from the north-west, and passing through the great -Flat-Head lake. - -Our barge was in great danger in the Dalle, some miles above -Colville.[274] I had left it, to go on foot, to avoid the dangerous -passage. The young boatman, notwithstanding my remonstrances, thought -they could pass in safety. A whirlpool suddenly arrested their course, -and threatened to bury them beneath its angry waters. Their redoubled -efforts proved ineffectual—I saw them borne on with an irresistible force -to the engulfing centre—the bow of the boat descended already into the -abyss and filled! I was on my knees upon the rock which overhung this -frightful spectacle, surrounded by several Indians—we implored the aid -of Heaven in favor of our poor comrades—they seemed to be evidently -lost—when the whirlpool filled, and threw them from its bosom, as it -reluctantly yielded up the prey which it had so tenaciously held. We all -gave heartfelt thanks to Almighty God for having delivered them from a -danger so imminent. - -From the outlet of the Lower Lake of the Columbia to Fort Colville, the -aspect of the {220} country is highly picturesque and interesting. The -whole section, on both sides of the river, is well supplied with rivulets -and streams. The soil is rather light, but it affords fine grazing; the -mountains are not high—the forests are open—the bottom lands present here -and there beautiful groves—the surface of the soil yields an abundant and -luxuriant grass. - -Towards the end of the month of May I arrived at Fort Colville. I found -the nation of Shuyelphi or Kettle Fall already baptized by the Rev. -Father Hoecken, who had continued to instruct them after my departure in -the month of August of last year. They had built, to my great surprise, a -small frame church, so much the more beautiful and agreeable to my eyes, -as being their first attempt at architecture, and the exclusive work of -the Indians. With a laudable pride they conducted me, as in triumph, to -the humble and new temple of the Lord, and in favor of that good people, -and for their perseverance in the faith, I there offered the august -Sacrifice of the Altar. - -The arrival of the good Father Nobili at Colville filled us with great -joy and consolation. He had made missionary excursions over the greatest -portion of New Caledonia. Everywhere {221} the Indian tribes received him -with open arms, and took great care to bring their little children to be -baptized. I add to this an extract from his letter, which will give you -an outline of his journey and the number of baptisms he performed. Having -made a retreat of eight days in the Reduction of St. Ignatius, and after -a month of repose and preparation for a second expedition, he returned -with renewed zeal and fervor to his dear Caledonians, accompanied -by several laborers, and supplied with a dozen horses, loaded with -implements of agriculture and carpentry. - -As a token of my sincere gratitude, and to let you know that we have -friends and benefactors in Oregon, I must here state to your Reverence, -that Father Nobili and myself were most hospitably entertained during -our stay at Fort Colville. The kindness of the Honorable Mr. Lewes and -family I shall never forget.[275] The attention shown Father Nobili, -in the trading posts of New Caledonia is beyond all praise. Truly and -deservedly has Commodore Wilkes stated,[276] “That the liberality and -hospitality of all the gentlemen of the Honorable Hudson Bay Company are -proverbial.” Indeed, we experience this and participate of it on all -occasions. - -{222} I remain, with profound respect and esteem, Very Rev. and dear -Father, your humble and obedient servant, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XVIII - -A. M. D. G. - -EXTRACT FROM FATHER NOBILI’S LETTER - - Fort Colville, June 1st, 1846. - -REV. FATHER,—While I remained at Fort Vancouver, I baptized upwards of -sixty persons, during a dangerous sickness which raged in the country. -The majority of those who received baptism, died with all the marks of -sincere conversion. On the 27th of July, I baptized nine children at -Fort Okinagane[277]—the children of the chief of the Sioushwaps were of -the number. He appeared full of joy at seeing a _Black-gown_ direct his -course towards their country. On the 29th I left Okinagane, and followed -the company. Every night I prayed with the whites and Indians. On the -road three old men came to me, and earnestly begged me to “_take pity on -them, and prepare them for heaven_!” Having instructed them in the duties -and principles of religion, and the necessity of baptism, I administered -to them, and to forty-six {224} children of the same tribe, what seemed -to be the height of their desires, the holy Sacrament of regeneration. - -On the 11th of August, a tribe of Indians, residing about the Upper Lake -on Thompson’s River, came to meet me.[278] They exhibited towards me all -the marks of sincere and filial attachment. They followed me several -days to hear my instructions, and _only departed_ after having exacted -a promise that I would return in the course of the following autumn or -winter, and make known to them the glad tidings of salvation. - -At the Fort of the Sioushwaps, I received a visit from all the chiefs, -who congratulated me on my happy arrival amongst them.[279] They raised a -great cabin to serve as a church, and as a place to teach them during my -stay. I baptized twelve of their children. I was obliged, when the Salmon -fishing commenced, to separate for some months from these dear Indians, -and continue my route to New Caledonia. - -I arrived at Fort Alexandria on the 25th.[280] All the tribes I met -manifested towards me the same emotions of joy and friendship. To my -surprise I found at the Fort a frame church. I returned in the fall and -remained there a month, {225} engaged in all the exercises of our holy -ministry. The Canadians performed their religious duties—I joined several -in marriage, and administered to many the Holy Communion. Twenty-four -children and forty-seven adults received baptism. - -On the 2d of September, I ascended the river Frazer, and after a -dangerous trip, arrived, on the 12th, at Fort George;[281] where the -same joy and affection on the part of the Indians attended me. Fifty -Indians had come down from the Rocky Mountains, and patiently awaited my -arrival for nineteen days, in order to have the consolation of witnessing -the ceremony of baptism. I baptized twelve of their children, and -twenty-seven others, of whom six were adults advanced in age. I performed -there the ceremonies of the planting of the Cross. - -On the 14th, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I ascended -the river Nesqually, and on the 24th, arrived at the Fort of Lake -Stuart.[282] I spent eleven days in giving instructions to the Indians, -and had the happiness of abolishing the custom of burning the dead, and -that of inflicting torments upon the bodies of the surviving wives or -husbands. They solemnly renounced all their juggling and idolatries. -{226} Their great medicine-hall, where they used to practise their -superstitious rites, was changed into a church. It was blessed and -dedicated to God under the patronage of St. Francis Xavier.[283] The -planting of the Cross was solemnly performed with all the ceremonies -proper to such occasions. Sixteen children and five old men received -baptism. - -The 24th Oct., I visited the village of the Chilcotins.[284] This mission -lasted twelve days, during which time I baptized eighteen children and -twenty-four adults, and performed eight marriages. I blessed here the -first cemetery, and buried, with all the ceremonies of the ritual, an -Indian woman, the first converted to Christianity. I next visited two -other villages of the same tribe—in the first I baptized twenty persons, -of whom three were adults. In the second, two chiefs with thirty of their -nation received baptism, and two were united in matrimony. Polygamy -prevailed everywhere, and everywhere I succeeded in abolishing it. In a -neighboring tribe I baptized fifty-seven persons, of whom thirty-one were -adults. I also celebrated nine marriages. - -After my return to the Sioushwaps, I baptized forty-one persons, of -whom eleven were adults. I visited five more villages among the {227} -neighboring tribes, amongst whom I baptized about two hundred persons. I -performed the ceremony of the planting of the Cross, in eight different -places, and founded four frame churches which were constructed by the -savages. - -On an average, each village or tribe consists of about two hundred souls. - - In the neighborhood of Fort Alexandria the number - of souls amounts to 1255 - About Fort George, 343 - In the neighborhood of Frazer’s Lake, 258 - ” ” Stuart’s Lake, 211 - ” ” McLeod’s Lake, 80 - ” ” Fort Babine, 1190 - ” ” Bear Lake,[285] 801 - ---- - Total number of souls, 4138 - -Population on Thompson’s river, or on the land of the Sioushwaps or -Atnass.[286] - - The number of Sioushwaps, so called, is 583 - ” of Okinaganes, 685 - Population on the North Branch, 525 - ” on Lake Superior, 322 - ” at the Fountain of Frazer Lake, 1127 - Number of Knife Indians, 1530 - ---- - Total number of souls, 4772 - -I remain, reverend Father, yours, &c., - - _J. Nobili, S. J._ - - -No. XIX - -A. M. D. G. - - Fort Walla-Walla, July 18th, 1846. - -VERY REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL,—I accepted the kind offer of Mr. -Lewes, and took my seat in one of the barges of the Hudson Bay Company, -on its way to Fort Vancouver. We stopped at Fort Okinagane, where I -administered baptism to forty-three persons, chiefly children. Our -passage was very pleasant and agreeable. I have little to add to what -I have already stated in my preceding letters of last year, respecting -our residence at Saint Francis Xavier’s, and the other Catholic -establishments in the Willamette Valley and vicinity. St. James’ Church -at Vancouver, St. John’s in Oregon City, St. Mary’s at the Convent, and -St. Francis Xavier’s chapel have all been opened for divine service. The -new church among the Canadians, and Cathedral, were fast progressing. The -number of children in the Sisters’ school {229} had greatly increased, -and a change for the better already taken place among the little metis -girls confided to their care. Sister Loyola, the Superior, appeared -delighted with their present conduct. Two Protestant families, among -the most respectable in Oregon, Dr. Long and lady and Judge Burnet and -family, were received into the bosom of the Catholic Church, in Oregon -City.[287] Archbishop Blanchet and companions were anxiously expected; -may the Lord speed them, and grant them a happy passage on the boisterous -ocean—a route which, it appears, they have selected in order to reach -their destined new homes. O, how large is the vineyard!—the Island of -Vancouver alone contains upwards of twenty thousand Indians, ready to -receive our missionaries—and an extensive field awaits the laborers, -among the numerous nations of the north-west coast. The visits paid -to these various tribes, by the _Black-gowns_, and the affection and -kindness with which they are received by the Indians, leave little doubt -of the ultimate success of their holy enterprise. - -In order to return to the upper Missions, I started in the beginning -of July, from Fort Vancouver, two days after the brigade of the Hudson -Bay Company had left it. An accident {230} by the way, fortunately -not attended with more serious consequences, here occurred to me. A -powder-horn exploded near me accidentally, scorching me severely, and -completely stripping the skin from my nose, cheeks and lips—leaving me -to all appearance, after all my travels, a raw-faced mountaineer. I -procured an Indian canoe, well-mounted, and soon found myself during a -thunder storm, in the great gap of the Cascade Mountains, through which -the mighty Columbia winds its way. The sublime and the romantic appear -to have made a grand effort for a magnificent display in this spot. On -both sides of the stream perpendicular walls of rock rise in majestic -boldness—small rills and rivulets, innumerable crystalline streams pursue -their way; murmuring down on the steep declivities, they rush and leap -from cascade to cascade, after a thousand gambols, adding, at last, their -foaming tribute to the turbulent and powerful stream. The imposing mass -of waters has here forced its way between a chain of volcanic, towering -mountains, advancing headlong with an irresistible impetuosity, over -rocky reefs, and prostrate ruins, for a distance of about four miles; -forming the dangerous, and indeed the last remarkable obstruction—the -{231} great cascades of the Columbia. There is an interesting, and very -plausible Indian account of the formation of these far-famed cascades, on -which so much has been said and written, so many conjectures regarding -earth-slides, sinks, or swells, caused by subterraneous volcanic agents. -“Our grandfathers,” said an Indian to me, “remember the time when the -waters passed here quietly, and without obstruction, under a long range -of towering and projecting rocks, which, unable to bear their weight -any longer, crumbled down, thus stopping up and raising the bed of the -river; here it overflowed the great forests of cedar and pine, which are -still to be seen above the cascades.” Indeed, the traveller beholds with -astonishment, a great number of huge trunks of trees, still standing -upright in water about twenty feet deep. No person, in my opinion, can -form a just idea of the cause that produced these remarkable changes, -without admitting the Indian narrative. - -My baggage was soon conveyed to the upper end of the portage. The -distance from the cascades to the dalles is about forty-five miles, and -is without any obstacle. The mountain scenery on both sides of the river, -with its {232} clusters of shrubs, cedars and pines, is truly delightful, -heightened occasionally by the sight of the snow-capped Mounts Hood and -St. Helena. A favorable breeze made us unfurl two blankets for the want -of sails, and as we were gliding rapidly up the stream, we observed -several islands of volcanic formation, where the Indians deposit their -dead on scaffolds, or in little huts made of pieces of split cedar, -frequently covered with mats and boards; great care is taken to hinder -birds of prey, or the rapacious wolves, with their hyena stomachs and -plundering propensities, from breaking in upon the abode of the dead. - -The third day we arrived at the great dalles. Indians flock thither -from different quarters of the interior, to attend, at this season of -the year, to the salmon fisheries. This is their glorious time for -rejoicing, gambling, and feasting; the long lent is passed; they have at -last assembled in the midst of abundance—all that the eye can see, or -the nose smell, is fish, and nothing but fish. Piles of them are lying -everywhere on the rocks, the Indian huts abound with them, and the dogs -are dragging and fighting over the offal in all directions. Not less -than eight hundred Indians were present on this occasion. {233} One who -has seen them five years ago, poor and almost naked, and who beholds -them now, discovers with a peculiar feeling of humor and delight, the -entire change in their external appearance, a complete metamorphosis, -as Ovid would say. Their dresses are of the most grotesque character, -regardless alike of their appropriateness to sex or condition of life. A -masquerade character, as we understand it, will at least exhibit unity -of design; but this Indian masquerade sets all unities at defiance. A -stout, swarthy Indian, steps proudly by you, apparently conscious of -the dignity conferred on him by his new acquisitions—a roundabout much -too small for him, a pair of tights with straps, with an intervening -space showing the absence of linen, form his body dress, while an old -fashioned lady’s night-cap with large frills, and if he be rich enough, -a sailor’s glazed cap carefully balanced above it, constitute his head -dress; a pair, and sometimes half a pair of brogans, complete the -ludicrous appearance of this Indian dandy. Some appear parading thro’ -the camp in the full dress of a wagoner, others in a mixture composed -of the sailor’s, the wagoner’s, and the lawyer’s, arranged according to -fancy; but the favorite article of ornamental {234} dress appears to be -the night-cap with its large frills; some again with only one article -of dress. I have seen an old Indian showing off a pair of boots to the -best advantage, as they formed the only article of his wardrobe then on -his person. Indian squaws are seen attired in long calico gowns, little -improved by the copious addition of fish oil, with which the taste or -negligence of the present owners besmeared them; occasionally, if they -can afford it, to this is superadded a vest, a flannel or great-coat. -The dalles at present, form a kind of masquerading thoroughfare, where -emigrants and Indians meet, it appears, for the purpose of affording -mutual aid. When the Oregon emigrants arrive here, they are generally in -want of provisions, horses, canoes, and guides—these wants the Indians -supply, receiving in exchange the old travelling clothes of the doctors, -lawyers, farmers, Germans, Frenchmen, Spaniards, &c., that pass through -the dalles on their westward route. Hence the motley collection of pants, -coats, boots, of every form and size, comforters, caps and hats of every -fashion. - -Here I overtook Messrs. Lewes and Manson,[288] who kindly offered me a -place in one of the barges of the Company, which I gladly accepted—the -transportation of their boats and goods {235} had taken up a whole -day. From the great dalles to the upper sources of the Columbia, great -care and attention are to be had in its navigation, for it presents a -constant succession of rapids, falls, cascades, and dalles. Men of great -experience, are here employed as pilots, and notwithstanding their skill -and precaution, no river probably on the globe, frequented as much, -could tell of more disastrous accidents. - -At the dalles you enter a barren region, where drift wood is brought into -every encampment by the Indians, for which they gladly receive a piece of -tobacco in return. In the absence of the savages, the tombs of the dead -are sometimes shamefully pillaged by civilized _Christian_ travellers, -taking away the very boards that cover the dead bodies, and thus leave -them the prey of vultures and crows. - -Indians linger on the Columbia as long as a salmon can be caught. -Unconscious of the approaching winter, they do not lay in sufficient -stock of provisions, and till late in the fall they may be seen picking -up the dead and dying fishes which float in great numbers on the surface. -In the immediate neighborhood of a camp the air is infected with the -scent of {236} salmon in a state of putrefaction; they are suspended on -trees, or on scaffolds, and to this unwholesome and detestable food has -the improvident Indian recourse, when the days of his long lent commence. - -You can scarcely form an idea of the deplorable condition of the poor -petty tribes, scattered along the banks of the Columbia, of which the -numbers visibly diminish from year to year. Imagine their dwellings, a -few poor huts, constructed of rush, bark, bushes, or of pine branches, -sometimes covered with skins or rags—around these miserable habitations -lie scattered in profusion the bones of animals, and the offal of fishes -of every tribe, amidst accumulated filth of every description. In the -interior, you find roots piled up in a corner, skins hanging from cross -poles, and fish boiling over the fire, a few dying embers; an axe to cut -wood being seldom found among them. The whole stock of kitchen utensils, -drinking vessels, dishes, etc., are comprised in something like a -fish-kettle, made of osier, and besmeared with gum—to boil this kettle -stones are heated red hot and thrown into it. But the mess cooked in this -way, can you guess what it is? No, not in twenty trials—it is impossible -to divine what {237} the ingredients are that compose this outlandish -soup! - -But to pass from the _material_ to the _personal_; what strange figures! -faces thickly covered with grease and dirt—heads that have never felt a -comb—hands! but such hands! a veritable pair of “jack of all trades,” -fulfilling in rapid succession, the varied functions of the comb, the -pocket-handkerchief, the knife, fork, and spoon—while eating, the process -is loudly indicated by the crackling and discordant sounds that issue -from the nose, mouth, throat, etc., a sight, the bare recollection of -which is enough to sicken any person. Thus you can form some idea of -their personal miseries—miseries, alas! that faintly image another -species infinitely more saddening; for what shall I say in attempting to -describe their moral condition? There prevails among the greater part of -them, a kind of superstitious idolatry, (called medicine or juggling), -that pays homage to the vilest animals; a degeneracy of morals which -knows no stronger tie in conjugal obligations, than the caprice of the -moment—a vehement, inordinate passion for gambling, that is prolonged to -the time of repose—a laziness which nothing can induce them to shake off -but the love of play, {238} or the pressing claim of hunger—they are in -fine, addicted to the vilest habits of gluttony, dissimulation, etc. Such -is the wretched condition of the poor savage tribes, along the Columbia. -But amidst all this misery, there is fortunately one redeeming feature, a -constant desire to discover some power superior to man; this disposition -renders them attentive to the least word that seems to convey the -slightest knowledge of a Supreme Being, and hence the facility with which -they believe anything that at all resembles the Word of God. - -Very reverend and dear Father, your humble and obedient servant, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XX - -A. M. D. G. - - St. Ignatius, near the Kalispel Bay, July 26th, 1846. - -VERY REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL,—The eighth day after my departure -from Fort Vancouver, I landed safely at Walla Walla, with the goods -destined for the different missions. In a few days all was ready, -and having thanked the good and kind-hearted Mr. McBride,[289] the -Superintendent of the Fort, who had rendered me every assistance in his -power, we soon found ourselves on the way to the mountains leading a band -of pack mules and horses over a sandy dry plain, covered with bunch grass -and wormwood. We made about sixteen miles and encamped for the night, in -a beautiful little meadow, watered by the Walla Walla river, where we -found abundance of grass for our animals—these were soon unloaded and -left free to graze {240} at leisure; we next made a fire, put on the -camp-kettle, stretched the bed, consisting of a buffalo-robe, and smoked -together the friendly Indian pipe, whilst supper was preparing. We found -ourselves at home and perfectly at ease in less than a quarter of an -hour. The evening was clear and beautiful—not a cloud—our sleep, sound -and refreshing, prepared us for an early start at dawn of day. We had a -day’s march, with pack animals, over an undulating plain, before we could -reach the crossing of the Nez-percé or Lewis fork,[290] whose source is -in the angle of the Rocky and Snowy Mountains, between the 42d and 44th -degrees, near the sources of the western Rio Colorado, the Platte, the -Yellow Stone, and the Missouri rivers: its western course till it reaches -the Blue Mountains, and hence its northern direction till it joins the -Columbia, together with its principal tributaries, are sufficiently known -to you, and have been amply described already. - -We found about a dozen Indian lodges called the Palooses, a portion of -the Sapetan or Nez-percé tribe.[291] We procured from the Indians here -some fresh salmon, for which we made them ample return in powder and -lead. But as the grass was withered and scanty, and the {241} pilfering -dispositions of these Indians rather doubtful, we resolved on proceeding -eight or ten miles farther, and encamped late in the evening on the -Pavilion river.[292] The Nez-percé and Spokane plain is at least a -thousand feet elevated above the bed of the river. It is dry, stony, -undulating, covered with bunch and nutritious grass, with prickly pear -and wormwood. The basaltic and volcanic formations which extend through -the whole of this region, are really wonderful. We frequently passed -ponds and small lakes embedded between walls of basaltic rocks—immense -ranges of dark shining pillars, as if forced from the bosom of the plain, -extend for some miles, resembling, not unfrequently, forts and ancient -ruined cities and castles. We encamped several times near small but -beautiful lakes, where ducks and geese, with their young broods, were -swimming in great numbers. The Indians frequent these regions in search -of the bitter and camash roots, very abundant here. In every one of their -old encampments we observed great quantities of prairie-turtle shells, -a proof of their being numerous and serving as food for the savages. -Pheasants or quails were very abundant—we daily killed what we wanted for -our meals. - -{242} On the fifth day of our departure from Walla Walla, we reached -the Spokane river,[293] and found a good fording for our animals. You -will see with pleasure the chart I have made of the head waters of this -river, which, though beautiful and interesting, is yet, like all the -other rivers in Oregon, almost an unbroken succession of rapids, falls, -and cascades, and of course ill-adapted in its present condition to the -purposes of navigation. The two upper valleys of the Cœur d’Alene are -beautiful, and of a rich mould; they are watered by two deep forks, -running into the Cœur d’Alene lake, a fine sheet of water, of about -thirty miles in length by four or five broad, from which the river -Spokane derives its source. I called the two upper forks the St. Joseph’s -and the St. Ignatius. They are formed by innumerable torrents, descending -from the Pointed-Heart mountains, a chain of the Rocky Mountains.[294] -The two upper valleys are about sixty or eighty miles long, and four or -eight miles broad. I counted upwards of forty little lakes in them. The -whole neighborhood of the Spokane river affords very abundant grazing, -and in many sections is tolerably well timbered with pines of different -species. - -{243} On leaving the river we ascended by a steep Indian path. A few -miles’ ride across a pine forest brings you to a beautiful valley, -leading to Colville, agreeably diversified by plains and forests, hemmed -in by high wooded mountains, and by huge picturesque rocks towering -their lofty heads over all the rest. Fountains and rivulets are here -very numerous. After about thirty miles, we arrived at the foot of the -Kalispel Mountain, in the neighborhood of St. Francis Regis, where -already about seventy metis or half-breeds have collected to settle -permanently. Several of them accompanied me across the mountain, the -height of which is about five thousand feet above the level of the plain. -Its access is very easy on the western side; on the eastern, the narrow -path winds its snake-like course through a steep and dense forest.—After -a march of about eight hours we arrived at the beautiful Kalispel Bay, -on the margin of lake De Boey, almost in sight of the _Reduction_ of St. -Ignatius.—My letter to Mrs. P.,[295] which I insert here will make you -acquainted with the whole history of that mission. - -I remain, with the profoundest respect and {244} esteem, Very Rev. Father -Provincial, your humble and obedient servant, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - -A. M. D. G. - - St. Ignatius, July 25th, 1846. - -MADAM,—I am, indeed, ashamed at not having been able sooner to answer the -letters which you had the kindness to write me on the 2d of September -and the 7th of December, 1844. They reached the Rocky Mountains only the -year after, while I was engaged in a distant mission among the Indians, -so that I received them only in the month of July, 1846. If it had -been in my power to forward you an answer before this moment, my heart -assures me that I would have done it without delay, for I must tell you -here, that the debt of gratitude which my poor Indians and myself owe -you is very great; and I felt impatient to inform you, that we have -already begun to pray for you, for your dear and amiable children, and -for your intentions. I have given directions to the Indians of these -different tribes, viz., the Flat-Heads, the Pends {245} d’Oreilles, and -the Cœur d’Alenes, to recite, every week, the Rosary for one of their -great benefactresses, meaning yourself. Now, you cannot but be aware, -that, among the Indians, the beads are recited in each family, so that I -am already assured, and I have the consolation of saying to you, that -many thousand pairs of beads have already been offered up to God and his -august mother for you. Those good Indians—those children of the forest—so -dear to my heart, will continue to display their gratitude till I tell -them to cease, and that will not be very soon. What confidence have I not -in the prayers of those Indians, whose merit is known only to God! Oh! -if it is true that the prayer of him who possesses the innocence, the -simplicity, and the faith of a child, pierces the clouds—is all-powerful, -and is certainly heard—then be assured that in these new missions, in -which the finger of God has been so visibly manifested, these virtues -reign preeminently, and that the prayer of the Indian will also be heard -in your behalf! How happy should I be, my dear, excellent Madam, could -I give you to understand how great, how sweet, how enrapturing is their -devotion to the august mother of God! The name of Mary, which {246} -pronounced in the Indian language, is something so sweet and endearing, -delights and charms them. The hearts of these good children of the forest -melt, and seem to overflow, when they sing the praises of her whom they, -as well as we, call their mother. Oh! I feel confident, knowing, as I -do, their dispositions, that they have a distinguished place in the -heart of that Holy Virgin; and that, through the intercession of Mary, -invoked by so many fervent souls, you will obtain from God whatever you -ask; for I am too well acquainted with your piety to think that you would -ask anything that was not calculated to promote the glory of God, the -sanctification of your own soul, and that of your children. - -Permit me, now, to say a few words concerning the Indians and myself, -since the time I had the honor of conversing with you in B⸺, in the -spring of 1843. On the 6th of November of the following year, the Rev. -Father A. Hoecken came to meet me, accompanied by several Indians of the -tribe of Pends d’Oreilles of the Bay, among whom I had determined, two -years before, to open a mission. They displayed every mark of friendship -and joy at my return among them; they conducted me in triumph to their -camp, {247} and received me there amidst volleys of musketry and the -sounding of trumpets. It would be impossible to describe the feelings of -my heart at thus meeting with the first band of my dear neophytes and -children in God, and to represent to you the real joy which animated -them on this occasion. How much had we not to communicate to each other! -I gave them some little and to them interesting details of the vast -countries through which I had travelled in order to promote the interest -and welfare of the Indians, since I bade them farewell, that is, within -fifteen months. I had crossed the great American desert, and passed -through so many warlike, nomadical nations, extending from the Pacific -Ocean to the frontier of the State of Missouri. I had travelled over -the United States from New Orleans to Boston—crossed the Atlantic—seen -a great part of Ireland and England—the whole of Belgium, Holland and -France. From Marseilles I had passed by Genoa, the city of palaces, -Leghorn, and Civitta Vecchia, to visit the Capital of the Christian -world. From Rome I had gone to Anvers, and then, sailing round Cape Horn, -touching at Chili and Peru, and having twice crossed the Equator, I had -at length disembarked {248} at Fort Vancouver, on the Columbia, and had -the happiness to embrace, on the 6th of November, my dear neophytes, who -had prayed so fervently for me, that, during all these long voyages, by -sea and land, passing through so many different climates, and at all -seasons of the year, I had not been troubled either by sickness or any -untoward accident. Glory to God for so special a protection, and a -thousand thanks to the good Indians who, from the moment of my departure -until my return, had not ceased to invoke, morning and evening, the -blessing and assistance of Heaven on its unworthy servant. - -The details which the young missionary gave me respecting their present -dispositions, are too interesting to be here omitted; and I give them in -proof of the divine grace over the hearts of this well-disposed people. -All that I had recommended to them in the visits I paid them in 1841-42, -had been strictly complied with. “The first thing,” says Father Adrien -Hoecken in a letter home, “which struck me on my arrival among them, -was a truly brotherly love and perfect union, which animated the whole -tribe, and seemed to make {249} them but one family. They manifest great -love, obedience and respect for their chiefs, and what is still more -admirable, they all, as the chiefs themselves declare, speak and desire -but one and the same thing. These chiefs are as much the real fathers of -their people as is a good Superior the father of a religious community. -The chiefs among the Kalispels speak calmly, but never in vain; the -instant they intimate their wish to one of their followers, he sets to -work to accomplish it. Is any one involved in difficulties—is he in -want or sickness,—or does he wish to undertake a journey, whether long -or short—he consults his chief, and shapes his conduct in accordance -with the advice he receives. Even with regard to marriage, the Indians -consult their chiefs, who sanction, or postpone it, or disapprove of it, -according as they deem it conducive, or otherwise, to the happiness of -the parties. The chief, in quality of father, endeavors to provide for -the support of his people. It is he, consequently, who regulates hunting, -fishing, and the gathering of roots and fruit. All the game and fish -are brought to his lodge, and divided into as many shares as there are -families. The distribution is made with rigid impartiality. The old, the -infirm, the {250} widow, all receive their share equally with the hunter. -Is not this something like the return of the golden age—those happy times -when every thing was held in common and all had, as the apostle informs -us, but one heart and one soul? Complaints, murmurings and backbiting -are here unknown; blasphemy has never been uttered by an Indian: there -are not even words in his language to express it.” On the arrival of -the _Black-gown_, the great chiefs explained to him, with patriarchal -simplicity, their manner of life. “We are ignorant,” he added, “but now -that we have the happiness to have a _Black-gown_ among us, we will -listen to his voice and obey it; whatever changes he may deem necessary -to make, we will cheerfully submit.” - -The _Black-gown_ confirmed and approved all the good practices and -customs he found established in this little corner of the world, where, -notwithstanding their poverty, the Indians all seemed contented and -happy. It is really affecting to hear them speak of the darkness in which -they had been buried; and to see them now exulting in the light of the -gospel, and the knowledge of the Christian virtues, which they cherish, -and by which their hearts seem to be inflamed. Their whole ambition -consists in listening {251} with docility to the word of God, and in -being able thoroughly to understand and recite their prayers. Piety is -what a young man seeks in her who is to be his future wife—and what a -young woman desires to find in him who is to become her husband. In their -leisure hours they surround, and, if I may be allowed the expression, -besiege their missionary. To the day they would add the night, if he -could bear the fatigue, in speaking of heavenly things. Pride and human -respect, are absolutely unknown to them. How often have we not seen -gray-headed old men and even chiefs, sit down by the side of children ten -or eleven years old, who would teach them their prayers, and explain to -them the figures of the _Catholic Ladder_, with all the gravity becoming -a teacher; and give to the explanation, for one or two hours, all the -attention of obedient pupils. In seasons of scarcity, when the fishing or -hunting has failed, or in other misfortunes, they manifest no signs of -impatience. They are quiet and resigned receiving them as punishments for -their sins; while their success they attribute to the bounty of God, and -render to Him all the glory of it. - -The usual place of residence of the Kalispels—that in which the -_Reduction of St. Ignatius_ is {252} now established—is an extensive -prairie, called the Bay of the Kalispels, thirty or forty miles above -the mouth of Clark or Flat-Head River. A beautiful grotto exists in the -neighborhood of the mission, which I have named the grotto of Manresa, -in honor of our Holy Founder. It is very large, and might, at a small -expense, be fitted up for a church. May the Indians gather in crowds into -this new Manresa, and after the example of their patron, St. Ignatius, be -penetrated with a feeling sense of heavenly things, and inflamed with the -love of God! - -I shall always remember with pleasure the winter of 1844-45, which I -had the happiness of spending among these good Indians. The place for -wintering was well chosen, picturesque, agreeable, and convenient. The -camp was placed near a beautiful waterfall, caused by Clark river’s -being blocked up by an immense rock, through which the waters, forcing -narrow passages, precipitate themselves. A dense and interminable forest -protected us from the north winds, and a countless number of dead -trees standing on all sides, furnished us with abundant fuel for our -fires during the inclement season. We were encircled by ranges of lofty -mountains, whose snow-clad summits reflected {253} in the sun, their -brightness on all the surrounding country. - -The place for wintering being determined, the first care of the Indians -was to erect the house of prayer. While the men cut down saplings, the -women brought bark and mats to cover them. In two days this humble -house of the Lord was completed—humble and poor indeed, but truly the -_house of prayer_, to which pure, simple, innocent souls repaired, -to offer to the Great Spirit their vows, and the tribute of their -affections. Here the missionaries continued with care and diligence, -their instructions preparatory to baptism. How consoling was it to see -ourselves surrounded by this fervent band, who had renounced the chase -of the buffalo—a pleasure so attracting to an Indian—and had come from -various parts of the country to place themselves under our direction, in -the well-founded hope of being speedily regenerated in the saving waters -of baptism. They had already learned their prayers, and all those things -which it was necessary they should practise. They applied with ardor to -become acquainted with the nature and obligations of the Sacrament of -regeneration, and the dispositions required for its worthy reception. - -{254} The great festival of Christmas, the day on which the little band -was to be added to the number of the true children of God, will never -be effaced from the memory of our good Indians. The manner in which we -celebrated midnight mass, may give you an idea of our festival. The -signal for rising, which was to be given a few minutes before midnight, -was the firing of a pistol, announcing to the Indians that the house of -prayer would soon be open. This was followed by a general discharge of -guns, in honor of the birth of the Infant Saviour, and three hundred -voices rose spontaneously from the midst of the forest, and entoned in -the language of the Pends d’Oreilles, the beautiful canticle: “_Du Dieu -puissant tout annonce la gloire._”—“The Almighty’s glory all things -proclaim.” In a moment a multitude of adorers were seen wending their -way to the humble temple of the Lord—resembling indeed, the manger in -which the Messiah was born. On that night, which all at once became -bright as day, they experienced, I know not what, that which made -them exclaim aloud, “Oh God! I give Thee my heart.” Oh! I trust that -the happy impression which this unwonted spectacle made upon their -hearts, will never be effaced. Of {255} what was our little church of -the wilderness constructed? I have already told you—of posts fresh cut -in the woods, covered over with mats and bark; these were its only -materials. On the eve, the church was embellished with garlands and -wreaths of green boughs; forming, as it were, a frame for the images -which represent the affecting mysteries of Christmas night. The interior -was ornamented with pine branches. The altar was neatly decorated, -bespangled with stars of various brightness, and covered with a profusion -of ribbons—things exceedingly attractive to the eye of an Indian. At -midnight I celebrated a solemn Mass, the Indians sang several canticles -suitable to the occasion. That peace announced in the first verse of the -Angelic hymn—“The _Gloria_,—Peace on earth to men of good will,” was, I -venture to say, literally fulfilled to the Indians of the forest. A grand -banquet, according to Indian custom, followed the first Mass. Some choice -pieces of the animals slain in the chase had been set apart for the -occasion. I ordered half a sack of flour, and a large boiler of sweetened -coffee to be added. The union, the contentment, the joy, and charity, -which pervaded {256} the whole assembly, might well be compared to the -_agape_ of the primitive Christians. - -After the second High Mass, all the adults, with the chiefs at their -head, presented themselves in the church to receive baptism, the -fulfilment of their longing desires. The old man and woman whom I -baptized two years before, were sponsors for all. The men were placed -on the one side, according to the custom of Paraguay, and the women -on the other. I was assisted during the ceremony, by Father Hoecken, -their worthy and zealous missionary. Everything was done in order and -with propriety. Permit me to repeat here that I should be delighted -could I but communicate to the zealous and fervent, those pleasurable -feelings—that overflowing of the heart, which one experiences on such -occasions. Here, indeed, the Indian missionary enjoys his greatest -consolations: here he obtains his strength, his courage, his zeal to -labor to bring men to the knowledge of the true God, in spite of the -poverty, the privations of every description, and the dangers with which -he has to contend. Yes, surely, even in this life is the promise of the -Saviour fulfilled with regard to him, “Ye shall receive {257} a hundred -fold.” The trifling things of the world he abandons, are nothing to be -compared with the blessings he finds in the wilderness. The priest does -not address in vain to the Indians, those beautiful words of the Roman -ritual; “Receive this white garment, etc.,” “Receive this burning taper, -etc.” He may be certain that the greater number of his catechumens will -wear that spotless garment—will preserve their baptismal innocence, to -the hour of their death. When I have afterwards asked them, if they have -not offended God? if their conscience does not reproach them with some -fault? how often have I received this touching and consoling answer: -“Oh, Father! in baptism I renounced sin, I try to avoid sin, the very -thought of offending God, frightens me!” The ceremonies of baptism were -closed by a second instruction, and by the distribution of beads which -the Indians are accustomed to say every evening in public. - -About 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the solemn benediction of the blessed -sacrament was given for the first time, immediately after which, upwards -of fifty couples, many of whom were eighty years old, came forward to -renew before the Church, their marriage promises. I could not {258} help -shedding tears of joy at witnessing this truly primitive simplicity, and -the love and affection with which they pledged again their faith to each -other. The last instruction was then given, and thanks were returned to -God for all the blessings he had vouchsafed to shower upon them, on this -ever-memorable day. The recitation of prayers and the chanting of hymns -were heard in all the lodges of the camp, till the night was far advanced. - -Fathers Mengarini and Serbinati, (the last-mentioned Father has since -died), had the consolation to see the whole tribe of the Flat-Heads, -among whom they had been laboring, approach the Holy Table on this -day. Twelve young Indians, taught by Father Mengarini, performed with -accuracy, several pieces of music during the midnight Mass. Fathers Point -and Joset had, also, the consolation of admitting for the first time, -nearly the entire tribe of the Cœur d’Alenes, on this auspicious day, to -the Holy Communion. Father Point has given the particulars of this first -communion in a letter, which has been published, and which you have, no -doubt, read with pleasure. The Christmas of 1844 was, therefore, a great -and glorious day in the Rocky Mountains. - -{259} I will close this already lengthy letter with a few words more -concerning the Pends d’Oreilles of the Bay. Early in the spring of -1845, began to build upon the spot selected for the _Reduction_ of -St. Ignatius, and to open fields. On Ascension day of the same year, -Father Hoecken administered baptism to upwards of a hundred adults. At -my last visit, which I paid them in July last, they had already put up -fourteen log houses, besides a large barn, had the timber prepared for -a church, and had upwards of three hundred acres in grain, enclosed by -a substantial fence. The whole village, men, women, and children, had -worked most cheerfully. I counted thirty head of horned cattle—the squaws -had learned to milk the cows and to churn; they had a few hogs and some -domestic fowls. The number of Christians had doubled since Christmas, -1844. - -A flour and saw mill, a few more ploughs, with other agricultural -implements, and carpenter’s tools, were much wanted in the village of St. -Ignatius. All is to be commenced among these poor, good Indians, and to -us they look for means and supplies, which we readily grant as far as we -are able. Already was an appeal made to the generous and charitable {260} -Christians, and it is consoling for me to say, that appeal found an echo -in the hearts of the friends of the Indians, which enabled us to enlarge -our missionary operations, and I may add, that the grateful prayer of -the Indians is daily ascending to the throne of the Almighty, to implore -the blessings of Heaven on their benefactors. In 1845 and ’46, several -stations were formed, and the extensive mission of New Caledonia was -commenced. - -I remain, with profound respect and esteem, madam, your very humble and -obedient servant, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XXI - -A. M. D. G. - - Valley of St. Mary’s, Aug. 10, 1846. - -VERY REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL,—On the 27th July, I bade farewell -to Father Hoecken and his interesting little flock, consisting of about -five hundred Indians. I was accompanied by two Kalispels, and some -of the Cœur d’Alenes, who came to meet me. We had beautiful weather, -and a path remarkably free from those obstructions so annoying to -travellers in the mountains. Towards the middle of our day’s journey, -we reached a beautiful lake surrounded by hills, and a thick forest -of larch. I have named it the Lake de Nef, as a token of gratitude -towards one of the greatest benefactors of the mission. It discharges -itself through a narrow passage, forming a beautiful rapid, called the -Tournhout-torrent,[296] at the termination {262} of which it joins its -limpid waters to those of the river Spokane. - -Next day the sun rose majestically, and everything gave promise of an -agreeable day, but these fine appearances were gradually lost behind a -thick bank of ominous clouds, which, shortly after overspreading the sky, -poured down such torrents of rain, that everything on us was drenched as -completely as if we had waded through a river. At the foot of the great -rapids, we crossed the river Spokane,[297] and continued our route over -an extensive plain, agreeably interspersed with thick groves of pine, -when towards sunset we encamped close by a refreshing fountain. - -A few words descriptive of our encampments during wet weather, may not -be out of place. The tent erected in haste—saddles, bridles, baggage, -etc., thrown into some sheltered spot—large heaps of larch branches or -brushwood are cut down, and spread over the spot of ground destined for -our repose—provision of as much dry wood as can be collected is now -brought forth for the whole night; on this occasion we made a fire large -enough to roast an ox. These preparations completed, our meal (dinner and -supper the same time) consisting of flour, camash {263} roots, and some -buffalo tallow, is thrown into a large kettle nearly filled with water. -The great heat obliging the cook to stand at a respectable distance from -the fire, a long pole serves as a ladle to stir about the contents until -the mixture has acquired the proper density, when a vigorous attack is -made upon it after a singular fashion indeed. On the present occasion -we were six in number, trusting to a single spoon, but necessity soon -supplied the deficiency. Two of the company used pieces of bark; two -others, strips of leather; and the fifth, a small turtle-shell. Grace -being said, a circle is formed round the kettle, and the instruments -plunge and replunge into it with as much regularity and address, as a -number of smiths’ hammers plying at the anvils—a few moments, and the -contents of the large kettle are gone, leaving not a vestige behind. We -found this repast delicious, thanks to our keen appetites. Making due -allowance for the tastes of others, “_de gustibus enim nil disputandum_,” -I confess I have never enjoyed a feast more heartily, than such as I -have now described, prepared in the open air, after the Indian fashion. -All the refined inventions of the art culinary, as sauces, pickles, -preserves, pies, etc., designed to quicken {264} or restore weak -appetites, are here utterly useless. Loss of appetite, which among the -wealthy forms the reigning complaint, furnishing abundant employment to -apothecaries and doctors, is here unheard of. If these patients would -have the courage to abandon for a time their high living, and traverse -the wilds of this region on horseback, breakfasting at day-break, and -dining at sunset, after a ride of forty miles, I venture to predict that -they will not need any refined incitements to relish as I did a simple -dish prepared by the Indians. Having dried our blankets and said night -prayers, our repose was not less sound for having fared so simply, or -lain upon a rough couch of brushwood. We started early the next morning, -and about mid-day arrived at the mission of the Sacred Heart, where I was -received with the greatest cordiality by Fathers Joset and Point, with -B. B. Magri and Lyons.[298] All the Cœur d’Alenes of the neighborhood -came to welcome me. The fervor and piety of these poor Indians filled me -with great joy and consolation, especially when I considered how great -the change wrought in them since their conversion to Christianity. The -details of this conversion have, I believe, been published by Father -Point, and {265} by the way, I may remark here, that some incidents -connected with my previous mission to this country, are inserted in this -letter. To these details I may add, that these Indians previous to their -conversion, were shunned by the other tribes, on account, it is said, of -their great power in juggling and other idolatrous practices. Indeed, -they were addicted to superstitions the most absurd, blindly offering -adoration to the vilest beasts, and the most common objects. Now, they -are the first to scoff at these ridiculous practices, adding at the -same time, with much feeling and veneration, “God has had pity on us—He -has opened our eyes—He is infinitely good to us.” A single instance will -serve to give you some idea of the objects of their worship, and the -facility with which they adopt their manitous or divinities. They related -to me, that the first white man they saw in their country, wore a calico -shirt spotted all over with black and white, which to them appeared like -the smallpox, he also wore a white coverlet. The Cœur d’Alenes imagined -that the spotted shirt was the great manitou himself—the great master -of that alarming disease, the smallpox—and that the white coverlet -was the great manitou of the snow; that if they {266} could obtain -possession of these, and pay them divine honors, their nation would never -afterwards be visited by that dreadful scourge; and their winter hunts -be rendered successful by an abundant fall of snow. They accordingly -offered him in exchange for these, several of their best horses. The -bargain was eagerly closed by the white man. The spotted shirt and the -white coverlet became thenceforward, objects of great veneration for many -years. On grand solemnities, the two manitous were carried in procession -to a lofty eminence, usually consecrated to the performance of their -superstitious rites. They were then respectfully spread on the grass: -the great medicine-pipe offered to them, with as much veneration, as it -is customary with the Indians, in presenting it to the sun, the fire, -the earth, and the water. The whole band of jugglers, or medicine-men, -then entoned canticles of adoration to them. The service was generally -terminated with a grand dance, in which the performers exhibited the most -hideous contortions and extravagant gestures, accompanied with a most -unearthly howling. - -The term _medicine_ is commonly employed by the whites, to express -whatever regards the {267} juggling, idolatrous practices of the -savages; probably, because the Indian feeling his ignorance of the -proper remedies in sickness, and almost wholly dependent upon chance for -his subsistence, merely demands of his manitous some relief in these -distressing situations. This _something_ that the Indians call Power, -is at times limited, say they, to the procuring of only one object, as -the cure of some disease. Some other Power, again, is not so limited, it -extends to many objects, as success in hunting, fishing, waging war, and -avenging injuries. All this, however, varies according to the degree of -confidence reposed in it by the individual, the number of his passions -or the intensity of his malice. Some of the Powers are looked upon even -by the savages themselves, as wicked in the extreme, the sole object of -such Powers is to do evil. Moreover it is not at all times granted, even -when those professing to be most powerful medicine-men, earnestly desire -it. It comes only during sleep, in a fainting fit, during a loud clap -of thunder, or in the delirious excitement of some passion; but never -without some definite purpose, as to foment dissensions, or exasperate -to deeds of violence, or to obtain some corporal advantage; favors which -are always {268} purchased at the expense of the soul. Much exaggeration -is, of course, clearly characteristic of those misnamed effects of -preternatural power. Most of those that came under my notice, and which -the Indians attributed to preternatural agency, were the effects of -causes purely natural. Notwithstanding these deplorable disorders of the -soul, it is my greatest consolation to reflect, that these superstitious -practices, in consequence of the many palpable contradictions they admit, -become a spiritual malady, the least difficult to cure. - -On the 5th of August, I left the Mission of the “Sacred Heart of Jesus,” -accompanied by the Rev. Father Point. Three Indian families, desirous of -visiting St. Mary’s, served us for guides. Our journey for some days, lay -along the serpentine course of the river St. Ignatius, in the valley of -the North. The soil of this valley is for the most part rich, and well -adapted to cultivation, but subject to frequent inundations. Grain and -potatos are here cultivated by the Indians with great success. Father -Joset, assisted by the savages, has already enclosed and prepared for -cultivation, a large field, capable of affording sustenance to several -Indian families. Our hopes, then, of seeing {269} these poor Indians -furnished with a plentiful supply of provisions, and their wandering -habits thereby checked, will with the blessing of God, be realized at -no very distant day. To attain the desirable object of uniting them in -villages, and thus forming them to habits of industry, we need, however, -more means than we possess at present—we are very much in want of seeds -of various kinds, and of agricultural implements. - -Before arriving at the snow-capped chain of mountains, which separates -the Cœur d’Alenes from the Flat-Heads, we wound our way for two days, -through forests almost impenetrable and over immense beds of rock, always -following the course of the river, except where its tortuous windings -would lead us too circuitous a route.[299] So tortuous indeed is its -course here, that in less than eight hours, we crossed it no less than -forty-four times. The majestic cedars that shade the gorge at this point -are truly prodigious, most of them measure from twenty to thirty feet in -circumference, with a proportionate height, and so numerous, that as the -rays of the sun cannot penetrate the dense mass, perpetual night may -be said, without exaggeration, to reign here. I doubt whether the {270} -owl could have selected a more fitting abode, certainly none so majestic -or mysterious. The death-like silence of this glen, broken only by the -passing breeze, the occasional visit of some wild animal, or the constant -murmuring of the rills from the rocky banks, impress the beholder with -feelings of a most unearthly yet pleasing nature. - -With much difficulty and fatigue we forced a passage through this dense -mass of forest, stooping half the time upon the neck of the horse, to -avoid the low thorny branches, so thickly crossed together, that one is -inclined at first sight, to abandon all hope of wedging his way through -them. Its termination brought us to the foot of the great chain of -mountains. It occupied us nearly another day to ascend this by a narrow -winding path, which is shaded by one of the finest forests in Oregon. -Towards sunset we reached the top, where we pitched our camp, within a -few paces of one of those immense snow masses, that perpetually shroud -this lofty chain. Here we enjoyed a most magnificent view—the horizon -for some hundred miles around presented a spectacle of surpassing -grandeur: as far as the eye could reach, a long succession of mountains, -towering cliffs, {271} and lofty pinnacles, exhibited their dazzling -snow-capped summits to our astonished vision. The very silence of this -vast wilderness strikes the beholder with feelings of deep sublimity; not -even a breeze stirred to break the charm of this enchanting view. I shall -never forget the splendor of the scene we witnessed, as the last rays -of the setting sun were throwing their full lustre upon the myriads of -pinnacles that ranged far away towards the distant horizon. - -The descent on the eastern side of this mountain is less abrupt, -presenting slopes of rich verdure, adorned with a great variety of -plants and flowers. This descent also occupied us an entire day. We -next arrived at a forest, a twin-sister, if I may be allowed the -expression, of the one I have just described. Here the river St. Francis -Regis meanders through innumerable hoary cedars, pine trees, and an -impenetrable thicket of bushes of every species. With the happiest -recollections, we finally encamped on the banks of the St. Mary’s river, -in the Flat-Head valley—the nursery of our first missionary operations in -the Far West.[300] - -In my next, I propose giving you some details of the present condition -of our first children in God, the good and deserving Flat-Heads. {272} I -recommend myself to God in your prayers. - -I remain, with profound respect and esteem, reverend and dear Father, -your very humble servant, and brother in Christ, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XXII - -LETTER OF THE REV. FATHER POINT, S. J., MISSIONARY IN OREGON - - Village of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, ⸺, 1845. - -I learn by letters from Europe, that you take a lively interest in our -dear missions. From this, I conclude that you will be very glad to learn -some of those things which are passing amongst us. I take the more -pleasure, because I can detail what my own eyes have witnessed, and -because I can give a new proof of a truth, which you love to extend, -viz., that it is to their devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that the -pastors of souls are indebted for the consolations they enjoy: this will -explain the wonders of mercy of which they are witnesses. - -You know already the history of the _Flat-Heads_; truly their conversion -is the result of a wonderful outflowing of the riches of grace; but I do -not hesitate to say, that the conversion {274} of the _Pointed-Hearts_ -is a still more striking indication of God’s love to man. What were -these savages less than a quarter of a century ago? They had hearts -so hard, that if their first visitors have undertaken to give a true -description of them, they could not find an expression more just, than -is the singular name which they bear to this day. Their knowledge was so -limited, that, giving themselves up to the worship of animals they had -no idea of the true God nor of their soul, much less of a future life; -finally they were a race of men, so degenerate that they had barely two -or three notions of the whole natural law, and almost all were strangers -to it in practice. - -What a different aspect they now present! I will not say that they are -perfect: that would be an exaggeration even in the eyes of persons -little versed in the knowledge of the human heart. Everybody knows, that -people who are converted, always retain something of their primitive -character, and that the defects of education are not corrected except by -a long course of years; but I say to the glory of Him, who can change -the hardest rocks into children of Abraham, that, at this day, our -_Pointed-Hearts_ are true believers. - -{275} It is only two years since the cross was planted on their soil, and -all, with a very few exceptions, have made their first communion. - -About fifteen years ago, several missionaries begged to be employed among -the savages. A new doctrine was soon spread among the Pointed-Hearts, -telling them that there is but one God, who has, beyond the earth we see, -two things which we do not see:—a place for the good, and a place for the -bad; that the Son of God, in all respects like his Father, seeing all -men running in the bad road, came down from Heaven to put them in the -right way; but that in order to effect this, it was necessary for him -to die upon a cross. One evening, all the families, who were dispersed -in different directions, for fishing, for hunting, and gathering roots, -assembled upon the ground of an old chief called Ignatius,[301] to see -the author of this news. Regardless of fatigue, they prolonged their -sitting to the silence of the night, and listened to all the details of -the glorious message. - -God is great—Jesus Christ is good:—two truths the admission of which -seemed to be the result of the first sitting: was this, indeed, the -case? Not so much, perhaps, as would have been desirable: for before -the families separated, {276} Heaven sent a scourge, which struck with -death a great number of them. At the moment it raged with the greatest -violence, one of the dying—since named Stephen—heard a voice from above, -which said: “Cast down thy idols; adore Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be -cured.” The dying man believed the word, and was cured. He went about -the camp and related what had taken place: all the sick who heard him -imitated his example, and recovered their health. I have this fact from -the mouth of the savage who heard the voice from heaven, and the same has -been confirmed by eye-witnesses, who could say, “I, myself, have been the -object of that wonder, and my eyes have seen the mountain at the foot of -which the idols were cast down.” - -The savage takes little notice of an event which does not strike him -in a sensible manner; but what I have related was marked by two such -peculiar characters, that it left traces in the memory of all. However, -neither constancy nor reflection is to be found in the savage. After some -years of fidelity to the impressions received, the greater part returned -to their former idolatry. This retrograde movement was accelerated by -the medicine-men—a kind {277} of charlatans, who set themselves up -for physicians and prophets, and pretend to perform wonderful things, -especially, to cure the sick by their skill and supernatural power. -At the word of one of the chiefs, who, probably, had not ceased to be -an idolater, the men convoked an assembly of those who were called -believers, in which it was resolved to return to their ancient practices; -and, from that moment, the animals of the country, now become again -divine, re-entered into possession of their ancient honors. The mass of -the tribe, had, indeed, no confidence in them; but, either through fear -of the medicine-men, or by natural curiosity, they took part, at least by -their presence, in the sacrilegious worship paid to them. Happily, choice -souls were always among them to intercede with Heaven for their deluded -brethren; I know many, who, from the time in which God was pleased -to manifest himself among them, have not the least faults upon their -consciences, with which to reproach themselves. - -Such was pretty nearly the condition of the people when Providence sent -among them the Rev. Father De Smet. His visit, the circumstances of which -have been related elsewhere, {278} disposed them so much in favor of the -_Black-gowns_, that it was determined I should be sent to their aid. -Three months after, that is, at the close of the hunting expeditions of -the autumn of 1842, I left St. Mary’s to place the new converts under the -protection of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. - -The same day I entered their territory, the first Friday of November, I -made with three chiefs who came to seek me, the promised consecration, -and on the first Friday of December, in the midst of chants and -prayers, the cross was raised on the borders of a lake, where the poor -savages had united for fishing. Thanks be to God, we can say, that the -miraculous draught of St. Peter was spiritually renewed. For they spoke -no more of their assemblies of impostors, their diabolical visions, nor -superstitious ceremonies, which had before been so common; and most -important of all, gambling, which had always occupied a great portion -of their time, was two weeks afterwards, abandoned; the conjugal bond, -which for centuries, perhaps, had known among them neither unity nor -indissolubility, was brought back to its primitive character. A beautiful -sight was presented by the _medicine-men_ themselves, {279} who with -their own hands, did justice to the wretched instruments hell had used -to deceive them. During the long nights of that period, it will not be -necessary to tell how many sacrifices were made of feathers, wolves’ -tails, stags’ feet, deer’s hoofs, wooden images, &c. - -Scarcely was the bad tree cut down and thrown into the fire, than a -blessing on their temporal affairs was united to that of their spiritual. -In one day three hundred deer became the prey of the hunters. - -The first days of spring, the reunion of the people at the place agreed -on for the construction of a village was more numerous than the first. It -was formed upon the ancient plans in Paraguay, and each one, according -to his strength and industry, contributed towards its construction. -Trees were felled, roads opened, a church erected, and the public -fields were sown; and, thanks to the piety of our savages, Holy Week, -Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost were celebrated with becoming solemnity. -In truth, things went so well, that the enemy of men, perceiving his -prey escape him, redoubled his efforts. We experienced some loss in -consequence of a storm; but after a partial destruction, {280} the storm -only resulted in purifying the atmosphere. - -Towards the end of October, 1844, one hundred families of the -Pointed-Hearts reunited in one village. The sight of their little lodges -around the house of God, brought to mind the touching idea of the pelican -in the desert. Young and old united to make their first communion, or -renew it. Many had already acquired a certain degree of instruction, -but the greater portion, especially of the old, were far from being -sufficiently instructed; and the time the Black-gown had to prepare them -before the great winter chase, was November and December, for the chase -could not be put off, it is essential to the life of a savage. It was -necessary, then, to hasten, and choose the shortest method of instructing -them. - -Everybody knows the savage has the eye of a lynx, and never forgets what -he has once seen; therefore when he attaches any idea to a sensible sign, -he can always recall it as soon as he sees the sign under his eyes; -thus they have a wonderful facility in speaking by signs, and a great -inclination to render their thoughts by images: upon this faculty I based -my system of instruction. I made images, representing {281} what they -ought to believe. Some of these represented the faults and vices they -ought to shun, others the virtues they should practice. After this, with -a little stick in my hand, I explained my representations, and tried to -adapt myself to the understanding of all. - -[Illustration: View of the new mission Establishment in 1846, among the -Pointed-Hearts - -(See Letter 21)] - -The success of this method surpassed my expectation: for, having made the -most intelligent repeat what I had said, I had the pleasure to see that -they lost nothing of what was essential, and immediately I formed classes -for repetition. The first repetition was made immediately after the -instruction; the second in their lodges, the third by the chiefs in their -harangues, and the fourth at the beginning of the next instruction. - -The plan was insisted upon, and rapid progress made, not only in their -instruction, but also in their morals. Those who exhorted joined to their -exhortations the force of private example, so that the mass of the people -seemed to be led on, by attraction. - -From the 9th of September to the time in which I write—a period of six -months—not one single fault, which can be called serious, so far as my -knowledge extends, has been committed in the village of the Sacred Heart -of Jesus; and a great many, who reproached themselves {282} with light -failings, cease not to make public confession in terms of grief, which it -would be desirable to see the greater culprits exhibit at the tribunal of -penance. I have seen husbands come after their wives, and mothers after -their daughters, not to excuse the accusations which they had made, but -to acknowledge that their want of patience and humility were the cause of -the failings of the others. - -It is worthy of remark that [of] all the adults, who had not yet received -baptism, and all who united to prepare for their first communion, not -one was judged unworthy to receive the sacraments. Their simplicity, -piety, charity, and especially their faith, were admirable. And truly -all these virtues were necessary for these good old men, who, for the -sake of learning their prayers, had to become the scholars of their -children, and for the children to enable them to do violence to their -natural vivacity, while they slowly communicated to their old parents and -grandparents, a part of what they had learned; and the chiefs would rise -at the dawn of day, and sometimes in the middle of the night, to exhort -their _people to weep over their sins_. - -I have spoken of their faith. How pure and {283} above all, how confiding -it was! The first idea, necessary to impress on their minds was, that -the goodness of God is not less great than his power, and they were so -convinced of it, that they begged God to perform miracles, as they would -beg their daily bread. They were told, that the sacrament of extreme -unction had the power not only to purify the soul, but to restore health -to the body; it did not occur to them to doubt of the one more than of -the other. - -They have great faith in the sign of the cross. They are accustomed to -make it at the beginning of their prayers, and of all their principal -actions. Not satisfied with making it themselves, their children can -scarcely pronounce a word, before they teach them to articulate the words -of the sign of the cross. I saw a father and mother bending over the -cradle of an only son, who was about to die. They made their best efforts -to suggest to him to make the sign of the cross, and the child having -raised his little hand to his forehead, made the consoling sign and -immediately expired. - -A woman, sitting near the grave of her only daughter, was conversing -with her little boy, whom she had that day presented at the baptismal -font. “See,” said she, “my child, how {284} happy it is to die after -being baptized! If you should die to-day, you would see again our little -Clementia.” And the pious mother exhibited such a calmness in her tone of -voice and countenance, that she seemed to have a foretaste of the happy -abode of which she spoke. - -Our infant church presented the picture of the purest virtues, when the -happy period for which she sighed was approaching. The week preceding the -celebration of the Immaculate Conception of the blessed Virgin Mary, was -devoted to prepare the people for the reception of holy communion. The -time, of course, did not admit of frequent instructions, long prayers -and general confessions. The good Father Joset gave instructions. -Their prayers were fervent, and experience had already taught them -the necessity of true sorrow for past sins, which they exhibited in a -lively manner at the confessional. I used all the exertions I could -to prepare those whose understandings appeared more limited than the -others; and their piety, calmness and perseverance, have put to flight -all the fears which rested on my mind. The church was small; it measured -in length fifty feet, and in breadth twenty-four. It was indeed, {285} -poor, but from every part of the wall and ceiling, were suspended rich -festoons of leaves. While the stars were still shining in the firmament, -the chant, _Lauda Sion_, was heard. But who sung that divine canticle? -The savages, who lately addressed their prayers only to the animals of -their mountains. Go to the foot of the altar and see the new adorers, -bowing their heads before the Eternal One. The representation of the -Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Cross on which he expired, raised their -thoughts to the abode of glory, and caused them to center there all their -affections. They approached the altar to receive holy communion with -the greatest order and devotion. It was Father Joset who had happiness -to distribute to them the bread of life, a happiness, so much the more -felt, as he had just arrived among them. Before they approached the holy -table, he addressed them a few words; but the tender piety apparent in -all at the moment of communicating, made him fear to spoil the work -of God by adding more words of his own, and he left them to their own -devotion. - -We recited the usual prayers for the intentions of the Church, and closed -the morning services {286} by chanting again the _Lauda Sion_. The high -mass was celebrated at ten o’clock. - -In the evening took place the renovation of the promises of baptism. The -church was illuminated, at least as well as our poverty would permit. The -sacrament of baptism was conferred on twelve adults. After a preparatory -instruction, instead of the ordinary formulas, which were a little -difficult to be translated into the Indian language, all of them, to show -their constant fidelity, recited three acts of love to God. In hearing -them, we remarked, that like the prince of the Apostles, they replied to -the three-fold enquiry of their Saviour. The holy sacrament was exposed. -To the expression of unanimous and forcible love, their looks of piety -directed towards the altar, seemed to add: O beauty! always ancient, -always new! too late have we loved thee; but we will love thee forever! -The benediction of the blessed sacrament followed, and closed that great -and beautiful day, which had been so rich in every kind of spiritual -gifts. It was with difficulty that these good souls left the place, -which had, that day, been the witness of their prayers and promises. The -Pointed-Hearts exhibited by their prayers, their canticles, and {287} -their holy conversations, a foretaste of heavenly joys. They often came -to visit the Black-gowns. Some days, I was surrounded by these visitors. -They all waited in profound silence, till I had finished my office. One -of them then chanted the first verse of _Lauda Sion_, in which all the -voices joined. Thus, it is a consoling truth, that, at the extremities -of the heathen world, as well as in the centre of civilization, the -church puts forth a united effort for the conversion and salvation of -mankind. - -I am, devotedly yours, in Christ, - - _N. Point._ - - -No. XXIII - -A. M. D. G. - - Flat-Head Camp, Yellowstone River, September 6th, 1846. - -REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL,—After an absence of about eighteen -months, employed in visiting the various distant tribes, and extending -among them the kingdom of Christ, I returned to the nursery, so to speak, -of our Apostolic labors in the Rocky Mountains. Judge of the delight I -experienced, when I found the little log church, we built five years ago, -about to be replaced by another which will bear comparison with those in -civilized countries, materials, everything ready to commence erecting it, -the moment they can procure some ropes to place the heavy timbers on the -foundation. Another agreeable surprise, however, yet awaited me; a mill -had been constructed, destined to contribute largely to the increasing -wants of the surrounding country. It is contrived to discharge {289} -the two-fold charitable object of feeding the hungry and sheltering -the houseless. The flour mill grinds ten or twelve bushels in a day; -and the saw mill furnishes an abundant supply of plank, posts, etc., -for the public and private building of the nation settled here.[302] -Indeed, the location stood much in need of so useful a concern. The soil -yields abundant crops of wheat, oats and potatos—the rich prairie here -is capable of supporting thousands of cattle. Two large rivulets, now -almost useless, can, with a little labor, be made to irrigate the fields, -gardens, and orchards of the village. The stock at present on this farm, -consists of about forty head of cattle, a fast-increasing herd of hogs -and a prolific progeny of domestic fowl. In addition to the mill, twelve -log houses, of regular construction, have been put up. Hence, you can -form some idea of the temporal advantages enjoyed by the Flat-heads of -St. Mary’s village. - -St. Mary’s, or Bitter-Root valley, is one of the finest in the -mountains, presenting, throughout its whole extent of about two hundred -miles, numerous grazing, but few arable tracts of land. Irrigation, -either by natural or artificial means, is absolutely necessary to the -cultivation {290} of the soil, in consequence of the long summer drought -that prevails in this region, commencing in April and ending only in -October. This difficulty, however, if the country should be ever thickly -settled, can be easily obviated, as the whole region is well supplied -with numerous streams and rivulets. These remarks apply to the valleys -contiguous to St. Mary’s, the general aspect of them differing perhaps -but slightly in regard to the heights of the mountains, the colossal -dimensions of the rocks, or the vast extent of the plains. - -[Illustration: St. Mary’s, among the Flat-heads - -(See Letter No. 23)] - -After what has been said in my former letters in relation to religion, -little now remains that has a direct reference to it; but you will learn -with much pleasure, that the improvements made in the Flat-head village, -afford the missionary stationed there great facilities for prosecuting -successfully the grand object of his desires, viz., the eternal happiness -of the poor benighted Indian tribes, placed beyond the reach of his -immediate influence. The village is now the centre of attraction to all -the neighboring, and many of the distant tribes. The missionary always -avails himself of these occasional visits, to convey to them the glad -tidings of salvation. Among the recent visitors were, {291} the great -chief of the Snake Indians with his band of warriors; the Banax and -Nez-Percés, conducted by several of their chiefs,—even several bands of -Black-Feet;[303] besides these, there were also, on their return from the -great hunt, almost the whole tribe of the Pends-d’Oreilles, belonging to -the station of St. Francis Borgia. These last in particular, the greater -part of whom I baptized last year, may be said to rival the zeal of the -Flat-Heads in the practice of their religious duties. - -After the festival of Easter, the abundant supply of provisions, in the -granaries and cellars of the village, enabled the minister to invite -all the visitors present to a feast, consisting of potatos, parsnips, -turnips, beets, beans, peas, and a great variety of meats, of which -the greater portion of the guests had never before tasted. Among the -industrial products which are mainly owing to the skill and assiduity of -their present pastor, Father Mengarini, I must not forget to mention a -kind of sugar, extracted from the potato. - -Let us next turn to the improved condition of the people themselves. -Polygamy—or rather a connection, if possible, still more loose—is now, -thank God, entirely abolished among our newly-converted {292} Indians; -there is, consequently, an evident increase of population. The reckless -abandonment of the helpless infant—the capricious discarding of wife and -children—the wanton effusion of human blood—are no longer known amongst -them. Our feelings are not outraged by the brutal practice, heretofore so -commonly witnessed, of a father considering a horse a fair exchange for -his daughter; the justice of allowing the young Indian maiden to choose -her future partner for life is now universally allowed;—the requisite -care of their offspring is regarded in its proper light, as a Christian -duty;—attention is paid to the wants of the sick;—changes of treatment, -with the remedies administered according to our advice, have probably -been the means, under Providence, of rescuing many from premature death. -The long-cherished vindictive feelings which so frequently led to -depopulating wars, are now supplanted by a Christian sense of justice, -which, if unfortunately compelled to take up arms, does so only to repel -unjust aggression or defend their inherent rights, but always with the -fullest confidence in the protecting arm of Heaven. - -Indeed their unbounded confidence in the God of battle, is well rewarded; -a truth which the {293} enemies of the Flat-Heads invariably acknowledge. -“The medicine of the Black-gowns,” (an expression synonymous with the -true religion,) “is,” say they, “the strongest of all.” Did time permit, -I could adduce almost innumerable instances to confirm the belief -universally entertained here, that Almighty God visibly protects them in -the wars they are compelled to wage with the hostile tribes. A few of -these, for the authenticity of which I can vouch, may suffice for the -present. - -In 1840, when threatened by a formidable band of Black-Feet, amounting -to nearly eight hundred warriors, the Flat-Heads and Pends-d’Oreilles, -scarcely numbering sixty, betook themselves to prayer, imploring the aid -of Heaven, which alone could save them in the unequal contest. Confident -of success, they rose from their knees in the presence of their enemies, -and engaged the overwhelming odds against them. The battle lasted five -days. The Black-Feet were defeated, leaving eighty warriors dead upon -the field; while the Flat-Heads and Pends-d’Oreilles sustained a loss of -only one man; who, however, survived the battle four months, and had the -happiness of receiving baptism the day before his death. - -{294} In 1842, four Pends-d’Oreilles and a Pointed Heart were met and -immediately attacked by a party of Black-Feet. At the first onset, -the Black-Feet had to deplore the loss of their chief. Aroused by the -noise of the musketry, the camp of the Pends-d’Oreilles rushed to -the assistance of their companions, and without losing a single man, -completely routed the enemy. Their escape is the more remarkable, as -rushing into the entrenchments of the Black-Feet, they received a volley -of shot poured in upon them by the enemy. - -The Flat-Heads were again attacked, during the winter hunt of 1845, by a -party of the Banax, which, though outnumbering them nearly three times, -they soon put to flight, with the loss of three of the Banax party. The -Flat-Heads acknowledge that the Banax are the bravest of their enemies; -yet this did not deter them, though but seven in number, from fighting -a whole village of the latter, that had rashly violated the rights of -hospitality. - -During the summer hunt of the same year, the united camp of Flat-Heads -and Pends-d’Oreilles, when threatened, hesitated not a moment to engage -with a band of Black-Feet four times their number. The latter, fearing -the “medicine {295} of the Black-gowns,” skulked around their enemies, -avoiding an open fight. The former perceiving this, pretended flight, in -order to draw the Black-Feet into the open plain: the snare succeeded; -and the Flat-Heads and Pends-d’Oreilles suddenly wheeling, attacked and -repulsed them with considerable loss, driving the enemy before them in -hot pursuit, as they would a herd of buffaloes. Twenty-three Black-Feet -warriors lay dead on the field, after the engagement, while the -Pends-d’Oreilles lost but three, and the Flat-Heads only one. - -I shall close these sketches of Indian warfare, so remarkably evincing, -as they do, the special protection of Heaven, with an account of an -engagement which, as it was the occasion of my first interview with the -Black-Feet, and by its consequence contributed much towards my favourable -reception among them, will not, I trust, prove entirely devoid of -interest, if given a little more in detail. - -In 1846, while engaged in one of these hunting excursions, the camp of -the Flat-Heads was reinforced by thirty lodges of the Nez-percés, and a -dozen lodges of the Black-Feet at their own solicitation. The Flat-Heads -encamped in the neighbourhood of the Crows,[304] purposely to renew {296} -the terms of peace, if the latter felt so disposed. The Crows, perceiving -in the united camp, the Nez-Percés and Black-Feet, with whom they were -at war, and knowing their own superiority both in numbers and bodily -strength, (they are the most robust of the Indian tribes) rushed into -it like a torrent, evidently more anxious to provoke a contest than to -make overtures of peace. The calm remonstrances of the Flat-Heads, and -the wise admonitions of their own chief, were lost upon the now almost -infuriated mutinous band of the Crows. - -If the threatened outbreak had occurred at that moment, it is probable -that the whole united camp would have been massacred in the hand-fight, -for which evidently the Crows came prepared, with loaded guns and -other destructive weapons, while the Flat-Heads and the others were -totally unprovided. At this critical juncture, fortunately, indeed I -may say providentially, my interpreter Gabriel, and a Pend-d’Oreille -named Charles, forced their way breathless into the disordered camp, and -announced the arrival of the _Black-gown_ who had visited them four years -ago. The alarming scene they witnessed was indeed what they had expected -for as we travelled to overtake the Flat-Head {297} camp at the place -designed for their interview with the Crows, we perceived from the marks -of their daily encampments, that some Black-Feet and Pends-d’Oreilles -were with the Flat-Heads; we accordingly feared a collision would result -from the interview. I therefore despatched with all possible speed, -Gabriel and Charles, to announce my arrival. Well did they execute -the commission—they rode almost at full gallop during a whole day and -night, performing in this short period a journey which occupied the camp -fourteen days. This intelligence roused the Crow chiefs to an energetic -exercise of their authority. They now seized the first missiles at hand, -and enforced the weight of their arguments upon their mutinous subjects, -as long as there was left in the united camp the back of a Crow on which -to inflict punishment. This forced separation, though it may have checked -the present ebullition, could not be of long duration. It needed but a -spark to rekindle their hostile dispositions into open war. The next -day, as if to provoke a rupture, the disaffected Crows stole thirty -horses from the Flat-Heads. Two innocent persons were unfortunately -charged with the crime, and punished. The mistake being discovered, the -_amende honorable_ was {298} made, but to no purpose. The Flat-Heads, -aware of their dangerous position, employed the interval in fortifying -their camp, stationing their women and children in a place of safety, -and arming themselves for the contest. An immense cloud of dust in the -neighborhood of the Crow camp at ten o’clock, announced the expected -attack. On they came, with the impetuosity of an avalanche, until within -musket shot of the advanced guard of the allied camp, who had just risen -to their feet to listen to a few words addressed them by their chief, -Stiettietlotso, and to meet the foe. “My friends,” said Moses, (the name -I gave him in baptism) “if it be the will of God, we shall conquer—if it -be not his will, let us humbly submit to whatever it shall please his -goodness to send us. Some of us must expect to fall in this contest: -if there be any one here unprepared to die, let him retire; in the -meanwhile let us constantly keep Him in mind.” He had scarcely finished -speaking, when the fire of the enemy was returned by his band, with such -terrible effect as to make them shift their mode of attack into another, -extremely fatiguing to their horses. After the battle had raged for -some time in this way, Victor, the grand chief of the Flat-Heads,[305] -{299} perceiving the embarrassed position of the enemy, cried out: “Now, -my men, mount your best horses, and charge them.” The manœuvre was -successful. The Crows fled in great disorder, the Flat-Heads abandoning -the pursuit only at sun-down, when they had driven the enemy two miles -from their camp. - -Fourteen warriors of the Crows fell in the engagement, and nine were -severely wounded, as we subsequently learned from three Black-Feet -prisoners, who availed themselves of their capturers’ defeat to recover -their liberty. On the part of the allied camp, only one was killed, the -son of a Nez-Percé chief, who fell by the hand of a Crow chief, in so -cowardly a manner, that the indignation of the allied camp was at once -raised into immediate action—it was in fact, the first shot fired and the -first blood drawn on either side; the boy was yet quite a child. Besides -this loss, though the engagement lasted for several hours, only three -were wounded, two of them so slightly that by application of the remedies -I brought with me, they recovered in a short time; the third died a few -days after my arrival in the camp. - -This defeat was the more mortifying to the Crows, as they had been -continually boasting {300} of their superior prowess in war, and taunting -their enemies with the most insulting, opprobrious epithets. They had -besides, forcibly and most unjustly drawn on the engagement. - -Indeed, I look upon the miraculous escape of our Christian warriors, in -this fierce contest, as further evidence of the peculiar protection of -Heaven; especially when I consider the numerous instances of individual -bravery, perhaps I should say reckless daring, displayed on the part of -the allied camp. The son of a Flat-Head chief named Raphael, quite a -youth, burning to engage in the contest, requested his father to let him -have his best horse. To this the father reluctantly consented, as the boy -had been rather weak from sickness. When mounted, off he bounded like an -arrow from the bow, and the superior mettle of his steed soon brought him -close upon the heels of a large Crow chief, who, turning his head round -to notice his pursuer, pulled up his horse to punish the temerity of the -boy, at the same time bending to escape the arrow then levelled at him. -The boy must have shot the arrow with enormous force, for it entered -under the lower left rib, the barb passing out under the right shoulder, -leaving nothing but the feathers to be seen where it entered. {301} The -chief fell dead. In an instant a volley was poured in upon the boy—his -horse fell perfectly riddled, with the rider under him.—He was stunned by -the fall, and lay to all appearance dead. According to the custom of the -Indians, of inflicting a heavy blow upon the dead body of their enemy, he -received while in this position, a severe stroke from each individual of -the several bands of Crows that passed him.—He was taken up half dead, by -his own tribe, when they passed in pursuit of the enemy. The ardour and -impetuosity of the young man belonging to the Flat-Head camp amazed the -oldest warriors present, and formed the theme of universal admiration, -as well as the dread of their enemies. Even the women of the Flat-Heads -mingled in the fray. One, the mother of seven children, conducted her -own sons into the battlefield. Having perceived that the horse of her -eldest son was breaking down in a single combat with a Crow, she threw -herself between the combatants, and with a knife put the Crow to flight. -Another, a young woman perceiving that the quivers of her party were -nearly exhausted, coolly collected, amidst a shower of arrows, those that -lay scattered around her, and brought them to replenish the {302} nearly -exhausted store. The celebrated Mary Quille, already distinguished in -numerous battles, pursued, with axe in hand, a Crow, and having failed to -come up with him, returned, saying: “I thought that these great talkers -were men. I was mistaken: it is not worth while even for women to attempt -to chase them.” - -The little party of Black-Feet, animated by a spirit of revenge, for the -loss of half their tribe, massacred the preceding year by the Crows, and -probably influenced by a feeling of their safety while they fought in -company with the Flat-Head Christians, did signal service in the combat. - -[Illustration: Insula or Red Feather (Michel), Great Chief and Brave -among the Flat-heads] - -In the meantime, Gabriel and Charles, fearing the threatened outbreak, -immediately started back to meet me and hasten my arrival, my presence -being considered necessary to prevent the effusion of blood. I arrived -at the Flat-Head camp the day after the battle. I found everything ready -to repel a second attack, should that be attempted. I immediately sent -an express to the Crows, to announce my arrival, and at the same time, -to convey to them the great desire I had to see them, especially for -the purpose of effecting a reconciliation between the {303} contending -parties. But it appeared that after having buried their dead, they -retreated precipitately; so that no account of their destination could -be had. My express told me that there must have been excessive grief in -the camp of the Crows, as the usual marks of it could be traced in every -direction, such as the dissevered joints of fingers, and the numerous -stains of blood, caused by the wounds which the parents of the deceased -inflict upon themselves on such occasions. - -Shortly after my arrival, the Black-Feet came in a body to my lodge, to -express in a manner truly eloquent, their admiration of the Flat-Heads, -with whom in future they desired to live on terms of the closest -friendship. “To their prayers,” said they, “must this extraordinary -victory be attributed. While the battle lasted, we saw their old -men, their women, and children, on their knees, imploring the aid of -Heaven; the Flat-Heads did not lose a single man—one only fell, a young -Nez-Percé, and another mortally wounded. But the Nez-Percés did not -pray. We prayed morning and evening with the Flat-Heads, and heard -the instructions of the chiefs.” They then begged of me in their own -affecting way, to take pity on them and be {304} charitable to them: they -now determined to hear the words of the Great Manitou of the whites, and -to follow the course which the Redeemer had marked out on earth. Having -addressed them on the nature of the life they had proposed to adopt, they -all without exception presented their children for baptism, to the number -of eighty. - -[Illustration: Great Buffalo Hunt—View of Muscle-Shell Mountains - -(See Letter 24)] - -The day after this sacred ceremony, they called on me, requesting to be -allowed to express in their own way, the excess of joy which they felt -on account of this twofold victory. On returning from the late field of -battle, the warriors, at the head of whom was a young chief, chanted -songs of triumph, accompanied with the beating of drums; at each beat, -they sent forth a wild and piercing shout; then followed the song, and -so on alternately;—wild as the music was, it was not without harmony. It -continued thus, during almost the whole of our route. We marched along -the right bank of the Yellow-Stone River, having on our left a chain -of mountains resembling those old portals to which history has given -the name of “ancient chivalry.”[306] We had scarcely arrived at the -encampment, when the Black-Feet commenced, under the shade of a beautiful -cluster of pines, their {305} arrangements for a dance, insisting, at -the same time, upon showing the Black-gowns how highly they valued -their presence among them, and how gratified they would be to have them -witness this display. There was, indeed, nothing in it that could give -occasion to offended modesty to turn aside and blush. I need not tell -you it was not the polka, the waltz, or anything resembling the dances -of modern civilized life. The women alone figure in it, old and young; -from the youngest child capable of walking, to the oldest matron present. -Among them I have seen several old women upwards of eighty years, whose -feeble limbs required the aid of a staff in their movements through the -dance. Almost all appeared in the best costume of the warriors, which, -however, was worn over their own dress, a sort of tunic they always -wear, and which contributed also not a little to the modesty of their -appearance. Some carried the arms that had done most execution in battle, -but the greater part held a green bough in the hand. In proportion as the -dresses increase in singularity, the colors in variety, and the jingling -of the bells in sound, in the same degree is the effect upon the rude -spectator heightened. The whole figure is surmounted by {306} a casket -of plumes, which by the regular movements of the individual is made to -harmonize with the song, and seems to add much gracefulness to the whole -scene. To lose nothing of so grand a spectacle, the Indians mount their -horses, or climb the neighboring trees. The dance itself consists of a -little jump, more or less lively, according to the beat of the drum. -This is beaten only by the men, and all unite in the song. To break the -monotony, or lend some new interest to the scene, occasionally a sudden, -piercing scream is added. If the dance languishes, haranguers and those -most skilful in grimaces, come to its aid. As in jumping the dancers -tend towards a common centre, it often happens that the ranks become too -close, then they fall back in good order to form a large circle, and -commence anew in better style. - -After the dance, followed the presentation of the calumet. It is borne by -the wife of the chief, accompanied by two other women, on the breast of -one of whom rests the head of the pipe, and upon that of the other, the -stem handsomely adorned with feathers. The most distinguished personage -of the nation precedes the calumet bearers, and conducts them around the -circle of dancers. The object, probably of the {307} last part of the -ceremony, the termination of the rejoicings, is to indicate, that the -best fruit of the victory they celebrate is the peace which follows. To -establish this peace upon a better foundation, is a thought constantly -uppermost in my mind. May God grant that our efforts to plant the crop -of peace among these wild children of the forest, be not unavailing; I -earnestly recommend these poor souls to the prayers of the faithful. - -Having thus, more fully perhaps than the limits of a single letter -would seem to justify, redeemed the promise given in my last, of -recounting some of the advantages, spiritual and temporal, which the -Flat-Heads enjoy, it may now be proper to resume the course of events -up to the present date. On the 16th of August, we left St. Mary’s by a -mountain gap, called the “Devil’s gate,” a name which it has probably -received from the fact of its forming the principal entrance of the -marauding parties of the Black-Feet.[307] We encamped the first night, -at the foot of the Black-Foot forks. Innumerable rivulets, and several -beautiful lakes contribute largely to this river. Towards its head, to -the north-east, there is an easy pass for cars and wagons.[308] The -valley we ascended, is watered {308} by a beautiful stream called the -Cart River. It was through this valley we wound our way in former days, -with all our baggage, to the spot where St. Mary’s now stands.[309] We -crossed the mountains in the vicinity of the Arrowstone fork, another -easy pass, and descended a tributary of the Jefferson as far as its -outlet, through rather a wild, broken, and mountainous country, with here -and there an extensive, open plain, the ordinary resort of innumerable -herds of buffalo.[310] The seventh day found us encamped in the immense -plain through which the forks of the Missouri diverge, ascending to the -source at the very top of the main chain of the Rocky Mountains.[311] In -travelling through these wilds, great care is to be had in order to avoid -the sudden attack of some of those straggling war-parties that infest -this neighborhood purposely to search for scalps, plunder, and the fame -of some daring exploit. We halted every evening for a few hours, to take -a bite, as the trapper would say, and to give some food and rest to our -animals. When it was quite dark, we would kindle a brisk fire as if to -last until morning; then under cover of the night, proceed on our journey -for about ten miles, to some unsuspected place, thus eluding {309} our -enemies, should any have followed in our track, or be lurking in the -neighborhood, awaiting the midnight hour to execute their murderous -designs. From the three forks we went easterly, crossing by an easy -pass the mountain chain which separates the head waters of the Missouri -from the Yellow-Stone River, a distance of about forty miles.[312] We -followed in the track of the Flat-Head camp for several days, when I -sent Gabriel, my interpreter, with a Pend-d’Oreille Indian in advance -to discover what direction the camp had taken, and to bring back speedy -news regarding their movements; and also to learn the dispositions of -the Crows, whom I designed to visit. Four days later I was met by a few -Flat-Heads on their way to find me, when I was apprised of the treachery -of the Crows, and the severe chastisement they had so deservedly -received. I travelled the whole of that night, and arrived next day in -the allied camp, as I have already informed you. Having failed to obtain -the desired interview with the Crows, our attention will be now turned -towards the Black-Feet, with whose favorable disposition to receive the -gospel you are already acquainted. The result of this determination will -form the subject of my next {310} letter. I recommend myself to God in -your prayers. - -I remain, with sentiments of profound respect and esteem, reverend, dear -father, your very humble servant and brother in Christ, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XXIV - -A. M. D. G. - - St. Louis University, January 1st, 1847. - -VERY REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL,—You are already acquainted with -our determination to accompany the Black-Feet in returning to their -country. In the sequel of this letter you will learn, with pleasure, -how far Almighty God has blessed our humble efforts in carrying this -resolution into effect. After the battle, described in my letter from -the Yellow-Stone camp, the Crows, it appears, fled to the Wind River -Mountains, determined, however, to avenge themselves on the Black-Feet, -whom they now designed to follow into their own country.[313] The latter, -probably through fear of this assault, resolved to remain with the -Flat-Head camp, until it reached the head waters of the Muscle-shell -River. In leaving the Yellow-Stone our direction lay towards the north, -{312} through a broken and undulating, dry and woodless country, -destitute of any water fit to drink—stagnant pools of brackish water -being the only kind found here to satiate the thirst.[314] Only a few -straggling bulls were seen or killed, scarcely sufficient, indeed, to -supply the wants of our numerous camp. The great variety of matter -incidental to this journey with the united Indian camp, will appear, -perhaps, more satisfactory if given in the same order in which it was -entered in my diary; I therefore present you with an extract from it:— - -8th Sept., 1846. The elements of discord existing between the Nez-Percés -and Black-Feet, there is every appearance of an open rupture. The -Nez-Percés being evidently in the wrong, the Flat-Heads, following our -example, endeavor to convince them of the impropriety of their conduct; -but to no purpose, the principal men among them refusing, for the second -time, to smoke the calumet of peace. - -9th. Towards night a touching incident occurred in our lodge. A Nez-Percé -chief, who declares himself our friend, entered, accompanied by three -Black-Feet, a warrior, an interpreter, and a young man about twenty years -of age. This youth, when about one year old, lost {313} both his parents; -his mother, a captive among the Black-Feet, died the first days of her -captivity; his father, whose country is far distant from the Black-Feet, -is altogether lost to him. The poor orphan became the adopted child of -a Black-Foot woman, who brought him up as she would her own offspring. -The adopted son grew up, imbibing all the notions and customs of his -new friends, knowing no other relations than those around him. To-day, -the woman whom he believed to be his real mother, declared to him that -she was not; and that his father, whom he had not seen since he was one -year old, was now sitting beside him. “Who is my father?” he anxiously -enquired. “There,” said the woman, pointing to the Nez-Percé chief, who -entered the lodge with him. The doubts of the father were soon removed, -as he hastily stripped the youth’s garments from his back, and there -discovered the mark of a burn received in the parental lodge while yet -an infant. The sudden burst of feeling elicited from these children of -nature at this unexpected meeting, can be better imagined than described. -The chief has no grown children, he is therefore the more eloquent -in endeavoring to persuade his son to return to his native country, -presenting him, at {314} the same time, with one of the best and most -beautiful of his steeds. I joined to the entreaties of the father, the -strongest motives I could urge. The son, whose heart is divided between -nature and grace, begged to be allowed to bid farewell to the companions -and friends of his youth, who were now absent—he could not, he declared, -thus abruptly leave her who, with motherly care and anxiety, had watched -over him so many years, and whom he had always so tenderly loved, and -looked upon as his mother. “Now that the Black-gowns are with us,” he -said, “I desire to be of the happy number of those who are about to -introduce them to my friends, and to listen to the words of the Great -Spirit, whom they have come to announce. After that, but not before, -shall I follow my father.” - -10th. The Nez-Percés announce their determination of leaving the united -camp. The Flat-Heads, who dread more the presence of a friend capable of -injuring their souls, than that of an enemy who can only hurt the body, -are excessively rejoiced at this announcement. The Black-Feet also are -highly pleased to see them go. The separation took place about 8 o’clock; -but they had gone only a short distance from the {315} camp, when, -fearing an attack from the Crows, they rejoined the main body, determined -to remain as long as the great hunt shall last. To avoid the outbreak, -evidently threatened by the ill-will of the Nez-Percé, the Black-Feet -have resolved to leave the camp on the morrow. This day I baptized a -Nez-Percé, who had been shot in the late battle with the Crows—he cannot -survive much longer. - -11th. Farewell to the Flat-Heads. All came to shake hands with us, -the grief of their hearts was depicted in their countenances; we all -perceived how deeply they felt the separation. A great number of their -cavaliers accompany us for a considerable distance; six go as far as our -encampment, not less than twenty-five miles. - -Our course lay through an extensive level plain, at the very base of -the Muscle-shell mountains.[315] These rise abruptly from the plain -around, resembling broken, elevated islands in the midst of the ocean, -and their tops tufted with a heavy growth of cedar and pine. While -admiring the singular appearance of the scenery, my attention is called -off to a very distressing accident. An old Indian is seen falling from -his horse, receiving in the fall a severe wound between his eyes; he -remains senseless, all efforts {316} to revive him are fruitless. It was -the old Black-Foot chief, NICHOLAS, whom I baptized five years ago; he -acted, ever since, the part of a most effective missionary, in preparing -the way for the introduction of the gospel among his tribe.[316] To-day -he entered what he called his own country, chanting hymns of praise -and thanksgiving in the happy anticipation of soon presenting us to -his brethren. He dies! not even a sigh escapes him. Oh, how profound -are the designs of God. Happily he leaves a son worthy of so excellent -a sire. His attachment to religion equals that of his father. Having -resided several years among the Flat-Heads, he has acquired a perfect -knowledge of their language—acting in the capacity of interpreter, he -has already rendered me considerable assistance. Notwithstanding his -great grief, he performs the last sad offices near the tomb of his father -with the composure and firmness of a Christian. It is customary among -the Black-Feet to express their grief by wailings and lacerations of the -body, calculated only to afflict those around, though intended by them as -a mark of respect towards the lamented dead. The son of NICHOLAS, himself -a chief and a great brave, knowing the Christian practice, {317} passes -the night in prayer, with his wife and children, near the funeral couch -of his father. His friends and brother, Pegans[317] (pagan in name and in -fact), would now and then gather around him, kneeling beside the mourner, -pour forth, Christian-like, many a pious ejaculation on behalf of their -deceased chieftain. The remains of the venerable chief were placed in -the grave by the hands of his own son, and over his tomb the emblem of -salvation was raised—the cross of the Saviour, whose words were now for -the first time announced to the lonely tribes of this long-benighted -wilderness. At the very moment the last prayers of the funeral service -were uttered, “May he rest in peace,” a busy stir breaks the death-like -silence of the surrounding crowd of Indians. A Flat-Head approached in -full gallop, announcing the pleasing intelligence that two Black-Feet -had reached their camp, and informed them that the tribe of NICHOLAS was -within two days march of us. - -[Illustration: Announcement of the Discovery of Buffalos - -(See Letter 2nd)] - -12th. The very evening of the day on which NICHOLAS was interred, -immense herds of buffalo are seen in the neighborhood of the camp. -All are preparing for the chase—hunters throwing the lasso over their -buffalo horses, already prancing and capering for a race—all ready to -{318} start; but before they separate, they halt for a moment, and, -in imitation of the Flat-Heads, all are seen on their knees to beg of -Almighty God their daily bread; when again mounted, off they bound -at full speed, each for one, two, or three fat cows, according to -the strength of his favorite steed. The supper was abundant in every -lodge, regiments of steaks were paraded before all the fires. My fire -was encircled with tongues, or other dainty dishes reserved for the -Black-gown; and all who visited our lodge were of course invited to -partake of the superabundant supply. Among my visitors, one in particular -distinguished himself by his originality and good sense—his words were -accompanied with expressive signs, which rendered his conversation very -agreeable; he related to me what he observed while in the Flat-Head -camp:—“When we first arrived,” said he, “we had abundance of provisions -with us, while the Flat-Heads and Nez-Percés were fasting; we were -visited, and all partook of what we had. The Flat-Head differed from -the Nez-Percés; the former prayed before he ate, the latter did not. -On the Lord’s-day, the Flat-Heads remained quiet in the lodges, they -frequently prayed, and spoke to us words of the Great Spirit to make us -good; but {319} the Nez-Percés, painted, and proud of their feathers, -were seen going here and there, more for evil than good, without reserve, -before our young people. But then came the battle with the Crows, and -the Nez-Percés, though the least brave of us all, and the least exposed, -have had to weep over the loss of one of their men, and another is dying -of his wounds. This made me believe the words I had heard the Flat-Head -say, ‘that the Great Spirit is good to the good, but that he can find the -wicked at pleasure to punish them as they may deserve.’” - -The wonderful success of the Flat-Heads in the different wars they have -been compelled to wage, has confirmed their enemies in the persuasion -entertained for some years, that the medicine of the Black-gowns is -stronger than their own. Two Indians of the Pegan camp have just arrived, -apprising us of their approach. - -13th. Sunday.—We are obliged to move camp;—every dry stick had been -burned where we passed the night, and the rain has rendered the only -other substitute for fuel, buffalo dung, unfit for use;—the rain which -was falling as we travelled, changed into sleet and hail. After a long -day’s march we encamp for the night, in a beautiful cotton grove, on the -margin of the Judith river.[318] - -[Illustration: Chief reports to his Camp that Buffalos are in sight - -(See Letter 3rd)] - -{320} The bad weather prevented the re-union of the two camps; it will -be so much the more remarkable, as to-morrow will be the feast of the -Exaltation of the Cross. The chief enquires, if it would please us to -see the Black-Feet manifest their joy in their own way, that is, by -painting, singing and dancing; the answer was: “Do the best you can to -show your friends that you are pleased.” We learn by an express, just -arrived, that the BIG LAKE, the great chief of the Pegans, harangued his -people, exhorting them to behave orderly, and to listen with attention -to all that the Fathers would say to them. He is accompanied by the -great Tail-Bearer, a kind of orator, or aid-de-camp to the chief. His -tail, composed of buffalo and horse-hair, is about seven or eight feet -long, and instead of wearing it behind, according to the usual fashion, -it is fastened above his forehead, and there formed into a spiral coil, -resembling a rhinoceros’ horn. Such a tail, among the Black-Feet, is a -mark of great distinction and bravery—in all probability, the longer the -tail, the braver the person. - -14th. An agreeable disappointment. The Flat-Head camp, from which we -separated four days ago, is only about ten miles from us. They sent an -invitation to the Big Lake, desiring, at the same time, to trade with -him on friendly {321} terms. Opinions are divided among the people of -the Big Lake. The chief is for postponing the trade until the meeting -with the Black-gowns takes place; the Tail-Bearer gives the preference to -trade. The chief’s voice prevails. An Indian from the camp arrives about -ten o’clock, to herald their approach; all the horses are immediately -saddled, and the two Black-gowns, at the head of a numerous band of -cavaliers, forming one extensive line, in single file, proceed through a -beautiful open plain, the air resounding with songs of triumphal joy. We -are soon in sight of each other—a loud discharge from all the guns was -the signal to dismount, when the Big-Lake and Tail-Bearer, followed by -the whole tribe, walked up to give us a warm and affectionate shake of -the hand. Smoking came next; and after the friendly pipe had passed from -mouth to mouth, and had made several rounds, they communicate to each -other the news since parting. I made to them my preparatory address, to -dispose their minds and hearts to listen with attention to the word of -God. To this appeal they responded with a loud and cheerful expression -of the satisfaction they felt in listening to the Black-gown. We had -scarcely introduced our new friends into the {322} camp, before the -Flat-Heads and Nez-Percés were seen approaching. Their meeting was still -more joyful and cordial than the one we had just witnessed among the -people of the Big-Lake. This is not astonishing, when you know them; the -savage is naturally reserved towards men he does not know. The candid, -open ways of acting which distinguish our neophytes soon communicate -themselves to the Black-Feet, and before the sun went down, Black-Feet, -Flat-Heads, young and old, all show equal pleasure to find us, on such an -occasion, in the midst of them. - -[Illustration: The Chief at the head of his Hunters] - -After evening prayers were said in the Black-Foot and Flat-Head -languages, I addressed to them a short discourse on the happy re-union -and peaceful disposition that now existed between the two nations. What -a pleasing sight! What a consoling triumph for religion, to behold those -warriors, whose deep-scarred faces told of the many bloody battles they -had had together,—who could never meet before but with feelings of -deadly enmity, thirsting for each other’s blood,—now bending the knee -before their common Father in prayer, as with one heart, and listening -with delight to the words of the peaceful Redeemer. The chiefs and the -principal {323} men of both nations passed the evening in my lodge. -VICTOR, the great Flat-Head chief, gains the good-will of all—charms -everybody by the suavity and dignified simplicity of his manners. He -relates some of his exploits, not indeed to appear conspicuous, as is -evident from the modest and simple way in which he speaks, but to make -them fully sensible of the protection which the Great Spirit extends to -those who are devoted to His holy cause. The Black-Feet who were engaged -in the late battle with the Crows, confirm the statements of Victor, -and recount many edifying circumstances which they had witnessed in the -Flat-Head camp. The making of the sign of the cross was highly extolled, -as a certain sign of victory to those who had already given their hearts -to the true God. It is truly to-day the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. - -15th. The Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. The new disciples -of the cross assist at a solemn Mass, sung in the open plain, under -the canopy of green boughs, to beg for the blessings of God upon this -wilderness and its wandering tribes, and unite them in the bond of -peace. Flat-Heads, Nez-Percés, Pegans, Blood Indians, Gros-Ventres and -Black-Feet,[319] numbering {324} about two thousand, all surround the -altar of the living God, on which “the clean oblation is offered,” in -their behalf. It is a thing unheard of, that among so many different -savage nations, hitherto so inimical to one another, unanimity and joy, -such as we now witness, should exist,—it appears as if their ancient -deadly feuds had been long since buried in oblivion; and this is the more -remarkable in an Indian who, it is well known, cherishes feelings of -revenge for many years. How long will this last? May Heaven strengthen -their present good-will, and grant them perseverance. Mention is already -made of baptizing all the Pegan children, but the ceremony is postponed -on account of the general rejoicing, and the affairs of business that now -occupy the camp. - -16th. The engaging simplicity and cordiality of the Flat-Head chiefs have -gained them the affections of all the principal men of the Black-Feet -tribe,—conduct the more remarkable, when contrasted with the turbulent -disposition of the Nez-Percés, who are kept in check only by the presence -of the Flat-Heads. At this second separation, they came again to renew -their affection towards us. The Flat-Head chiefs remain last in the camp -to see everything pass off {325} orderly and amicably. In the evening the -Black-Feet assemble around our fire, where the first canticle is composed -in their language; the subject of the composition is the consecration of -their persons to the “Supreme Ruler of all things.” Apistotokie Nina, -Pikanniai tokanakos akos pemmoki tzagkoma Achziewa ziekamolos. - -17th. Nothing very remarkable took place. We received the visit of a war -party of Blood Indians, the most cruel among the Black-Feet. From them we -learn that their tribe will be delighted to receive a visit from us,—that -our persons are considered sacred among them,—that we need apprehend no -danger, and, to remove all uneasiness on this head, that sixty of their -children had already received baptism at the hands of a Black-gown,[320] -whom they met on the _Sascatshawin_, and that these children constantly -wear the crosses and medals which the Black-gown gave them. - -18th. News in great variety. Two Gros-Ventres have been killed by the -Crows. Seven families of Pegans have been followed by a numerous band of -Crees, and have probably been destroyed. A chief, just arrived, informs -us that Black-Feet of different tribes are assembling in the neighborhood -of Fort Lewis to receive {326} their annual supplies, and that the -traders who bring up the goods are distant only three days’ journey, -with three large canoes (Mackinaw boats).[321] About two o’clock in the -afternoon the camp prepares for another great hunt. - -19th. Baptism was this day conferred on upwards of one hundred children -and two old men, with all the usual ceremonies. To enter into a full -description of these, calculated, as they are, to leave a deep and -lasting impression upon the minds of all present, would be but a -repetition of what has been already stated in my former letters on the -like occasions. - -20th. Arrival of a great war party of Blood Indians. They are returning -from an expedition against the Crows, having carried off twenty-seven -horses belonging to the latter. The leaders of this party, one a son, the -other a brother of the great chief, exhibit towards us particular marks -of friendship. The elder, who worshiped the sun and moon, has long since -ceased to invoke these deities—he confirms the statement of the other -party, that we shall meet with a hearty welcome among his tribe. The -Black-Feet nation consists of about fourteen thousand souls, divided into -six tribes, to wit: the _Pegans_, the _Surcees_, the _Blood Indians_, -the _Gros-Ventres_ {327} (descendants of the Rapahos), the Black-Feet -(proper), and the _Little Robes_.[322] These last were almost entirely -destroyed in 1845. - -21st. A feast is given in my lodge to the new-comers. It is preceded by -the baptism of a Pegan, who had been an old chief, but who, on account -of age, resigned the dignity of his title in favor of his brother. He -possesses the gift of speech in an eminent degree. He is daily here, -repeating and commenting on the instructions given by us. He exercises -over his flock a very happy influence, and it is, doubtless, owing to -his exertions that the Pegans are the first among the Black-Feet tribe -to manifest favorable dispositions, and they will probably be the first -also to embrace and put in practice the saving truths of Christianity. -He presents, in his own person, a rare exception among his people, and -indeed the only instance I have met with in my intercourse with the -Indians, especially in one of his age—of an Indian having lived with one -and the same wife, and with her also in perfect peace and harmony. He -received in baptism the united name of IGNATIUS XAVIER, the medal having -that impress—which he constantly wears, to remind him of the virtues -which distinguish those saints. Let us hope {328} that the first graces -bestowed on this tribe may soon produce fruits of salvation to all. - -22d. A day of great rejoicing—a dance. All the Indian fineries are -produced, all the war-caps, adorned with eagle feathers, figure in the -dance—a thousand voices join in the song—the rejoicing prolonged till -evening. The common prayers have all been translated—already several -know what is to be believed. May the practice of good soon take deep -root in their hearts. SATA, our interpreter, acts the part of an -Apostle[323]—after each interpretation, he resumes his discourse, and -speaking from the abundance of his heart, produces a powerful effect -upon his audience. The word _Sata_ does not differ in signification from -_Satan_, and as the Indian generally receives his name from the natural -disposition he manifests, we may safely conclude, when such a name is -given to a Black-Foot, that the grace of God has operated most powerfully -in converting this savage to what he is at present. - -23d. Nothing remarkable happened, except a trial given to faith of the -new catechumens. A theft of two horses was committed in the camp by -a stranger, residing among the Flat-Heads. Some individuals from the -western side of the {329} mountains, occasionally forget what they should -be; but a few isolated misdeeds, highly disapproved of by the entire -nation, show to the best advantage the good spirit that animates the -great mass of them. The critical position of the robber serves in some -degree as an extenuation of his guilt. He had advanced a considerable -distance from the Flat-Head camp, on his way to join us about the time -we should reach the Black-Foot Indians; when he was given to understand -that his life was in great danger from the war parties prowling in the -rear. The poor fellow did not feel much inclined to meet death in this -way, and his meagre horse not being very well able to avoid the meeting, -_proprio motu_ he left his, in exchange for two other horses, fully equal -to the task of sweeping him past the danger. These horses will, however, -be returned to the owner. This is not the first instance of restitution -among the Indians. - -Sept. 24th. The missionaries, accompanied by a great number of Indians, -precede the camp on its way to Fort Lewis, now only a few miles off. I -am accosted by a little Pegan chief, who invites me to smoke. He tells -me that he has come to the determination of settling at the Fort an -unfortunate personal difficulty between himself {330} and another chief -of the Blood Indian tribe. “I am going to meet,” said he, “my mortal -enemy, a Blood Indian chieftain, renowned for his courage, but much -more for his wicked heart. He treacherously murdered a Nez-Percé, while -under my protection. I should be dishonored forever if I did not avenge -this shameful act, and wash the stain from my nation in his blood. I -shot the murderer in his own lodge—he did not die—his wound is healed—he -awaits my arrival, resolved to kill me. I dread him not, for I also am -a chief. I have heard your words, and other feelings have crept over my -heart. Black-gown, hear what I am about to do: I will present to him the -best horse of my band to cover his wound; if he accepts it, well and -good, if not, I must kill him.” I offered myself as a mediator between -them, before any steps should be taken, and promised him a favorable -issue, according to the conviction of my own heart; for, as I had never -witnessed the spilling of one drop of human blood, I felt assured that -Almighty God would spare me the painful sight on the present occasion. -We continue our route. The little chief and his Pegan friends prepare -their arrows and load their guns. When in sight of the Fort, two {331} -Black-Feet came running up towards us, to tell the little chief that if -he approached any further, or any of his people, their lives would be in -danger; and they returned as they came, running to announce the arrival -of the Black-gowns. The bell of the Fort is sending forth a solemn peal, -to honor, as it subsequently appeared, the arrival of the Black-gowns—a -mark of respect generally paid to a priest by its inmates, who are -chiefly French Canadians and Spaniards. Heedless of the admonition we had -received, we proceeded to the Fort in full gallop. The gates were thrown -open. We received a hearty welcome from every white man in the Fort; -the bourgeois being absent, soon returned, to add by their kindness and -politeness to the warm reception we had already received at the hands of -their tenants.[324] The first compliments over, two horses were saddled -for Father Point and myself, when we went over to an island formed by the -waters of the Missouri, where the murderer and his band were encamped. -The great neatness in the lodge of the latter, to whom I had already sent -word, showed that it was prepared for our reception. We entered first, -followed by our Pegan friends; then came the Blood Indians, and last of -all the murderous {332} chief, with a countenance far from serene—savage -vengeance visibly lurking in his breast. He shook hands only with the -Black-gowns, and sat down silent and surly. I explained to him the object -of my visit, and pleaded strongly for a reconciliation, declaring, at -the same time, that I would not leave his lodge until I should see them -reconciled. He listened with much attention, made a very appropriate -reply, and in finishing, he exclaimed: “all is forgiven and forgotten. -How could my heart remain angry whilst I listened to thy words?” -Confidence was quickly restored in the assembly, and his short but -eloquent reply showed that there was eloquence everywhere when the heart -speaks. The little chief who had first spoken of reconciliation ended -his remarks by an action that was really moving; stepping up to the man -who had been his mortal enemy, he tenderly embraced him, and then, in -addition to other gifts, presented him with a beautifully-painted robe, -wrought in porcupine. The calumet of peace was cheerfully lighted, and -passed around several times. Conversation became animated and friendly, -and each one left the council-house with a light and glad heart, more -easily felt than described. The chiefs who were present on this {333} -occasion were: _Amakzikinne_, or the Big Lake; _Onistaistamik_, or White -Bull; _Masléistamik_, or Bull-Crow; _Aiketzo_, or Grande roulette; -_Sata_, or the wicked; _Akaniaki_, or the man who was beaten. - -27th. Sunday, I offered up the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar, followed by -an instruction on the end of man, at which all the inmates of Fort Lewis -attended, together with as many Black-Feet as the large room and passage -could contain. Many a tear escaped from the Canadian, the Creole, and the -Spaniard, at the remembrance, no doubt, of the innocent and happy days -they spent when young, in attending regularly to their religious duties. -Many a pious resolution was lowly made on the present occasion, and their -strict attention and devout feelings during divine service, showed that -the germ of faith in them still gave promise of fructifying, however far -they may have wandered from the strict line of Christian rectitude. In -the afternoon I administered, with all the ceremonies, the sacrament of -baptism to thirty children. - -From what I have seen, I am firmly convinced of the great good a -missionary establishment would produce among the Black-Feet. {334} -Assuredly it is a work well worthy the zeal of an apostle: to reclaim -these savages from their cruel and bloody wars; to wrest them from -the soul-destroying idolatry in which they are plunged, for they are -worshippers of the sun and moon: and to teach them the consolatory -truths of the Divine Redeemer of mankind, to which they seemed to -listen with the utmost attention, and heartfelt satisfaction. Allow me -the reflection, the ultimate fate of these fierce and lonely tribes is -fixed at no distant date, unless looked to in time. What will become -of them? The buffalo-field is becoming narrower from year to year, and -each succeeding hunt finds the Indians in closer contact. It is highly -probable that the Black-Feet plains, from the Sascatshawin to the -Yellow-Stone, will be the last resort of the wild animals twelve years -hence. Will these be sufficient to feed and clothe the hundred thousand -inhabitants of these western wilds? The Crees, Black-Feet, Assiniboins, -Crows, Snakes, Rickaries, and Sioux, will then come together and fight -their bloody battles on these plains, and become themselves extinct over -the last buffalo-steak. Let those, who have the power and the means, -look to it in time. Let some efforts be made to rescue them from the -threatened {335} destruction, lest, by guilty negligence, the last drop -of aboriginous blood indelibly stain the fair fame of the Spread Eagle, -under whose protecting wing they are said to live. Justice makes the -appeal. - -After mature deliberation upon the various plans devised for the -contemplated establishment, it was deemed more advisable that the -Reverend Father Point should remain with the Black-Feet, and continue the -instructions; while I should go to St. Louis and endeavor to procure the -means necessary to establish a permanent mission among them. Accordingly, -on the 28th, I took final leave of my companions, of the kind and polite -gentlemen of the Fort, of all the Black-Feet then present, who ceased -not, during my stay among them, to give me the most marked tokens of -affectionate attachment. Our departure was honored by the Fort with a -discharge of the guns, and amidst a thousand farewells we glided down -the Missouri, from a point 2850 miles above its mouth. - -We left the Fort about noon, and encamped 25 miles below, near Bird -Island. Next day, while passing the bluffs, on whose steep declivities -numerous groups of the big-horn were browsing, we stole a march upon -an old buck {336} that came to drink at the water’s edge—the first of -the many victims sacrificed to our necessities during this long trip. -After passing the Maria and Sandy rivers, we reached the remarkable -formation, the yellow sandstone walls, on both sides of the Missouri, -exhibiting most fantastic shapes and fissures—urns, of various sizes and -forms—tables of every description—rostrums, surrounded by mushrooms, -pillars, forts, castles, and a multitude of other figures, which, for -the greater part of this, and the whole of the following day, furnished -to our almost bewildered fancies ample scope for comparisons and -theories.[325] We passed, on the 8th of October, the great Elk-horn -steeple, near Porcupine Fork. I could not learn what extraordinary event -this remarkable tower was intended to commemorate. Several thousand -elk-horns have been here piled up, which formerly constituted, I have -little doubt, the grand resort of numerous groups of these animals.[326] -On the 11th we arrived at Fort Union, 600 miles distant from Fort Lewis, -this making about 50 miles a day. Here we met with a very warm reception. -We availed ourselves of the kind offer given to us of resting a day at -the Fort; while there I baptized five children.[327] We left the Fort on -the {337} 13th, with two companions. Large herds of buffalo were seen -on both sides of the river, and bears, deer and elks appeared at every -bend, so that there is little danger of suffering from want at this -season. On the 16th our ardor to press forward, in spite of a strong -head-wind, was suddenly cooled by a side wind, which upset the skiff -and ourselves in four feet of water. We were now satisfied that we had -better wait for a more favorable wind, and improve the time by drying our -clothes. We started quite refreshed in the afternoon, and made up for -the lost time by running sixty miles the next day. On the 17th we met -six lodges of Assiniboins; they received us very kindly in their little -camp,—gave us a feast and abundance of provisions. The same day we met -eight Gros-Ventres, who were also exceedingly kind to us, insisting on -our accepting a lot of buffalo tongues.[328] A favorable wind on the -18th, induced us to unfurl our sail. We were thus enabled to run about -ten miles an hour, and early next day we reached Fort Berthold, where -we were kindly entertained by Mr. Brugere.[329] The Gros-Ventres have a -village here. I found but a few families;—one of the chiefs invited me to -a feast. On the 20th we were hailed by several {338} bands of Indians, -and kindly received. We proceeded, and encamped for the night near Knife -river; but our fire discovered our encampment to a band of Indians.[330] -The discovery would have been fatal to us, had I not been fortunately -recognized by them; for they came armed for destruction, and took us by -surprise. As soon as the two leaders knew who I was, they embraced me -affectionately; our alarm was soon quieted, and we passed the evening -very agreeably in their company; a good smoke, a cup of well sweetened -coffee, a few humps and buffalo tongues, put them in a very good humour. -They made me a solemn promise, that they would, in future, never molest -a white man. They were Arikaras. The next day we breakfasted at Fort -Madison, with the good and kind-hearted Mr. Des Autel.[331] Shortly after -leaving this Fort, we passed under a scalp attached to the end of a long -pole, which projected over the river. This was probably an offering to -the sun, to obtain either fresh scalps or a good hunt. We were hailed -by a large village of Arikaras, encamped and fortified on a point of -land well timbered.[332] They treated us with great kindness, earnestly -pressing me to accept invitations to several buffalo feasts; and as time -did not admit of such delay, {339} their liberality fell little short of -sinking the skiff, with the most dainty pieces of the hunt. Though late, -we proceeded on our journey, principally, indeed, to avoid passing the -night in feasting. Having had very favorable weather during the five -following days, we reached, on the 26th, the encampment of Mr. Goule, an -agent in the service of the American Fur Company.[333] I baptized several -half-breed children at this place. - -Availing ourselves of the favorable weather the four following days, we -kept on the river, drifting down every night, so that early on the 30th, -we arrived at Fort Pierre. Mr. Picotte, of St. Louis, received us with -the utmost cordiality and politeness.[334] He forced me to remain three -days under his hospitable roof. This delay enabled me to see a great -number of Sioux, and baptize fifty-four children. Meanwhile Mr. Picotte -ordered a large and convenient skiff to be made, and stored it with all -sorts of provisions. In all my travels, I have never met one to surpass, -perhaps to equal, the overflowing kindness with which this gentleman -confers a favor. I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude to him. May -God bless and reward him. And, indeed, I must here add, as a token of -my {340} sincere gratitude, that in all the forts of the American Fur -Company, the charitable liberality and kindness of the gentlemen were -unbounded. - -Late on the 3d November we renewed our journey, but had not proceeded -far when we found it necessary to refit our skiff, which, being quite -new, leaks considerably. We landed at a large farm belonging to the -company on Fleury’s Island. We freely used the permission given to us, -and committed great havoc among the poultry. On the 5th we breakfasted -at Mr. Bouis’ Fort, where I baptized thirteen half-breed children—the -day was beautiful and we made the whole of the Grande Detour.[335] We -arrived at Fort Look-Out, of which I found Mr. Campbell in charge.[336] -I baptized here sixteen half-breed children. I was kindly received by a -great number of Sioux. We encamped nine miles lower down at a trading -post held by two Canadians, where I baptized four children. On the 10th -we passed the entrance of Running-water river, a fine stream with a -strong current.[337] Two miles above its mouth were encamped one hundred -families of the unhappy and much-abused Mormons—met several Sioux about -Great Island, where we encamped.[338] A favorable {341} wind enabled -us to reach Fort Vermilion on the 13th, four hundred miles below Fort -Pierre. I baptized seven half-breed children. Mr. Hamilton liberally -supplied us with provisions.[339] On the 14th we saw a Mormon along the -beach, who fled at our approach. We met two Canadians who had shot a -fine turkey, which they gave me: in return I presented them with some -coffee and sugar, rare articles in that country. A fine breeze brought -us in sight of the old Council Bluffs on the 18th.[340] The river has -made considerable changes since my former visit to this place; entirely -new beds have been formed. For several hundred miles, all the forests -along the south side of the river were filled with cattle belonging -to the Mormons. On the 18th we passed the ancient trading post, Lisel -de Cabanne’s—a few miles below is the new temporary settlement of the -Mormons, about ten thousand in number.[341] I was presented to their -president, Mr. Young, a kind and polite gentleman. He pressed me very -earnestly to remain a few days, an invitation which my limited time did -not permit me to accept.[342] The persecutions and sufferings endured -by this unhappy people, will one day probably form a prominent part of -the history {342} of the Far-west. At sun-set we encamped at Mr. Sarpy’s -trading post,[343] among the upper Potawotomies, where I met several of -my old Indian friends, and among them Potogojecs, one of their chiefs, -whose Indian legend of their religious traditions will form the subject -of my next letter. - -20th. A beautiful day—we visited our old friends in Bellevue, the good -Mr. Papin[344] and others. We passed the Papillion, the Mosquito, and the -Platte rivers, and encamped near Table Creek.[345] - -On the 23d we arrived at St. Joseph’s, the highest town in Missouri.[346] -It is now in a most thriving and prosperous condition; much improved -indeed since I last saw it. - -28th. We arrived at West-Port,[347] from which I proceeded by stage to -St. Louis, the termination of a trip which occupied just two months. I -recommend myself to your prayers. - -I remain, with sentiments of profound respect and esteem, your obedient -servant and brother in Christ. - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XXV - -A. M. D. G. - -LEGEND OF THE POTAWOTOMIE INDIANS - - St. Louis University, January 10, 1847. - -VERY REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL,—Agreeably to my promise, I send -you the account given by the Potawotomies, residing at Council Bluffs, -respecting their own origin, and the causes which gave rise to their -“great medicine,” and juggling, considered by them as of the highest -antiquity. Such superstitions, indeed, are found to exist among all the -tribes of the American continent, differing only in the form and the -accompanying ceremonies. The Nanaboojoo of the Potawotomies, the Wieska -of the Objibbeways, the Wizakeshak of the Crees, the Sauteux and the -Black-Feet, the Etalapasse of the Tchinouks on the coast of the Pacific, -can, among these different tribes, be traced up to the same personage. - -{344} I send it _verbatim_, as it was communicated to me by Potogojecs, -one of the most intelligent chiefs of the Potawotomie nation. Though -fabulous, it is not entirely devoid of interest; it should excite us to -offer up our prayers the more fervently to the Great Father of Light, -for these poor benighted children of the forest, and beg of Him to send -good and worthy laborers into this vast vineyard. Having enquired of this -chief what he thought of the Great Spirit, of the Creator, and of the -origin of his religion, or great medicine, he replied as follows: “I will -give you a faithful account of what my tribe believes in these matters. -We have not, like you, books to transmit our traditions to our children; -it is the duty of the old men of the nation to instruct the young people -in whatever relates to their belief, and their happiness. - -“Many among us believe, that there are two Great Spirits who govern the -universe, but who are constantly at war with each other. One is called -the _Kchemnito_, that is, the Great Spirit, the other _Mchemnito_, or the -Wicked Spirit. The first is goodness itself, and his beneficent influence -is felt everywhere; but the second is wickedness personified, and does -nothing but evil. Some believe that they are equally {345} powerful, -and, through fear of the Wicked Spirit, offer to him their homage and -adoration. Others, again, are doubtful which of them should be considered -the more powerful, and accordingly endeavor to propitiate both, by -offering to each an appropriate worship. The greater part, however, -believe as I do, that _Kchemnito_ is the first principle, the first great -cause, and consequently ought to be all-powerful, and to whom alone is -due all worship and adoration; and that _Mchemnito_ ought to be despised -and rejected! - -“Kchemnito at first created a world, which he filled with a race of -beings having nothing but the appearance of men—perverse, ungrateful, -wicked dogs—that never raised their eyes to heaven to implore the -assistance of the Great Spirit. Such ingratitude aroused him to anger, -and he plunged the world in a great lake, where they were all drowned. -His anger thus appeased, he withdrew it from the waters, and created -anew a beautiful young man, who, however, appeared very sad, and being -dissatisfied with his solitary condition, grew weary of life. Kchemnito -took pity on him, and gave him, during sleep, a sister, as a companion to -cheer his loneliness. When he awoke and saw {346} his sister he rejoiced -exceedingly—his melancholy instantly disappeared. They spent their time -in agreeable conversation and amusement, living for many years together -in a state of innocence and perfect harmony, without the slightest -incident to mar the happiness of their peaceful solitude. - -“The young man had a dream, for the first time, which he communicated to -his sister. ‘Five young men,’ said he, ‘will come this night, and rap -at the door of the lodge—the Great Spirit forbids you to laugh, to look -at them, or give an answer to any of the first four, but laugh, look, -and speak, when the fifth presents himself.’ She acted according to his -advice. When she heard the voice of the fifth, she opened the door to -him, laughing at the same time very heartily; he entered immediately, -and became her husband. The first of the five strangers, called Sama, -(tobacco,) having received no answer, died of grief; the three others, -Wapekone, (pumpkin,) Eshketamok, (watermelon,) and Kojees, (the bean,) -shared the fate of their companion. Taaman, (maize,) the bridegroom, -buried his four companions, and from their graves there sprung up, -shortly after, pumpkins, water-melons, beans, and tobacco-plants {347} -in sufficient abundance to supply their wants during the whole year, and -enable them to smoke to the manitous, and in the council. From this union -are descended the American Indian nations. - -“A great manitou came on earth, and chose a wife from among the children -of men. He had four sons at a birth; the first born was called -Nanaboojoo, the friend of the human race, the mediator between man and -the Great Spirit; the second was named Chipiapoos, the man of the dead, -who presides over the country of the souls; the third, Wabosso, as soon -as he saw the light, fled towards the north, where he was changed into a -white rabbit, and under that name is considered there as a great manitou; -the fourth was Chakekenapok, the man of flint, or fire-stone. In coming -into the world he caused the death of his mother. - -“Nanaboojoo, having arrived at the age of manhood, resolved to avenge -the death of his mother, (for among us revenge is considered honorable); -he pursued Chakekenapok all over the globe. Whenever he could come -within reach of his brother, he fractured some member of his body, and -after several renconters, finally destroyed him by tearing out his -entrails. All {348} fragments broken from the body of this man of stone -then grew up into large rocks; his entrails were changed into vines of -every species, and took deep root in all the forests; the flint-stones -scattered around the earth indicate where the different combats took -place. Before fire was introduced among us, Nanaboojoo taught our -ancestors how to form hatchets, lances, and the points of arrows, in -order to assist us in killing our enemies in war, and animals for our -food. Nanaboojoo and his brother, Chipiapoos, lived together retired -from the rest of mankind, and were distinguished from all other beings -by their superior qualities of body and mind. The manitous that dwell in -the air, as well as those who inhabit the earth and the waters, envied -the power of these brothers, and conspired to destroy them. Nanaboojoo -discovered and eluded their snares, and warned Chipiapoos not to separate -himself from him a single moment. Notwithstanding this admonition, -Chipiapoos ventured alone one day upon Lake Michigan; the manitous broke -the ice, and he sank to the bottom, where they hid the body. Nanaboojoo -became inconsolable when he missed his brother from his lodge; he sought -him everywhere in vain, he waged war against all the manitous, {349} -and precipitated an infinite number of them into the deepest abyss. He -then wept, disfigured his person, and covered his head, as a sign of -his grief, during six years, pronouncing from time to time, in sad and -mournful tones, the name of the unhappy Chipiapoos. - -“While this truce continued, the manitous consulted upon the means best -calculated to appease the anger of Nanaboojoo, without, however, coming -to any conclusion; when four of the oldest and wisest, who had had no -hand in the death of Chipiapoos, offered to accomplish the difficult -task. They built a lodge close to that of Nanaboojoo, prepared an -excellent repast, and filled a calumet with the most exquisite tobacco. -They journeyed in silence towards their redoubted enemy, each carrying -under his arm a bag, formed of the entire skin of some animal, an otter, -a lynx, or a beaver, well provided with the most precious medicines, -(to which, in their superstitious practices, they attach a supernatural -power). With many kind expressions, they begged that he would condescend -to accompany them. He arose immediately, uncovered his head, washed -himself, and followed them. When arrived at their lodge, they offered -him a cup containing a dose {350} of their medicine, preparatory to his -initiation. Nanaboojoo swallowed the contents at a single draught, and -found himself completely restored. They then commenced their dances and -their songs; they also applied their medicine bags, which, after gently -blowing them at him, they would then cast on the ground; at each fall of -the medicine bag, Nanaboojoo perceived that his melancholy, sadness, -hatred, and anger disappeared, and affections of an opposite nature took -possession of his soul. They all joined in the dance and song—they ate -and smoked together. Nanaboojoo thanked them for having initiated him in -the mysteries of their grand medicine. - -“The manitous brought back the lost Chipiapoos, but it was forbidden him -to enter the lodge; he received, through a chink, a burning coal, and was -ordered to go and preside over the region of souls, and there, for the -happiness of his uncles and aunts, that is, for all men and women, who -should repair thither, kindle with this coal a fire which should never be -extinguished. - -“Nanaboojoo then re-descended upon earth, and, by order of the Great -Spirit, initiated all his family in the mysteries of the grand medicine. -{351} He procured for each of them a bag well furnished with medicines, -giving them strict orders to perpetuate these ceremonies among their -descendants, adding at the same time, that these practices, religiously -observed, would cure their maladies, procure them abundance in the chase, -and give them complete victory over their enemies. (All their religion -consists in these superstitious practices, dances and songs; they have -the most implicit faith in these strange reveries.) - -“Nanaboojoo is our principal intercessor with the Great Spirit; he it was -that obtained for us the creation of animals for our food and raiment. -He has caused to grow those roots and herbs which are endowed with the -virtue of curing our maladies, and of enabling us, in time of famine, to -kill the wild animals. He has left the care of them to Mesakkummikokwi, -the great-grandmother of the human race, and in order that we should -never invoke her in vain, it has been strictly enjoined on the old woman -never to quit the dwelling. Hence, when an Indian makes the collection -of roots and herbs which are to serve him as medicines, he deposits, at -the same time, on the earth, a small {352} offering to Mesakkummikokwi. -During his different excursions over the surface of the earth, Nanaboojoo -killed all such animals as were hurtful to us, as the mastodon, the -mammoth, etc. He has placed four beneficial spirits at the four cardinal -points of the earth, for the purpose of contributing to the happiness of -the human race. That of the north procures for us ice and snow, in order -to aid us in discovering and following the wild animals. That of the -south gives us that which occasions the growth of our pumpkins, melons, -maize and tobacco. The spirit placed at the west gives us rain, and that -of the east gives us light, and commands the sun to make his daily walks -around the globe. The thunder we hear is the voice of spirits, having -the form of large birds, which Nanaboojoo has placed in the clouds. When -they cry very loud we burn some tobacco in our cabins, to make them a -smoke-offering and appease them. - -“Nanaboojoo yet lives, resting himself after his labors, upon an immense -flake of ice, in the Great Lake, (the North Sea). We fear that the whites -will one day discover his retreat, and drive him off, then the end of the -world is at {353} hand, for as soon as he puts foot on the earth, the -whole universe will take fire, and every living creature will perish in -the flames!” - -In their festivities and religious assemblies, all their songs turn -upon some one or other of these fables. When the chief had finished -this history, I asked him whether he had any faith in what he had just -related. “Assuredly I have, for I have had the happiness to see and -entertain three old men of my nation, who penetrated far into the north, -and were admitted into the presence of Nanaboojoo, with whom they -conversed a long time. He confirmed all that I have recounted to you!” - -Our savages believe that the souls of the dead, in their journey to the -great prairie of their ancestors, pass a rapid current, over which the -only bridge is a single tree, kept constantly in violent agitation, -managed, however, in such a way, that the souls of perfect men pass it in -safety, whilst those of the wicked slip off the tree into the water and -are lost forever. - -Such is the narration given to me by the Potawotomi chief, comprising -all the articles of the creed held by this tribe, we can hardly fail to -recognize in it, much obscured by the accumulation of ages, the tradition -of the universal {354} deluge, of the creation of the universe, of Adam -and Eve; even some traces of the incarnation are found in the birth of -Nanaboojoo, he was descended of parents, one of whom only, his mother, -was of the human race; he is, moreover, the intercessor between God and -man. - -I recommend myself to your prayers. - -I remain, with sentiments of profound respect and esteem, your obedient -humble servant and brother in Christ, - - _P. J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XXVI - -A. M. D. G. - - Philadelphia, April 6th, 1847. - -MR. J. D. BRYANT, - -DEAR SIR,—The nation of the Pawnees is divided into four great tribes, -which act in concert as one people. They have their villages upon the -river Platte, or Nebrasca, and its tributaries, about 150 miles west of -the Missouri river. They are the same true children of the desert as they -have been these many ages.—They dress in the skins of animals killed in -the chase. They cultivate maize and squashes, using the shoulder-blade -of the buffalo as a substitute for the plough and hoe. In the season -of the chase, a whole village, men, women, and children, abandon their -settlements and go in pursuit of the animals whose flesh supplies them -with food. Their huts, which they call akkaros, are circular, and about -140 feet in circumference. They are ingeniously formed by planting young -trees {356} at suitable distances apart, then bending and joining their -tops to a number of pillars or posts fixed circularly in the centre of -the enclosure. The trees are then covered with bark, over which is thrown -a layer of earth, nearly a foot in thickness, and finally, a solid mass -of green turf completes the structure. These dwellings, thus completed, -resemble hillocks. A large aperture in the top serves to admit the light -and also to emit the smoke. They are very warm in winter, and cool, but -oftentimes very damp, in summer. They are large enough to contain ten or -a dozen families.[348] - -If, in the long journeys which they undertake in search of game, any -should be impeded, either by age or sickness, their children or relations -make a small hut of dried grass to shelter them from the heat of the sun -or from the weather, leaving as much provision as they are able to spare, -and thus abandon them to their destiny. Nothing is more touching than -this constrained separation, caused by absolute necessity—the tears and -cries of the children on the one hand, and the calm resignation of the -aged father or mother on the other. They often encourage their children -not to expose their own lives in order to prolong their short remnant -{357} of time. They are anxious to depart on their long journey, and to -join their ancestors in the hunting-grounds of the Great Spirit. If, some -days after, they are successful in the chase, they return as quickly as -possible to render assistance and consolation. These practices are common -to all the nomadic tribes of the mountains. - -The Pawnees have nearly the same ideas concerning the universal deluge as -those which I have given of the Potawotomies. In relation to the soul, -they say, that there is a resemblance in the body which does not die, -but detaches itself when the body expires. If a man has been good during -his life, kind to his parents, a good hunter, a good warrior, his soul -(_sa ressemblance_) is transported into a land of delights, abundance, -and pleasures. If, on the contrary, a man has been wicked, hard-hearted, -cruel and indolent, his soul passes through narrow straits, difficult -and dangerous, into a country where all is confusion, contrariety and -unhappiness. - -In their religious ceremonies, they dance, sing and pray before a bird -stuffed with all kinds of roots and herbs used in their superstition. -They have a fabulous tradition, which teaches them that the morning star -sent this bird to their ancestors, {358} as its representative, with -orders to invoke it on all important occasions and to exhibit it in times -of sacrifice.[349] Before the invocation, they fill the calumet with the -sacred herb contained in the bird. They then puff out the smoke towards -the star, offer the prayers and make their demands, dancing and singing, -and celebrating in verses the great power of the bird. They implore its -assistance and its favor, whether to obtain success in hunting or in -war, or to demand snow in order to make the buffalo descend from the -mountains, or to appease the Great Spirit when a public calamity befalls -the nation, or a family, or even a single person. The Pawnees are one of -the few aboriginal tribes, which, descending from the ancient Mexicans, -are guilty of offering human sacrifices.[350] In order to justify this -barbarous practice, they say that the morning star taught them by means -of the bird, that such sacrifices were agreeable to it, and would bring -down upon the nation the favor of the great Deliberator[351] of the -universe. They are firmly persuaded that human sacrifices are most -agreeable to the Great Spirit. Hence, when the Pawnee takes a prisoner -and wishes {359} to render himself acceptable to Heaven, he devotes it to -the morning star. At the time of sacrifice, he delivers the prisoner over -into the hands of the jugglers; soon after which, commence the ceremonies -preparatory to the offering. I was in the neighborhood when one of these -bloody sacrifices took place, and the particulars, which I am about to -relate, were reported to me by worthy eye-witnesses. - -The victim in this horrid transaction was a young Sioux girl, named -Dakotha, aged 15 years, who had been taken prisoner by the Pawnees -about six months previous to her immolation. During the months of her -captivity, Dakotha received from the Pawnees every mark of regard which -savages are capable of bestowing. She was an honored guest at all the -_fêtes_ and _festivities_ of the village; and everywhere was treated, in -appearance at least, rather as a fond friend than as a prisoner. It is -the custom thus to prepare the victim, in order to conceal their infernal -design. - -The month of April being the season for planting, is on that account -selected for the offering of their abominable sacrifices. To this end, -four of the principal savages of the tribe assemble in the largest and -most beautiful {360} akkaro or hut, to deliberate with Tirawaat, or -the great Deliberator of the universe, concerning the sacrifice of the -victim. According to their belief, a human offering is rewarded by him -with an abundant harvest. He fills the hunting-grounds convenient to -their villages with immense herds of buffaloes, deer and antelopes, thus -enabling them to kill their prey with more facility and with less risk of -coming in contact with other warlike and hostile nations. - -The oldest savage of the tribe presides at the feast given on the -occasion. Ten of the best singers and musicians, each with his peculiar -instrument, squat in the middle of the akkaro. Four of them have dried -calabashes in their hands, from which the seeds have been extracted and -small pebbles placed in their stead, which being shaken by the muscular -arms of these gigantic savages, produce a sound like falling hail. Four -others beat their tekapiroutche—this is a kind of drum of a most mournful -and deafening sound; it is made from the trunk of a tree and is about -three feet long and one-and-a-half broad, covered at both ends with deer -skin. The remaining two have a kind of flute made of reeds, about two -feet long and one inch in diameter, instruments, such as were used by -{361} the ancient shepherds, and which give forth sounds that may be -heard at the distance of half a mile. They fasten to each instrument a -little tewaara, or medicine bag, filled with roots and other materials, -to which, in their superstitious rites, they attach a supernatural power, -that renders their offering more agreeable to the Author of life. Four -sentinels, each armed with a lance, take their position at the four -cardinal points of the lodge, to maintain order among the spectators -and to prevent the entrance of the women, young girls and children. -The guests are seated upon the ground or upon mats on the right and -left of the presiding juggler, turning around from time to time in the -most grotesque and ridiculous dances. Imagine thirty swarthy savages, -with their bodies tattooed; their faces besmeared with paint—white, -black, made of soot and the scrapings of the kettles, yellow, green and -vermilion; and their long and dishevelled hair clotted with mud or clay. -Placing themselves in a circle, they shriek, they leap, and give to -their bodies, their arms, their legs, and their heads a thousand hideous -contortions; while streams of perspiration, pouring down their bodies, -render the horrors of their appearance still more dreadful, by {362} the -confused commingling of the colors with which they are smeared—now they -crowd together pell-mell, then separate, some to the right, some to the -left, one upon one foot, another upon two, while others go on all-fours -without order, and although without appearance of measure, yet, in -perfect harmony with their drums, their calabashes and their flutes. - -Near the centre of the hut, at about four feet from the fire-place, are -placed four large buffalo heads, dissected, in order that they may take -the augury. The presiding juggler, the musicians and the dancers have -their heads covered with the down of the swan, which sticks to them by -means of honey, with which they smear their hair—a practice common to all -the tribes of North America in their superstitious rites. The president -or presiding juggler alone is painted with red, the musicians, one half -red and the other half black, while all the others are daubed with all -colors, and in the most fantastic figures. - -Each time that the music, the songs and the dances are performed, the -spectators observe the most profound silence, and during the space of -thirty minutes that the extraordinary charivari continues, nothing -is heard but the chants, the cries, the howlings and the music. When -all {363} have figured in the dance, the presiding juggler gives the -signal to stop, crying out with all the force of his lungs. Immediately -all cease, each one takes his place, and the auditory responds: “Néva! -Néva! Néva!” it is well, it is well, it is well! The dancers then fill -the ancient nawishkaro, or religious calumet, which is used only upon -occasions the most important. They offer it to the president, who, -striking with both his hands the long pipe, adorned with pearls and -worked with different figures, goes and squats himself down by the -fire-place. One of the guards places a coal upon the mysterious calumet. -Having lighted it, he rises and gives a puff to each of the musicians -without once slacking his hold from the pipe. He then turns towards the -centre, and raising his eyes towards heaven, he offers the calumet to the -Master of life, resting for a moment in majestic silence: then, offering -three puffs to heaven, he speaks these words: “O, Tirawaat! Thou who -beholdest all things, smoke with thy children, and take pity on us.” -He then offers the calumet to the buffalo heads, their great manitous, -salutes each of them with two puffs, and then goes to empty the bowl of -the pipe in a wooden dish, prepared for that purpose, that the sacred -ashes {364} may be afterwards gathered and preserved in a deer-skin -pouch.[352] - -[Illustration: Buffalos discovered] - -After the dance, the master of ceremonies serves up the repast to the -guests, seated in a circle. The food consists of dried buffalo meat and -boiled maize, served in wooden plates, filled to the brim. Each one is -bound to empty his plate, even should he expose himself to the danger of -death from indigestion. The president offers a portion of the meat and -maize to the Great Spirit, and places it accordingly upon the ground, and -he then makes a similar offering to one of the buffalo heads, which is -supposed to be a party to the feast. At length, while each one occupies -himself with doing honor to his plate, one of the chiefs of the band -rises up and announces to all the guests that the Master of life dances -with him, and that he accepts the calumet and the feasting. All the band -reply: “Néva! Néva! Néva!” This is the first condemnation. - -{365} The repast ended, they again dance, after which the calumet is -lighted the second time; and, as in the former instance, is offered to -the Master of life and to the buffalo heads, upon which, the lodge again -resounds with the triple cry, “Néva!” This last dance condemns, without -appeal, the unfortunate victim whose immolation is invoked. - -After all their grotesque dances, their cries, their chants and their -vociferations, the savages, preceded by the musicians, go out of the -lodge, to present the sacred calumet to the buffalo heads placed on -the tops of the lodges of the village, each of which is ornamented -with from two to eight heads, preserved as the trophies of their skill -in the chase. At each puff the multitude raise a furious cry, for now -the whole village joins in the extraordinary procession. They stop -before the lodge of the Sioux girl, and make the air resound with the -horrible imprecations against their enemies and against the unfortunate -and innocent victim, who represents them on the present occasion. From -this moment she is guarded by two old satellites, whose office it is -to beguile her from the least suspicion that she is the victim for the -coming sacrifice; and whose duty it also is to entertain {366} her upon -the great feast, they prepare on the occasion in her honor, and that she -may be well fed in order to appear more beautiful and fat, and thereby -more agreeable to the Master of life. This ends the first day of the -ceremonies. - -On the second day, two old female savages, with dishevelled hair, their -faces wrinkled and daubed with black and red paint, their naked arms -and legs tattooed, barefooted, and with no other dress than a deer-skin -petticoat, extending down to the knee—in a word, two miserable-looking -beldams, capable of striking terror in any beholder,—issue from their -huts with pipes in their hands, ornamented with the scalps which their -husbands have taken from their unhappy enemies. Passing through the -village, they dance around each akkaro, solemnly announcing, “that the -Sioux girl has been given to the Master of life by wise and just men, -that the offering is acceptable to him, and that each one should prepare -to celebrate the day with festivity and mirth.” At this announcement, the -idlers and children of the village move about and shout with joy. They -then, still dancing, re-conduct the two old squaws to their huts, before -which they place their pikes as trophies, and enter.—All then {367} -return to their own lodge, to partake of the feasts of their relatives. - -About ten o’clock in the morning of the third day, all the young women -and girls of the village, armed with hatchets, repair to the lodge of -their young and unhappy captive, and invite her to go into the forest -with them to cut wood.—The simple-hearted, confiding child, accepts their -malicious invitation with eagerness and joy, happy to breathe once more -the pure air.—They then give her a hatchet, and the female troop advance -towards the place marked out in the dance, making the forest resound with -shouts of joy. Atipaat, an old squaw who conducted them, designates, by -a blow of the hatchet, the tree which is to be cut down. Each then gives -it one blow, after which the victim approaches to complete the work. As -soon as she commences what seems to her but pastime, the whole crowd of -young furies surround her, howling and dancing. Unconscious that the -tree is to supply the wood for her own sacrifice, the poor child pursues -her work as if a great honor had been reserved for her.—Atipaat, the old -woman, then fastens to her the ashki[353] with which to draw the wood. - -{368} The troop then lead the way towards the village, dancing as they -pass along, but giving the hapless victim almost no assistance in -dragging her load. An innumerable multitude attend them to the place of -sacrifice, and receive them with loud acclamations. They there relieve -her of her burden and again place her in the hands of the guards, -who, with voices harsh and quivering, chant the great deeds of their -younger days and re-conduct her to her lodge. In the meantime the whole -band assist to arrange the wood between two trees, after which they -immediately disperse. - -On the morning of the fourth day, before sunrise, a savage visits all the -lodges to announce to each family, in the name of the Master of life, -that they must furnish two billets of wood about three feet long for the -sacrifice. - -Then thirty warriors issue from their lodges, decked in all sorts of -accoutrements; their heads adorned with deer and buffalo horns, with the -tails of horses and the plumes of the {369} eagle and heron, interwoven -with their scalp-locks, while the tails of wolves and wild cats stream -from various parts behind, as the wings of Mercury are represented, with -pendants hanging from their noses and ears, so elongated by the weight of -the ornaments suspended to them, that they float about and strike against -their shoulders.—Glass beads, or necklaces of brass or steel adorn their -necks, while highly-ornamented deer-skin leggins and curiously-painted -buffalo-skins, negligently thrown over their shoulders, complete their -grotesque habiliments. Thus accoutred they present themselves at the -hut of their captive, who is already adorned with the most beautiful -dress their fancy can devise, or the materials at their command produce. -Her head-dress is composed of the feathers of the eagle and swan, and -descends behind in gracefully waving curves, even to the ground. Her -person is properly painted with red and black lines. A frock of deer-skin -descends to the knee, while a beautiful pair of leggins extend from -thence to the ankle. A pair of moccasins garnished with porcupine quills, -pearl and glass beads, are on her feet. Pendants hang from her ears -and nose, a necklace ornaments her neck, and bracelets her arms; {370} -nothing was spared that could add to her beauty. - -Tranquillity and joy distinguishes her as she approaches the grand feast, -which she has been made to believe her kind guardians have prepared to -honor her. At the first cry of the warriors, the poor child comes out of -the hut and walks at the head of her executioners, who follow in single -file. As they pass along they enter into all the huts, where the most -profound silence and the utmost propriety reign. The Sioux girl walks -around the fire-place, her followers do the same, and, just as she leaves -the lodge, the principal squaw gives her two billets of wood, which the -unconscious victim gives in her turn to each of the savages. In this -manner, when she has been made to collect all the wood to serve for her -immolation, she takes her place in the rear of the band, joyous and -content that she has had the happiness to contribute to the pleasure of -her executioners; after which they again restore her to her two guards, -to be presented with her last repast, which consists of a large plate of -maize. - -All now wait in anxious expectation to witness the last scene of the -bloody drama. The whole village is in commotion. Everywhere {371} the -warriors, old and young, may be seen preparing their murderous arrow, -as upon the eve of a battle. Some practice shooting at a mark; the -more barbarous, thirsting for the blood of their enemies, encourage -and instruct their children in the use of the bow and arrow, and what -part of the body they ought to strike.—The young women and girls devote -themselves to clearing away the brushes and preparing the place of -sacrifice, after the accomplishment of which, they employ themselves -during the rest of that day and night in polishing their necklaces, -pendants and bracelets, and all the other ornaments in which they wish to -appear at the great feast. - -On the fifth day, an aid-de-camp of Lechartetewarouchte, or the chief -of sacrifice, ran through the village to announce, in the name of his -master, the necessity of preparing the red and black paint, which is -to serve for the grand ceremony. It is vain to attempt to give you, my -dear sir, an adequate description of this personage, either as regards -his costume, his figure, or his manner; it is everything that a savage -can invent of the fantastic, the ridiculous and the frightful, united in -one person. The collector of colors himself scarcely yields {372} to his -comrade in monstrosity. He has the appearance of one, truly, just escaped -from the infernal regions. His body is painted black, which, contrasted -with the whiteness of his teeth and of his huge eyes, and with his hair -besmeared with white clay, and bristling like the mane of a lion, gives -him an aspect terrible and ferocious in the extreme. At each heel is -fastened the tail of a wolf, and on his feet a pair of moccasins made -of buffalo skin, with the long shaggy hair on the outside. He passes -through the whole village with a measured step, holding a wooden plate -in each hand. He enters the huts successively, and, as he approaches -the fire-place, he cries aloud: “The Master of life sends me here.” -Immediately, a woman comes and empties into one of his plates either some -red or some black paint, which she had prepared. Upon the reception of -which, he raises his eyes to heaven, and with a loud voice says: “Regard -the love of thy children, O Tirawaat! However poor, all that they possess -is thine, and they give it to thee. Grant us an abundant harvest. Fill -our hunting-grounds with buffaloes, deer, stags and antelopes. Make us -powerful against our enemies, so that we may again renew this great -sacrifice.” {373} Each one replies by the usual exclamation: “Néva! Néva! -Néva!” - -After the return of the collector of colors, and before sunrise, the last -scene commences. Men and women, boys and girls, daub themselves in all -the colors and forms imaginable. They deck themselves in whatever they -possess which in their estimation is either beautiful or precious—pearls, -beads, porcelain collars, the claws of the white bear, (this is in their -view the most costly and valuable decoration) bracelets and pendants; -nothing is forgotten on this occasion. They ornament their hair with the -feathers of the heron, and of the gray eagle, a bird superstitiously -venerated by them. Thus equipped for their sortie, they listen -attentively for the first signal to the sacrifice. - -While these preparations are in progress, the Tewaarouchte, a religious -band of distinguished warriors, known in the procession by the down of -swans upon their hair or upon the tops of their heads, and by their naked -bodies painted in red and black lines, follow the braves of the nation -armed with their bows and arrows, which are sedulously concealed beneath -their buffalo robes. Thus they approach the lodge where the unconscious -victim awaits, as she thinks, {374} the happy moment for the festivities -given in her honor, to commence. She is now delivered into the hands -of her executioners, dressed in the beautiful costume of the previous -day, with the addition of a cord tied to each ankle. The poor child is -all interest and in a kind of impatience to participate in the grand -festivities. She smiles as she looks round upon the most cruel and the -most revengeful enemies of her race. Not the slightest agitation, fear, -or suspicion, is visible in her manner. She walks with joy and confidence -in the midst of her executioners. Arrived at the fatal spot, a frightful -presentiment flashes across her mind. There is no one of her own sex -present. In vain do her eyes wander from place to place, in order to -find the evidences of a feast. Why that solitary fire? And those three -posts, which she herself drew from the forest, and which she saw fastened -between two trees, and those swarthy figures of the warriors, what can -they mean? All, all indicate some dreadful project. They order her to -mount the three posts. She hesitates, she trembles as an innocent lamb -prepared for the slaughter. She weeps most bitterly and with a voice -the most touching, such as must have broken any other hearts than those -of these {375} savage men, she implores them not to kill her. With a -persuasive tone they endeavor to convince her that their intention is -not to injure her, but that the ceremonies in which she participates -are indispensable before the grand feast. One of the most active of the -savages unrolls the cords tied to her wrists and assists her to mount to -the post. He passes the cords over the branches of the two trees, between -which the sacrifice is to be made. - -These are rendered firm by the powerful arms of the other savages, and -her feet immediately fastened to the topmost of the three posts, which -she had unconsciously cut and drawn to the fatal spot. On the instant all -doubt of their intentions vanishes from her mind. The savages no longer -conceal from her their frightful project. She cries aloud, she weeps, she -prays; but her supplications, her tears and her prayers are alike drowned -in the melée, and cry of their horrible imprecations against her nation. - -Upon her innocent and devoted head they concentrate the full measure of -their vengeance, of all the cruelties, of all the crimes, of all the -injustice and cruelty of the Sioux, which may have taken place in their -most cruel and protracted {376} wars, and which from time immemorial had -been transmitted from father to son, as a precious heritage of vengeance -and resentment. In a manner the most furious and most triumphant they -exult with leaping and howling, like wild beasts, around their trembling -victim. They then despoil her of all her ornaments and of her dress, -when the chief of the sacrifice approaches and paints one-half of her -body black and the other half red, the colours of their victims. He -then scorches her armpits and sides with a pine-knot torch. After these -preparatory rites, he gives the signal to the whole tribe, who make the -air resound with the terrible war-cry of the Sassaskwi. At this piercing -cry, which freezes the heart with terror, which paralyzes the timid and -rouses the ardor of the brave, which confounds the buffalo in his course, -and fills the bear with such fear as to take from him all the power of -resisting or fleeing from his enemies, the savages, impatient and greedy -for blood, issue from their dark lodges. Like a terrific hurricane they -rush headlong to the fatal spot. Their cries, mingled with the noise -of their feet, resemble the roar of thunder, increasing as the storm -approaches. As a swarm of bees surround their queen, these Pawnee savages -{377} encompass the Sioux child—their trembling victim. In the twinkling -of an eye, their bows are bent and their arrows adjusted to the cords. -The arrow of Lecharitetewarouchte, or chief of the sacrifice, is the -only one which is barbed with iron. With this, it is his province to -pierce the heart of the innocent Dakotha. A profound silence reigns for -an instant among the ferocious band. No sound breaks the awful stillness -save the sobs and piteous moans of the victim, who hangs trembling in the -air, while the chief of the sacrifice makes a last offering of her to -the Master of the universe. At that moment he transfixes her through the -heart—upon the instant a thousand murderous arrows quiver in the body of -the poor child. Her whole body is one shapeless mass, riddled with arrows -as numerous as are the quills upon the back of the porcupine. - -While the howling and the dancing continue, the great chief of the -nation, mounting the three posts in triumph, plucks the arrows from the -dead body and casts them into the fire. The iron-barbed arrow being the -only one preserved for future sacrifices. He then squeezes the blood from -the mangled flesh, upon the maize and other seeds, which stand around -in baskets ready {378} to be planted; and then, as the last act of this -cruel and bloody sacrifice, he plucks the still palpitating heart from -the body, and, heaping the fiercest imprecations upon the enemies of his -race, devours it amidst the shouts and screams of his people. The rite -is finished. The haughty and satisfied savages move away from the scene -of their awful tragedy; they pass the remainder of the day in feasts and -merriment. The murdered and deformed body hangs where it was immolated, a -prey to wolves and carnivorous birds. I will end this painful tragedy, by -giving you an extract of a former letter. - -“Such horrid cruelties could not but bring down the wrath of Heaven upon -their nation. As soon as the report of the sacrifice reached the Sioux, -they burned with the desire to avenge their honor, and bound themselves -by oaths that they would not rest until they had killed as many Pawnees -as their innocent victim had bones or joints in her body. More than a -hundred Pawnees have at length fallen under their tomahawks, and their -oaths have since been still more amply fulfilled in the massacre of their -wives and children. - -“In view of so much cruelty, who could mistake the agency of the arch -enemy of mankind, {379} and who could refuse to exert himself to bring -these benighted nations to the knowledge of the One only true Mediator -between God and man, and of the only true sacrifice without which it is -impossible to appease the Divine justice?” - - With sentiments of respect and esteem, - - I remain, my dear sir, yours, &c. - - _Peter J. De Smet, S. J._ - - -No. XXVII - -A. M. D. G. - -EXTRACT FROM THE MISSIONARY’S JOURNAL - -To-day, 17th August, we pitched our tents upon the borders of a winding -stream, in the heart of a wild, mountainous country, whose deep ravines -and gloomy caverns are well suited for the dens of wild animals. Great -as our expectations were of finding here abundance of game, they were -not deceived. In less than an hour our hunters killed as many as twelve -bears. During the night, an event of a far more serious nature occurred. -The sudden firing of a gun roused us from slumber. Every warrior was on -the alert; that shot could have proceeded from no hand save that of a -“Black-Foot!” We looked at one another in silent anticipation. Who, then, -had been the sufferer? The painful question was quickly answered. It was -the {381} poor widow Camilla, one of the Sinpoil tribe.[354] The ball had -passed through her throat, and she expired without a groan! Happily, her -soul was ripe for Heaven. From the period of her first communion, she -had never passed a Sunday without approaching the holy table, nor was -her baptismal robe sullied by the slightest stain. The funeral obsequies -were performed on the banks of Yellow-Rock River,[355] because that -spot was better suited than any other to conceal her sepulchre from the -avaricious Black-Foot assassin. All things work together for good to them -that love God; this death, terrible, indeed, in the sight of men, but -precious in the eyes of the Lord, became the source of a good work. The -murdered woman left two daughters, both very young; had her life been -spared, she would not, perhaps, have been able to shield their innocence -from the dangers to which it would have been exposed; but, now, they were -immediately adopted by Ambrose, chief of the Flat-Heads, and father of a -numerous family; in his noble heart, charity, piety, and confidence in -God, go hand-in-hand with his courage. - -At the distance of a few gun-shots from Yellow-Rock, the buffaloes made -their appearance. {382} One of them plunged into the river to avoid the -death which threatened him, swam rapidly down the current, then suddenly -tacked about to escape his pursuers; and, finally, exhausted by his -efforts, unable longer to contend with his fate, came out of the river, -and stretched himself upon the turf at the entrance of our camp, where -his presence caused no other mischief than that of exciting the mirth of -the women and children. - -Farther on, two bears were seen making their way through the bushes. -The young people, who were the first to perceive them, announced their -discovery by loud yells. Immediately, a Black-Foot, a friend of the -Flat-Heads, sprang forward with the intention of giving the first blow -to the common enemy; but the sagacious animal, anticipating his design, -rushed from his lair, and fastened his enormous claws on the uplifted arm -of the young Indian, whose situation would have been desperate, had not -a Flat-Head come to his assistance. A few days after, another converted -Black-Foot, finding himself in the same circumstances, and wishing to -show that he knew better than his comrade how to kill bears, went {383} -about it in the same manner, and shared the same fate; a punishment which -his temerity richly deserved. - -[Illustration: A Prayer for success in hunting.] - -Whilst we were encamped in this place, several chiefs of the Corbeaux -tribe came to visit the Flat-Heads, accompanied by the flower of their -young warriors. They spoke with enthusiasm of the visit their nation had -received from a Black-gown in 1842, and expressed great desire for the -time to come when they, like the Flat-Heads, would enjoy the privilege -of having Black-gowns always with them, to instruct them in heavenly -things. They still observe the superstitious practices of the calumet. -To render the odor of the pacific incense agreeable to their gods, it is -necessary that the tobacco and the herb (skwiltz), the usual ingredients, -should be mixed with a small quantity of buffalo’s dung, and that the -_great pipe_, after having gone round the lodge, should re-commence the -circuit as soon as it arrives at the opening, without which ceremony they -imagine it would be useless to smoke with their brethren, or incense, -as they do, the heavens, earth, four cardinal points, and medals of -Washington and Jackson. - -Nothing but misfortunes could await them. {384} Whilst they remained -with us, we buried a Pend-d’Oreille Indian, who had died shortly -after baptism, strengthened by all the sacraments of the church. This -ceremony, which was performed with more than ordinary pomp in honor of -the visitors, was concluded by the solemn erection of the cross on the -grave of the deceased. May the remembrance of these last duties paid to -a departed child of the church, increase in the hearts of the Corbeaux -the desire of knowing Him, without the knowledge of whom there is no -salvation. The following day they returned to their own camp. - -The Pierced-Noses were now on their way to their own country; the -Flat-Heads, on the contrary, were still in pursuit of game; for, although -the season was far advanced, they had not yet commenced to lay in their -winter provisions. Early the following morning, we struck our tents and -resumed our march. We had not proceeded far, when our attention was -attracted by a herd of buffaloes quietly feeding in the beautiful valley -at our feet. They were so numerous, that each of the hunters killed -several. The slaughter of these animals was but the prelude of that -which was to take place on the following days. Our hunters brought in -{385} game in abundance. On one occasion, they returned laden with the -spoils of 344 fat cows. We encamped in the very heart of the Black-Foot -territory, yet the howling of wolves and bears, calling one another to -their nocturnal repast, was the only sound that disturbed our repose. -The hunting season is a time of rest for the missionary, of intimate -union with his God, of renovation for his soul! It was in this spirit -I received, with humble gratitude, the short but severe illness with -which I was visited at this period. I regarded it, likewise, as sent -me in punishment for the too natural pleasure I felt in contemplating -the strange and varied scenes by which I was surrounded. During our -encampment in this spot, I had the consolation of baptizing ten adults. - -An unexpected fall of snow warned us that it was time to think of our -return. The chief accordingly gave orders for all to be in readiness to -set out the following day. The weather was clear, but intensely cold; -and, suffering as I still was, from the effects of my recent illness, I -had great difficulty in supporting its severity. We were, however, soon -cheered by milder days, and warmer sunshine. Our young hunters were, once -more, all animation. The pleasures {386} of the chase were resumed as far -as the good order necessary for the homeward march would permit. Even the -children caught the general spirit, and bounded off in pursuit of some -smaller animal, which the elated winner of the race never failed to bring -back on his shoulder. - -We were now entering the defile where we had before met with such -brilliant success. At almost every step we fell in with some straggler. -At one time, an old decrepit buffalo; at another, a fat cow, and -sometimes a playful calf, whose dam had already fallen a victim. These -animals were an easy prey, and their capture was a new source of sport -for the boys. - -On the 28th I retired to the summit of a neighboring mountain, to read -the vespers of St. Michael. The atmosphere was unusually serene; not -a sound disturbed the silence of nature. I gazed on the quiet beauty -of the scene, hushed, as it were, in the presence of God, and my heart -dilated at the thought of the thousands of unconverted Indians, buried -in the darkness of idolatry. Full of these thoughts, I raised my eyes, -and, excited as my imagination was, it seemed to me that I beheld the -archangel, Michael, standing on the opposite mountain, exclaiming, -“Deluded nations! Who is {387} like unto God?” The voice resounded -through the forests—it was echoed by the deep ravines. I fancied it was -heard and understood by the wild children of the woods; their responding -shouts rung in my ear. Yielding to the enthusiasm of my feelings, I -hastily quitted my elevated position, and erected a wooden cross on the -summit of a neighboring eminence. Some days after, a hunter discovered, -near the half-consumed embers of an extinguished fire, a similar cross, -to which a banner was attached. My first thought was, that it had been -planted there by some Catholic, who had lost his way in the forest, and -been devoured by the wolves. The Flat-Heads, however, well acquainted -with the practices of their ancient foes, the Black-Feet, informed me -that it was a custom among them to erect these crosses to the moon, in -order to render her favorable to the robbery or chase, in which they were -about to engage. This information dispelled the pleasing fancies in which -I had indulged; and painfully reminded me that the God-Saviour is yet far -from being adored in these wild abodes. May we not hope that the time -will yet come, when the banner of the true cross will wave triumphant -o’er this benighted land! - -{388} The obstacles which have hitherto prevented the missionaries from -penetrating into the Black-Feet territory are now beginning to disappear, -and there is every prospect of our soon being able to commence the -glorious work of their conversion. - -The next day we entered a mountain pass, where the foot of man had seldom -trodden, as was proved by the fact, that fifteen beavers were taken in -one night by three hunters. After following for some time the circuitous -windings of the ravine, we came to an ascent so slippery, that at every -instant I was in anticipation of some sad catastrophe. Presently a -sumpter-horse missed his footing and fell, rolling down the precipice. -Who, that had seen him fall from rock to rock, would ever have thought, -that in a few minutes he would be journeying on, laden as before! Without -uttering a single word, the guide made her way through the deep snow to -the spot where the poor animal lay, unloaded him, raised him from the -ground, replaced his burden, and brought him back to the rear of the -troop. - -We continued our route until sunset, along the mountain’s summit; at -length, after a forced march of ten hours, we pitched our tents on a -{389} beautiful island, where we enjoyed both security and repose. -Surrounded by the waters of the Missouri, and abounding in rich pastures, -this charming spot seems, as it were, destined by nature as a place of -rest for the wearied traveller. - -It would have been impossible to contemplate without admiring the -loveliness of the landscape. From the southern coast of the river arose a -ridge of mountains, whose varied colors of blue, red, green, and yellow, -gave them a striking appearance; the effect of which was heightened by -a small stream, leaping from rock to rock, in the form of a cascade, -cooling the parched ground, insinuating itself into the crevices of the -rocks, and giving birth to an infinite variety of creeping plants, and -flowering shrubs.—The island itself is beautiful beyond description. The -scenery is diversified by groups of the majestic buttonball, which, in -this country, is the giant of the vegetable kingdom. It was under the -shade of one of these noble trees that our hunters prepared to celebrate -the feast of the Maternity. The sun’s last rays had long disappeared -beneath the horizon, ere all was ready for the evening prayer. After -which, notwithstanding the fatigues of the day, a large {390} fire was -kindled before my tent, and the greater part of the night consecrated by -these fervent children of the woods, to the reconciliation of their souls -with God. The following day the Holy Sacrifice was celebrated with as -much solemnity as the circumstances would permit. Of the ninety persons -who then approached the table of the Lord, there was not one, who, since -the departure from St. Mary’s, had not communicated every month. Several -had enjoyed that happiness each week. During the evening office nothing -particular occurred. The eve of my departure the mothers brought their -young children to receive my blessing; and the chiefs erected a cross -in token of their gratitude for the favors received during the hunting -season. To this latter circumstance the island is indebted for the -beautiful name of St. Croix. - -The following day I bade farewell to my dear neophytes; and, after -joining in prayer with them for the last time, I set out on my return to -St. Mary’s. - - _N. Point, S. J._ - - -No. XXVIII - -“HENCEFORWARD THE PRAYER OF THE FLAT-HEADS SHALL BE OURS” - -BY REV. P. N. POINT - -We shall see what gave occasion to these remarkable words uttered by -thirty-seven Black-Feet, who had fallen into the hands of the Flat-Heads. - -It is rare, at present, to find any Black-Feet, even among the most -vicious tribes, who are not convinced that the _Black-gowns_ desire their -happiness. - -The following observations clearly prove my proposition: 1, the kind -reception they gave the Black Robe who was taken by sixty of their -warriors: 2, the attention with which they listened to the Rev. Mr. -Thibault, a Canadian priest, who fell in with a large company of them -at Fort Augusta,[356] on the River Sascatshawin: 3, sending back to St. -Mary’s, a horse belonging to a Flat-Head missionary; a circumstance -{392} hitherto unheard of, in the relations of the Black-Feet with the -Flat-Heads; 4, the confidence which several have manifested in the -missionaries, on many remarkable occasions; 5, the smoking of the calumet -in the plain of the Great Valley, with a small number of Flat-Heads whom -they might have killed without difficulty; 6, the amicable visits they -have paid the Flat-Heads by the persuasion of the hoary chief Nicholas, -(baptized,) and the habitual residence of several of the tribe at the -village of St. Mary’s; 7, the plunder of horses is incomparably more rare -than during the preceding years; 8, the four years’ cessation of any -serious attack; though, formerly, not a hunting party passed without a -sanguinary battle with the Flat-Heads. In proof of this, remember the -sixty-five battles of old Paulin. If we add to all this, the providential -and admirable circumstance which occurred during the chase, and which -we purpose relating, surely, it may be permitted to form the brightest -prospects relative to the religious conquest of this numerous tribe; -and I sincerely hope that an occurrence, which lately took place at St. -Mary’s, will contribute much to realize my desires. - -{393} The 2d or 3d February, during the night, the dogs barked—a -pistol-shot was heard—a mournful silence ensues! A thief, doubtless, -had been wounded. The following morning, marks of blood could be traced -as far as the river, which led to the conclusion that the robber had -perished in the waves; but, three days since, George Sapime, whilst -duck-shooting, found the suffering being among some bushes, so exhausted -by loss of blood that he could scarcely stand. George might easily have -despatched him on the spot, according to the savage custom; but he -thought it better to return to the village and take counsel as to what -seemed most expedient to be done with the hapless desperado. At this -intelligence, numbers of Indians mount their horses and gallop off, -full armed, to the spot indicated. Whilst this was being transacted, -the incident was related to Father Mengarini. Pelchimo and Ambrose, two -really brave Flat-Heads,[357] who communicated the intelligence, thought -it base to kill a dying man. The zealous missionary conceived an ardent -desire to secure the salvation of the culprit, by pouring on his soul the -saving waters of regeneration. Pelchimo, seconding the good design, flies -to the place, and arrives at the very instant when the {394} pistols -were cocked to terminate the prisoner’s existence. “Stop!” vociferates -the feeling Pelchimo. At this word the execution is suspended, and an -hour after, the Black-Foot enemy and robber is tended, in the chieftain’s -lodge, with all the kindness that could be lavished on a noble and -much-loved sufferer. - -Father Mengarini, after having dressed his wounds, spoke to him of God, -and his judgments: the sick man answered, that it was the first time -he had heard these great truths. Such a reply, made the father cherish -the hope of saving his soul; and, also, of contributing, by means of -this man, to the designs of mercy, which, it seemed, the Almighty God -had towards this terrible nation. “Brethren,” said he, addressing the -assembled chiefs, “during four years the Black-gowns have been among -you, and each day have they spoken to you of God. You know well that His -divine Son not only died on the cross for all men, but even pardoned his -enemies, and prayed for his executioners, to teach us how we should act -in the like occasions. An enemy has fallen into your hands—remember, -he has a soul like yours, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and -destined to sing eternally the divine mercy of your Saviour! {395} What -shall be done with this man? Is he to live, or must he die?” “Let him -live,” answered every tongue. Overjoyed to find their hearts so replete -with compassion, the Black-gown was expressing his satisfaction to -the assembled tribe, when he was told that some obscure savages, of a -different tribe, were not of the same opinion as the generous chieftains -who surrounded him. This information induced the father to take a -different tone; and addressing the murmurers, he thus spoke: “Brethren! -when we pardon a foe, we imitate the ordinary conduct of God towards -men. Who, among you, has not sinned during his life? And how often has -God forgiven you? If, instead of forgetting your multiplied offences, -the Almighty had placed your souls in the power of your infernal enemy, -what would now be your fate? But no; God has not treated you thus; he -has sent his ministers among you,—numbered you among his children, and -promised heaven to your fidelity and compassion for the unfortunate; and -who knows, if this signal favor may not depend on the generosity you -exercise towards your enemy? The blood of Jesus Christ pleads for mercy -in his behalf. Already have your chiefs pronounced his pardon. Will you -imitate their {396} noble conduct? Ah! if you refuse, take your knives -and bury them in your enemy’s heart! But, from that instant, call not -God your Father; cease saying to Him: ‘forgive us our trespasses as we -forgive those who trespass against us;’ for, our Common Father might -hear your prayer, but, it would be for your eternal reprobation.” This -brief but energetic appeal caused such sensation throughout the auditory, -that every one approved the first decision. From that moment the entire -village of St. Mary’s, with the exception of a few malicious hearts, -shared in the generous sentiments of the Flat-Head chiefs. Selpisto, -a chieftain of the Pends-d’Oreilles, happened to be, at this time, at -St. Mary’s. He took the Black-Foot under his protection, and when he -recovered from his wounds, loaned him a horse to return to his country; -and he even redoubled his attention at the moment when he received the -news that one of his sons had fallen a sacrifice to the Black-Feet. When -the youth was met by his enemies, he was returning in triumph to St. -Mary’s, with the horses recently stolen from the village. His bravery -had forced the robbers to return them; this circumstance rendered -his loss a still greater affliction to his family. The return of the -Black-Foot, so {397} honorably dismissed, and the relation he gave the -tribe of the mercy exercised towards him, caused his nation to look upon -the Flat-Heads in a different light. “I am very glad,” wrote Father -Mengarini, “that this affair terminated amicably. I trust that the future -will prove, that the Almighty, after having exercised mercy towards -this unfortunate sinner, has also particular graces in reserve for this -perfidious and benighted nation, which I hope, is destined to receive -the light of the gospel. Should any fathers be named to this mission, I -should be too happy to be of their number.” - -To whom are the Black-Feet indebted for a change so consoling, both to -religion and humanity? Next to Almighty God, we may safely say, they -owe it to the admirable conduct of the Flat-Heads, especially since the -residence of the missionaries among the tribe. Some remarkable instances -of virtue were exhibited during the hunting season. - -On quitting St. Mary’s our pious neophytes added some short invocations -to their morning and evening prayers; 1, to the Heart of Jesus, as -protector of the men’s confraternity; 2, to the blessed Virgin, patroness -of the women’s sodality; 3, to St. Michael, model of the brave; {398} 4, -to St. Raphael, the guide of travellers; 5, to St. Hubert, the patron of -hunters; 6, to St. Francis Xavier, for the conversion of idolaters. We -shall see, that these pious aspirations were not addressed to Heaven in -vain. - -The eve preceding the anniversary of St. Francis Xavier’s canonization, -the missionary administered baptism to a Black-Foot, whose example -induced many others to solicit the like favor. The reception of the -holy sacraments of penance and eucharist, was very frequent. There were -430 confessions, (children included), 350 communions, 103 of which took -place the last Sunday. Only one person was left, in the camp; he having -recently made his first communion, did not renew it during the chase; -whereas, his companions approached two or three times, and some, even -more frequently. The pious practice of saying the Angelus, reciting the -Rosary, and singing canticles, was maintained throughout the camp. The -chiefs displayed their zeal for every species of good; an unalterable -patience was the distinguishing virtue of all, and this is saying much, -if we consider the trials attending the hunting season. Their resignation -to the Divine will, was strongly manifested. During twenty-four days -they had {399} been toiling onwards, undergoing much suffering from a -rigorous abstinence, when the news was spread that a herd of buffaloes -had been seen in the environs. The Indians repaired thither, but it was -to encounter a keen disappointment. Thus, the poor Flat-Heads found -themselves constrained either to fast or seek food in the country of the -Black-Feet. As their horses were in a better condition than those of -the other tribes, they resolved to risk the dangerous expedient. Four -days they traversed heights and floods: the weather was cold and snow -lay on the ground; no animals were to be seen. At last, on Wednesday in -Ember-week the missionary warned his little flock that the moment was -propitious for addressing Heaven to implore the goods of earth; but, he -added: “if you wish the Divine bounty to shed on you His gifts, you must -promise not to abuse them.” His words were attended to with deep emotion, -and each savage, according to the Indian expression, “Arranged his heart -and began to pray.” The next morning, (Thursday), herds of cattle were -seen in the neighborhood; and on Friday and Saturday so many were killed -that their great number encumbered the lodges. - -Already was the camp on its homeward {400} march, when, 12th March, the -chief, reaching the top of a mountain which commanded an extensive view -of the plain, suddenly stopped—and after gazing fixedly for some time, -discovered moving objects at the verge of the horizon. At first, those -around him imagined they saw buffaloes; next, they fancied they could -discover a herd of deer; the final conclusion was, that an armed party -of Black-Feet rapidly approached them. What was to be done? Victor, the -chief, lost nothing of his usual presence of mind. He calmly quitted the -head of the camp, mounted his horse, and making the animal perform a few -evolutions, he was instantly surrounded by the bravest of his band. Isaac -proposed prayer.—Victor exclaimed: “Let us wait until the Black-Feet show -themselves yonder.” Saying these words, he pointed out a second mountain -which concealed us. Never had any position offered more advantages. The -Black-Feet were climbing the opposite side—they were already fatigued. -Between the mountain and the chain which crowned the horizon extended -an immense plain, without either tree, ravine or river that could offer -them the least rampart. They were but thirty-seven in number, newly -exercised in arms, and on foot. The Flat-Heads, on {401} the contrary, -were on horseback, numbered fifty, in the flower of age, all well armed -and conducted by chieftains whose shadow would put to flight more enemies -than were now approaching. Besides, Victor was at their head; he who had -never been conquered, and what is more, not even wounded, though six -different times he had been encompassed by the Black-Feet. The marked -protection of Heaven had thus manifested itself in his favor! - -The enemy, then, could not escape them. All eyes were strained towards -the spot indicated by the chief, expecting the approach of the foe. -Victor judges that there is “periculum in mora;” he casts a smiling look -on the missionary, raises his fire-arms, utters a yell, urges on his -steed, and flies to the combat, followed by the bravest of the land. -Perceiving their approach, the Black-Feet took to flight, casting -away all that embarrassed them; but beholding themselves hemmed in on -all sides, they endeavoured to rally; the Flat-Heads hasten towards -them; Victor’s horse having been lately wounded, Fidele, Ambrose, -Isaac, Ferdinand, and Emanuel, passed their chief, and arrived first in -front of the enemy. Fidele spoke not; but his warrior name, signifying -_Thunderbolt_, sufficiently {402} declared his courage. Ambrose announced -him by that title, which causes the Black-Feet to turn pale, and added, -in a terrible voice: “Fire not! If you fire you are dead men!” God -spoke by his lips. Instead of firing, one of the Black-Feet threw down -his gun, whilst several others extended their arms, in a supplicating -attitude. The brave Ambrose refused not the pardon his enemies solicited; -for true courage will never bathe itself in the blood of a conquered -foe, who appeals for mercy, and whose conversion has been begged of -Heaven. The generous warrior willingly extends his hand to the foe; and -_all_, imitating his example, show that clemency has conquered. At this -happy moment, when such Christian sentiments pervaded every heart, the -_Black-gown_ advanced, and the conquered foes offered him their hands, -and, spreading a buffalo-skin on the snow, invited him to seat himself, -and receive the honors of the calumet. Whilst the smoke of peace ascended -towards heaven, presents were offered, and received, on both sides. The -oldest of the Black-Feet band, seated on the left of the missionary, -presented him a pair of Indian moccasins, and, strange to say, they were -embroidered, with a blue cross standing out conspicuously {403} from the -surrounding work. The poor idolater! did he, at that moment, think of the -“quam speciosi pedes?” Most probably not; but, it is certain, he remarked -the pleasure caused by his present, and felt an assurance, from the -manner in which it was received, that, henceforward, all hearts would be -united. - -The Flat-Head camp set out on their return. The thirty-seven Black-Feet -followed them. The thawing of the snow rendered the roads exceedingly -bad, and the kind-hearted Flat-Heads, compassionating the fate of -their new friends, did all they could to help them on their journey. -Before separating, Victor conducted the principal Black-Feet into the -missionary’s lodge, that he might witness their parting good friends; -and, during half an hour, every thing was said that could strengthen the -new-formed friendship between the tribes. The Black-Feet told us, that -for some time past they had been expecting a Black-gown, and that, when -he should come among them, he would be well received; that, henceforth, -they and the Flat-Heads would live like brothers; “that the prayer of -the Flat-Heads should be theirs.” And, although the sun had set, they -assisted at prayers; after which, {404} they exchanged some tokens of -friendship, and left, declaring that they were going to persuade their -village to act as they had done. - -The 19th March, feast of St. Joseph, seven days after the pardon so -generously granted the Black-Feet, Heaven bestowed on us the fruit of -our forbearance in the amicable visit of the grand chief of the “Petite -Robe, Itchetles Melakas—or the three crows.” All the chiefs smoked with -him under the missionary’s tent. Ambrose explained to him the Catholic -Tree; Victor invited him to pass the night in his lodge. Such attention -completely gained his heart; and the next morning the Black-Foot -communicated to the missionary the resolution he had formed of soliciting -the admission of his twenty-eight lodges among the Flat-Head tribe; and -that he would repair to the village of St. Mary’s for that purpose, -towards the decline of the present moon. - -During the night of the 19th some of the Black-Feet, belonging to a -distant tribe, stole into the camp of the Flat-Heads and carried off -five horses; but one of the robbers fell, pierced with balls, and two -strokes of the knife. It would be difficult to describe the horrors of -that night! the {405} savage yells, mingled with the sound of thunder, -and report of musketry. The miserable desperado, by the lightning’s -glare, could be perceived on the ground, streaming torrents of blood from -his wounds, and his unhappy soul about to quit the agonizing body, to -find in eternity the chastisement due to its crimes. What else could the -minister of God do, in such a circumstance, but pray the Father of Mercy -to perform a miracle of grace in favor of the criminal. - -The Flat-Heads have abolished the barbarous custom of reeking their -vengeance on the mutilated body of their enemy. They even carry their -generosity so far, as to give sepulture to all who die among them. The -robber owed his grave to the bravest of the Flat-Heads, the chief of -a numerous family, and the adopted father of two children, whom the -Black-Feet have rendered orphans. - -The following day offered nothing remarkable, if I except the many proofs -of solid virtue displayed by the camp. To afford them pleasure, the -missionary amused himself in his leisure hours tracing with a pen several -historical facts, drawn from their annals, and suited to {406} their -tastes; such as, march of the camp, divers occupations, labors of the -chase, feats of arms, singular tragic scenes, religious ceremonies, &c., -&c. It would be difficult to relate the pleasure this little collection -gave them; and, what is still better, it contributed powerfully to raise -the authority of the chieftains in the estimation of the young men, -and to excite in them a noble emulation in the practice of good; for -experience has clearly proved, both in civilized and uncivilized society, -that this quality is not only a stimulus to noble actions, but a greater -preventive of evil, than all chastisements united. - -Human ingenuity is useful, but it can do little towards the salvation of -souls, if it be not joined to fervent prayer. Every missionary should -be convinced of this truth. Our pious neophytes have experienced the -efficacy of frequent recourse to Heaven. Each day they had invoked the -Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Holy Heart of Mary; and the first Friday -and Saturday of March proved the most successful hunting days. We had -invoked the patron of hunters, and our chase was relatively fortunate. -We had implored the protection of the glorious St. Michael, and never -did our chiefs display greater valor {407} in the presence of the enemy. -We had entreated the Apostle of the Indies to obtain the conversion of -the Indians, and one party of Black-Feet falls under our power, whilst -the other amicably visits us, and departs, exclaiming, “The prayer of -the Flat-Heads shall be ours.” In fine, we had taken St. Raphael as our -guide; our journey was long, fatiguing, and perilous, nevertheless, no -serious accident occurred, though we often fell on the ice and rocks. -Not a hunter in our camp was there who did not remark this manifest -protection; and nearly all testified their gratitude to God by a fervent -communion. - -On Passion Sunday one hundred and three approached the holy table. The -evening of so happy a day was crowned by the erection of a cross, to -which they gave the name of Eugene, because the previous evening a quiver -of that excellent Flat-Head, and a letter written on a piece of skin, -after the Indian fashion, apprised us that he had been massacred in the -neighborhood by a party of Banax. We then remembered, with consolation, -that, on Ash Wednesday, a few days before his death, he came to see us, -and during his stay received the holy communion. {408} Thus, all seemed -to concur, even this death, in causing us to bless the Divine Bounty -which ever watches with paternal care, to supply the necessities of his -confiding children. - -AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM - - -OUR FATHER, IN THE FLAT-HEAD AND PEND-D’OREILLE LANGUAGE - -THE SIGN OF + THE CROSS - - Skwest kyle-e-ou, Ouls kezees, Ouls Saint Pagpagt. - In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. - - Komieetzegail. - May it be so. - - Kyle-e-ou Itchitchemask, askwest kowâkshamenshem, a-i-letzemilkou - Our Father of heaven, may thy name be respected every where - - ye-elskyloog. Entziezie telletzia spoe-oez. - on the earth. May thou be master of all hearts. - - Assintails ye-elstoloog etzageél - May thy will be done on earth as it is - - Itchitchemask. Kóogwitzelt yettilgwa lokaitsiapetzinem. - in heaven. Give us this day all our wants. - - Kowaeksméemillem klotaiye kloistskwen etzageel kaitskolgwélem - Forgive us the evil we have done as we forgive - - klotaye kloistskwen klielskyloeg koayalokshilem takaekskwentem - the evil done unto us by others. Grant us thy help to avoid - - klotaye kowaeksgwéeltem klotaye. Komieêtzegail. - evil but deliver us from evil. May it be so. - - -OUR FATHER, IN THE FLAT-BOW AND KOETENAY LANGUAGE - - Akikliai Stailoe, Akaltes, Saint Kilkiltlui. - In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. - - Schaeykiakakaaike. - May it be so. - - Katitoe naitle naite, akiklinais zedabitskinne wilkane. - Our Father, who art in heaven, may thy name be great and honoured. - - Ninshalinne oshemake kapaik akaitlainam. - Be thou the master of all hearts. - - Inshazetluité younoamake yekakaekinaitte - May thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. - - Komnakaike logenie niggenawaishne naiosaem miaitéke - Grant us this day all our wants. - - Kekepaime nekoetjekoetleaitle ixzeai, - Forgive us all the evil we have done, - - Iyakiakakaaike iyazeaikinawash kokakipaimenaitle. - as we forgive all the evil done unto us. - - Amatikezawês itchkestshimmekakkowêlle akatakzen. - Strengthen us against all evil, and deliver us from it. - - Shaeykiakakaaike. - May it be so. - - -OUR FATHER, IN THE ASSINIBOIN LANGUAGE - - Tnchiachttoobe machpiachta yaeoenshi ba-eninshi - Our Father heaven who art there let it - - nabishi nietshalzilzi, Nitanwiadezi, ektyyaegnizi, - be great, thy name, thy kingdom come, - - yetshoeszizi aittshaiszi lenmachkoetzizi asêettshaiszi machtpiachta - thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, - - Tnkoem nangaah oezoezandie innimbechain, - give us this day the means of life, - - ezieyakink taniôzeni etchoengoebezie sinkimbishnitshaa ektaes - look over our evil doings as we look over those who do - - etchoengoebezie. - evil unto us. - - Youoechtontjen tanniaesni etchoem goebishniet tchain, - Guide us that we not fall into evil, - - napéen giettshioenn ingninnaegé. Eetchees. - and drive off all evil from us. Amen. - - -OUR FATHER, IN THE CREE LANGUAGE - - Eokosisit mina, ewiotawit mina, emiosit manito, owigowionik. - Him who has a Son, him who has a Father, him who is the beautiful - Spirit, in his name. - - Pitone Ekeesiikik. - May it be so. - - Notanan kitsi kijikok epian pitone mewaitsikatek kiwigowin, pitone - Our Father in the great heaven being seated, may it be honoured thy - name, may it - - otitamomakad kitibeitsikewin, ispits enatota kawigan kitsi kisikok, - arrive thy kingdom (reign) like thee being followed in the great - heaven, - - pitone ekusi iji waskitaskamik. Anots kakijikak miinânipakweji - may it be the same on earth. Now in this day give us our - - ganiminan mina latwaw kigigake. Canisi kaiji kasenamawayakik - bread and in every day. As we have remitted to those - - ka ki matsitota koyankik ekusi iji kasinamawinan eki - who to us have done evil so likewise remit unto us what we - - matsitotamank. Pisiskeiminan kitsi eka matsi mamitoueitamank - have done evil. Be merciful to us that we fall not into evil, - - iekatenamawinan kamayatok. Pitone Ekeesiikik. - keep away from us all what is evil. May it be so. - - -OUR FATHER, IN THE BLACK-FOOT LANGUAGE - - Kikanâtzeniekasin ochkoeye tokakisint - Of the Father in his name, of the Son, of the Holy Spirit. - - Kamoemanigtoep. - May it be so. - - Kinanâ spoegsts tzittâpigpi, kitzinnekazen kagkakomimokzin. - Our Father in heaven who art, thy name, may it be holy. - - Nagkitapiwatog neto kinyokizip. - Thy reign may it arrive. - - Kitzizigtaen nejakapestoeta tzagkom, nietziewae spoegsts. - Thy will, may it be done on earth as it is in heaven. - - Ikogkiowa ennoch matogkwitapi. - All we need, this day unto us grant. - - Istapikistomokit nagzikamoót komonetziewae nistowâ - Forgive the evil we have done as we pardon the wrong we have received, - - Nagkezis tapi kestemoóg. - Help us against sin. - - Spemmoók matéakoziep makapi Kamoemanigtoep. - From all what is evil deliver us. May it be so. - - -OUR FATHER, IN THE POTAWOTOMIE LANGUAGE - -+ TCHIBIATIKONIKEWIN—sign of the Cross. - - Olinosowinig Weosimit, ipi Wekwissimit, ipi menojuwepisit Mennito. - In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. - - Ape iw nomikug. - Amen. - - NOSINAN—OUR FATHER. - - Nosinan Wakwik ebiyin ape kitchitwa kitchilwa wenitamag - kitinosowin, enakosiyin ape piyak kitewetako tipu wakwig, ape - tepwetakon chote kig. Ngom ekijikiwog michinag mamitchiyak - ponigetedwichinag kego kachi kichiinakineyi ponigeledwoiket - woye kego kachi kichiimidgin, kinamochinag wapatadiyak. - Chitchiikwan nenimochinag meyanek waotichkakoyakin. - - Ape iw nomikug. - - -VOCABULARY - - ENGLISH. FLAT-HEAD. BLACK-FOOT. CREE. - - Hair Komike Notakane Nistika-â - Forehead Tchilchemaiche Nonissi Miskatek - Nose Spezâeks Nopisis Niskiwen - Mouth Spelimetzim Naoji Tapisken - Teeth Galaig Nogpikiêt Nepita - Tongue Taigoetzetze Naetzinni Daini - Cheeks Shilkzemoos Nozippinain Nanawai - Ears Caine Nogtokie Nigtawake - Chin Koiaipaits Nogpiskinny Gwaeskonêou - Neck Tchesspin Nogkokinne Nikwayo - Arms Stitchewagen Notezisê Nespiton - Elbow Zintchenposka Nogkinnetsis Dossken - Shoulder Lintchemilkoy Nogkazikkiê Digtiman - Hand Tchails Nogkiziaiks Tzigtshie - Fingers Stagtig Tommakiotketzis Nemezittzischân - Belly Olin Nokoen - Backbone Zintshametchin Nogtazistkin - Thighs Zintzemoostche Noketokezinnen - Knees Tcoemmekaisne Noketokeziss - Legs Titchemaekshen Nieziekzinnen - Feet Tzotchin Nietzigzip - Lips Speliêmetzin Notoinish Ndon - Eyes Stitchekoetkoltloest Nowaaps Niskisick - - CREE. - - 1 Péak - 2 Nizo - 3 Nisto - 4 Nêou - 5 Nianen - 6 Koutonazek - 7 Têpeko - 8 Enanéo - 9 Tégametata - 10 Mitâtat - - ASSINIBOIN. - - 1 Kâtcheêt - 2 Num - 3 Yamine - 4 Tonza - 5 Zapita - 6 Shâgape - 7 Shayoen - 8 Shagnoge - 9 Namtchoeank - 10 Wi-ink Chemine - - -PLANTS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS IN FLOWER IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, - -_Of which the botanical names follow_: - - 1. Helenium - 2. Sabbatia Angularis - 3. Spigelia Marylandica - 4. Geum Geniculatum - 5. Rudbeckia Comentosa - 6. Euchroma Coccinea - 7. Astet Coccinnus - 8. Ilex Ligustrifolia - 9. Convallaria Stellata - 10. Chrysanthunum Arcticum - 11. Aronia Amifolia - 12. Polymnia Uvedelia - 13. Frasera Caroliniensis - 14. Ophrys, Malaxis - 15. Sedum Stenopetalum - 16. Prunus Duerinckii - 17. Cantua Aggregata - 18. Rudbeckia Purpurea - 19. Actinomeris Squarrosa - 20. Cardamine Bellidifolia - 21. Houstonia Longiflora - 22. Melanthium Monoicum - 23. Liatris Brachystachya - 24. Rhexia Mariana - 25. Claytonia Spathulata - 26. Aquilegia Formosa - 27. Campanula Divarica - - - - -FOOTNOTES - - -[1] Chapter v of volume ii of the original edition.—ED. - -[2] For this island, now called Sauvie’s, see our volume xxi, p. 300, -notes 85, 86. The root is described in our volume vi, p. 278, note 87.—ED. - -[3] The Clackamas River, for which see our volume xxi, p. 320, note -105.—ED. - -[4] The land at the Falls of the Willamette was a private possession -of Dr. John McLoughlin, who took up the claim in 1829, making some -improvements. His rights were first contested by members of the Methodist -mission. Later, after he had become a naturalized American citizen, he -was deprived thereof by legislative act—an injustice which was corrected -in 1862, when the land was restored to the heirs of the estate. The town -site at this place was platted as Oregon City (a name still retained), -and for some years was the seat of government and metropolis of -Oregon.—ED. - -[5] Tualatin River, draining the present Washington County, was a fertile -valley early settled. About 1852 the river was by private enterprise made -navigable for some distance.—ED. - -[6] William Johnson, an English sailor who had deserted to the Americans, -and served on the “Constitution” in the fight with the “Guerrière.” He -afterwards became a trapper in the Hudson’s Bay service, and came to -Oregon (1839) to settle with his native wife and family. He served as -sheriff in the first provisional government. He appears later to have -removed his claim to the lower Willamette, in the neighborhood of South -Portland. According to Dr. McLoughlin’s statement, Oregon Historical -Society _Quarterly_ i, p. 197, he “left by sea and never returned to -Oregon.”—ED. - -[7] For Thomas McKay consult our volume xxi, p. 201, note 46. His father -is noted in Franchère’s _Narrative_, our volume vi, p. 186, note 9.—ED. - -[8] Townsend was at Fort Vancouver when Bailey was brought in wounded, -after his contest with the Rogue River Indians. See his _Narrative_ in -our volume xxi, pp. 328-330. - -Mrs. Bailey was a Miss Margaret Smith, who came out in 1837 to reinforce -the Methodist mission.—ED. - -[9] The blacksmith and tinker were apparently Thomas J. Hubbard and -Calvin Tibbitts, who came to Oregon with Wyeth. See for the former, W. H. -Gray, _History of Oregon_ (Portland, Oregon, 1870), pp. 191, 198; for the -latter our volume xxi, p. 73, note 50. Both were instrumental in laying -the foundations of the Oregon provisional government.—ED. - -[10] This mission was under the care of Father Blanchet, and was founded -the year of Farnham’s visit. It was located twelve miles above Champoeg, -on the east bank of the river. See De Smet’s _Letters_ in our volume -xxvii, p. 320, note 164.—ED. - -[11] For the founding and site of this mission see our volume xxi, p. -299, note 84. The school was later (about 1842) removed to Salem, and the -headquarters established there.—ED. - -[12] Dr. Elijah White, a native of New York state, came out as missionary -physician in 1837. After serving about four years at the mission, he had -some disagreement with its superintendent, and returned to the states. -He then received the appointment at Washington of “sub-Indian agent for -Oregon,” an office with indeterminate duties, anomalous in character. -Once more in Oregon, Dr. White was zealous in execution of the business -of his office as he conceived it, but antagonized many of the settlers -thereby and found himself in disfavor; so that upon visiting Washington -in 1845 he was not able to secure the renewal of his appointment. He -returned to Oregon, however, and in 1861 was employed as special Indian -agent. In later life he removed to San Francisco, where he died in March, -1879.—ED. - -[13] Rev. David (not Daniel) Leslie came to the Methodist mission with -the second reinforcement of 1837. His ability was at once recognized, -and during Jason Lee’s absence he acted as superintendent. In 1838 at -the request of the American settlers he served them as justice of the -peace. The first meeting for a provisional government was held under -his presidency (1841). Upon the dissolution of the mission he became -a Methodist preacher, making his home in and about Salem, where he -was chaplain of the first territorial legislature, and for many years -president of the board of trustees of Willamette University. With the -exception of a few months in the Sandwich Islands (1842-43), his life -was practically spent in Oregon, where he was highly respected for the -probity and purity of his character.—ED. - -[14] J. L. Whitcomb came out in 1837 as a lay member of the mission. His -duties were the superintendence of the farms. In 1842 he married the -widow of Cyrus Shepard, and the same year, because of broken health, -returned to the United States. - -Alanson Beers, from Connecticut, also came (1837) as a lay member of the -mission, and remained in Oregon until his death in 1853. He was one of -the executive committee of three appointed by the provisional government, -and treasurer of the board of trustees of Oregon Institute.—ED. - -[15] Farnham forwarded the petition to Congress from Honolulu, in -January, 1840, accompanied by a letter of his own in which he sharply -criticized the conduct of the Hudson’s Bay Company—see _Senate Docs._, -27 Cong., 3 sess., 102. The petition or memorial, which is largely the -work of Farnham, was presented to the senate June 4, 1840, by Senator -Lewis Linn of Missouri. It may be found in _Senate Docs._, 26 Cong., 1 -sess., 514, signed “David Leslie and others;” _Cong. Globe_, 26 Cong., -1 sess., 440, reports seventy signers. The memorial requests Congress -to establish a territorial government, notes that the British are, -through the Hudson’s Bay Company, granting lands, surveying harbors, -bays, and rivers, cutting and shipping timber, and preparing to hold -all the territory north of the Columbia. It describes the country south -of that river as “of unequalled beauty and fertility,” “a delightful -and healthy climate,” and “one of the most favored portions of the -globe;” and concludes by praying for the “civil institutions of the -American Republic,” “the high privileges of American citizenship; the -peaceful enjoyment of life; the right of acquiring, possessing, and using -property; and the unrestrained pursuit of rational happiness.”—ED. - -[16] An act of parliament was passed (about 1837) at the instigation of -Dr. McLoughlin, extending the jurisdiction and civil laws of Canada over -the British subjects of Oregon territory. Under this law James Douglas -was commissioned justice of the peace for criminal matters and for civil -suits under £200 in value. Imprisonment was possible either in the forts -of the Hudson’s Bay Company or the jails of Canada.—ED. - -[17] W. H. Wilson had in early life been a cooper on a whaling vessel. -Having been converted to Methodism, he came out to Oregon in 1837 as -a lay helper, and studied medicine with Dr. Elijah White. In 1840 he -married Chloe A. Clark of the mission, who afterwards became first -teacher of the Oregon Institute, of which her husband was for some -time agent. They made their home in Salem, where he died suddenly of -apoplexy. Wilson was the treasurer of the first provisional government of -Oregon.—ED. - -[18] For Ewing Young see our volume xx, p. 23, note 2.—ED. - -[19] The reader will take notice that this is an ex-parte -statement.—ENGLISH EDITOR. - -[20] For the origin of this northern boundary, see our volume xxviii, -note 1.—ED. - -[21] For David Thompson, a former North West explorer, see Franchère’s -_Narrative_ in our volume vi, p. 253, note 61. Exclusive of the Alaskan -mountains, there have been no peaks measured in the Rocky Mountain system -exceeding 14,500 feet in height.—ED. - -[22] Mount Brown is in British Columbia, about latitude 52° 28′ north, -not far from Athabasca Pass. It was formerly thought to be above 15,000 -feet in height, but recent measurements have reduced it to less than -10,000.—ED. - -[23] This is Athabasca Pass, first discovered by David Thompson in -1811—see Elliott Coues, _Henry-Thompson Journals_ (New York, 1897), ii, -pp. 668, 669. Mount Hooker lay south of the pass, and Mount Brown to the -north; the former is about 10,500 feet above sea level (once supposed to -be more than 15,000 feet). For a description of the passage of this gap -see Franchère’s _Narrative_ in our volume vi, pp. 352-357.—ED. - -[24] The first of these passes is now known as Maria’s, and is that taken -by the Great Northern Railway in crossing from Missouri waters to those -of the Columbia. The second pass is probably intended to designate that -taken by Lewis and Clark, who used not one, but several passes through -the network of mountains in western Montana and eastern Idaho. The third -is the pass from Henry’s Lake to Red Rock, the source of the Jefferson -(not of the Big Horn), over which De Smet went with the Indians—see his -_Letters_ in our volume xxvii, pp. 252, 253, notes 128, 130. The last is -South Pass, for which see Wyeth’s _Oregon_ in our volume xxi, p. 58, note -37.—ED. - -[25] These spurs from the mountains are not definable. Farnham simply -implies them from the watersheds. Upon many of the older maps the -Kooskooskee (modern Clearwater) is also called Salmon—leaving to the -modern Salmon River the name of Wapiacakoos (Waptacaca, Waptiacoos).—ED. - -[26] Mount St. Elias and Mount Fairweather belong to the Alaskan system, -not to that of the Cascade or Presidents’ Range, which properly ends at -Puget Sound. Mount St. Elias, the highest mountain save one in North -America (18,090 feet) was discovered by Vitus Behring in 1741. Its ascent -was accomplished in the summer of 1897 by the Italian explorer, the Duke -of Abruzzi. - -Mount Fairweather, so named by the whalers, who predicted fair weather -when the summit of this peak was free from clouds, has an altitude of -15,050 feet; it is located near Sitka, on the Alaskan coast.—ED. - -[27] For Hall J. Kelley see our volume xxi, p. 24, note 6. In his -“Memoir” to Congress, _House Reports_, 25 Cong., 3 sess., 101, he -says: “The eastern section of the district referred to is bordered by -a mountain range, running nearly parallel to the spine of the Rocky -mountains and to the coast, and which, from the number of its elevated -peaks, I am inclined to call the Presidents’ range.”—ED. - -[28] The reader will remember that our Author is an American.—ENGLISH ED. - -[29] By Mount Tyler Farnham evidently intends Mount Baker, an extinct -volcano in Whatcom County, Washington (altitude 10,827 feet), supposed -to have shown symptoms of eruption as late as 1875. This peak was named -by Vancouver (1792) for one of his officers. J. Q. Thornton, _Oregon -and California_ (New York, 1849), i, p. 256, calls this Mount Polk, and -assigns the name of Tyler to “an elevation on the peninsula between -Hood’s Canal and the ocean.”—ED. - -[30] Evidently Mount Rainier, although incorrectly located, its distance -and direction being somewhat deceptive. It is southeast (not northeast) -of Puget Sound in Pierce County, Washington, the highest of the Cascade -Range (14,526 feet). It was first noted by Vancouver in 1792, and named -for a rear-admiral in the British navy. Its Indian name was Ta-ko-man, -the white peak, hence its alternate name of Mount Tacoma.—ED. - -[31] Mount Olympus, in Jefferson County, Washington (latitude 47° 50′ -north, altitude 8,150 feet), was discovered originally by Perez (see our -volume xxviii, p. 32, note 8), who named it Santa Rosalia. Captain John -Meares (1785) bestowed its present appellation (see our volume vii, p. -112, note 17).—ED. - -[32] In re-naming the Presidents’ Range there appears to have been -considerable confusion in assigning the name of the first executive. -Kelley intended the name to be given to Mount St. Helens, which at first -Farnham adopted (see _ante_, our volume xxviii, p. 353, note 221). C. G. -Nicolay, _Oregon Territory_ (London, 1846), p. 209, says that St. Helens -was called Mount Washington. Nevertheless, Farnham here applies the name -of Adams to Mount St. Helens, and that of Washington to Mount Hood, -for which latter see Franchère’s _Narrative_ in our volume vi, p. 248, -note 54. Franchère applied the title Washington to Mount Jefferson; it -has been finally attached to a peak south of Jefferson, in Linn County, -Oregon.—ED. - -[33] Mount Jefferson, on the eastern borders of Linn County, a height -crowned with perpetual snow, was first sighted by Lewis and Clark -on March 30, 1806, from the mouth of Willamette River. In _Original -Journals_, iv, p. 223, Clark says: “discovered a high mountain, S. E. -covered with snow which we call Mt. Jefferson.”—ED. - -[34] Mount McLoughlin (Madison) is now called Diamond Peak; it is in the -southeastern extremity of Lane County, and has an altitude of 8,807 feet. - -The mountain named for Monroe cannot now be definitely determined, -because of confusion of nomenclature. It would seem from the latitude -given by Kelley to have been intended for the present Mount Scott. -Mount John Quincy Adams is the present Mount Pitt, which name was -first assigned by the English to Mount Shasta; this, according to -Thornton (_op. cit._ in note 29, _ante_), was also the Mount Monroe of -the Americans. The term Mount Pitt is now applied to a volcanic peak -(altitude 9,760 feet) on the borders of Jackson County, Oregon, eight -miles west of Klamath Lake.—ED. - -[35] Mount Shasta, of Siskiyou County, California, in latitude 41° 25′ -north. Next to Rainier, Shasta is the highest peak of the Cascades, -attaining 14,380 feet in altitude, and being perpetually capped with -snow.—ED. - -[36] For Cape Disappointment see our volume vi, p. 233, note 36.—ED. - -[37] Boat Encampment, a noted place on the route to Canada, is described -by Franchère in our volume vi, pp. 351, 352.—ED. - -[38] For a brief history of Fort Okanagan see our volume vi, p. 260, note -71. Alexander Ross had charge of this post for several years; see his -descriptions in our volume vii, pp. 151-159, 198-207, 272-319. Afterward -it became a Hudson’s Bay post (in 1821, not 1819). See De Smet’s visit to -this region in our volume xxvii, p. 372, note 193.—ED. - -[39] For Spokane River, Lake Cœur d’Alène (Pointed Heart), and Spokane -House, see De Smet’s _Letters_ in our volume xxvii, p. 366, note 185. -See also Ross’s _Oregon Settlers_, our volume vii, pp. 207-222; also his -_Fur-Hunters of the Far West_, i, pp. 137-139.—ED. - -[40] For H. H. Spaulding see our volume xxi, p. 352, note 125. Fort -Colville is described in De Smet’s _Letters_, our volume xxvii, p. 330, -note 166.—ED. - -[41] For Kettle Falls see our volume vi, p. 346, note 153.—ED. - -[42] For Archibald McDonald, see our volume xxi, p. 344, note 119.—ED. - -[43] Now known as Lower Arrow Lake, an expansion of the Columbia many -miles in length, between 49° and 50° of north latitude.—ED. - -[44] For the Flathead River, as here intended (now known as Clark’s Fork -of the Columbia), see our volume vi, p. 348, note 155. Its sources are -near those of the Missouri, not the Saskatchewan.—ED. - -[45] For Lake Pend d’Oreille (Kalispel, Kullerspelm) see De Smet’s -_Letters_ in our volume xxvii, p. 339, note 175. - -Flathead House was built (November, 1809) by David Thompson, of the North -West Company, and was maintained throughout the regime of the British -fur-trade on the Northwest Coast. In 1824-25 Alexander Ross passed the -winter there. It was a small fort tributary to Colville, and in charge -usually of a trusted Canadian hunter or trapper. According to the report -of 1854 it was situated east of Flathead Lake, on one of its smaller -tributaries—_Senate Docs._, 33 Cong., 2 sess., vii, no. 37.—ED. - -[46] This is the stream now known as Kootenai River, for which see our -volume vi, p. 348, note 156. For the post of that name see our volume -vii, p. 210, note 71. The small post was maintained on Kootenai River for -nearly half a century. In 1854 it was reported as an inferior station, in -charge of a Canadian as trader and postmaster.—ED. - -[47] For the passage of these straits and Upper Arrow Lake, see -Franchère’s _Narrative_ in our volume vi, pp. 348, 349.—ED. - -[48] The Canadian Pacific Railway crosses the Columbia at Revelstoke just -above the Lower Dalles of the river. The Upper or Little Dalles shut in -the river for about a mile; these narrows are now navigated by local -steamers.—ED. - -[49] The “few miles” is about one hundred and fifty, in which the river -passes through an almost continuous cañon—navigable by canoes, however, -save at Dalles des Morts (Narrows of the Dead), so named for the number -of accidents occurring therein. The canoe voyage ended at the upper bend -of the Columbia, where Canoe River enters from the north, the Columbia -coming from the southeast.—ED. - -[50] The trail follows an affluent of the Columbia known as Little -Canoe (or Portage) River, leading to Athabasca Pass. See Franchère’s -description of the difficulties of the passage in our volume vi, pp. -352-354.—ED. - -[51] For these lakes see our volume vi, p. 353, note 163.—ED. - -[52] Fraser’s River, the largest stream wholly within the limits of -British Columbia, rises near the source of the upper branch (Canoe River) -of the Columbia, flows northwest for a hundred and ninety miles, and -then turns abruptly south until at about latitude 49° 20′ north it bends -west into the Strait of Georgia. Sir Alexander Mackenzie was upon its -upper waters in 1793. The whole course of the river was explored by Simon -Fraser (1808), who until he reached the river’s mouth supposed that he -was upon the Columbia. See his “Journal” in L. R. Masson, _Bourgeois de -la Compagnie du Nord Ouest_ (Quebec, 1889), i, pp. 155-221.—ED. - -[53] Probably Joseph McGillivray, for whom see our volume vi, p. 346, -note 152. Fort Alexandria, on Fraser River, was built (1821) on the east -bank of the stream to serve as a supply post, transmitting goods from -the Columbia country. It was placed at the point where Sir Alexander -Mackenzie turned back (1793), and was named in his honor. In 1836 the -fort was removed to the west bank of the river. With varying fortunes the -post has ever since been maintained; in 1863 a wagon road was opened as -far as Alexandria to accommodate the inrush of miners.—ED. - -[54] For the Similkameen River see our volume vii, p. 206, note 67.—ED. - -[55] For the Luhon (Lowhum, now Des Chutes) and John Day rivers see our -volume vii, p. 133, notes 32, 33; for the Umatilla and Walla Walla, -volume vi, p. 338, notes 141, 142.—ED. - -[56] Klamath River rises in southern Oregon, in the county of the same -name, flows through Klamath lakes and breaks through the barrier of -the Cascades about on the California boundary line. Thence flowing in -a somewhat irregular course, it receives tributaries from Shasta and -Siskiyou mountains, and enters the ocean in Del Norte County, California. -It is about two hundred and seventy-five miles long, and navigable for -about forty miles from its mouth. Gold and timber are found on its -banks.—ED. - -[57] For the Cowlitz River see our volume vi, p. 245, note 49. For Juan -de Fuca Strait, _ibid._, p. 256, note 64.—ED. - -[58] The Umpqua is noted in our volume vii, p. 231, note 82.—ED. - -[59] This appears extravagant, but the fact cannot be disputed. It may be -observed, however, that the wood, from its rapid growth, has but little -weight—half that of the common pine or deal.—ENGLISH ED. - -[60] The Coquille River, which rises in several branches among the -Coast Mountains and enters the ocean at Coos Bay, in the county of that -name. It is navigable for small steamers for over thirty miles from its -mouth.—ED. - -[61] Coal was first exported from Washington in 1854; no more was mined -until 1870, when the Seattle shafts were opened. Washington is known as -the “Pennsylvania of the West” for the number and extent of its coal -fields.—ED. - -[62] On the organization and career of the North West Company see J. -Long’s _Voyages_ in our volume ii, preface, pp. 15, 16. The difficulties -with the Hudson’s Bay Company are briefly recounted by Franchère in our -volume vi, pp. 379-381, particularly notes 195, 199.—ED. - -[63] This lease was the result of a protest from Great Britain to the -government of Russia for the attack by the latter upon a British brig -entering the Stikeen River to found a fort. The Hudson’s Bay Company -waived its claim for damages in virtue of this lease of the mainland of -Russian America between Cape Spencer and 54° 40′ north latitude. After -being several times renewed, the lease expired in 1868 upon the purchase -of Alaska by the United States.—ED. - -[64] See our volume vi, p. 377, note 191, for a description of York -Factory.—ED. - -[65] For further details of the system of the Hudson’s Bay Company see -A. G. Morice, _History of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, -formerly New Caledonia_ (Toronto, 1904), pp. 99-116; also George Bryce, -_Remarkable History of Hudson’s Bay Company_ (Toronto, 1900).—ED. - -[66] Henry Bliss, _The Colonial System: Statistics of the trade, industry -and resources of Canada and other Plantations in British America_ -(London, 1833, not 1831).—ED. - -[67] Andrew Henry, one of the partners of the Missouri Fur Company, in -the autumn of 1818 built a post on the north fork of Lewis or Snake -(Saptin) River. This was maintained only until the following spring, -but is renowned for being the first American trading post on Columbian -waters. The site was supposedly near Egin, Idaho, and the stream has -since been known as Henry’s Fork.—ED. - -[68] The North West Company decided (1805) to explore the region west -of the Rockies and commissioned Simon Fraser to undertake it. In 1805 -he built Fort McLeod, the first post in British Columbia. The next -summer saw the establishment of two posts—St. James on Stuart Lake, and -Fraser on Lake Fraser. Fort Fraser was begun by John Stuart and has been -maintained until the present time.—ED. - -[69] For the Astorian enterprise see our volumes v-vii.—ED. - -[70] David Thompson, for whose arrival at Astoria see Franchère’s -_Narrative_ in our volume vi, pp. 252-255.—ED. - -[71] See Ross’s _Oregon Settlers_ in our volume vii, pp. 244-249.—ED. - -[72] See our volume xxviii, p. 38, note 18.—ED. - -[73] The joint occupancy of Oregon was not determined by the provisions -of the Treaty of Ghent, but by a separate convention made (1818) at -London. The renewal occurred as Farnham states, by the convention of 1827 -signed at London by Albert Gallatin on the part of the United States, and -Charles Grant and Henry U. Addington for Great Britain; see _Treaties -and Conventions between the United States and Other Powers_ (Washington, -1889), pp. 415-418, 426, 427.—ED. - -[74] For Fort Vancouver see our volume xxi, p. 297, note 82; the early -history of Fort George is narrated in our volume vi, p. 241, note 42. -After the headquarters of the fur company were withdrawn from Fort -George, it was maintained chiefly as a post of observation to report -incoming vessels; a single clerk lived at this place, raised vegetables -and flowers in his garden, and welcomed travellers. The foundations of -Fort George were visible at Astoria as late as 1870, but are now entirely -built over.—ED. - -[75] For Fort Nisqually see De Smet’s _Letters_ in our volume xxvii, -p. 386, note 203. Fort Langley was founded in 1827 upon the north bank -of the Fraser, not far from the mouth; it was an important dépôt for -supplying the interior posts. While James Yale was factor in charge the -buildings were totally destroyed by fire (1840), but a new stockade was -immediately erected. In 1858 Langley was the prospective capital of the -newly-erected province of British Columbia, and a town site was surveyed -about the fort; but being considered indefensible from a military point -of view, and on the wrong side of the river, New Westminster was chosen -instead and Fort Langley was abandoned. - -Fort McLoughlin was erected upon the seacoast in 1833, and placed in -charge of Dr. Tolmie; but the location was insecure because of the -hostility of the neighboring Indians, and it was therefore abandoned in -1843, the effects being removed to the newly-established Fort Camosum at -Victoria.—ED. - -[76] Fort Simpson, named in honor of Sir George, the Hudson’s Bay -Company’s governor, was not upon Dundas Island, but on the mainland -opposite. Its first site was six miles above the mouth of Nass River -(1831). Three years later it was removed to the Chimsyan Peninsula, below -Nass River—one of the finest harbors on the coast. It is still maintained -as a Hudson’s Bay post, being known as Port Simpson; recent efforts have -been made to make this a port of entry for Pacific Ocean traffic.—ED. - -[77] For Fort Fraser see _ante_, p. 56, note 68. Fort St. James, at -the outlet of Stuart Lake (latitude 54° 26′ north), was built in 1806 -by Simon Fraser amid a large population of Indians, and has been -maintained continuously to the present. After the advent of the Hudson’s -Bay Company, Fort St. James was made the emporium of New Caledonia, -the residence of a chief factor. In 1828 it was visited by Sir George -Simpson, who entered in proper state with buglers and bagpipers, the -governor and his suite mounted, amid the welcoming discharge of cannon -and musketry (A. McDonald, _Peace River_, pp. 24, 25). For two views of -this post see Morice, _Northern Interior of British Columbia_, pp. 102, -110. - -Fort McLeod is the oldest permanent post west of the Rocky Mountains. -Founded in 1805 by Simon Fraser, it has maintained a continuous existence -to the present. It was named for Archibald Norman McLeod, a colleague -of its founder in the North West Company. Located on a lake of the same -name, near the source of Finlay River, in latitude 55° north, it was -chiefly useful as a supply post on the route from Canada via Peace River. - -Chilcotin was founded (about 1828) on a river of the same name tributary -to the upper Fraser, about latitude 52° as an outpost for Fort Alexandria -(see _ante_, p. 44, note 53). Difficult of maintenance because of the -troublesome character of the Chilcotin Indians, it was abandoned before -1850. - -In addition to the posts mentioned, the Hudson’s Bay Company had in -Farnham’s time within New Caledonia, Forts Babine, Connolly, and -George—the latter on the upper Fraser, the two former on lakes of the -same name in the far north.—ED. - -[78] All these posts have been before noted: Fort Thompson (Kamloops) in -our volume vii, p. 199, note 64; Kootenay and Flathead in notes 45, 46, -_ante_; Fort Hall in our volume xxi, p. 210, note 51; Fort Boise, in our -volume xxviii, p. 321, note 199; Fort Colville in De Smet’s _Letters_, -our volume xxvii, p. 330, note 166; Okanagan in our volume vi, p. 260, -note 71; Walla Walla in our volume xxi, p. 278, note 73.—ED. - -[79] Usually known as Fort Umpqua, this post was founded in 1832 by John -McLeod, being situated about forty miles up the Umpqua River, on the -south bank, on a small prairie of about two hundred acres. It was usually -in charge of a French Canadian clerk, who needed to be vigilant because -of the treacherous nature of the savages. The post was attacked in 1840 -by ten times the number of defenders, but the assault was repulsed. The -stockade having been burned (1851), the Hudson’s Bay Company declined to -rebuild, leasing the land to an American settler, W. W. Chapman.—ED. - -[80] The idea of a transcontinental railway had not yet dawned. Farnham’s -plan shows, however, boldness of conception for these early days of -railway building.—ED. - -[81] Alexander Simpson, a relation of Sir George, and brother of -the Arctic explorer Thomas Simpson, whose early death was a loss to -geographical science. Alexander Simpson was on his way to the Sandwich -Islands, to investigate the trade conditions therein. See his _Life and -Travels of Thomas Simpson_ (London, 1845), pp. 345, 351.—ED. - -[82] For the history of Fort Vancouver see our volume xxi, p. 297, note -82.—ED. - -[83] The site of the present St. Helens, a small town, the seat of -Columbia County, Oregon.—ED. - -[84] This epidemic began in 1829, and wrought great mortality among the -natives. By 1832 it was particularly severe around Fort Vancouver. One -village visited contained but two infants living—the remainder of the -inhabitants having died of the plague. Various causes have been given, -some regarding the disease as scarlet fever, others as some form of -malaria due to putrid food, others thinking it attributable to immoral -habits, etc. By its ravages nearly three-fourths of the native population -was swept from the lower Columbia before the advent of American -immigrants.—ED. - -[85] For Tongue Point see our volume vi, p. 242, note 44.—ED. - -[86] For James Birnie, the clerk in charge, see Townsend’s _Narrative_ in -our volume xxi, p. 361, note 130.—ED. - -[87] For Baker’s Bay see our volume vi, p. 234, note 38.—ED. - -[88] Charles Wilkes (1798-1877) entered the navy as a midshipman (1818). -He rose to a lieutenancy, and in 1838 was placed in charge of an -expedition composed of five vessels dispatched to explore Southern seas. -After visiting the Pacific islands, the squadron (1841) explored the -Northwest Coast, Wilkes personally visiting the Columbia and Willamette. -Appointed to the rank of captain (1835), Wilkes was commander of the -vessel that in the War of Secession stopped the steamer “Trent,” and took -therefrom the Confederate envoys Mason and Slidell. During the remainder -of the war he was in charge of the West India squadron. Retiring in -1864, two years later he attained the rank of rear-admiral. The report -of the Wilkes Exploring Expedition was not published until 1845, when -five volumes were issued; later, other editions brought the number up -to eighteen. In 1842, however, a _Synopsis of the Cruise of the United -States Exploring Expedition during the years 1838, ’39, ’40, ’41 and ’42_ -was published at Washington. From this version Farnham evidently made his -extracts.—ED. - -[89] What are now known as the Olympic Mountains, in northwest -Washington. The term “Claset” was first employed by Vancouver (1792), who -bestowed upon what Cook had called Cape Flattery, the name Point Classet, -from an adjacent Indian village of that name; see George Vancouver, -_Voyage of Discovery_ (London, 1801), ii, pp. 46-48.—ED. - -[90] By the Klameth (Klamath) is intended the present Siskiyou Mountains, -which branch off from Sierra Nevada toward the coast in about latitude -42°, the boundary between California and Oregon. The country between -the Rockies and California had not then been explored, but there was an -erroneous idea of a transverse chain of mountains which was confused with -the Sierra Nevada; see our volume xxviii, p. 305, note 182.—ED. - -[91] Vancouver Island was long supposed to be a portion of the mainland. -Its insularity was not proved until 1792, when both Vancouver and the -Spanish ships circumnavigated it. At the request of the Spanish envoy, it -received the name Quadra and Vancouver Island (see Vancouver, _Voyage_, -ii, p. 357); but the length of the appellation has caused the first part -to be dropped. See our volume xxviii, p. 33, note 10. - -Queen Charlotte Islands (now proved to be two) were first visited by the -Spaniards in 1774. Dixon, an English navigator, named the group in 1787, -giving his own name to the channel north of the island. The Americans, -in ignorance of Dixon’s prior discovery, named the island for Washington -(1789); see our volume xxviii, p. 38, note 16.—ED. - -[92] Johnstone Straits, named for one of Vancouver’s lieutenants who -first discovered the passage thence to Queen Charlotte Sound, are on the -northeast coast of Vancouver Island, separating it from the mainland.—ED. - -[93] Gonsalez Lopez de Haro was pilot of two expeditions dispatched by -the Spaniards (1788, 1789) to watch their interests on the Northwest -Coast. An expedition of discovery passing from Juan de Fuca Straits -into the Gulf of Georgia (1790), gave to the channel the name of Lopez -de Haro. This appears on Vancouver’s map as “Canal de Arro.” During the -boundary dispute (1858) between the United States and British Columbia -concerning the islands at the entrance of Juan de Fuca Straits, the Canal -de Haro acquired much prominence as a limit to the United States claim. -The matter was submitted to the decision of the German emperor, who gave -the award in favor of the United States (1872), hence Canal de Haro -became an international boundary.—ED. - -[94] The three largest islands off the mainland east of Hecata Strait and -Queen Charlotte are Princess Royal, Pitt, and Banks.—ED. - -[95] The fort upon Vancouver Island was founded at its southern -extremity—not at Nootka, or at Clayoquot Sound just below. Built in 1843, -the aboriginal name Camosun was soon changed to Victoria, in honor of -the British sovereign. When Oregon passed to the United States, Victoria -became the presumptive capital of British territory, and thither James -Douglas, chief factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, removed. In 1849 the -island of Vancouver was ceded to the fur company on condition that a -colony of British subjects be established thereon. Accordingly Victoria -was platted in 1851, and two years later had a population of three -hundred. The place was incorporated in 1862, and is now the capital -of British Columbia. It is a substantially built town, picturesquely -situated by the seashore, and possesses a mild climate.—ED. - -[96] Probably Athabasca Pass, for which see _ante_, p. 30, note 23. -McGillivray’s Portage is the route less than two miles in length between -the headwaters of Kootenai River and those of the Columbia. See De Smet’s -_Oregon Missions_, _post_, p. 209, note 109.—ED. - -[97] For the Yakima, Pisquow, and Entiatqua rivers see our volume vii, -pp. 141, 147, 148, notes 40, 44, 45, respectively.—ED. - -[98] This is an error, for both the Kooskooske (Clearwater) and Salmon -are eastern affluents of the Lewis. The former rises in the Bitter Root -Mountains in several branches, which flowing westward unite in a large -stream entering the Lewis at Lewiston. It was down this stream that Lewis -and Clark made their way to Columbian waters; see _Original Journals_, -iii, pp. 97-102. - -For the Salmon see our volume xxi, p. 69, note 45.—ED. - -[99] Three of these rivers are alluded to in note 55, p. 45, _ante_. -Wilkes reported them from hearsay information, for his own journey did -not extend above Fort Vancouver. Quisnel’s (Quesnel) River, an affluent -of the Fraser in New Caledonia, was named for Jules Maurice Quesnel, -Fraser’s lieutenant on his voyage of 1808. As here placed, “Quisnel’s” -would seem to denote a Columbia affluent between Umatilla and John Day’s; -for such a branch see our volume vii, p. 135, note 34. - -Cathlatate River is found on the map of Charles Preuss, drawn from -the surveys of Frémont (published in 1848), as a northern affluent of -the Columbia, between the Cascades and the Dalles; it would appear to -correspond, therefore, either to Klickitat or White Salmon River.—ED. - -[100] See on these streams our volumes vi, p. 245, note 49; and xxi, p. -320, note 105.—ED. - -[101] Stuart River was discovered (1806) by Simon Fraser, who named it in -honor of his companion, John Stuart. It rises near latitude 56° north, -flowing southwest through several lakes, of which Stuart Lake is the -largest, into Nechaco River. The latter comes from the west along the -fifty-fourth parallel, and carries the waters of Stuart’s River into the -Fraser, sixty-five miles farther east at the site of Fort George.—ED. - -[102] Chilcotin River, named for a turbulent Indian tribe, rises in -several branches, and flows west not far from the fifty-second parallel, -into Fraser River. By Pinkslitsa is probably intended the Puntataenkut, -a small western affluent entering the Fraser at 53° north latitude, -opposite the Quesnel, which comes from the east, having taken its rise in -a large lake of the same name. For Thompson’s River see our volume vii, -p. 159, note 51.—ED. - -[103] Chehalis River, the largest coastal stream of Washington, drains -the western central part of that state, receiving many tributaries from -the southern slope of the Olympic Mountains. It is navigable for steamers -as far as Montesano, seat of a county of the same name as the river. The -principal industry of the Chehalis River valley is lumbering, although -agriculture is creeping into the cleared districts. Gray’s Harbor branch -of the Northern Pacific Railway traverses the entire valley. For Gray’s -Harbor see our volume vi, p. 256, note 64.—ED. - -[104] For the Umpqua see our volume vii, p. 231, note 82; for the -Klamath, _ante_, p. 46, note 56. Rogue River in the southwestern -portion of Oregon, is a rapid stream of considerable size, rising in -many branches in the Cascade Range, its northernmost tributary heading -near Crater Lake. Its general course is west and southwest, the chief -tributary being Illinois River. The name Rogue was derived from a -troublesome tribe of Indians who attacked parties of overland emigrants -from California; see our volume xxi, pp. 328, 329.—ED. - -[105] For Lake Okanagan see De Smet’s _Letters_ in our volume xxvii, p. -372, note 193. Stuart and Quesnel are mentioned in notes 99, 101, _ante_; -Lake Kamloops in our volume vii, p. 159, note 51.—ED. - -[106] Flat Bow is now known as Kootenai Lake, an enlargement of the -river of that name in southeastern British Columbia, over sixty miles -in length. For Cœur d’Alène Lake see our volume vii, p. 211, note 75; -Kulluspelm (Kalispel) is the modern Pend d’Oreille Lake, for which see De -Smet’s _Letters_ in our volume xxvii, p. 339, note 175.—ED. - -[107] Referring to the Lapwai mission, for which see our volume xxviii, -p. 338, note 215.—ED. - -[108] Both of these names were assigned by Vancouver in the course of -his exploration in 1792. Having entered the Straits of Juan de Fuca he -anchored at Port Discovery, and then proceeding west sailed through the -great inlet whose opening (passed in 1790) was called by the Spanish -navigator Quimper, Canal de Caamano. Vancouver thoroughly explored this -arm of the ocean, giving to its southwestern branch the name of Hood’s -Inlet; and “to commemorate Mr Puget’s exertions (in exploring) the south -extremity of it I named it Puget’s Sound.” (Vancouver’s _Voyage_, ii, p. -146.)—ED. - -[109] For the settlements at Nisqually and Cowlitz see De Smet’s -_Letters_ in our volume xxvii, p. 386, note 203.—ED. - -[110] This information concerning Fort Boise was incorrect; see our -volume xxviii, p. 321, note 199, and Palmer’s _Journal_ in our volume -xxx, which mentions this post in 1845. - -Kamia was a mission established at the mouth of a stream of that name, -now called Lawyer’s Cañon Creek. Here Rev. Asa B. Smith labored for two -years (1839-41) among the upper Nez Percés, compiling with the help -of the noted chief Lawyer a grammar and dictionary of the Nez Percé -language. The hostility of the tribe did not, however, materially abate; -the missionaries were denied the right of agriculture and the station was -finally abandoned. Lewis and Clark camped near the site of this mission -in 1806, on their return journey.—ED. - -[111] The Puget Sound Agricultural Company was organized in London -(1838) at the instance of Dr. McLoughlin, who perceived the agricultural -possibilities of the region and desired to turn them to account for -British enterprise. It was a sub-corporation of the Hudson’s Bay Company, -designed to supply the Russian contracts. Farms were opened at the -points stated by Farnham, and large quantities of cattle imported from -California. Dr. W. F. Tolmie, who made headquarters at Nisqually, was -manager of the corporation. After the Oregon Treaty (1846) he withdrew -the headquarters to Victoria. The farms in Oregon proper were gradually -abandoned. Those in the present state of Washington, however, were -retained, and were the cause of much friction between the company and -the American settlers. In 1864 the commission appointed by the joint -governments to settle claims, awarded the Puget Sound Agricultural -Company $750,000 for their land and improvements in lieu of $5,000,000 -claimed by the corporation. The company continued operations in British -Columbia until about 1874, but never attained financial success. As a -colonizing agency the association in successive years brought (after -1839) several companies of settlers from the Red River colony—a movement -which is reported to have alarmed Dr. Marcus Whitman, and to have been -one of the causes of his journey (1842-43) to the United States.—ED. - -[112] For these mission sites see De Smet’s _Letters_, our volume xxvii, -pp. 367, 388, 389, notes 187, 208, 209.—ED. - -[113] The sale of spirituous liquors to Indians, during the days of -the competition between the fur-companies (see preface to J. Long’s -_Voyages_ in our volume ii) was so ruinous and dangerous that early in -the nineteenth century the North West Company, moved by the exertions -of William Wilberforce and other English philanthropists, made strong -efforts to discontinue the traffic, and upon its consolidation with -the Hudson’s Bay Company (1821) the liquor-selling to natives was -forbidden. Surreptitiously, however, this was continued, especially upon -the seacoast and the Russian frontier. Upon the assassination of John -McLoughlin, Jr., at his post at Stikeen, caused by a drunken frolic -(1842), Sir George Simpson visited Sitka and entered into an agreement -with the Russian governor Adolphus Etholin, to suppress the sale of -liquor to the Indians in both Russian and British territory. Meanwhile -Dr. McLoughlin at Vancouver, used his best endeavors to stamp out the -traffic in Oregon. The vessel purchased (1841) as Farnham here narrates, -was the “Thomas H. Perkins” from Salem, Mass. The Oregon provisional -government made similar efforts, passing a prohibitory law (1844) under -which two incipient distilleries were destroyed. Not until the rush of -settlement coming with the gold seekers (1848-50) began, did the liquor -traffic gain much foothold.—ED. - -[114] For a brief sketch of Father Nicolas Point see De Smet’s _Letters_ -in our volume xxvii, p. 192, note 67.—ED. - -[115] On the boundaries of Oregon consult our volume xxviii, p. 29, -note 1. By the Oregon Treaty (1846) the northern boundary was fixed at -the parallel 49°; north of this was British, not Russian, territory. -The writer of this introductory matter seems not to have been well -informed.—ED. - -[116] For the early Spanish explorations of the Northwest Coast see -Farnham’s _Travels_ in our volume xxviii, pp. 30-32, including notes -3-9.—ED. - -[117] Compare with this Franchère’s _Narrative_ in our volume vi, pp. -248, 249; see also H. S. Lyman, _History of Oregon_ (New York, 1903), i, -pp. 167-174, where the traditions of descendants from early castaways are -collected. The Tillamook (Kilamuke) Indians are noted in our volume vi, -p. 258, note 67.—ED. - -[118] For Cook’s discoveries (1778-79, not 1790) see our volume xxviii, -p. 31 note 6; for Gray, Vancouver, and Mackenzie, our volume vi, pp. -183-185, notes 1, 2, 4.—ED. - -[119] For the Lewis and Clark expedition see Thwaites, _Original -Journals_ (New York, 1905). The Astorian enterprise is narrated in -Franchère’s _Narrative_ and Ross’s _Oregon Settlers_, volumes vi and vii -of our series.—ED. - -[120] See Franchère’s _Narrative_ in our volume vi, pp. 294-303; and -Ross’s _Oregon Settlers_ in our volume vii, pp. 244-250.—ED. - -[121] For McLoughlin see Townsend’s _Narrative_ in our volume xxi, p. -296, note 81.—ED. - -[122] See, on the Willamette settlement, De Smet’s _Letters_ in our -volume xxvii, p. 386, note 203; on Provencher, _ibid._, p. 391, note -213.—ED. - -[123] The Methodist here mentioned was Jason Lee, who went out in 1833; -see our volume xxi, p. 138, note 13. The Episcopalian clergyman was Rev. -Herbert Beaver, who was sent as chaplain by the Hudson’s Bay Company -on their vessel the “Nereid,” arriving at Vancouver in August, 1836. -Although having formerly served in the West Indies, Beaver did not -find it easy to adapt himself to frontier life, and for his officious -criticisms incurred the dislike of the gentlemen at Fort Vancouver. After -eighteen months of service he returned to England, and the company sent -no more chaplains to the Northwest.—ED. - -[124] For these two priests see De Smet’s _Letters_ in our volume xxvii, -pp. 320, 369, notes 164, 189.—ED. - -[125] See our volume xxviii, p. 380, note 242, for account of Douglas.—ED. - -[126] The Catholic settlement was that known as French Prairie; the -Methodist establishment is described in De Smet’s _Letters_, our volume -xxvii, p. 388, note 208.—ED. - -[127] The Cowlitz and Nisqually settlements are noted in our volume -xxvii, p. 386, note 203. - -Whidbey (not Whitby) is a large island in Puget Sound, which was named -(1792) in honor of Joseph Whidbey, one of Vancouver’s subordinates, who -first circumnavigated it. The permanent American settlement thereon began -in 1851, and prospered because of its fertile open prairie land.—ED. - -[128] For Fort Langley see note 75 (Farnham), _ante_, p. 58.—ED. - -[129] The site and founding of this mission is described in De Smet’s -_Letters_, our volume xxvii, pp. 281-284.—ED. - -[130] Bear Lake, frequently called Lake Connolly, was the site of the -Hudson’s Bay post of that name founded about 1826 among the Sekanais -Indians. It is somewhat north of latitude 56° near the source of Stuart -River.—ED. - -[131] Mt. St. Helena was measured by Captain Wilkes, and was made 9,550 -feet.—EDITOR OF CATHOLIC ALMANAC. - -_Comment by Ed._ For Mount St. Helens see our volume vi, p. 246, note 50. - -[132] For the Klamath (Clamet) see note 56 (Farnham), _ante_, p. 46; the -Umpqua is noted in our volume vii, p. 231, note 82; the Chehalis, note -103 (Farnham), _ante_, p. 81.—ED. - -[133] For this epidemic see note 84 (Farnham), _ante_, p. 68.—ED. - -[134] On the camas consult our volume xxi, p. 247, note 61.—ED. - -[135] The Chinook and Kilamuke tribes on the coast call their most -powerful god by the name of Ikani, and to him they ascribe the creation -of all things. The god who made the Columbia river and the fish in it -they call Italupus.—_Expl. Exp._, vol. v., p. 119.—ED. OF CATHOLIC -ALMANAC. - -[136] For the sites of the Methodist missions see De Smet’s _Letters_, -in our volume xxvii, p. 388, note 208. Our author here refers to the -Willamette and Dalles missions. For the Presbyterian missions consult our -volume xxi, p. 352, note 125; De Smet’s _Letters_, our volume xxvii, p. -367, note 187; and Farnham’s _Travels_, in our volume xxviii, pp. 333, -338, notes 210, 215.—ED. - -[137] This was known as the “great re-inforcement,” and was secured -by Jason Lee on his return to the United States in 1838-39. The -bark “Lausanne” was chartered, and inducements held out not only to -missionaries but to farmers and mechanics, to volunteer for this -movement. The expense incurred was $42,000, and in addition thereto a -sum was said to have been contributed by the federal government from the -secret service fund. (H. H. Bancroft, _History of Oregon_, i, p. 171.) -Fifty-two persons set sail from New York October 10, 1839, arriving in -the Columbia the following May, and, as our author here indicates, soon -scattering to various posts. This formed the nucleus of the American -colony in Oregon.—ED. - -[138] For this symbolical catechism and its explanation see De Smet’s -_Letters_, in our volume xxvii, pp. 403-411.—ED. - -[139] Speaking of the farm belonging to the Hudson Bay Company at -Cowlitz, Capt. Wilkes says: “The grounds appear well prepared, and were -covered with a luxuriant crop of wheat, (May, 1841). At the farther end -of the prairie was to be seen a settlement, with its orchards, &c., and -between the trees, the chapel and parsonage of the Catholic mission gave -an air of civilization to the whole. The degree of progress resembles -that of a settlement of several years’ standing in our western states,” -&c.—_Explor. Exped._, vol. iv., p. 315.—ED. OF CATHOLIC ALMANAC. - -[140] For these Hudson’s Bay posts see respectively, De Smet’s _Letters_, -our volume xxvii, p. 330, note 166; Franchère’s _Narrative_, in our -volume vi, p. 260, note 71; and Townsend’s _Narrative_, in our volume -xxi, p. 278, note 73.—ED. - -[141] For Fort George see note 74 (Farnham), _ante_, p. 57. The Chinook -are described in our volume vi, p. 240, note 40.—ED. - -[142] Of the Catholic mission at Penn’s cove, between Whitby’s Island -and the main, Mr. Wilkes says: “It (the island) is in possession of the -Sacket tribe, who have here a permanent settlement, consisting of large -and well-built lodges of timber and planks.... This whole tribe are -Catholics, and have much affection and reverence for their instructors.” -After speaking of the good feeling promoted among the Indians by the -Catholic clergymen, he continues: “Besides inculcating good morals and -peace, the priests are inducing the Indians to cultivate the soil, and -there was an enclosure of some three or four acres, in which potatoes and -beans were growing.”—ED. OF CATHOLIC ALMANAC. - -[143] Sir Edward Belcher (1799-1877) of the British navy was born at -Halifax, Nova Scotia, entered the navy in 1812, and was commissioned a -lieutenant in 1818. He became an expert in surveying and charting, and -was thus employed (1825-28) in the Pacific Ocean on H. M. S. “Blossom.” -In 1836 he was appointed to the command of the man-of-war “Sulphur,” -which was sent to the Pacific on a surveying expedition, and incidentally -on account of the British difficulties with the Russian settlements of -Alaska. In 1839 (not 1840) he surveyed the coast from San Francisco Bay -to the Columbia, entering the latter with two men-of-war, “Sulphur” and -“Starling,” and surveying as far as Fort Vancouver. Belcher’s relations -with the Hudson’s Bay official in charge were not cordial, and he -criticized both the unmilitary appearance of Fort Vancouver and Dr. -McLoughlin’s attitude toward the American missionary colonists. On the -return journey, Belcher’s ships were detained on the coast of China by -the war in those parts. An account of the voyage was published in London -(1843), and the same year Belcher was knighted. He cruised in Oriental -waters from 1842-47. In 1852-54 he commanded an Arctic expedition -searching for Sir John Franklin.—ED. - -[144] Sir George Simpson, born in Ross-shire, Scotland (1792), was in -a merchant’s office in London, 1809-20. In the latter year he came to -America, having charge during the winter of 1820-21 of a Hudson’s Bay -post on Lake Athabasca. Upon the coalition of the rival fur-companies, -the North West and Hudson’s Bay (1821), Simpson was chosen governor for -the northern department, a position filled with acceptability until -his death in 1860. He made two expeditions to the Northwest Coast, the -first by canoe in 1828. In 1841-42 he journeyed entirely around the -world. Leaving Liverpool in March, 1841, he reached Fort Garry in the -Red River country (the modern Winnipeg), in May, whence the trip across -the plains and mountains to Fort Colville was made by horses. Proceeding -down the Columbia to Vancouver, Sir George visited California and Alaska, -returning overland across Siberia, and reaching London after an absence -of nineteen months. His adventures were published as _A Narrative of a -Journey around the World, 1841-42_ (London, 1847). For a recent study of -Simpson see George Bryce, _Makers of Canada_ (Toronto, 1905), ix. Simpson -met Wilkes at Vancouver, and speaks of the pleasure it gave him. See -Farnham’s _Travels_, _ante_, p. 72, note 88.—ED. - -[145] “We stopped for a few hours at the Catholic mission,” says Capt. -Wilkes, “to call upon the Rev. Mr. Bachelet (Blanchet), to whom I had -a note of introduction from Dr. McLaughlin; he received me with great -kindness. Mr. B. is here settled among his flock, and is doing great good -to the settlers in ministering to their temporal as well as spiritual -wants.... Mr. Drayton, Michael, and myself, dined with Mr. B. on oatmeal -porridge, venison, strawberries and cream. His hospitality was tendered -with good and kind feelings, and with a gentlemanly deportment that spoke -much in his favor, and made us regret to leave his company so soon.” Mr. -Wilkes represents the missions here and the farms of the Canadians, in -a thriving state. He has incorrectly given the name _Bachelet_ to Mr. -Blanchet, superior of the Oregon mission, who was recently consecrated -vicar-apostolic of that country.—_Explor. Exp._, vol. 4, p. 350. - -Of the Methodist mission at Willamette, Mr. Wilkes says: “About all the -premises of this mission there was an evident want of the attention -required to keep things in repair, and an absence of neatness that I -regretted much to witness. We had the expectation of getting a sight of -the Indians on whom they were inculcating good habits, and teaching the -word of God: but with the exception of four Indian servants, we saw none -since leaving the Catholic mission.”—_Ibid._ p. 351, 2. At this latter -mission he numbers four or five hundred natives. The Methodists had a -school of twenty pupils at some distance. - -Near Port Orchard the chapel of the Catholic mission is 172 feet long by -72 wide. “Many of the natives,” says Mr. Wilkes, “are capable of saying -their prayers and telling their beads, and some were met with who could -sing some Catholic hymns in their own language.” - -Of the Protestant missions at Clatsop, Capt. Wilkes observes: “There -appeared to me to be little opportunity for exercising their ministerial -calling, though I understood afterwards that at particular seasons a -number of Indians collected to hear them.”—Vol. iv., p. 322.—ED. OF -CATHOLIC ALMANAC. - -[146] See our volume xxvii (De Smet), pp. 192, 193, notes 67, 69, 70.—ED. - -[147] Identical with De Smet’s _Letters_ published in our volume -xxvii.—ED. - -[148] These two missionaries were refused passage in the annual Hudson’s -Bay Company’s brigade, and came to Oregon by sea, arriving in September, -1842. Langlois was placed in charge of the Willamette mission and the -seminary of St. Joseph. Bolduc, who had formerly served in Polynesia, -relates _post_ his experiences in Vancouver Island and vicinity.—ED. - -[149] See De Smet’s account in his _Letters_, our volume xxvii, pp. -374-376.—ED. - -[150] H. M. Chittenden and A. T. Richardson, in _Father De Smet’s Life -and Travels_ (New York, 1905), give the following information with regard -to these fathers: Peter De Vos was born in Ghent in 1797; coming to -America in 1836 he went in 1842 to reinforce the mission of St. Mary’s in -Montana. He served there and in the Willamette valley for eight years, -when he was transferred to the College of Santa Clara, California, where -he died April 17, 1859. - -Father Adrian, younger brother of Father Christian Hoeken, was born in -Holland in 1815. His mission service was connected with St. Ignatius at -its first site in 1844-54, and at the present site in 1854-59. In the -latter year he re-opened the abandoned Blackfeet mission, returning the -following year (1860) to the East, where he spent his later life, dying -at Marquette College, Milwaukee, April 19, 1897.—ED. - -[151] Michele Accolti was born at Bari, Italy, in 1806. Having been -educated at Rome, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1832, and -accompanying De Smet to Oregon remained there until 1851 in charge of -various parishes both north and south of the Columbia. About 1851 Accolti -removed to San Francisco, and in 1853 went to Rome for reinforcements for -the newly-founded Jesuit college at Santa Clara. Returning thither in -1855 he served as pastor for ten years, when he was transferred to San -Francisco, where he died November 6, 1878. - -Giovanni Nobili was a native of Rome (1812). After six years in Oregon he -was transferred to California, and died at Santa Clara, March 1, 1856. -See _post_ for the account of his journey to New Caledonia, where he was -known as “Petit Père,” because of his small stature. - -Antonio Ravalli was born in Ferrara in 1812. After entering the Jesuit -order (1827) he taught for some years in Turin and neighboring cities, -before coming to Oregon with Father de Smet. His first station was at St. -Ignatius, whence he went to Fort Colville, removing shortly to St. Mary’s -in the Bitterroot valley where so much of his life was spent. When St. -Mary’s was abandoned (1854), Father Ravalli removed to the Sacred Heart -mission, returning three years later to the Colville region. In 1860 he -retired to Santa Clara, California, where for three years he was master -of novices. But his heart was in the mountains, whither he returned and -labored until his death, October 2, 1884. Father Ravalli was much beloved -in Montana. For illustration of his monument see L. P. Palladino, _Indian -and White in the Northwest_ (Baltimore, 1894), p. 55. - -Aloysius Vercruysse was born at Courträi, Belgium, in 1806. He served -chiefly at St. Ignatius mission, being transferred to Santa Clara in -1863. Thence, because of failing health, he was sent home to Belgium, -where he died July 17, 1866. - -Brother Francis Huybrechts died at the Cœur d’Alène mission April 5, -1872, aged seventy-four years.—ED. - -[152] De Smet gives a detailed account of the voyage and the visit to -Valparaiso and Lima, in the first letter in his _Western Missions and -Missionaries_ (New York, 1863). See also Chittenden and Richardson, _De -Smet_, ii, pp. 408-436.—ED. - -[153] On the bar of the Columbia River occurred the wreck of the -_Peacock_, one of the vessels attached to the Exploring Expedition. A -thrilling account of this event is given in Capt. Wilkes’ Narrative. Of -the bar itself he says: “Mere description can give little idea of the -terrors of the bar of the Columbia; all who have seen it have spoken -of the wildness of the scene, and the incessant roar of the waters, -representing it as one of the most fearful sights that can possibly meet -the eye of the sailor. The difficulty of its channel, the distance of the -leading sailing marks, their uncertainty to one unacquainted with them, -the want of knowledge of the strength and direction of the currents, with -the necessity of approaching close to unseen dangers, the transition from -clear to turbid water, all cause doubt and mistrust. Under such feelings, -I must confess that I felt myself laboring.”—Vol. iv., p. 293.—ED. OF -CATHOLIC ALMANAC. - -[154] For this mission see De Smet’s _Letters_ in our volume xxvii, p. -365, note 184. The direction from St. Mary’s is northwest, not south.—ED. - -[155] These were Fathers Zerbinati and Joset, and Brother Magri, whom De -Smet met in his journey eastward preparatory to sailing for Europe, and -who had been sent as reinforcement by the Jesuit authorities abroad. They -went forward to the frontier, arriving at the mission late in 1843. - -Pietro Zerbinati remained at St. Mary’s mission, where he was -accidentally drowned late in the summer of 1845. - -Joseph Joset was of Swiss origin. He reinforced the Cœur d’Alène mission, -where he resided for many years, serving both the government and the -cause of the Indians in the war of 1858. He was frequently stationed -at Colville, and for some years served a church in Spokane. In 1891 he -returned to the Cœur d’Alène mission, dying at De Smet in 1900. - -Brother Vincent Magri was a skilled mechanic, and had charge of milling -operations at St. Ignatius. Later he was sent to the Cœur d’Alène -mission, where he died June 18, 1869.—ED. - -[156] Augustine Magloire Alexander Blanchet, younger brother of -Archbishop Blanchet, was born near Quebec in 1797, educated in that -city, and consecrated to the priesthood in 1821. For some years he -served as missionary on islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and at Cape -Breton; then he returned to parish work, being arrested on a charge of -participating in the Papineau revolt. No evidence to that effect being -adduced, he was released, and was serving as canon of Montreal cathedral -when called by his brother (1844) to be bishop of Walla Walla. After -consecration as herein described, he set out for his diocese by way of -St. Louis, first having declared his intention of becoming a citizen -of the United States. Blanchet arrived on the Walla Walla September 5, -1847, shortly before the Whitman massacre. The Catholics were accused, -doubtless unjustly, of having instigated that event, whose horrors -they sought to mitigate. Blanchet was obliged to abandon the Cayuse -mission, and in 1850 was made bishop of Nisqually, a diocese which later -(1853) was co-extensive with Washington Territory. He established his -headquarters at Vancouver, where was inaugurated a long litigation of -the land claim of the church. Bishop Blanchet resigned in 1878, dying in -retirement February 15, 1887.—ED. - -[157] Bolduc probably refers to the Spanish settlement at Nootka Sound; -see Farnham’s _Travels_ in our volume xxviii, pp. 32, 33, notes 8 and -10.—ED. - -[158] For Mounts Hood and St. Helens see our volume vi, pp. 246, 248, -notes 50, 54; for Baker and Rainier, see notes 29, 30 (Farnham), _ante_, -p. 33.—ED. - -[159] For the Cowlitz settlement see De Smet’s _Letters_, in our volume -xxvii, p. 386, note 203. “Shwally” is a form for Nisqually, described in -the same note.—ED. - -[160] Still known as Partridge (Perdrix) Point, on the west side of -Whidbey Island, opposite Penn Cove.—ED. - -[161] The eulachon (_Thaleichthys pacificus_), commonly known as the -candlefish. It is of the smelt order, and has a delicious flavor. See a -drawing by Capt. William Clark in _Original Journals of the Lewis and -Clark Expedition_, iv, frontispiece.—ED. - -[162] For the Clallam consult De Smet’s _Letters_ in our volume xxvii, p. -387, note 207.—ED. - -[163] For Vancouver Island see Farnham’s _Travels_, _ante_, p. 75, note -91. The expedition landed in Camosun Bay. A manuscript journal of Sir -James Douglas forms the basis of the account in H. H. Bancroft, _History -of British Columbia_ (San Francisco, 1887), pp. 92-116.—ED. - -[164] These were the Songhies, a tribe of Coast Salishan stock, -inhabiting the region around Victoria. For a detailed description of -this tribe see Franz Boas in _Report_ of British Association for the -Advancement of Science, 1890, pp. 563-582. Boas gives the proper tribal -name as Lkuñgen, and says the term Songhies (Songish) is derived from one -of their septs. As Bolduc reports, they lived in the long board houses -with carved posts, and enclosed their village with palisades. There are -about a hundred of this tribe extant under the charge of the Cowichan -agency.—ED. - -[165] This was a band of Cowichan Indians, named for their chieftain -Tsoughilam (Toungletats). The Cowichan are a large subdivision of the -Coast Salishan tribe, occupying the east coast of Vancouver Island, and -up the Fraser River as far as Yale; see _Report_ of British Association -for the Advancement of Science, 1894, pp. 454-463. See also an account -of the attack of this tribe on the newly-erected Fort Camosun in H. H. -Bancroft, _British Columbia_, pp. 106-110.—ED. - -[166] The former tribe was probably the Kwantlums, a branch of the -Cowichan family, occupying the lower Fraser valley about Fort Langley and -above.—ED. - -[167] For Kawitskins (Cowichan) and Klalams (Clallam), see _ante_, p. -148, note 49; for Isanisks (Songhies), p. 149, note 51.—ED. - -[168] For the founding of Sitka see our volume vi, p. 258, note 68.—ED. - -[169] Lopez Island, between Rosario Straits and Canal de Haro.—ED. - -[170] Bishop Blanchet had previously visited Whidbey Island; see _ante_, -p. 120. The Skagit Indians were a tribe of Salishan origin inhabiting -the territory in the neighborhood of Skagit Bay and on the river of that -name. In 1855 they took part in the treaty of Point Elliott, and were -assigned to the Swinomish Reservation at the mouth of Skagit River. The -Indians on this reservation number about two hundred and fifty; they are -partly civilized, wear civilized dress, speak English, hold allotted -lands, and are largely members of the Roman Catholic church.—ED. - -[171] For the origin of this name see our volume vi, p. 233, note 36.—ED. - -[172] For the Clatsop see our volume vi, p. 239, note 39. The American -with them was probably either Solomon H. Smith, or Calvin Tibbitts, who -both lived at Clatsop Plains, having crossed the continent with Wyeth; -see Wyeth’s _Oregon_, our volume xxi, p. 73, note 50.—ED. - -[173] James Birnie (Burney), for whom see Townsend’s _Narrative_ in our -volume xxi, p. 361, note 130.—ED. - -[174] See descriptions of this form of entombment in our volume xxi, p. -338; also in _Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition_, iii, -pp. 260, 326.—ED. - -[175] This was the building on the site of the present city of Salem, -which was erected in 1842 by Jason Lee for the Indian mission school -formerly conducted in a log house twelve miles below. The mission school -had suffered reverses from illness and the loss of missionary leaders, -and Rev. George Gary had arrived in Oregon May 1, 1844, to close up the -affairs of the entire Methodist mission. The building for the school, -which had with the surrounding land cost nearly $10,000 became the -property of the Oregon Institute, which opened a school therein in the -autumn of this year (1844). This subsequently became the nucleus of -Willamette University, chartered in 1853.—ED. - -[176] The site was about three miles above Champoeg, not far from the -residence of Etienne Lucier, one of the earliest settlers of French -Prairie.—ED. - -[177] For a sketch of this missionary see De Smet’s _Letters_ in our -volume xxvii, p. 193, note 69.—ED. - -[178] The mission or residence at this point was known as St. Francis -Xavier. The convent was, however, entitled St. Mary’s or Notre Dame, from -the convent at Namur, whence the sisters set forth.—ED. - -[179] Chittenden and Richardson, _De Smet_, ii, p. 453, give “Oregon -City” as the alternative of this native village. Consultation with Oregon -historians, however, gives no support to this theory—the term “Cuhute” -never having been applied to the locality of Oregon City during the -residence, or within the knowledge of white settlers. George H. Himes of -Portland, after interviewing several pioneers, writes us: “I conclude -that the village referred to by De Smet was the name of a village -belonging to a small sub-tribe of Indians in the vicinity of the present -town of St. Paul, Marion County, which was annihilated by the disease -already alluded to.”—ED. - -[180] This letter enclosed those following, numbered iv-xv, in the last -of which De Smet says that he is sending a packet of letters by the -Hudson’s Bay brigade from Columbia, which he has just encountered.—ED. - -[181] Addressed to Bishop (later Archbishop) John Hughes of New -York. From the time of the descriptive letter number ii, written -from Willamette valley October 9, 1844, to the beginning of this -letter in February, 1845, Father de Smet had made a journey to his -previously-founded missions in the interior. Leaving Vancouver, he -ascended the river to Fort Walla Walla, thence crossed Spokane plains -and the mountains to the camp of the Pend d’Oreille on Clark’s Fork, -where he met Father Adrian Hoeken. There a deputation from the Cœur -d’Alènes waited on the father to persuade him to visit their mission of -Sacred Heart, where he was received November 11 by Father Nicolas Point. -Setting forth thence, eight days later he found the road to the Flatheads -impracticable because of floods and ice, so that he was obliged to pass -the winter (1844-45) with the Pend d’Oreille in their winter quarters on -Clark’s Fork.—ED. - -[182] For the location of Horse Plain see De Smet’s _Letters_ in our -volume xxvii, p. 337, note 172. The location of the Bay of the Pend -d’Oreille (Kalispels) is given _post_, note 73.—ED. - -[183] For these tribes and the former visit of De Smet, see his _Letters_ -in our volume xxvii, especially p. 141, note 8.—ED. - -[184] This stream, now known as St. Regis Borgia, is a tributary of the -Missoula from the west. Rising in Bitterroot Mountains it flows slightly -south of east through a fertile valley, which forms the present route -of the Northern Pacific Railway. See De Smet’s _Letters_, in our volume -xxvii, p. 362, note 183.—ED. - -[185] Stiettiedloodsho was surnamed “Bravest of the Brave;” for an -account of his fight with the Crows, see _post_, letter xxiii. His -baptismal name was Moses, and he was an adopted brother of Father de -Smet, who relates several anecdotes of his piety; see Chittenden and -Richardson, _De Smet_, iv, pp. 1225, 1226. He was known to be living in -1857. Possibly Selpisto was the great chief baptized in 1840 as Peter. -For Chalax see our volume xxvii, p. 284, note 148.—ED. - -[186] The site of the first mission of St. Ignatius, called by De Smet -the Bay of the Kalispels, was on the east bank of Clark’s Fork, in -latitude about 48° 20′ north, longitude 117° 10′ west, in the present -Stevens County, Washington, not far from the town of Usk. The mission was -maintained at this point until 1854, when, the spot proving unsuitable -from frequent overflows, a site was chosen in western Montana on the -present Flathead Reservation, whence the mission was transferred and -where it has since been maintained. See L. B. Palladino, _Indian and -White in the Northwest_, pp. 68-79.—ED. - -[187] Manresa is a town in the northeastern part of Spain, where Ignatius -Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, spent a year dwelling in a cave, and -subjecting himself to severe austerities. It is now a place of pilgrimage -for the pious followers of the saint.—ED. - -[188] Champoeg—an Indian name, signifying a kind of edible root—was an -Indian camping and council ground, lying on the borders of Kalapuya -territory. Among the earliest settlements in the Willamette valley were -those made near this place.—ED. - -[189] Oregon City was laid out in lots (1843) by Dr. John McLoughlin, who -had taken up the site as early as 1829 and by 1837 had made improvements -there. The Methodist mission had built a store and a mill on the same -site and later there was a prolonged dispute over the title. Meanwhile -Oregon City (or Willamette Falls) grew, and was made the seat of the -provisional government (1845-49). McLoughlin gave the site for the -building of the church here mentioned, which was dedicated February 8, -1846.—ED. - -[190] The Kamloop and Atnah are Shushwap (Shoowhapamooh) clans of the -great Salishan stock of Indians, inhabiting the region between the Rocky -Mountains and Fraser River, north of the British American boundary line. -The Kamloop lived in the Thompson River district, near a fort of that -name (see Ross’s _Oregon Settlers_ in our volume vii, p. 199, note 64). -For the term “Atnah” see our volume vii, p. 159, note 52. - -The Porteurs (Carriers) are described in De Smet’s _Letters_ in our -volume xxvii, p. 307, note 160. Consult G. M. Dawson “The Shuswap -People,” in Royal Society of Canada _Transactions_, ix, part ii, -pp. 3-44; A. G. Morice, “The Western Dénés” in Canadian Institute -_Proceedings_, 3d series, vol. 7, pp. 109-120; and Franz Boas, in -_Report_ of British Association for the Advancement of Science, 1890, pp. -642-647.—ED. - -[191] The Stelatin dwelt on the western end of Fraser Lake; the Nashkutin -(Nashkoten) on and about Blackwater River; the Chilcotin (Tchilkoten) on -a river of that name [see note 102 (Farnham), _ante_, p. 81,] and the -Nakasletin (Nazeteoten) on Stuart Lake.—ED. - -[192] Brother J. B. McGean (McGill) was an Irishman, who went to the -mission field with Fathers Peter De Vos and Adrian Hoeken in 1843. In -1854 he was at St. Ignatius mission where he was farm superintendent.—ED. - -[193] Father de Smet and his Indians followed the aboriginal trail across -the Cascades, which afterwards became the foundation of the Barlow -Road. See “History of the Barlow Road,” in Oregon Historical Society -_Quarterly_, iii, pp. 71-81. For Mount Hood see our volume vi, p. 248, -note 54.—ED. - -[194] For Captain Nathaniel Wyeth and his expeditions to Oregon, see -our volume xxi, preface, and p. 23, note 3. This quotation, which is -not verbatim, is taken from Wyeth’s _Memoir_, published in _Reports of -Committees_, 25 Cong., 3 sess., no. 101, p. 11.—ED. - -[195] For the Nez Percé Indians see our volume vi, p. 340, note 145. -While closely related the Cayuse are thought by modern ethnologists to be -a separate language stock, although they also spoke the Nez Percé tongue. -See our volume vii, p. 137, note 37.—ED. - -[196] Now known as Kettle Falls; see our volume vi, p. 346, note 153.—ED. - -[197] For the first two tribes see De Smet’s _Letters_ in our volume -xxvii, p. 319, notes 161, 162. The Zingomenes are the Spokan (see Father -de Smet’s letter in Chittenden and Richardson, _De Smet_, iii, p. 801), -for whom see our volume vi, p. 341, note 146. Kalispel is an alternative -for the Pend d’Oreille, noted in our volume xxvii, p. 141, note 8 (De -Smet).—ED. - -[198] The salmon of the Pacific coast rivers comprises five species of -one genus, _Oncorhyncus_: _O. chavicha_, the quinnat or King salmon; _O. -nerke_, the blue-backed salmon; _O. kisutch_, the silver salmon; _O. -keta_, the dog salmon; and _O. gorbusha_, the hump-backed salmon. The -sixth variety noted may be the _Salmo gairdneri_, or steelhead salmon -trout.—ED. - -[199] The residence or mission of St. Francis Regis is in the Colville -valley, about seven and a half miles from the present town of Colville. -On his next visit De Smet found settled in the vicinity about seventy -Canadian métis, or half breeds. The station does not appear to have -been continuous, but to have been re-established after the Indian wars -(1847-56). Later it became a flourishing mission, with schools for boys -and girls, and was frequently visited by Spokan and Colville Indians from -the neighboring reservations. For the Cree see J. Long’s _Voyages_ in our -volume ii, p. 168, note 75.—ED. - -[200] The Flatbows (Arcs à plats), in the use made of the term by De -Smet, signify that branch of the Kutenai stock that is now known as the -Lower Kutenai; by “Kootenay” the author designates the Upper branch of -the tribal stock. They differ slightly in customs and dialects, as well -as in habitat, the Lower Kutenai being partly in the United States; -the Upper almost wholly in British Columbia. For a scientific study of -this stock see Dr. A. F. Chamberlain in _Report_ of British Association -for the Advancement of Science, 1892, pp. 549-614; see also De Smet’s -_Letters_ in our volume xxvii, p. 357, note 180.—ED. - -[201] Lake Pend d’Oreille, in northern Idaho; for which see De Smet’s -_Letters_ in our volume xxvii, p. 339, note 175.—ED. - -[202] For a brief biographical sketch of Peter Skeen Ogden see Townsend’s -_Narrative_ in our volume xxi, p. 314, note 99. For an account of De -Smet’s journey with Ogden in 1842, see the former’s _Letters_ in our -volume xxvii, pp. 373-377.—ED. - -[203] These officers were Captain Henry J. Warre, nephew and aide-de-camp -of Sir R. Downer Jackson, commandant of British forces in North America, -and Lieutenant M. Vavasour of the Royal Engineers. They had a commission -from the government, perhaps not as extensive as is reported by De Smet, -but doubtless ample in case of war. They were also secretly commissioned -by the Hudson’s Bay Company to report on Dr. McLoughlin’s attitude in -regard to the American settlers, and their adverse account was answered -by him in detail, after his resignation (1846). The two officers left -Montreal May 5, 1845, reporting at Fort Garry, whence they took the -overland route followed by Sir George Simpson in 1841, arriving at Fort -Colville August 12, three days after the meeting with De Smet in the -Idaho forests. Their appearance at Fort Vancouver nearly coincided with -that of the naval officers Park and Peel from the Pacific squadron. -Warre and Vavasour examined the country thoroughly, and made estimates -of the Indian tribes. See Robert M. Martin, _Hudson’s Bay Territories_ -(London, 1849), p. 80. They visited Vancouver Island and Puget Sound, -the settlements on the Willamette and the mouth of the Columbia, making -drawings and sketches of several places visited. They remained at Fort -Vancouver during the winter of 1845-46 assisting at the festivities -inaugurated by the officers of the “Modeste” (see Palmer’s _Journal_ in -our volume xxx, note 189), and left for England via the spring brigade. -They mention meeting Father de Smet seven days from Boat Encampment -on the return journey. Arriving in Liverpool August 12, 1846, Captain -Warre prepared for the press _Sketches in North America and the Oregon -Territory_ (London, 1849), a copy of which is in the Portland public -library. Captain Warre had been in Canada since 1839; on his return to -England he received the thanks of the colonial secretary, Earl Grey, for -his arduous services during his journey to the West on “special duty.” -Later he commanded the 57th regiment in the Crimean War and in New -Zealand, 1861-66, becoming lieutenant general in 1877, and dying in 1898. -He is the author of _Sketches in the Crimea_ (London, 1856); he also -wrote _Historical Records of the 57 regiment of foot_ (London, 1878.)—ED. - -[204] Doubtless De Smet followed the well-known Indian trail which David -Thompson called the “Great Road of the Flatheads,” reaching Kootenai -River about on the border between Idaho and Montana, where was built a -North West Company house, later abandoned. See Thompson’s description of -the road in Elliott Coues (ed.) _New Light on the Early History of the -Greater Northwest_ (New York, 1897), ii, p. 673; also the accompanying -map by Thompson.—ED. - -[205] The wappato (_sagittaria latifolia_) was an important article of -food for the Northwest Indians. See descriptions of its gathering and -preparation in _Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition_, -index. The flower of the bitterroot (_Lewisia rediviva_) has been chosen -as the Montana state flower; it gives name both to the river and to a -range of mountains in that state. The biscuit root was probably what is -known as the white-apple or prairie potato (_Psoralea esculenta_), a -food-root widely spread in North America. See our volume xxi, p. 248, -note 62.—ED. - -[206] On the camas see our volume xxi, p. 247, note 61.—ED. - -[207] _Evernia vulpina_, still used for food by the Kutenai.—ED. - -[208] Kootenai Lake, in eastern British Columbia, is an enlargement of -the river of the same name, seventy-five miles in length and with a width -of from two to five miles. The river enters at the southern end, and -leaves the lake about midway of its length opposite Pilot Bay.—ED. - -[209] Edward Berland, a Hudson’s Bay Company employe, aided Sir George -Simpson on his voyage around the world in 1841. See his curious autograph -reproduced in Simpson, _Narrative_, i, p. 125.—ED. - -[210] Known as Kootenai River Traverse, located in the neighborhood of -the present Fort Steele. See Simpson’s description of its passage in his -_Narrative_, pp. 137, 138.—ED. - -[211] De Smet is passing up the Kootenai River in its course through -Montana, following the line of the present Great Northern Railway, which -leaves Kootenai valley at Jennings, where the river coming from the north -makes an abrupt turn to the west. A recently-built branch of this railway -extends from Jennings along the upper Kootenai into British Columbia.—ED. - -[212] Probably the Yaac River, a considerable mountain tributary of the -Kootenai, in northwestern Montana. De Smet may, however, refer to some -small stream that enters the main river near Kootenai Falls, some ten or -twelve miles above the embouchment of the Yaac. David Thompson called the -Kootenai, McGillivray River, in honor of the Hon. William McGillivray, -one of the North West Company partners.—ED. - -[213] De Smet was an observant traveller. The mineral wealth of Flathead -County, Montana (through which he was passing), has not yet been -developed; but galena ore bearing both lead and silver has been found, -and considerable quantities of coal and oil are known to exist in that -district. See _Report_ of Great Northern Railway, 1902.—ED. - -[214] Tobacco Plains are situated on both sides of the international -boundary, taking their name from Tobacco River, a Montana affluent of the -Kootenai. This has for many years been the habitat of one division of the -Upper Kutenai, known as Agkanegunik (people of the Tobacco Plains). David -Thompson visited and traded there in 1808. A British Columbia branch -of this tribe still has a reservation of 2,560 acres just north of the -international boundary, where a band of fifty-seven was in 1902 employed -in farming and cattle-raising. The Kutenai of to-day are all Roman -Catholics.—ED. - -[215] For Flathead (Tête plat) Lake see De Smet’s _Letters_ in our volume -xxvii, p. 359, note 181.—ED. - -[216] From Tobacco Plains De Smet advanced up the valley of the upper -Kootenai, towards the portage near the headwaters of the Columbia. This -valley runs between the main range of the Rockies and the Selkirks, among -some of the most majestic scenery on the North American continent.—ED. - -[217] Taken from a composition of De Smet’s on his second journey to -the Rocky Mountains (1841), and then applied to the heights around the -sources of the Platte. See Chittenden and Richardson, _De Smet_, iv, pp. -1353, 1354.—ED. - -[218] These are Upper Columbia and Windermere lakes, the former 2,700 -feet above sea level, and the ultimate source of the Columbia River. -The river is navigable from Lake Windermere as far as Golden, where the -Canadian Pacific Railway crosses, and steamers ply the course of about -160 miles. The passage from one lake to the other is possible only for -canoes. This region was first explored by David Thompson in 1807.—ED. - -[219] These are composed of gravelly flats, the great spawning beds of -the Columbia salmon. At times steamboat navigation is impeded by the -immense number of the fish.—ED. - -[220] The Hot Springs—one of a temperature of 120°, the other of 90° -Fahrenheit—issue from natural basins of their own formation, on the side -of a cliff just below Upper Columbia Lake.—ED. - -[221] Richard Chandler (1738-1810), an English antiquary, undertook an -exploring expedition to Asia Minor and Greece (1765) under the auspices -of the English Dilettanti Society. The results were published as _Travels -in Asia Minor_ (London, 1775), both sufficiently popular to run through -several editions. The author particularly mentions the famous Hot Springs -of the ancient Hierapolis, whose site is now known as Kambuk Kalessi, -on the Mæander River in Phrygia, and describes their incrustations and -stalactites. For the famous geographer Conrad Malte-Brun see our volume -xviii, p. 345, note 136.—ED. - -[222] The portage from Kootenai River (Arcs-à-plats) to Upper Columbia -Lake is but a mile and a half in length, over a level trail of rich -black soil now known as Kootenai Flat. There is little doubt that the -upper Columbia once drained this way into the Kootenai River, which now, -however, is slightly higher than the source of the Columbia. A canal has -been projected across the portage, but it is not yet completed.—ED. - -[223] For the Shushwap see our volume vii, p. 159, note 52.—ED. - -[224] Vermillion River, one of the headstreams of the Kootenai, rises in -the great group of the Rockies, near the foot of Mount Biddle, west of -Laggan, on the Canadian Pacific Railway, and flows southeasterly until -uniting with the Beaverfoot to form the Kootenai. See “Sketch map of the -Canadian Rocky Mountains” in James Outram, _In the Heart of the Canadian -Rockies_ (New York, 1905).—ED. - -[225] De Smet is not sufficiently precise in his topography to make it -certain by which pass he crossed the Rocky Mountain divide. Probably it -was that over which Sir George Simpson made his way to the westward in -1841, now known as Simpson Pass (elevation 6,884 feet). It comes out -in the neighborhood of Banff on the Canadian Pacific Railway, in the -valley of Bow River, a tributary of the South Saskatchewan. See Simpson, -_Narrative_, i, pp. 118-121.—ED. - -[226] The Saskatchewan, with its two great branches, North and South, -drains a large portion of the vast plain lying between the Rocky -Mountains and the lake region of Manitoba, and enters Lake Winnipeg in -latitude 53° 10′, longitude 99° 20′ west. Nelson River enters Hudson Bay -near the fifty-seventh parallel of north latitude.—ED. - -[227] Bow River (des Arcs) is the northern branch of the South -Saskatchewan. It rises in the Rocky Mountains above Laggan, flowing east -and southeast until its junction with Belly River near longitude 111° -30′; these two then form the great South Saskatchewan. The name Rivière -des Arcs is thought to have been given from its course, as it was first -applied to the entire South Saskatchewan which takes a crescent course. -More probably it arose from its frequent curves or “ox-bows,” especially -in the upper reaches, above Banff. The earliest explorers of this -stream were the French, who under Lieutenant de Niverville, sent out by -Legardeur de St. Pierre (1752), erected Fort La Jonquière not far from -the modern town of Calgary. David Thompson explored Bow River valley for -the North West Company in 1800. The upper Bow is now the route of the -Canadian Pacific Railway.—ED. - -[228] The Blackfeet are noted in our volume v, p. 225, note 120, and -described in more detail by Maximilian in his _Travels_, our volume -xxiii, pp. 95-122. They range into the northern part of Montana in -the United States, but their usual habitat is the great plain of the -Saskatchewan in the provinces of Alberta and Assiniboia.—ED. - -[229] For the Assiniboin see our volume ii, p. 168, note 75. The -Assiniboin were wandering Indians grouped into many bands under separate -chiefs. Early in the nineteenth century those of the woods and foothills -of the Rockies became differentiated from the Assiniboin of the Plains, -and were usually denominated Stoney Indians. These latter were in two -bands, the Thickwood and Mountain Stoney, with dialects differing -considerably from the Assiniboin of the Plains. Their characteristics -were also different, they being more peaceable and inoffensive than their -Eastern relatives. They were very poor, nevertheless were good hunters -and energetic workers, many of them acting as guides especially in the -explorations connected with the Canadian Pacific Railway surveys. First -visited by Wesleyan missionaries as early as 1840, they now are largely -members of that denomination. A band of about six hundred live on a -reservation on Bow River near Morley, forty miles west of Calgary, not -far from the region in which they were encountered by De Smet.—ED. - -[230] The Assiniboin of the Plains had been decimated by small-pox in -1838; while still a numerous tribe, they were reduced from 1,000 to 400 -thinly-populated lodges. They had somewhat recovered, doubtless, before -Father de Smet’s journey.—ED. - -[231] Red Deer River rises in the Sawback Range, nearly east of Laggan, -and flowing east and southeast through the plains of Alberta empties into -the South Saskatchewan in Assiniboia, just east of the hundred and tenth -meridian.—ED. - -[232] Snake Country (Pays Serpent) was the term applied by the Hudson’s -Bay Company to the area drained by Snake (or Lewis) River, the home of -the Shoshoni (or Snake) Indians.—ED. - -[233] These tribes have all been previously noted—by “Kants” being meant -the Kansa; by “Saucs” the Sac; and by “Ajouas” the Iowa.—ED. - -[234] See De Smet’s _Letters_ in our volume xxvii, p. 391, note 213.—ED. - -[235] Jean Baptiste Thibault went as a missionary to the Red River -country in 1833, and travelled widely in the great Northwest, visiting -the Hudson’s Bay posts and founding missions for both half-breeds and -Indians from Manitoba to New Caledonia. His colleague, Joseph Bourassa, -was engaged in the same work from 1844 to 1856.—ED. - -[236] For these rivers see our volume vi, p. 354, with accompanying -note. The mission at St. Ann, in Alberta about fifty miles west of Fort -Edmonton, was later in charge of the Oblate Fathers, headed by Father La -Combe.—ED. - -[237] The last four tribes belong to the great Athapascan, Déné, or -Tinneh stock, whose northern division occupies the northernmost interior -of the American continent. The names here given (probably translated -from French) are intended for the Beaver, Dogrib, Slave and Hare (or -Hare-skin) tribes. In general terms their habitat may be described as -follows: the Beaver upon Peace River; the Dogrib between Great Slave and -Great Bear lakes; the Slaves west of Great Slave Lake, upon Mackenzie -and Liard rivers; the Hares on the Mackenzie, Hare, Indian, and Anderson -rivers. See A. G. Morice, in Canadian Institute _Proceedings_, 1889, -pp. 109-174. These Indians still rove the great northern lands, little -affected by contact with whites.—ED. - -[238] These are all fur-trading posts, most of which De Smet had visited. -They have been described in previous volumes of our series, as follows: -Fort Corbeaux (Crow), or Alexander, our volume xxvii, p. 146, note 12 -(De Smet); Laramie (La Ramee), xxi, p. 181, note 30; Union, xxii, p. -373, note 349; Mandan, or Clark (near Big Knife, not Little Missouri), -xxii, p. 344, note 317; Pierre, xxii, p. 315, note 277; Lookout, xxii, -p. 304, note 261; Vermillion, xxvii, p. 153, note 22 (De Smet); fort at -Council Bluffs, xxii, p. 275, note 231; and Bellevue, xxii, p. 267, note -221. Fort Osage, originally a government post on the Missouri (not the -Osage), was abandoned in 1827; see our volume v, p. 60, note 31. Probably -De Smet here refers to the trading post at the Osage villages on Osage -River, in what is now Kansas. Fort Pied-Noir (Blackfoot), or Lewis, was -the successor of Fort Mackenzie (for which see our volume xxiii, p. 87, -note 75), destroyed in 1844. Fort Lewis was built (1845) by Alexander -Culbertson some distance above the old fort at the mouth of Maria’s -River, on the south bank of the Missouri, eighteen miles above the -present city of Fort Benton, Montana; see account of founding in Montana -Historical Society _Contributions_, iii, pp. 241-243 (note, however, that -the dates in these reminiscences are quite unreliable). Fort Lewis, named -for the explorer, Captain Meriwether Lewis, was abandoned in 1846 for -the site of Fort Benton—the new post, however, retaining the name Lewis -until about 1850. Fort Berthold, in McLean County, North Dakota, on the -Indian reservation of that name, one hundred and twenty-five miles above -Bismarck, was built as an American Fur Company post in 1845, and named -for Bartholomew Berthold, one of the partners of that corporation. An -opposition post (erected in 1859) was bought out in 1862, and the effects -and name transferred thither. This new stockade was nearly captured -by the Sioux in December, 1862. Two years later it was converted into -a military post, but the soldiers being withdrawn (1867) the fort was -thereafter maintained as an Indian agency, until accidentally burned in -1874; all vestiges have now disappeared. See engraving of its former -appearance in O. D. Wheeler, _Trail of Lewis and Clark_ (New York, 1904), -i, p. 276.—ED. - -[239] Right Reverend Mathias Loras was born in Lyons, France, in 1792. -At the age of twenty-six he was ordained priest, and in 1829 came to the -United States with Bishop Portier of Mobile. He served in the latter city -until chosen (1839) first bishop of the newly-created see of Dubuque. Two -years later he visited Europe for recruits, returning with two priests -and four deacons. Bishop Loras died at Dubuque in 1858. In 1841 he sent -Augustine Ravoux, one of the deacons who had reinforced his mission -(ordained priest in 1840), to visit the traders in what is now Minnesota, -and attempt the founding there of a Sioux mission; he was accompanied by -Father Lucien Galtier. The latter built a chapel on the site of St. Paul, -and gave the infant settlement its name, but in 1844 he was removed, -dying in 1866 at Prairie du Chien. Father Ravoux made many missionary -journeys over his wide territory—in 1845 to Fort Vermillion, in 1847 to -Fort Pierre—and established an incipient Sioux mission. The withdrawal of -Galtier made it imperative for Ravoux to devote himself to the care of -the Catholic communicants of his wide diocese. See his _Reminiscences and -Memoirs_ (St. Paul, 1890). He was still living in 1904.—ED. - -[240] For the Potawatomi mission see De Smet’s _Letters_ in our volume -xxvii, p. 156, note 26. Its first site in Kansas was as here stated; -later (1848) it was removed to Kansas River, and during the early -settlement was well known as St. Mary’s Mission—afterwards, simply St. -Mary’s. The mission school was continued until 1869. A town of this name -is in the southeastern corner of Pottawatomie County.—ED. - -[241] Several posts of the Hudson’s Bay Company were known as the -Rocky Mountain House; but this one, upon the North Saskatchewan, had -no other name. It was founded in 1802 by the North West Company, and -David Thompson was in charge 1806-07, making thence his first expedition -west of the mountains. It was located about a mile and a half above -the mouth of the Clearwater, on the south bank of the Saskatchewan. -See _Explorations by Captain John Palliser_ (London, 1863), pp. 74-77, -descriptive of the expedition sent by the government in 1857-59.—ED. - -[242] For the Sauteux see J. Long’s _Voyages_, in our volume ii, p. 79, -note 38. The Chippewa are the most numerous tribe of the Algonquian -stock, large numbers being still found in both Canada and the United -States, with a range nearly as wide as De Smet here gives them. In -the United States, however, their habitat never extended much beyond -Minnesota, where they were met by their hereditary enemies, the Dakota -(or Sioux). In Canada, their alliance with the Cree gave them a farther -westward range, and they occasionally traded at Fort Edmonton on the -upper Saskatchewan.—ED. - -[243] George A. de Belcourt arrived in the Red River country in 1831, and -spent twenty-eight years as a missionary in this territory, officiating -also at Pembina under commission from Bishop Loras of Dubuque. The -Chippewa mission here mentioned was situated on Winnipeg River, at a -place whose native name was Wabassimong. In 1846, the Oblate Father -Aubert was placed in charge; but lack of success rendered it necessary -to abandon the mission the following year. The log church which had -been erected was used some years later by Protestant missionaries. -See Alexandre Taché, _Vingt Années de Missions dans le Nord-Ouest de -l’Amérique_ (Montreal, 1866).—ED. - -[244] This was the half-breed known as Bird, whose treachery toward -Antoine Godin at Fort Hall, Idaho, is narrated by Townsend in our volume -xxi, pp. 353, 354; see also our volume xxiii, pp. 135, 145, 153.—ED. - -[245] This band of Blackfeet, which took its name from an important -chief, was mentioned by George Catlin in 1832, being said to consist of -two hundred and fifty lodges. Father de Smet says that they were almost -entirely destroyed. Charles Larpenteur, however, mentions this band as on -the war path against the Flatheads in 1848; see his _Forty Years a Fur -Trader_ (New York, 1898), ii, pp. 259-261.—ED. - -[246] John Rowand was born at Montreal and entered the North West Company -as a clerk in 1800. He was in charge at Fort Augustus for many years -and there was born his son who became widely known in Northwest annals. -Educated at Montreal and Edinburgh, he travelled abroad before returning -to the Northwest, where he was for many years a chief factor of the -company. He accompanied Sir George Simpson on his journey of 1841, and in -1848 retired from active service, settling in Quebec, where he died in -1889. See _Henry-Thompson Journals_, ii, pp. 602, 603; and Chittenden and -Richardson, _De Smet_, iv. pp. 1559-1561.—ED. - -[247] For Fort Edmonton (or Fort Augustus) see our volume vi, p. 364, -note 177. A nearly contemporary description may be found in Simpson, -_Narrative_, i, pp. 101, 102.—ED. - -[248] For Fort Jasper see our volume vi, p. 357, note 167. - -Assiniboine House was built in 1825 on the north side of Athabasca River, -in northern Alberta; the place is now abandoned and ruined. See Alexander -Ross, _Fur Hunters of the Far West_ (London, 1855), ii, p. 204. - -Lesser Slave Lake House, at the western end of the lake, was built by -Alexander Stuart of the North West Company early in the nineteenth -century.—ED. - -[249] For Fort des Montagnes see _ante_, p. 234, note 128. - -Fort Pitt was established in 1831, not far below old Fort Vermillion, -about half way between Carlton and Edmonton, on the south bank of the -Saskatchewan, about a hundred yards from the river. See description of -its appearance in 1859, in Earl of Southesk, _Saskatchewan and the Rocky -Mountains_ (Edinburgh, 1875), pp. 139-142, 285-292. - -Fort Carlton (Carrollton) was the Hudson’s Bay post replacing the old -Fort de la Montée, for which see our volume vi, p. 374, note 185. Sir -George Simpson well describes its appearance in 1841 in his _Narrative_, -i, p. 84. For Cumberland House see our volume vi, p. 376, note 188.—ED. - -[250] The Lake of the Black Eagle does not appear to be charted, but the -entire country between Forts Edmonton and Assiniboine abounds in lakes. -This route was followed by Ross in 1825; see his _Fur Hunters_, ii, pp. -205, 209.—ED. - -[251] For the Pembina see our volume vi, p. 364, note 177. It is not -feasible to identify all these affluents of the upper Athabasca. Next -to Pembina, the largest of those mentioned is McLeod (McCloud) River, a -southern branch coming in some fifty miles above old Fort Assiniboine. -The Baptiste (the additional word Berland has been dropped) flows from -the west, entering the Athabasca where it bends to the east.—ED. - -[252] Of the two lakes at the headwaters of the Athabasca, both are -sometimes called Jasper, but the lower one was more frequently known as -Burnt (or Brulé) Lake. For these and Jasper House see our volume vi, p. -357, note 167.—ED. - -[253] The names of these streams appear to change frequently. The -Violin is now known as Fiddle River; it debouches from the south, near -the upper end of Brulé Lake. Medicine appears to be identical with the -stream called Rocky River, coming from very near the source of the North -Saskatchewan. The Assiniboine is now usually called Snake Indian River; -it takes its name from a small tribe that frequented its banks, who were -totally exterminated early in the nineteenth century by a fierce band of -Assiniboin.—ED. - -[254] The Maligne is a large stream coming from the south, not far from -the source of the Brazeau. Gens de Colets is now known as Snaring River; -it enters the Athabasca some miles above Jasper Lake. The Miette comes -from the west and joins the Athabasca at its abrupt turn from north to -east. The trail to Yellowhead Pass follows up the Miette, while that to -Athabasca Pass follows the main Athabasca River, to the Trou (or Hole), -more frequently Whirlpool River.—ED. - -[255] The Boucane is now Smoky River, the largest southwest affluent of -Peace (a la Paix) River.—ED. - -[256] For Fraser River see Farnham’s _Travels_, _ante_, p. 43, note 52. - -A small branch of the Miette approaches within a few rods, on the summit -of Yellowhead Pass of the upper source of the Fraser, running thence into -Yellowhead, and sixteen miles lower down Moose Lake, whence issues the -main Fraser.—ED. - -[257] For the Carrier Indians, see our volume xxvii, p. 307, note 160. -They are the main branch of the Déné (Tinneh) stock, in British Columbia. -See Rev. A. G. Morice, “Are the Carrier Sociology and Mythology exotic?” -in Canadian Royal Society _Transactions_, x, part ii, pp. 109-120, with -map giving location of the tribes of New Caledonia. - -By the Achiganes, De Smet probably intends the Sekanais (Tsekenné), who -inhabit the western slopes of the Rockies from latitude 54° to 60°. -They are a nomadic people of the Déné stock, lacking houses, villages, -or social organization. Despising fish, they subsist on game and roots. -Numbering about two hundred souls, they now exist in two wandering bands -in the Babine and Upper Skeena River agency, Hoquelget division, British -Columbia.—ED. - -[258] The Montagnais are a branch of the great Athapascan (or Déné) stock -of northern Indians. By some authorities they are identified with the -Chippewyan; others consider them the western branch of the Chippewyan -tribe—De Smet uses the term in the first sense. The Chippewyan still rove -in their ancient habitat on Athabasca lake and river. The majority of the -tribe has been christianized by Catholic missionaries.—ED. - -[259] Lake Athabasca, in the northern portion of the territory of that -name, is the outlet of Athabasca River, and extends 190 miles in length -and from five to fifty-five in width. It discharges by Slave River into -Great Slave Lake, thence through the Mackenzie into the Arctic Ocean. -Fort Chippewyan, upon the shore of Lake Athabasca, was one of the -earliest trading posts erected by the English in the Northwest. Thence -Sir Alexander Mackenzie made his famous explorations (1789-93).—ED. - -[260] The Oblate monk was Alexandre Antoine Taché, later archbishop of -St. Boniface on the Red River, and the priest Father L. Laflèche. Father -Thibault had visited all the Athabascan district in the summer of 1844, -preparing the way for permanent mission stations. Reporting to Bishop -Provencher at Winnipeg, the latter sent the two missionaries to found a -central station at Ile à la Crosse (largely frequented by Crees), whence -stations were later established at Cariboo Lake and Lake Athabasca. - -Father Laflèche came to the Red River country in 1844, remaining at Ile -à la Crosse until 1849, when infirmities led him to retire. Elected -coadjutor for Bishop Provencher, he declined the responsibility, but -served as vicar general until 1856. - -Taché was Canadian born (1823); educated at Montreal, he joined the -Oblate order, and (1845) volunteered for mission service on the frontier. -Arrived at Red River, he was ordained priest, and sent (July, 1846) to -found the mission at Ile à la Crosse, whence he made journeys to the -distant tribes of the Northwest. Elected coadjutor bishop in 1849, he -visited Europe, being two years later consecrated in France. Returning to -Canada, he went back to his mission, whence he was summoned to Winnipeg -by the death of Bishop Provencher (1853). Taché was an important figure -in the Canadian Northwest, being profoundly interested for the material -and spiritual welfare of the Indians and half-breeds. He interceded -with the Dominion government for the latter’s grievances in 1869, and -after the Riel rebellion was useful in restoring harmony. Raised to an -archbishopric in 1871, he ably administered his diocese until his death -in 1894. - -See his own account of his early missionary experiences in _Vingt Années -de Missions dans le Nord-Ouest de l’Amérique_.—ED. - -[261] Paul, son of Simon Fraser the explorer (for whom see Farnham’s -_Travels_, _ante_, p. 43, note 52), was born in Glengarry, Ontario, in -1799. He entered the Hudson’s Bay Company as early as 1827, or before, -and in the following year was chief clerk in charge at Fort Vermillion, -when Sir George Simpson passed that way. In 1833 he was a senior clerk -at Fort McLeod, giving his principal attention to New Caledonia where -he was a chief trader before 1844. He built Fort Umpqua in Oregon, and -was stationed there for some time. In 1850 he resigned from the Northern -department and was sent to Fort Kamloops, where not long afterwards he -was killed by the fall of a tree.—ED. - -[262] There is an Island Lake on the Sturgeon River chain, not far -from Lake Ann, but De Smet’s topography is too indefinite to insure -identification.—ED. - -[263] La Fourche du Trou (Fork of the Hole), better known as Whirlpool -River, is that branch of the Athabasca that descends from the Committee’s -Punch Bowl on the summit of Athabasca Pass. The first appellation is -given because of a peculiar rock formation by which it enters the other -branch of the Athabasca through a rocky channel or hole. See our volume -vi, p. 353.—ED. - -[264] By reference to Letter iii, _ante_, pp. 170-172, it will be seen -that all the succeeding letters to this point were enclosed with that -accompanying them, and forwarded by the usual Columbia brigade, which De -Smet met at this point of his journey.—ED. - -[265] For a brief sketch of York Factory see our volume vi, p. 377, note -191.—ED. - -[266] For Francis Ermatinger see our volume xxvii, p. 235, note 108.—ED. - -[267] This river has various names, by some called Portage, and by others -Little Canoe, since it enters the Columbia at its great northern bend, -just where the Canoe River coming from the north also joins it. This -westward-flowing mountain torrent—first discovered by David Thompson in -1810-11—issues from a small lake at the summit of the pass, within a few -rods of the Committee’s Punch Bowl.—ED. - -[268] So named from Thompson’s camp, where he stopped to build canoes to -descend the Columbia. It became a noted site on the upper Columbia, where -horses or snow-shoes were exchanged for canoes or vice versa.—ED. - -[269] For the two peaks here mentioned, see Farnham’s _Travels_, _ante_, -pp. 29, 30, notes 22, 23.—ED. - -[270] The Dalles of the Dead was an especially dangerous place on the -upper Columbia. Probably they took their name from the sad fate of -a party who turned back from Boat Encampment in 1817. See Ross Cox, -_Adventures on the Columbia River_ (New York, 1832), p. 245.—ED. - -[271] Alexander Ross in his _Fur Hunters_, ii, pp. 165-175, speaks of -paintings in red ochre upon a rock on Lower Arrow Lake, against which the -passing Indians shot their arrows in defiance of the tribes beyond. By -examining these arrows, the natives could tell what tribes have lately -passed. Doubtless from this custom the lakes have received their name. -They are wide spreads of the river, beautifully located, amid high cliffs -and peaks. Upper Arrow Lake is about thirty-three miles long and three -broad; the Lower is more tortuous, and slightly longer and narrower. The -distance between them is more nearly sixteen than six miles.—ED. - -[272] For these two lakes see our volume xxvii, pp. 339, 359, notes 175, -181, respectively.—ED. - -[273] Roothan was at that time father general of the Jesuit order; see -our volume xxvii, p. 155, note 25 (De Smet). The lake is now known as -Priest Lake, and Blackrobe River as Priest River, occupying a forest -reserve of that name in northwestern Idaho, with a like strip in -northeastern Washington.—ED. - -[274] This portion of the river is fifteen miles south of the -international boundary line, and twenty-six above Kettle Falls. It is -known as the Little Dalles, the cañon being deep and narrow, without -bottom lands. See Thomas W. Symons, _Report of an Examination of the -Upper Columbia River_ (Washington, 1882), pp. 11-13.—ED. - -[275] Lewes (according to H. H. Bancroft, John Lee; according to Father -Morice, Thomas) was an old North West Company man, who was now chief -factor in the Hudson’s Bay Company. He had been stationed both on -Mackenzie River and in New Caledonia, and came to Colville about 1845. -Offered chief command of the latter district the following year, he -declined because of ill-health. Soon afterwards resigning, he retired -to Australia, but ultimately returned and settled in the Red River -country.—ED. - -[276] For Commodore Wilkes see Farnham’s _Travels_, _ante_, p. 72, note -88.—ED. - -[277] For Fort Okanagan see our volume vi, p. 260, note 71.—ED. - -[278] De Smet proceeded with his Indian guides up the valley of Okanagan -River and lake, crossed to the upper waters of the South Thompson, and -came out on Shuswap Lake, a large irregularly-formed body of water, a -gathering place for the tribes of that stock. See our volume vii, p. 159, -notes 51, 52.—ED. - -[279] “Fort of the Sioushwaps” is Fort Kamloops, for which see our volume -vii, p. 199, note 64.—ED. - -[280] See Farnham’s _Travels_, _ante_, p. 44, note 53.—ED. - -[281] Fort George, situated at the confluence of the Nechaco with the -Fraser, was built by Simon Fraser in the autumn of 1807, and named in -honor of the reigning English monarch. Hugh Faries was the first officer -in charge. The fort stood in the midst of a hunting country, and was -noted for its fine furs. A Hudson’s Bay Company post is still maintained -at this place.—ED. - -[282] Father de Smet ascended first the Nechaco to the embouchment of -Stuart River, then up that stream—whose native name is Nakasley or -Na’kaztle—to Stuart Lake, where is situated the capital of New Caledonia, -Fort St. James. See Farnham’s _Travels_, _ante_, p. 58, note 77.—ED. - -[283] The mission at Fort St. James received no further visit after that -of Father de Smet’s successor, Father Nobili (1847), for twenty-one -years. In 1868 the order of Oblates sent two missioners thither who were -at the fort in the early summer, and soon after founded a permanent -mission thereat, of which Father Adrian G. Morice was for many years the -head. See his _History of the Northern Interior of British Columbia_, pp. -326-336.—ED. - -[284] The Chilcotin are one of the four tribes of Western Déné, occupying -the valley of the river bearing their name. They are nearly related to -the Carrier in their customs and modes of life; but have always been more -turbulent, and difficult to control. The Hudson’s Bay Company built a -fort among them which was later abandoned because of the untrustworthy -character of the native population; see Farnham’s _Travels_, _ante_, p. -58, note 77. In 1864 they attacked the miners of the region, and the -consequent punitive expedition cost the Dominion government over $60,000. -They are now on reservations in their valley, being Roman Catholic -communicants and gradually becoming civilized.—ED. - -[285] For the forts upon these lakes and their location, see Farnham’s -_Travels_, _ante_, pp. 56, 58, notes 68, 77. - -Fort Babine—during the first years called Fort Kilmaurs—was built in 1822 -on the north bank of the lake of that name. Pierre C. Pambrum and William -Connolly were the first traders in charge. The Babine Indians, so named -from the plug of wood worn by the women to enlarge the lower lip, were -loyal Hudson’s Bay people, and good hunters. There are still three bands -of this tribe dwelling near Babine Lake—one known as the Old Fort Babines -have a village in the vicinity of the first post, fourteen miles from the -foot of the lake, and accessible only by canoes. - -The fort on Bear Lake was named Connolly, and established in 1826 for -the benefit of the northern Sekanais. The earliest post was built on an -island in the lake, and was the most northerly of the interior stations -of New Caledonia.—ED. - -[286] The Shushwap (Atnahs) proper live on both branches of Thompson -River; the Okanagan, on the lake and river of that name. Lake Superior -(or the “Upper” Lake) is probably Upper Arrow Lake of the Columbia. The -Fountain of Fraser River (not Lake) is an Indian village known as Hulilp, -near the site of the modern Lillooet; probably the author intends by this -the whole tribe of Lillooets, a western branch of the Shushwap. The Knife -Indians are probably the Thompson (or Similkameen) branch of the Shushwap -stock, inhabiting the valley of Similkameen River and ranging thence to -the Thompson and Fraser. The six bands of Shushwap here named correspond -in part with the divisions given by G. M. Dawson in “The Shuswaps of -British Columbia,” in Canadian Royal Society _Transactions_, ix, part 2, -pp. 3-43.—ED. - -[287] Peter H. Burnett was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1807. While -still young he moved with his parents to Missouri, where he engaged in -mercantile pursuits and began legal studies. Upon the introduction of -Senator Linn’s bill in Congress providing land for bona fide Oregon -settlers, Burnett determined to emigrate thither, and was chosen captain -of a large company, which set forth in 1843. Arrived in Oregon, he -settled first at Linnville, then at Tualatin Plains, where he took much -interest in the provisional government and was a member of its first -legislative committee (1844). The following year he was chosen judge of -the supreme court, and upon the establishment of territorial government -was appointed justice of the United States court. In 1848 he went to -California, where in 1850 he was elected first governor of the new state, -and later (1857-58) served as justice of the California supreme court. -Embarking in the banking business in San Francisco, he won eminence -as a financier, dying in his adopted home in 1894. He has related his -experiences in _Recollections and Opinions of an Old Pioneer_ (New York, -1880). He therein details his conversion to Catholicism, due chiefly to -conviction following the reading of controversial works. Going to Oregon -City, he was received into the church by Father Devos (June, 1846). - -Dr. John E. Long was a native of England, being educated for a physician. -Emigrating to the United States in 1833, and to Oregon ten years later, -he acted as recorder of the first legislature of the provisional -government, but in 1846 was killed by an accident.—ED. - -[288] Donald Manson, born in Scotland in 1800, entered the Hudson’s -Bay Company at the age of seventeen, and was sent out to York Factory. -Three years later, at Winnipeg, he met Dr. McLoughlin and in 1823 -accompanied him to the Pacific department. At first assigned to an -exploring expedition under charge of Samuel Black, he reached Vancouver -January 6, 1825, and aided in completing its works. Two years later he -accompanied the expedition that founded Fort Langley, and was afterwards -sent to restore the trading post of old Fort George, at the mouth of -the Columbia. In 1829 Manson was placed in charge of Fort McLoughlin, -on Millbank Sound, and there remained for ten years, after which a -well-deserved furlough gave him the opportunity to revisit Scotland. -Returning to the Pacific, he was sent (1841) to succeed Samuel Black at -Kamloops, and to punish the latter’s murderers; the following year a like -task was assigned him at Stikeen. In 1844 Manson was placed in command -of New Caledonia, with headquarters at Fort St. James, a position ably -filled for fourteen years, when he retired from the service and settled -near Champoeg, in the Willamette valley, where he died January 7, 1880. -He married (1828) the daughter of Etienne Lucier, first settler of -French Prairie, and had a large family of children. See interview with -his daughter in Oregon Historical _Quarterly_, iv, p. 263; also Oregon -Pioneer Association _Transactions_, 1879, p. 56.—ED. - -[289] For Fort Walla Walla see our volume xxi, p. 278, note 73. The clerk -in charge was William B. McBean (not McBride), an educated half-breed -born in 1790 on the eastern side of the Rockies. In 1825 he was a -subordinate at Fort Alexandria; from 1836 to 1842 in charge at Fort -Babine. Thence he was sent to Fort Connolly (1842), and next (1845) -succeeded Archibald McKinley at Walla Walla. He attained an unpleasant -notoriety in connection with the Whitman massacre, because of his -Catholic proclivities, and his tardiness in aiding the survivors; but -most of the charges against him were unfounded. In New Caledonia he had -a reputation for being despotic and wily, also somewhat fanatical in -religious matters.—ED. - -[290] For the Lewis River see our volume vi, p. 277, note 86. The -crossing must have been made not far from the boundary line between Walla -Walla and Columbia counties on the south side of the river, and that -between Franklin and Whitman counties on the northern bank.—ED. - -[291] The Paloos were a Shahaptian tribe, nearly related, as De Smet -says, to the Nez Percés. Their habitat was the north bank of Lewis River, -from the mouth of Palouse River to that of the Lewis. Lewis and Clark -called them “Palleotepellows,” and credited them with 1,600 souls. In -1854 there were five hundred extant in three bands. They took part in the -wars of 1855-58, but were thoroughly cowed by Colonel George Wright’s -invasion of their territory. In 1860 their agent reported that the -remnant of the tribe had intermarried and settled among the Nez Percés, -on the Lapwai reservation in Idaho, and after that their separate tribal -existence lapsed.—ED. - -[292] Now known as Palouse River, the largest northern tributary of -the Lewis, below the Clearwater. Rising in eastern Idaho, it flows -west and then south—through a considerable cañon in its lower course, -forming falls over a hundred feet in height, about seven miles above its -confluence with the Lewis.—ED. - -[293] For Spokane River, see our volume xxvii, p. 366, note 185. De Smet -probably crossed the river not far from the present city of Spokane.—ED. - -[294] Of these two upper branches of the Cœur d’Alène, St. Joseph’s has -retained its name. Rising in the Bitter Root (not now called Pointed -Heart) Mountains it flows northwest into the southern arm of Cœur d’Alène -Lake. The St. Ignatius is now known as the Cœur d’Alène River; and -through its valley runs the Northern Pacific Railway. See our volume -xxvii, p. 365, note 184.—ED. - -[295] Mrs. S. Parmentier of Brooklyn, a liberal donor to Father de Smet’s -missions, to whom the following letter is addressed.—ED. - -[296] Apparently this was the present Blake’s Lake, in northern Spokane -County, which discharges by the West Branch into Little Spokane River. -No other lake north of Spokane River appears to answer to De Smet’s -description. Blake’s is about three miles long and a half mile wide, and -is in the forest region.—ED. - -[297] Probably Spokane Falls, the site of the modern city of that -name.—ED. - -[298] For the mission of Sacred Heart see our volume xxvii, p. 365, note -184. A sketch of Father Point is given in the same volume, p. 192, note -67; those of Father Joset and Brother Magri, _ante_, p. 139, note 42. For -a description and engraving of this mission as it appeared in 1853 see 35 -Cong., 2 sess., _Senate Docs._, vol. 18, pp. 112-114.—ED. - -[299] The Bitterroot Mountains, which the travellers were approaching by -way of Cœur d’Alène River, along which passed the Mullens road, and now -the Northern Pacific Railway.—ED. - -[300] The river here called St. Francis Regis is the same as St. Regis -Borgia, for which see note 71, _ante_, p. 174. De Smet advanced down that -stream to its junction with the Missoula, up the Missoula to St. Mary’s -(or Bitterroot) River thence to the mission, for which see our volume -xxvii, p. 282, note 145.—ED. - -[301] For this Iroquois Indian see our volume xxvii, p. 230, note 104.—ED. - -[302] The erection of the flour mill—the first in Montana—was due to -the mechanical skill of Father Antonio Ravalli, who arrived at St. -Mary’s mission in the autumn of 1845. The grinding stones, fifteen -inches in diameter, were brought from Europe, and are still preserved -as curiosities in the museum of the present St. Ignatius mission on the -Flathead reservation. See Palladino, _Indian and White in the Northwest_, -p. 46. The sawmill was made from wagon-tires, hammered and filed into a -saw and a crank.—ED. - -[303] For the Snake (Shoshoni) Indians see our volume v, p 227, note 122; -the Bannock, xxi, p. 192, note 41; the Nez Percés, vi, p. 340, note 145; -the Blackfeet, v, p. 225, note 120; also our volume xxiii, pp. 95-122.—ED. - -[304] For the Crows see our volume v., p. 226, note 121.—ED. - -[305] For Victor see our volume xxvii, p. 251, note 126. Governor Isaac -Stevens said of him in 1853: “We have to-day seen a good deal of Victor -in our camp, the Flathead chief, celebrated in the book of De Smet. He -appears to be simple-minded, but rather wanting in energy, which might, -however, be developed in an emergency.”—35 Cong., 2 sess., _Senate -Docs._, vol. 18, p. 109.—ED. - -[306] The party were marching up the Yellowstone along its southern -bank, to their left being the Snow Mountains, which extend just north of -Yellowstone National Park.—ED. - -[307] For Hell Gate (Devil’s Gate) see our volume xxvii, p. 269, note -139.—ED. - -[308] The foot of the Blackfoot forks is the mouth of Big Blackfoot -River, which rises in the main range of the Rockies and flows west for -about seventy-five miles into Hellgate River, about five miles above the -gorge called by that name. Up this stream is the “road that leads to the -buffalo,” going over Lewis and Clark Pass—the route which Captain Lewis -took on his return journey in 1806.—ED. - -[309] Leaving to the left the Big Blackfoot River, and its easy pass -across the mountains, De Smet continued up Hellgate River and its upper -waters, Deer Lodge River (called by him Cart River). See our volume -xxvii, p. 253, note 130, which describes the journey made by De Smet in -1841.—ED. - -[310] No stream named “Arrowstone” is now charted. De Smet passed from -the waters of the Columbia to those of the Missouri, by one of the -numerous low and easy gaps between Mullen’s on the north and Deer Lodge -on the south. Probably the party went over Cottonwood (or Peterson) Pass, -leading from Deer Lodge County into Jefferson, coming out upon Boulder -River, which empties into the Jefferson at Jefferson Island; or else -they followed the Silverbow route past the present Butte, and proceeded -by Big Pipestone Creek to the Jefferson—a route now used by the Montana -railways. All these were well-worn Indian trails.—ED. - -[311] For a brief description of the Three Forks of the Missouri see our -volume xxiii, p. 138, note 114.—ED. - -[312] See De Smet’s description of this route on his previous journey -(1841), in his _Letters_, our volume xxvii, p. 177, note 50.—ED. - -[313] For the Wind River Mountains see our volume xxi, p. 134, note -35.—ED. - -[314] The route lay almost directly north from the Yellowstone, along the -valley of what is now Shield’s River (named by Lewis and Clark for one of -their party), toward the sources of the Musselshell, the largest—with the -exception of the Yellowstone—southern tributary of the Missouri. See our -volume xxiii, p. 58, note 33.—ED. - -[315] Probably the Elk Mountains, lying between the two forks of the -Musselshell in Meagher County, Montana.—ED. - -[316] For the previous relations of De Smet with this chief see his -_Letters_ in our volume xxvii, pp. 317, 352.—ED. - -[317] For the Piegan, one division of the Blackfeet, see Maximilian’s -_Travels_ in our volume xxiii, pp. 95-97.—ED. - -[318] For this stream see our volume xxiii, p. 70, note 51. The camp was -probably upon one of the western affluents of the Judith, on the eastern -edge of the Little Belt Mountains.—ED. - -[319] For the Blood Indians, a branch of the Blackfoot tribe, consult -our volume xxiii, pp. 95-97, especially note 84. The Grosventres of the -Prairie, likewise called Fall Indians, are noted in our volume vi, p. -371, note 183; also our volume xxiii, pp. 75, 76. By the Blackfeet—his -final category—De Smet intends that branch of the tribe known as -Siksekai, or Blackfeet proper. See Maximilian’s description in our volume -xxiii, pp 95, 96.—ED. - -[320] Probably the missionary here mentioned was J. B. Thibault from Red -River, who travelled extensively in the Saskatchewan territory; see note -122, _ante_, p. 231.—ED. - -[321] The trader was Charles Larpenteur, then in the employ of the -American Fur Company. He left Fort Union July 8, with one keel-boat and -later made a Mackinac boat en route. See his journal in Elliott Coues, -_Forty Years a Fur-Trader on the Upper Missouri_, ii, pp. 237-242.—ED. - -[322] These tribes formed the Blackfoot confederacy, but the Sarcee -(Surcees) and Grosventres belonged to different stocks. For the former -see our volume xxiii, p. 90, note 77.—ED. - -[323] Sata was at Fort Benton in 1847, and acted as guide to Larpenteur -in the latter’s effort to reach the Flathead country. Larpenteur calls -him a half-breed Blackfoot and Flathead; evidently his mother was of the -latter tribe. See _Forty Years a Fur-Trader_, pp. 272, 274.—ED. - -[324] For the term “bourgeois” see our volume xxi, p. 183, note 33. -Larpenteur’s journal in _Forty Years a Fur-Trader_, ii, pp. 236-243, -explains why neither he nor Malcolm Clarke was at the fort when the -missionary arrived.—ED. - -[325] For Maria’s River see our volume xxiii, p. 84, note 73. Little -Sandy Creek, twenty-three miles below Maria’s, rises on the western slope -of Bearpaw Mountain, and flows west and then south into the Missouri. For -Maximilian’s description of the natural stone walls see our volume xxiii, -pp. 71-83; also the representations in our atlas, volume xxv, Plates 18, -61, 68, and 74.—ED. - -[326] For Porcupine River see our volume xxiii, p. 33, note 19. The -pyramid of elks’ horns is described in _ibid._, pp. 34, 35; and pictured -in our atlas, volume xxv, Plate 21. De Smet describes its later -destruction by a modern vandal, in Chittenden and Richardson, _De Smet_, -iv, p. 1372.—ED. - -[327] For Fort Union see our volume xxii, pp. 373-383. James Kipp, who -had been at Fort Clark during Maximilian’s visit, was at this time in -charge of Fort Union. See biographical sketch in our volume xxii, p. 345, -note 319.—ED. - -[328] Not the Grosventres of note 206, _ante_, but the Minitaree, also -called Grosventres (Big Bellies), for whom see our volume v, p. 113, note -76; also our volumes xxii, pp. 350, 359-363; xxiii, pp. 367-385. The -Minitaree removed to Fort Berthold in 1845.—ED. - -[329] For Fort Berthold see _ante_, p. 233, note 125. The clerk in charge -was probably Jacques Brugière, a nephew of James Kipp, who for many years -was at Fort Union. In 1847-48 he entered into partnership with Charles -Larpenteur for a trading venture to the Flatheads, which did not prove -successful. Theophile Brugière was also an American Fur Company employe, -who lived and married among the Yankton Sioux, becoming later the first -settler on the site of Sioux City, Iowa.—ED. - -[330] For Knife River see our volume xxii, p. 357, note 333.—ED. - -[331] This post was evidently Fort Mandan (or Clark); see our volume -xxii, p. 344, note 317, also xxiii, pp. 228-236. Des Autel (D’Isotille) -was clerk at Fort Mackenzie in the early forties, and aided Chardon -and Harvey in the massacre at this post, which led to its abandonment, -whereupon all the principals concerned were sent to lower posts. -Larpenteur reports Des Autel (Des Hôtel) as being in charge of Fort Clark -in 1847.—ED. - -[332] For the Arikara at the old Mandan village see our volume xxvii, p. -150, note 19 (De Smet).—ED. - -[333] According to the translation from the French given in Chittenden -and Richardson, _De Smet_, ii, p. 607, the voyagers were delayed five -days by adverse winds, reaching the camp, October 26, in the neighborhood -of Butes au Grés (or Sandstone Buttes), not far from Bismarck, North -Dakota. Henry Goulet (Goulé) afterwards resided at Sioux City, and during -the Harney campaign (1856) obtained permission to construct ferries in -that neighborhood. See South Dakota Department of History _Collections_, -i, p. 417.—ED. - -[334] For Fort Pierre see our volume xxii, p. 315, note 277, also pp. -317-321. For Honoré Picotte see our volume xxiv, p. 16, note 10.—ED. - -[335] Fleury’s Island is now called Farm Island, about two and a half -miles long, and the same distance below Fort Pierre. The post where -De Smet tarried, known as Fort Bouis or Fort Defiance, was erected by -Harvey, Primeau and Company who were acting in opposition to the American -Fur Company. The trade was with the Brulé Sioux, and the post was located -on the west bank of the Missouri at the mouth of Medicine Creek. It had -been founded but a short time before De Smet’s visit, but was soon bought -out by the American Fur Company, being then abandoned. - -For the Grande Detour (Big Bend) of the Missouri see our volume xxii, pp. -312, 313.—ED. - -[336] For Fort Lookout see our volume xxii, p. 304, note 261. The -bourgeois in charge was Colin Campbell, one of the best interpreters of -the region, who had accompanied Joshua Pilcher on the Arikara expedition -of 1823, and long served in the American Fur Company’s employ. Chittenden -and Richardson, _De Smet_, ii, pp. 609, 610, give the report of a council -held with the Sioux at this post, concerning their conversion.—ED. - -[337] For Running Water (Eau qui Court) River see our volume xxii, p. -291, note 252.—ED. - -[338] Apparently Bon Homme Island, the largest in that vicinity, for -which see our volume vi, p. 91, note 34.—ED. - -[339] For Fort Vermillion see our volume xxvii, p. 153, note 22 (De Smet). - -Major Joseph V. Hamilton was Indian agent at Council Bluffs, 1839-41; in -1843 Audubon found him at Fort George, in temporary charge of the agency -at that place.—ED. - -[340] For old Council Bluffs see our volume xxii, p. 275, note 231. See -also De Smet’s letters on this locality in Nebraska Historical Society -_Transactions_, i, pp. 42-44.—ED. - -[341] For Cabanné and the location of his post see our volume xxii, p. -271, note 226. - -For the early history of the Mormons in Missouri and Illinois, see our -volumes xx, pp. 94-99 with accompanying notes; xxiv, p. 119, note 99; and -xxvi, pp. 334-338. - -The charter of Nauvoo, their Illinois settlement, having been revoked -early in 1846, the Mormon leaders organized an emigration, and moved -west through Iowa to the Missouri River. Having held a council with the -neighboring Indians, they established winter quarters at what is now -Florence, Nebraska, where De Smet found them. Early in the spring of 1847 -a delegation was dispatched to seek a permanent home. The valley of Salt -Lake was chosen, and removals thither began in 1848. In a later letter -Father de Smet intimates that his account to them of the Salt Lake basin -had some influence in determining the site of their future home.—ED. - -[342] Brigham Young was born in Vermont in 1801; at the age of sixteen -he removed to New York, where he became a convert to Mormonism, entering -that church in 1832. Three years later he was chosen one of the twelve -apostles, and in 1837 led a band of followers to Missouri. After the -persecutions in that state, he aided in founding Nauvoo, Illinois, and in -1840 made a missionary trip to England. Upon the death of Joseph Smith, -Young became the head of the church—a position maintained until his death -in 1877. He guided the emigration to Salt Lake, and in 1850 was appointed -governor of the territory of Utah. - -De Smet’s early sympathy with the Mormons, as expressed at this time and -in other letters, later suffered a considerable change. See his letter of -1858 in Chittenden and Richardson, _De Smet_, iv, pp. 1407-1415.—ED. - -[343] The post at Bellevue, for which see our volume xxii, p. 267, note -221. - -Pierre Labbadie Sarpy, better known as Colonel Peter, was born in St. -Louis in 1805 of a prominent French Creole family. About 1822 he went -to the frontier as a trader, and thereafter preferred the free life of -the West to a conventional career in St. Louis. Upon the retirement of -Cabanné, Sarpy became the American Fur Company’s agent at Bellevue, where -he autocratically ruled for many years. His Indian wife Nekomi was a -woman of influence with the neighboring tribes. Colonel Sarpy aided the -Mormons on their emigration and assisted in building up the new territory -of Nebraska, establishing ferries, and maintaining several trading -posts. He removed from Bellevue to St. Mary’s, Iowa, later (1861) to -Plattsmouth, where he died in 1865.—ED. - -[344] For Laforce Papin see our volume xv, p. 143, note 44.—ED. - -[345] For these streams see our volumes v, p. 72, note 40; and xiv, pp. -219, 221, notes 170, 173. Table Creek is a small run in Otoe County, -Nebraska, at whose mouth is situated Nebraska City.—ED. - -[346] The site of St. Joseph was early known as Blacksnake Hills, -where Joseph Robidoux had a trading post—see our volumes xxii, p. 257, -note 210, and xxiv, p. 121, note 102. After the Platte purchase (1836) -settlers began flocking in, and in 1843 the town was platted, being named -St. Joseph for its founder. By the close of the year 1846, when De Smet -passed, the place had a population of nearly a thousand.—ED. - -[347] For the early history of Westport (Kansas City) see De Smet’s -_Letters_, our volume xxvii, p. 135, note 2.—ED. - -[348] For the Pawnee and their four great divisions see our volume xiv, -p. 233, note 179. See illustration of interior of a Kansa lodge, built in -a manner similar to the Pawnee, in _ibid._, p. 208.—ED. - -[349] See our volume xxvii, p. 208, note 82.—ED. - -[350] See on this subject of human sacrifice note 83 in De Smet’s -_Letters_, our volume xxvii, p. 210.—ED. - -[351] A name which they give to the Great Spirit.—DE SMET. - -[352] This method of smoking is in great repute among all the savages of -the West. It is of the same importance and equally as binding as an oath -among civilized nations. If two savages, ready to kill each other, can be -induced to accept the calumet, the dispute ceases, and the bond of their -friendship becomes stronger than ever.—DE SMET. - -[353] The ashki is a cord, made of horse-hair or of the bark of the -elm, which they prepare by boiling it in cold water. It varies from -twenty-five to sixty feet in length, and, although it is but about one -inch in thickness, it is strong enough to bind the most powerful man. -This they adorn with the quills of the porcupine, and with little bells. -The bells, besides for the sake of ornament, are intended to give notice -in case the victim makes any efforts to escape.—DE SMET. - -[354] For the Sanpoil Indians see De Smet’s _Letters_ in our volume -xxvii, p. 319, note 161.—ED. - -[355] For different forms of the name of the Yellowstone see our volume -xxii, p. 375, note 351.—ED. - -[356] Fort Augustus, the present Edmonton, Alberta.—ED. - -[357] For the former exploits of these two chiefs see De Smet’s _Letters_ -in our volume xxvii, pp. 285, 286.—ED. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PART II OF FARNHAM'S TRAVELS IN -THE GREAT WESTERN PRAIRIES, ETC., OCTOBER 21-DECEMBER 4, 1839; AND DE -SMET'S OREGON MISSIONS AND TRAVELS OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, -1845-1846 *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this eBook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/67730-0.zip b/old/67730-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4b188b0..0000000 --- a/old/67730-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h.zip b/old/67730-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 589518a..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/67730-h.htm b/old/67730-h/67730-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 27158e5..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/67730-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,17971 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Early Western Travels 1748-1846, Volume XXIX, by Reuben Gold Thwaites (ed.). - </title> - - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - -<style type="text/css"> - -a { - text-decoration: none; -} - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -h1,h2,h3 { - text-align: center; - clear: both; -} - -h2.nobreak { - page-break-before: avoid; -} - -hr.chap { - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - clear: both; - width: 65%; - margin-left: 17.5%; - margin-right: 17.5%; -} - -div.chapter { - page-break-before: always; -} - -ul { - list-style-type: none; -} - -li { - margin-top: .5em; - padding-left: 2em; - text-indent: -2em; -} - -p { - margin-top: 0.5em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: 0.5em; - text-indent: 1em; -} - -table { - margin: 1em auto 1em auto; - max-width: 40em; - border-collapse: collapse; -} - -th { - padding-left: 0.25em; - padding-right: 0.25em; - font-weight: normal; - font-size: 90%; -} - -td { - padding-left: 2.25em; - padding-right: 0.25em; - vertical-align: top; - text-indent: -2em; -} - -.tdr { - padding-left: 0.25em; - text-indent: 0; - text-align: right; - vertical-align: bottom; -} - -.tdc { - padding-left: 0.25em; - text-indent: 0; - text-align: center; -} - -.bt { - border-top: thin solid black; -} - -.vm { - vertical-align: middle; -} - -.contents td { - padding-left: 2.25em; - padding-right: 0.25em; - vertical-align: top; - text-indent: -2em; - text-align: justify; -} - -.contents .tdc { - text-align: center; - padding-top: 0.75em; -} - -.contents .sub { - padding-left: 6.25em; -} - -.contents .tdpg { - vertical-align: bottom; - text-align: right; -} - -.blockquote { - margin: 1.5em 10%; -} - -.blockquote p { - padding-left: 2em; - text-indent: -2em; - font-size: 90%; -} - -.caption { - text-align: center; - margin-bottom: 1em; - font-size: 90%; - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.center { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.ditto1 { - margin-left: 1em; - margin-right: 1em; -} - -.ditto2 { - margin-left: 2.5em; - margin-right: 2.5em; -} - -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.footnotes { - margin-top: 1em; - border: dashed 1px; -} - -.footnote { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; - font-size: 0.9em; -} - -.footnote .label { - position: absolute; - right: 84%; - text-align: right; -} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: none; -} - -.gothic { - font-family: 'Old English Text MT', 'Old English', serif; -} - -.larger { - font-size: 150%; -} - -.noindent { - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.pagenum { - position: absolute; - right: 4%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; - font-style: normal; -} - -.poetry-container { - text-align: center; - margin: 1em; -} - -.poetry { - display: inline-block; - text-align: left; -} - -.poetry .stanza { - margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em; -} - -.poetry .verse { - padding-left: 3em; -} - -.poetry .indent0 { - text-indent: -3em; -} - -.poetry .indent2 { - text-indent: -2em; -} - -.poetry .indent6 { - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.poetry .indent30 { - text-indent: 12em; -} - -.right { - text-align: right; -} - -.smaller { - font-size: 80%; -} - -.smcap { - font-variant: small-caps; - font-style: normal; -} - -.allsmcap { - font-variant: small-caps; - font-style: normal; - text-transform: lowercase; -} - -.titlepage { - text-align: center; - margin-top: 3em; - text-indent: 0em; -} - -/* Native American language prayers */ - -.interlinear { - overflow: auto; - margin: 1em 0; -} - -.interlinear ul { - list-style-type: none; -} - -.interlinear ul.sentence { - display: inline; -} - -.interlinear ul.word { - height: 2.5em; - padding: .25em; - text-align: center; - display: inline-block; - float: left; -} - -.interlinear li { - margin-top: auto; - padding-left: 0; - text-indent: 0; -} - -.interlinear .english { - font-size: 90%; -} - -.interlinear .translation { - font-weight: normal; -} - -.x-ebookmaker img { - max-width: 100%; - width: auto; - height: auto; -} - -.x-ebookmaker .poetry { - display: block; - margin-left: 1.5em; -} - -.x-ebookmaker .blockquote { - margin: 1.5em 5%; -} - -.x-ebookmaker ul.word { - float: left; -} - - </style> - </head> -<body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Part II of Farnham's Travels in the Great Western Prairies, etc., October 21-December 4, 1839; and De Smet's Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky Mountains, 1845-1846, by Reuben Gold Thwaites</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Part II of Farnham's Travels in the Great Western Prairies, etc., October 21-December 4, 1839; and De Smet's Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky Mountains, 1845-1846</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Authors: Thomas Jefferson Farnham</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em;'>Pierre Jean De Smet</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Editor: Reuben Gold Thwaites</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: March 28, 2022 [eBook #67730]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Greg Bergquist and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PART II OF FARNHAM'S TRAVELS IN THE GREAT WESTERN PRAIRIES, ETC., OCTOBER 21-DECEMBER 4, 1839; AND DE SMET'S OREGON MISSIONS AND TRAVELS OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, 1845-1846 ***</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_1"></a>[1]</span></p> - -<h1>Early Western Travels<br /> -1748-1846</h1> - -<p class="center larger">Volume XXIX</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_2"></a>[2]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_3"></a>[3]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;" id="illus1"> -<img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="400" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">The Lodge Pole (Indian name); Great Chief of the -Flat-heads. Victor (in baptism)</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_4"></a>[4]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_5"></a>[5]</span></p> - -<p class="titlepage larger">Early Western Travels<br /> -1748-1846</p> - -<p class="center">A Series of Annotated Reprints of some of the best<br /> -and rarest contemporary volumes of travel, descriptive<br /> -of the Aborigines and Social and<br /> -Economic Conditions in the Middle<br /> -and Far West, during the Period<br /> -of Early American Settlement</p> - -<p class="titlepage smaller">Edited with Notes, Introductions, Index, etc., by</p> - -<p class="center">Reuben Gold Thwaites, LL.D.</p> - -<p class="center smaller">Editor of “The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents,” “Original<br /> -Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition,” “Hennepin’s<br /> -New Discovery,” etc.</p> - -<p class="titlepage">Volume XXIX</p> - -<p class="center smaller">Part II of Farnham’s Travels in the Great Western Prairies,<br /> -etc., October 21-December 4, 1839; and De Smet’s<br /> -Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky<br /> -Mountains, 1845-1846</p> - -<div class="figcenter titlepage" style="width: 100px;"> -<img src="images/ahc-co.jpg" width="100" height="115" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="titlepage">Cleveland, Ohio<br /> -The Arthur H. Clark Company<br /> -1906</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_6"></a>[6]</span></p> - -<p class="titlepage smaller"><span class="smcap">Copyright 1906, by<br /> -THE ARTHUR H. CLARK COMPANY</span></p> - -<p class="center smaller">ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</p> - -<p class="titlepage smaller"><span class="gothic">The Lakeside Press</span><br /> -R. R. DONNELLEY & SONS COMPANY<br /> -CHICAGO</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_7"></a>[7]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS OF VOLUME XXIX</h2> - -</div> - -<table summary="Contents" class="contents"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">I</td> - <td class="tdpg"></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Travels in the Great Western Prairies, the Anahuac - and Rocky Mountains, and in the Oregon Country</span> - [Part II, being chapter v of Volume II of the London - edition, 1843.] <i>Thomas Jefferson Farnham.</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="sub">Text: [CHAPTER V] Departure from Vancouver—Wappatoo - Island—The Willamette River—Its - Mouth—The Mountains—Falls—River - above the Falls—Arrival at the Lower Settlement—A - Kentuckian—Mr. Johnson and his - Cabin—Thomas M’Kay and his Mill—Dr. - Bailey and Wife and Home—The Neighbouring - Farmers—The Methodist Episcopal Mission and - Missionaries—Their Modes of Operations—The - Wisdom of their Course—Their Improvements, - &c.—Return to Vancouver—Mr. Young—Mr. - Lee’s Misfortune—Descent of the Willamette—Indians—Arrival - at Vancouver—Oregon—Its - Mountains, Rivers and Soil, and - Climate—Shipment for the Sandwich Islands—Life - at Vancouver—Descent of the Columbia—Astoria—On - the Pacific Sea—The Last View - of Oregon—Account of Oregon, by Lieut. Wilkes, - Commander of the late exploring Expedition</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#Part_II_of_Farnhams_Travels_in_the_Great_Western">13</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">II</td> - <td class="tdpg"></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky Mountains, - in 1845-46.</span> <i>Pierre Jean de Smet, S.J.</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="sub">Copyright Notice</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#COPYRIGHT">108</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="sub">Author’s Dedication</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#DEDICATION">109</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="sub">Preface by the First Editor. C. C. P.</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#PREFACE">111</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="sub">An Outline Sketch of Oregon Territory and its Missions. <i>Anonymous</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#OUTLINE_SKETCH">115</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="sub">Text</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#letter1">145</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_8"></a>[8]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9"></a>[9]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOLUME XXIX</h2> - -</div> - -<p class="smaller">[<i>Note</i>: In the original edition the illustrations not only are not placed with -reference to the text, but some of them do not even illustrate the text. The -inscriptions printed below several of the plates, referring to certain of the Letters, -are also misleading. We have, therefore, rearranged the order of the plates, -placing them as nearly as possible in juxtaposition to the appropriate textual -matter.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span>]</p> - -<table summary="List of illustrations" class="contents"> - <tr> - <td>“The Lodge Pole (Indian name), Great Chief of the Flat-heads. Victor (in Baptism).” From De Smet’s <i>Oregon Missions</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus1"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Facsimile of illuminated title-page, De Smet’s <i>Oregon Missions</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus2">105</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Facsimile of regular title-page, De Smet’s <i>Oregon Missions</i></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus3">107</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“Oregon Territory, 1846”—folding map</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus4">114</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“Interior of St. Mary’s Church, Flat-head Mission: Communion at Easter”</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus5">175</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“Mission of St. Ignatius at Kalispel Bay, among the Pends d’Oreilles”</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus6">187</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“The Hunters at the Buffalo Feast”</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus7">227</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“View of the new Mission Establishment in 1846, among the Pointed-Hearts”</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus8">315</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“St. Mary’s, among the Flat-heads”</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus9">323</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“Insula, or Red Feather (Michel), Great Chief and Brave among the Flat-heads”</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus10">333</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“Great Buffalo Hunt,—View of the Muscle-Shell Mountains”</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus11">337</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“Announcement of the Discovery of Buffalos”</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus12">347</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“The Chief reports to his Camp that Buffalos are in sight”</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus13">351</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“The Chief at the head of his Hunters”</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus14">355</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“Buffalos discovered”</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus15">387</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>“A Prayer for success in hunting”</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#illus16">401</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10"></a>[10]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11"></a>[11]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_II_of_Farnhams_Travels_in_the_Great_Western"><span class="smcap">Part II of Farnham’s Travels in the Great Western -Prairies, etc., October 21-December 4, 1839</span></h2> - -<p class="center">Reprint of chapter v of Volume II of original London edition, 1843</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12"></a>[12]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">TRAVELS IN THE GREAT WESTERN -PRAIRIES, &c., &c.<br /> -<span class="smaller">[PART II]</span></h2> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13"></a>[13]</span></p> - -</div> - -<h3>CHAPTER V<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></h3> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>Departure from Vancouver—Wappatoo Island—The Willamette -River—Its Mouth—The Mountains—Falls—River above the -Falls—Arrival at the Lower Settlement—A Kentuckian—Mr. -Johnson and his Cabin—Thomas M’Kay and his Mill—Dr. -Bailey and Wife and Home—The Neighbouring Farmers—The -Methodist Episcopal Mission and Missionaries—Their Modes of -Operations—The Wisdom of their Course—Their Improvements, -&c.—Return to Vancouver—Mr. Young—Mr. Lee’s Misfortune—Descent -of the Willamette—Indians—Arrival at Vancouver—Oregon—Its -Mountains, Rivers and Soil, and Climate—Shipment -for the Sandwich Islands—Life at Vancouver—Descent of -the Columbia—Astoria—On the Pacific Sea—The Last View -of Oregon—Account of Oregon, by Lieut. Wilkes, Commander -of the late exploring Expedition.</p> - -</div> - -<p>On the morning of the 21st, I left the Fort and dropped -down the Columbia, five miles, to Wappatoo Island. This -large tract of low land is bounded on the south-west, south -and south-east, by the mouths of the Willamette, and -on the north by the Columbia. The side contiguous -to the latter river is about fifteen miles in length; the side -bounded by the eastern mouth of {201} the Willamette -about seven miles, and that bounded by the western mouth -of the same river about twelve miles. It derives its name -from an edible root called <i>Wappatoo</i>, which it produces -in abundance.<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> It is generally low, and, in the central -parts broken with small ponds and marshes, in which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14"></a>[14]</span> -the water rises and falls with the river. Nearly the whole -surface is overflown by the June freshets. It is covered -with a heavy growth of cotton-wood, elm, white-oak, -black-ash, alder, and a large species of laurel, and other -shrubs. The Hudson Bay Company, some years ago, -placed a few hogs upon it, which have subsisted entirely -upon roots, acorns, &c. and increased to many hundreds.</p> - -<p>I found the Willamette deep enough for ordinary steamboats, -for the distance of twenty miles from its western -mouth. One mile below the falls are rapids on which -the water was too shallow to float our canoe. The tide -rises at this place about fourteen inches. The western -shore of the river, from the point where its mouths diverge -to this place, consists of lofty mountains rising immediately -from the water-side, and covered with pines. On -the eastern side, beautiful swells and plains extend from -the {202} Columbia to within five or six miles of the rapids. -They are generally covered with pine, white-oak, black-ash, -and other kinds of timber. From the point last -named to the rapids, wooded mountains crowd down -to the verge of the stream. Just below the rapids a very -considerable stream comes in from the east. It is said -to rise in a champaign country, which commences two or -three miles from the Willamette, and extends eastward -twenty or thirty miles to the lower hills of the President’s -range. This stream breaks through the mountain tumultuously, -and enters the Willamette with so strong a current, -as to endanger boats attempting to pass it.<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> Here were -a number of Indian huts, the inmates of which were busied -in taking and curing salmon. Between the rapids and -the falls, the country adjacent to the river is similar to -that just described; mountains clothed with impenetrable -forests.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15"></a>[15]</span></p> - -<p>The river, thus far, appeared to have an average width -of four hundred yards, water limpid. As we approached -the falls, the eastern shore presented a solid wall of basalt, -thirty feet in perpendicular height. On the top of this -wall was nearly an acre of level area, on which the Hudson -Bay Company {203} have built a log-house.<a id="FNanchor_4" href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> This plain -is three or four feet below the level of the water above -the falls, and protected from the floods by the intervention -of a deep chasm, which separates it from the rocks -over which the water pours. This is the best site in the -country for extensive flour and lumber-mills. The valley -of the Willamette is the only portion of Oregon from -which grain can ever, to any extent, become an article -of export; and this splendid waterfall can be approached -at all seasons, from above and below, by sloops, schooners, -&c. The Hudson Bay Company, aware of its importance, -have commenced a race-way, and drawn timber on the -ground, with the apparent intention of erecting such -works. On the opposite side is an acre or two of broken -ground, which might be similarly occupied.</p> - -<p>The falls are formed by a line of dark rock, which -stretches diagonally across the stream. The river was -low when I passed it, and all the water was discharged -at three jets. Two of these were near the eastern shore; -the other was near the western shore, and fell into the -chasm which divides the rocky plain before named, from -the cliffs of the falls. At the mouth of this chasm {204} -my Indians unloaded their canoe, dragged it up the crags,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16"></a>[16]</span> -and having borne it on their shoulders eight or ten rods, -launched it upon a narrow neck of water by the shore; -reloaded, and rowed to the deep water above.</p> - -<p>The scene, however, was too interesting to be left so -soon, and I tarried awhile to view it. The cataract roared -loudly among the caverns, and sent a thousand foaming -eddies into the stream below. Countless numbers of -salmon were leaping and falling upon the fretted waters; -savages almost naked were around me, untrained by the -soothing influences of true knowledge, and the hopes -of a purer world; as rude as the rocks on which they -trod; as bestial as the bear that growled in the thicket. -On either hand was the primeval wilderness, with its -decaying and perpetually-renewing energies; nothing -could be more intensely interesting. I had passed but -a moment in these pleasant yet painful reflections, when -my Indians, becoming impatient, called me to pursue -my voyage.</p> - -<p>A mile above the falls a large creek comes in from the -west. It is said to rise among the mountains near the -Columbia, and to run south and south-east and eastwardly -through a series of fine prairies, interspersed -{205} with timber.<a id="FNanchor_5" href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> Above the falls, the mountains -rise immediately from the water’s edge, clothed with -noble forests of pine, &c.; but at the distance of fifteen -miles above, their green ridges give place to grassy and -wooded swells on the west, and timbered and prairie -plains on the eastern side. This section of the river -appeared navigable for any craft that could float in the -stream below the falls.</p> - -<p>It was dark when I arrived at the level country; and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17"></a>[17]</span> -emerging suddenly in sight of a fire on the western bank, -my Indians cried “Boston! Boston!” and turned the -canoe ashore to give me an opportunity of speaking with -a fellow countryman. He was sitting in the drizzling -rain, by a large log-fire—a stalwart six foot Kentucky -trapper. After long service in the American Fur Companies, -among the rocky mountains, he had come down -to the Willamette, accompanied by an Indian woman -and his child, selected a place to build his home, made -an “improvement,” sold it, and was now commencing -another. He entered my canoe and steered across the -river to a Mr. Johnson’s.<a id="FNanchor_6" href="#Footnote_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> “I am sorry I can’t keep -you,” said he, “but I reckon you’ll sleep better under -shingles, than this stormy sky. Johnson {206} will be -glad to see you. He’s got a good shantee, and something -for you to eat.”</p> - -<p>We soon crossed the stream, and entered the cabin -of Mr. Johnson. It was a hewn log structure, about -twenty feet square, with a mud chimney, hearth and fire-place. -The furniture consisted of one chair, a number -of wooden benches, a rude bedstead covered with flag -mats, and several sheet-iron kettles, earthen plates, knives -and forks, tin pint cups, an Indian wife, and a brace of -brown boys. I passed the night pleasantly with Mr. -Johnson; and in the morning rose early to go to the Methodist -Episcopal Mission, twelve miles above. But the old -hunter detained me to breakfast; and afterwards insisted<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18"></a>[18]</span> -that I should view his premises, while his boy should gather -the horses to convey me on my way. And a sight of fenced -fields, many acres of wheat and oat-stubble, potato-fields, -and garden-vegetables of all descriptions, and a barn well -stored with the gathered harvest compensated me for the -delay. Adjoining Mr. Johnson’s farm were four others, -on all of which there were from fifty to a hundred acres -under cultivation, and substantial log-houses and barns.</p> - -<p>One of these belonged to Thomas M’Kay, {207} son -of M’Kay, who figured with Mr. Astor in the doings of -the Pacific Fur Company.<a id="FNanchor_7" href="#Footnote_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p> - -<p>After surveying these marks of civilization, I found a -Dr. Bailey waiting with his horses to convey me to his -home. We accordingly mounted, bade adieu to the old -trapper of Hudson Bay and other parts of the frozen north, -and went to view M’Kay’s mill. A grist-mill in Oregon! -We found him working at his dam. Near by lay French -burr stones, and some portions of substantial and well-fashioned -iron work. The frame of the mill-house was -raised and shingled; and an excellent structure it was. -The whole expense of the establishment, when completed, -is expected to be £1,400 or £1,600. M’Kay’s mother -is a Cree or Chippeway Indian; and M’Kay himself is a -compound of the two races. The contour of his frame -and features, is Scotch; his manners and intellects strongly -tinctured with the Indian. He has been in the service -of the Fur Companies all his life, save some six or seven -years past; and by his daring enterprise, and courage in -battle has rendered himself the terror of the Oregon -Indians.</p> - -<p>Leaving M’Kay’s mill, we travelled along a circuitous -track through a heavy forest of fir and pine, and emerged<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19"></a>[19]</span> -into a beautiful {208} little prairie, at the side of which -stood the doctor’s neat hewn log cabin, sending its cheerful -smoke among the lofty pine tops in its rear. We -soon sat by a blazing fire, and the storm that had pelted us -all the way, lost its unpleasantness in the delightful society -of my worthy host and his amiable wife. I passed the -night with them. The doctor is a Scotchman, his wife -a Yankee. The former had seen many adventures in -California and Oregon and had his face very much slashed -in a contest with the Shasty Indians near the southern -border of Oregon. The latter had come from the States, -a member of the Methodist Episcopal Mission, and had -consented to share the bliss and ills of life with the adventurous -Gael; and a happy little family they were.<a id="FNanchor_8" href="#Footnote_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a></p> - -<p>The next day Mrs. Bailey kindly undertook to make -me a blanket coat by the time I should return, and the -worthy doctor and myself started for the Mission. About -a mile on our way, we called at a farm occupied by an -American, who acted as blacksmith and gunsmith for -the settlement. He appeared to have a good set of tools -for his mechanical business, and plenty of custom. He -had also a considerable tract of land under fence, and a -comfortable house and {209} out-buildings. A mile or -two farther on, we came upon the cabin of a Yankee -tinker:<a id="FNanchor_9" href="#Footnote_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> an odd fellow, this; glad to see a countryman, -ready to serve him in any way, and to discuss the matter<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20"></a>[20]</span> -of a canal across the isthmus of Darien, the northern -lights, English monopolies, Symmes’s Hole, Tom Paine, -and wooden nutmegs. Farther on, we came to the Catholic -Chapel, a low wooden building, thirty-five or forty -feet in length; and the parsonage, a comfortable log cabin.<a id="FNanchor_10" href="#Footnote_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></p> - -<p>Beyond these, scattered over five miles of country, were -fifteen or twenty farms, occupied by Americans and retired -servants of the Hudson Bay Company. Twelve or thirteen -miles from the doctor’s we came in sight of the Mission -premises. They consisted of three log cabins, a blacksmith’s -shop, and outbuildings, on the east bank of the -Willamette, with large and well cultivated farms round -about; and a farm, on which were a large frame house, -hospital, barn, &c., half a mile to the eastward.<a id="FNanchor_11" href="#Footnote_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> We -alighted at the last-named establishment, and were kindly -received by Dr. White and his lady. This gentleman is -the physician of the Mission, and is thoroughly devoted -to the amelioration of the physical condition of the natives.<a id="FNanchor_12" href="#Footnote_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a></p> - -<p>{210} For this object, a large hospital was being erected -near his dwelling, for the reception of patients. I passed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21"></a>[21]</span> -the night with the doctor and his family, and the following -day visited the other Mission families. Every one -appeared happy in his benevolent work.—Mr. Daniel -Leslie, in preaching and superintending general matters;<a id="FNanchor_13" href="#Footnote_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> -Mr. Cyrus Shepard, in teaching letters to about thirty -half-breed and Indian children; Mr. J. C. Whitecomb, -in teaching them to cultivate the earth; and Mr. Alanson -Beers, in blacksmithing for the mission and the Indians, -and instructing a few young men in his art.<a id="FNanchor_14" href="#Footnote_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> I spent -four or five days with these people, and had a fine opportunity -to learn their characters, the objects they had in -view, and the means they took to accomplish them. They -belong to that zealous class of Protestants called Methodist -Episcopalians. Their religious feelings are warm, -and accompanied with a strong faith and great activity. -In energy and fervent zeal, they reminded me of the -Plymouth pilgrims, so true in heart, and so deeply interested -were they with the principles and emotions which -they are endeavouring to inculcate upon those around<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22"></a>[22]</span> -them. Their hospitality and friendship were {211} of -the purest and most disinterested character. I shall -have reason to remember long and gratefully the kind -and generous manner in which they supplied my wants.</p> - -<p>Their object in settling in Oregon I understood to be -twofold; the one and principal, to civilize and christianize -the Indians; the other, and not less important, the establishment -of religious and literary institutions for the -benefit of white emigrants. Their plan of operation -on the Indians, is to learn their various languages, for -the purposes of itinerant preaching, and of teaching the -young the English language. The scholars are also -instructed in agriculture, the regulations of a well-managed -household, reading, writing, arithmetic and geography.</p> - -<p>The principles and duties of the Christian religion -form a very considerable part of the system. They have -succeeded very satisfactorily in the several parts of their -undertaking. The preachers of the Mission have traversed -the wilderness, and by their untiring devotion to their -work, wrought many changes in the moral condition of -these proverbially debased savages; while with their -schools they have afforded {212} them ample means -for intellectual improvement.</p> - -<p>They have many hundred acres of land under the -plough, and cultivated chiefly by the native pupils. They -have more than a hundred head of horned cattle, thirty -or forty horses, and many swine. They have granaries -filled with wheat, oats, barley, and peas, and cellars well -stored with vegetables.</p> - -<p>A site had already been selected on the opposite side -of the river for an academical building; a court of justice -had been organised by the popular voice; a military corps -was about to be formed for the protection of settlers, and -other measures were in progress, at once showing that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23"></a>[23]</span> -the American, with his characteristic energy and enterprize, -and the philanthropist, with his holy aspirations -for the improvement of the human condition, had crossed -the snowy barrier of the mountain, to mingle with the -dashing waves of the Pacific seas the sweet music of a -busy and virtuous civilization.</p> - -<p>During my stay here, several American citizens, unconnected -with the Mission, called on me to talk of their -fatherland, and inquire as to the probability that its {213} -laws would be extended over them. The constantly -repeated inquiries were—</p> - -<p>“Why are we left without protection in this part of -our country’s domain? Why are foreigners permitted -to domineer over American citizens, drive their traders -from the country, and make us as dependent on them -for the clothes we wear, as are their own apprenticed -slaves?”</p> - -<p>I could return no answer to these questions, exculpatory -of this national delinquency, and therefore advised -them to embody their grievances in a petition, and forward -it to Congress. They had a meeting for that purpose, -and afterwards put into my hand a petition, signed by -sixty-seven citizens of the United States, and persons -desirous of becoming such, the substance of which was, -a description of the country, their unprotected situation, -and, in conclusion, a prayer that the Federal Government -would extend over them the protection and institutions -of the Republic. Five or six of the Willamette -settlers, for some reason, had not an opportunity to sign -this paper. The Catholic priest refused to do it.<a id="FNanchor_15" href="#Footnote_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24"></a>[24]</span></p> - -<p>These people have put fifty or sixty fine {214} farms -under cultivation in the Willamette valley, amidst the -most discouraging circumstances. They have erected -for themselves comfortable dwellings and outbuildings, -and have herds of excellent cattle, which they have from -time to time driven up from California, at great expense -of property and even life. The reader will find it difficult -to learn any sufficient reasons for their being left by the -Government without the institutions of civilised society. -Their condition is truly deplorable. They are liable to -be arrested for debt or crime, and conveyed to the jails -of Canada!<a id="FNanchor_16" href="#Footnote_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a></p> - -<p>For, in that case, the business of British subjects is -interfered with, who, by way of retaliation, will withhold -the supplies of clothing, household goods, &c., which -the settlers have no other means of obtaining. Nor is -this all. The civil condition of the territory being such -as virtually to prohibit the emigration to any extent of -useful and desirable citizens, they have nothing to anticipate -from any considerable increase of their numbers,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25"></a>[25]</span> -nor any amelioration of their state to look for, from the -accession of female society.</p> - -<p>{215} In the desperation incident to their lonely lot, -they take wives from the Indian tribes around them. -What will be the ultimate consequence of this unpardonable -negligence on the part of the Government upon the -future destinies of Oregon cannot be clearly predicted; -but it is manifest that it must be disastrous in the highest -degree, both as to its claims to the sovereignty of that -territory, and the moral condition of its inhabitants.</p> - -<p>Mr. W. H. Wilson, superintendent of a branch mission -on Puget’s Sound, chanced to be at the Willamette station, -whose polite attentions it affords me pleasure to acknowledge.<a id="FNanchor_17" href="#Footnote_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> -He accompanied me on many excursions in -the valley, and to the heights, for the purpose of showing -me the country. I was also indebted to him for much -information relative to the Cowelitz and its valley, and -the region about the sound, which will be found on a -succeeding page.</p> - -<p>My original intention had been to pass the winter in -exploring Oregon, and to have returned to the States -the following summer, with the American Fur traders. -But having learned from various credible sources, that -{216} little dependence could be placed upon meeting -them at their usual place of rendezvous on Green river, -and that the prospect of getting back to the States by -that route would, consequently, be exceedingly doubtful, -I felt constrained to abandon the attempt. My next<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26"></a>[26]</span> -wish was to have gone by land to California, and thence -home through the northern States of Mexico. In order, -however, to accomplish this with safety, a force of twenty-five -men was indispensable; and as that number could -not be raised, I was compelled to give up all hopes of -returning by that route.</p> - -<p>The last and only practicable means then of seeking -home during the next twelve months, was to go to the -Sandwich Islands, and ship thence for New York or -California, as opportunity might offer. One of the company’s -vessels was then lying at Vancouver, receiving a -cargo of lumber for the Island market, and I determined -to take passage in her. Under these circumstances, it -behooved me to hasten my return to the Columbia. Accordingly, -on the 20th I left the mission, visited Dr. Bailey -and lady, and went to Mr. Johnson’s to take a canoe -down the river. On reaching this {217} place, I found -Mr. Lee, who had been to the Mission establishment -on the Willamette for the fall supplies of wheat, pork, -lard, butter, &c., for his station of the “Dalles.”</p> - -<p>He had left the Mission two days before my departure, -and giving his canoe, laden with these valuables, in charge -of his Indians, proceeded to the highlands by land. He -had arrived at Mr. Johnson’s, when a message reached -him to the effect that his canoe had been upset, and its -entire contents discharged into the stream. He immediately -repaired to the scene of this disaster, where I found -him busied in attempting to save some part of his cargo. -All the wheat, and a part of the other supplies, together -with his gun and other paraphernalia, were lost. I made -arrangements to go down with him when he should be -ready, and left him to call upon a Captain Young, an -American ex-trader, who was settled near. This gentleman -had formerly explored California and Oregon in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27"></a>[27]</span> -quest of beaver—had been plundered by the Mexican -authorities of £4,000 worth of fur; and, wearied at last -with his ill-luck, settled nine or ten years ago on a small -tributary of the Willamette coming in from the west.<a id="FNanchor_18" href="#Footnote_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a></p> - -<p>{218} Here he has erected a saw and grist mill, and -opened a farm. He has been many times to California -for cattle, and now owns about one hundred head, a fine -band of horses, swine, &c. He related to me many -incidents of his hardships, among which the most surprising -was, that for a number of years, the Hudson Bay -Company refused to sell him a shred of clothing; and as -there were no other traders in the country, he was compelled -during their pleasure to wear skins.<a id="FNanchor_19" href="#Footnote_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a> A false -report that he had been guilty of some dishonourable -act in California was the alleged cause for this treatment; -but perhaps, a better reason would be, that Mr. Young -occasionally purchased beaver skins in the American -territory.</p> - -<p>I spent the night of the 12th with the excellent old -captain, and in the afternoon of the 13th, in company -with my friend Mr. Lee, descended the Willamette as -far as the Falls. Here we passed the night, more to the -apparent satisfaction of vermin than of ourselves. These -creature comforts abound in Oregon. But it was not -these alone that made our lodging at the {219} Falls a -rosy circumstance for memory’s wastes. The mellifluent -odour of salmon offal regaling our nasal sensibilities, -and the squalling of a copper-coloured baby, uttered in -all the sweetest intonations of such an instrument, falling -with the liveliest notes upon the ear, made me dream of -war to the knife, till the sun called us to our day’s travel.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28"></a>[28]</span></p> - -<p>Five miles below the Falls, Mr. Lee and myself left the -canoe, and struck across about fourteen miles to an Indian -village on the bank of the Columbia opposite Vancouver. -It was a collection of mud and straw huts, surrounded and -filled with filth which might be smelt two hundred yards. -We hired one of these cits to take us across the river, -and at sunset of the 15th, were comfortably seated by -the stove in “Bachelor’s Hall” of Fort Vancouver.</p> - -<p>The rainy season had now thoroughly set in. Travelling -any considerable distance in open boats, or among -the tangled underbrush on foot, or on horseback, was -quite impracticable. I therefore determined to avail -myself of whatever other means of information were in -my reach; and as the gentlemen in charge of the various -trading-posts {220} in the territory, had arrived at Vancouver -to meet the express from London, I could not -have had for this object a more favourable opportunity. -The information obtained from these gentlemen, and -from other residents in the country, I have relied on as -correct, and combined it with my own observations in -the following general account of Oregon.</p> - -<p>Oregon Territory is bounded on the north by the parallel -of 54 deg. 40 min. north latitude;<a id="FNanchor_20" href="#Footnote_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a> on the east by the -Rocky Mountains; on the south by the parallel of 42 deg. -north latitude; and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.</p> - -<p>Mountains of Oregon. Different sections of the great -chain of highlands which stretch from the straits of Magellan -to the Arctic sea, have received different names—as -the Andes, the Cordilleras, the Anahuac, the Rocky and -the Chippewayan Mountains. The last mentioned appellation -has been applied to that portion of it which lies -between 58° of north latitude and the Arctic sea. The -Hudson Bay Company, in completing the survey of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29"></a>[29]</span> -Arctic coast, have ascertained that these mountains preserve -a strongly defined outline entirely to the sea, and -hang in towering cliffs over it, {221} and by other surveys -have discovered that they gradually increase in height -from the sea southward.</p> - -<p>The section to which the term Rocky Mountains has -been applied, extends from latitude 58° to the Great Gap, -or southern pass, in latitude 42° north. Their altitude -is greater than that of any other range on the northern -part of the continent. Mr. Thompson, the astronomer -of the Hudson Bay Company, reports that he found peaks -between latitudes 53 and 56 north, more than twenty-six -thousand feet above the level of the sea.<a id="FNanchor_21" href="#Footnote_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> That portion -lying east of Oregon, and dividing it from the Great Prairie -Wilderness, will be particularly noticed. Its southern -point is in the Wind River cluster, latitude 42° north, -and about seven hundred miles from the Pacific Ocean. -Its northern point is in latitude 54° 40′, about seventy -miles north of Mount Browne,<a id="FNanchor_22" href="#Footnote_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> and about four hundred -miles from the same sea. Its general direction between -these points is from N. N. W. to S. S. E.</p> - -<p>This range is generally covered with perpetual snows; -and for this and other causes is generally impassable for -man or beast. There are, however, several gaps through -{222} which the Indians and others cross to the Great -Prairie Wilderness. The northernmost is between the -peaks Browne and Hooker. This is used by the fur<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30"></a>[30]</span> -traders in their journeys from the Columbia to Canada.<a id="FNanchor_23" href="#Footnote_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> -Another lies between the head waters of the Flathead -and the Marias rivers. Another runs from Lewis and -Clarke’s river to the southern head waters of the Missouri. -Another lies up Henry’s fork for the Saptin, in a northeasterly -course to the Big-horn branch of the Yellowstone. -And still another, and most important of all, is -situated between Wind river cluster and Long’s mountains.<a id="FNanchor_24" href="#Footnote_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a></p> - -<p>There are several spurs or lateral branches protruding -from the main chain, which are worthy of notice. The -northernmost of these parts off north of Fraser’s river, -and embraces the sources of that stream. It is a broad -collection of heights, thinly covered with pines. Some -of the tops are covered with snow nine months of the year. -A spur from these passes far down between Fraser’s and -Columbia rivers. This is a line of rather low elevations, -thickly clothed with pines, cedar, &c. The highest -portions of them lie near the Columbia. Another spur -{223} puts out on the south of Mount Hooker, and lies -in the bend of the Columbia, above the two lakes.</p> - -<p>These are lofty and bare of vegetation. Another lies<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31"></a>[31]</span> -between the Flatbow and Flathead rivers; another between -the Flathead and Spokan rivers; another between the -Kooskooskie and Wapicakoos rivers.<a id="FNanchor_25" href="#Footnote_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> These spurs, -which lie between the head waters of the Columbia and -the last mentioned river have usually been considered -in connexion with a range running off S. W. from the -lower part of the Saptin, and called the Blue Mountains. -But there are two sufficient reasons why this is an error. -The first is, that these spurs are separate and distinct -from each other, and are all manifestly merely spurs of -the Rocky Mountains, and closely connected with them.</p> - -<p>And the second is, that no one of them is united in any -one point with the Blue Mountains. They cannot therefore -be considered a part of the Blue Mountain chain, -and should not be known by the same name. The mountains -which lie between the Wapicakoos river and the -upper waters of the Saptin, will be described by saying -that they are a vast cluster of dark naked heights, descending -from the average elevation of fifteen thousand feet—the -altitude of the {224} great western ridge—to about -eight thousand feet—the elevation of the eastern wall -of the valley of the Saptin. The only qualifying fact -that should be attached to this description is, that there -are a few small hollows among these mountains, called -“holes;” which in general appearance resemble Brown’s -hole, mentioned in a previous chapter; but unlike the -latter, they are too cold to allow of cultivation.</p> - -<p>The last spur that deserves notice in this place is that -which is called the “Snowy Mountains.” It has already -been described in this work; and it can only be necessary -here to repeat that it branches off from the Wind river<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32"></a>[32]</span> -peak in latitude 41° north, and runs in an irregular broken -line to Cape Mendocino, in Upper California.</p> - -<p>The Blue Mountains are a range of heights which commence -at the Saptin, about twenty miles above its junction -with the Columbia, near the 46° of north latitude, -and run south-westerly about two hundred miles, and -terminate in a barren, rolling plain. They are separated -from the Rocky Mountains by the valley of the Saptin, -and are unconnected with any other range. Some of -their loftiest peaks are more than ten thousand feet above -the level of the sea. Many beautiful valleys, many hills -covered {225} with bunch grass, and very many extensive -swells covered with heavy yellow pine forests, are found -among them.</p> - -<p>The President’s range is in every respect the most interesting -in Oregon. It is a part of a chain of highlands, -which commences at Mount St. Elias, and gently diverging -from the coast, terminates in the arid hills about the -head of the Gulf of California. It is a line of extinct -volcanoes, where the fires, the evidences of whose intense -power are seen over the whole surface of Oregon, found -their principal vents. It has twelve lofty peaks; two of -which, Mount St. Elias and Mount Fairweather, lie near -latitude 55° north;<a id="FNanchor_26" href="#Footnote_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a> and ten of which lie south of latitude -49° north. Five of these latter have received names from -British navigators and traders.</p> - -<p>The other five have received from American travellers,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33"></a>[33]</span> -and Mr. Kelly, the names of deceased Presidents of the -Republic. Mr. Kelly, I believe, was the first individual -who suggested a name for the whole range. For convenience -in description I have adopted it.<a id="FNanchor_27" href="#Footnote_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a> And although -it is a matter in which no one can find reasons for being -very much interested, yet if there is any propriety in adopting -Mr. Kelly’s name for the whole {226} chain, there -might seem to be as much in following his suggestion, -that all the principal peaks should bear the names of those -distinguished men, whom the suffrages of the people that -own Oregon<a id="FNanchor_28" href="#Footnote_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a> have from time to time called to administer -their national government. I have adopted this course.</p> - -<p>Mount Tyler is situated near latitude forty-nine degrees -north, and about twenty miles from the eastern shore of -those waters between Vancouver’s Island, and the continent. -It is clad with perpetual snow.<a id="FNanchor_29" href="#Footnote_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> Mount Harrison -is situated a little more than a degree south of Mount -Tyler, and about thirty miles east by north of Puget’s -Sound. It is covered with perpetual snow.<a id="FNanchor_30" href="#Footnote_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a> Mount -Van Buren stands on the isthmus between Puget’s Sound<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34"></a>[34]</span> -and the Pacific. It is a lofty, wintry peak, seen in clear -weather eighty miles at sea.<a id="FNanchor_31" href="#Footnote_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a> Mount Adams lies under -the parallel of forty-five degrees, about twenty-five miles -north of the cascades of the Columbia. This is one of -the finest peaks of the chain, clad with eternal snows, -five thousand feet down its sides. Mount Washington -lies a little north of the forty-fourth degree north, -and about twenty miles {227} south of the Cascades.<a id="FNanchor_32" href="#Footnote_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a> -It is a perfect cone, and is said to rise seventeen thousand -or eighteen thousand feet above the level of the sea. More -than half its height is covered with perpetual snows. -Mount Jefferson is an immense peak under latitude -forty-one and a half degrees north. It received its name -from Lewis and Clark.<a id="FNanchor_33" href="#Footnote_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a> Mount Madison is the Mount -McLaughlin of the British fur-traders. Mount Monroe -is in latitude forty-three degrees twenty minutes north, -and Mount John Quincy Adams is in forty-two degrees -ten minutes; both covered with perpetual snow.<a id="FNanchor_34" href="#Footnote_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35"></a>[35]</span></p> - -<p>Mount Jackson is in latitude forty-one degrees ten -minutes. It is the largest and highest pinnacle of -the President’s range.<a id="FNanchor_35" href="#Footnote_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a> This chain of mountains runs -parallel with the Rocky Mountains, between three hundred -and four hundred miles from them. Its average -distance from the coast of the Pacific, south of latitude -forty-nine degrees, is about one hundred miles. The -spaces between the peaks are occupied by elevated heights, -covered with an enormous growth of the several species -of pines, and firs, and the red cedar, many of which rise -two hundred feet without a limb; and are five, six, seven, -eight, and even nine fathoms in circumference at the -ground.</p> - -<p>{228} On the south side of the Columbia, at the Cascades, -a range of low mountains puts off from the President’s -range, and running down parallel to the river, -terminates in a point of land on which Astoria was built. -Its average height is about one thousand five hundred -feet above the river. Near the Cascades the tops are -higher; and in some instances are beautifully castellated. -They are generally covered with dense pine and fir forests. -From the north side of the Cascades, a similar range runs -down to the sea, and terminates in Cape Disappointment.<a id="FNanchor_36" href="#Footnote_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a> -This range also is covered with forests. Another<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36"></a>[36]</span> -range runs on the brink of the coast, from Cape Mendocino -in Upper California to the Straits de Fuca. This -is generally bare of trees; mere masses of dark stratified -rocks, piled many hundred feet in height. It rises immediately -from the borders of the sea, and preserves nearly -a right line course, during their entire length. The lower -portion of the eastern sides is clothed with heavy pine -and spruce, fir and cedar forests.</p> - -<p>I have described in previous pages the great southern -branch of the Columbia, called Saptin by the natives who -live on its banks, and the valley of volcanic deserts, through -which it runs, as well as the Columbia {229} and its cavernous -vale, from its junction with the Saptin to Fort Vancouver, -ninety miles from the sea. I shall therefore in -the following notice of the rivers of Oregon, speak only -of those parts of this and other streams, and their valleys -about them, which remain undescribed.</p> - -<p>That portion of the Columbia, which lies above its -junction with the Saptin, latitude forty-six degrees eight -minutes north, is navigable for bateaux to the boat encampment -at the base of the Rocky Mountains, about the fifty-third -degree of north latitude, a distance, by the course -of the stream, of about five hundred miles.<a id="FNanchor_37" href="#Footnote_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a> The current -is strong, and interrupted by five considerable and several -lesser rapids, at which there are short portages. The -country on both sides of the river, from its junction with -the Saptin to the mouth of the Spokan, is a dreary waste. -The soil is a light yellowish composition of sand and clay, -generally destitute of vegetation. In a few nooks, irrigated -by mountain streams, are found small patches of -the short grass of the plains interspersed with another -species which grows in tufts or bunches four or five feet<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37"></a>[37]</span> -in height. A few shrubs (as the small willow, the sumac, -and furze), appear in distant and solitary {230} groups. -There are no trees; generally nothing green; a mere brown -drifting desert; as far as the Oakanagan River, two hundred -and eight miles, a plain, the monotonous desolation -of which is relieved only by the noble river running through -it, and an occasional cliff of volcanic rocks bursting through -its arid surface.</p> - -<p>The river Oakanagan is a large, fine stream, originating -in a large lake of the same name situate in the mountains, -about one hundred miles north of its mouth. The soil -in the neighbourhood of this stream is generally worthless. -Near its union, however, with the Columbia, there are -a number of small plains tolerably well clothed with the -wild grasses; and near its lake are found hills covered -with small timber. On the point of land between this -stream and the Columbia, the Pacific Fur Company in -1811 established a trading post. This in 1814 passed -by purchase into the hands of the North-West Fur Company -of Canada, and in 1819 by the union of that body -with the Hudson Bay Company, passed into the possession -of the united company under the name of Hudson Bay -Company. It is still occupied by them under its old -name of Fort Oakanagan.<a id="FNanchor_38" href="#Footnote_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a></p> - -<p>{231} From this post, latitude forty-eight degrees six -minutes, and longitude one hundred and seventeen degrees -west, along the Columbia to the Spokan, the country is as -devoid of wood as that below. The banks of the river -are bold and rocky, the stream is contracted with narrow<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38"></a>[38]</span> -limits, and the current strong and vexed with dangerous -eddies.</p> - -<p>The Spokan river rises among the spurs of the Rocky -Mountains east south-east of the mouth of the Oakanagan, -and, after a course of about fifty miles, forms the Pointed -Heart Lake, twenty-five miles in length, and ten or twelve -in width; and running thence in a north-westerly direction -about one hundred and twenty miles, empties itself -into the Columbia. About sixty miles from its mouth, -the Pacific Fur Company erected a trading-post, which -they called the “Spokan House.” Their successors are -understood to have abandoned it.<a id="FNanchor_39" href="#Footnote_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a> Above the Pointed -Heart Lake, the banks of this river are usually high and -bold mountains, sparsely covered with pines and cedars -of a fine size. Around the lake are some grass lands, -many edible roots, and wild fruits. On all the remaining -course of the stream, are found at intervals {232} -productive spots capable of yielding moderate crops of -the grains and vegetables. There is considerable pine -and cedar timber on the neighbouring hills; and near -the Columbia are large forests growing on sandy plains. -In a word, the Spokan valley can be extensively used as -a grazing district; but its agricultural capabilities are -limited.</p> - -<p>Mr. Spaulding, an American missionary, made a journey -across this valley to Fort Colville,<a id="FNanchor_40" href="#Footnote_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a> in March 1837, in relation -to which, he thus writes to Mr. Levi Chamberlain of -the Sandwich Islands: “The third day from home we -came to snow, and on the fourth, came to what I call quicksands,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39"></a>[39]</span> -plains mixed with pine trees and rocks. The body -of snow upon the plains was interspersed with bare spots -under the standing pines. For these, our poor animals -would plunge whenever they came near, after wallowing -in the snow and mud until the last nerve seemed almost -exhausted, naturally expecting a resting-place for their -struggling limbs; but they were no less disappointed and -discouraged, doubtless, than I was astonished, to see the -noble animals go down by the side of a rock or pine tree, -till their bodies struck the surface.”</p> - -<p>{233} The same gentleman, in speaking of this valley, -and the country generally, lying north of the Columbia, -and claimed by the United States and Great Britain, -says, “It is probably not worth half the money and time -that will be spent in talking about it.”</p> - -<p>The country, from the Spokan to Kettle Falls, is broken -into hills and mountains thinly covered with wood, and -picturesque in appearance, among which there is supposed -to be no arable land. A little below Kettle Falls,<a id="FNanchor_41" href="#Footnote_41" class="fnanchor">[41]</a> in -latitude 48°, 37′ is a trading post of the Hudson’s Bay -Company, called Fort Colville. Mr. Spaulding thus -describes it:—“Fort Colville is two hundred miles west of -north from this, (his station on the Clear Water), three -days below Flatland River, one day above Spokan, one -hundred miles above Oakanagan, and three hundred -miles above Fort Wallawalla. It stands on a small plain -of two thousand or three thousand acres, said to be the -only arable land on the Columbia, above Vancouver. -There are one or two barns, a blacksmith shop, a good -flour mill, several houses for labourers, and good buildings -for the gentlemen in charge.”</p> - -<p>Mr. McDonald<a id="FNanchor_42" href="#Footnote_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a> raises this year (1837) {234} about<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40"></a>[40]</span> -three thousand five hundred bushels of different grains, -such as wheat, peas, barley, oats, corn, buckwheat, &c., -and as many potatoes; has eighty head of cattle, and one -hundred hogs. This post furnishes supplies of provisions -for a great many forts north, south and west. The country -on both sides of the stream, from Kettle Falls to within -four miles of the lower Lake, is covered with dense forests -of pine, spruce, and small birch. The northwestern -shore is rather low, but the southern high and rocky. In -this distance are several tracts of rich bottom land, covered -with a kind of creeping red clover, and the white species -common to the States. The lower lake of the Columbia -is about thirty-five miles in length, and four or five in -breadth. Its shores are bold, and clad with a heavy -growth of pine, spruce, &c.<a id="FNanchor_43" href="#Footnote_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a> From these waters the -voyager obtains the first view of the snowy heights in the -main chain of the Rocky Mountains.</p> - -<p>The Flathead River enters into the Columbia a short -distance above Fort Colville. It is as long, and discharges -nearly as much water as that part of Columbia above their -junction. It rises near the {235} sources of the Missouri -and Sascatchawine.<a id="FNanchor_44" href="#Footnote_44" class="fnanchor">[44]</a> The ridges which separate them -are said to be easy to pass. It falls into the Columbia -over a confused heap of immense rocks, just above the -place where the latter stream forms the Kettle Falls, in -its passage through a spur of the Rocky Mountains. -About one hundred miles from its mouth, the Flathead -River forms a lake thirty-six miles long and seven or eight -wide. It is called Lake Kullerspelm. A rich and beautiful -country spreads off from it in all directions, to the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41"></a>[41]</span> -bases of lofty mountains covered with perpetual snows. -Forty or fifty miles above this lake, is the “Flathead -House,” a trading post of the Hudson Bay Company.<a id="FNanchor_45" href="#Footnote_45" class="fnanchor">[45]</a></p> - -<p>McGillivray’s, or Flat Bow River, rises in the Rocky -Mountains, and running a tortuous westerly course about -three hundred miles, among the snowy heights, and some -extensive and somewhat productive valleys, enters the -Columbia four miles below the Lower Lake. Its banks -are generally mountainous, and in some places covered -with pine forests. On this stream also, the indefatigable -British fur traders have a post, “Fort Kootania,” situated -{236} about one hundred and thirty miles from its mouth.<a id="FNanchor_46" href="#Footnote_46" class="fnanchor">[46]</a> -Between the lower and upper lakes of the Columbia, are -“the Straits,” a narrow, compressed passage of the river -among jutting rocks. It is four or five miles in length, -and has a current, swift, whirling, and difficult to stem. -The upper lake is of less dimensions than the lower; but, -if possible, surrounded by more broken and romantic -scenery, forests overhung by lofty tiers of wintry mountains, -from which rush a thousand torrents, fed by the melting -snows.<a id="FNanchor_47" href="#Footnote_47" class="fnanchor">[47]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42"></a>[42]</span></p> - -<p>Two miles above this lake, the Columbia runs through -a narrow, rocky channel. This place is called the Lower -Dalles. The shores are strewn with immense quantities -of fallen timber, among which still stand heavy and impenetrable -forests. Thirty-five miles above is the Upper Dalles; -the waters are crowded into a compressed channel, among -hanging and slippery rocks, foaming and whirling fearfully.<a id="FNanchor_48" href="#Footnote_48" class="fnanchor">[48]</a> -A few miles above this place, is the head of navigation, -“The Boat encampment,” where the traders leave -their bateaux, in their overland journeys to Canada.<a id="FNanchor_49" href="#Footnote_49" class="fnanchor">[49]</a> -The country from the upper lake to this place, is a collection -{237} of mountains, thickly covered with pine, and -spruce, and fir trees of very large size.</p> - -<p>Here commences the “Rocky Mountain portage,” to -the navigable waters on the other side. Its track runs -up a wide and cheerless valley, on the north of which, -tiers of mountains rise to a great height, thickly studded -with immense pines and cedars, while on the south are -seen towering cliffs, partially covered with mosses and -stinted pines, over which tumble, from the ices above, -numerous and noisy cascades. Two days’ travel up the -desolate valley, brings the traveller to “La Grande Cote,” -the principal ridge. This you climb in two hours. -Around the base of this ridge, the trees, pines, &c., are -of enormous size; but in ascending,<a id="FNanchor_50" href="#Footnote_50" class="fnanchor">[50]</a> they decrease in size,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43"></a>[43]</span> -till on the summit they become little else than shrubs.</p> - -<p>On a table land of this height, are found two lakes a -few hundred yards apart; the waters of one of which flow -down the valley just described, to the Columbia, and -thence to the North Pacific; while those of the other, forming -the Rocky Mountain River, run thence into the Athabasca, -and thence through Peace River, the Great Slave -Lake, {238} and McKenzie’s River, into the Northern -Arctic Ocean. The scenery around these lakes is highly -interesting.<a id="FNanchor_51" href="#Footnote_51" class="fnanchor">[51]</a> In the north, rises Mount Browne, sixteen -thousand feet, and in the south, Mount Hooker, fifteen -thousand seven hundred feet above the level of the sea. -In the west, descends a vast tract of secondary mountains, -bare and rocky, and noisy with tumbling avalanches. -In the vales are groves of the winter-loving pine. In -the east roll away undulations of barren heights beyond -the range of sight. It seems to be the very citadel of -desolation; where the god of the north wind elaborates -his icy streams, and frosts, and blasts, in every season -of the year.</p> - -<p>Frazer’s River rises between latitudes 55° and 56° north, -and after a course of about one hundred and fifty miles, -nearly due south, falls into the Straits de Fuca, under -latitude 49° north. It is so much obstructed by rapids -and falls, as to be of little value for purposes of navigation.<a id="FNanchor_52" href="#Footnote_52" class="fnanchor">[52]</a> -The face of the country about its mouth, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44"></a>[44]</span> -for fifty miles above, is mountainous and covered with -dense forests of white pine, cedar, and other evergreen -trees. The soil is an indifferent vegetable deposit six -or seven inches in depth, resting on a stratum of sand or -{239} coarse gravel. The whole remaining portion of -the valley is said to be cut with low mountains running -north-westwardly and south-eastwardly; among which -are immense tracts of marshes and lakes, formed by cold -torrents from the heights that encircle them. The soil -not thus occupied, is too poor for successful cultivation. -Mr. Macgillivray, the person in charge at Fort Alexandria, -in 1827, says:<a id="FNanchor_53" href="#Footnote_53" class="fnanchor">[53]</a> “All the vegetables we planted, notwithstanding -the utmost care and precaution, nearly -failed; and the last crop of potatoes did not yield one-fourth -of the seed planted.” The timber of this region -consists of all the varieties of the fir, the spruce, pine, -poplar, willow, cedar, cyprus, birch and alder.</p> - -<p>The climate is very peculiar. The spring opens about -the middle of April. From this time the weather is delightful -till the end of May. In June the south wind blows, -and brings incessant rains. In July and August the heat -is almost insupportable. In September the whole valley -is enveloped in fogs so dense, that objects one hundred -yards distant cannot be seen till ten o’clock in the day. -In October the leaves change their colour and begin to -fall. In November, the lakes, and portions of the rivers -are {240} frozen. The winter months bring snow. It<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45"></a>[45]</span> -is seldom severely cold. The mercury in Fahrenheit’s -scale sinks a few days only, as low as ten or twelve degrees -below zero.</p> - -<p>That part of Oregon bounded on the north by Shmillamen -River,<a id="FNanchor_54" href="#Footnote_54" class="fnanchor">[54]</a> and on the east by Oakanagan and Columbia -Rivers, south by the Columbia, and west by the President’s -Range, is a broken plain, partially covered with -the short and bunch grasses; but so destitute of water, -that a small portion only of it, can ever be depastured. -The eastern and middle portions of it are destitute of -timber—a mere sunburnt waste. The northern part has -a few wooded hills and streams, and prairie valleys. -Among the lower hills of the President’s Range, too, there -are considerable pine and fir forests; and rather extensive -prairies, watered by small mountain streams; but nearly -all of the whole surface of this part of Oregon, is a worthless -desert.</p> - -<p>The tract bounded north by the Columbia, east by -the Blue Mountains, south by the forty-second parallel -of north latitude, and west by the President’s Range, -is a plain of vast rolls or swells, of a light, yellowish, sandy -clay, partially covered with the short and bunch grasses, -mixed with the prickly {241} pear and wild wormwood. -But water is so very scarce, that it can never be generally -fed; unless, indeed, as some travellers, in their praises -of this region, seem to suppose, the animals that usually -live by eating and drinking, should be able to dispense -with the latter, in a climate where nine months in the -year, not a particle of rain or dew falls, to moisten a soil -as dry and loose as a heap of ashes. On the banks of -the Luhon, John Days, Umatalla, and Wallawalla Rivers<a id="FNanchor_55" href="#Footnote_55" class="fnanchor">[55]</a>—which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46"></a>[46]</span> -have an average length of thirty miles—without -doubt, extensive tracts of grass may be found in -the neighbourhood of water; but it is also true that not -more than a fifth part of the surface within twenty-five -miles of these streams, bears grass or any other vegetation.</p> - -<p>The portion also which borders the Columbia, produces -some grass. But of a strip six miles in width, and extending -from the Dalles to the mouth of the Saptin, not an -hundredth part bears the grasses; and the sides of the -chasm of the river are so precipitous, that not a fiftieth -part of this can be fed by animals which drink at that -stream. In proceeding southward on the head waters -of the small streams, John Days and Umatalla, the face of -the plain rises gradually {242} into vast irregular swells, -destitute of timber and water. On the Blue Mountains -are a few pine and spruce trees of an inferior growth. -On the right tower the white peaks and thickly wooded -hills of the President’s Range.</p> - -<p>The space south-east of the Blue Mountains is a barren, -thirsty waste, of light, sandy, and clayey soil—strongly -impregnated with nitre. A few small streams run among -the sand hills; but they are so strongly impregnated with -various kinds of salts, as to be unfit for use. These brooks -empty themselves into the lakes, the waters of which are -salter than the ocean. Near latitude 43° north, the Klamet -River rises and runs westerly, through the President’s -Range.<a id="FNanchor_56" href="#Footnote_56" class="fnanchor">[56]</a> On these waters are a few productive valleys;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47"></a>[47]</span> -westwardly from them to the Saptin the country is dry -and worthless.</p> - -<p>The part of Oregon lying between the Straits de Fuca -on the north, the President’s Range on the east, the Columbia -on the south, and the ocean on the west, is thickly -covered with pines, cedars, and firs of extraordinary size; -and beneath these, a growth of brush and brambles which -defies the most vigorous foot to penetrate. Along the -banks of the Columbia, indeed, strips {243} of prairie -may be met with, varying from a few rods to three miles -in width, and often several miles in length; and even amidst -the forests are found a few open spaces.</p> - -<p>The banks of the Cowelitz, too, are denuded of timber -for forty miles; and around the Straits de Fuca and Puget’s -Sound, are large tracts of open country.<a id="FNanchor_57" href="#Footnote_57" class="fnanchor">[57]</a> But the whole -tract lying within the boundaries just defined, is of little -value except for its timber. The forests are so heavy -and so matted with brambles, as to require the arm of a -Hercules to clear a farm of one hundred acres in an ordinary -life-time; and the mass of timber is so great that an -attempt to subdue it by girdling would result in the production -of another forest before the ground could be disencumbered -of what was thus killed. The small prairies among -the woods are covered with wild grasses, and are useful -as pastures.</p> - -<p>The soil of these, like that of the timbered portions, -is a vegetable mould, eight or ten inches in thickness, -resting on a stratum of hard blue clay and gravel. The -valley of the Cowelitz is poor—the soil, thin, loose, and -much washed, can be used as pasture grounds for thirty -miles up the stream. At about that distance some tracts -{244} of fine land occur. The prairies on the banks of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48"></a>[48]</span> -the Columbia would be valuable land for agricultural -purposes, if they were not generally overflown by the -freshets in June—the month of all the year when crops -are most injured by such an occurrence. It is impossible -to dyke out the water; for the soil rests upon an immense -bed of gravel and quicksand, through which it will leach -in spite of such obstructions.</p> - -<p>The tract of the territory lying between the Columbia -on the north, the President’s range on the east, the parallel -of forty-two degrees of north latitude on the south, and -the ocean on the west, is the most beautiful and valuable -portion of the Oregon Territory. A good idea of the -form of its surface may be derived from a view of its mountains -and rivers as laid down on the map. On the south -tower the heights of the snowy mountains; on the west -the naked peaks of the coast range; on the north the green -peaks of the river range; and on the east the lofty shining -cones of the President’s range—around whose frozen -bases cluster a vast collection of minor mountains, clad -with the mightiest pine and cedar forests on the face of -the earth! The principal rivers are the Klamet and the -Umpqua in the south-west, and the Willamette in the north.</p> - -<p>{245} The Umpqua enters these in a latitude forty-three -degrees, thirty minutes north.<a id="FNanchor_58" href="#Footnote_58" class="fnanchor">[58]</a> It is three-fourths -of a mile in width at its mouth; water two-and-a-half -fathoms on its bar; the tide sets up thirty miles from the -sea; its banks are steep and covered with pines and cedars, -&c. Above tide water the stream is broken by rapids -and falls. It has a westwardly course of about one hundred -miles. The face of the country about it is somewhat -broken; in some parts covered with heavy pine and -cedar timber, in others with grass only; said to be a fine -valley for cultivation and pasturage. The pines on this<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49"></a>[49]</span> -river grow to an enormous size: two hundred and fifty -feet in height—and from fifteen to more than fifty feet in -circumference;<a id="FNanchor_59" href="#Footnote_59" class="fnanchor">[59]</a> the cones or seed vessels are in the form -of an egg, and oftentimes more than a foot in length; the -seeds are as large as the castor bean. Farther south is -another stream, which joins the ocean twenty-three miles -from the outlet of the Umpqua. At its mouth are many -bays; and the surrounding country is less broken than the -valley of the Umpqua.<a id="FNanchor_60" href="#Footnote_60" class="fnanchor">[60]</a></p> - -<p>{246} Farther south still, is another stream called the -Klamet. It rises, as is said, in the plain east of Mount -Madison, and running a westerly course of one hundred -and fifty miles, enters the ocean forty or fifty miles south -of the Umpqua. The pine and cedar disappear upon -this stream; and instead of them are found a myrtaceous -tree of small size, which, when shaken by the least breeze, -diffuses a delicious fragrance through the groves. The -face of the valley is gently undulating, and in every respect -desirable for cultivation and grazing.</p> - -<p>The Willamette rises in the President’s range, near the -sources of the Klamet. Its general course is north northwest. -Its length is something more than two hundred -miles. It falls into the Columbia by two mouths; the -one eighty-five, and the other seventy miles from the sea. -The arable portion of the valley of this river is about one -hundred and fifty miles long, by sixty in width. It is -bounded on the west by low wooded hills of the coast -range; on the south by the highlands around the upper -waters of the Umpqua; on the east by the President’s<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50"></a>[50]</span> -range; and on the north by the mountains that run along -the southern bank of the Columbia. Its general appearance -as seen from the heights, is that of a {247} rolling, -open plain, intersected in every direction by ridges -of low mountains, and long lines of evergreen timber; -and dotted here and there with a grove of white oaks. -The soil is a rich vegetable mould, two or three feet deep, -resting on a stratum of coarse gravel or clay. The prairie -portions of it are capable of producing, with good cultivation, -from twenty to thirty bushels of wheat to the acre, -and other small grains in proportion. Corn cannot be -raised without irrigation. The vegetables common to -such latitudes yield abundantly, and of the best quality. -The uplands have an inferior soil, and are covered with -such an enormous growth of pines, cedars and firs, that -the expense of clearing would be greatly beyond their value. -Those tracts of the second bottom lands, which are covered -with timber might be worth subduing, but for a -species of fern growing on them, which is so difficult to kill, -as to render them nearly worthless for agricultural purposes.</p> - -<p>The climate of the country between the President’s -range and the sea, is very temperate. From the middle -of April to the middle of October, the westerly winds -prevail, and the weather is warm and dry. Scarcely a -drop of rain falls. During the remainder of the year, -the southerly winds {248} blow continually, and bring -rains; sometimes in showers, and at others terrible storms, -which continue to pour down incessantly for many weeks.</p> - -<p>There is scarcely any freezing weather in this section -of Oregon. Twice within the last forty years the Columbia -has been frozen over; but this was chiefly caused by -the accumulation of ice from the upper country. The -grasses grow during the winter months, and wither to hay -in the summer time.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51"></a>[51]</span></p> - -<p>The mineral resources of Oregon have not been investigated. -Great quantities of bituminous coal have however -been discovered on Puget’s Sound,<a id="FNanchor_61" href="#Footnote_61" class="fnanchor">[61]</a> and on the -Willamette. Salt springs also abound; and other fountains -highly impregnated with sulphur, soda, iron, &c., -are numerous.</p> - -<p>Many wild fruits are to be met with in the territory, -that would be very desirable for cultivation in the gardens -of the States. Among these are a very large and delicious -strawberry, the service berry, a kind of whortleberry, -and a cranberry growing on bushes four or five feet in -height. The crab apple, choke cherry, and thornberry -are common. Of the wild animals, there are the white -tailed, black tailed, jumping and moose deer; the elk; -red and black and grey wolf; the black, brown, and grisly -bear; {249} the mountain sheep; black, white, red and -mixed foxes; beaver, lynxes, martin, otters, minks, muskrats, -wolverines, marmot, ermines, wood-rats, and the -small curly-tailed short eared dog, common among the -Chippeways.</p> - -<p>Of the feathered tribe, there are the goose, the brant, -several kinds of cranes, the swan, many varieties of the -duck, hawks of several kinds, plovers, white eagles, ravens, -crows, vultures, thrush, gulls, woodpeckers, pheasants, -pelicans, partridges, grouse, snowbirds, &c.</p> - -<p>In the rivers and lakes are a very superior quality of -salmon, brook and salmon trout, sardines, sturgeon, rock -cod, the hair seal, &c.; and in the bays and inlets along -the coast, are the sea otter and an inferior kind of oyster.</p> - -<p>The trade of Oregon is limited entirely to the operations -of the British Hudson Bay Company. A concise<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52"></a>[52]</span> -account of this association is therefore deemed apposite -in this place.</p> - -<p>A charter was granted by Charles II, in 1670, to certain -British subjects associated under the name of “The Hudson’s -Bay Company,” in virtue of which they were allowed -the exclusive privilege of establishing {250} trading factories -on the Hudson’s Bay and its tributary rivers. Soon after -the grant, the Company took possession of the territory, -and enjoyed its trade without opposition till 1787; when -was organized a powerful rival under the title of the “North -American Fur Company of Canada.” This company -was chiefly composed of Canadian-born subjects—men -whose native energy and thorough acquaintance with -the Indian character, peculiarly qualified them for the -dangers and hardships of a fur trader’s life in the frozen -regions of British America. Accordingly we soon find -the North-westers outreaching in enterprise and commercial -importance their less active neighbours of Hudson’s -Bay; and the jealousies naturally arising between -parties so situated, led to the most barbarous battles, -and the sacking and burning each others posts. This -state of things in 1821, arrested the attention of Parliament, -and an act was passed consolidating the two companies -into one, under the title of “The Hudson’s Bay -Company.”<a id="FNanchor_62" href="#Footnote_62" class="fnanchor">[62]</a></p> - -<p>This association is now, under the operation of their -charter, in sole possession of all that tract of country -bounded north by {251} the northern Arctic Ocean; east -by the Davis’ Straits and the Atlantic Ocean; south and -south-westwardly by the northern boundary of the Canadas,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53"></a>[53]</span> -and a line drawn through the centre of Lake Superior; -thence north-westwardly to the Lake of the Wood; thence -west on the 49th parallel of north latitude to the Rocky -Mountains, and along those mountains to the 54th parallel; -thence westwardly on that line to a point nine marine -leagues from the Pacific Ocean; and on the west by a line -commencing at the last mentioned point, and running -northwardly parallel to the Pacific coast till it intersects -the 141st parallel of longitude west from Greenwich, -England, and thence due north to the Arctic Sea.</p> - -<p>They have also leased for twenty years, commencing -in March, 1840, all of Russian America, except the post -of Sitka; the lease renewable at the pleasure of the Hudson’s -Bay Company.<a id="FNanchor_63" href="#Footnote_63" class="fnanchor">[63]</a> They are also in possession of -Oregon under treaty stipulation between Britain and -the United States. Thus this powerful company occupy -and control more than one-ninth of the soil of the globe. -Its stockholders are British capitalists, resident in Great -Britain. From these are elected a board of managers, -who {252} hold their meetings and transact their business -at “The Hudson’s Bay House” in London. This -board buy goods and ship them to their territory, sell -the furs for which they are exchanged, and do all other -business connected with the Company’s transactions, -except the execution of their own orders, the actual business -of collecting furs in their territory. This duty -is entrusted to a class of men who are called partners, -but who in fact receive certain portions of the annual<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54"></a>[54]</span> -net profits of the Company’s business, as a compensation -for their services.</p> - -<p>These gentlemen are divided by their employers into -different grades. The first of these is the Governor-General -of all the Company’s posts in North America. -He resides at York Factory, on the west shore of -Hudson’s Bay.<a id="FNanchor_64" href="#Footnote_64" class="fnanchor">[64]</a> The second class are chief factors; -the third, chief traders; the fourth, traders. Below these -is another class, called clerks. These are usually younger -members of respectable Scottish families. They are not -directly interested in the Company’s profits, but receive -an annual salary of £100, food, suitable clothing, and a -body servant, during an apprenticeship of seven years. -At the expiration {253} of this term they are eligible to -the traderships, factorships, &c. that may be vacated -by death or retirement from the service. While waiting -for advancement they are allowed from £80 to £120 per -annum. The servants employed about their posts and -in their journeyings are half-breed Iroquois and Canadian -Frenchmen. These they enlist for five years, at wages -varying from £68 to £80 per annum.<a id="FNanchor_65" href="#Footnote_65" class="fnanchor">[65]</a></p> - -<p>An annual Council composed of the Governor-General, -chief factors and chief traders, is held at York Factory. -Before this body are brought the reports of the trade of -each district; propositions for new enterprises, and modifications -of old ones; and all these and other matters -deemed important, being acted upon, the proceedings had -thereon and the reports from the several districts are -forwarded to the Board of Directors in London, and subjected -to its final order.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55"></a>[55]</span></p> - -<p>This shrewd Company never allow their territory to be -overtrapped. If the annual return from any well trapped -district be less in any year than formerly, they order a -less number still to be taken, until the beaver and other -fur-bearing animals have time to increase. The income -of the company {254} is thus rendered uniform, and their -business perpetual.</p> - -<p>The nature and annual value of the Hudson Bay Company’s -business in the territory which they occupy, may -be learned from the following table, extracted from Bliss’s -work on the trade and industry of British America, in -1831:<a id="FNanchor_66" href="#Footnote_66" class="fnanchor">[66]</a></p> - -<table summary="The nature and annual value of the Hudson Bay Company’s -business in the territory which they occupy"> - <tr> - <th>Skins.</th> - <th>No.</th> - <th>each</th> - <th>£.</th> - <th><i>s.</i></th> - <th><i>d.</i></th> - <th>£.</th> - <th><i>s.</i></th> - <th><i>d.</i></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Beaver</td> - <td class="tdr">126,944</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">158,680</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Muskrat</td> - <td class="tdr">375,731</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">9,393</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lynx</td> - <td class="tdr">58,010</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">23,204</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wolf</td> - <td class="tdr">5,947</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">2,378</td> - <td class="tdr">16</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bear</td> - <td class="tdr">3,850</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">3,850</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fox</td> - <td class="tdr">8,765</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">4,382</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mink</td> - <td class="tdr">9,298</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">929</td> - <td class="tdr">16</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Raccoon</td> - <td class="tdr">325</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">24</td> - <td class="tdr">7</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tails</td> - <td class="tdr">2,290</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">114</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wolverine</td> - <td class="tdr">1,744</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">261</td> - <td class="tdr">12</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Deer</td> - <td class="tdr">645</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">96</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Weasel</td> - <td class="tdr">34</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td class="tdr">00</td> - <td class="tdr">16</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr bt"></td> - <td class="tdc"></td> - <td class="tdr bt"></td> - <td class="tdr bt"></td> - <td class="tdr bt"></td> - <td class="tdr bt">£203,316</td> - <td class="tdr bt">9</td> - <td class="tdr bt">0</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Some idea may be formed of the net profit of this business, -from the facts that the shares of the company’s stock, -which originally cost £100, are at 100 per cent premium, -and that the dividends range from ten per cent upward, -and this too while they are creating out of the net proceeds<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56"></a>[56]</span> -an immense reserve fund, to be {255} expended in keeping -other persons out of the trade.</p> - -<p>In 1805 the Missouri Fur Company established a trading-post -on the headwaters of the Saptin.<a id="FNanchor_67" href="#Footnote_67" class="fnanchor">[67]</a> In 1806 the -North-West Fur Company of Canada established one on -Frazer’s Lake, near the northern line of Oregon.<a id="FNanchor_68" href="#Footnote_68" class="fnanchor">[68]</a> In -March, 1811, the American Pacific Fur Company built -Fort Astoria, near the mouth of the Columbia.<a id="FNanchor_69" href="#Footnote_69" class="fnanchor">[69]</a> In July -of the same year, a partner of the North-West Fur Company -of Canada descended the great northern branch -of the Columbia to Astoria. This was the first appearance -of the British fur traders in the valleys drained by this -river.<a id="FNanchor_70" href="#Footnote_70" class="fnanchor">[70]</a></p> - -<p>On the 16th of October, 1813, (while war was raging between -England and the States) the Pacific Fur Company -sold all its establishments in Oregon to the North-West -Fur Company of Canada. On the 1st of December following, -the British sloop of war Raccoon, Captain Black -commanding, entered the Columbia, took formal possession -of Astoria, and changed its name to Fort George.<a id="FNanchor_71" href="#Footnote_71" class="fnanchor">[71]</a> On -the 1st of October, 1818, Fort George was surrendered<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57"></a>[57]</span> -by the British Government to the Government of the -States, according to a stipulation in the Treaty of Ghent.<a id="FNanchor_72" href="#Footnote_72" class="fnanchor">[72]</a></p> - -<p>{256} By the same treaty, British subjects were granted -the same rights of trade and settlement in Oregon as -belonged to the citizens of the Republic, for the term of -ten years; under the condition, that as both nations -claimed Oregon the occupancy thus authorized should in -no form affect the question as to the title to the country. -This stipulation was by treaty of London, August 6, 1827, -indefinitely extended; under the condition that it should -cease to be in force twelve months from the date of a notice -of either of the contracting powers to the other, to annul -and abrogate it; provided such notice should not be given -till after the 20th of October, 1828.<a id="FNanchor_73" href="#Footnote_73" class="fnanchor">[73]</a> And this is the -manner in which the British Hudson’s Bay Company, -after its union with the North-West Fur Company of -Canada, came into Oregon.</p> - -<p>They have now in the territory the following trading -posts: Fort Vancouver, on the north bank of the Columbia, -ninety miles from the Ocean, in latitude 45½°, longitude -122° 30′; Fort George, (formerly Astoria), near the -mouth of the same river;<a id="FNanchor_74" href="#Footnote_74" class="fnanchor">[74]</a> Fort Nasqually, on Puget’s -Sound, latitude 47°; Fort Langly, at the outlet of Fraser’s<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58"></a>[58]</span> -River, latitude 49° 25′; Fort McLaughlin, on the Millbank -Sound, latitude 52°;<a id="FNanchor_75" href="#Footnote_75" class="fnanchor">[75]</a> Fort {257} Simpson, on -Dundas Island, latitude 54½°.<a id="FNanchor_76" href="#Footnote_76" class="fnanchor">[76]</a> Frazer’s Fort, Fort -James, McLeod’s Fort, Fort Chilcotin, and Fort Alexandria, -on Frazer’s river and its branches between the -51st and 54½ parallels of latitude;<a id="FNanchor_77" href="#Footnote_77" class="fnanchor">[77]</a> Thompson’s Fort,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59"></a>[59]</span> -on Thompson’s River, a tributary of Frazer’s River, -putting into it in latitude 50° and odd minutes; Kootania -Fort, on Flatbow River; Flathead Fort, on Flathead -River; Forts Hall and Boisais, on the Saptin; Forts Colville -and Oakanagan, on the Columbia, above its junction -with the Saptin; Fort Nez Percés or Wallawalla, a few -miles below the junction;<a id="FNanchor_78" href="#Footnote_78" class="fnanchor">[78]</a> Fort McKay, at the mouth -of the Umpqua river, latitude 43° 30′, and longitude 124° -west.<a id="FNanchor_79" href="#Footnote_79" class="fnanchor">[79]</a></p> - -<p>They also have two migratory trading and trapping -establishments of fifty or sixty men each. The one traps -and trades in Upper California; the other in the country -lying west, south, and east of Fort Hall. They also have -a steam-vessel, heavily armed, which runs along the coast, -and among its bays and inlets, for the twofold purpose -of trading with the natives in places where they have no -post, and of outbidding and outselling any American -vessel that attempts to trade in those seas. They likewise -have five sailing vessels, measuring from one hundred<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60"></a>[60]</span> -to five hundred tons {258} burthen, and armed with cannon, -muskets, cutlasses, &c. These are employed a part of -the year in various kinds of trade about the coast and -the islands of the North Pacific, and the remainder of the -time in bringing goods from London, and bearing back the -furs for which they are exchanged.</p> - -<p>One of these ships arrives at Fort Vancouver in the -spring of each year, laden with coarse woollens, cloths, -baizes, and blankets; hardware and cutlery; cotton cloths, -calicoes, and cotton handkerchiefs; tea, sugar, coffee and -cocoa; rice, tobacco, soap, beads, guns, powder, lead, -rum, wine, brandy, gin, and playing cards; boots, shoes, -and ready-made clothing, &c.; also, every description of -sea stores, canvas, cordage, paints, oils, chains and chain -cables, anchors, &c. Having discharged these “supplies,” -it takes a cargo of lumber to the Sandwich Islands, or of -flour and goods to the Russians at Sitka or Kamskatka; -returns in August; receives the furs collected at Fort Vancouver, -and sails again for England.</p> - -<p>The value of peltries annually collected in Oregon, -by the Hudson Bay Comp., is about £140,000 in the -London or New York market. The prime cost of the -goods exchanged {259} for them is about £20,000. To -this must be added the per centage of the officers as -governors, factors, &c. the wages and food of about four -hundred men, the expense of shipping to bring supplies -of goods and take back the returns of furs, and two years’ -interest on the investments. The Company made arrangements -in 1839 with the Russians at Sitka and at other ports, -about the sea of Kamskatka, to supply them with flour -and goods at fixed prices. As they are now opening large -farms on the Cowelitz, the Umpqua, and in other parts -of the Territory, for the production of wheat for that -market; and as they can afford to sell goods purchased<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61"></a>[61]</span> -in England under a contract of fifty years’ standing, 20 -or 30 per cent cheaper than American merchants can, -there seems a certainty that the Hudson’s Bay Company -will engross the entire trade of the North Pacific, as it -has that of Oregon.</p> - -<p>Soon after the union of the North-West and Hudson’s -Bay Companies, the British Parliament passed an act -extending the jurisdiction of the Canadian courts over -the territories occupied by these fur traders, whether -it were “owned” or “claimed by Great Britain.” -Under this act, certain {260} gentlemen of the fur company -were appointed justices of the peace, and empowered to -entertain prosecutions for minor offences, arrest and send -to Canada criminals of a higher order, and try, render -judgment, and grant execution in civil suits where the -amount in issue should not exceed £200; and in case of -non-payment, to imprison the debtor at their own forts, or -in the jails of Canada.</p> - -<p>It is thus shown that the trade, and the civil and -criminal jurisdiction in Oregon are held by British subjects; -that American citizens are deprived of their own -commercial rights; that they are liable to be arrested on -their own territory by officers of British courts, tried in -the American domain by British judges, and imprisoned -or hung according to the laws of the British empire, for -acts done within the territorial limits of the Republic.</p> - -<p>It has frequently been asked if Oregon will hereafter -assume great importance as a thoroughfare between the -States and China? The answer is as follows:</p> - -<p>The Straits de Fuca, and arms of the sea to the eastward -of it, furnish the only good harbours on the Oregon -coast. Those in Puget’s Sound offer every requisite -facility {261} for the most extensive commerce. Ships -beat out and into the straits with any winds of the coast,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62"></a>[62]</span> -and find in summer and winter fine anchorage at short -intervals on both shores; and among the islands of the -Sound, a safe harbour from the prevailing storms. From -Puget’s Sound eastward, there is a possible route for a -railroad to the navigable waters of the Missouri; flanked -with an abundance of fuel and other necessary materials. -Its length would be about six hundred miles. Whether -it would answer the desired end, would depend very much -upon the navigation of the Missouri.<a id="FNanchor_80" href="#Footnote_80" class="fnanchor">[80]</a></p> - -<p>As, however, the principal weight and bulk of cargoes -in the Chinese trade would belong to the homeward voyage, -and as the lumber used in constructing proper boats on -the upper Missouri would sell in Saint Louis for something -like the cost of construction, it may perhaps be presumed -that the trade between China and the States could -be conducted through such an overland communication.</p> - -<p>The first day of the winter months came with bright -skies over the beautiful valleys of Oregon. Mounts -Washington and Jefferson reared their vast pyramids -of ice and {262} snow among the fresh green forests -of the lower hills, and overlooked the Willamette, -the lower Columbia, and the distant sea. The herds -of California cattle were lowing on the meadows, and -the flocks of sheep from the downs of England were -scampering and bleating around their shepherds on -the plain; and the plane of the carpenter, the adze of the -cooper, the hammer of the tinman, and the anvil of the -blacksmith within the pickets, were all awake when I -arose to breakfast for the last time at Fort Vancouver.</p> - -<p>The beauty of the day, and the busy hum of life around -me, accorded well with the feelings of joy with which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63"></a>[63]</span> -I made preparations to return to my family and home. -And yet when I met at the table Dr. McLaughlin, Mr. -Douglas, and others with whom I had passed many -pleasant hours, and from whom I had received many -kindnesses, a sense of sorrow mingled strongly with the -delight which the occasion naturally inspired. I was -to leave Vancouver for the Sandwich Islands, and see -them no more. I confess that it has seldom been my -lot to feel so deeply pained at parting with those whom -I had known so little time. But it became me to hasten -{263} my departure; for the ship had dropped down to -the mouth of the river, and awaited the arrival of Mr. -Simpson, one of the company’s clerks,<a id="FNanchor_81" href="#Footnote_81" class="fnanchor">[81]</a> Mr. Johnson, -an American from St. Louis, and myself. While we -are making the lower mouth of the Willamette, the reader -will perhaps be amused with the sketch of life at Fort -Vancouver.</p> - -<p>Fort Vancouver is, as has been already intimated, the -depot at which are brought the furs collected west of the -Rocky Mountains, and from which they are shipped -to England; the place also at which all the goods for the -trade are landed; and from which they are distributed -to the various posts of that territory by vessels, bateaux, -or pack animals, as the various routes permit. It was -established by Governor Simpson, in 1824, as the great -centre of all commercial operations in Oregon;<a id="FNanchor_82" href="#Footnote_82" class="fnanchor">[82]</a> is situated -in a beautiful plain on the north bank of the Columbia, -ninety miles from the sea, in latitude 45½° north, and in -longitude 122° west; and stands four hundred yards from<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64"></a>[64]</span> -the water side. The noble river before it is sixteen hundred -and seventy yards wide, and from five to seven fathoms -in depth; the whole surrounding country is covered with -{264} forests of pine, cedar, and fir, &c., interspersed -here and there with small open spots; all overlooked by -the vast snowy pyramids of the President’s Range, thirty-five -miles in the east.</p> - -<p>The fort itself is an oblong square two hundred and -fifty yards in length, by one hundred and fifty in breadth, -enclosed by pickets twenty feet in height. The area within -is divided into two courts, around which are arranged -thirty-five wooden buildings, used as officers’ dwellings, -lodging apartment for clerks, storehouses for furs, goods, -and grains; and as workshops for carpenters, blacksmiths, -coopers, tinners, wheelwrights, &c. One building near -the rear gate is occupied as a school-house; and a brick -structure as a powder-magazine. The wooden buildings -are constructed in the following manner. Posts are -raised at convenient intervals, with grooves in the facing -sides; in these grooves planks are inserted horizontally; -and the walls are complete. Rafters raised upon plates -in the usual way, and covered with boards, form the roofs.</p> - -<p>Six hundred yards below the fort, and on the bank of -the river, is a village of fifty-three wooden houses, generally -constructed {265} like those within the pickets. In these -live the Company’s servants. Among them is a hospital, -in which those who become diseased are humanely treated. -At the back, and a little east of the fort, is a barn containing -a mammoth threshing machine; and near this are a -number of long sheds, used for storing grain in the sheaf. -And behold the Vancouver farm, stretching up and down -the river (3,000 acres, fenced into beautiful fields) sprinkled -with dairy houses, and herdsmen and shepherds’ cottages! -A busy place.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65"></a>[65]</span></p> - -<p>The farmer on horseback at break of day, summons -one hundred half-breeds and Iroquois Indians from their -cabins to the fields. Twenty or thirty ploughs tear open -the generous soil; the sowers follow with their seed, and -pressing on them come a dozen harrows to cover it; and -thus thirty or forty acres are planted in a day, till the -immense farm is under crop. The season passes on, -teeming with daily industry, until the harvest waves on -all these fields. Then sickle and hoe glisten in tireless -activity to gather in the rich reward of this toil; the food -of seven hundred at this post, and of thousands more at -the posts on the deserts in the east and {266} north. -The saw mill, too, is a scene of constant toil. Thirty -or forty Sandwich Islanders are felling the pines and -dragging them to the mill; sets of hands are plying two -gangs of saws by night and day. Three thousand feet -of lumber per day; nine hundred thousand feet per annum; -are constantly being shipped to foreign ports.</p> - -<p>The grist mill is not idle. It must furnish bread stuff -for the posts, and the Russian market in the north-west. -And its deep music is heard daily and nightly half the -year.</p> - -<p>We will now enter the fort. The blacksmith is repairing -ploughshares, harrow teeth, chains and mill irons; -the tinman is making cups for the Indians, and camp-kettles, -&c.; the wheelwright is making waggons, and the -wood parts of ploughs and harrows; the carpenter is repairing -houses and building new ones; the cooper is making -barrels for pickling salmon and packing furs; the clerks -are posting books, and preparing the annual returns to -the board in London; the salesmen are receiving beaver -and dealing out goods. Listen to the voices of those -children from the school house. They are the half-breed -offspring of the gentlemen and servants of {267} the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66"></a>[66]</span> -Company, educated at the Company’s expense, preparatory -to their being apprenticed to trades in Canada. They -learn the English language, writing, arithmetic and geography. -The gardener, too, is singing out his honest satisfaction, -as he surveys from the northern gate ten acres of apple -trees laden with fruit, his bowers of grapevines, his beds of -vegetables and flowers. The bell rings for dinner; we will -now pay a visit to the “Hall” and its convivialities.</p> - -<p>The dining-hall is a spacious room on the second floor, -ceiled with pine above and at the sides. In the southwest -corner of it is a large close stove, giving out sufficient -caloric to make it comfortable.</p> - -<p>At the end of a table twenty feet in length stands Governor -McLaughlin, directing guests and gentlemen from -neighbouring posts to their places; and chief-traders, -traders, the physician, clerks, and the farmer, slide respectfully -to their places, at distances from the Governor -corresponding to the dignity of their rank in the service. -Thanks are given to God, and all are seated. Roast beef -and pork, boiled mutton, baked salmon, boiled ham; -beets, carrots, turnips, cabbage and potatoes, and wheaten -bread, are tastefully distributed {268} over the table -among a dinner-set of elegant queen’s ware, burnished with -glittering glasses and decanters of various-coloured Italian -wines. Course after course goes round, and the Governor -fills to his guests and friends; and each gentleman -in turn vies with him in diffusing around the board a most -generous allowance of viands, wines, and warm fellow-feeling. -The cloth and wines are removed together, -cigars are lighted, and a strolling smoke about the premises, -enlivened by a courteous discussion of some mooted point -of natural history or politics, closes the ceremonies of the -dinner hour at Fort Vancouver. These are some of the -incidents of life at Vancouver.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67"></a>[67]</span></p> - -<p>But we moor on the lower point of Wappatoo Island, -to regale ourselves with food and fire. This is the highest -point of it, and is said to be never overflown. A bold -rocky shore, and the water is deep enough to float the -largest vessels, indicate it to be a site for the commercial -mart of the island. But the southern shore of the river, -half a mile below, is past a doubt the most important point -for a town site on the Columbia.<a id="FNanchor_83" href="#Footnote_83" class="fnanchor">[83]</a> It lies at the lower -mouth of the Willamette, the natural outlet of the best -agricultural district of {269} Oregon. It is a hillside -of gentle acclivity, covered with pine forests. There is -a gorge in the mountains through which a road from it -to the prairies on the south can easily be constructed. -At this place the Hudson’s Bay Company have erected a -house, and occupy it with one of their servants.</p> - -<p>Having eaten our cold lunch, we left Wappatoo Island -to the dominion of its wild hogs, and took again to our -boat. It was a drizzly, cheerless day. The clouds ran -fast from the south-west, and obscured the sun. The -wind fell in irregular gusts upon the water, and made it -difficult to keep our boat afloat. But we had a sturdy -old Sandwich Islander at one oar, and some four or five -able-bodied Indians at others, and despite winds and waves, -slept that night a dozen miles below the Cowelitz. Thus -far below Vancouver, the Columbia was generally more -than one thousand yards wide, girded on either side by -mountains rising very generally, from the water side, -two or three thousand feet in height, and covered with -dense forests of pine and fir. These mountains are used -by the Chinooks as burial-places. During the epidemic -fever of 1832, which almost swept this {270} portion of -the Columbia valley of its inhabitants, vast numbers of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68"></a>[68]</span> -the dead were placed among them. They were usually -wrapped in skins, placed in the canoes, and hung from -the boughs of trees six or eight feet from the ground. -Thousands of these were seen.<a id="FNanchor_84" href="#Footnote_84" class="fnanchor">[84]</a></p> - -<p>They hung in groups near the water side. One of them -had a canoe inverted over the one containing the dead, -and lashed tightly to it. We were often driven close to -the shore by the heavy wind, and always noticed that -these sepulchral canoes were perforated at the bottom. -I was informed that this is always done for the twofold -purpose of letting out the water which the rains may deposit -in them, and of preventing their ever being used again by -the living.</p> - -<p>The 3rd was a boisterous day. The southerly winds -drove in a heavy tide from the Pacific, and lashed the -Columbia into foam; but by keeping under the windward -shore, we made steady progress till sunset, when -the increased expanse of the river indicated that we were -about fifteen miles from the sea. The wind died away, -and we pushed on rapidly; but the darkness was so great -that we lost our course, and grounded upon a sand-bar -three miles to the {271} north of Tongue Point.<a id="FNanchor_85" href="#Footnote_85" class="fnanchor">[85]</a> After -considerable trouble, we succeeded in getting off, steered -to the northern shore, and in half an hour were again in -deep water. But “the ship, the ship,” was on every -tongue. Was it above or below Tongue Point? If the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69"></a>[69]</span> -latter, we could not reach it that night, for the wind freshened -again every instant, and the waves grew angry and -fearful, and dashed into the boat at every sweep of the -paddles.</p> - -<p>We were beginning to calculate our prospects of another -hour’s breathing when the shadowy outline of the ship -was brought between us and the open horizon of the -mouth of the river, a half mile below us. The oars struck -fast and powerfully now, and the frail boat shot over the -whitened waves for a few minutes, and lay dancing and -surging under the lee of the noble “Vancouver.” A rope -was hastily thrown us, and we stood upon her beautiful -deck, manifestly barely saved from a watery grave. For -now the sounding waves broke awfully all around us. -Captain Duncan received us very kindly, and introduced -us immediately to the cordial hospitalities of his cabin. -The next morning we dropped down to Astoria, and -anchored one hundred {272} yards from the shore. The -captain and passengers landed about ten o’clock; and -as I felt peculiar interest in the spot, immortalized no less -by the genius of Irving than the enterprize of John Jacob -Astor, I spent my time very industriously in exploring it.</p> - -<p>The site of this place is three quarters of a mile above -the point of land between the Columbia and Clatsop Bay. -It is a hillside, formerly covered with a very heavy forest. -The space which has been cleared may amount to four -acres. It is rendered too wet for cultivation by numberless -springs bursting from the surface. The back ground -is still a forest rising over lofty hills; in the foreground -is the Columbia, and the broken pine hills of the opposite -shore. The Pacific opens in the west.</p> - -<p>Astoria has passed away; nothing is left of its buildings -but an old batten cedar door; nothing remaining -of its bastions and pickets, but half a dozen of the latter,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70"></a>[70]</span> -tottering among the underbrush. While scrambling over -the grounds, we came upon the trunk of an immense tree, -long since prostrated, which measured between six and -seven fathoms in circumference. No information {273} -could be obtained as to the length of time it had been -decaying.</p> - -<p>The Hudson’s Bay Company are in possession, and -call the post Fort George. They have erected three log -buildings, and occupy them with a clerk,<a id="FNanchor_86" href="#Footnote_86" class="fnanchor">[86]</a> who acts as a -telegraph keeper of events at the mouth of the river. If -a vessel arrives, or is seen laying off and on, information -of the fact is sent to Vancouver, with all the rapidity which -can be extracted from arms and paddles.</p> - -<p>This individual also carries on a limited trade with the -Chinook and Clatsop Indians; such is his influence over -them, that he bears among the Company’s gentlemen the -very distinguished title of “King of the Chinooks.” He -is a fine, lusty, companionable fellow, and I am disposed -to believe, wears the crown with quite as little injury to -his subjects as to himself.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon we bade adieu to Astoria, and dropped -down toward Cape Disappointment.—The channel of -the river runs from the fort in a north-western direction -to the point of the Cape, and thence close under it in a -south-westerly course the distance of four miles, where -it crosses the bar. The wind was quite baffling while -we {274} were crossing to the northern side; and we -consequently began to anticipate a long residence in -Baker’s Bay.<a id="FNanchor_87" href="#Footnote_87" class="fnanchor">[87]</a> But as we neared the Cape, a delightful -breeze sprang up in the east, filled every sail, and drove<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71"></a>[71]</span> -the stately ship through the heavy seas and swells most -merrily.</p> - -<p>The lead is dipping, and the sailors are chanting each -measure as they take it; we approach the bar; the soundings -decrease; every shout grows more and more awful! -the keel of the Vancouver is within fifteen inches of the -bar! Every breath is suspended, and every eye fixed -on the leads, as they are quickly thrown again! They -sink; and the chant for five fathoms enables us to breathe -freely. We have passed the bar; Captain Duncan grasps -his passengers by the hand warmly, and congratulates -them at having escaped being lost in those wild waters, -where many a noble ship and brave heart have sunk -together and for ever.</p> - -<p>Off the mouth of the Columbia—on the deep, long -swells of the Pacific seas. The rolling surges boom along -the mountainous shores. Up the vale one hundred miles -the white pyramid of Mount Washington towers above -the clouds, and the green {275} forest of Lower Oregon. -That scene I shall never forget. It was too wild, too -unearthly to be described. It was seen at sunset; and -a night of horrid tempest shut in upon this, the author’s -last view of Oregon.</p> - -<p>The following abstract of Commander Wilkes’ Report -on Oregon came to hand while this work was in the press, -and the author takes great pleasure in appending it to his -work. Mr. Wilkes’ statistics of the Territory, it will be -seen, agree in all essential particulars with those given in -previous pages. There is one point only of any importance -that needs to be named, in regard to which truth -requires a protest; and that is contained in the commander’s -concluding remarks. It will be seen on reference to them, -that the agricultural capabilities of Oregon are placed -above those of any part of the world beyond the tropics.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72"></a>[72]</span> -This is a most surprising conclusion; at war with his own -account of the several sections which he visited, and denied -by every intelligent man living in the territory. What! -Oregon, in this respect, equal to California, or the Valley -of the Mississippi! This can never be, until Oregon be -blessed with a vast increase of productive soil, and California -{276} and our own unequalled Valley be greatly -changed.</p> - -<h3><i>Extracts from the Report of Lieutenant Wilkes to the Secretary -of the Navy, of the examination, by the Exploring -Expedition, of the Oregon Territory.</i><a id="FNanchor_88" href="#Footnote_88" class="fnanchor">[88]</a></h3> - -<p>The Territory embraced under the name of Oregon, -extends from latitude 42° north to that of 53° 40′ north, -and west of the Rocky Mountains. Its natural boundaries, -were they attended to, would confine it within the above -geographical boundaries.</p> - -<p>On the east it has the range of Rocky Mountains along -its whole extent; on the south those of the Klamet range, -running on the parallel of 42° and dividing it from California; -on the west the Pacific Ocean; and on the north -the western trend of the Rocky Mountains, and the -chain of lakes near and along the parallels of 54° and 55°<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73"></a>[73]</span> -north, dividing it from the British territory. It is remarkable -that, within these limits, all the rivers which flow -through the Territory take their rise.</p> - -<p>The Territory is divided into three natural belts or -sections, viz:</p> - -<p>{277} 1st. That between the Pacific Ocean and Cascade -Mountains, (President’s range) or western section;</p> - -<p>2nd. That between the Cascade mountains and blue -mountain range, or middle section;</p> - -<p>3rd. That between the Blue and Rocky Mountain -chains, or eastern section.</p> - -<p>And this division will equally apply to the soil, climate, -and productions.</p> - -<p>The mountain ranges run, for the most part, in parallel -lines with the coast, and, rising in many places above the -snow line (here found to be 6,500 feet), would naturally -produce a difference of temperature between them, and -also affect their productions.</p> - -<p>Our surveys and explorations were confined, for the -most part, to the two first, claiming more interest from -being less known, and more in accordance with my instructions.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Mountains.</span>—The Cascade range, or that nearest -the coast, runs from the southern boundary, on a parallel -with the sea coast, the whole length of the territory, north -and south, rising, in many places, in high peaks, from -twelve to fourteen thousand feet above the level of the -sea, in regular cones. Their {278} distance from the -coast line is from one hundred to a hundred and fifty miles, -and they almost interrupt the communication between -the sections, except where the two great rivers, the Columbia -and Frazer’s, force a passage through them.</p> - -<p>There are a few mountain passes, but they are difficult, -and only to be attempted late in the spring and summer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74"></a>[74]</span></p> - -<p>A small range (the Claset) lies to the northward of the -Columbia, between the coast and the waters of Puget’s -Sound, and along the strait of Juan de Fuca. This has -several high peaks, which rise above the snow line, but, -from their proximity to the sea, they are not at all times -covered.<a id="FNanchor_89" href="#Footnote_89" class="fnanchor">[89]</a></p> - -<p>Their general direction is north and south, but there -are many spurs or offsets that cause this portion to be -very rugged.</p> - -<p>The Blue mountains are irregular in their course, and -occasionally interrupted, but generally tend from north -by east to north-east, and from south to south-west.</p> - -<p>In some parts they may be traced as spurs or offsets -of the Rocky Mountains. Near the southern boundary -they unite with the Klamet range, which runs east and -west from the rocky mountains.<a id="FNanchor_90" href="#Footnote_90" class="fnanchor">[90]</a></p> - -<p>{279} The Rocky Mountains are too well known to -need description. The different passes will, however, claim -attention hereafter. North of 48° the ranges are nearly -parallel and have the rivers flowing between them.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Islands.</span>—Attached to the territory are groups of -islands, bordering its northern coast. Among these are -the large islands of Vancouver and Washington or Queen -Charlotte; the former being two hundred and sixty miles -in length, and fifty in width, containing about fifteen<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75"></a>[75]</span> -thousand square miles, and the latter a hundred and fifty -miles in length and thirty in breadth, containing four -thousand square miles.<a id="FNanchor_91" href="#Footnote_91" class="fnanchor">[91]</a></p> - -<p>Though somewhat broken in surface, their soil is said -to be well adapted to agriculture.</p> - -<p>They have many good harbours, and have long been -the resort of those engaged in the fur trade; they enjoy -a mild and salubrious climate, and have an abundance -of fine fish frequenting their waters, which are taken in -large quantities by the natives. Coal of good quality -is found, specimens of which I obtained. The Hudson’s -Bay Company have made a trial of it, but, owing to its -having been taken from near the surface, it {280} was -not very highly spoken of. Veins of minerals are also -said to exist by those acquainted with these islands.</p> - -<p>They both appear to be more densely inhabited than -other portions of the territory. The natives are considered -a treacherous race, particularly those in the vicinity of -Johnson’s Straits,<a id="FNanchor_92" href="#Footnote_92" class="fnanchor">[92]</a> and are to be closely watched when -dealing with them.</p> - -<p>At the south-east end of Vancouver’s, there is a small -archipelago of islands, through which the canal de Arro<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76"></a>[76]</span> -runs.<a id="FNanchor_93" href="#Footnote_93" class="fnanchor">[93]</a> They are for the most part uninhabited, well -wooded, and composed of granite and pudding stone, -which appear to be the prevailing rock to the northward -of a line east from the strait of Juan de Fuca. They -are generally destitute of fresh water, have but few anchorages, -and strong currents render navigation among them -difficult.</p> - -<p>The islands nearer the main land, called on the maps -Pitt’s Banks, or the Prince Royal islands, are of the same -character, and are only occasionally resorted to by the -Indians, for the purpose of fishing.<a id="FNanchor_94" href="#Footnote_94" class="fnanchor">[94]</a></p> - -<p>The coast of the mainland, north of the parallel of 49°, -is broken up by numerous inlets called canals, having -perpendicular sides, and very deep water in them, affording -{281} no harbours, and but few commercial inducements -to frequent them.</p> - -<p>The land is equally cut up by spurs from the Cascade -range, which here intersects the country in all directions, -and prevents its adaptation for agriculture.</p> - -<p>Its value is principally in its timber, and it is believed -that few if any countries can compare with it in this respect.</p> - -<p>There is no part on this coast where a settlement could -be formed between Frazer’s river, or 49° north, and the -northern boundary of 54° 40′ north, that would be able -to supply its own wants.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77"></a>[77]</span></p> - -<p>The Hudson’s Bay Company have posts within this -section of the country: Fort McLaughlin, in Millbank -sound, in latitude 52° 10′ north, and Fort Simpson, in -latitude 54° 30′ north, within Dundas island, and at the -entrance of Chatham sound; but they are only posts for -the fur trade of the coast, and are supplied twice a year -with provisions, &c.</p> - -<p>It is believed that the Company have yet no establishment -on any of the islands; but I understood it was in -contemplation to make one on Vancouver’s island, in -the vicinity of Nootka sound, or that of Clayoquot.<a id="FNanchor_95" href="#Footnote_95" class="fnanchor">[95]</a></p> - -<p>{282} Owing to the dense fogs, the coast is extremely -dangerous; and they render it at all times difficult to -approach and navigate it. The interior of this portion -of the territory is traversed by the three ranges of mountains, -with the several rivers which take their rise in them, -and is probably unequalled for its ruggedness, and from -all accounts incapable of anything like cultivation.</p> - -<p>The Columbia in its trend to the westward, along the -parallel of 48°, cuts off the central or Blue mountain range, -which is not again met with until on the parallel of 45°. -From 45° they trend away to the southward and westward, -until they fall into the Klamet range. This latter -portion is but partially wooded.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Rivers.</span>—The Columbia claims the first notice. Its<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78"></a>[78]</span> -northern branch takes its rise in the Rocky mountains, -in latitude 50° north, longitude 116° west; from thence -it pursues a northern route to near McGillivray’s Pass, -in the Rocky mountains.<a id="FNanchor_96" href="#Footnote_96" class="fnanchor">[96]</a> At the boat encampment, -the river is three thousand six hundred feet above the -level of the sea (here it receives two small tributaries, -the Canoe river and that from the Committee’s Punch -Bowl), from thence it {283} turns south, having some -obstructions to its safe navigation, and receiving many -tributaries in its course to Colville, among which are the -Kootanie, or Flat Bow, and the Flat Head or Clarke -river from the east, and that of Colville from the -west.</p> - -<p>This great river is bounded thus far on its course by a -range of high mountains, well-wooded, and in places -expands into a line of lakes before it reaches Colville, -where it is two thousand and forty-nine feet above the -level of the sea, having a fall of five hundred and fifty -feet in two hundred and twenty miles. To the south -of this it trends to the westward, receiving the Spokan -river from the east, which is not navigable, and takes -its rise in the Lake of Cœur d’Alène. Thence it pursues -a westerly course for about sixty miles, receiving several -smaller streams, and at its bend to the south it is joined -by the Okanagan, a river that has its source in a line of -lakes, affording canoe and boat navigation for a considerable -extent to the northward.</p> - -<p>The Columbia thence passes to the southward until -it reaches Wallawalla, in the latitude of 45° a distance -of one hundred and sixty miles, receiving the Piscous,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79"></a>[79]</span> -Y’Akama, and Point de Boise, or Entyatecoom,<a id="FNanchor_97" href="#Footnote_97" class="fnanchor">[97]</a> from -{284} the west, which take their rise in the Cascade range, -and also its great south-eastern branch, the Saptin or -Lewis, which has its source in the Rocky mountains, -near our southern boundary, and being a large quantity -of water to increase the volume of the main stream. The -Lewis is not navigable, even for canoes, except in reaches. -The rapids are extensive and of frequent occurrence. It -generally passes between the Rocky mountain spurs and -the Blue mountains. It receives the Koos-koos-ke, Salmon, -and several other rivers, from the east and west -(the former from the Rocky mountains, the latter from -the Blue mountains)<a id="FNanchor_98" href="#Footnote_98" class="fnanchor">[98]</a> and, were it navigable, would -much facilitate the intercourse with this part of the country. -Its length to its junction with the Columbia is five -hundred and twenty miles.</p> - -<p>The Columbia at Wallawalla is one thousand two -hundred and eighty-six feet above the level of the sea, -and about three thousand five hundred wide; it now takes -its last turn to the westward, receiving the Umatilla, -Quisnel’s, John Day’s, and de Chute rivers from the south, -and Cathlatate’s from the north,<a id="FNanchor_99" href="#Footnote_99" class="fnanchor">[99]</a> pursuing its rapid<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80"></a>[80]</span> -course of eighty miles, previous to passing through the -range of Cascade mountains, in {285} a series of falls -and rapids that obstruct its flow, and form insurmountable -barriers to the passage of boats by water during the -floods. These difficulties, however, are overcome by -portages.</p> - -<p>From thence there is a still water navigation for forty -miles, when its course is again obstructed by rapids.</p> - -<p>Thence to the ocean, one hundred and twenty miles, -it is navigable for vessels of twelve feet draught of water -at the lowest state of the river, though obstructed by -many sand-bars.</p> - -<p>In this part it receives the Willamette from the south, -and the Cowelitz from the north. The former is navigable -for small vessels twenty miles, to the mouth of the Klackamus, -three miles below its falls; the latter cannot be called -navigable except for a small part of the year, during the -floods, and then only for canoes and barges.<a id="FNanchor_100" href="#Footnote_100" class="fnanchor">[100]</a></p> - -<p>The width of the Columbia, within twenty miles of -its mouth, is much increased, and it joins the ocean -between Cape Disappointment and Point Adams, forming -a sand-pit from each by deposit, and causing a dangerous -bar, which greatly impedes its navigation and entrance.</p> - -<p>Frazer’s river next claims attention. It {286} takes -its rise in the Rocky mountain, near the source of Canoe -river, taking a north-western course of eighty miles; it -then turns to the southward, receiving the waters of -Stuart’s river, which rises in a chain of lakes near the -northern boundary of the Territory.<a id="FNanchor_101" href="#Footnote_101" class="fnanchor">[101]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81"></a>[81]</span></p> - -<p>It then pursues a southerly course, receiving the waters -of the Chilcotin, Pinkslitsa, and several smaller streams, -from the west, and those of Thompson’s river, Quisnell’s<a id="FNanchor_102" href="#Footnote_102" class="fnanchor">[102]</a> -and other streams, from the east, (these take their rise -in lakes, and are navigable in canoes, by making portages); -and under the parallel of 49° it breaks through the Cascade -range in a succession of falls and rapids, and, after -a westerly course of seventy miles it empties itself into -the gulf of Georgia, in the latitude of 49° 07′ north. This -latter portion is navigable for vessels that can pass its -bar drawing twelve feet water; its whole length being -three hundred and fifty miles.</p> - -<p>The Chikeelis is next in importance. It has three -sources among the range of hills that intersect the country -north of the Columbia river. After a very tortuous course, -and receiving some small streams issuing from the lakes -in the high ground near the {287} headquarters of Hood’s -canal and Puget’s Sound, it disembogues in Grey’s harbour;<a id="FNanchor_103" href="#Footnote_103" class="fnanchor">[103]</a> -it is not navigable except for canoes; its current -is rapid, and the stream much obstructed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82"></a>[82]</span></p> - -<p>To the south of the Columbia there are many small -streams, three of which only deserve the name of rivers: -the Umpqua, Too-too-tut-na, or Rogues’ river, and the -Klamet, which latter empties itself into the ocean south -of the parallel of 42°.<a id="FNanchor_104" href="#Footnote_104" class="fnanchor">[104]</a> None of these form harbours -capable of receiving a vessel of more than eight feet -draught of water, and the bars for most part of the year -are impassable from the surf that sets in on the coast. -The character of the great rivers is peculiar—rapid -and sunken much below the level of the country, with -perpendicular banks; indeed they are, as it were, in -trenches, it being extremely difficult to get at the water -in many places, owing to the steep basaltic walls; and -during the rise they are in many places confined by dalles, -which back the water some distance, submerging islands -and <i>tracts of low prairie</i>, giving the appearance of extensive -lakes.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lakes.</span>—There are in the various sections of the -country many lakes. The Okanagan, Stuart’s, Quisnell’s, -and Kamloop’s are the largest in the northern -section.<a id="FNanchor_105" href="#Footnote_105" class="fnanchor">[105]</a></p> - -<p>{288} The Flat Bow, Cœur d’Alène, and Kulluspelm, -in the middle section, and those forming the head-waters -of the large rivers in the eastern section.<a id="FNanchor_106" href="#Footnote_106" class="fnanchor">[106]</a> The country<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83"></a>[83]</span> -is well watered, and there are but few places where an -abundance of water, either from rivers, springs, or rivulets, -cannot be obtained.</p> - -<p>The smaller lakes add much to the picturesque beauty -of the country. They are generally at the head-waters -of the smaller streams. The map will point out more -particularly their extent and locality.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Harbours.</span>—All the harbours formed by the rivers -on the sea-coast are obstructed by extensive sand-bars, -which make them difficult to enter. The rivers bring -down large quantities of sand, which is deposited on -meeting with the ocean, causing a gradual increase of -the impediments already existing at their mouths. None -of them can be deemed safe ports to enter. The entrance -to the Columbia is impracticable two-thirds of the year, -and the difficulty of leaving is equally great.</p> - -<p>The north sands are rapidly increasing, and extending -further to the southward. In the memory of several of -those who have been longest in the country, Cape Disappointment -has been encroached upon some {289} hundred -feet by the sea, and, during my short experience, -nearly half an acre of the middle sands was washed away -in a few days. These sands are known to change every -season.</p> - -<p>The exploration made of the Clatsop, or South channel, -it is believed, will give more safety to vessels capable of -entering the river. The depth of water on the bar seems -not to have changed, though the passage has become -somewhat narrow.</p> - -<p>Grey’s harbour will admit of vessels of light draught -of water, (ten feet), but there is but little room in it, on<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84"></a>[84]</span> -account of the extensive mud and sand flats. A survey -was made of it, to which I refer for particulars.</p> - -<p>This, however, is not the case with the harbours formed -within the straits of Juan de Fuca, of which there are -many; and no part of the world affords finer inland sounds -or a greater number of harbours than can be found here, -capable of receiving the largest class of vessels, and without -a danger in them which is not visible. From the -rise and fall of the tides, (eighteen feet), every facility -is afforded for the erection of works for a great maritime -nation. For {290} further information, our extensive surveys -of these waters are referred to.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Climate.</span>—That of the western section is mild throughout -the year, neither experiencing the cold of winter nor -the heat of summer. By my experiments, the mean -temperature was found to be 54° of Fahrenheit.</p> - -<p>The prevailing winds in the summer are from the northward -and westward, and in the winter, from the southward -and westward, and south-east, which are tempestuous. -The winter is supposed to last from December to February; -rains usually begin to fall in November, and last -till March, but they are not heavy though frequent.</p> - -<p>Snow sometimes falls, but it seldom lies more than -three days. The frosts are early, occurring in the latter -part of August; this, however, is to be accounted for by -the proximity of the mountains. A mountain or easterly -wind invariably causes a great fall in the temperature; -these winds are not frequent. During the summer of our -operations, I found but <i>three days</i> noted of easterly -winds.</p> - -<p>The nights are cold, and affect the vegetation so far, -that Indian corn will not ripen. Fruit-trees blossom -early in April {291} at Nisqually and Vancouver; and at -the former place, on the 12th of May, peas were a foot<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85"></a>[85]</span> -high, strawberries in full blossom, and salad had already -gone to seed.</p> - -<p>The mean height of the barometer, during our stay -at Nisqually, was 30.046 inches, and of the thermometer -66° 58′ Fahrenheit. The thermometer at 4 <span class="allsmcap">A. M.</span> on the -4th of July, was at 50° Fahrenheit, and on the same day, -at 2 <span class="allsmcap">P. M.</span>, 90° Fahrenheit. The lowest degree was 39° at -4 <span class="allsmcap">A. M.</span>, May 22d, and at 5 <span class="allsmcap">P. M.</span> of the same day, the -temperature was 72° of Fahrenheit.</p> - -<p>From June to September at Vancouver the mean height -of the barometer was 30.32 inches, and the thermometer -66° 33′ of Fahrenheit. Out of one hundred and six days, -seventy-six were fair, nineteen cloudy, and eleven rainy. -The rains are light; this is evident from the hills <i>not being -washed</i>, and having a sward to their tops, <i>although of -great declivity</i>.</p> - -<p>The second, or middle section, is subject to droughts. -During the summer the atmosphere is much drier and -warmer, and the winter much colder than in the western -section. Its extremes of heat and cold are more frequent -and greater, the mercury at times falling as low as minus -18° of {292} Fahrenheit in the winter, and rising to 180° -[<i>sic</i>] in the shade in summer; the daily difference of temperature -is about 40° Fahrenheit. It has, however, been -found extremely salubrious, possessing a pure and healthy air.</p> - -<p>The stations of the missionaries and posts of the Hudson’s -Bay Company, have afforded me the means of obtaining -information relative to the climate. Although full -data have not been kept, yet these observations afford a -tolerably good knowledge of the weather.</p> - -<p>In summer the atmosphere is cooled by the strong -westerly breezes, which replace the vacuum produced -by the heated prairie grounds. No dews fall in this -section.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86"></a>[86]</span></p> - -<p>The climate of the third, or eastern section, is extremely -variable. The temperature during the day, differing -from 50° to 60°, renders it unfit for agriculture, and there -are but few places in its northern part where the climate -would not effectually put a stop to its ever becoming -settled.</p> - -<p>In each day, from the best accounts, all the changes -are experienced incident to spring, summer, autumn, -and winter. There are places where small farms might -be located, but they are few in number.</p> - -<p>{293} <span class="smcap">Soil.</span>—That of the first, or western section varies -in the northern parts from a light brown loam to a thin -vegetable earth, with gravel and sand as a sub-soil: in -the middle parts, from a rich heavy loam and unctuous -clay to a deep heavy black loam on a trap rock; and in the -southern, the soil is generally good, varying from a black -vegetable loam to decomposed basalt, with stiff clay, and -portions of loose gravel soil. The hills are generally -basalt, and stone, and slate.</p> - -<p>Between the Umpqua and the boundary, the rocks -are primitive, consisting of talcon slate, hornblende, and -granite, which produce a gritty and poor soil; some places -of rich prairie however, occur covered with oaks.</p> - -<p>The soil of the second, or middle section, is for the -most part a light sandy loam, in the valleys rich alluvial, -and the hills are generally barren.</p> - -<p>The third, or eastern section, is a rocky, broken, and -barren country. Stupendous mountain spurs traverse it -in all directions, affording little level ground; snow lies -on the mountains nearly, if not quite, the year through.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Agriculture, Productions, &c.</span>—The {294} first -section, for the most part, is a well-timbered country; -it is intersected with the spurs, or offsets, from the Cascade -mountains, which render its surface much broken: these<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87"></a>[87]</span> -are covered with a dense forest. It is well-watered, and -communication between the northern, southern, and middle -parts is difficult, on account of the various rivers, spurs -of mountains, &c.</p> - -<p>The timber consists of pines, firs, spruce, oaks, (red -and white), ash, arbutus, arbor vitæ, cedar, poplar, maple, -willow, cherry, and tew, with a close undergrowth of -hazel, rubus, roses, &c. The richest and best soil is -found on the second or middle prairie, and is best adapted -for agriculture, the high and low being excellent for pasture -land.</p> - -<p>The pine woods run on the east side, and near the foot -of the Cascade range. The climate and soil are admirably -adapted for all kinds of grain, wheat, rye, oats, barley, -peas, &c. Indian corn does not thrive in any part of -this territory where it has been tried. Many fruits appear -to succeed well, particularly the apple and pear. Vegetables -grow exceedingly well, and yield most abundantly.</p> - -<p>The surface of the middle section is about one thousand -feet above the level of the first {295} or western section, -and is generally a rolling prairie country. That part -lying to the north of the parallel of 48° is very much broken -with mountain chains and rivers, consequently barren -and very rugged. From the great and frequent changes -in its temperature, it is totally unfit for agriculture, but -is well supplied with game of all the kinds which are -found in the country.</p> - -<p>The mountain chains on the parallel of 48° are cut off -by the Columbia, as before stated, leaving an extensive -rolling country in the centre of the Territory, which is -well adapted for grazing.</p> - -<p>The southern part of this section is destitute of timber -or wood, unless the wormwood (artimesia) may be so -called. To the northward of the parallel of 49° it is covered<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88"></a>[88]</span> -with forests. Wheat and other grains grow well in the -bottoms, where they can be irrigated. The soil in such -places is rich, and capable of producing almost any -thing.</p> - -<p>The missionaries have succeeded in raising good crops. -Stock succeeds here even better than in the lower country. -Notwithstanding the severe cold, the cattle are not housed, -nor is provender laid in for them, the country being -sufficiently supplied with fodder in the natural hay -that is abundant {296} everywhere in the prairie, which -is preferred by the cattle to the fresh grass at the bottoms.</p> - -<p>No attempts at agriculture have been made in the third -section, except at Fort Hall. The small grains thrive -tolerably well, together with vegetables, and a sufficient -quantity has been obtained to supply the wants of the -post. The ground is well adapted for grazing in the -prairies, and, despite its changeable climate, stock is found -to thrive well and endure the severity of the winter without -protection.</p> - -<p>This section is exceedingly dry and arid, rains seldom -falling, and but little snow. The country is partially -timbered, and the soil much impregnated with salts. The -missionary station on the Koos-koos-ke, near the western -line of this section, is thought by the missionaries to be a -<i>wet climate</i>.<a id="FNanchor_107" href="#Footnote_107" class="fnanchor">[107]</a></p> - -<p>The soil along the river bottoms is generally alluvial, -and would yield good crops, were it not for the overflowing -of the rivers, which check and kill the grain. Some -of the finest portions of the land are thus unfit for cultivation; -they are generally covered with water before the -banks are {297} overflown, in consequence of the quicksands<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89"></a>[89]</span> -which exist in them, and through which the water -percolates.</p> - -<p>The rivers of this Territory afford no fertilizing properties -to the soil, but, on the contrary, are destitute of all substances. -The temperature of the Columbia in the latter -part of May was 42°, and in September 68°.</p> - -<p>The rise of the streams flowing from the Cascade mountains -takes place twice a-year, in February and November, -from the rains; that of the Columbia in May and June, -from the melting of the snows. Sometimes the rise of -the latter is very sudden, if heavy rains occur at that period; -but usually it is gradual, and reaches its greatest height -from the 6th to the 15th of June. Its perpendicular rise -is from eighteen to twenty feet at Vancouver, where a line -of embankment has been thrown up to protect the lower -prairie; but it has been generally flooded, and the crops -in most cases destroyed. It is the intention to abandon -its cultivation, and devote it to pasturage.</p> - -<p>The greatest rise in the Willamette takes place in February; -and I was informed that it rose sometimes twenty -to twenty-five feet, {298} and quite suddenly, but soon -subsides. It occasionally causes much damage.</p> - -<p>Both the Willamette and the Cowelitz are much swollen -by the backing of their waters during the height of the -Columbia, and all their lower grounds submerged. This -puts an effectual bar to their prairies being used for any -thing but pasturage, which is fine throughout the year, -excepting in the season of the floods, when the cattle are -driven to the high grounds.</p> - -<p>My knowledge of the agriculture of this Territory it -will be well to mention, is derived from visits made to -the various settlements, except Fort Langley and Fort -Hall.</p> - -<p>The Indians on the different islands in Puget’s Sound<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90"></a>[90]</span> -and Admiralty Inlet cultivate potatoes principally, which -are extremely fine, and raised in great abundance, and -now constitute a large portion of their food.<a id="FNanchor_108" href="#Footnote_108" class="fnanchor">[108]</a></p> - -<p>At Nisqually the Hudson’s Bay Company had fine -crops of wheat, oats, peas, potatoes, &c. The wheat, -it was supposed, would yield fifteen bushels to the acre. -The farm has been two years under cultivation, and is -principally intended for a grazing and dairy farm. They -have now seventy milch cows, and make butter, &c., -to supply their contract with the Russians.</p> - -<p>{299} The Cowelitz farm is also in the western section. -The produce of wheat is good—about twenty bushels -to the acre. The ground, however, has just been brought -under cultivation. The Company have here six hundred -acres, which are situated on the Cowelitz river, about -thirty miles from the Columbia, and on the former are -erecting a saw and grist mill. The farm is finely situated, -and the harvest of 1841 produced seven thousand bushels -of wheat.<a id="FNanchor_109" href="#Footnote_109" class="fnanchor">[109]</a></p> - -<p>Several Canadians are also established here, who told -me that they succeeded well with but little work. They -have erected buildings, live comfortably, and work small -farms of fifty acres.</p> - -<p>I was told that the stock on these farms did not thrive -so well as elsewhere. There are no low prairie grounds -on the river in this vicinity, and it is too far for them to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91"></a>[91]</span> -resort to the Kamas plains, a fine grazing country, but -a few miles distant. The wolves make sad depredations -with the increase of their flock, if not well watched.</p> - -<p>The hilly portion of the country, although its soil in -many places is very good, is yet so heavily timbered as to -make it, in the present state of the country, valueless: -this is also the case with many fine portions of {300} level -ground. There are, however, large tracts of fine prairie, -suitable for cultivation, and ready for the plough.</p> - -<p>The Willamette valley is supposed to be the finest portion -of the country, though I am of opinion that many -parts of the southern portion of the territory will be found -far superior to it. The largest settlement is in the northern -part of the valley, some fifteen miles above the falls. About -sixty families are settled there, the industrious of whom -appear to be thriving. They are composed of American -missionaries, trappers, and Canadians, who were formerly -servants of the Hudson’s Bay Company. All of them -appeared to be doing well; but I was on the whole disappointed, -from the reports that had been made to me, -not to find the settlement in a state of greater forwardness, -considering the advantages the missionaries have had.</p> - -<p>In comparison with our own country, I would say that -the labour necessary in this territory to acquire wealth -or subsistence is in the proportion of one to three; or in -other words, a man must work through the year three -times as much in the United States, to gain the like competency. -The care of stock, which occupies so much -time {301} with us, requires no attention there, and on -the increase only a man might find support.</p> - -<p>The wheat of this valley yields thirty-five to forty bushels -for one sown, or twenty to thirty bushels to the acre; its -quality is superior to that grown in the United States, -and its weight nearly four pounds to the bushel heavier.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92"></a>[92]</span> -The above is the yield of new land; but it is believed it -will greatly exceed this after the third crop, when the -land has been broken up and well tilled.</p> - -<p>After passing into the middle section, the climate undergoes -a decided change; in place of the cool and moist atmosphere, -one that is dry and arid is entered, and the crops -suffer from drought.</p> - -<p>The only wood or bush seen, is the wormwood, (artimesia), -and this only in places. All cultivation has to -be more or less carried on by irrigation.</p> - -<p>The country bordering the Columbia, above the Dalles, -to the north and south of the river, is the poorest in the -territory, and has no doubt led many to look upon the -middle section as perfectly useless to man. Twenty or -thirty miles on either side of the river are so; but beyond -that a fine grazing country exists, and in very many places -there are portions of it that might be advantageously -{302} farmed. On the banks of the Wallawalla, a small -stream emptying into the Columbia, about twenty-five -miles from the Company’s post, a missionary is established -who raises very fine wheat on the low bottoms, by -using its waters for the purpose of irrigation. This is -also the case at the mission station at Lapwai, on the -Koos-koos-ke, where fine crops are raised; grains, vegetables -and some fruits thrive remarkably well. In the -northern part of this section, at Chimekaine, there is -another missionary station. Near the Spokan, and at -Colville, the country is well adapted for agriculture, and -it is successfully carried on. Colville supplies all the northern -posts, and the missionaries in its vicinity are doing -well. The northern part of this section will be able to -supply the whole southern part with wood. At Colville -the changes of temperature are great during the twenty-four -hours, but are not injurious to the small grain. The -cultivation of fruit has been successful.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93"></a>[93]</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Fisheries.</span>—It will be almost impossible to give an -idea of the extensive fisheries in the rivers and on the -coast. They all abound in salmon of the finest flavour, -which run twice a year, beginning in May {303} and -October, and appear inexhaustible; the whole population -live upon them. The Columbia produces the largest, -and probably affords the greatest numbers. There are -some few of the branches of the Columbia that the spring -fish do not enter, but they are plentifully supplied in the fall.</p> - -<p>The great fishery of the Columbia is at the Dalles; but -all the rivers are well supplied. The last one on the -northern branch of the Columbia is near Colville, at the -Kettle falls; but salmon are found above this in the river -and its tributaries.</p> - -<p>In Frazer’s river the salmon are said to be very numerous, -but not large; they are unable to get above the falls some -eighty miles from the sea.</p> - -<p>In the rivers and sounds are found several kinds of -salmon, salmon-trout, sturgeon, cod, carp, sole, flounders, -ray, perch, herring, lamprey eels, and a kind of smelt, -called “<i>shrow</i>,” in great abundance; also large quantities -of shell fish, viz: crabs, clams, oysters, muscles, &c., which -are all used by the natives, and constitute the greater proportion -of their food.</p> - -<p>Whales in numbers are found along the coast, and are -frequently captured by the {304} Indians in and at the -mouth of the straits of Juan de Fuca.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Game.</span>—Abundance of game exists, such as elk, deer, -antelope, bears, wolves, foxes, musk-rats, martins, bears -and siffleurs, which are eaten by the Canadians. In the -middle section, or that designated as the rolling prairie, -no game is found. The fur-bearing animals are decreasing -in numbers yearly, particularly south of the parallel -of 48°; indeed it is very doubtful whether they are sufficiently -numerous to repay the expense of hunting them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94"></a>[94]</span></p> - -<p>The Hudson’s Bay Company have almost the exclusive -monopoly of this business. They have decreased, owing -to being hunted without regard to season. This is not, -however, the case to the north; there the Company have -been left to exercise their own rule, and prevent the indiscriminate -slaughter of either old or young, out of the -proper season.</p> - -<p>In the spring and fall, the rivers are literally covered -with geese, ducks, and other water fowl.</p> - -<p>In the eastern section, the buffalo abound, and are -hunted by the Oregon Indians, as well as the Blackfeet. -Wolves are troublesome to the settlers, but they are not -so {305} numerous as formerly. From the advantages -this country possesses, it bids fair to have an extensive -commerce on advantageous terms with most ports of the -Pacific. It is well calculated to produce the following -which, in a few years after its settlement, would become -its staples, viz: furs, salted beef and pork, fish, grain, -flour, wool, hides, tallow, lumber, and perhaps coal. A -ready market for all these is now to be found in the Pacific; -and in return for them sugar, coffee and other tropical -productions, may be had at the Sandwich Islands—advantages -that few new countries possess, viz: the facility -of a market, and one that in time must become of immense -extent.</p> - -<p><i>Manufacturing power.</i>—This country, it is believed, -affords as many sites for water power as any other, and -in many places within reach of navigable waters. The -timber of the western section, to the south of 49°, is not -so good as that of the north. This is imputed to the -climate being milder and more changeable. A great -difference is found between the north and south sides -of the trees, the one being of a hard and close grain, while -the other is open and spongy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95"></a>[95]</span></p> - -<p>To the north of the parallel 49°, on Frazer’s River, an -abundance of fine timber {306} for spars of any dimensions -is easily obtained.</p> - -<p>There will always be a demand for the timber of this -country at high prices throughout the Pacific. The oak -is well adapted for ship timber, and abundance of ash, -cedar, cypress and arbor vitæ, may be had for fuel, fencing, -&c.; and, although the southern part of the middle -section is destitute of timber, it may be supplied from -the eastern or northern sections by water carriage.</p> - -<p>Intercommunication would at first appear to be difficult -between the different parts of the country, but I take a -different view of it.</p> - -<p>Stock of all kinds thrive exceedingly well, and they -will in consequence always abound in the territory. The -soil affords every advantage for making good roads, and, -in process of time, transportation must become comparatively -cheap.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Settlements.</span>—They consist principally of those -belonging to the Hudson’s Bay Company, and where -the missionaries have established themselves. They are -as follows: In the western section, Fort Simpson, Fort -McLaughlin, Fort Langley, Nisqually, Cowelitz, Fort -George, Vancouver, and Umpqua; Fort St. James, Barbine, -Alexandria, Chilcothin, Kamloop’s, (on Thompson’s {307} -River); Okanagan, Colville and Wallawalla, in the middle; -and in the eastern, Kootanie and Fort Hall. Fort Boise -has been abandoned, as has also Kaima, a missionary -settlement on the Koos-koos-ke.<a id="FNanchor_110" href="#Footnote_110" class="fnanchor">[110]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96"></a>[96]</span></p> - -<p>These are all small settlements, surrounded by palisades, -with bastions at their corners, enclosing the houses and -stores of the Company, sufficient to protect them against -the Indians, but in no way to be considered as forts. A -few Indians reside near them, who are dependant for -their food and employment on them.</p> - -<p>These forts being situated for the most part near the -great fisheries, are frequented by the Indians, who bring -their furs to trade for blankets, &c., at the same time -they come to lay in their yearly supply of salmon.</p> - -<p>Vancouver is the principal depot from which all supplies -are furnished, and to which returns are made.</p> - -<p>At Vancouver, the village is separated from the fort, -and nearer the river. In addition to its being the depot -of the Hudson’s Bay Company, there is now attached -to it the largest farm of the Puget Sound Company, the -stockholders of which are generally the officers and servants -of the Hudson’s Bay Company. They have now -{308} farms in successful operation at Vancouver, Cowelitz, -Nisqually, Colville, Fort Langley, and the Tualatine -plains, about ten miles from Vancouver, all of which are -well stocked, and supply the Russian post at Sitka, under -contract, with a variety of articles raised on them. They -have introduced large herds and flocks into the territory -from California, and during our stay there several thousand -head were imported.<a id="FNanchor_111" href="#Footnote_111" class="fnanchor">[111]</a> They are thus doing incalculable<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97"></a>[97]</span> -good to the territory, and rendering it more valuable -for future settlers. At the same time, this exerts an influence -in domesticating the Indians, not only by changing -their habits, but food, and attaching them to a locality.</p> - -<p>The Indians of the Territory are not a wandering race, -as some have asserted, but change for food only, and -each successive season will generally find them in their -old haunts, seeking it.</p> - -<p>The settlements established by the missionaries, are -at the Willamette falls and valley, Nisqually and Clatsop, -in the western section, and at the Dalles, Wallawalla, -Lapwai, and Chimekaine, on the Spokan, in the middle.<a id="FNanchor_112" href="#Footnote_112" class="fnanchor">[112]</a></p> - -<p>Those of the middle section are succeeding well; and -although little progress has been made in the conversion -of the Indians {309} to Christianity, yet they have done -much good in reforming some of the vices and teaching -some of the useful arts, particularly that of agriculture, -and the construction of houses, which has had the effect, -in a measure, to attach them to the soil. The men now -rear and tend their cattle, plant their potatoes and corn, -which latter they exchange for buffalo meat with those -who hunt. The squaws attend to their household, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98"></a>[98]</span> -employ themselves in knitting and weaving, which they -have been taught. They raise on their small patches, -corn, potatoes, melons, &c., irrigating the land for that -purpose. There are many villages of Indians still existing, -though greatly reduced in numbers from former -estimates.</p> - -<p><i>Population.</i>—It is extremely difficult to ascertain, with -accuracy, the amount of population in the Territory. -The Indians change to their different abodes as the fishing -seasons come round, which circumstance, if not attended -to, would produce very erroneous results.</p> - -<p>The following is believed to be very nearly the truth; -if any thing, it is overrated:</p> - -<table summary="Population"> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">{310} Vancouver or Washington Island</td> - <td class="tdr">5,000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">From the parallel of 50° to 54° north</td> - <td class="tdr">2,000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Penn’s Cove, Whidby’s Island, mainland (Shatchet tribe)</td> - <td class="tdr">650</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Hood’s canal, (Suquamish and Toando tribe)</td> - <td class="tdr">500</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">At and about Okanagan</td> - <td class="tdr">300</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">About Colville, Spokane, &c.</td> - <td class="tdr">450</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Willamette falls and valley</td> - <td class="tdr">275</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Pillar rock, Oak Point, and Columbia River</td> - <td class="tdr">300</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Port Discovery</td> - <td class="tdr">150</td> - <td rowspan="3" class="vm">} Chalams</td> - <td rowspan="3" class="tdr vm">420</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fort Townsend</td> - <td class="tdr">70</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>New Dungeness</td> - <td class="tdr">200</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Wallawalla, including the Nez-percés, Snakes, &c.</td> - <td class="tdr">1,100</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Killamouks, north of Umpqua</td> - <td class="tdr">400</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Cape Flattery and Queen Hythe to Point Granville, (Classet tribe)</td> - <td class="tdr">1,250</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Blackfeet tribes that make incursions west of the Rocky Mountains</td> - <td class="tdr">1,000</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Birch Bay</td> - <td class="tdr">300</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Frazer’s River (Neamitch tribe)</td> - <td class="tdr">500<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99"></a>[99]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Chenooks</td> - <td class="tdr">209</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Clatsops</td> - <td class="tdr">220</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">At the Cascades</td> - <td class="tdr">105</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">At the Dalles</td> - <td class="tdr">250</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Y’Akama River</td> - <td class="tdr">100</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">{311} De Chute River</td> - <td class="tdr">125</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Umpquas</td> - <td class="tdr">400</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Roger’s [Rogue’s] River</td> - <td class="tdr">500</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Klamets</td> - <td class="tdr">300</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Shastys</td> - <td class="tdr">500</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Kallapugus</td> - <td class="tdr">600</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Nisqually</td> - <td class="tdr">200</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Chikelis and Puget’s Sound</td> - <td class="tdr">700</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Cowelits or Klakatacks</td> - <td class="tdr">350</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3">Port Orchard</td> - <td class="tdr">150</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3"></td> - <td class="tdr bt">19,154</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The whole Territory may be estimated as containing -twenty thousand. Of whites, Canadians, and half-breeds, -there are between seven hundred and eight hundred, of -whom about one hundred and fifty are Americans; the -rest are settlers, and the officers and servants of the Company. -The Indians are rapidly decreasing in all parts -of the country; the causes are supposed to be their rude -treatment of diseases, and the dissipated lives they lead.</p> - -<p>The white American population, as far as I have been -able to judge of them, are orderly, and generally industrious; -although they are, with the exception of the missionaries, -men who have led, for the most part, dissolute lives.</p> - -<p>{312} The absence of spirits, as long as it continues, -will probably secure them from excesses. Very much -to their credit, they have abandoned the use of spirituous -liquors, by consent of the whole community.</p> - -<p>I cannot but view this Territory as peculiarly liable<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100"></a>[100]</span> -to the vice of drunkenness. The ease with which the -wants of man are obtained, the little labour required, -and consequent opportunities for idleness, will render -it so. The settlers of the Willamette valley have, with -a praiseworthy spirit, engaged to prevent the establishment -of distilleries, and there are, as yet, no places where -spirits can be bought (to my knowledge) in the Territory.</p> - -<p>It is highly creditable to the Hudson’s Bay Company, -that on a vessel arriving on the coast with some spirits -on board, in order to prevent its introduction, they have -purchased the whole cargo, while, at the same time, their -storehouses were filled with rum. They have, with praiseworthy -zeal, interdicted its being an article of trade, being -well satisfied that it is contrary to their interest, and demoralizing -in its effects on all the tribes and people with -whom they have to deal, rendering them difficult to manage, -quarrelsome among themselves, {313} and preventing their -success in hunting. Endeavours have likewise been made -by the officers of the Company to induce the Russians, -on their side, to adopt this example, and do away with -it as an article of trade, but hitherto without success.<a id="FNanchor_113" href="#Footnote_113" class="fnanchor">[113]</a><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101"></a>[101]</span> -This no doubt has been one of the causes affecting the -decrease of tribes, as it was formerly almost the only article -of trade.</p> - -<p>In the event of the territory being taken possession of, -the necessity of circumscribing the use and sale of spirits -cannot be too strongly insisted upon by legal enactment, -both to preserve order and avoid expense.</p> - -<p>As far as the Indians have come under my notice, they -are an inoffensive race, except those in the northern parts. -The depredations committed on the whites may be traced -to injuries received, or arise from superstitious motives.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Missionaries.</span>—Little has yet been effected by them -in christianizing the natives. They are principally engaged -in the cultivation of the mission farms, and in the care -of their own stock, in order to obtain flocks and herds -for themselves, most of them having selected lands. As far -as my personal observations went, in the part of the {314} -country where the missionaries reside, there are very few -Indians to engage their attention; and they seemed more -occupied with the settlement of the country and in agricultural -pursuits than in missionary labours.</p> - -<p>When there, I made particular inquiries whether laws -were necessary for their protection, and I feel fully satisfied -that they require none at present, besides the moral code -it is their duty to inculcate.</p> - -<p>The Catholic portion of the settlement, who form a -large majority, are kept under good control by their priest, -who is disposed to act in unison with the other missionaries -in the proper punishment of all bad conduct.</p> - -<p>I cannot close this report without doing justice to the -officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s service for their -kind and gentlemanly treatment to us while in the territory, -and bearing testimony that, during all my intercourse, -and in their dealings with others, they seemed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102"></a>[102]</span> -to be guided by one rule of conduct highly creditable to -them, not only as business men, but gentlemen.</p> - -<p>They afforded us every assistance that was in their -power both in supplies and in {315} means to accomplish -our duties. There are many persons in the country who -bear testimony to the aid and kindness rendered them -in their outset; and of their hospitality it is needless to -speak, for it has become proverbial.</p> - -<p>To conclude, few portions of the globe, in my opinion, -are to be found so rich in soil, so diversified in surface, -or so capable of being rendered the happy abode of an -industrious and civilized community. For beauty of -scenery and salubrity of climate, it is not surpassed. -It is peculiarly adapted for an agricultural and pastoral -people, and no portion of the world beyond the tropics -can be found that will yield so readily with moderate -labour, to the wants of man.</p> - -<p class="center">THE END</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103"></a>[103]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="COPYRIGHT"><span class="smcap">De Smet’s Oregon Missions and Travels over the -Rocky Mountains, 1845-1846</span></h2> - -<p class="center">Reprint of New York edition, 1847</p> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104"></a>[104]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105"></a>[105]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;" id="illus2"> -<img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="400" height="700" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106"></a>[106]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107"></a>[107]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;" id="illus3"> -<img src="images/illus3.jpg" width="400" height="700" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108"></a>[108]</span></p> - -<p class="center">Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1847, by<br /> -EDWARD DUNIGAN,<br /> -In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States, for the<br /> -Southern District of New York.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109"></a>[109]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="DEDICATION">TO THE -RIGHT REVEREND DR. HUGHES, -BISHOP OF NEW YORK.</h2> - -</div> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>,</p> - -<p>From the distant solitudes of the Rocky Mountains, in -the midst of my missions among the Children of the -Forests, I had the honor of addressing to you most of -the letters contained in this Volume. I may, therefore, -I feel, take the liberty of inscribing it to you, not only as -a token of veneration for the distinguished qualities and -eminent abilities which mark your character and add -lustre to your dignity, but, likewise, as a tribute of personal -friendship and esteem, with which I am allowed to -subscribe myself,</p> - -<p class="center">Monseigneur,</p> - -<p class="center">Your humble servant,</p> - -<p class="right">P. J. DE SMET, S. J.</p> - -<p class="smaller">New-York, April 19th, 1847.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110"></a>[110]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111"></a>[111]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="PREFACE">PREFACE</h2> - -</div> - -<p>The contents of the present volume, from the pen of the -celebrated Missionary of the Rocky Mountains, will be -found, by the reader, to be fraught with extraordinary -interest. The manners and customs of the North American -Indians—their traditions, their superstitions, their -docility in admitting the maxims of the gospel, and the -edifying lives of thousands who have received the grace of -baptism and instruction, are described with a freshness of -coloring, and an exactness of detail, that will render them -invaluable not only to our own times, but, especially, to -posterity. He travels through those vast and unexplored -deserts, not merely as a missionary, filled with the zeal -which characterized the apostles of the primitive Society -to which he belongs, but with the eye of a poet, and an -imagination glowing with a bright yet calm enthusiasm. -Hence the exquisite descriptions of scenery, of incidents, -of events; descriptions which breathe the spirit of a mind -imbued with the loftiest conceptions of nature, and chastened -with the sacred influences of faith.</p> - -<p>{xii} The reverend author having, before his recent -departure for his native land, left the supervision of this -work to my care, I feel bound, in justice to his modesty, -to state, that the Introduction, taken from the Catholic -Almanac, is not from his pen: and he is not, therefore, -accountable for the epithets of praise (so eminently deserved, -and yet so repugnant to his humility), which, through it, -are occasionally coupled with his name.</p> - -<p>The lithographic sketches that accompany this Volume, -are copied from the original drawings of the Reverend<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112"></a>[112]</span> -Father Point, S. J.;<a id="FNanchor_114" href="#Footnote_114" class="fnanchor">[114]</a> drawings of such exquisite perfection, -that they would do honor to any master: and the more -admirable, from the circumstance of their having been -executed with the pen, in the midst of the privations and -difficulties of his remote and arduous missions.</p> - -<p>In conclusion, I cannot but express the pleasure, instruction, -and edification, I have derived from the careful -perusal of these beautiful letters: and I feel convinced -that they will prove, to all who read them, a source of -interest and delight which few volumes of the same dimensions -can open to the intellectual and Christian reader.</p> - -<p class="right">C. C. P.</p> - -<p class="smaller">New-York, August 1st, 1847.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113"></a>[113]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114"></a>[114]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;" id="illus4"> -<p class="caption">Click map for larger version</p> -<a href="images/map.jpg"><img src="images/illus4.jpg" width="500" height="400" alt="" /></a> -<p class="caption">OREGON Territory, 1846.</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115"></a>[115]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="OUTLINE_SKETCH">OREGON MISSIONS<br /> -<span class="smaller">AN OUTLINE SKETCH OF OREGON -TERRITORY AND ITS MISSIONS</span></h2> - -</div> - -<p>The political discussion, which has been going on for -years between the British government and that of the -United States, in regard to the boundary which defines -their respective portions of the Oregon territory, has turned -upon this distant region a large share of public attention, -and has won for it an interest which will increase in proportion -to the advances of civilization and commerce within -its borders. But it becomes an object of much deeper -interest in the eyes of the philanthropist and Christian, -when we look to the efforts which have been made, and -which are still continued, in order to diffuse the blessings -of religious truth among {14} its benighted inhabitants. To -the Catholic, especially, does this remote country present -the most pleasing scenes for contemplation, and by this -reason we have been induced to lay before the reader, a -brief account of its discovery and settlement, and of the missions -undertaken for the spiritual welfare of its inhabitants.</p> - -<p>Oregon territory is that important part of North America -which extends from the 42d to the 50th degree of N. latitude, -and from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.<a id="FNanchor_115" href="#Footnote_115" class="fnanchor">[115]</a> -It is bounded on the north by the Russian possessions, -and on the south by California; forming a kind of parallelogram, -about seven hundred and fifty miles in length<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116"></a>[116]</span> -and five hundred in breadth, and containing 375,000 -square miles.</p> - -<p>There appears no reason to doubt of the Spaniards -having been the first to visit this country.<a id="FNanchor_116" href="#Footnote_116" class="fnanchor">[116]</a> The documents -we possess, and the tradition of the natives, concur -to render this opinion incontestible. According to them -a vessel made its appearance south of the Columbia river -before 1792, and there is still living among them a woman -whose father was one of the crew attached to the vessel, -and whose mother belonged to the tribe of the Kilamukes.<a id="FNanchor_117" href="#Footnote_117" class="fnanchor">[117]</a> -When we add to this that crucifixes have been {15} found -in their hands transmitted to them from their ancestors, -that the island of Vancouver still exhibits the ruins of -colonial habitations, that the strait which separates it -from the mainland bears the name of <i>Juan Fuca</i>, and -that the country itself is contiguous to California, where -the Spanish missionaries had penetrated nearly two hundred -years before, we cannot but look upon the Spaniards -as the discoverers of Oregon.</p> - -<p>After the voyage of Captain Cook in 1790, by which -it was ascertained that the sea along the N. W. coast of -America abounded in otters, this region was visited by -vessels from almost every part of the world. The people -of the United States were not behind others in enterprise; -in 1792, Captain Gray sailed up an unknown river of that -country, to the distance of eighteen miles, and the stream -has since retained the name of <i>Columbia</i>, from the ship -which he commanded. In leaving the river, Captain -Gray passed the vessel of Captain Vancouver, who also<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117"></a>[117]</span> -navigated the Columbia river about one hundred miles, -to the point which bears his name. In 1793 the country -was visited by Sir Alexander McKenzie, after discovering -the river which retains his name.<a id="FNanchor_118" href="#Footnote_118" class="fnanchor">[118]</a> In 1804, Messrs. {16} -Lewis and Clark were commissioned by the United States -to explore the sources of the Columbia, and they descended -the river as far as Gray’s Bay. A few years after, in 1810, -Mr. Astor fitted out two expeditions to Oregon, for the -purpose of securing the interest of the fur-trade in those -parts. The party that had embarked by water arrived -first, and erected a fort called Astoria, about nine miles -from the mouth of the Columbia.<a id="FNanchor_119" href="#Footnote_119" class="fnanchor">[119]</a> The company of -the North-West (English) also considered the fur-trade -of Oregon as well worthy of attention, and they immediately -despatched an agent by land for the purpose of securing -it; but he arrived at Astoria several months after the first -expeditions from the United States.</p> - -<p>During the war of 1812, a British vessel sailed to the -Columbia, in order to take possession of Astoria and its -treasure; but the captain was cruelly disappointed in -discovering that the place was already held by an agent -of the North-West Company, who had purchased it in -anticipation of the future war with the United States.<a id="FNanchor_120" href="#Footnote_120" class="fnanchor">[120]</a> -The Canadians who had settled there under its original -owners, were employed by the new proprietors, and their -numbers increased in proportion as the Company extended -its {17} operations. In this way the country was visited<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118"></a>[118]</span> -in every direction, and many of the Indian tribes heard -from them of the Catholic religion and the worship of -the true God. In 1821, the North-West and Hudson -Bay Companies united their interests, and gave a new -impulse to the fur-trade. Mr. John McLaughlin, who -went to Oregon in 1824, was chiefly instrumental in promoting -the prosperity of the country.<a id="FNanchor_121" href="#Footnote_121" class="fnanchor">[121]</a> He added to the -business posts, and gave employment to a greater number -of Canadians and Iroquois. They commenced at the -same time the cultivation of wheat. One of the settlers -having undertaken, in 1829, to till the soil in the valley -of Willamette, his example was soon followed by others, -and the colony became so numerous that in 1834 an application -was made to Dr. Provencher, Vicar Apostolic of -Hudson Bay, to procure a clergyman for the service of -the people.<a id="FNanchor_122" href="#Footnote_122" class="fnanchor">[122]</a> The colonists, however, did not succeed -in obtaining a favorable answer to their petition, until -the following year, when two clergymen were appointed -for the mission; but, owing to the arrival of a Methodist -preacher and of an Episcopalian minister in Oregon, -the former in 1834, and the latter in 1837,<a id="FNanchor_123" href="#Footnote_123" class="fnanchor">[123]</a> the departure -of the Catholic clergymen was considerably {18} delayed. -Rev. Mr. Demers went as far as the Red River in 1837, and -arrangements having been made for himself and fellow-laborer<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119"></a>[119]</span> -to pass into Oregon the following year, Rev. F. N. -Blanchet left Canada at the appointed time, and joined -his companion at Red River, whence they both started -on the 10th of July, and after a perilous journey of between -four and five thousand miles, and the loss of twelve of -their fellow-travellers in the rapids of Columbia River, -they arrived at Fort Vancouver, the 24th of November, -of the same year.<a id="FNanchor_124" href="#Footnote_124" class="fnanchor">[124]</a> On their route the two missionaries -were treated with the utmost courtesy by the traders -whom they met, and at Vancouver they were received -with every demonstration of respect by James Douglas, -Esq., who commanded that post during the absence of -Mr. McLaughlin in England.<a id="FNanchor_125" href="#Footnote_125" class="fnanchor">[125]</a> On seeing the missionaries -at length among them, the Canadians wept for joy, -and the savages assembled from a distance of one hundred -miles, to behold the <i>black gowns</i> of whom so much had -been said.</p> - -<p>Before we follow the ministers of God in their apostolic -labors, we shall allude as briefly as possible to the aspect -of the country, to the difficulties and dangers it presents -to the missionary, {19} and to its commercial and agricultural -resources.</p> - -<p>We shall observe, in the first place, that the Columbia -River stretches from its mouth about 290 miles to the -east, as far as Fort Walla Walla; it then takes a northerly -direction 150 miles, to Fort Okanagan; thence it extends -170 miles easterly to Colville. Fort Vancouver, the principal -post in Oregon, is situated in 45° 36′ N. latitude, -about one hundred miles from the mouth of the Columbia, -and on its western bank, in ascending the river. -The Willamette is a tributary of the Columbia, falling<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120"></a>[120]</span> -into it four miles below Vancouver on the opposite side. -Twenty miles up the stream is a cascade of about twenty-five -feet, and thirty miles further is a Canadian establishment, -which in 1838 numbered twenty-six Catholic -families, besides the settlers from the United States. The -residence of the Methodist minister was ten miles higher -up.<a id="FNanchor_126" href="#Footnote_126" class="fnanchor">[126]</a> The River Cowlitz falls into the Columbia thirty -miles below Vancouver, on the same side. Forty-five -miles from its mouth is seen the establishment which -bears its name. Four Catholic families resided here on -the arrival of the missionaries. From this place to {20} -Nesqualy at the southern extremity of Puget Sound, -the distance is nearly seventy miles, and it is equally far -from the latter point to the island of Whitby.<a id="FNanchor_127" href="#Footnote_127" class="fnanchor">[127]</a> Two -days’ journey further north will bring you to the River -Frazer, on which Fort Langley is situated.<a id="FNanchor_128" href="#Footnote_128" class="fnanchor">[128]</a> This river -falls into Puget Sound or the Gulf of Georgia.</p> - -<p>The mission of St. Mary’s among the Flatheads is ten -days’ journey from Colville, towards the south-east, and -about five hundred miles from Vancouver.<a id="FNanchor_129" href="#Footnote_129" class="fnanchor">[129]</a> The most -distant to which Mr. Demers has penetrated as yet, -is Bear Lake in New Caledonia,<a id="FNanchor_130" href="#Footnote_130" class="fnanchor">[130]</a> seven hundred miles<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121"></a>[121]</span> -from Vancouver. The reader may form some idea of -the almost insurmountable difficulties to be encountered -by our two missionaries, in visiting their various posts, -so widely distant from each other, especially in a country -overrun in every direction by lofty mountains. These -mountains generally extend from north to south. From -the Valley of Willamette are seen three elevated peaks, -which have the form of a cone, and are covered with perpetual -snow; hence called <i>Snowy Mountains</i>. One of -them Mt. St. Helena, stands opposite Cowlitz to the -east, and for some years past has been noted for its -volcanic {21} eruptions.<a id="FNanchor_131" href="#Footnote_131" class="fnanchor">[131]</a> Besides the rivers we have -mentioned, there are several others, the principal of which -are the Clamet, Umpqua, and the Chikeeles.<a id="FNanchor_132" href="#Footnote_132" class="fnanchor">[132]</a> The Columbia -is navigable as far as the cascade, fifty-four miles -above Vancouver.</p> - -<p>The immense valleys in Oregon Territory, covered -with extensive and fertile prairies, follow the course of -the mountains from north to south, and are crossed -in different directions by rivulets bordered with trees. -They easily yield to the plough, and though the first crop -is not very abundant, the second is generally sufficient -to repay the labor of tillage. The soil is for the most part -fertile, particularly in the south. Every kind of grain -is successfully cultivated near Cowlitz, Vancouver, in -the Willamette Valley, and further south. The same -may be said of the neighborhood of Fort Walla Walla, -Colville; the mission of St. Mary’s; the mission of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122"></a>[122]</span> -Sacred Heart, of St. Ignatius, and St. Francis Borgia, -among the Pend-d’oreilles; of St. Francis Regis, in the -valley to Colville; of the Assumption and the Holy Heart -of Mary, {22} amongst the Skalsi. Other districts that are -not tillable, afford an excellent pasture for cattle.</p> - -<p>As to the climate of Oregon, it is not so severe as might -be supposed from its elevated latitude. The snow never -falls to a greater depth than three or four inches in the -lower portions of the territory, and seldom remains long -on the ground. When the snows, after having accumulated -on the mountains and their vicinity in consequence -of extreme cold, begin to melt, and the heavy rains supervene, -the plains around are covered with water, and sometimes -considerable damage is caused by the inundation. -The rains commence in October, and continue until March -with little interruption. The very cold weather lasts only -for a few weeks. In the month of June the Columbia -always overflows its banks, from the thaw which takes -place on the mountains, and every four or five years its -waters rise to an extraordinary height, and do much injury -in the vicinity of Vancouver.</p> - -<p>Until the year 1830, the Territory of Oregon was thickly -settled by numerous tribes of Indians; but at that period -the country bordering on the Columbia was visited by -a fatal scourge which carried off nearly two-thirds of -{23} the inhabitants.<a id="FNanchor_133" href="#Footnote_133" class="fnanchor">[133]</a> It showed itself in the form of -an infectious fever, which threw the individual into a -state of tremor, and produced such a burning heat throughout -the body, that the patient would sometimes cast himself -into the water to obtain relief. The population -of entire villages was cut off by this terrible pestilence. -Other villages were burnt in order to arrest the infection -which would have arisen from the pile of dead bodies<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123"></a>[123]</span> -that were left unburied. During this fearful visitation, -which attacked the colonists as well as the natives, Dr. -McLaughlin displayed the most heroic philanthropy, -in his laborious attention to the sick and dying. The -Indians superstitiously attributed this scourge to a quarrel -between some agents of the Hudson Bay Company and -an American captain, which led the latter to throw a -species of charm into the river by way of revenge. The -fever, however, made its appearance annually, though -in a less malignant form; and the inhabitants have discovered -both its preventive and its remedy. The smallpox -is the principal disease that alarms the natives; they are -in continual dread of it, and imagining that they have -a short time to live, they no longer build the large and -convenient cabins to {24} which they were formerly accustomed. -Notwithstanding the ravages above mentioned, -the population of Oregon amounts to nearly 110,000 souls, -residing chiefly in the north. This part of the country, -fortunately, escaped the diseases which decimated the -inhabitants of Willamette and the Columbia, and still -rages from time to time in the south.</p> - -<p>The tribes of this territory differ much in character -and personal appearance. The savages who frequent the -coast, especially towards the north, are of a much more -barbarous and ferocious temperament than those of the -interior; nor are they less dissimilar in their manners, -customs, language, and external features. The tribes -and languages are almost as numerous as the localities. -From twenty-five to thirty different idioms have -been distinguished among them, a circumstance which -increases in no small degree the labors of the missionary. -In the interior of the country, the natives are of a mild -and sociable disposition, though proud and vindictive; -intelligent though inclined to indolence. Their belief<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124"></a>[124]</span> -in the immortality of the soul consists in admitting a -future existence, happy or unhappy, that is, a state of -plenty or want, according to the merits or demerits of -{25} every individual. The morals of this savage race -can scarcely be termed corrupt, considering their very -limited means of “<i>enlightenment</i>.” They have distinct -ideas of right and wrong, and recognize many leading -principles of the natural law. Theft, adultery, homicide, -and lying, are condemned as criminal, and if polygamy -is tolerated, it is not approved; it is principally confined -to the chiefs, by way of maintaining peace with the -neighboring nations. Laxity of morals is far short of -what might be supposed inevitable, in their rude and -uneducated state. Modesty, indeed, would require more; -but its rules are for the most part respected. But little -intercourse is carried on among young persons of different -sex, and even in regard to matrimonial unions, the engagement -is arranged by the parents of the parties. When -a man of comfortable means takes to himself a wife, he -is obliged to compensate the parents of the latter by -considerable presents. But upon the death of the woman, -these presents may be reclaimed. If in consequence of -harsh treatment she puts an end to her existence, the -circumstance reflects disgrace upon the husband, who -is compelled, in this case, to propitiate her parents by -additional gifts.</p> - -<p>{26} Most of the work among these savages is performed -by slaves, who are well treated, except in case of -old age or other inability, when they are left to perish of -want. Besides those who are born in this unhappy state, -there are others who become so, by the fortunes of war. -All prisoners are considered slaves by their conquerors, -though, in general, only their children experience this -hard lot. Wars are sometimes engaged in for the express<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125"></a>[125]</span> -purpose of acquiring slaves, which is considered a -great advantage among the savages. The white population -have little to fear from their attacks, except on the -northern coast, where life is far from being safe, and -where the natives, in some cases anthropophagi, do not -hesitate to feast upon the flesh of their prisoners.</p> - -<p>Throughout the whole country, the habitations of the -Indians are rather huts than houses, from fifteen to twenty-five -feet long, proportionably wide, and verging into a -conical form. Cross pieces of wood are suspended in -the interior for the purpose of drying their salmon and -other articles of food. Fire is kindled on the ground -in the centre of the cabin, the smoke escaping through -the roof above. The dress of the Indians is not more -<i>recherché</i> than their {27} dwellings. Formerly they clothed -themselves very comfortably and neatly, with the furs -which they possessed, but since the trade in skins has -become so extensive, the natives of Oregon are much -worse provided for in this respect, and the poor can -scarcely protect themselves against the severity of the -seasons. To this circumstance, in part, is attributed -the decrease of the population, which has been observed -within a few years past. Hunting and fishing are the -resources on which the Indian depends for subsistence. -His principal food is salmon, sturgeon, and other kinds -of fish, with the ducks, wild turkeys and hares, in which -the country abounds. The fruits of spontaneous growth, -and particularly the root of the <i>cammas</i>, also afford them -nourishment.<a id="FNanchor_134" href="#Footnote_134" class="fnanchor">[134]</a></p> - -<p>Among the aborigines of Oregon there is no trace of -any religious worship. They have a belief which consists -in certain obscure traditions;<a id="FNanchor_135" href="#Footnote_135" class="fnanchor">[135]</a> but no external forms<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126"></a>[126]</span> -of religion are visible among them. The juggler exercises -his {28} profession, though it is almost universally -done in behalf of the sick, for the purpose of curing them. -If he fail in his attempt, he is suspected of having used -some evil influence, and is made to pay the forfeit of his -supposed offence. Though nearly all these tribes, of -whom we are speaking, possess no particular form of -worship, they are naturally predisposed in favor of the -Christian religion, especially those who live in the interior. -We shall find the most ample evidence of this in the -sequel of our narrative.</p> - -<p>At the period when the two Catholic missionaries -arrived in Oregon territory, the Hudson Bay Company -possessed from ten to twelve establishments for the fur-trade, -in each of which there was a certain number of -Canadians professing our holy faith, and in addition to -these there were twenty-six Catholic families at Willamette, -and four at Cowlitz. It is easy to imagine to how many -dangers they had been exposed of losing their faith, -deprived as they were of religious instruction and of every -external incentive to the practice of piety, and surrounded -by individuals who were not inactive in their efforts to -withdraw them from the fold of Catholicity.</p> - -<p>The Methodist missionaries had already formed {29} -two establishments, one in the Willamette, where they had -a school, and another about fifty miles from the cascade. -An Anglican minister, who resided at Vancouver two -years, left it before the arrival of the Catholic clergy. -The Presbyterians had a missionary post at Walla Walla, -and among the Nez-percés, and in 1839 they established -a third station on the river Spokane, a few days’ journey<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127"></a>[127]</span> -south of Colville.<a id="FNanchor_136" href="#Footnote_136" class="fnanchor">[136]</a> In 1840, the Rev. Mr. Lee brought -with him fellow-laborers for the vineyard, with their -wives and children, and a number of husbandmen and -mechanics. It was a real colony. The preachers stationed -themselves at the most important posts, as at -Willamette Falls, the Clatsops below fort George, and -Nisqualy, and thence visited the other settlements: they -even penetrated as far as Whitby.<a id="FNanchor_137" href="#Footnote_137" class="fnanchor">[137]</a> Nothing short of -the most arduous toil and constant vigilance on the part -of the Catholic clergymen, could have withdrawn so many -individuals from the danger of spiritual seduction. Our -two missionaries were indefatigable in their exertions, -almost always journeying from one post to another, to -begin or to consolidate the good work they had in view.</p> - -<p>{30} Vancouver was the first place that experienced -the happy influence of their apostolical zeal. Many of -the settlers had lost sight of the religious principles they -had imbibed in their youth, and their wives were either -pagans in belief, or, if baptized, but superficially acquainted -with the nature of that holy rite. In this state of things, -which had given rise to many disorders, the missionaries -found it necessary to spend several months at Vancouver,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128"></a>[128]</span> -and to labor with united energies in instructing -the people, baptizing children, performing marriages, -and inspiring a greater respect for the Christian virtues. -With this view they remained at Vancouver until the -month of January, 1839, when Mr. Blanchet visited the -Canadians at Willamette. It would be difficult to describe -the joy which his arrival awakened among them. They -had already erected a chapel seventy feet in length, which -was dedicated by the missionary under the invocation -of St. Paul. His ministry at this place was attended with -the most signal success. Men, women and children, -all seemed to appreciate the presence of one who had -come, as a messenger from Heaven, to diffuse among -them the {31} consolations of religion. Before his departure, -Mr. Blanchet rehabilitated a good number of -marriages, and baptized seventy-four persons. In April he -started for Cowlitz, where he remained until the latter -end of June. Here also his efforts were most successful. -He had the happiness of instructing twelve savages of -Puget sound, who had come from a distance of nearly -one hundred miles in order to see and hear him. It was -on this occasion he conceived the idea of the Catholic -<i>ladder</i>, a form of instruction which represents on paper -the various truths and mysteries of religion in their chronological -order, and which has proved vastly beneficial -in imparting catechetical instruction among the natives -of Oregon.<a id="FNanchor_138" href="#Footnote_138" class="fnanchor">[138]</a> These twelve Indians having remained -at Cowlitz long enough to acquire a knowledge of the -principal mysteries of our faith, and to understand the -use of the <i>ladder</i> which Mr. Blanchet gave them, set about -instructing their tribe as soon as they returned home, and -not without considerable success; for Mr. Blanchet, the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129"></a>[129]</span> -following year, met, in the vicinity of Whitby island, with -several Indians who had never seen a priest, and yet were -acquainted with the sign of the cross, and knew several -pious canticles.</p> - -<p>{32} While Mr. Blanchet was at Cowlitz,<a id="FNanchor_139" href="#Footnote_139" class="fnanchor">[139]</a> his fellow-laborer -visited Nisqualy, where he found the savages -in the best dispositions. Having but a short time, however, -to pass among them, he merely laid the foundation -of a more important mission, and returned to Vancouver -by the month of June,—the time when the agents from -New Caledonia, Upper Columbia, and other different posts -assemble there to deposite their furs. After spending a -month at Vancouver, availing himself of the favorable -opportunity for instruction which the concourse of visitors -afforded, he set out for Upper Columbia, where he -visited Walla Walla, Okanagan and Colville,<a id="FNanchor_140" href="#Footnote_140" class="fnanchor">[140]</a> baptizing -all the children that were brought to him in the course -of his journey. He spent three months in this excursion, -during which Mr. Blanchet attended to the wants of the -faithful at Vancouver, Willamette, and {33} Cowlitz. -Though these stations afforded ample occupation for -a missionary, Mr. B. paid another visit to Nisqualy, where -he was again met by a considerable number of savages -from Puget sound, who hastened to Nisqualy as soon -as they heard of his arrival, and listened with joy and -profit to the words of life.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130"></a>[130]</span></p> - -<p>In October the two missionaries met at Vancouver, -which was their place of residence through the courtesy -of James Douglas, Esq., and on the 10th of the same -month they again separated, Mr. Blanchet starting for -Willamette, and Mr. Demers for Cowlitz. Their object -was to spend the winter months at these points in the -further instruction of their flocks. During the first year -they baptized three hundred and nine persons. The -following spring Mr. Demers visited the Chinouks, a -tribe living below fort George.<a id="FNanchor_141" href="#Footnote_141" class="fnanchor">[141]</a> From the Chinouks -he repaired to Vancouver, to meet the concourse of -traders who assemble there in the month of June, after -which he set out for his stations at Walla Walla, Okanagan -and Colville, as he had done the preceding year. About -this time Father De Smet, S. J., was sent on a visit by -his superior to the Flathead Indians, who had implored -this favor by repeated deputations from their country to -{34} the bishop of St. Louis. He found, to his great -surprise, that Oregon already possessed two Catholic -missionaries; he wrote to Mr. Demers, informing him -that he would return to St. Louis, according to the order -of his superiors, to procure further aid for the promising -missions of the Rocky Mountains.</p> - -<p>Mr. Blanchet having visited the people at Nisqualy, was -soon called away by a special embassy from the Indians -of Puget sound, who requested his ministry. It was on -this occasion at Whitby that he met with the savages -already acquainted with certain practices of the Catholic -church, though they had never seen a missionary.<a id="FNanchor_142" href="#Footnote_142" class="fnanchor">[142]</a> His<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131"></a>[131]</span> -labors among the Indians at this place were most consoling. -A large cross was erected as a rallying-point, many children -were {35} baptized, and two tribes, who were at war -with each other, were reconciled. The Catholic <i>ladder</i> -was passed from one nation to another, and all prayed -to be instructed still more fully in the truths of salvation. -After baptizing one hundred and four persons, the missionaries -returned to Vancouver, and thence repaired to -their respective stations during the winter season. A wide -field was here opened to their zeal, not only among the -catechumens who solicited baptism, but among the settlers, -who were anxious to repair by their fervor the neglect -of former years. In the summer of 1840 the Columbia -was visited by Captain Belcher, from England, for the -purpose of surveying the river.<a id="FNanchor_143" href="#Footnote_143" class="fnanchor">[143]</a></p> - -<p>In the spring of 1841, Mr. Demers, after giving the -usual mission at Vancouver, went to Nisqualy, and with -the aid of Indian guides penetrated as far as Fort Langley<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132"></a>[132]</span> -on the river Fraser. Here he was surrounded by an immense -number of savages, to whom he announced without -delay the tidings of salvation. His appeal was not in -vain, all permitting their children to be baptized, and -soliciting the residence of a priest among them. Seven -hundred children received, on this occasion, the sacrament -{36} of regeneration. While Mr. Demers was thus -occupied in gathering the first fruits of the mission at -Puget sound, Mr. Blanchet was equally engaged at Willamette, -Vancouver, Cowlitz and the Cascades. At the -last mentioned place several children were baptized, -and a number of adults instructed in the faith.</p> - -<p>During the year 1841, Oregon Territory was visited -by two expeditions, one from England under Sir George -Simpson,<a id="FNanchor_144" href="#Footnote_144" class="fnanchor">[144]</a> and the other from the U. States, under the -command of Captain Wilkes.<a id="FNanchor_145" href="#Footnote_145" class="fnanchor">[145]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133"></a>[133]</span></p> - -<p>{37} Faithful to his word, Father De Smet returned -among the Flatheads in the autumn of the same year, -accompanied by the Rev. Fathers Point and Mengarini, -and three lay brothers.<a id="FNanchor_146" href="#Footnote_146" class="fnanchor">[146]</a> The mission of St. Mary’s -was at once established, and the most abundant harvest -collected, (see Indian sketches).<a id="FNanchor_147" href="#Footnote_147" class="fnanchor">[147]</a> About the same time -Messrs. Blanchet and Demers retired to their usual -winter stations, where they had the pleasure of learning -that two other missionaries, Messrs. John B. Bolduc and -Ant. Langlois had {38} set out from Canada to join them -in their labor of love.<a id="FNanchor_148" href="#Footnote_148" class="fnanchor">[148]</a> During the winter, Mr. Blanchet -narrowly escaped a watery grave, in ascending the river -Willamette on a visit to his friend Mr. Demers. In the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134"></a>[134]</span> -spring of 1842, Father De Smet unexpectedly made his -appearance at Vancouver, after a providential escape from -shipwreck, in descending the river Columbia. Fortunately -he had left the barge in which his fellow-travellers and -his baggage were; and by this means he was saved, while -his effects and five of his companions were swallowed -up in the rapids.<a id="FNanchor_149" href="#Footnote_149" class="fnanchor">[149]</a></p> - -<p>The three missionaries met together, first at Willamette, -and then at Vancouver, and formed their plans for a -concert of action in the great work of evangelizing the -natives of Oregon. The Indians of New Caledonia had repeatedly -asked for Catholic missionaries, and Mr. Demers -started for that country. Having embarked in a boat of the -Hudson Bay Company, he reached his destination after -a travel of two months. The journey, though fatiguing, -was most consoling in its results. He was received by the -savages with open arms, and it is impossible to describe -the ardor with which they drank in the words of heavenly -life as they fell from his {39} lips. The Indians in -this region appear to be no less predisposed to receive -the truths of Christianity than the Flatheads, who have -evinced a peculiar propensity to virtue.</p> - -<p>While Mr. Demers was so successfully occupied among -the tribes of New Caledonia, Father De Smet was bending -his steps back to St. Louis, to procure additional laborers -for the mission. Two clergymen, the Rev. Fathers De Vos -and Hoeken,<a id="FNanchor_150" href="#Footnote_150" class="fnanchor">[150]</a> with three lay brothers, were immediately<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135"></a>[135]</span> -sent out, but they did not reach their destination until -the autumn of 1843. Mr. De Smet was at the same time -despatched to Europe, to make further provision for the -conversion and civilization of Oregon. In this way Mr. -Blanchet found himself charged with the care of all the -stations, except those among the Flatheads, and upper -Indians of the Columbia, and was continually moving -about to meet the wants of the various missions. Fortunately -Messrs. Langlois and Bolduc, after a journey of -one year since their departure from Canada, arrived at -Willamette on the 16th of September. They at once set -themselves to work, Mr. Langlois remaining at Willamette -during the winter season, while Mr. Blanchet was at -Vancouver, {40} and Mr. Bolduc at Cowlitz. In the -spring of 1843, Mr. Demers returned from New Caledonia, -much exhausted by the labors he had undergone, and -the privations he had suffered during his journey; but -these causes were not capable of diminishing his missionary -ardor. His fellow-laborers and himself found ample -occupation, during the summer months, at the three -principal stations, and in fact such was the call upon -their services at these posts, and in the vicinity, in consequence -of the increasing numbers of their flock, that they -were unable to visit the more distant points, and were -obliged to defer to a later period the execution of their -design, for some time contemplated, of forming a mission -at Whitby.</p> - -<p>In addition to his numerous cares, Mr. Blanchet undertook -the erection of an academy at Willamette, for which -funds had been given by a Mr. Joseph Laroque of Paris,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136"></a>[136]</span> -and which is called St. Joseph’s College, in honor of that -gentleman.</p> - -<p>A teacher of French, and another of the English language, -were employed in the institution, which was opened -in the month of October, and numbered from the very -commencement {41} twenty-eight boarders. Rev. Mr. -Langlois, who attended to the Willamette mission, also -superintended the Academy.</p> - -<p>About a year after, a public examination of the students -was held, and the inhabitants who attended, appeared -much gratified at the progress made by the pupils in the -study of French and English, in writing, arithmetic, and -other branches.</p> - -<p>In the spring of 1844, Mr. Blanchet withdrew Mr. -Demers from Cowlitz and placed him at the <i>Falls</i> or -Oregon City, an important post, which contained already -sixty houses. The parsonage where Mr. Demers resided -could not be rented at less than ten dollars a month. Mr. -Bolduc remained at Cowlitz, and Mr. Blanchet went -from one station to another, to ascertain and provide -for the wants of the different localities.</p> - -<p>During the vacation of the college Mr. Blanchet remained -at Willamette, to replace Mr. Langlois, who had -set out upon a visit to the Jesuit fathers, among the Flatheads, -with a view to obtain some assistance for his school. -Mr. Demers was at this time at Vancouver. The missionaries, -not aware of Mr. De Smet’s voyage to Europe, -had been long and anxiously awaiting his arrival in -Oregon. About fifteen {42} months had elapsed since his -departure for the east, and the vessel of the Hudson -Bay Company, which had reached Oregon in the spring, -brought no intelligence respecting his movements. Under -these circumstances, Mr. Blanchet and his companions -began to be alarmed, when, in the midst of their apprehensions,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137"></a>[137]</span> -the indefatigable Jesuit made his appearance suddenly -at Vancouver, about the beginning of August. On the -9th of January, he had left Belgium, with four priests, -Rev. Fathers Accolti, Nobili, Ravalli, and Vercruysse -and Huybrechts a lay brother,<a id="FNanchor_151" href="#Footnote_151" class="fnanchor">[151]</a> and six religious ladies of -Notre Dame of Namur, and after doubling Cape Horn the -vessel touched at Valparaiso and Lima, for the purpose -of obtaining some information regarding the entrance of -the Columbia River and to leave a part of a cargo.<a id="FNanchor_152" href="#Footnote_152" class="fnanchor">[152]</a> -Not having received a satisfactory answer to their inquiries, -they set out again for the north, and continued their<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138"></a>[138]</span> -course until they found themselves in latitude 46° 19′, and -longitude 123° 54′. Here the captain passed three days -in discovering the mouth of the river, which was at length -made known to him by the sight of a vessel going out. -Though it was growing dark, he immediately despatched -an officer towards the sail to make inquiries concerning -{43} the mode of entering the Columbia; but he did -not return with the required information, and the -captain, being thrown upon his own resources, at once -made preparations for entering the river, and proceeded -from east to west through a channel altogether -unknown to him. It was the 31st of July, feast of -St. Ignatius of Loyola. As he advanced, by the soundings, -he found that the vessel was in very shallow water, -having only two and a half feet under her keel, although -at a considerable distance from the mainland. -At this moment, the safety of the vessel and crew seemed -hopeless; but while shipwreck was staring them in the -face, they fell unexpectedly into deeper soundings; the -bar was crossed, and two hours after, the vessel anchored -off Fort George or <i>Astoria</i>.<a id="FNanchor_153" href="#Footnote_153" class="fnanchor">[153]</a> {44} Mr. Blanchet and the -people of Willamette no sooner heard of Mr. De Smet’s -arrival at Vancouver than they hastened to meet him. -The good father and the colony that accompanied him, -were received with every demonstration of civility by Dr.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_139"></a>[139]</span> -McLaughlin and Mr. Douglas, who also tendered one -of the company’s boats to convey the missionary band -to Willamette. Their journey to this place was a real -triumph, such was the joy and excitement produced among -the inhabitants by the accession of these new laborers -to the vineyard. The sisters [of] <i>Notre Dame</i> soon occupied -the building which had been undertaken for their -purposes, and in the month of December it was opened -as a boarding academy for girls. Father De Smet, about -the same time, directed his course towards the Flatheads, -Father Devos having come to supply his place in the -south. The labors of the Jesuits among the tribes of the -north have been crowned with the most abundant success. -In 1842, a new mission, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was -founded about eight days’ journey south of St. Mary’s.<a id="FNanchor_154" href="#Footnote_154" class="fnanchor">[154]</a> -In addition to the increased resources {45} which the mission -received in 1844, we must mention also the arrival of -two other Jesuit Fathers and one lay brother, who went -to Oregon, by the way of the Rocky Mountains.<a id="FNanchor_155" href="#Footnote_155" class="fnanchor">[155]</a></p> - -<p>Such was the state of the country, and such the progress -of religion among the natives and colonists, when Mr.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_140"></a>[140]</span> -Blanchet received letters from Canada in November last, -informing him that, upon the application of the Fifth -Provincial Council of Baltimore, he had been appointed -Vicar Apostolic of Oregon Territory, and that bulls to -that effect, dated the 1st December, 1843, had been despatched -to him. He was immediately solicited by his -fellow-laborers to accept the charge, and at first determined -to go to California for the ceremony of consecration. -But desirous of obtaining a further reinforcement -for his extensive mission, he concluded to visit Europe. -Having appointed Rev. Mr. Demers his <i>Vicar General</i> -and <i>administrator</i> of the Vicariate during his absence, he -left Vancouver towards the end of November, arrived on -the 22d of May at London, and thence embarking for -this country the 4th of June, in the Cunard line of -steamers, he reached Canada on the 24th of the same -month, after a journey of more than 22,000 miles. Mr. -Blanchet recently received {46} the episcopal consecration in -Montreal, and has gone to Europe on business connected -with his mission. Six thousand savages brought within the -fold of the Christian church, form, indeed, but a small -number among the 100,000 who inhabit that immense -region; but this success, achieved in a few years, by a -missionary force so limited, and compelled to grapple -with so many difficulties, is a bright and consoling evidence -of what can and will be accomplished by those who have -been commissioned to “go and teach all nations.”</p> - -<p>On the 1st of December, 1843, his Holiness, Gregory -XVI, erected Oregon Territory into an Apostolic Vicariate, -and the Rev. Francis N. Blanchet, was appointed to the -episcopal charge of this extensive mission. His consecration -took place in Montreal, C. E., about the middle -of the year 1844. He immediately repaired to Europe, -with a view to increase the resources of his mission, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_141"></a>[141]</span> -to devise means for promoting the interests of religion -in Oregon. At his request, and by a recent act of the -Holy See, the Territory of Oregon, from the 42d to the -54th degree of N. latitude, has been divided into eight -diocesses, viz: Oregon City, Nesqualy, Vancouver’s Island, -and Princess Charlotte, {47} on the coast, and Walla Walla, -Fort Hall, Colville, and New Caledonia, in the interior. -These diocesses form an ecclesiastical province, of which -Oregon City is the Metropolitan See. For the present, -only three bishops are appointed for the province, viz: -those of Oregon City, Walla Walla, and Vancouver’s Island, -who will have a provisional jurisdiction over the -other diocesses. The episcopal districts of <i>Vancouver’s -Island</i>, <i>Princess Charlotte</i>, and <i>New Caledonia</i>, are not -included within the territory belonging to the United -States. The Rt. Rev. Modest Demers, one of the missionaries -that visited Oregon in 1838, has been charged -with the See of Vancouver’s Island, and the administration -of the two other districts in the British portion of the -territory. The region within the limits of the United States -embraces the five other diocesses above-mentioned.</p> - -<h3>ARCHDIOCESS OF OREGON CITY</h3> - -<p>This district is under the jurisdiction of the Rt. Rev. -F. N. Blanchet, who has also the administration of Nesqualy.</p> - -<h3>DIOCESS OF WALLA WALLA</h3> - -<p>This diocess is under the charge of the Rt. {48} Rev. -Magloire Blanchet, who was consecrated in Montreal, -on the 27th of September, 1846. He has also the present -administration of Fort Hall and Colville.<a id="FNanchor_156" href="#Footnote_156" class="fnanchor">[156]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_142"></a>[142]</span></p> - -<p>The following clergymen are engaged in the missions -of Oregon:—</p> - -<ul> -<li>Rev. Accolti, Michael,</li> -<li><span class="ditto1">”</span> De Smet, Peter J.,</li> -<li><span class="ditto1">”</span> De Vos, Peter,</li> -<li><span class="ditto1">”</span> Hoecken, Adrian,</li> -<li><span class="ditto1">”</span> Joset, Joseph,</li> -<li><span class="ditto1">”</span> Mengarini, Gregory,</li> -<li><span class="ditto1">”</span> Nobili, John,</li> -<li><span class="ditto1">”</span> Point, Nicholas,</li> -<li><span class="ditto1">”</span> Ravalli, Anthony,</li> -<li><span class="ditto1">”</span> Vercruysse, Aloysius,</li> -<li><span class="ditto1">”</span> Langlois, Anthony,</li> -<li><span class="ditto1">”</span> Bolduc, John Baptist,</li> -</ul> - -<p>Who are all, with the exception of the last two, members -of the Society of Jesus.</p> - -<p>Archbishop Blanchet lately embarked from Europe, -on his way to Oregon, with ten secular priests and two -regulars, three lay brothers of the Society of Jesus, and -seven female religious, for the wants of the mission. The -total number of clergymen is twenty-six.</p> - -<p>{49} Our information is not sufficiently detailed, to -allow us to present the religious statistics of the different -diocesses into which Oregon has been divided. We -can only state in general, that since the year 1845, several -new stations have been formed, new churches erected, -and a large number of the aborigines of various tribes -converted to the true faith.</p> - -<p>The state of religion is as follows: there are eighteen<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_143"></a>[143]</span> -chapels, viz.: five in the Willamette Valley; St. Paul’s -Cathedral; St. Mary’s at the Convent of the Sisters; St. -Francis Xaverius’ Chapel; the new Church in the Prairie; -St. John’s Church in Oregon City; one at Vancouver; one -at Cowlitz; one at Whitby; four in New Caledonia, to -wit: at Stuart’s Lake, at Fort Alexandria, at the Rapids, -and at the Upper Lake; St. Mary’s Church among the Flatheads; -the Church of the Sacred Heart among the Pointed-Hearts; -the Church of St. Ignatius among the Pend-d’oreilles -of the Bay; the Chapel of St. Paul among the Kettle-Fall -Tribe near Colville. The following are stations of -1846, where chapels are to be erected, to wit: St. Francis -Borgia among the Upper Kalispels; St. Francis Regis -in Colville Valley; St. Peter’s at the great Lakes of the -Columbia; the Assumption {50} among the Flatbow -Indians; the Holy Heart of Mary among the Koetenais.</p> - -<p>The institutions that have been commenced in Oregon, -consist: 1st, of the school of St. Mary’s among the Flatheads; -2d, of a college at St. Paul’s, Willamette; and -3d, of an academy for girls at the same place, under the -charge of six sisters of Notre Dame. Other establishments -are soon to be commenced.</p> - -<p>The total number of Indians in the territory is about -110,000, of whom upwards of 6,000 have been converted -to the true faith. The number of Catholics among the -Canadians and settlers amounts to about 1,500.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_144"></a>[144]</span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_145"></a>[145]</span></p> - -<h3 id="letter1">No. I<br /> -LETTER OF MR. BOLDUC, APOSTOLICAL MISSIONARY</h3> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">To Mr. Cayenne.</span></p> - -<p class="right">Cowlitz, 15th Feb., 1844.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sir</span>,—Nearly a year has elapsed since I had the satisfaction -of addressing you. During that period, I have -made many new excursions, of which I now intend giving -you an account.</p> - -<p>From the observations made by the first English navigators -who visited the coasts of America towards the -north of the Columbia River, it appears that the territory -bearing the same name, was formerly discovered and -peopled by Spaniards. Even at the present day, we find -ruins of birch edifices, constructed for the purpose of drawing -the savage nations to the knowledge of the gospel. -Among the natives, relics have been found attesting this -fact; a certain tribe has possessed for ages a brazen crucifix, -bearing the appearance of great antiquity, when, how, -and by whom it was brought thither, none can tell. It -is probable it {52} may have been introduced at that -period, when the Spaniards seized on California, and -formed a settlement on Vancouver’s Island, separated -from Terra Firma by the strait of Juan de Fuca.<a id="FNanchor_157" href="#Footnote_157" class="fnanchor">[157]</a> Gray -discovered the Columbia River; Vancouver ascended it to -the point whereon is built the fort that bears his name, -and took possession of the surrounding country.</p> - -<p>The vast territory extending between the Rocky Mountains<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_146"></a>[146]</span> -and the Pacific Ocean is divided into two zones, -differing in their climate, soil and productions. The -line of separation runs parallel to the coasts of the South -Sea, from which it is distant about 200 miles. Less woody -than the regions of the West, the eastern part rises into -table-land, which forms the basis of the Mounts Hood, -St. Helena, Reignier, and Baker.<a id="FNanchor_158" href="#Footnote_158" class="fnanchor">[158]</a> The summits of -these mountains rise to the height of 15 or 16,000 feet, -and are crowned with eternal snow. Last year, Mounts -St. Helena and Baker became volcanoes. The latter, -within the last few months, has undergone considerable -changes on the side where the crater was formed.</p> - -<p>In the oriental zone the climate is dry and salubrious; -in winter as well as summer, rain is very rare. Snow -never covers the earth {53} more than a foot deep; no -marshy land is to be found; and the air being neither -foggy nor misty every species of fever is totally unknown. -In the inferior part, from October to March, the rains -are continual; thick clouds envelope the atmosphere, -and hide the sun for entire weeks. When the vapours -no longer obscure the air, a mild and vivifying heat is -diffused around. This winter has been quite remarkable -by the small quantity of rain. During the greater part -of February and the beginning of March, the weather -was delightful, we could have imagined ourselves in May. -The grass was verdant in the meadows, and strawberries -were in full bloom.</p> - -<p>In March, rain seldom falls; a glowing sun reanimates -nature, which soon appears in her gayest attire. Wheat -sown in autumn surpasses in April, that which we are -accustomed to behold in Canada in the month of June.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_147"></a>[147]</span></p> - -<p>During summer, the weather is clear and sultry, sometimes, -however, thick clouds gather around, and appear -as if they would burst in torrents over our heads, but they -are soon dissipated without thunder, and without shedding -on the earth a drop of that moisture which she seems to -require to perfect her harvest.</p> - -<p>{54} In June, the rivers, swollen by the melted snow, -inundate the plains, and increase the stagnant water -formed by the rains of winter. The vapors arising from -the influence of a meridian sun, cause fever and ague, -which are more frequent when the rivers overflow their -banks. This malady reigns throughout the country -from the end of August to the middle of October, and -persons once attacked generally suffer from its baneful -effects for several years; and as I have not escaped this -year, I have every reason to dread a recurrence in the -future. You could scarcely credit the relation of the -terrible ravages which this epidemic causes among the -numerous tribes inhabiting the shores of the Columbia. -Entire camps have been swept away by this fatal scourge. -When the savages find themselves attacked by it, they -hasten to plunge into the cold rivers, and die immediately. -The whites with proper attention baffle the distemper.</p> - -<p>I informed you last year, that I intended opening a -mission at Puget Sound; and hoped, if possible, to reach -Vancouver’s Island; this project has been executed, and -I will now give you a few details.</p> - -<p>To attain this object, I thought it better not {55} to -go alone on the island; no priest had as yet trodden the -soil, and the savages were little familiarized with the -whites. Happily, the Hon. Hudson Bay Company was -about constructing a fort at the southern extremity of -the island. Mr. Douglas, the director of this expedition, -generously invited me to take my passage on board his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_148"></a>[148]</span> -vessel. Most willingly did I accept the kind offer, and -quitted Cowlitz 7th of March, for Shwally.<a id="FNanchor_159" href="#Footnote_159" class="fnanchor">[159]</a> The Steamboat -Beaver awaited us some days; for, having several -preparations to make, we did not get on board before -the morning of the 13th. After having pursued our -course during the day, towards evening we cast anchor -in still water, at a place named Pointe Perdrix, formed -by a projection of the Isle Whitby.<a id="FNanchor_160" href="#Footnote_160" class="fnanchor">[160]</a> Fishing lines were -soon prepared, and we had the satisfaction of procuring -an excellent dinner for the next day. We caught a quantity -of beautiful fish, not unlike the cod of Canada, some -of them were four feet in length.</p> - -<p>The waters of Puget Bay are richly stocked; salmon -abound, and form one of the principal resources of the -natives. In July, August and September, more are taken -than can be consumed. A small fish, peculiar to the -north-western {56} coast is here found; it comes up the -rivers in spring, and contains such a quantity of oil, that -when dried and lit by the tail it burns like a candle. From -this fish the savages extract excellent oil, which they use -for seasoning their food.<a id="FNanchor_161" href="#Footnote_161" class="fnanchor">[161]</a> Early on the 14th we raised -anchor and directed our course towards Juan de Fuca -Strait. We landed, and after having visited a small -camp of savages, belonging to the Tribe of Klalams,<a id="FNanchor_162" href="#Footnote_162" class="fnanchor">[162]</a> -we bore away for the southern point of Vancouver’s Island,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_149"></a>[149]</span> -whither we arrived about 4 o’clock in the afternoon.<a id="FNanchor_163" href="#Footnote_163" class="fnanchor">[163]</a> -At first, only two canoes were perceived; but, after a discharge -of cannon, we saw the natives issuing from their -haunts and surrounding the steamboat. Next morning, -the pirogues (Indian boats) came from every side. I -went on shore with the commander of the expedition and -the captain of the vessel; having received unequivocal -proofs of the good-will of the Indians, I visited their village -situated six miles from the port, at the extremity of the -bay.</p> - -<p>Like the surrounding tribes, this one possessed a little -fortress, formed by stakes enclosing about 150 square -feet.<a id="FNanchor_164" href="#Footnote_164" class="fnanchor">[164]</a> The inhabitants endeavor to secure themselves -in this manner from the incursions of the Toungletats, -a powerful {57} and warlike tribe; one part of which encamps -on Vancouver’s Island, the other on the continent, -north of Frazer’s River.<a id="FNanchor_165" href="#Footnote_165" class="fnanchor">[165]</a> These ferocious enemies enter -the villages by night, massacre all the men, and carry -off the women and children whom they reduce to slavery. -On my arrival, all the tribe, men, women and children,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_150"></a>[150]</span> -assembled to shake hands with me; a ceremony which -these savages never omit. They repaired to the great -lodge belonging to their chief, where I spoke to them -concerning the existence of a God, the Creator of all things; -of the recompense promised to good actions, and the -eternal chastisements which await the commission of crime. -My instructions were often interrupted by the harangues -of my auditors. The following one may prove interesting: -“Chief, listen to my words; ten years ago, I heard that -there was a Master above, who hated evil; and that among -the French, men were to be found who taught the knowledge -of this Master. I also heard that men of this description -would come to our home. Since that time, -my heart, which was formerly very wicked, has become -good; I no longer do evil; and since you are come, all -hearts are filled with joy.”</p> - -<p>{58} Another day, whilst I was speaking of baptism, -and recounting to them that several nations had caused -their children to be baptized, a man arose and said: “Thy -words are good, but we have been told that all who were -baptized among the Kwaitlens, and the Kawitskins (near -Frazer River), died immediately;<a id="FNanchor_166" href="#Footnote_166" class="fnanchor">[166]</a> however, since thou -sayest it is a good thing, we believe thee. If the sacred -water will cause us to see the Great Master after death, -baptize all our camp; perform this charity, for they nearly -all die.” I promised I would return the following Sunday, -and confer the sacrament.</p> - -<p>My arrival being noised abroad, several neighboring -nations came hither in crowds. Saturday, the 18th, was -employed in constructing a kind of repository, whereon -to celebrate mass the ensuing morn. Mr. Douglas gave -me several of his men to aid in the work. Branches of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_151"></a>[151]</span> -fir-trees formed the sides of this rustic chapel; and the -awning of the boat, its canopy. Early Sunday morning, -more than twelve hundred savages, belonging to the three -great tribes, Kawitskins, Klalams, and Isanisks, were -assembled in this modest sanctuary.<a id="FNanchor_167" href="#Footnote_167" class="fnanchor">[167]</a> Our commander -neglected nothing that could render the ceremony imposing; -he gave me liberty to {59} choose on board, all -that could serve for its decoration. He assisted at the -mass with some Canadians, with two Catholic ladies. -It was in the midst of this numerous assembly, that, for -the first time, the sacred mysteries were celebrated; may -the blood of the Spotless Lamb, fertilize this barren land, -and cause it to produce an abundant harvest. This -being the day fixed for the baptism of the children, I repaired -to the principal village accompanied by all who -had assisted at the divine service. On arriving, I was -again compelled to present my hand to about 600 persons. -The children were arranged along the sea-coast; I -distributed to each a small piece of paper with a name -written thereon; and immediately commenced the ceremony. -It was about ten o’clock in the morning, and I did -not finish before night, the new Christians numbered 102. -Though much exhausted, I was obliged to walk two leagues -to rejoin the steamboat.</p> - -<p>According to the plan traced out for our voyage, we -were to remain here but a few days; and then continue -our course from fort to fort, until we arrived at the Russian -establishment at Sitka,<a id="FNanchor_168" href="#Footnote_168" class="fnanchor">[168]</a> but the little vessel bearing the -provisions, came not. This delay grieved me {60} much, -for the grand vicar had communicated to me his intention -of establishing at the beginning of summer, a mission<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_152"></a>[152]</span> -in Whitby Isle, and also of employing me in this work -of zeal. Fearing I would not return in time if I delayed -my departure, I resolved immediately to retrace my steps. -I purchased a canoe, and engaged the chief of the Isanisks -and ten of his men to conduct me direct to Whitby Isle. -I quitted Vancouver the 24th of March, bearing with -me the most lively sentiments of gratitude towards the -commander of the expedition and Captain Brotchie, for -all their kind and delicate attentions. The sea was calm, -but the atmosphere clouded; luckily, I took with me a -compass, otherwise I should have strayed from my course, -having twenty-seven miles to traverse. The first day -we reached a little island between the extremity of Vancouver -and the continent where we passed the night.<a id="FNanchor_169" href="#Footnote_169" class="fnanchor">[169]</a> -My Indians, having shot a sea-wolf, made a great feast. -You would scarcely believe how much a savage can -devour at a repast; but if he is voracious in time of plenty, -he knows how to fast several successive days without enduring -much fatigue.</p> - -<p>The 25th there arose a strong north-westerly breeze. -The rowers, before quitting the coast, {61} ascended a -hill to ascertain if the sea was much agitated in the middle -of the strait; they were some time before they could decide -the point; at last they declared, that with the aid of a sail, -we might brave the danger. A mast was prepared, a -blanket affixed to it, and thus equipped we confided ourselves -to the mercy of the waves. Towards three o’clock -we landed at the isle of Whitby; not, however, without -experiencing some danger.</p> - -<p>A great number of savage Klalams and Skadjats came -to meet us; I knew, by reputation, the chief of the Skadjats, -and asked to see him.<a id="FNanchor_170" href="#Footnote_170" class="fnanchor">[170]</a> They replied that he had left<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_153"></a>[153]</span> -two days previously, to meet me at Vancouver’s island. -His two sons presented themselves; one of them, pressing -my hand, said, “My father, Netlan, is not here, he is -gone to Ramoon (this is the name of the southern point -of Vancouver’s island); when he learns thou art here he -will soon return. He will be delighted if thou wilt remain -among us, for he is tired saying ‘<i>Mass</i>’ every Sunday, and -preaching to these people.” Later, I was informed that -his Mass consisted in explaining to the savages of his -tribe the chronological history of religion (traced on a -map), in teaching them to make {62} numberless signs -of the cross, and singing a few canticles with the <i>Kyrie -Eleison</i>.</p> - -<p>I pitched my tent near the cross planted by Mr. Blanchet -when he first landed in the island, in 1840. The next -morning all the camp of the Skadjats surrounded me to -hear the word of God. You may form some idea of the -population of this tribe when I tell you, that I gave my -hand to a file of 650 persons, besides 150 others who had -passed the night near my tent not included in this number: -and nearly all the old men and women, besides the children, -had remained in their huts. After the instruction, several -canticles were chanted in such full chorus that the sound -was deafening.</p> - -<p>Several parents had begged me to baptize their children. -I repaired to the village and requested to see all the -children, under seven, who had not received the grace of regeneration. -Not one was forgotten; there were 150 present.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_154"></a>[154]</span> -The ceremony took place in a little meadow, surrounded -by lofty and antique fir-trees. It was not 12 o’clock when -I began the administration of the sacrament, and I did -not finish before sun-set. The day was most beautiful, -but the ardent rays of the sun, joined to the want of a -substantial breakfast, caused me to {63} suffer much by -a violent headache. The 27th, the chief of the Skadjats -declared to me that I ought not to be lodged in a cotton -house (under a tent); “for this reason,” added he, “to-morrow -thou must tell me in what place we shall construct -thee an abode, and thou wilt see how powerful is the effect -of my words when I speak to my people.” Beholding -the good-will of the chief, I pointed out a little eminence. -Immediately afterward I saw two hundred workmen, -some having hatchets to fell the trees, others preparing -to remove them; four of the most skilful undertook the -arrangement of the edifice. In two days all was terminated, -and I found myself installed in a house 28 feet -long by 25 in width. The wood was rough, the roof -covered with cedar-bark, and the interior overlaid with -rush mats. During the week I gave them several instructions, -and taught them some canticles—for without -singing, the best things are of little value; noise is -essential to their enjoyment.</p> - -<p>I had terminated the exercises of the mission, when -several savages arrived from the continent; as soon as -they perceived me, they cast themselves on their knees, -exclaiming, “Priest, priest, during four days we have -travelled to {64} behold thee, we have walked night and -day, and have scarcely tasted any food; now that we -see thee our hearts are joyful, take pity on us; we have -learned that there is a Master on high, but we know not -how to speak to him. Come with us, thou wilt baptize -our children as thou didst those of the Skadjats.” I was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_155"></a>[155]</span> -moved by these words, and would willingly have followed -them to their forests, but it was impossible to do so, my -intended arrival having been announced at Skwally. I -quitted these good Indians the 3d April; during my abode -among them I experienced nothing but consolations which -surpassed all my expectations.</p> - -<p>By this relation you will perceive, sir, that the savages -of Puget Bay show much zeal for religion, yet they do -not understand the full extent of the term. If to be -a Christian it were but necessary to know some prayers, -and sing canticles, there is not one among them who would -not adopt the title; but a capital point still to be gained -is, a reformation of morals. As soon as we touch this -chord, their ardor is changed into indifference. In vain -the chieftains harangue their inferiors; how can they -expect to make any impression where they are themselves -the more guilty!</p> - -<p>{65} I do not mistrust Divine Providence, but I may -say, without exposing myself to illusion, that our best -hopes are centred in the tribes inhabiting the coasts -of the ocean, or which are settled at the mouth of the -numerous tributaries.</p> - -<p class="center">Sir, I have the honor to remain,</p> - -<p class="center">Your very humble and obedient servant in Jesus Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>J. B. Z. Bolduc</i>,<br /> -Apostolical Missionary.</p> - -<h3 id="letter2">No. II<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Sainte Marie du Willamette, 9th October, 1844.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Dear Brother</span>,—On the 28th July, after a tedious -navigation of nearly eight months, we came in sight of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_156"></a>[156]</span> -Oregon Territory. Oh! with what transports of delight -we hailed these long-desired shores. What heartfelt thanksgivings -burst from every tongue. All, with one accord, -entoned that magnificent hymn of praise, the “Te Deum.” -But these moments of happiness were not of long duration; -they were succeeded by others, of deep anxiety, as the -remembrance of the perils yet to be encountered flashed -upon our minds. We were approaching the “Columbia.” -The entrance into this river is difficult and dangerous, even -for seamen provided with good charts; and our captain, -unable to procure any, was, we know, entirely unacquainted -with the rocks and breakers, which, at this season, render -it almost impracticable.</p> - -<p>We soon perceived Cape Disappointment,<a id="FNanchor_171" href="#Footnote_171" class="fnanchor">[171]</a> which seems -to point out to travellers the course {67} they are to pursue. -It was growing late, and the captain resolved to steer -out into the open sea, to avoid the danger of running -aground during the night. As the vessel moved slowly -onward, leaving the shore in the distance, we stood upon -deck, contemplating from afar the high mountains and -vast forests of Oregon. Here and there we could distinguish -the clouds of smoke curling upwards from the huts -of our poor Indians. This aspect filled my very soul -with indescribable emotions. It would be necessary to -be placed in the same position, to understand fully what -were then our feelings. Our hearts palpitated with joy -as we gazed on those boundless regions, over which were -scattered so many abandoned souls—the young, the -aged—dying in the shades of infidelity, for want of missionaries; -an evil which we were about to alleviate, if -not for all, at least for a great number.</p> - -<p>The 29th all the fathers celebrated the Holy Sacrifice, -wishing to offer a last violence to heaven, and force, as<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_157"></a>[157]</span> -it were, a benediction on our mission. The morning -was dark and gloomy: so were our spirits. About 10 -o’clock the sky cleared, and allowed us to approach, with -caution, the vast and fearful mouth of the {68} Columbia. -We soon discovered immense breakers, several miles in -extent—the infallible sign of a sand bank. The shoals -crossed the river, and seemed to oppose an invincible barrier -to our entrance. This sight filled us with consternation. -We felt that to attempt a passage would be exposing ourselves -to an almost certain death. What was to be done? -What become of us? How extricate ourselves from so -perilous a situation?</p> - -<p>On the 30th our captain, from the topmast, caught -the glimpse of a vessel, slowly rounding the Cape, on -its way out of the river. This cheering sight was in a -moment snatched from our eager view by an intervening -rock, under the shade of which it cast anchor, to await -a favourable wind. Its appearance, however, led us to -conclude that the passage of the river was yet practicable, -and we hoped to be directed by its course. About 3 -o’clock the captain sent the lieutenant, with three sailors, -to sound the breakers, and seek a favorable opening for -our entrance on the morrow, which happened to be the -31st July, feast of the great “Loyola.” This auspicious -coincidence re-animated our hopes, and roused our drooping -courage. Full of confidence in the powerful protection -of our {69} glorious founder, we prostrated ourselves, -and fervently implored him not to abandon us in our -extreme need. This duty accomplished, we hastened -on deck, to await the return of the shallop. It was not -until 11 o’clock that their little vessel came alongside -the “Indefatigable.” No one dared interrogate the sailors, -for their dejected countenances foreboded discouraging -tidings. However, the lieutenant assured the captain<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_158"></a>[158]</span> -that he had found no obstacle, and that he had passed -the bar the preceding night, at 11 o’clock, with five -fathoms (30 feet) of water. Immediately were the -sails unfurled, and the “Indefatigable” slowly resumed -her majestic course, under the favor of a rising breeze. -The sky was serene, the sun shone with unwonted brilliancy. -For a long time we had not beheld so lovely a -day; nothing but the safe entrance into the river was -wanting, to render this the <i>most beautiful</i> day of our -voyage. As we approached, we re-doubled our prayers. -All appeared recollected, and prepared for every event. -Presently our wary captain gave orders to sound. A -hardy sailor fastened himself to the side of the vessel, -and lowered the plummet. Soon was heard the cry, -“Seven fathoms.” At intervals the cry was repeated: -“Six fathoms,” {70} “Five fathoms.” It may be imagined -how our hearts palpitated at each reiteration. But when -we heard the thrilling cry of “<i>Three fathoms</i>,” all hope -vanished. At one moment it was thought the vessel would -be dashed against the reefs. The lieutenant said to the -captain, “We are between life and death; but we must -advance.” The Lord had not resolved on our destruction, -but He wished to test the faith of his servants. In a few -moments the tidings of four fathoms roused our sinking -spirits: we breathed once more, but the danger yet impended -over us; we had still to sail two miles amidst -these fearful breakers. A second time is heard the chilling -cry of “Three fathoms!” “We have mistaken our route,” -exclaimed the lieutenant. “Bah!” exclaimed the captain, -“do you not see that the Indefatigable passes over everything? -Keep on.” Heaven was for us; otherwise, neither -the skill of our captain, nor the sailors’ activity, could -have rescued us from inevitable death. We were amidst -the southern channel, which no vessel had ever crossed.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_159"></a>[159]</span> -A few moments after we learned that our escape had been -miraculous.</p> - -<p>Our vessel had, at first, taken the right course for -entering the river, but, not far from its mouth, the Columbia -divides into two branches, {71} forming, as it were, -two channels. The northern, near Cape Disappointment, -is the one we should have followed; the southern is not -frequented, owing to the tremendous breakers that obstruct -its entrance over which we had passed, the first, and -probably the last. We also learned, that the deputy of -Fort Astoria, having descried our vessel two days before, -hastened, with some savages, to the extremity of the cape, -and endeavored, by means of large fires, hoisted flags, -and the firing of guns, to warn us of danger. We had, -indeed, perceived these signals, but without suspecting they -were intended for us. God, no doubt, wished to show -us that he is sufficiently powerful to expose us to peril, -and to withdraw us from it unharmed. Glory to His -holy name! glory, also, to St. Ignatius, who so visibly -protected his children on this, his festal day.</p> - -<p>About 4½, a canoe approached us: it contained Clatsop -Indians, commanded by an American resident of the -coast.<a id="FNanchor_172" href="#Footnote_172" class="fnanchor">[172]</a> The whoop of these wild men of the forest much -astonished our fathers, and the sisters of Notre Dame. -The only word we could distinguish was “Catche,” which -they vociferated countless times. Our captain made them -a sign to approach, and permitted them to {72} come -on board. The American immediately accosted me, and -spoke of our perilous situation, saying, that he would -have come to our aid, but his Indians refused to brave<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_160"></a>[160]</span> -the danger. The Indians, on their side, endeavored by -signs to make us comprehend how great had been their -terror, for, at every moment, they expected to see our -vessel dashed into a thousand pieces. They had wept -for us, convinced, that without the intervention of the -“Great Spirit,” we could never have escaped the dangers. -Verily, these brave savages were not mistaken. All -who know the history of our passage affirm the same; -they cease not to congratulate us on so miraculous an -escape.</p> - -<p>The second visit we received, was from some Tchinouks, -a small tribe, inhabiting the immense forests of the northern -shore. The Clatsops, whose number amounts to not -more than one hundred and fifty men, occupy the southern -shore. The Tchinouks inhabit three villages beyond -the forest. The men wrap themselves in blankets when -they appear before the “whites,” and are excessively -vain of their collars and ear-rings. Their disposition is -extremely sociable, and we found it necessary to be on -the reserve, to prevent their too great familiarity. {73} -They are content, provided they be not driven away, and -they require no further attention paid them. They are -of a peaceable temper, and, as their wants are easily supplied, -they lead an inactive and indolent life. Fishing -and the chase form their sole occupation. Game abounds -in their forests, and their rivers are teeming with salmon. -After providing for their daily wants, they spend entire -hours motionless, basking in the sun; it is needless to add, -they live in the most profound ignorance of religion. These -are the Indians who have the custom of flattening their -children’s heads.</p> - -<p>The following morning we perceived a small skiff -making its way towards us. It belonged to Mr. Burney, -the gentleman who, in our recent danger, had acted so<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_161"></a>[161]</span> -friendly a part.<a id="FNanchor_173" href="#Footnote_173" class="fnanchor">[173]</a> He accosted us with the utmost kindness, -and invited us to return with him to Fort Astoria, -of which he is the Superintendant, that his wife and children -might have the pleasure of seeing us. Persuaded, that -after so tedious a voyage, the visit would be agreeable -to all parties, I readily consented. Whilst this hospitable -family were preparing dinner we made a little excursion -into the neighboring forest. We were in admiration of -the immense height and prodigious {74} bulk of the fir -trees, many of which were two hundred feet high, and four -and a half in diameter. We beheld one which measured -forty-two feet in circumference.</p> - -<p>After a ramble of two hours, Mr. Burney re-conducted -us to the fort.</p> - -<p>In a second promenade several of our company greatly -admired the tombs of the savage. The deceased is placed -in a sort of canoe, or hollow trunk of a tree; the body is -then covered with mats or skins; and the savage entombing -consists in thus suspending the corpse to the branches -of trees, or exposing it on the banks of the river. In one -place we saw about twelve of these sepulchres; they are -ordinarily found in places of difficult access, the better -to secure them from the rapine of wild beasts.<a id="FNanchor_174" href="#Footnote_174" class="fnanchor">[174]</a> Not -far from this cemetery one of our fathers, more curious -than the others, wandered a little distance into the woods; -he speedily hastened back, apparently in a panic, saying -that he had seen the <i>muzzle of a bear</i>, which did not look -very tame.</p> - -<p>I set out for Fort Vancouver the 2d August, wishing -to reach there before my companions, that I might inform<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_162"></a>[162]</span> -the Rev. Mr. Blanchet of our happy arrival. As to our -fathers, the remainder {75} of their voyage may be summed -up in few words. On the 3d and 4th their vessel was -almost stationary, for want of a favorable wind. At a -glance, their three days’ voyage might be measured. Towards -evening a gentle breeze sprung up, and thus permitted -them to pursue their course. In a few hours they -passed the rocks, extending the distance of six leagues. -They were then enabled to keep the centre of the river, -where the numerous windings of the stream compelled -them to make continual manœuvres.</p> - -<p>In this place the river is most magnificent: the smooth -polished surface of the waters—the rapid current, almost -concealed from view by the contraction of its rocky -bed—the sullen roaring of the waterfalls and cascades—produce -upon the mind an effect of sublimity and -grandeur not to be described. One is never weary admiring -the richness, beauty, and variety of these solitary -regions. The shores on either side are bordered by lofty -forests, and crowned with thickly-wooded forests. It is -more especially in the <i>forest</i> that the grand, the picturesque, -the sublime, the beautiful, form the most singular -and fantastic combinations. From the loftiest giants -of the forest down to the humblest {76} shrubs, <i>all</i> -excite the spectator’s astonishment. The parasites form -a characteristic feature of these woodlands. They -cling to the tree, climb it to a certain height, and then, -letting their tops fall to the earth, again take root—again -shoot up—push from branch to branch—from tree -to tree, in every direction—until tangled, twisted, and -knotted in every possible form, they festoon the whole -forest with drapery in which a ground-work of the richest -verdure is diversified with garlands of the most varied -and many-colored flowers. In ascending the Columbia<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_163"></a>[163]</span> -we meet, from time to time, with bays of considerable -extent, interspersed with handsome little islands, which, -thrown, as it were, like groups of flowers and verdure, -present a charming spectacle. Here the painter should -go to study his art—here would he find the loveliest -scenery, the most varied and brilliant coloring. At every -step the scene becomes more ravishing; the perspective -more noble and majestic. In no other part of the world -is nature so great a <i>coquette</i> as here.</p> - -<p>At length, on the 5th August, the vessel arrived at Fort -Vancouver, about 7 o’clock in the evening. The governor, -an excellent and truly pious man, together with his lady, -and the most {77} respectable personages of the place, -were assembled on the shore to receive us. As soon as -the ship had cast anchor we landed, and hastened to the -fort, where we were received and treated with all possible -cordiality. Here we were obliged to tarry eight days, -for the Rev. Mr. Blanchet, who did not arrive till the -12th, not having received my letter, informing him of -our arrival. No sooner was he aware of it than he -hastened to join us, bringing with him a considerable -number of parishioners. He had travelled the entire -night and day, and we were delighted to meet this indefatigable -clergyman. Though so comfortably situated at -the fort, yet we were anxious to arrive as soon as possible -at the place destined us by Divine Providence. The -pious religious likewise sighed after their convent home -of Willamette. Monsieur Blanchet accordingly made the -necessary arrangement for our departure, and we left -Fort Vancouver on the 14th.</p> - -<p>An affecting adieu awaited us. Our worthy captain -stood upon the shore. The emotion was sensibly felt -by each one of us. For eight months we had shared the -same dangers, and so often stood together, gazing in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_164"></a>[164]</span> -very face of death: could we then restrain the parting -{78} tear, which seemed to gush from the fountain of the -heart, as we remembered his kindness.</p> - -<p>Our little squadron consisted of four canoes, manned -by the parishioners of Mr. Blanchet, and our own sloop. -We sailed up the river, and soon entered the Willamette, -whose waters flow into the Columbia.</p> - -<p>As night approached we moored our vessels and encamped -upon the shore. There, grouped around the fire, -we partook of our evening meal. The night was calm -and serene—all nature was hushed in profound silence—all -invited us to repose; but the swarms of musquetoes -with which these woods abound, prevented our slumber. -The religious, to whom we had yielded the tent, suffered -equally with those who had nothing but the star-spangled -canopy of heaven above them. You will not, consequently, -be surprised, that the night appeared somewhat long, -and that the morning’s dawn found us on foot. It was -the festival of the glorious Assumption of the Mother of -God, which, in these regions, is usually solemnized on -the following Sunday. Aided by the religious, I erected -a small altar. Mr. Blanchet offered the Holy Sacrifice, -at which all communicated.</p> - -<p>Finally, the 17th, about 11 o’clock, we came {79} in -sight of our dear mission of Willamette. Mr. Blanchet -charged himself with the transportation of our baggage. -A cart was procured to conduct the religious to their -dwelling, which is about five miles from the river. In -two hours we were all assembled in the chapel of Willamette, -to adore and thank our Divine Saviour, by the -solemn chanting of the Te Deum, in which all hearts -and lips joined with lively emotion.</p> - -<p>Early in the morning of Sunday, the 18th, the day -on which the Assumption is celebrated here, we saw the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_165"></a>[165]</span> -Canadian cavaliers arriving in crowds with their wives and -children, whom they had brought from great distances, -to assist at the solemn services of the church.</p> - -<p>At 9 o’clock all were arranged in perfect order in the -church; the men on one side, the women on the other. -The Rev. Mr. Blanchet celebrated the August Sacrifice, -assisted by twenty acolytes. The piety of his parishioners -contributed much to our edification.</p> - -<p>On arriving at the mission of St. Paul, of Willamette, -we proceeded at once to the residence of the Very Rev. -Mr. Blanchet, who received us with the greatest kindness, -and immediately placed at our disposal everything -on {80} the place. My first care was, to seek some convenient -locality where, according to the plan of our -Very Rev. Father General, a mother mission could be -established. For this purpose I made several unsuccessful -excursions into the adjacent country. The most -eligible situations were already occupied. The Methodists, -indeed, offered to sell me their Academy, which is -a sufficiently large and handsome house, but entirely -destitute of wood and arable land.<a id="FNanchor_175" href="#Footnote_175" class="fnanchor">[175]</a> In this perplexity -Mr. Blanchet relieved me, by a generous and disinterested -offer. He proposed to examine the property belonging -to the mission, and take such portions of it as I -should judge most proper for our projected establishment. -We accordingly set out on this new excursion; -but we had scarcely proceeded two miles when we came<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_166"></a>[166]</span> -to a point uniting every desirable advantage. Picture -to yourself an immense plain extending as far as the eye -can reach; on one side the snowy crests of the gigantic -Hood, Jefferson, and St. Helena (the three highest peaks -of Oregon), towering majestically upwards, and losing -themselves in the clouds; on the east a long range of -distant hills, their blue-tinged summits melting, as it were, -into the deep azure of the sky; on the west the {81} limpid -waters of two small lakes, on whose beautiful shores the -beaver, the otter, and the musk-rat, sport in careless -security, heedless of our presence. The elevation on -which we were standing, gradually sloping downward, -and forming a charming amphitheatre, extended to the -borders of one of the lakes. I hesitated not a moment -in selecting this spot for the mother mission. The sweet -recollections of our first establishment on the Missouri -returned to my mind; and the remembrance of the rapid -progress of the Mission of St. Stanislaus, near St. Ferdinand, -whose branches now extend over the greater part -of Missouri, Ohio, Louisiana, reaching even the Rocky -Mountains, and penetrating to the eastern boundary of -America, led me to breathe a fervent prayer, that here, -also, might be formed a station, whence the torch of faith -would diffuse its cheering light among the benighted tribes -of this immense Territory. We have also a fine view -of the Willamette River, which, in this place, makes a -sudden bend, continuing its course amidst dense forests, -which promise an almost inexhaustible supply of materials -for the construction of our mission house. In no part -of this region have I met with a more luxuriant growth -of pine, fir, elm, {82} oak, buttonball, and yew trees. -The intervening country is beautifully diversified with -shadowy groves and smiling plains, whose rich soil yields -abundant harvests, sufficient for the maintenance of a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_167"></a>[167]</span> -large establishment. Besides these advantages, there are -a number of springs, on one side of the hill, one of which -is not more than 100 feet from the house, and it will -probably be of great use hereafter.<a id="FNanchor_176" href="#Footnote_176" class="fnanchor">[176]</a> Having now made -choice of the locality, we commenced without delay the -erection of the buildings. The first thing to be done -was to clear the ground by cutting away the under-brush -and isolated trees, after which, with the aid of the inhabitants, -we constructed three wooden buildings, covered -by a single roof of 90 feet; these were to serve as workshops -for the brother blacksmith, carpenter, etc.</p> - -<p>Besides these, a house, 45 by 35 feet, is now under -way. It is to be two stories, and will be the dwelling-house -of the missionaries.</p> - -<p>We arrived in the Oregon Territory during the prevalence -of a disease (bloody flux) which was considered -contagious, though the physicians attributed it to the -unwholesome properties of the river-water. Numbers of -savages fell victims to it, especially among the Tchinouks, -{83} and the Indians of the Cascades, large parties -of whom encamped along the banks of the river, on their -way to Vancouver, to obtain the aid of a physician. Those -who could not proceed were abandoned by their friends; -and it was truly painful to see these poor creatures -stretched out, and expiring on the sand. The greater -part of our sailors, and three of the sisters, were attacked -by the pestilence; the Rev. Father Accolti also experienced -its terrible effects; for myself, I was obliged to keep my -bed during 15 long days, and to observe a rigorous diet. -But the captain of our vessel was the greatest sufferer. -The disease attacked him so violently, that I seriously fear -he will never again return to the cherished family—the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_168"></a>[168]</span> -affectionate wife and children of whom he used daily -to speak with so much tenderness. He was a worthy -man—an experienced and skilful navigator; I esteemed -him highly, although I could not forbear blaming him -for the little courage he had shown in repressing the profane -language of one of the passengers, who, from the -time of his embarkation until we landed him at Fort Vancouver, -had never ceased to offend our ears by his horrid -oaths. The Almighty has denounced his curse against -the blasphemer; {84} and sooner or later it will fall upon -him. Poor “Indefatigable,” I tremble for thy fate.</p> - -<p>The winter was rapidly approaching, and, notwithstanding -my weak state, I could not resist my pressing -desire to visit, once more, my dear Indians of the mountains, -who, on their side, await my return with the greatest -impatience, as I was informed by the Rev. F. Mengarini, -who had come to meet me.<a id="FNanchor_177" href="#Footnote_177" class="fnanchor">[177]</a> To-day I shall have the -happiness to set out for the Rocky Mountains.</p> - -<p class="center">I am, &c.,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet</i>.</p> - -<p>P. S.—On the 9th September the good sisters commenced -instructing the women and children, who were -preparing for their first communion. As their house was -not yet habitable, they were obliged to give their instructions -in the open air. In three days’ time they had already -19 pupils, from 16 to 60 years of age, all of whom came -from a distance, bringing with them provisions for several -days, and sleeping in the woods, exposed to all the inclemencies -of the weather. It is easy to conceive by this -how eager these poor people are for instruction. Each -day the sisters devote six hours to teaching {85} them -the usual prayers, and manner of making the sign of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_169"></a>[169]</span> -cross. On one occasion, it was discovered that a woman had -remained two days without food; the dogs had devoured -her little provision, and, lest she should miss the instruction, -she was unwilling to go home for another supply.</p> - -<p>24th.—The convent having as yet neither doors nor -sashes, owing to the scarcity of mechanics, some of -these good Sisters were seen endeavoring to handle -the plane, others glazing, painting the windows and -doors, &c. They were the more ardently desirous for -the completion of their new habitation, as already -thirty Canadian pupils had been offered them; and thus -would they be enabled to procure the means of giving -a gratuitous support and protection to the hapless orphans -of the forests. These poor children, rescued from their -destitute condition, and placed under the benign care of -the kind Sisters, would enjoy the blessings of a Christian -education, and become, one day, co-operators in the -mission. But, to effect this, and to realize the cheering -hopes it holds forth, funds must be raised to provide the -necessary clothing for the orphans, as the profits arising -from the school will not be more than sufficient to defray -{86} the expenses of their board. I here give you the -brilliant prospectus of their Academy. Per quarter, 100 -lbs flour, 25 lbs pork, or 36 of beef, 1 sack of potatoes, 4 -lbs hogs’ lard, 3 gallons peas, 3 doz. eggs, 1 gallon salt, -4 lbs candles, 1 lb tea, 4 lbs rice.</p> - -<p>The Sisters took possession of their convent in the -month of October; a few days after, their chapel was -solemnly consecrated by the Rev. Mr. Blanchet; and -they have since enjoyed the happiness of assisting every -day at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, offered up at their -simple altar by one of the missionaries, stationed at St. -Francis Xavier.<a id="FNanchor_178" href="#Footnote_178" class="fnanchor">[178]</a> They have also twice had the consolation<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_170"></a>[170]</span> -of presenting at the table of the Lord the little -band of fervent neophytes, whom they had prepared with -so much care, for this solemn action. This success, in so -short a time, has induced us to conceive the project of -founding another house of this order in the village of -Cuhute.<a id="FNanchor_179" href="#Footnote_179" class="fnanchor">[179]</a> Monsieur Blanchet and Father De Vos think, -that the departure of the Protestant ministers, on account -of their fruitless labors, renders this an auspicious moment -for the establishment of a religious house. The station of -Willamette would furnish occupation sufficient for twelve -Sisters, but unfortunately they are but six in number.</p> - -<p>{87} We learn with pleasure that it is the intention -of Monseigneur Blanchet to visit Europe immediately -after his consecration, in order to obtain, if possible, twelve -more of these zealous and devoted religious, for the mission. -God grant he may succeed; and that the want of -pecuniary means may not oppose an insurmountable obstacle -to the generous sacrifice, which, we are all well-assured, -the pious Sisters of the Congregation of Notre -Dame are disposed to make again in our behalf.</p> - -<h3 id="letter3">No. III<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">At the Foot of the Great Glaciere, one of the Upper Sources of the Athabasca River, May 6th, 1846.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>,—I am late, but not forgetful of my duty -and promises, for I will remember the many obligations -I have contracted, and the happy hours I passed, when<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_171"></a>[171]</span> -travelling in your paternity’s company. I now come -to redeem them, by troubling you with a dozen Rocky -Mountain letters,<a id="FNanchor_180" href="#Footnote_180" class="fnanchor">[180]</a> including a narrative of my last year’s -excursions and missions among several Indian tribes; of -what I have seen and heard; and of what happened, as -I was travelling along. I hope my letters may be consoling -to you, and serve as a proof that the work of God -is progressing among the long-benighted children of the -Oregon desert, and among the lonely tribes on the northern -waters of the great Mackenzie River. Four priests from -Red River will soon find ample employment in the dreary -regions of the Hudson Bay Territory. How lamentable -it is, that the great western desert alone, extending from -the States to the eastern {89} base of the Rocky Mountains, -and south to the Mexican lines, should be lying waste. -This would, indeed, present an extensive field to the zeal -of Catholic missionaries; and, from my personal observations, -and those of all the priests who have passed this -desert, their efforts would be crowned with the greatest -success. Indians are, in general, carelessly judged and -little known in the civilized world; people will form their -opinions from what they see among the Indians on the -frontiers, where the “fire water,” and all the degrading -vices of the whites have caused the greatest havoc. The -farther one penetrates into the desert the better he finds -the aborigines; and, in general, I found them most willing -and anxious to receive religious instruction, and to hear -the good tidings of salvation.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_172"></a>[172]</span></p> - -<p>A bishop, and two or three priests, who would make -it their business to visit the different tribes of this vast -land, remaining among each of the tribes a reasonable -and sufficient time to instruct the Indians, would most -certainly meet with the most abundant harvest; the scalping-knife -might thus soon be laid aside, and where the Indian -war-whoop has for centuries resounded, might be heard -in its stead, {90} the canticles and praises of the true and -only living God. The idea of collecting and settling -these wandering nations, would, in my humble opinion, -be impossible, or, at least, a very slow work. The Indians -might be made good Christians, and still continue, at -the same time, to lead a hunter’s life, as long as buffalo -and deer will supply their wants.</p> - -<p>Nothing, but the interest I feel for these poor people, -and the assurance I have that they will find a patron and -friend in your paternity, make me bold enough to make -an appeal to you in their favor, so that a speedy remedy -may be applied to the existing and most distressing want -of this large district of the United States. Thousands -of whites are well cared for and are straying from the -true path—the Indians have likewise souls to be saved, -redeemed by the Saviour’s precious blood, and thousands -of these bereft children are most anxious to enjoy the -salutary blessings with which their white brethren are -favored.</p> - -<p>I remain, with the greatest esteem and respect, recommending -myself at the same time to your holy sacrifices -and prayers.</p> - -<p>Your very humble and obedient servant in Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_173"></a>[173]</span></p> - -<h3 id="letter4">No. IV<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">St. Francis Xavier, Willamette, June 20th, 1845.</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">Right Rev. Bishop</span>,<a id="FNanchor_181" href="#Footnote_181" class="fnanchor">[181]</a></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sir</span>,—In the beginning of February, I set out to visit -our different settlements and stations, and to form new -ones among the neighboring tribes of our reductions. -The entire surface of this region was then covered with -snow, five feet deep; and I was compelled to go from -the Bay of Pends-d’oreilles to the Horse Plain, in a bark -canoe, a distance of 250 miles.<a id="FNanchor_182" href="#Footnote_182" class="fnanchor">[182]</a></p> - -<p>I was among my dear <i>Flatheads</i> and <i>Pends-d’oreilles</i><a id="FNanchor_183" href="#Footnote_183" class="fnanchor">[183]</a> -(ear-rings) of the mountains, during the Paschal time, -and had the great consolation of finding them replete -with zeal and fervor in fulfilling the duties of true children -of prayer. The solemn feast of Easter, all the <i>Flatheads</i> -at St. Mary’s devoutly approached the most blessed sacrament -during my mass; and about three hundred <i>Pends-d’oreilles</i>, -(the greater number adults), belonging to the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_174"></a>[174]</span> -station of St. Francis {92} Borgia,<a id="FNanchor_184" href="#Footnote_184" class="fnanchor">[184]</a> presented themselves -at the baptismal font. Five chiefs were among the number; -the most distinguished are <i>Stiettiedloodsho</i>, or chieftain -of the Tribe Valiant; <i>Selpisto</i>, the head chieftain, and -<i>Chalax</i>, that is to say the <i>White Robe</i>, surnamed the Juggler -or great medicine man.<a id="FNanchor_185" href="#Footnote_185" class="fnanchor">[185]</a> The word <i>medicine man</i>, -in their language, is synonymous with juggler.</p> - -<p>How consoling it is to pour the regenerating waters of -baptism on the furrowed and scarified brows of these -desert warriors,—to behold these children of the plains -and forests emerging from that profound ignorance and -superstition in which they have been for so many ages -deeply and darkly enveloped; to see them embrace the -faith and all its sacred practices, with an eagerness, an -attention, a zeal, worthy the pristine Christians.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_175"></a>[175]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;" id="illus5"> -<img src="images/illus5.jpg" width="700" height="400" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Interior of St. Mary’s Church, Flat-head Mission: Communion at Easter</p> -<p class="caption">(<a href="#letter4">See Letter 4th</a>)</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_176"></a>[176]</span></p> - -<p>Were I to give you the history of these chiefs, I should -greatly exceed the limits I have proposed. Suffice it to -say, that these heroes of the Rocky Mountains have been -for years the terror of their enemies. Chalax had acquired -great celebrity <i>as a juggler</i>, and in predicting future events; -if we may credit the <i>Kalispels</i> and the whites who have -travelled in company with him, these prophecies have -been verified. {93} He indicated the day, the place, and -the number of <i>Blackfeet</i> who would attack their camp. -Having interrogated him relative to this affair, he, with -great simplicity and candor, replied: “I am called the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_177"></a>[177]</span> -Great Doctor, yet, never have I given myself up to the -practices of juggling, nor condescended to exercise its -deceptions. I derive all my strength from prayer; when -in a hostile country, I address myself to the Master of -life, and offer Him my heart and soul, entreating him -to protect us against our enemies. A voice had already -warned me of coming danger; I then recommend prudence -and vigilance throughout the camp; for the monitory voice -has never deceived me. I have now a favor to request: -the mysterious voice calls me by the name of <i>Chalax</i>, and, -if you will permit, I desire to bear that name until my -death.” I willingly consented, and then explained to him -the ceremony of the <i>White Garment</i> he was about to -receive, in the holy sacrament of baptism. To the name -of <i>Chalax</i> I affixed that of the Prince of the Apostles. -This is the same chief, who on my first visit to the -mountains, aided by only sixty men, sustained during five -days, an obstinate struggle against 200 lodges of <i>Blackfeet</i>, -whom he put to flight, {94} leaving on the ground eighty -men, whilst among the <i>Flatheads</i> only one man was -wounded. He died three months after.</p> - -<p>With regret I parted from these good Indians, and my -beloved brothers in Jesus Christ, the Rev. Fathers Mengarini, -Zerbinati, and four coadjutor brothers; who are -laboring with indefatigable zeal in this portion of our -Lord’s vineyard.</p> - -<p>As the snow was fast disappearing, the Kalispels of the -bay were awaiting my arrival. I re-entered my fragile -canoe, guided by two Indians, and made all possible haste -to descend Clarke’s River. You may judge of its impetuosity -when I inform you, that we were sixteen days ascending -the river, and but four in descending the same. On -returning to the bay, accompanied by Rev. Father Hocken -and several chiefs, my first care was to examine the lands<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_178"></a>[178]</span> -belonging to this portion of the Tribe of Kalispels, and -select a fit site for erecting the new establishment of St. -Ignatius.<a id="FNanchor_186" href="#Footnote_186" class="fnanchor">[186]</a> We found a vast and beautiful prairie, three -miles in extent, surrounded by cedar and pine, in the -neighborhood of the cavern of New Manrese,<a id="FNanchor_187" href="#Footnote_187" class="fnanchor">[187]</a> and its -quarries, and a fall of water more than two hundred feet, -presenting every advantage {95} for the erection of mills. -I felled the first tree, and after having taken all necessary -measures to expedite the work, I departed for Walla Walla, -where I embarked in a small boat and descended the -Columbia, as far as Fort Vancouver. The melting of -the snow had occasioned a considerable freshet, and our -descent was very rapid. The place was indicated to me -where a few months previously, four travellers from the -United States had miserably perished, victims of their -own temerity and presumption. When advised to provide -themselves with a guide, they answered they had no need -of any; and when warned that the river was dangerous -and deceptive, the pilot, with a scoffing boast, replied, “I -am capable of guiding my barge, were it even across the -infernal gulf.” The monitor wished them a fortunate -voyage, but at the same time trembled for their fate, -saying: “This pilot is not a native Indian, he is not an -Iroquois, nor even a Canadian.” The turbulent stream<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_179"></a>[179]</span> -soon engulfed its presumptuous and daring victims. They -steered out into the midst of the river, and in an instant -the canoe was borne along with the rapidity of lightning, -leaving in its train a thick foam, caused by the violent -plying of oars. Approaching the rapids, {96} they fearlessly -hurried onward—alas, their fate was soon to be -decided. Drawn by the eddy into the centre of a whirlpool, -vainly they struggled to extricate themselves—they -beheld the dread abyss yawning to receive its prey! Yet, -an instant, the ill-fated barge twirled upon the surface, -and then sank, amidst the despairing shrieks of the helpless -crew, which the roaring waves rendered the more appalling, -whilst the dismal sounds re-echoing from shore to shore, -proclaimed the new disaster of the “Columbia.” Soon -the waters resumed their wonted course, and left no trace -of the sad catastrophe. This fatal spot might appropriately -be designated, Presumptive’s Rapids; doubtless, it -will be a lesson to future boasters, not to venture, without -pilot or guide, upon this formidable tributary of the western -ocean.</p> - -<p>After a prosperous voyage of five days, I debarked at -Vancouver, where I had the happiness of meeting Father -Nobili, who, during eight months, had applied himself -to study the Indian language, while he exercised his -sacred ministry among the Catholics of the fort and the -Indians of the neighborhood. More than a tenth of the -latter had been swept off by a mortal disease; happily, -they all had the consolation {97} of receiving baptism -before they expired.</p> - -<p>Father Nobili accompanied me in a Tchinouk canoe, -up the beautiful River of Multonomah or Willamette, -a distance of about sixty miles, as far as the village of -Champois,<a id="FNanchor_188" href="#Footnote_188" class="fnanchor">[188]</a> three miles from our residence of St. Francis<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_180"></a>[180]</span> -Xavier. On our arrival all the fathers came to meet us, -and great was our delight in being again reunited after -a long winter season. The Italian fathers had applied -themselves chiefly to the study of languages. Father -Ravalli, being skilled in medicine, rendered considerable -services to the inhabitants of St. Paul’s Mission; for -every dwelling contained several sick. Father Vercruysse, -at the request of Right Rev. Bishop Blanchet, opened -a mission among the Canadians who were distant from -St. Paul’s, and he succeeded in causing them to contribute -to the erection of a new church, in a central location. -Father De Vos is the only one of our fathers of Willamette -who speaks English. He devotes his whole attention -to the Americans, whose number already exceeds 4,000. -There are several Catholic families, and our dissenting -brethren seem well disposed; many among them are eager -to be instructed in the Catholic faith.</p> - -<p>{98} Nowhere does religion make greater progress, or -present brighter prospects for the future, than in Oregon -Territory. The Very Rev. Mr. Demers, Vicar General -and Administrator of the diocess in the absence of the -bishop, is preparing to build a brick cathedral. There is -now being built, under his superintendence, a fine church -at the Falls of Willamette, where, three years ago, was -commenced the first town of Oregon.<a id="FNanchor_189" href="#Footnote_189" class="fnanchor">[189]</a> This rising village -numbers more than 100 houses. Several lots have<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_181"></a>[181]</span> -been selected for a convent and two schools. A Catholic -church has been erected at Vancouver.</p> - -<p>The Convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame is fast progressing, -and it will be the finest building of Willamette. -The church is eighty feet long, and proportionably wide; -it is under the invocation of the Blessed Virgin. The -religious have already fifty boarders. The Bishop’s College, -under the management of the Very Rev. Mr. Bolduc, is -very prosperous. The number of pupils has augmented; -forty young men, chiefly <i>Metis</i>, are receiving a Christian -education. Some years ago, a church was erected at -Cowlitz, and the inhabitants are now preparing to construct -a convent under the direction of Rev. Mr. Langlois.</p> - -<p>{99} Our residence of St. Francis Xavier is completed; -it will hereafter serve for a novitiate and seminary, to -prepare young men for the missions.</p> - -<p>Measures, which I trust will be realized, have been -taken by our fathers for visiting, during this year, the -numerous tribes inhabiting the Pacific coast north and -south of the Columbia; where, already, the visits of the -bishop and his grand vicar have been so productive of -favorable results. The 17th Feb., 1842, Bishop Blanchet -thus wrote to the Bishop of Quebec: “God has deigned -to bless our labors, and to fructify the divine word. The -adorable name of Jesus has been announced to new nations -of the north. Mr. Demers bent his steps to Fort Langley -on Frazer’s River, in which place he administered baptism -to upwards of 700 children. Many of them already -enjoy the precious fruits of regenerating grace.”</p> - -<p>In my preceding letters, I gave you the details of our -missions among the mountains of the higher Oregon; of -the conversion of two tribes, the <i>Flatheads</i> and the <i>Cœurs-d’Alène</i> -or <i>Pointed Hearts</i>; of the first communion of -the latter, and conversion of several <i>Kalispels</i> of the Bay,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_182"></a>[182]</span> -on the solemn festival of Christmas. From {100} 1839, -when the mission was established, to July, 1845, the reverend -Canadian missionaries baptized 3,000 persons. The -number of Catholics residing at the different stations of -the Hon. Hudson Bay Co. in Oregon, together with the -colonists of the same nation, amounts to several hundreds. -By adding to these 2857 baptized since 1841 in the different -mountain missions, it gives us a total of more than 6,000 -Catholics in Oregon. The diminutive grain of mustard -is fast extending far and wide its branches, over this once -sterile and neglected region. In the month of June, Father -Nobili, accompanied by a brother novice, left Willamette -to visit the tribes of New Caledonia. The Very Rev. -Mr. Demers saw the following named tribes: <i>Kameloups</i>, -the <i>Atnans</i> or <i>Shouwapemot</i>, the <i>Porteurs</i> or <i>Ltavten</i>, -which names vary according to the different places -where the tents are pitched.<a id="FNanchor_190" href="#Footnote_190" class="fnanchor">[190]</a> They affix the word ten -which signifies people, i. e., <i>Stelaoten</i>, <i>Nashkoten</i>, <i>Tchilkoten</i>, -<i>Nazeteoten</i>.<a id="FNanchor_191" href="#Footnote_191" class="fnanchor">[191]</a> Rev. Mr. Demers had the consolation -of baptizing 436 children among these tribes.</p> - -<p>Such has since been the fervor and zeal of these poor -Indians; who, though deprived of a priest, have built three<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_183"></a>[183]</span> -churches, hoping that a {101} nepapayattok, or father would -settle among them.</p> - -<p>Many Catholics reside in the different forts of this -country. The honorable gentlemen of the Hudson Bay -Co., although Protestants, were strongly interested in favor -of these savages, and did all in their power to facilitate -the introduction of a clergyman into this portion of their -jurisdiction.</p> - -<p>I have the honor to be, with the most profound respect -and esteem, Monseigneur, your most humble and obedient -servant in Jesus Christ.</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter5">No. V<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Kalispel Bay, Aug. 7th, 1845.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>,—A few days after the departure of Father -Nobili, who obtained a place in a barge belonging to the -Hon. Hudson Bay Co., I started from St. Francis Xavier’s -with eleven horses laden with ploughs, spades, pickaxes, -scythes, and carpenters’ implements. My companions were -the good Brother McGill,<a id="FNanchor_192" href="#Footnote_192" class="fnanchor">[192]</a> and two metis or mongrels. -We encountered many obstacles and difficulties among -the mountains, owing to the cascades formed by the water, -which, at this season, descends on every side in torrents, -and with irresistible fury upon the rocks, over which we -were compelled to cross. In the narrow valleys between -these mountains, the rhododendron displays all its strength -and beauty; it rises to the height of fifteen or twenty feet. -Entire groves are formed by thousands of these shrubs,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_184"></a>[184]</span> -whose clustering branches entwine themselves in beautiful -green {103} arches, adorned with innumerable bouquets -of splendid flowers, varying their hues from the pure white, -to the deepened tint of the crimsoned rose.</p> - -<p>Our path was strewed with the whitened bones of horses -and oxen, melancholy testimonies of the miseries endured -by other travellers through these regions. We passed -the foot of Mt. Hood, the most elevated of this stupendous -chain. It is covered with snow, and rises 16,000 feet -above the level of the sea.<a id="FNanchor_193" href="#Footnote_193" class="fnanchor">[193]</a> Capt. Wyeth, on beholding -this ridge from the summit of the Blue Mountains, thus -speaks of it in his journal:—“The traveller on advancing -westerly, even at the distance of 160 miles, beholds the -peaks of the Cascade Mountains. Several of them rise -16,000 feet above the level of the sea. Every other natural -wonder seems to dwindle, as it were, into insignificance -when compared to this.”<a id="FNanchor_194" href="#Footnote_194" class="fnanchor">[194]</a> From one single spot I contemplated -seven of these majestic summits extending -from north to south, whose dazzling white and conic form -resemble a sugar loaf.</p> - -<p>We were twenty days going from Willamette to Walla -Walla, across desert and undulating lands, abounding -in absinthium or wormwood, cactus, tufted grass, and -several species of such {104} plants and herbs as are chiefly -found in a sterile and sandy soil.</p> - -<p>Game is scarce in these latitudes; however, we found -large partridges and pheasants, aquatic fowls, small birds -of various kinds, hares and rabbits. Salamanders swarm<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_185"></a>[185]</span> -in sandy places, and armadilloes are not rare in the vicinity -of the great Dalles. Fort Walla Walla is situated in latitude -46° 2′, and longitude 119° 30′. The sandy neighborhood -of this settlement likens it to a little Arabia. The -River Walla Walla pours its waters a mile distant from -the fort. The lowlands, when watered, are tolerably -fertile, and produce maize, wheat, potatoes, and pulse -of every kind. Cows and hogs are easily raised, and -horses abound in this part of the country.</p> - -<p>Having already spoken to you of the desert Nez-Percé -and Spokane, I have nothing further to add relative to -this dreary region. On advancing easterly towards the Blue -Mountains, we find beautiful and fertile plains, interspersed -with limpid and wholesome streams. The valleys are -picturesque, covered with luxuriant prairies, and forests -of pine and fir. The <i>Nez-Percé Kayuses</i> inhabit these -delightful pastures.<a id="FNanchor_195" href="#Footnote_195" class="fnanchor">[195]</a> They are the most wealthy tribes -in Oregon; {105} even some private families possess 1500 -horses. The savages successfully cultivate potatoes, pease, -corn, and several kinds of vegetables and fruits. No situation -affords finer grazing for cattle; even in winter they -find an abundance, nor do they need shelter from the -inclemency of the weather. Snow is never seen, and the -rains are neither destructive nor superabundant.</p> - -<p>About the middle of July, I arrived safely with all -my effects, at the Bay of Kalispels. In my absence the -number of neophytes had considerably increased. On -the feast of the Ascension, Father Hocken had the happiness -of baptizing more than one hundred adults. Since -my departure in the spring, our little colony has built<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_186"></a>[186]</span> -four houses, prepared materials for constructing a small -church, and enclosed a field of 300 acres. More than -four hundred <i>Kalispels</i>, computing adults and children -have been baptized. They are all animated with fervor -and zeal; they make use of the hatchet and plough, being -resolved to abandon an itinerant life for a permanent -abode. The beautiful falls of the Columbia, called the -Chaudières,<a id="FNanchor_196" href="#Footnote_196" class="fnanchor">[196]</a> in the vicinity of Fort Colville, are distant -two days’ journey from our new residence of St. Ignatius.</p> - -<p>From eight to nine hundred savages were {106} there -assembled for the salmon fishery. I repaired thither -in time to spend with them the nine days preceding the -feast of our holy founder. Within the last four years, -considerable numbers of these Indians were visited by -the “black-gowns,” who administered the sacrament of -baptism. I was received by my dear Indians with filial -joy and tenderness. I caused my little chapel of boughs -to be placed on an eminence in the midst of the Indians’ -huts, where it might not inaptly be compared to the pelican -of the wilderness surrounded by her young, seeking with -avidity the divine word, and sheltering themselves under -the protection of their fostering mother. I gave three -instructions daily; the Indians assisted at them with great -assiduity and attention.</p> - -<p>Last year, the feast of St. Ignatius proved for me a day -of danger, trial, and uneasiness. I love to recall it to -my mind, for it terminated joyfully, and so gloriously, that -I know my companions can never forget it, and they will -return lasting thanks to the Almighty, for the display of -His mercy. Without a chart or any knowledge of the -mouth of the Columbia, we traversed, as if borne on angels’ -wings, this formidable river. This year, I passed the -feast {107} of St. Ignatius amidst many occupations, but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_187"></a>[187]</span> -they were of such a nature as to console the missionary’s -heart, and repay him a hundred-fold, for the trifling privations, -pains, and fatigues he endures.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_188"></a>[188]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;" id="illus6"> -<img src="images/illus6.jpg" width="700" height="400" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Mission of St. Ignatius at Kalispel Bay, among the Pends d’Oreilles</p> -<p class="caption">(<a href="#letter5">See Letter 5th</a>)</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_189"></a>[189]</span></p> - -<p>More than one hundred children were presented for -baptism, and eleven old men borne to me on skins, seemed -only awaiting regenerating waters, to depart home and -repose in the bosom of their divine Saviour. The eldest -among them, apparently about one hundred, and blind, -addressed me in the following pathetic words:—My -life has been long on earth, and my tears have not ceased -to flow; even now I daily weep, for I have beheld all my -children and early associates disappear. I find myself -isolated among my own nation, as if I were in a strange -land, thoughts of the past alone occupy me, and they are -of a mournful and bitter nature. Sometimes I find consolation -in remembering that I have avoided the company -of the wicked. Never have I shared in their thefts, battles -or murders. This blessed day, joy has penetrated the -inmost recesses of my soul; the Great Spirit has taken -pity on me, I have received baptism, I return him thanks -for this favor, and offer him my heart and life.</p> - -<p>{108} A solemn mass was celebrated, during which -the Indians chanted canticles in praise of God. The -ceremonies of baptism followed, and all terminated in the -most perfect order, to the great delight and gratification -of the savages. It was indeed a most imposing spectacle, -all around contributed to heighten the effect. The noble, -and gigantic rock, the distant roar of the cataracts breaking -in on the religious silence of that solitude, situated on an -eminence overlooking the powerful Oregon River, and on the -spot where the impetuous waters freeing themselves from -their limits, rush in fury, and dash over a pile of rocks, -casting upwards a thousand jets d’eau, whose transparent -columns reflect, in varied colors, the rays of the dazzling sun.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_190"></a>[190]</span></p> - -<p>There were besides the <i>Shuyelphi</i> or <i>Chaudière</i> Indians, -the <i>Sinpoils</i>, the <i>Zingomenes</i> and several <i>Kalispels</i>, accompanied -me in the capacity of singers and catechists.<a id="FNanchor_197" href="#Footnote_197" class="fnanchor">[197]</a></p> - -<p>I gave the name of St. Paul to the <i>Shuyelphi</i> nation, -and placed under the care of St. Peter the tribe inhabiting -the shores of the great Columbia lakes, whither Father -Hocken is about to repair, to continue instructing and -baptizing their adults. My presence among the Indians -did not interrupt their fine and abundant {109} fishery. -An enormous basket was fastened to a projecting rock, -and the finest fish of the Columbia, as if by fascination, -cast themselves by dozens into the snare. Seven or eight -times during the day, these baskets were examined, and -each time were found to contain about 250 salmon. The -Indians, meanwhile, were seen on every projecting rock, -piercing the fish with the greatest dexterity.</p> - -<p>They who know not this territory may accuse me of -exaggeration, when I affirm, that it would be as easy to -count the pebbles so profusely scattered on the shores, -as to sum up the number of different kinds of fish, which -this western river furnishes for man’s support; as the -buffalo of the north, and deer from north to east of the -mountains, furnish daily food for the inhabitants of those -regions, so do these fish supply the wants of the western -tribes. One may form some idea of the quantity of -salmon and other fish, by remarking, that at the time -they ascend the rivers, all the tribes inhabiting the shores, -choose a favorable location, and not only do they find -abundant nutriment during the season, but, if diligent, -they dry, and also pulverize and mix with oil a sufficient<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_191"></a>[191]</span> -quantity for the rest of the year. Incalculable shoals -of {110} salmon ascend to the river’s source, and there -die in shallow water. Great quantities of trout and carp -follow them, and regale themselves on the spawn deposited -by the salmon in holes and still water. The following -spring the young salmon descend towards the sea, and -I have been told, (I cannot vouch for the authenticity,) -that they never return until the fourth year. Six different -species are found in the Columbia River.<a id="FNanchor_198" href="#Footnote_198" class="fnanchor">[198]</a></p> - -<p>I left Chaudière or Kettle Falls, August 4th, accompanied -by several of the nation of the <i>Crees</i> to examine -the lands they have selected for the site of a village. The -ground is rich and well suited for all agricultural purposes. -Several buildings were commenced; I gave the name of -St. Francis Regis to this new station, where a great number -of the mixed race and beaver hunters have resolved to -settle, with their families.<a id="FNanchor_199" href="#Footnote_199" class="fnanchor">[199]</a> The 6th I traversed the high -mountains of the <i>Kalispels</i>, and towards evening reached -the establishment of St. Ignatius. The Rev. Fathers -Hocken and Ravalli, with two lay brothers, superintend -this interesting little settlement. These fathers likewise -visit the different neighboring tribes, such as the <i>Zingomenes</i>, -<i>Sinpoils</i>, <i>Okinaganes</i>, the stations of St. Francis -{111} Regis, of St. Peter, and that of St. Paul, the <i>Flat-bows</i>,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_192"></a>[192]</span> -and the <i>Koetenays</i>.<a id="FNanchor_200" href="#Footnote_200" class="fnanchor">[200]</a> I purpose visiting these two -tribes, who have never yet had the consolation of beholding -a “black gown” among them. All these tribes comprehend, -on an average, about five hundred souls.</p> - -<p>I am, with profound respect and esteem,</p> - -<p class="center">Your lordship’s most obedient servant,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter6">No. VI<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Station of the Assumption, Arcs-a-plats, August 17th, 1845.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>,—The 9th of August I continued my route -towards the country of the <i>Arcs-a-plats</i>. The roads were -still inundated by the great freshet. I preferred ascending -the Clark or Flathead River, in my bark canoe, and -sent my horses across the forests bordering the river, -to await me at the great lake of the <i>Kalispels</i>.<a id="FNanchor_201" href="#Footnote_201" class="fnanchor">[201]</a> I had -here a very agreeable and unexpected interview; as we -approached the forests, several horsemen issued forth in -tattered garments. The foremost gentleman saluted me by -name, with all the familiarity of an old acquaintance. I -returned the gracious salutation, desiring to know whom -I had the honor of addressing. A small river separated -us, and, with a smile, he said, “Wait until I reach the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_193"></a>[193]</span> -opposite shore, and then you will recognise me.” He -is not a {113} beaver hunter, said I to myself; yet under -this tattered garb and slouched hat, I could not easily -descry one of the principal members of the Hon. Hudson -Bay Co., the worthy and respectable Mr. Ogden. I had -the honor and good fortune of making a voyage with him, -and in his own barge, from Colville to Fort Vancouver, -in 1842; and no one could desire more agreeable society.<a id="FNanchor_202" href="#Footnote_202" class="fnanchor">[202]</a> -It would be necessary for you to traverse the desert, to -feel yourself insulated, remote from brethren, friends, to -conceive the consolation and joy of such an rencounter.</p> - -<p>Mr. Ogden left England in the month of April last, accompanied -by two distinguished officers. It was a source -of great pleasure to receive recent news from Europe. -The Oregon question appeared to me somewhat alarming. -It was neither curiosity nor pleasure that induced these -two officers to cross so many desolate regions, and hasten -their course towards the mouth of the Columbia. They -were invested with orders from their government to take -possession of “Cape Disappointment,” to hoist the English -standard, and erect a fortress for the purpose of securing -the entrance of the river, in case of war.<a id="FNanchor_203" href="#Footnote_203" class="fnanchor">[203]</a> In the Oregon<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_194"></a>[194]</span> -question, “John Bull,” without much talk, attains his -{114} end, and secures the most important part of the -country; whereas “Uncle Sam,” displodes a volley of -words, inveighs and storms! Many years have been -passed in debates and useless contention, without one -single practical <i>effort</i> to secure his real or pretended rights. -The poor Indians of Oregon, who alone have a right to -the country, are not consulted. Their future destiny -will be, undoubtedly, like that of so many other unfortunate -tribes, who, after having lived peaceably by hunting and -fishing, during several generations, will finally disappear, -victims of vice and malady, under the rapacious influence -of modern civilization.</p> - -<p>The route from the great <i>Kalispel</i> lake to the <i>Arcs-a-plats</i>, -or Flatbow country, is across dense forests, and -much obstructed by fallen trees, morasses, frightful -sloughs, from which the poor horses with much difficulty -extricate themselves; but, having finally surmounted all -these obstacles, we contemplate from an eminence a -smiling and accessible valley, whose mellow and abundant<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_195"></a>[195]</span> -verdure is nourished by two lovely lakes, where the graceful -river of the Arcs-a-plats or McGilvray, winds in such -fantastic beauty, that it serves to make the weary traveller -not only forget his past dangers, but {115} amply compensates -him for the fatigues of a long and tiresome -journey.<a id="FNanchor_204" href="#Footnote_204" class="fnanchor">[204]</a></p> - -<p>This section of the valley of <i>Arcs-a-plats</i> greatly resembles -the two valleys of the <i>Pointed Hearts</i>; same -fertility of soil, lakes, pastures, willow and pine groves; -elevated mountains covered to the very summit with -dense forests of trees, low lands, in which the towering -cedar displays all its majesty and splendid foliage; and, -as Racine says:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Elevent aux cieux</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Leurs fronts audacieux!”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The river is, in this place, deep and tranquil; moving -along with a tardy pace until aroused from its inertness -by the universal thaw; it then descends with such astounding -impetuosity that it destroys the banks, and in its -furious course, uproots and bears along trees, fragments -of rocks, &c., which vainly oppose its passage. In a -few days the entire valley is overflowed, and it presents -to view immense lakes and morasses, separated by borders -of trees. Thus does the kind providence of God, assist -his poor creatures who inhabit these regions, by the liberality -with which he ministers to their wants.</p> - -<p>{116} These lakes and morasses, formed in the spring, -are filled with fish; they remain there inclosed as in -natural reservoirs, for the use of the inhabitants. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_196"></a>[196]</span> -fish swarm in such abundance that the Indians have no -other labor than to take them from the water and prepare -them for the boiler. Such an existence is, however, precarious; -the savages, who are not of a provident nature, -are obliged to go afterwards in quest of roots, grain, berries -and fruits; such as the thorny bush which bears a sweet, -pleasant, blackberry; the rose-buds, mountain cherry, -cormier or service berry, various sorts of gooseberries -and currants of excellent flavor; raspberries, the hawthorn -berry, the wappato, (sagitta-folia,) a very nourishing, -bulbous root; the bitter root, whose appellation -sufficiently denotes its peculiar quality, is, however, -very healthy; it grows in light, dry, sandy soil, as also -the caious or biscuit root.<a id="FNanchor_205" href="#Footnote_205" class="fnanchor">[205]</a> The former is of a thin -and cylindrical form; the latter, though farinaceous and -insipid, is a substitute for bread; it resembles a small -white radish; the watery potatoe, oval and greenish, is -prepared like our ordinary potatoe, but greatly inferior -to it; the small onion; the sweet onion, which bears a -lovely flower resembling the {117} tulip. Strawberries -are common and delicious. To this catalogue I could -add a number of detestible fruits and roots which serve -as nutriment for the Indians, but at which a <i>civilized</i> -stomach would revolt and nauseate. I cannot pass over -in silence the camash root, and the peculiar manner in -which it is prepared. It is abundant, and, I may say, -is the queen root of this clime. It is a small, white, vapid -onion, when removed from the earth, but becomes black<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_197"></a>[197]</span> -and sweet when prepared for food. The women arm -themselves with long, crooked sticks, to go in search of -the camash. After having procured a certain quantity -of these roots, by dint of long and painful labor, they -make an excavation in the earth from twelve to fifteen -inches deep, and of proportional diameter, to contain the -roots. They cover the bottom with closely-cemented -pavement, which they make red hot by means of a fire. -After having carefully withdrawn all the coals, they cover -the stones with grass and wet hay; then place a layer -of camash, another of wet hay, a third of bark overlaid -with mould, whereon is kept a glowing fire for fifty, sixty, -and sometimes seventy hours. The camash thus acquires -a consistency equal to that of the jujube. {118} It is -sometimes made into loaves of various dimensions. It -is excellent, especially when boiled with meat; if kept -dry, it can be preserved a long time.<a id="FNanchor_206" href="#Footnote_206" class="fnanchor">[206]</a></p> - -<p>As soon as their provisions are exhausted the Indians -scour the plains, forests, and mountains, in quest of game. -If they are unsuccessful in the chase, their hunger becomes -so extreme, that they are reduced to subsist on moss, -which is more abundant than the camash. It is a parasite -of the pine, a tree common in these latitudes, and hangs -from its boughs in great quantities; it appears more suitable -for mattresses, than for the sustenance of human -life. When they have procured a great quantity, they pick -out all heterogeneous substance, and prepare it as they -do the camash; it becomes compact, and is, in my opinion, -a most miserable food, which, in a brief space, reduces -those who live on it to a pitiable state of emaciation.<a id="FNanchor_207" href="#Footnote_207" class="fnanchor">[207]</a></p> - -<p>Such are the <i>Arcs-a-plats</i>. They know neither industry, -art, nor science; the words <i>mine</i> and <i>thine</i> are scarcely<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_198"></a>[198]</span> -known among them. They enjoy, in common, the means -of existence spontaneously granted them by Nature; and -as they are strangely improvident, they often pass from -the greatest abundance to extreme scarcity. {119} They -feast well one day, and the following is passed in total -abstinence. The two extremes are equally pernicious. -Their cadaverous figure sufficiently demonstrates what -I here advance. I arrived among the <i>Arcs-a-plats</i> in -time to witness the grand <i>fish festival</i>, which is yearly -celebrated; the men only have the privilege of assisting -thereat. Around a fire fifty feet long, partially overlaid -with stones of the size of a turkey’s egg, eighty men -range themselves; each man is provided with an osier -vessel, cemented with gum and filled with water and fish. -The <i>hall</i> where this extraordinary feast is celebrated is -constructed of rush mats, and has three apertures, one -at either extremity for the entrance of guests; the middle -one serves for transporting the fish. All preparations -being completed, and each man at his post, the chief, -after a short harangue of encouragement to his people, -finishes by a prayer of supplication to the “Great Spirit,” -of whom he demands an abundant draught. He gives the -signal to commence, and each one armed with two sticks -flattened at the extremity, makes use of them instead of -tongs, to draw the stones from the embers, and put -them in his kettle. This process is twice renewed, and -in {120} the space of five minutes the fish are cooked. -Finally, they squat around the fire in the most profound -silence to enjoy the repast, each trembling lest a bone -be disjointed or broken,—an indispensable condition (a -<i>sine quâ non</i>) of a plentiful fishery. A single bone broken -would be regarded as ominous, and the unlucky culprit -banished the society of his comrades, lest his presence -should entail on them some dread evil.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_199"></a>[199]</span></p> - -<p>A species of sturgeon which measures from six to ten, -and sometimes twelve feet in length, is taken by the dart -in the great lake of <i>Arcs-a-plats</i>.<a id="FNanchor_208" href="#Footnote_208" class="fnanchor">[208]</a></p> - -<p>Since my arrival among the Indians, the feast of the -glorious Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary has ever -been to me a day of great consolation. I had time to -prepare for the celebration of this solemn festival. -Thanks be to the instructions and counsels of a brave -Canadian, Mr. Berland,<a id="FNanchor_209" href="#Footnote_209" class="fnanchor">[209]</a> who for a long time has resided -among them in the quality of trader, I found the little -tribe of <i>Arcs-a-plats</i> docile, and in the best disposition -to embrace the faith. They had already been instructed -in the principal mysteries of religion. They sang canticles -in the French and Indian tongues. They number -about ninety families. I celebrated the first Mass ever -offered in their {121} land; after which ten adults already -advanced in age and ninety children received baptism. -The former were very attentive to all my instructions. -In the afternoon, the erection of the cross was as solemn -as circumstances would admit. There was a grand salute -of ninety guns, and at the foot of the lowly standard of -the God-Saviour, the entire tribe made a tender of their -hearts to Him, with the promise of inviolable attachment -to all the duties of true children of prayer, availing themselves -of this occasion to renounce the remains of their -ancient juggling and superstition. The cross was elevated -on the border of a lake, and the station received the beautiful -name of the Assumption. Under the auspices of this<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_200"></a>[200]</span> -good Mother, in whose honor they have for many years -sung canticles, we hope that religion will take deep root -and flourish amidst this tribe, where union, innocence, -and simplicity, reign in full vigor. They ardently desire -to be taught agriculture, the advantages of which I have -explained, and promised to procure the necessary seed -and implements of husbandry.</p> - -<p>I have the honor to be, monseigneur, your most humble -and obedient servant in Jesus Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter7">No. VII<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Ford of Flat-Bow River,<a id="FNanchor_210" href="#Footnote_210" class="fnanchor">[210]</a> Sept. 2d, 1845.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>,—The <i>Flat-bows</i> and <i>Koetenays</i> now form -one tribe, divided into two branches. They are known -throughout the country by the appellation of the <i>Skalzi</i>.—Advancing -towards the territory of the Koetenays we were -enchanted by the beautiful and diversified scenery. We -sometimes traversed undulatory woods of pine and cedar, -from which the light of day is partially excluded. We -next entered sombre forests, where, axe in hand, we -were forced to cut our way and wind about to avoid -hosts of trees that had been levelled by the autumnal -blasts and storms. Some of these forests are so dense -that, at the distance of twelve feet, I could not distinguish -my guide. The most certain way of extricating one’s-self -from these labyrinths, is to trust to the horse’s sagacity, -which, if left unguided, will follow the track of other animals. -This expedient has saved me a hundred times.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_201"></a>[201]</span></p> - -<p>{123} I cannot refrain from communicating to your -lordship the gloomy and harrowing thoughts which -imagination conjures up in these dismal regions. The -most fearful apprehensions dismay the bravest heart and -cause an involuntary shudder, as some dire apparition of -a bear or panther stalks in fancy before the mind, whilst -groping our way amidst these dark and frightful haunts, -from which there is no egress. We caught a transitory -glimpse of many charming spots covered with vegetation -as we pursued our winding path near the river, wherever -it deviated from its natural course. At a place called -the Portage, the river crosses a defile of mountains, or -rather of precipitous and frightful rocks; and the traveller -is compelled, for the distance of eight miles, to risk his life -at every step, and brave obstacles that appear, at first -sight, insuperable.<a id="FNanchor_211" href="#Footnote_211" class="fnanchor">[211]</a></p> - -<p>Whatever can be imagined appalling seems here combined -to terrify the heart—livid gashes of ravines and -precipices, giant peaks and ridges of varied hue, inaccessible -pinnacles, fearful and unfathomable chasms filled with -the sound of ever-precipitating waters, long, sloping and -narrow banks, which must be alternately ascended, and -many times have I been obliged {124} to take the attitude -of a quadruped and walk upon my hands; often during -this perilous passage did I return fervent thanks to the -Almighty for his protection from impending danger. Amid -these stern, heaven-built walls of rocks, the water has -forced its way in varied forms, and we find cataracts and -whirlpools engulfing crags and trees, beneath their angry -sway. Whilst the eye rests with pleasure on the rich<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_202"></a>[202]</span> -and russet hues of distant slopes, upland turf and rock-hung -flower—the ear is stunned by the confused sounds -of murmuring rills, rushing streams, impetuous falls, -and roaring torrents.</p> - -<p>An extensive plain at the base of the Portage mountain -presents every advantage for the foundation of a city. -The mountains surrounding this agreeable site are majestic -and picturesque. They forcibly recalled to my memory -the noble Mapocho Mountains that encompass the beautiful -capital of Chili (Santiago). Innumerable little rills, -oozing from the mountain’s stony bosom, diffuse a transparent -haze over the valleys and lower slopes. The -fine river Des Chutes comes roaring down and crosses -the plain before it joins its waters to the McGilvray, which -tranquilly pursues its course.<a id="FNanchor_212" href="#Footnote_212" class="fnanchor">[212]</a> The quarries and forests -appear inexhaustible; and having remarked {125} large -pieces of coal along the river, I am convinced that this -fossil could be abundantly procured. What would this -now solitary and desolate land become, under the fostering -hand of civilization? Indeed, the entire tract of the -<i>Skalzi</i> seems awaiting the benign influence of a civilized -people. Great quantities of lead are found on the surface -of the earth; and from the appearance of its superior -quality, we are led to believe there may be some mixture -of silver.<a id="FNanchor_213" href="#Footnote_213" class="fnanchor">[213]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_203"></a>[203]</span></p> - -<p>Poor, unfortunate Indians! they trample on treasures, -unconscious of their worth, and content themselves with -the fishery and chase. When these resources fail, they -subsist upon roots and herbs; whilst they eye, with tranquil -surprise, the white man examining the shining pebbles -of their territory. Ah! they would tremble, indeed, could -they learn the history of those numerous and ill-fated -tribes that have been swept from their land, to make -place for Christians who have made the poor Indians -the victims of their rapacity. After a few days’ journey -we arrived at the Prairie du Tabac, the usual abode of -the <i>Koetenays</i>.<a id="FNanchor_214" href="#Footnote_214" class="fnanchor">[214]</a> Their camp is situated in an immense -and delightful valley, bounded by two eminences, which, from -their gentle and regular declivity, covered with {126} smooth -pebbles, appear to have originally bounded an extensive lake.</p> - -<p>On my arrival, I found about thirty lodges of <i>Koetenays</i>; -hunger had forced many families to cross the great mountain. -They came in quest of the buffalo, elk, antelope, -and stag. I was received with every demonstration of -joy and filial affection by those who remained in the -lodges. They hailed me with a long and boisterous discharge -of musketry. Several showed me their journal, -consisting of a square stick on which they had notched -the number of days and weeks elapsed since I abode with -them in the neighborhood of the great lake Teteplatte.<a id="FNanchor_215" href="#Footnote_215" class="fnanchor">[215]</a> -They had computed forty-one months and some days.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_204"></a>[204]</span></p> - -<p>Mr. Berland had exerted his zeal to maintain the -<i>Koetenays</i> and their brethren in the good dispositions -in which I had the consolation of finding them. Since -my last visit they have followed, to the very letter, all -they remembered of my recommendations. I was obliged -to decide some controversial points, which they had misinterpreted -or misapprehended. They habitually assembled -for morning and evening prayer, continued the -practice of singing canticles, and faithfully observed the -Sabbath precept.</p> - -<p>{127} On the feast of the Holy Heart of Mary I sang -High Mass, thus taking spiritual possession of this land, -which was now for the first time trodden by a minister -of the Most High. I administered the Sacrament of Baptism -to one hundred and five persons, among whom were -twenty adults. An imposing ceremony terminated the exercises -of the day. Amidst a general salute from the camp, -a large cross was elevated. The chiefs, at the head of -their tribe, advanced and prostrated themselves before -that sacred ensign, which speaks so eloquently of the -love of a Man-God, who came to redeem a fallen race. -At the foot of that sacred emblem, they loudly offered -their hearts to him who has declared himself our Master, -and the Divine Pastor of souls. This station bears the -name of the Holy Heart of Mary. One of our Fathers -will soon visit the two branches of this tribe.</p> - -<p>Though these poor people were much in want of food, -they pressed me to remain some days amongst them, whilst -they listened with avidity to my instructions relative to -their future conduct. After my departure they divided -into small bands to go in search of provisions among the -defiles of the mountains.</p> - -<p>The 30th August I bade adieu to the <i>Koetenays</i>. {128} -Two young men of their tribe offered to conduct me to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_205"></a>[205]</span> -the country of the <i>Black-feet</i>, and a third Indian, an expert -hunter and good interpreter, completed the number of -my little escort. I then journeyed on towards the sources -of the Columbia.—The country we traversed was highly -picturesque and agreeably diversified by beautiful prairies, -from which poured forth spicy odors of flower, and shrub, -and fresh spirit-elating breezes, smiling valleys and lakes, -surrounded by hoary and solemn pines, gracefully waving -their flexible branches. We also crossed magnificent -dark Alpine forests, where the sound of the axe has never -resounded; they are watered by streams which impetuously -rush over savage crags and precipices from the range -of mountains on the right.<a id="FNanchor_216" href="#Footnote_216" class="fnanchor">[216]</a> This stupendous chain -appears like some impregnable barrier of colossal firmness.</p> - -<p>I am, with every sentiment of the most profound respect, -your lordship’s humble and obedient servant in Jesus Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter8">No. VIII<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Head of the Columbia, September 9th, 1845.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">All hail! Majestic Rock—the home,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Where many a wand’rer yet shall come,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Where God himself from his own heart,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Shall health, and peace, and joy impart.<a id="FNanchor_217" href="#Footnote_217" class="fnanchor">[217]</a></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>,—The 4th September, towards noon, I found -myself at the source of the Columbia. I contemplated<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_206"></a>[206]</span> -with admiration those rugged and gigantic mountains -where the Great River escapes—majestic, but impetuous -even at its source; and in its vagrant course it is undoubtedly -the most dangerous river on the western side of the -American hemisphere. Two small lakes from four to -six miles in length, formed by a number of springs and -streams, are the reservoirs of its first waters.<a id="FNanchor_218" href="#Footnote_218" class="fnanchor">[218]</a></p> - -<p>I pitched my tent on the banks of the first fork that -brings in its feeble tribute, and which we behold rushing -with impetuosity over the inaccessible rocks that present -themselves on {130} the right. What sublime rocks! How -varied in shape and figure! The fantastic in every form, -the attractive, the ludicrous, and the sublime, present -themselves simultaneously to the view; and by borrowing -ever so little the aid of the imagination, we behold -rising before our astonished eyes, castles of by-gone chivalry, -with their many-embattled towers—fortresses, surrounded -by their walls and bulwarks—palaces with their domes—and, -in fine, cathedrals with their lofty spires.</p> - -<p>On arriving at the two lakes, I saw them covered with -swarms of aquatic birds—coots, ducks, water-fowl, cormorants, -bustards, cranes, and swans; whilst beneath -the tranquil water lay shoals of salmon in a state of exhaustion. -At the entrance of the second lake, in a rather -shallow and narrow place, I saw them pass in great numbers, -cut and mutilated, after their long watery pilgrimage -among the rapids, cataracts, valleys, and falls; they continue -this uninterrupted procession during weeks and months.<a id="FNanchor_219" href="#Footnote_219" class="fnanchor">[219]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_207"></a>[207]</span></p> - -<p>Perhaps I shall scarcely be believed when I affirm that -the salmon fish are quarrelsome. I witnessed with surprise -the sharp and vengeful bites they mutually inflicted. -These two lakes {131} form an immense tomb, for they -there die in such numbers as frequently to infect the whole -surrounding atmosphere.</p> - -<p>In the absence of man, the grey and black bear, the -wolf, the eagle, and vulture assemble in crowds, at this -season of the year. They fish their prey on the banks -of the river, and at the entrance of the lakes;—claws, -teeth and bills serving them instead of hooks and darts. -From thence, when the snow begins to fall, the bears, -plump and fat, resume the road back to their dens in -the thick of the forests, and hollows of rocks, there to -pass the four sad wintry months in complete indolence, -with no other pastime or occupation, than that of sucking -their four paws.</p> - -<p>If we may credit the Indians, each paw occupies the -bear for one moon,(a <i>month</i>,) and the task accomplished, -he turns on the other side, and begins to suck the second, -and so on with the rest.</p> - -<p>I will here mention, <i>en passant</i>, all the hunters and -Indians remark that it is a very uncommon incident for -a female bear to be killed when with young, and, notwithstanding, -they are killed in all seasons of the year. Where -they go—what becomes of them during the period -{132} they carry their young—is a problem yet to be -solved by our mountain hunters.</p> - -<p>When emigration, accompanied by industry, the arts -and sciences, shall have penetrated into the numberless -valleys of the Rocky Mountains, the source of the Columbia -will prove a very important point. The climate is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_208"></a>[208]</span> -delightful; the extremes of heat and cold are seldom -known. The snow disappears as fast as it falls; the -laborious hand that would till these valleys, would be -repaid a hundred fold. Innumerable herds could graze -throughout the year in these meadows, where the sources -and streams nurture a perpetual freshness and abundance. -The hillocks and declivities of the mountains are generally -studded with inexhaustible forests, in which the larch -tree, pine of different species, cedar and cypress abound.</p> - -<p>In the plain between the two lakes, are beautiful springs, -whose waters have re-united and formed a massive rock -of soft sandy stone, which has the appearance of an immense -congealed or petrified cascade. Their waters are -soft and pellucid; and of the same temperature as the -milk just drawn from the cow.<a id="FNanchor_220" href="#Footnote_220" class="fnanchor">[220]</a> The description given -by Chandler of the famous fountain of Pambouk Kalesi, -on the ancient Hieropolis of {133} Asia Minor, in the -valley of Meander, and of which Malte Brun makes mention, -might be literally applied to the warm springs at the -source of the Columbia.<a id="FNanchor_221" href="#Footnote_221" class="fnanchor">[221]</a> The prospect unfolded to -our view was so wonderful, that an attempt to give even -a faint idea of it, would savor of romance, without going -beyond the limits of fact.</p> - -<p>We contemplated with an admiring gaze, this vast slope, -which, from a distance, had the appearance of chalk, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_209"></a>[209]</span> -when nearer, extends like an immense concreted cascade, its -undulating surface resembling a body of water suddenly -checked or indurated in its rapid course.</p> - -<p>The first lake of the Columbia is two miles and a half -distant from the River des Arcs-a-plats, and receives -a portion of its waters during the great spring freshet. -They are separated by a bottom land.<a id="FNanchor_222" href="#Footnote_222" class="fnanchor">[222]</a> The advantages -Nature seems to have bestowed on the source of the -Columbia, will render its geographical position very important -at some future day. The magic hand of civilized -man would transform it into a terrestrial paradise.</p> - -<p>The Canadian! Into what part of the desert has he -not penetrated? The monarch who rules at the source -of the Columbia is an honest emigrant {134} from St. -Martin, in the district of Montreal, who has resided for -twenty-six years in this desert. The skins of the rein -and moose deer are the materials of which his portable -palace is composed; and to use his own expressions, he -<span class="smcap">embarks</span> on horseback with his wife and seven children, -and <span class="smcap">lands</span> wherever he pleases. Here, no one disputes -his right, and Polk and Peel, who are now contending -for the possession of his dominions, are as unknown to -our carbineer, as the two greatest powers of the moon. -His <i>sceptre</i> is a beaver trap—his <i>law</i> a carbine—the -one on his back, the other on his arm, he reviews his numerous -furry subjects the beaver, otter, muskrat, marten, -fox, bear, wolf, sheep, and white goat of the mountains, -the black-tailed roe-buck, as well as its red-tailed relative, -the stag, the rein and moose deer; some of which <i>respect<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_210"></a>[210]</span> -his sceptre</i>—others <i>submit to his law</i>. He exacts and -receives from them the tribute of <i>flesh</i> and <i>skins</i>. Encircled -by so much grandeur, undisturbed proprietor of -all the sky-ward palaces, the strong holds, the very last -refuge which Nature has reared to preserve alive liberty -in the earth—solitary lord of these majestic mountains, -that elevate their icy summits even to the clouds,—Morigeau -(our Canadian) {135} does not forget his duty as a -Christian. Each day, morning and evening, he may be -seen devoutly reciting his prayers, midst his little family.</p> - -<p>Many years had Morigeau ardently desired to see a -priest; and when he learned that I was about to visit the -source of the Columbia, he repaired thither in all haste -to procure for his wife and children the signal grace of -baptism. The feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, -this favor was conferred on them, and also on the children -of three Indian families, who accompany him in his -migrations. This was a solemn day for the desert! The -august sacrifice of Mass was offered; Morigeau devoutly -approached the Holy Table;—at the foot of the humble -altar he received the nuptial benediction; and the mother, -surrounded by her children and six little Indians, was -regenerated in the holy waters of baptism. In memory -of so many benefits, a large cross was erected in the -plain, which, from that time, is called the <i>Plain of the -Nativity</i>.</p> - -<p>I cannot leave my good Canadian without making an -honorable mention of his royal <span class="smcap">cuisine a la sauvage</span>. -The first dish he presented me contained two paws of -a bear. In Africa, {136} this ragout might have given -some alarm; in effect, it bears a striking resemblance to -the feet of a certain race. A roast porcupine next made -its appearance, accompanied by a moose’s muzzle; the -latter I found delicious. Finally, the great kettle containing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_211"></a>[211]</span> -a sort of hotch-potch, or salmagundi, was placed in the -midst of the guests, and each one helped himself according -to his taste.</p> - -<p>Some remains of beef, buffalo, venison, beavers’ tails, -hare, partridges, &c., made an agreeable, substantial, famous -soup.</p> - -<p>I am, monseigneur, your most humble and obedient -servant in Jesus Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter9">No. IX<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Foot of the Cross of Peace, September 15th, 1845.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent30">“——Here</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Poplars and birch trees ever quivering played,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And nodding cedars formed a vagrant shade;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">On whose high branches, waving with the storm,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The birds of broadest wings their mansion form;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The jay, the magpie, the loquacious crow,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And soar aloft and skim the deeps below.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Here limpid fountains from the clefts distil,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And every fountain forms a noisy rill,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">In mazy windings wand’ring down the hill.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>,—We bade adieu to the Morigeau family -on the 9th, and to their companions of the chase, the -<i>Sioushwaps</i>.<a id="FNanchor_223" href="#Footnote_223" class="fnanchor">[223]</a> We quitted the upper valley of the Columbia -by a small footpath, which soon conducted us to a -narrow mountain defile, where the light of day vanished -from view, amidst the huge, bold barriers of colossal -rocks. The grand, the sublime, the beautiful, here form -the most singular and fantastic {138} combinations. -Though gray is the prevailing color, we find an immense -rock of porphyry, or white-veined granite. Here and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_212"></a>[212]</span> -there, from the fissures of the rock, or wherever there -is a handful of dust, the heavy and immortal pine enroots -itself, adding its gloomy verdure to the variegated hues -of the torpid rocks. These circuitous paths often present -the most ravishing and picturesque vistas; surrounded -by colossal walls, the greatest diversity and most beautiful -scenery in nature is spread out before the eye, where the -plush and cedar rise majestically in these venerable woods, -the graceful poplar waves on high its emerald plumes, -and fights its battles with the howling storm, whilst over -the precipitous and jagged rocks, the scarcely-waving -pine fills the brown shade with religious awe. The birch -springs from an earth carpetted with moss, and shines like -magnificent silver columns, supporting diadems of golden -autumnal leaves, amidst the redolent purple-berried juniper -and azure turpentines, of these humid dells and forests.</p> - -<p>After a day’s journey through these primeval scenes, -we reached the banks of the river Arcs-a-plats, where -innumerable torrents rush headlong, with a thousand -mazes from the mountain’s {139} brow, and in their union -form this noble river. From afar is heard the deafening -and continuous sound of its own dashes, as it traverses -a rocky bed with extraordinary rapidity. We crossed -the river in order to attempt the passage of another defile, -still more wonderful, where the waters of the Vermillion -have forced an opening.<a id="FNanchor_224" href="#Footnote_224" class="fnanchor">[224]</a> Here, everything strikes the -eye; all is wild sublimity, in this profound but turbulent -solitude. Projecting mountains rise like holy towers -where man might commune with the sky;—terrible precipices -hang in fragments overhead—the astounding<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_213"></a>[213]</span> -noise of the deep-tongued waves, in their unconfined flow, -resembles that of the angry tempest, sweeping wild and -free, like the spirit of liberty. Now the breaking waves -play low upon the rock-ribbed beach, and madly plunge -into an abyss—anon it returns foaming to its sedgy -bed, apparently sporting with the sedges for diversion—falling -from slope to slope, from cascade to cascade, -passing in its course a long train of rapids—now concealing -itself under the tufted foliage of cedar and pine—again -pouring its brilliant and crystalline waters into -a capacious basin, as if to take breath before quitting -the ravine, and {140} finally precipitating its wandering -course with renovated vigor.</p> - -<p>From this almost impenetrable forest issues a harmonious -sound. ’Tis the whistling or lowing of the noble stag, -calling its companion. The moose, the most vigilant -of animals, gives the signal of alarm. He has heard the -crackling branch—he has inhaled the hunter’s deadly -breath; a confused noise is heard from the mountain; -the sportsman raises his eager eye to its summit, and -scans a flock of rein-deer perched upon the snow; they -are startled at the approach of man; in an instant they -are lost among the inaccessible pinnacles, the</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Palaces where Nature thrones</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Sublimity in icy halls.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>We often catch a glimpse of the graceful forms and nimble -feats of the roe-bucks, as they caper and gallop, or tarry -an instant to look around, with their lancet ears distended -to catch every sound; these wild, forest stragglers resume -their course, and finally penetrate into the sombre forest. -Flocks of wild goats gambol carelessly and tranquilly -beside herds of mountain sheep above overhanging precipices -and peaked rocks, chequered by patches of snow, -far beyond the reach of human footsteps.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_214"></a>[214]</span></p> - -<p>{141} A monstrous animal, the grey bear, which replaces -on our mountains, the African lion, is not content with -growling and menacing the intrepid venturer, who dares -infringe on his cavernous dominions, but grinds his teeth, -expressive of his rage. Suddenly, a well-aimed gun-shot -forces him to make a lowly reference; the formidable -beast rolls in the dust, biting the sand saturated with -his blood, and expires.</p> - -<p>The ordinary music of the desert is, the shrill cry of -the panther, and the howling of the wolf. The diminutive -mountain hare, six inches high, and whose biography -has not yet found a place in natural history, amuses itself -amidst the stony rubbish, and exhibits wonderful activity; -whilst his neighbor, the lubberly porcupine, clambers up, -seats himself upon a branching cypress and gnaws the -bark. He views the eager huntsman with a careless and -indifferent air, unconscious that his tender flesh is regarded -as a most delicious morsel. The industrious beaver, -like a wary sentinel, warns his family of man’s approach -by striking the water with his tail. The muskrat, or -musquash, plunges immediately into the water. The -otter quits his sports and slides upon his belly among -the reeds—the timid squirrel leaps from bough to {142} -bough, until it reaches the topmost shade of the cypress; -the marten jumps from tree to tree, and buries itself in -the foliage—the whistler and weasel repair to their respective -domicils:—a precipitous flight alone saves the -fox his rich silvery pelisse—the badger, or the groundhog, -too remote from his dwelling, digs the sandy soil, -and buries himself alive, to avoid pursuit—his magnificent -skin is destined to adorn the loins of an Indian—it -requires the joint efforts of two men to force him -from his hiding place, and to kill him.</p> - -<p>The evening previous to our egression from the blind<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_215"></a>[215]</span> -mazes of this tangled wood, our eyes were recreated by -a ravishing scene. When it presents itself after a disastrous -combat, the spectacle consoles the afflicted heart of -the savage warrior. From the mountain’s top we contemplated -the “dance of the manitous or spirits, and the -glorious entrance of departed champions into the country -of souls.” Vast columns of light varying in splendor, -appeared to divert and balance themselves in the heavens:—some -of perpendicular form; others resembling undulatory -waves; now concealing, now exhibiting themselves -under diversified aspects until the entire hemisphere -seemed brilliantly {143} illuminated. All these masses -united at the zenith, and then separated under a variety -of forms.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Mysterious, solemn, cold and clear,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Their steps majestic rise,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Like barriers round this earthly sphere,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Like gates of Paradise.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Well may imagination faint</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Before your sacred blaze,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And baffled science fail to paint</div> - <div class="verse indent2">The source of heaven-lit rays.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The aurora borealis, is a phenomenon which I always -contemplate with mingled admiration and pleasure. All -that is seen, all that is heard in this unfathomable solitude, -is both agreeable and instructive. It strikes, captivates, -and elevates the mind towards the Author of nature. -<i>Mirabilia opera Domini!</i></p> - -<p>After much fatigue, labor, and admiration, on the 15th -we traversed the high lands separating the waters of Oregon -from those of the south branch of the Sascatshawin, or -the ancient Bourbon river, so called before the Canadian -conquest by the British.<a id="FNanchor_225" href="#Footnote_225" class="fnanchor">[225]</a> It is the largest tributary of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_216"></a>[216]</span> -the Winnepeg, which flows into Hudson’s Bay by the -River Nelson, 58 deg. north latitude.<a id="FNanchor_226" href="#Footnote_226" class="fnanchor">[226]</a></p> - -<p>{144} The Christian’s standard, <i>the cross</i>, has been -reared at the source of these two rivers: may it be a sign -of salvation and peace to all the scattered and itinerant -tribes east and west of these gigantic and lurid mountains.</p> - -<p>On the cypress which serves for constructing the cross, -the eagle, emblem of the Indian warrior, perches himself. -The huntsman aims—the noble bird lies prostrate, and -even in his fall, seems to retain his kingly pride. It so -forcibly recalls to memory the beautiful lines of the illustrious -Campbell, that I quote them in full:—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Fallen as he is, the king of birds still seems</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Like royalty in ruins. Though his eyes</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Are shut, that looked undazzled on the sun,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">He was the sultan of the sky, and earth</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Paid tribute to his eyrie. It was perched</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Higher than human conqueror ever built</div> - <div class="verse indent0">His bannered fort....</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent6">... He cloved the adverse storm</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And cuffed it with his wings. He stopped his flight</div> - <div class="verse indent0">As easily as the Arab reins his steed,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And stood at pleasure ’neath heaven’s zenith, like</div> - <div class="verse indent0">A lamp suspended from its azure dome;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Whilst underneath him the world’s mountains lay</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Like mole-hills, and her streams like lucid threads.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>We breakfasted on the bank of a limpid lake at the -base of the “Cross of Peace,” from whence {145} I have -the honor of dating my letter, and of giving you the renewed -assurance of my profound respect and veneration; -recommending to your fervent prayers, in a special manner,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_217"></a>[217]</span> -this vast desert, which contains so many precious souls -still buried in the shades of death.</p> - -<p>Monseigneur, your very humble and devoted servant -in Jesus Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter10">No. X<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Camp of the Assiniboins, Sept. 26th, 1845.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Here bloomy meads with vivid greens are crown’d,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And glowing violets throw sweet odors round.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>,—By a steep declivity we entered a rich -valley, agreeably diversified by enamelled meads, magnificent -forests, and lakes—in which the salmon-trout -so abound, that in a few minutes we procured sufficient -for an excellent repast. The valley is bounded on either -side by a succession of picturesque rocks, whose lofty -summits, rising in the form of pyramids, lose themselves -in the clouds. The far-famed Egyptian monuments of -Cheops and Cephren dwindle into nought, before this -gigantic architectural cliff of nature. The natural pyramids -of the Rocky mountains seem to deride the artificial -skill of man; they serve as a resting place for the -clouds that come hither to seek repose, and to encircle their -giant brows. The Lord’s omnipotent {147} hand has laid -the foundations—<i>he</i> has permitted the elements to form -them, and in every age they proclaim His power and glory!</p> - -<p>We emerged from this delightful valley, on the 18th of -September, after a three days’ excursion, and recommenced -our mountainous peregrination, which presented -nothing but obstacles and contusions, both to men and -horses. For the space of six hours we were compelled -to trace our route across fragments of broken rocks, through<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_218"></a>[218]</span> -an extensive and parched forest, and where millions of -half-consumed trees lay extended in every direction. -Not a trace of vegetation remained, and never had I contemplated -so dismal and destructive a conflagration!</p> - -<p>We reached the River des Arcs or Askow, in the evening, -and pitched our solitary tent upon the shore.<a id="FNanchor_227" href="#Footnote_227" class="fnanchor">[227]</a> Here -we discovered some vestiges of a savage party. Five days -previous, nine lodges of Indians had encamped upon -the very spot. We made a careful search, and my guides -imagined they were the formidable Black-feet!<a id="FNanchor_228" href="#Footnote_228" class="fnanchor">[228]</a> We, -the same day, saw two smokes at the extremity of the -plain over which these barbarians had travelled. My -companions seemed to hesitate, as we drew near the -vicinity {148} of these fearful Black-feet. They recounted -to me their inauspicious dreams, and wished to deter me -from proceeding. One said: “<i>I</i> saw myself devoured -by a wild bear;” another, “<i>I</i> saw ravens and vultures, -(ill-omened birds), hovering over the head of our father;” -a third saw a bloody spectacle. I gave them, in my turn, -the history of one of <i>my</i> sentries, the archetype of vigilance, -courage and simplicity.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_219"></a>[219]</span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Midst the dark horrors of the sable night</div> - <div class="verse indent0">(No idle dream I tell nor fancy’s strain)</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Thrice rose the red man’s shade upon my sight,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Thrice vanished into dusky air again.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With courage high my panting bosom swells,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Onward I rushed upon the threatening foe,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">When, hark! Horrific rise the spectre’s yells</div> - <div class="verse indent0">He points the steel and aims the fatal blow;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Guard, sentinel! to arms! to arms! to arms!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Indians! Indians! my voice swelled loud and deep:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The camp is roused at dread of my alarms,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">They wake and find—<i>that I am sound asleep</i>!”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>They were greatly amused at the recital of <i>his</i> imaginary -fancies, and seemed to understand how little import I -attached to such visions. “Happen what may,” said -they, “we shall never quit our father until we see -him in a place of safety.” This was precisely what I -desired. I could not, however, deceive myself. {149} -I had finally entered a land, the theatre of so many sanguinary -scenes. I was now on the very confines of these -barbarous people, from which, possibly, I should never -return! It not unfrequently happens, that, in their unbridled -fury when they hear some relative has been killed, -the Black-feet despatch the first stranger they meet, scalp -him—and then abandon to the wolves and dogs, the -palpitating limbs of the unfortunate victim of their vengeance, -hatred, and superstition. I declare to you, I -was beset by a thousand disquietudes concerning the -fate that awaited me. Poor nature! this timid and fragile -<i>meus homo</i> is sometimes terrified. He would wish to -look back and listen to dreams. My longing desires -repeated incessantly—<i>Advance</i>! I placed my whole -confidence in God—the prayers of so many fervent -souls encouraged and re-animated me; I resolved not -to be deterred by an uncertain danger. The Lord can, -when he pleases, mollify these pitiless and ferocious hearts. -The salvation of souls is at stake, and the preservation<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_220"></a>[220]</span> -of the mission of St. Mary’s depends on my proceeding; -for there, the incursions of the Black-feet are very frequent. -What consideration could deter me from a project {150} -which my heart had cherished, since my first visit among -the mountains?</p> - -<p>The 19th and 20th, we followed the tracks of our unknown -predecessors, and they appeared more and more -recent. I despatched my two guides to reconnoitre, and -ascertain whom we were so closely pursuing.—One of -them returned the same evening, with the news that he -had found a small camp of Assiniboins of the forest; that -they had been well received; that a disease reigned in -the camp, of which two had lately died, and that they -expressed great desire to see the <i>Black-gown</i>. The following -morning we joined them, and journeyed several -days in company.</p> - -<p>The Assiniboins of the forest do not amount to more -than fifty lodges or families, divided into several bands.<a id="FNanchor_229" href="#Footnote_229" class="fnanchor">[229]</a> -They are seldom seen in the plains; the forest is their -element, and they are renowned huntsmen and warriors. -They travel over the mountains and through the woods, -over the different forks and branches of the sources of -the Sascatshawin and Athabaska. Agriculture is unknown<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_221"></a>[221]</span> -to this tribe; they subsist exclusively on small animals, -such as big-horns, goats, bucks; but especially on the -porcupine, which swarms in this region. When pressed -by {151} hunger, they have recourse to roots, seeds, and -the inner bark of the cypress tree. They own few horses, -and perform all their journeys on foot.</p> - -<p>Their hunters set out early in the morning, kill all the -game they meet, and suspend it to the trees, as they pass -along,—their poor wives, or rather their slaves, often -bearing two children on their backs, and dragging several -more after them, tardily follow their husbands, and collect -what game the latter have killed. They had a long file -of famished dogs, loaded with their little provisions, etc. -Every family has a band of six to twelve of these animals, -and each dog carries from 30 to 35 lbs. weight. They -are the most wretched animals in existence; from their -tender-hearted masters and mistresses they receive more -bastinados than morsels, consequently they are the most -adroit and incorrigible rogues to be found in the forest. -Every evening we find it necessary to hang all our property -upon the trees, beyond the reach of these voracious dogs. -We are even compelled to barricade ourselves within our -tents at night, and surround them with boughs of trees; -for, whatever is of leather, or whatever has pertained -to a living being, these crafty rogues bear away, and devour. -You will say I have little charity {152} for these -poor brutes—but be not astonished. One fine evening, -having neglected the ordinary precaution of blocking -up the entrance of my tent, I next morning found myself -without shoes—with a collarless cassock—and <i>minus</i> -one leg to my <i>culottes de peau</i>!!! One of the chiefs -of this little camp recounted to me, that last winter, one -of his nation, having been reduced to extreme famine, -(and such cases are not rare,) had eaten successively,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_222"></a>[222]</span> -<span class="smcap">his wife and four children</span>. The monster then fled -into the desert, and he has never been heard of since.</p> - -<p>The Oregon missionary, Rev. Mr. Bolduc, related -in his journal, that at Akena, one of the Gambia Isles, -he saw an old dame, who, having had <i>eight</i> husbands, had -eaten three of them, during a time of famine!! I add -this last fact to give you a reverse to the above horrible -picture.</p> - -<p>The Assiniboins have the reputation of being irascible, -jealous, and fond of babbling; in consequence of these bad -qualities, battles and murders are not unfrequent among -them, and of course continual divisions. Every evening I -gave them instruction, by means of an interpreter. They -appeared docile, though somewhat timorous: for they -had frequently been visited {153} by persons who defamed -both priests and religion. I rendered all the little services -in my power to their invalids, baptized six children and -an old man who expired two days after, he was interred -with all the funeral ceremonies and prayers of the church.</p> - -<p>Cleanliness is a virtue which has no place in the Indian -catalogue of domestic or personal duties. The Assiniboins -are filthy beyond conception; they surpass all their neighbours -in this unenvied qualification. They are devoured -by vermin, which they, in turn, consume. A savage, -whom I playfully reprehended for his cruelty to these -little invertebral insects, answered me: “He bit me first, -I have a right to be revenged.” Through complacency, -I overcame natural disgust, and assisted at their porcupine -feast. I beheld the Indians carve the meat on their -leathern shirts, highly polished with grease—filthy, -and swarming with vermin, they had disrobed themselves, -for the purpose of providing a table-cloth!—They dried -their hands in their hair—this is their only towel—and -as the porcupine has naturally a strong and offensive<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_223"></a>[223]</span> -odor, one can hardly endure the fragrance of those who -feast upon its flesh and besmear themselves with its oil.</p> - -<p>{154} A good old woman, whose face was anointed -with blood, (<span class="smcap">the Indians’ mourning weeds</span>,) presented -me a wooden platter filled with soup; the horn spoon -destined for my use was dirty and covered with grease; -she had the complaisance to apply it to the broad side of -her tongue, before putting it into my unsavory broth.</p> - -<p>If a bit of dried meat, or any other provision is in need -of being cleansed, the dainty cook fills her mouth with -water and spirts it with her whole force upon the fated -object. A certain dish, which is considered a prime -delicacy among the Indians, is prepared in a most singular -manner, and they are entitled to a patent for the happy -faculty of invention. The whole process belongs exclusively -to the female department. They commence by rubbing -their hands with grease, and collecting in them the blood -of the animal, which they boil with water; finally, they -fill the kettle with fat and hashed meat. But—<span class="smcap">hashed -with the teeth</span>! Often half a dozen old women are -occupied in this mincing operation during hours; mouthful -after mouthful is masticated, and thus passes from -the mouth into the cauldron, to compose the choice ragout -of the Rocky mountains. Add to this, by way of an exquisite -desert, an immense dish of crusts, {155} composed -of pulverized ants, grass-hoppers and locusts, that have -been dried in the sun, and you may then be able to form -some idea of Indian luxury.</p> - -<p>The American porcupine, the <i>Hystrix dorsata</i>, is called -by modern Zoologists, the <i>Prickly Beaver</i>. In fact there -is great similarity between the two species in size and -form, and both inhabit the same region. The porcupine, -like the beaver, has a double peltry or fur; the first is long -and soft; the second, is still softer, and greatly resembles<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_224"></a>[224]</span> -down or felt. They both have two long sharp, strong -tusks, at the extremity of the jaw-bone. The Flat-heads -affirm that the porcupine and beaver are brothers, and -relate that anciently they abode together; but that, having -frequently been discovered by their enemies, through -the indolence, idleness and extreme aversion of the -porcupines for the water, the beavers met in council and -unanimously agreed upon a separation. The latter -availed themselves of a fine day and invited their spiny -brethren to accompany them in a long ramble, among -the cypress and juniper of the forest. The indolent and -heedless porcupines, having copiously regaled themselves -with the savory buds of the one, and the tender rind -{156} of the other, extended their weary limbs upon the -verdant moss, and were soon lost in profound sleep. This -was the anticipated moment for the wily beavers to -bid a final adieu to their porcupine relatives.</p> - -<p>The Assiniboins inhabiting the plains are far more -numerous than their mountain brethren. They number -about six hundred lodges; they own a greater number of -horses, and the men, in general, are more robust, and -of a commanding stature. They are more expert in -thieving, are greater topers, and are perpetually at war. -They hunt the buffalo in the great plains between the -Sascatshawin, the Red river, Missouri, and Yellow Stone.<a id="FNanchor_230" href="#Footnote_230" class="fnanchor">[230]</a></p> - -<p>The Crows, Black-feet, Arikaras and Sioux are their -most inveterate enemies.—They speak nearly the same -language as the Sioux, and have the same origin.</p> - -<p>I have the honor to be, with the most profound respect -and veneration, monseigneur, your very humble and very -obedient servant in Christ Jesus,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_225"></a>[225]</span></p> - -<h3 id="letter11">No. XI<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Fort of the Mountains, October 5, 1845.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>,—The last few days we journeyed with the -little Assiniboin camp, the aspect of the country offered -nothing very interesting. We passed from valley to valley -between two high chains of adamantine mountains, whose -slopes are, here and there, ornamented with mounds of -perpetual snow. A beautiful crystalline fountain issues -from the centre of a perpendicular rock about five hundred -feet high, and then pours its waters over the plain in -foam and mist.</p> - -<p>The 29th we separated from the Assiniboins; the path -conducted us through a thick forest of cypress; I am told -this is the last—<span class="smcap">Deo Gratias</span>! These belts of tall firs -are very numerous, and form great obstacles and barriers -to land communications between the east and west of the -mountains. I have a little word of advice to {158} give -all who wish to visit these latitudes. At the entrance of -each thick forest, one should render himself as slender, -as short, and as contracted as possible, imitating the -different evolutions in all encounters of an intoxicated -cavalier, but with skill and presence of mind. I mean -to say, he should know how to balance himself—cling -to the saddle in every form, to avoid the numerous -branches that intercept his passage, ever ready to tear him -into pieces, and flay his face and hands. Notwithstanding -these precautions, it is rare to escape without paying -tribute in some manner to the ungracious forest. I one -day found myself in a singular and critical position: in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_226"></a>[226]</span> -attempting to pass under a tree that inclined across the -path, I perceived a small branch in form of a hook, which -threatened me. The first impulse was to extend myself -upon the neck of my horse. Unavailing precaution! It -caught me by the collar of my surtout, the horse still continuing -his pace.—Behold me suspended in the air—struggling -like a fish at the end of a hook. Several respectable -pieces of my coat floated, in all probability, a long -time in the forest, as an undeniable proof of my having -paid toll in passing through it. A crushed and torn hat—{159} -an eye black and blue—two deep scratches on -the cheek, would, in a civilized country, have given me -the appearance rather of a bully issuing from the <i>Black -Forest</i>, than a missionary.</p> - -<p>To render a bad forest superlatively so, a great fall -of snow is necessary. This special favor was lavished -upon us in this last passage. Wo to the first pedestrians! -The branches groan under the burden of their wintry -shroud, and seem to present the motto: “<i>Si tangas frangas!</i>” -and assuredly, at each rubbing of the hat, the least -touching of the arm or leg, a deluge of snow showers -down upon the shivering cavalier and horse. Immediately -the branch rises proudly as if in derision. On such occasions, -there is nothing better to be done than to form a -rear guard, and walk in the track of the predecessor.</p> - -<p>In pursuing our route, the 27th, on one of the branches -of the river “a la Biche,” (Red Deer on the maps), we -remarked several sulphurous fountains, which furnish -great quantities of sulphur, and a coal mine, apparently -very abundant.<a id="FNanchor_231" href="#Footnote_231" class="fnanchor">[231]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_227"></a>[227]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;" id="illus7"> -<img src="images/illus7.jpg" width="700" height="400" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Hunters at the Buffalo Feast</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_228"></a>[228]</span></p> - -<p>I here beg the favor of a short digression from my<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_229"></a>[229]</span> -subject. Coal abounds east of the Rocky {160} Mountains, -on the borders of the Missouri and Yellow Rock, on -the Sascatshawin and Athabaska. Saltpetre is found in -abundance, and iron is not scarce in many parts of the -mountains. I have already spoken of lead in the country -of the “Koetenays,” the name of the river at the copper -mine in the north, indicates its riches; bars of this precious -metal are discovered among the rocks bordering the river. -Rock salt is found in powder, and very plentiful in the -Pays Serpent.<a id="FNanchor_232" href="#Footnote_232" class="fnanchor">[232]</a></p> - -<p>The valley is picturesque and variegated; flocks of -sheep and goats contribute to beautify the scenery. We -find many tracks of the bears and buffaloes; on seeing -the latter my party became animated; for the buffaloes’ -flesh is, without contradiction, the most delicate of these -regions. One is never tired of it. Hitherto, the animals -of the mountains had abundantly satisfied our necessities, -for the huntsmen killed no less than eighteen -pieces, without counting the fowl and fish which are so -plentiful in this country. The same evening the remainder -of our provisions was consumed, and a buffalo chase was -proposed for the following day. One of the sportsmen -set out early, and at breakfast time we perceived him -coming, with a round {161} fat cow; immediately the ribs, -tripes, etc., honored the fire with their presence. The rest -of the day was spent in seeking fresh provisions.</p> - -<p>The 30th, we continued our route through the valley, -where a rivulet of clear water meanders. It is similar -to all the other valleys west of the mountains, agreeably -diversified with meadows, lakes, and forests—the valley -widens in proportion as one descends—the rocky banks<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_230"></a>[230]</span> -disappear—the mountains decrease, and appear insensibly -to commingle with one another. Some are covered with -forests even to their tops, others present cones, elevated -ramparts, covered with rich verdure.</p> - -<p>The 4th October, after having traversed the great chain -of mountains nineteen days in pursuit of the Black-Feet, -we entered the vast plain, this ocean of prairies, inhabited -by a multitude of roving savages, buried in the deepest -superstition. The Black-Feet, Crows, Serpents, Arikaras, -Assiniboins of the plains, the Sheyennes, Camanches, -Sioux, Omahas, Ottos, Pawnees, Kants, Saucs, Ajouas,<a id="FNanchor_233" href="#Footnote_233" class="fnanchor">[233]</a> -etc., etc., are without pastors! We hope that Divine -Providence has not deferred the epoch when the darkness -now overwhelming these immense regions will give -place to the beneficial light of {162} the gospel;—that -worthy and zealous pastors will come to guide in the way -of salvation these poor and unhappy children of the desert, -who, during so many ages, have groaned under the dominion -of the devil, and among whom the war-song and -the cry of carnage never ceased to resound. There, we -hope, will reign in their turn, peace and Christian charity, -and the fragrance of divine love and praise ascend to the -only true God.</p> - -<p>The worthy Bishop of Juliopolis has established his -See on the Red river, a tributary of the Winnepeg, amidst -the possessions of the Anglo-Indians.<a id="FNanchor_234" href="#Footnote_234" class="fnanchor">[234]</a> Already two of -his zealous missionaries, Rev. Messrs. Thibault and Bourassa, -have penetrated to the very foot of the Rocky -Mountains, whilst other indefatigable priests have been -employed, for many years, in extending the kingdom of -God in this immense diocess. The population of Red<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_231"></a>[231]</span> -River is about 5,500 souls, of whom 3,175 are Catholics. -There are 730 houses inhabited. I had the honor of receiving -a letter from the Rev. Mr. Thibault on my arrival -in this latitude. He says:</p> - -<p>“From the month of March to September last, I have -labored among the mountain nations; they are well disposed -to embrace the {163} faith. I cannot give you a better -idea of these people than by comparing them to the Flatheads. -I have baptized more than five hundred children -and adults in the course of this mission. As soon as I -find the opportunity of a water conveyance, I shall continue -my labors among these good savages, and extend -my route as far as McKenzie’s river. A rich harvest -would be there found for many laborers in the sacred -ministry, for this nation is populous and occupies a vast -extent of country, without including several other nations -I visited this summer. ‘Come, then, to us,’ said they, -‘we, also, shall be happy to learn the joyful news you have -brought our brethren of the mountains; we are to be -pitied, not knowing the word of the Great Spirit; be, therefore, -charitable to us—come, teach <i>us</i> the way of salvation—we -will listen to it.’</p> - -<p>“My fellow-laborer, Bourassa, set out in September, -to announce the Gospel to the Indians residing near the -river de la Paix.”<a id="FNanchor_235" href="#Footnote_235" class="fnanchor">[235]</a></p> - -<p>From Lake St. Anne, or Manitou, the ordinary residence -of these two gentlemen, they extend their apostolic -course to the different tribes on the rivers Athabaska and -McKenzie, Peace river, and Slave lake.<a id="FNanchor_236" href="#Footnote_236" class="fnanchor">[236]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_232"></a>[232]</span></p> - -<p>{164} Within the limits, as far as they have travelled, -are found the Black-Feet, Crees, Assiniboins of the forest, -of the mountains, Beaver Hunters, Flat-side Dogs, Slaves, -and Deer-Skins.<a id="FNanchor_237" href="#Footnote_237" class="fnanchor">[237]</a> (It is by these names that the different -Indians are known among the whites and travellers.)</p> - -<p>The great Indian district of the United States is (if -I may say so) the only one deprived of spiritual succor -and the means of salvation. It contains several hundred -thousand savages. This vast territory is bounded on the -north-west by the Anglo-Indian possessions—east by -the Western States—south by Texas and Mexico—west -by the Rocky Mountains. It contains many forts -or trading houses, in which the greater number of persons -employed are Canadian Catholics or French creoles. The -principal of these forts are, Fort des Corbeaux, or Alexander, -on the Yellow Stone, Fort la Ramee, on a branch -of the river Platte, Fort Osage, on the river of the -same name—Fort Pied-noir, or Lewis, at the mouth of -the river Maria, Fort Union near the mouth of the Yellow -Rock, Fort Berthold, Fort Mandan or Clark, near the -mouth of the Little Missouri, Fort Pierre, Fort Look-out -and Fort Vermillion at the mouth of this river, the other -trading {165} houses among the Pottowatomies of Council -Bluffs and of Belle-vue for the Ottos and Pawnees. -The great depository which furnishes these Forts and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_233"></a>[233]</span> -receives all the peltry and buffalo hides, is kept at St. -Louis.<a id="FNanchor_238" href="#Footnote_238" class="fnanchor">[238]</a></p> - -<p>Monseigneur Loras, Bishop of Dubuque, has sent two -priests among the Sioux, on the river St. Pierre, a tributary -of the Mississippi.<a id="FNanchor_239" href="#Footnote_239" class="fnanchor">[239]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_234"></a>[234]</span></p> - -<p>The Society of Jesus has a mission among the Pottowatomies -on Sugar Creek, a tributary of the Osage river.<a id="FNanchor_240" href="#Footnote_240" class="fnanchor">[240]</a> -The Ladies of the Sacred Heart have an establishment -here. During the summer of 1841, the late distinguished -Madame de Galitzin, provincial of the Order in America, -visited this section of the country for the purpose of -founding, among these rude savages, a house of education, -in which the hapless children of the desert now enjoy -the benefit of being instructed in the Christian faith, of -being formed to habits of industry and cleanliness, and -acquiring a knowledge of those branches of education -suited to their condition.—These two missions are located -near the frontiers of the States, and are the only ones -in this immense territory.</p> - -<p>The upper Missouri, and all its branches as far as the -Rocky Mountains, are without spiritual assistance {166}. -Wherever <i>the priest</i> has passed in traversing the desert, he has -been received with open arms among the tribes that rove over -this country—alas! so long a time forgotten and neglected!</p> - -<p>The evening of 4th October, I arrived at the Fort des -Montagnes, belonging to the Hon. Hudson Bay Company, -without having accomplished the object of my travels -and my desires, namely, meeting the <i>Black-feet</i>.<a id="FNanchor_241" href="#Footnote_241" class="fnanchor">[241]</a> The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_235"></a>[235]</span> -respectable and worthy commander of the Fort, Mr. Harriot, -an Englishman by birth, is among the most amiable -gentlemen I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He -invited, and received into his hospitable Fort the poor -missionary, a Catholic and stranger, with politeness and -cordiality truly fraternal. These qualities characterize all -the gentlemen of the Hudson Bay Company, and although -Mr. Harriot is a Protestant, he encouraged me to visit the -<i>Black-feet</i>, who would soon arrive at the Fort, promising -me to use all his influence with these barbarians to obtain -me a friendly reception. He has resided many years -among them, nevertheless he did not conceal from me that -I should soon be exposed to great dangers. “We are in -the hands of God—may His holy will be done.”</p> - -<p>{167} I am, with the most profound respect and esteem, -monseigneur, your very humble and obedient servant in -Jesus Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter12">No. XII<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Fort of the Mountains, October 30th, 1845.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>,—A band of about twenty Crees, encamped -near the Fort, came to shake hands cordially with me -on my arrival. The joy my presence seemed to occasion -them, proved that I was not the first priest they had seen. -Moreover, the greater number wore medals and crosses.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_236"></a>[236]</span> -They informed me that they too had been so fortunate -as to have a <i>Black-Gown</i>, (Rev. Mr. Thibault,) who taught -them to know and serve the Great Spirit—and baptized -all their little children, with the exception of three, who -were absent on the occasion. These children were brought -to me—I administered baptism to them, and at the -same time to one of my guides, a Koetenay. During -their stay at the Fort, I gave them instructions every -evening.</p> - -<p>Two Crees, of the same band and family, father and -son, had been killed in a quarrel two {169} years since. -The presence of the offending party for the first time since -the perpetration of the murder, rekindled in the others -that spirit of rancor and revenge so natural to an Indian’s -breast, and there was every reason to apprehend fatal -consequences from the old feud.</p> - -<p>With the approbation of Mr. Harriot, I assembled them -all in the Fort; the governor himself had the kindness -to be my interpreter. He made a long discourse on the -obligation and necessity of their coming to a sincere reconciliation; -the matter was discussed in form, each Indian -giving his opinion in turn, with a good sense and moderation -that surprised me. I had the pleasure and satisfaction -of seeing the calumet passed around the assembly. -This is the solemn pledge of peace—the token of Indian -brotherhood—the most formal declaration of the entire -forgetfulness and sincere pardon of an injury.</p> - -<p>The Cree nation is considered very powerful, and numbers -more than six hundred wigwams. This tribe is one -of the most formidable enemies of the Black-Feet, and continually -encroaches upon the territory of its adversaries. -The preceding year they carried off more than six hundred -horses. The actual limit of the country {170} they traverse -extends from the bases of the Rocky Mountains, between<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_237"></a>[237]</span> -the two forks of the Sascatshawin, some distance beyond -the Red River. Their turbulent and warlike spirit, and -rapacity for plunder, especially for horses, are among -the great obstacles which retard the conversion of the -larger portion of this tribe.</p> - -<p>The example of their brethren, who listen with docility -to the exhortations of their zealous and indefatigable missionary -will, we trust, produce fruit in due time, and be -imitated by the entire nation.</p> - -<p>To give you an idea of their military discipline, and -of the profound superstition in which these unfortunate -people are still immersed, I will relate to you some of -their proceedings.</p> - -<p>The Crees were meditating a deadly stroke upon the -Black-Feet, and for this purpose they collected all their -ready forces, amounting to more than eight hundred -warriors. Before setting out in quest of the enemy, every -species of juggling and witchcraft imaginable was resorted -to, in order to secure the success of the expedition. It was -decided that a young girl, with a bandage over her eyes, -should be placed at the head of the Indian army, and -thus blindfold, serve as a guide to the combatants. In -case {171} of success, the heroine was destined to become -the bride of the most valiant. According to the Oracle, -none but the great <i>chief</i> himself had the privilege of shoeing -or unshoeing her.</p> - -<p>This concluded, they began their march, intoxicated -with confidence and presumption, following this extraordinary -guide over the hills and valleys, ravines, marshes, -and swamps. One day she would direct her steps towards -the north, the next to the south or west—the point of -the compass mattered naught—the Manitou of war -was supposed to guide her, and day after day the infatuated -Crees continued to follow the steps of the blindfolded<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_238"></a>[238]</span> -Indian. They had already penetrated far into the plain, -when they were discovered by a party of seven Black-feet. -The latter might easily have escaped under favor of the -night, but the Partisan, or Black-foot Chieftain, a man -of undaunted courage, determined to oppose this formidable -force. With the aid of their poniards they made -themselves a hollow, in which they took shelter.</p> - -<p>The following morning, at day-break, the eight hundred -champions surrounded their feeble prey. The first who -pressed forward to dislodge them were driven back several -times, with the loss of seven men and fifteen wounded. -The failure of {172} ammunition at length put the Black-feet -at the mercy of the Crees, by whom they were cut -into pieces. The first engagement threw the victorious -party into consternation, for they too numbered seven -killed and fifteen wounded. They removed the bandage -from the young heroine’s eyes, and the <i>Manitous</i> whom -they had thought so propitious, being now judged unfavorable -to their warlike projects, the warriors hastily dispersed, -taking the nearest road back to their respective homes.</p> - -<p>The Crees have rather a singular custom among them, -and one contrary to the practice of other nations. They -stain the faces of the warriors who fall in combat, clothe -them in their richest ornaments, and thus expose them -in places conspicuous to their enemies. They place near -them their guns, bows and arrows, to show that in their -death there was no cause for compassion; and this they -do purposely that they may be cut into pieces—an opportunity -which an enemy never suffers to escape, and which -a Cree warrior regards as the height of his wishes. Other -nations, on the contrary, carry off and conceal their dead, -to save them from the rapacity and insults of their enemies, -and to be cut into pieces, even after death, is {173} considered -a great dishonor among them.—The Crees and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_239"></a>[239]</span> -<i>Sauteux</i> are allies, and considerably intermixed by reciprocal -marriages. The latter form the most numerous and -widely-diffused nation of these parts.—They are to be met -with from the confines of Lower Canada even to the foot -of the Rocky Mountains.<a id="FNanchor_242" href="#Footnote_242" class="fnanchor">[242]</a></p> - -<p>This is also the nation of medicine, <i>par excellence</i>:—for -all pretend to be jugglers, and sell their medicines -and quackery at a high price. In consequence of this -attachment to their old, superstitious practices, and the -great profits they derive from them, the seed of the Divine -Word has hitherto fallen upon an unprofitable soil. An -adroit impostor who has been baptized, and who is, moreover, -a great medicine man among them, has contributed -not a little to keep his nation in an obstinate ignorance, -which makes them prefer the shades of paganism to the -beneficial light of the gospel. Falling one day into a -species of lethargy, it was thought that he had expired—but -recovering after a short time, he assembled his band, -and told them the following story:</p> - -<p>“Immediately after my death I repaired to the heaven -of the white man, or Christians, where the Great Spirit -and Jesus Christ dwell, {174} but they refused to admit me -on account of my red skin. I then went to the country -where the souls of my ancestors are, and there, too, I was -refused admittance on account of my baptism. I am, -therefore, come back to this earth, to renounce the promises -I made in baptism and resume my medicine bag, hoping -to expiate my former error by my sincere attachment to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_240"></a>[240]</span> -jugglery, and thus render myself once more worthy of the -beautiful and spacious plains of that happy and delightful -abode, where reigns everlasting spring, and numberless -flocks and herds afford an abundant and everlasting subsistence -to all the inhabitants of the Indian Elysium.”</p> - -<p>This extravagant report which has been circulated -throughout the whole tribe and among the neighboring -people, has greatly contributed to attach them to their -old customs and superstitions,—and make them turn -a deaf ear to the instructions of their worthy missionary.</p> - -<p>The Rev. Mr. Belcourt has, notwithstanding, succeeded -in converting a considerable number, whom he has persuaded -to renounce the illusions of their brethren, and -united in a village at St. Paul des Sauteux, where they -persevere fervently in all the practices of religion. The {175} -number of faithful, in this spot, increases every year.<a id="FNanchor_243" href="#Footnote_243" class="fnanchor">[243]</a></p> - -<p>At length, on the 25th October, thirteen Black-Feet -arrived at the Fort. They saluted me with a politeness -truly <i>à la sauvage</i>, rough and cordial, at the same time. -The old chief embraced me quite tenderly when he learned -the object of my journey. He was distinguished from -his companions by his dress—being decorated from -head to foot with eagles’ plumes, and wearing a large -breast-plate in form of medallion, <i>figured with blue</i>, as -a mark of distinction. He was profuse in attention to -me, making me sit beside him whenever I went to visit -them in their apartment—shaking me affectionately by the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_241"></a>[241]</span> -hand and amicably rubbing my cheeks with his scarlet-painted -nose. He cordially invited me to his country, -offering to be my guide and to introduce me to his -people. The difference of physiognomy existing between -the Indians inhabiting the plains east of the mountains -and those near the upper waters of the Columbia, -is as great as the stupendous rocks that separate them. -The latter are remarkable for their mildness, serenity -and affability, while cruelty, craft—the word <span class="smcap">blood</span>, in -fine, may be read in every feature of the Black-Foot Indian. -{176} Scarcely could an innocent hand be found in the -whole nation. The Lord, however, is all powerful—“from -stones he can raise up children unto Abraham,” -and, full of confidence in the treasures of His holy grace -and mercies, I purpose to visit them. The essential point -and my greatest perplexity is, to find a good and faithful -interpreter; the only one now at the Fort is a suspicious -and dangerous man:<a id="FNanchor_244" href="#Footnote_244" class="fnanchor">[244]</a> all his employers speak ill of him—he -makes fine promises. In the alternative of either -renouncing my project or being of some utility to those -poor, unfortunate Indians, I accept his services. May -he be faithful to his engagement!</p> - -<p>I have the honor to be, monseigneur, your very humble -and very obedient servant in Jesus Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter13">No. XIII<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Fort of the Mountains, October 30th, 1845.</p> - -<p>The year 1845 will be a memorable epoch in the sad<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_242"></a>[242]</span> -annals of the Black-Feet nation. It has been a year of -disasters. In two skirmishes with the Flat-heads and -Kalispels, they lost twenty-one warriors. The Crees have -carried off a great number of their horses, and twenty-seven -scalps. The Crows have struck them a mortal -blow—fifty families, the entire band of the <i>petite Robe</i>, -were lately massacred, and one hundred and sixty women -and children have been led into captivity.<a id="FNanchor_245" href="#Footnote_245" class="fnanchor">[245]</a></p> - -<p>What a dreadful state for these unfortunate beings. -In the first excitement, numbers of the captives were -sacrificed by the Crow squaws to the manes of their husbands, -brothers, fathers, or children. The survivors -were condemned to slavery. The smallpox shortly after -made its appearance in the conquerors’ camp, and spread -{178} rapidly from lodge to lodge. The Black-Feet had -suffered from this scourge a few years previous, and thousands -had fallen victims to it.</p> - -<p>The Crows, therefore, interrogated their captives to -know by what means they had escaped death. A dark -spirit of vengeance seized the latter; they counselled cold -baths as the only efficacious remedy, to stop the progress -of the disease. The sick immediately plunged into the -water, and mothers went to the river to bathe their little -children. Some plunged into their graves; others gave -up their last sigh while endeavoring to reach the shore—and -disconsolate mothers returned to their cabins -with dead or expiring infants in their arms. Cries of -despair succeeded to the shouts of victory—desolation -and mourning replaced the fanatic, barbarous joy of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_243"></a>[243]</span> -the Crows. Death visited every tent of the victorious -camp!</p> - -<p>The tradition of man’s creation and future immortality -exists among most of the Indian tribes; I have had the -opportunity of visiting and questioning them on the -subject. Those who live by fishery, suppose their Heaven -to be full of lakes and rivers, abounding in fish, whose -enchanted shores and verdant islands produce fruits of -every kind.</p> - -<p>{179} I encamped on the banks of two lakes to the -east of the Rocky Mountains, which the Black-Feet call -the <i>lake of men</i> and the <i>lake of women</i>. According to -their traditions, from the first of these issued a band of -young men, handsome and vigorous, but poor and naked. -From the second an equal number of ingenious and industrious -young women, who constructed and made themselves -clothing. They lived a long time separate and -unknown to each other, until the great Manitou Wizakeschak, -or the old man, (still invoked by the Black-Feet,) -visited them; he taught them to slay animals in the chase, -but they were yet ignorant of the art of dressing skins. -Wizakeschak conducted them to the dwelling of the young -women, who received their guests with dances and cries -of joy. Shoes, leggins, shirts, and robes, garnished with -porcupine quills, were presented them. Each young -woman selected her guest, and presented him with a dish -of seeds and roots; the men, desiring to contribute to -the entertainment, sought the chase, and returned loaded -with game. The women liked the meat, and admired -the strength, skill, and bravery of the hunters. The -men were equally delighted with the beauty of their -trappings, and admired the industry of the women. {180} -Both parties began to think they were necessary to each -other, and Wizakeschak presided at the solemn compact<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_244"></a>[244]</span> -in which it was agreed that the men should become the -protectors of the women, and provide all necessaries for -their support: whilst all other family cares should devolve -upon the women.</p> - -<p>The Black-Feet squaws often bitterly complain of the -astonishing folly of their mothers in accepting such a -proposition; declaring, if the compact were yet to be -made, they would arrange it in a very different manner.</p> - -<p>The Black-Foot heaven is a country composed of <i>sandy -hills</i>, which they call <i>Espatchekie</i>, whither the soul goes -after death, and where they will find again all the animals -they have killed, and all the horses they have stolen. -The buffalo, hind, and stag, abound there. In speaking -of the departed, a Black-Foot never says, such a one is -dead, but <i>Espatchekie etape</i>—to the <i>Sand hills</i> he is gone.</p> - -<p class="right">Fort Auguste, on the Saschatshawin, December 31st, 1846.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>,—I arranged with the thirteen Black-Feet -of whom I spoke in my last, that {181} they should -precede me among their people, to pave the way, as it -were, and prepare their minds to receive me.—Everything -seemed propitious, and accordingly, on the 31st of -October, I took leave of the friendly Mr. Harriot. I was -accompanied by my interpreter, a young Metif of the Cree -nation, who had charge of the horses. Notwithstanding -his good resolutions, my interpreter did not long leave me -in doubt of his true character. The wolf cannot remain -concealed beneath the sheep’s clothing. He became sullen -and peevish, always choosing to halt in those places where -the poor beasts of burden could find nothing to eat, after -their long day’s journey. The farther we penetrated -into the desert, the more and more sulky he became. It<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_245"></a>[245]</span> -was impossible to draw from him a single pleasant word, -and his incoherent mutterings and allusions became subjects -of serious apprehension. Thus passed ten sorrowful -days; my last two nights had been nights of anxiety and -watching; when fortunately, I encountered a Canadian, -on whom I prevailed to remain with me some time. The -following day my interpreter disappeared. Although my -situation was extremely precarious in this dangerous desert, -without interpreter, without guide, {182} yet I could not -but feel relieved of a heavy burden by the departure of -this sullen and gloomy fellow. Had it not been for my -opportune meeting with the Canadian, it is probable I -should not have escaped his deep laid scheme against me.</p> - -<p>Friends and travellers in the desert, beware of choosing -for your guide, or placing your dependence on a morose -Metif, especially if he has been for some time a resident -among the savages; for such men usually possess all the -faults of the white man joined to the cunning of the Indian. -I determined to continue my route in search of a Canadian -interpreter, whom we understood was some distance in -advance of us on the same road. For eight successive -days we wandered on in that labyrinth of valleys, but in -vain; although in the heart of their territory, neither the -Canadian nor the Black-Feet were to be found. Large -marauding parties of the Crees were beating the country -at that time, and it appeared evident from the tracks, -that they had carried everything before them. It snowed -without intermission during four days;—our poor horses -were nearly exhausted—my wallet contained nothing -but crumbs—the passage from the east to the western -{183} side of the mountains was become impracticable, -and I had no alternative, but to repair to one of the forts -of the Hudson Bay Company, and beg hospitality during -the inclement season.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_246"></a>[246]</span></p> - -<p>The entire region in the vicinity of the first eastern -chain of the Rocky Mountains, serving as their base for -thirty or sixty miles, is extremely fertile, abounding in -forests, plains, prairies, lakes, streams, and mineral springs. -The rivers and streams are innumerable, and on every -side offer situations favorable for the construction of mills. -The northern and southern branches of the Sascatshawin -water the district I have traversed, for a distance of about -three hundred miles. Forests of pine, cypress, thorn, -poplar and aspen trees, as well as others of different kinds, -occupy a large portion of it, covering the declivities of -the mountains, and banks of the rivers.</p> - -<p>These, ordinarily, take their rise in the highest chains, -whence they issue in every direction like so many veins. -The beds and sides of these rivers are pebbly, and their -courses rapid, but as they recede from the mountains -they widen, and the currents lose something of their impetuosity. -Their waters are usually very clear. In this -climate wens are not unfrequent. {184} The country -would be capable of supporting a large population, and -the soil is favorable for the produce of barley, corn, potatoes, -and beans, which grow here as well as in the more -southern countries.</p> - -<p>Are these vast and innumerable fields of hay forever -destined to be consumed by fire, or perish in the autumnal -snows? How long shall these superb forests be the haunts -of wild beasts? And these inexhaustible quarries, these -abundant mines of coal, lead, sulphur, iron, copper, and -saltpetre—can it be that they are doomed to remain -for ever inactive? Not so—the day will come when -some laboring hand will give them value: a strong, active, -and enterprising people are destined to fill this spacious -void.—The wild beasts will, ere long, give place to our -domestic animals; flocks and herds will graze in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_247"></a>[247]</span> -beautiful meadows that border the numberless mountains, -hills, valleys, and plains of this extensive region. A large -portion of the surface of the country is covered with -artificial lakes, formed by the beavers. On our way, -we had frequently occasion to remark, with wonder and -admiration, the extent and height of their ingeniously -constructed dams and solid lodges. These are remains of -the admirable {185} little republics, concerning which so many -wonders have justly been recorded. Not more than half a -century ago, such was the number of beavers in this region, -that a good hunter could kill a hundred in a month’s space.</p> - -<p>I reached Fort Augustus or Edmondton towards the -close of the year. Its respectable Commandant, the -worthy Mr. Rowan, received me with all the tenderness -of a father, and together with his inestimable family, -showed me every kindness and attention.<a id="FNanchor_246" href="#Footnote_246" class="fnanchor">[246]</a> Never shall -I have it in my power to cancel the debt of gratitude I -owe them.—May heaven protect and repay them with -its choice blessings; such is the most sincere prayer of -a poor priest, who will ever remember them.</p> - -<p>I must await a more favorable moment for visiting -the Black-Feet. The skirmishing parties appear to be -still scouring the country. The tidings which reach us -concerning them tell only of plunder and bloodshed. -Meanwhile, I have the honor of being, with profound -respect and esteem, Monseigneur, your very humble and -obedient servant in Jesus Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. [De] Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_248"></a>[248]</span></p> - -<h3 id="letter14">No. XIV<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Fort Jasper, April 16th, 1846.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>,—Fort Edmondton or Auguste is the great -emporium of the Hudson Bay Company in the districts -of Upper Sascatshawin and Athabasca:<a id="FNanchor_247" href="#Footnote_247" class="fnanchor">[247]</a> Forts Jasper, -Assiniboine, Little Slave Lake, on the river Athabasca,<a id="FNanchor_248" href="#Footnote_248" class="fnanchor">[248]</a> -Forts des Montagnes, Pitt, Carrollton, Cumberland, on -the Sascatshawin, depend on it.<a id="FNanchor_249" href="#Footnote_249" class="fnanchor">[249]</a> The respectable and -worthy Mr. Rowan, Governor of this immense district, -unites, to all the amiable and polite qualities of a perfect -gentleman, those of a sincere and hospitable friend; his -goodness and paternal tenderness render him a true patriarch -amidst his charming and numerous family. He -is esteemed and venerated by all the surrounding tribes, -and though advanced in age, he possesses extraordinary -activity.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_249"></a>[249]</span></p> - -<p>The number of servants at Edmondton, including children, -is about eighty. They form a {187} well-regulated -family. Besides a large garden, a field of potatoes and -wheat, belonging to the establishment, the lakes, forests, -and plains of the neighborhood furnish provisions in -abundance. On my arrival at the Fort, the ice-house -contained thirty thousand white fish, each weighing four -pounds, and five hundred buffaloes, the ordinary amount -of the winter provisions. Such is the quantity of aquatic -birds in the season, that sportsmen often send to the Fort -carts full of fowls. Eggs are picked up by thousands in -the straw and reeds of the marshes.</p> - -<p>The greater number of those employed being Catholics, -I found sufficient occupation. Every morning I catechized -the children, and gave an instruction; in the evening, after -the labors of the day, I recited the prayers for the honorable -Commander and his servants. I must acknowledge, -to the credit of the inhabitants of Edmondton, that their -assiduity and attention to religious duties, and the -kindness and respectful regard evinced for me, were a -source of great consolation during my sojourn of two -months among them. May God, who has granted them -so liberally and plentifully the dews of the earth, enrich -them likewise with those of Heaven; {188} such is the -most sincere wish and prayer of a friend who will never -forget them.</p> - -<p>I visited Lake St. Anne, the ordinary residence of Messrs. -Thibault and Bourassa; the latter gentleman was absent. -The distance from the fort to the lake is about fifty miles. -I mentioned this interesting mission in my preceding -letters, and I will now say a word relative to the country.—The -surface of this region is flat for the most part, -undulating in some places—diversified with forests and -meadows, and lakes teeming with fish. In Lake St. Anne<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_250"></a>[250]</span> -alone were caught, last autumn, more than seventy thousand -white fish, the most delicious of the kind; they are -taken with the line at every season of the year.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding the rigor and duration of the winter -in this northern region, the earth in general appears fertile; -vegetation is so forward in the spring and summer, that -potatoes, wheat and barley, together with other vegetables -of Canada, come to maturity. Lake Saint Anne forms -one of a chain of lakes; I counted eleven of them, which -flow into the Sascatshawin by the small river Esturgeons, -or <i>Sturgeon</i>. Innumerable republics of beavers formerly -existed there; each lake, each marsh, each river, {189} -bears, even to this day, proofs of their labors. What I -here say of beavers is applicable to almost all the Hudson -territory. When the reindeer, buffalo, and moose -abounded, the Crees were then peaceful possessors;—animals -have disappeared, and with them the ancient -lords of the country. Scarcely do we meet with a solitary -hut—but now and then the tracks of some large animal. -Seventeen families of Metifs, descendants of English Canadians -and savages, have assembled and settled around -their missionaries. The Crees have gained the buffalo -plains, and they contend for them with the Black-Feet, -whose mortal foes they have become.</p> - -<p>In proportion as the rigors of winter began to give place -to the cheering dawn of spring, simultaneously did my -pulse beat to approach near the mountain, there to await -a favorable opportunity to cross it, so that I might arrive -as early as possible at the mission of St. Ignatius.</p> - -<p>The 12th of March, I bade farewell to the respectable -Rowan family, and to all the servants of the Fort. I was -accompanied by three brave Metifs, whom Mr. Thibault -was so kind as to procure me. At this season, the whole -country lies buried in snow, and voyages are {190} made<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_251"></a>[251]</span> -in sledges drawn by dogs. Our provisions and baggage -were conveyed in two of these sledges; the third, drawn -by four dogs, was reserved for me. I found this mode of -travelling quite a novelty; and on the glittering ice of -the rivers and lakes, it was particularly convenient and -agreeable. The third day we encamped near Lake de -l’Aigle Noir, which abounds in white fish; on the sixth, -we arrived at Fort Assiniboine,<a id="FNanchor_250" href="#Footnote_250" class="fnanchor">[250]</a> built in a meadow on -the river Athabasca, where it is two hundred and thirty-three -fathoms broad, which breadth it seems to preserve -more or less until it leaves the Rocky Mountains, its current -is extremely rapid. In the spring it can be descended in -three days from Fort Jasper to Fort Assiniboine, a distance -of more than three hundred miles. With our sledges -we were nine days accomplishing the journey. The bed -of the river is studded with islands, which, by their various -positions and features, render the prospect very agreeable. -Its shores are covered with thick forests of pine intersecting -rocks and high hills which embellish and give a touch of -the picturesque to the general monotony of the desert.</p> - -<p>The principal branches are the Pembina, which measures -four hundred and sixty-four {191} feet across—the -river des Avirons, one hundred and twenty-eight feet; the -river Des Gens Libres, the branch McCloud, and river -Baptist Berland, are about eighty fathoms wide at their -mouth. The rivers Du Vieux, du Milieu, des Prairies, -and des Roches, form beautiful currents.<a id="FNanchor_251" href="#Footnote_251" class="fnanchor">[251]</a> Lake Jasper,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_252"></a>[252]</span> -eight miles in length, is situated at the base of the first -great mountain chain. The fort of the same name, and -the second lake, are twenty miles higher, and in the heart -of the mountains.<a id="FNanchor_252" href="#Footnote_252" class="fnanchor">[252]</a> The rivers Violin and Medicine on the -southern side, and the Assiniboine on the northern, must -be crossed to arrive there,<a id="FNanchor_253" href="#Footnote_253" class="fnanchor">[253]</a> and to reach the height of -land at the <i>du Committees Punch Bowl</i>, we crossed the -rivers Maline, Gens de Colets, Miette and Trou, which -we ascended to its source.<a id="FNanchor_254" href="#Footnote_254" class="fnanchor">[254]</a> The river Medicine mingles -its waters with those of the Sascatshawin; the Assiniboine -and Gens de Lolets with those of the Boucane, a -tributary of a la Paix.<a id="FNanchor_255" href="#Footnote_255" class="fnanchor">[255]</a> The waters of the Miette, -have their source at the same height, with some branches -of the river Frazer, which crosses New Caledonia.<a id="FNanchor_256" href="#Footnote_256" class="fnanchor">[256]</a></p> - -<p>Some years since, the valleys and high forests of Athabasca<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_253"></a>[253]</span> -were exclusively appropriated to the chase by the -Assiniboines of the forests: {192} the scarcity of game forced -them to quit their land—since their departure the animals -have increased in an astonishing manner. In various -places on the river, we saw ravages of the beavers which -I should have taken for recent encampments of savages, -so great a quantity of felled trees was there. Many wandering -families of the carrier tribe and Achiganes or Sock -Indians of New Caledonia,<a id="FNanchor_257" href="#Footnote_257" class="fnanchor">[257]</a> compelled by hunger, have -quitted their country, traversed the last of the mountains, -and now cross the valleys of this region in quest of food. -They nourish themselves with roots, and whatever they -can catch, many of them have their teeth worn to the -gums by the earth and sand they swallow with their nourishment. -In winter they fare well: for then the moose, -elk and reindeer are plentiful. The reindeer feed on a -kind of white moss, and the paunch is considered delicious -when the food is half digested. By way of a dainty morsel, -the Indians pluck out the eyes of fish with the end of the -fingers and swallow them raw, likewise the tripes with -their whole contents, without further ceremony than -placing them an instant on the coals, from thence into -the omnibus or general reservoir, without even undergoing -the operation of the jaws.</p> - -<p>{193} The Montagnees Indians<a id="FNanchor_258" href="#Footnote_258" class="fnanchor">[258]</a> inhabit the lower part<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_254"></a>[254]</span> -of Athabasca, also the great lake of this name.<a id="FNanchor_259" href="#Footnote_259" class="fnanchor">[259]</a> The -elk is very common, and the reindeer are found in large -bands; the chase of the latter is both easy and singular. -They regularly bend their course northward in autumn, -and return towards the south in the spring. The Indians -know their usual crossing-places over the lakes and rivers—and -when the herd (often many hundreds in number) -are in the water, and approach the opposite shore, the -huntsmen leave their concealment, jump into their light -canoes, and yell with all their strength to make them return -to the centre; there they harass them, continually driving -them from the shore, until the poor animals become exhausted; -then begins the work of carnage; they are killed -without difficulty by daggers and darts, and it rarely happens -that one effects his escape. They cover their huts and -dress themselves with the skins of the reindeer. Lakes -and marshes being so numerous in this country, swans, -geese, bustards, and ducks of various species, come hither -in thousands during the spring and autumn. The savages -travel over these marshy places in <i>Rackets</i> in quest of -eggs, on which they mostly subsist during this season. -Often squares of {194} several acres are found covered with -nests. White fish, carp, trout, and unknown fish, abound -in all these lakes and rivers.</p> - -<p>Two missionaries, a Father of the order of Oblats of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_255"></a>[255]</span> -Marseilles and a Canadian priest, are on the way, with -the intention of penetrating into the interior of the country. -The reception given to Mr. Thibault last summer by -the Montagnees, leaves little doubt of the happy results -of this praiseworthy and holy enterprise.<a id="FNanchor_260" href="#Footnote_260" class="fnanchor">[260]</a> On the banks -of the Jasper, we met an old Iroquois called Louis Kwaragkwante, -or the travelling sun, accompanied by his family, -thirty-six in number. He has been forty years absent -from his country, during which he has never seen a priest—has -dwelt in the forest of Athabasca on Peace river -and subsisted by hunting and fishing. The good old -man was overwhelmed with joy, and the children experienced -a similar feeling with their father. I will -give you the old man’s words in English, on learning -that I was a priest: “How glad I am to have come here, -for I have not seen a priest for many years. To-day I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_256"></a>[256]</span> -behold a priest, as I did in my own country-my heart -rejoices—wherever you go I shall follow you with my -children-all will hear the word of prayer-all will -have the happiness {195} to receive baptism.—Therefore -my heart rejoices and is happy.” The little Iroquois -camp immediately set out to follow me to Fort Jasper. -Most of them know their prayers in Iroquois. I remained -fifteen days at the Fort, instructing them in the duties -of religion—after Mass, on Sunday, all were regenerated -in the waters of baptism, and seven marriages renewed -and blessed. The number of baptized amounted to forty-four; -among whom was the lady of Mr. Frazer, (Superintendent -of the Fort), and four of his children and two -servants.<a id="FNanchor_261" href="#Footnote_261" class="fnanchor">[261]</a></p> - -<p>I have the honor to be, with the most profound respect -and high regard, Monseigneur, your very humble and -obedient servant in Jesus Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter15">No. XV<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Foot of the Great Glaciere, at the Source of the Athabasca, May 6th, 1846.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>—Provisions becoming scarce at the Fort, -at the moment when we had with us a considerable number -of Iroquois from the surrounding country, who were resolved<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_257"></a>[257]</span> -to remain until my departure, in order to assist -at the instructions, we should have found ourselves in an -embarrassing situation had not Mr. Frazer come to our -relief, by proposing that we should leave the Fort and -accompany himself and family to the Lake of Islands, -where we could subsist partly on fish.<a id="FNanchor_262" href="#Footnote_262" class="fnanchor">[262]</a> As the distance -was not great, we accepted this invitation, and set out -to the number of fifty-four persons, and twenty dogs. -I count the latter, because we were as much obliged to -provide for them, as for ourselves. A little note of the -game killed by our hunters during the twenty-six days -of {197} our abode at this place, will perhaps afford you -some interest; at least, it will make you acquainted with -the animals of the country, and prove that the mountaineers -of Athabasca are blessed with good appetites. Animals -killed—twelve moose deer, two reindeer, thirty large -mountain sheep or big horn, two porcupines, two hundred -and ten hares, one beaver, two muskrats, twenty-four -bustards, one hundred and fifteen ducks, twenty-one -pheasants, one snipe, one eagle, one owl; add to this -from thirty to fifty fine white fish every day and twenty -trout, and then judge whether or not our people had -reason to complain; yet we heard them constantly saying; -“How hard living is here? The country is miserably -poor—we are obliged to fast.”</p> - -<p>As the time approached at which I was to leave my -new children in Christ, they earnestly begged leave to -honor me, before my departure, with a little ceremony -to prove their attachment, and that their children might -always remember him who had first put them in the -way of life. Each one discharged his musket in the direction -of the highest mountain, a large rock jutting out in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_258"></a>[258]</span> -the form of a sugar loaf, and with three loud hurrahs -gave it my name. {198} This mountain is more than -14,000 feet high, and is covered with perpetual snow.</p> - -<p>On the 25th April, I bade farewell to my kind friend -Mr. Frazer, and his amiable children, who had treated -me with every mark of attention and kindness.</p> - -<p>All the men in the camp insisted on honoring me with -an escort, and accompanied me a distance of ten miles. -Here we separated, each one affectionately pressed my -hand—mutual good wishes were exchanged—tears -flowed on both sides—and I was left with my companions -in one of those wild ravines where nothing meets the eye, -but ranges of gloomy mountains rising on all sides, like -so many impassable barriers.</p> - -<p>Upper Athabasca is, unquestionably, the most elevated -part of North America. All its mountains are prodigious, -and their rocky and snow-capt summits seem to lose themselves -in the clouds. At this season, immense masses -of snow often become loosened and roll down the mountains’ -sides with a terrific noise, that resounds throughout these -quiet solitudes like distant thunder—so irresistible is -the velocity of their descent, that they frequently carry with -them enormous fragments of rock, and force a {199} passage -through the dense forests which cover the base of the mountain. -At each hour, the noise of ten avalanches descending -at once, breaks upon the ear; on every side we see them -precipitated with a frightful rapidity.</p> - -<p>From these mountains, the majestic river of the north, -the upper branch of the Sascatshawin, the two great forks -of the McKenzie, the Athabasca and Peace rivers, the -Columbia, and Frazer at the west, derive the greater part -of their waters.</p> - -<p>In the neighborhood of the Miette river, we fell in with -one of those poor families of Porteurs or “Itoaten,” of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_259"></a>[259]</span> -New Caledonia, of whom I spoke to you in a former -letter; they saw us from the summit of the mountain -that overlooks the valley through which we were passing, -and perceiving we were whites, hastened down to meet -us. They appeared overjoyed at seeing us, particularly -when they discovered that I was a Black-gown; they -crowded around me, and begged me to baptize them -with an earnestness that affected me to tears, though -I was able to grant this favor to only two of their smallest -children, the others required instruction, but there was -no interpreter. I exhorted them to return soon to their -own country, where they {200} would find a Black-gown -(Father Nobili) who would instruct them. They made -the sign of the cross, recited some prayers in their own -language, and sang several hymns with great apparent -devotion. The condition of these people seemed very -wretched; they had no clothes but a few rags and some -pieces of skins, and yet, notwithstanding their extreme -poverty, they laid at my feet the mountain sheep they -had just killed.</p> - -<p>The history of a poor young woman, one of their number, -deserves to be recorded, as it affords a lively picture of -the dangers and afflictions to which these unfortunate -people are often exposed. When she was about fifteen -years of age, her father, mother, and brothers, together -with another family of her nation, were surprised in the -wood by a party of Assiniboine warriors, and massacred -without mercy. At the time of this horrid scene, the -young girl was in another part of the forest with her two -sisters, both younger than herself; they succeeded in concealing -themselves, and thus escaped falling into the hands -of the assassins. The hapless orphan wandered about -the desert for two years, without meeting any human -being, subsisting on roots, wild fruits, and porcupines.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_260"></a>[260]</span> -{201} In winter she sheltered herself in the abandoned -den of a bear. The sisters left her at the end of the -first year, since which they have never been heard of. -At length, after three years, she was fortunately found -by a good Canadian, who took her home, provided her -with comfortable food and clothing, and six months after -restored her to her tribe.</p> - -<p>We resumed our journey the following day, and arrived -about nightfall on the banks of the Athabaska, at the spot -called the “Great Crossing.” Here we deviated from the -course of that river, and entered the valley de la Fourche -du Trou.<a id="FNanchor_263" href="#Footnote_263" class="fnanchor">[263]</a></p> - -<p>As we approached the highlands the snow became much -deeper. On the 1st of May, we reached the great Bature, -which has all the appearance of a lake just drained of its -waters. Here we pitched our tent to await the arrival -of the people from Columbia, who always pass by this -route on the way to Canada and York Factory. Not -far from the place of our encampment, we found a new -object of surprise and admiration. An immense mountain -of pure ice, 1,500 feet high, enclosed between two -enormous rocks. So great is the transparency of this -beautiful ice, that we can easily distinguish {202} objects -in it to the depth of more than six feet. One would say, -by its appearance, that in some sudden and extraordinary -swell of the river, immense icebergs had been forced -between these rocks, and had there piled themselves on -one another, so as to form this magnificent glacier. What -gives some color of probability to this conjecture is, that -on the other side of the glacier, there is a large lake of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_261"></a>[261]</span> -considerable elevation. From the base of this gigantic -iceberg, the river Trou takes its rise.</p> - -<p>The people of Columbia have just arrived. I must -therefore take this present opportunity, the only one I -shall have for a long time, of sending you my letters, and -before closing this, permit me again to recommend myself -and all my missions to your holy sacrifices and fervent -prayers.<a id="FNanchor_264" href="#Footnote_264" class="fnanchor">[264]</a></p> - -<p>Meantime, I have the honor to be, with the most sincere -respect and esteem, Monseigneur, your very humble and -obedient servant in Jesus Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter16">No. XVI<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Boat Encampment on the Columbia, May 10th, 1846.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Very Rev. and Dear Father Provincial</span>:—By my last -letter to the distinguished Prelate of New-York, in which -I gave my different missionary excursions during 1845-46 -among several tribes of the Rocky Mountains, you have -learned that I had arrived at the base of the Great Glacier, -the source of the river <i>du Trou</i>, which is a tributary of the -Athabaska, or Elk river. I will now give to your reverence -the continuation of my arduous and difficult journey across -the main chain of the Rocky Mountains, and down the -Columbia, on my return to my dear brethren in Oregon.</p> - -<p>Towards the evening of the 6th of May, we discovered, -at the distance of about three miles, the approach of two<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_262"></a>[262]</span> -men in snow shoes, who soon joined us. They proved to -be the forerunners {204} of the English Company which, -in the spring of each year, go from Fort Vancouver to -York Factory, situated at the mouth of the river Nelson, -near the fifty-eighth degree north latitude.<a id="FNanchor_265" href="#Footnote_265" class="fnanchor">[265]</a> In the morning -my little train was early ready; we proceeded, and -after a march of eight miles we fell in with the gentlemen -of the Hudson Bay Company. The time of our -reunion was short, but interesting and joyful. The great -melting of the snow had already begun, and we were -obliged to be on the alert to cross in due time, the now -swelling rapids and rivers. The news between travellers, -who meet in the mountains is quickly conveyed to one -another. The leaders of the company were my old -friends, Mr. Ermatinger, of the Honorable Hudson Bay -Company,<a id="FNanchor_266" href="#Footnote_266" class="fnanchor">[266]</a> and two distinguished officers of the English -army, Captains Ward and Vavasseur, whom I had the -honor of entertaining last year at the Great Kalispel lake. -Capt. Ward is the gentleman who had the kindness to -take charge of my letters for the States and for Europe.</p> - -<p>Fifteen Indians of the Kettle-Fall tribe accompanied -him. Many of them had scaled the mountains with one -hundred and fifty pounds weight upon their backs. The -worthy Capt. {205} Ward spoke many things in praise of -them. He admired their honesty and civility, and above -all, their sincere piety and great regularity in their religious -duties; every morning and evening, they were seen retiring -a short distance from the camp, to sing one or two hymns, -and join in common prayer. “I hope,” added the Captain, -“I shall never forget the example, which these poor, but -good savages, have given me. During the time that they -were with me, I was much struck by their becoming deportment,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_263"></a>[263]</span> -and I have never seen more sincere piety than -they exhibited.”</p> - -<p>The gentlemen of the English Company were now at -the end of their chief difficulties and troubles. They -gladly threw away their snow shoes to take horses for four -days; at Fort Jasper they were to enter skiffs, to go to Fort -Assiniboine, on the river Athabasca. For myself, I had to -try the snow shoes for the first time in my life; by means -of them, I had to ascend those frightful ramparts, the -barriers of snow, which separate the Atlantic world from -the Pacific Ocean. I have, in my previous letters, already -told you, that this is probably the most elevated -point of the Rocky Mountains, where five great rivers -derive their sources, {206} viz.: the north-branch of the -Sascatshawin, flowing into Lake Winnepeg, the Athabasca -and Peace rivers, uniting and flowing into Great Slave -Lake, which is discharged into the Northern Ocean, by -the Mackenzie, the most solitary of rivers. From the -bosom of these mountains the Columbia and Frazer rivers -derive water from a thousand fountains and streams.</p> - -<p>We had now seventy miles to travel in snow shoes, -in order to reach the boat encampment on the banks of -the Columbia. We proposed to accomplish this in two -days and a half. The most worthy and excellent Messrs. -Rowan and Harriot, whose kindness at the Rocky Mountain -House and Fort Augustus I shall ever acknowledge, were -of opinion, that it was absolutely impossible for me to -accomplish the journey, on account of my heavy mould, -and they wished to dissuade me from attempting it. However, -I thought I could remedy the inconvenience of my -surplus stock, by a vigorous fast of thirty days, which -I cheerfully underwent. I found myself much lighter -indeed, and started off somewhat encouraged, over snow -sixteen feet deep. We went in single file—alternately<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_264"></a>[264]</span> -ascending and descending—sometimes across plains piled -up with avalanches—sometimes {207} over lakes and -rapids buried deeply under the snow—now, on the side -of a deep mountain—then across a forest of cypress -trees, of which we could only see the tops. I cannot tell -you the number of my summersets. I continually found -myself embarrassed by my snow shoes, or entangled in -some branch of a tree. When falling, I spread my arms -before me, as one naturally would do, to break the violence -of the fall; and upon deep snow the danger is not great,—though -I was often half buried, when I required the -assistance of my companions, which was always tendered -with great kindness and good humor.</p> - -<p>We made thirty miles the first day, and then made -preparations to encamp. Some pine trees were cut down -and stripped of their branches, and these being laid on -the snow, furnished us with a bed, whilst a fire was -lighted on a floor of green logs. To sleep thus—under -the beautiful canopy of the starry heavens—in the midst -of lofty and steep mountains—among sweet murmuring -rills and roaring torrents—may appear strange to you, -and to all lovers of rooms, rendered comfortable by stoves -and feathers; but you may think differently after having -come and breathed the pure air of the {208} mountains, -where in return, coughs and colds are unknown. Come -and make the trial, and you will say that it is easy to -forget the fatigues of a long march, and find contentment -and joy even upon the spread branches of pines, -on which, after the Indian fashion, we extended ourselves -and slept, wrapped up in buffalo robes.</p> - -<p>The next morning we commenced the descent of what -is called the Great Western Slope. This took us five -hours. The whole slope is covered with gigantic cedars, -and with pine trees of different species. Wo to the man,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_265"></a>[265]</span> -who happens to have a heavy body, or to make a false -step. I say this from experience; for many times I found -myself twenty or thirty feet from the point of my departure—happy -indeed if, in the fall, I did not violently strike -my head against the trunk of some great tree.</p> - -<p>At the foot of the mountain an obstacle of a new kind -presented itself. All the barriers of snow, the innumerable -banks, which had stopped the water of the streams, -lakes, and torrents, were broken up during the night, and -swelled considerably the Great Portage river.<a id="FNanchor_267" href="#Footnote_267" class="fnanchor">[267]</a> It meanders -so remarkably in this straight valley, down which -we travelled for a day and a half, {209} that we were compelled -to cross the said river not less than forty times, with -the water frequently up to our shoulders. So great is -its impetuosity, that we were obliged mutually to support -ourselves, to prevent being carried away by the current. -We marched in our wet clothes during the rest of our -sad route. The long soaking, joined to my great fatigue, -swelled my limbs. All the nails of my feet came off, and -the blood stained my moccasins or Indian shoes. Four -times I found my strength gone, and I should certainly -have perished in that frightful region, if the courage and -strength of my companions had not roused and aided -me in my distress.</p> - -<p>We saw May-poles all along the old encampments of -the Portage. Each traveller who passes there for the first -time, selects his own. A young Canadian, with much -kindness, dedicated one to me, which was at least one -hundred and twenty feet in height, and which reared its<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_266"></a>[266]</span> -lofty head above all the neighboring trees. Did I deserve -it? He stripped it of all its branches, only leaving at -the top a little crown; at the bottom my name and the -date of the transit were written. Moose, reindeer, and -mountain goats are frequently found in this region.</p> - -<p>{210} We next passed through a thick and mountainous -forest, where hoary pines lay prostrate by thousands—and -where many a giant tree, in its full vigor, had been -levelled to the ground by the raging tempest. On issuing -from the forest, an extensive marsh presented itself, through -which we had to plod, up to the knees in mud and water; -this trouble was trifling compared to the past, and we -were still more encouraged at the sight of a beautiful and -verdant plain, where four reindeer were seen carousing, -bouncing, and jumping in the midst of plenty. No doubt -they, as well as ourselves, had issued forth from the snowy -and icy cliffs, and felt light-hearted and joyful at the -delightful prospect of mountain and plain at this season -of the year. On approaching, a dozen guns were at once -levelled against the innocent and timid creatures. I -was pleased to observe, by the wonderful rapidity with -which they used their legs, that no one had injured their -noble and beautiful frames.</p> - -<p>Towards the middle of the day we arrived at the Boat -Encampment, on the bank of the Columbia, at the mouth -of the Portage river.<a id="FNanchor_268" href="#Footnote_268" class="fnanchor">[268]</a> Those who have passed the Rocky -Mountains at fifty three degrees of north latitude, during -{211} the great melting of the snows, know whether or not -we merit the title of good travellers. It required all my -strength to accomplish it, and I confess that I would not -dare undertake it again.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_267"></a>[267]</span></p> - -<p>After so many labors and dangers, we deserved a repast. -Happily, we found at the encampment all the ingredients -that were necessary for a feast—a bag of flour, a large -ham, part of a reindeer, cheese, sugar, and tea in abundance, -which the gentlemen of the English Company had -charitably left behind. While some were employed refitting -the barge, others prepared the dinner; and in about an -hour we found ourselves snugly seated and stretched out -around the kettles and roasts, laughing and joking about -the summersets on the mountains, and the accidents on -the Portage. I need not tell you, that they described me -as the most clumsy and awkward traveller in the band.</p> - -<p>Three beautiful rivers unite at this place: the Columbia, -coming from the south-east—the Portage river, -from the north-east, and the Canoe river from the north-west. -We were surrounded by a great number of magnificent -mountains, covered with perpetual snow, and -rising from twelve to sixteen thousand feet {212} above -the level of the ocean. The Hooker and the Brown are -the highest, the latter measuring sixteen thousand feet.<a id="FNanchor_269" href="#Footnote_269" class="fnanchor">[269]</a></p> - -<p>Very Rev. and dear Father Provincial, your humble -brother in Jesus Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter17">No. XVII<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">St. Paul’s Station, near Colville, May 29th, 1846.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Very Rev. and Dear Father Provincial</span>—The Columbia -at the Boat Encampment is 3,600 feet above the level<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_268"></a>[268]</span> -of the sea. Having finished our meal, we launched the -barge and rapidly descended the river, which was now -swollen many feet above its usual level. Did not more -serious avocations call him away, an admirer of Nature -would willingly linger in a region like this. The volcanic -and basaltic islands—the range of picturesque mountains, -whose bases came to bathe in the river, whilst their -summits seemed to be struggling, in the giant efforts of -the avalanche, to throw off the winding-sheet of winter, -in order to give place to the new and beautiful verdure -of the month of May, with its smiling and varied flowers—the -thousand fountains which we could at one view -behold, {214} leaping out with soothing music from the -shelves of perpendicular rocks bordering the river—all -lent their aid to increase the beauty of the scenery of -Nature, which, in this region of the Columbia, seems to -have put forth all her energy to display her grandeur and -magnificence.</p> - -<p>After some hours of descent we came to Martin’s rapid, -where a Canadian, so called, together with his son, found -a watery grave. Its roar is deafening, and the agitation -of the water resembles that of a raging sea-storm. The -whole bed of the river is here strewed with immense fragments -of rocks. Guided by an expert Iroquois pilot, -and aided with ten oars, the boat darted over its boisterous -surface, dancing-like and leaping from wave to wave, -with the rapidity of lightning.</p> - -<p>At sunset we were at the Dalle of the Dead. (<i>Dalle</i> -is an old French word, meaning a trough, and the name -is given by the Canadian voyageurs to all contracted -running waters, hemmed in by walls of rocks.) Here, -in 1838, twelve unfortunate travellers were buried in the -river.<a id="FNanchor_270" href="#Footnote_270" class="fnanchor">[270]</a> The waters are compressed between a range<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_269"></a>[269]</span> -of perpendicular rocks, presenting innumerable crags, -fissures and cliffs, through which the Columbia leaps -with irresistible impetuosity, {215} forming, as it dashes -along, frightful whirlpools, where every passing object -is swallowed and disappears. By means of two long -ropes we dropped down our boat through the Dalle, and -encamped for the night at its outlet.</p> - -<p>On the 11th we continued our route at early dawn—the -mountain scenery was hidden from our view wrapped up -in dense mist and fog, which were seen ascending in dense -pillars, adding to the forming clouds above, till the whole -sky was overcast. Occasionally, as if to break upon the -unusual monotony, would a fallow or reindeer be observed -on the margin of the stream, or peeping with uplifted -ears from a thicket, as the strange sound of oars, or the -Canadian song, came stealing louder and louder upon -them in their quiet abode:—off they bounded, affrighted -at the sight of men, so hateful, it appears, to the wild and -timid creatures of the forest. In the evening we encamped -at the entrance of the Upper Lake.</p> - -<p>This beautiful sheet of crystalline water, whilst the -rising sun was tinting the tops of a thousand hills around, -came most refreshing to the eye. It is about thirty miles -long, by four or five wide. Its borders are embellished -by overhanging precipices and majestic peaks, {216} which, -rearing their white heads above the clouds, look down -like venerable monarchs of the desert upon the great forests -of pines and cedar surrounding the lake. The two highest -peaks are called St. Peter and St. Paul.</p> - -<p>Twenty Indian families, belonging to the station of St. -Peter, were found encamped on the borders of the lake.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_270"></a>[270]</span> -I gladly accepted their invitation to visit them. It was -the meeting of a father with his children, after ten months -of absence and dangers. I dare say the joy was mutually -sincere. The greater part of the tribe had been converted -during the past year, at Kettle Falls. These families -were absent at that time. I passed, therefore, several -days among them, to instruct them in the duties and practices -of religion. They then received baptism, with all -the marks of sincere piety and gratitude. Gregory, the -name of their chief, who had not ceased to exhort his people -by word and example, had the happiness to receive baptism -in 1838, from the hands of the Rev. Mr., now Archbishop, -Blanchet. The worthy and respectable chief was now -at the height of his joy, in seeing at last all his children -brought under the standard of Jesus Christ. The tribe -of these lake Indians are a part of the Kettle {217} Fall -nation. They are very poor, and subsist principally on -fish and wild roots. As soon as we shall have more -means at our disposal, we will supply them with implements -of husbandry and with various seeds and roots, -which I have no doubt, will thrive well in their country; -this will be a great assistance to these destitute people. -The second lake is about six miles distant from the first. -It is of about the same length, but less wide. We passed -under a perpendicular rock, where we beheld an innumerable -number of arrows sticking out of the fissures. -The Indians, when they ascend the lake, have a custom of -lodging each an arrow into these crevices. The origin and -cause of the custom is unknown to me.<a id="FNanchor_271" href="#Footnote_271" class="fnanchor">[271]</a></p> - -<p>The mouth of the river McGilvray or Flat-Bow, is near -the outlet of the Lower Lakes. It presents a beautiful<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_271"></a>[271]</span> -situation for the establishment of a future Reduction or -Mission, and I have already marked out a site for the -construction of a church. About twenty miles lower, -we passed the Flat-Head or Clark’s river, which contributes -largely to the Columbia. These two beautiful rivers -derive a great portion of their waters from the same chain -of the Rocky Mountains, from which a great number of -the {218} forks of the south branch of the Sascatshawin -and of the Missouri are supplied. For a distance of about -thirty miles from their junction with the Columbia, are -they obstructed by insurmountable falls and rapids. -Among the many lakes connected with the Flat-Head -river, three are very conspicuous, and measure from thirty -to forty miles in length, and from four to six in width. -The Flat-Head lake receives a broad and beautiful stream, -extending upwards of a hundred miles in a north-western -direction, through a most delightful valley, and is supplied -by considerable torrents, coming from a great cluster of -mountains, connected immediately with the main chain, in -which a great number of lakes lie imbedded. Clark’s -fork passed through Lake Kalispel.<a id="FNanchor_272" href="#Footnote_272" class="fnanchor">[272]</a> Lake Roothaan is -situated in the Pend-d’oreille and Flat-Bow mountains, and -discharges itself by the Black-gown river into the Clark, -twenty miles below Kalispel Lake.<a id="FNanchor_273" href="#Footnote_273" class="fnanchor">[273]</a> The St. Mary’s,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_272"></a>[272]</span> -or Bitter-root river, from the south-east, is the greatest -tributary of Clark’s fork, and the chief residence of -the Flat-Heads. All these waters contain an abundance -of fish, especially trout. The geography of the head of -Clark’s Fork, is little known, as appears from the maps, -the south-east {219} branch or the Saint Mary’s river -being only a small tributary compared to the main stream, -coming from the north-west, and passing through the -great Flat-Head lake.</p> - -<p>Our barge was in great danger in the Dalle, some miles -above Colville.<a id="FNanchor_274" href="#Footnote_274" class="fnanchor">[274]</a> I had left it, to go on foot, to avoid -the dangerous passage. The young boatman, notwithstanding -my remonstrances, thought they could pass -in safety. A whirlpool suddenly arrested their course, -and threatened to bury them beneath its angry waters. -Their redoubled efforts proved ineffectual—I saw them -borne on with an irresistible force to the engulfing centre—the -bow of the boat descended already into the abyss and -filled! I was on my knees upon the rock which overhung -this frightful spectacle, surrounded by several Indians—we -implored the aid of Heaven in favor of our poor -comrades—they seemed to be evidently lost—when -the whirlpool filled, and threw them from its bosom, as -it reluctantly yielded up the prey which it had so tenaciously -held. We all gave heartfelt thanks to Almighty -God for having delivered them from a danger so imminent.</p> - -<p>From the outlet of the Lower Lake of the Columbia -to Fort Colville, the aspect of the {220} country is highly -picturesque and interesting. The whole section, on both -sides of the river, is well supplied with rivulets and streams.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_273"></a>[273]</span> -The soil is rather light, but it affords fine grazing; the -mountains are not high—the forests are open—the -bottom lands present here and there beautiful groves—the -surface of the soil yields an abundant and luxuriant -grass.</p> - -<p>Towards the end of the month of May I arrived at -Fort Colville. I found the nation of Shuyelphi or Kettle -Fall already baptized by the Rev. Father Hoecken, who -had continued to instruct them after my departure in the -month of August of last year. They had built, to my -great surprise, a small frame church, so much the more -beautiful and agreeable to my eyes, as being their first -attempt at architecture, and the exclusive work of the -Indians. With a laudable pride they conducted me, as in -triumph, to the humble and new temple of the Lord, and -in favor of that good people, and for their perseverance in -the faith, I there offered the august Sacrifice of the Altar.</p> - -<p>The arrival of the good Father Nobili at Colville filled -us with great joy and consolation. He had made missionary -excursions over the greatest portion of New Caledonia. -Everywhere {221} the Indian tribes received him with -open arms, and took great care to bring their little children -to be baptized. I add to this an extract from his letter, -which will give you an outline of his journey and the number -of baptisms he performed. Having made a retreat of -eight days in the Reduction of St. Ignatius, and after a -month of repose and preparation for a second expedition, -he returned with renewed zeal and fervor to his dear -Caledonians, accompanied by several laborers, and supplied -with a dozen horses, loaded with implements of -agriculture and carpentry.</p> - -<p>As a token of my sincere gratitude, and to let you know -that we have friends and benefactors in Oregon, I must -here state to your Reverence, that Father Nobili and myself<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_274"></a>[274]</span> -were most hospitably entertained during our stay -at Fort Colville. The kindness of the Honorable Mr. -Lewes and family I shall never forget.<a id="FNanchor_275" href="#Footnote_275" class="fnanchor">[275]</a> The attention -shown Father Nobili, in the trading posts of New Caledonia -is beyond all praise. Truly and deservedly has -Commodore Wilkes stated,<a id="FNanchor_276" href="#Footnote_276" class="fnanchor">[276]</a> “That the liberality and -hospitality of all the gentlemen of the Honorable Hudson -Bay Company are proverbial.” Indeed, we experience -this and participate of it on all occasions.</p> - -<p>{222} I remain, with profound respect and esteem, -Very Rev. and dear Father, your humble and obedient -servant,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter18">No. XVIII<br /> -A. M. D. G.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Extract from Father Nobili’s Letter</span></h3> - -<p class="right">Fort Colville, June 1st, 1846.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Rev. Father</span>,—While I remained at Fort Vancouver, -I baptized upwards of sixty persons, during a dangerous -sickness which raged in the country. The majority of -those who received baptism, died with all the marks of -sincere conversion. On the 27th of July, I baptized nine -children at Fort Okinagane<a id="FNanchor_277" href="#Footnote_277" class="fnanchor">[277]</a>—the children of the chief -of the Sioushwaps were of the number. He appeared full<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_275"></a>[275]</span> -of joy at seeing a <i>Black-gown</i> direct his course towards -their country. On the 29th I left Okinagane, and followed -the company. Every night I prayed with the whites -and Indians. On the road three old men came to me, -and earnestly begged me to “<i>take pity on them, and prepare -them for heaven</i>!” Having instructed them in the duties -and principles of religion, and the necessity of baptism, -I administered to them, and to forty-six {224} children -of the same tribe, what seemed to be the height of their -desires, the holy Sacrament of regeneration.</p> - -<p>On the 11th of August, a tribe of Indians, residing about -the Upper Lake on Thompson’s River, came to meet me.<a id="FNanchor_278" href="#Footnote_278" class="fnanchor">[278]</a> -They exhibited towards me all the marks of sincere and -filial attachment. They followed me several days to hear -my instructions, and <i>only departed</i> after having exacted a -promise that I would return in the course of the following -autumn or winter, and make known to them the glad -tidings of salvation.</p> - -<p>At the Fort of the Sioushwaps, I received a visit from -all the chiefs, who congratulated me on my happy arrival -amongst them.<a id="FNanchor_279" href="#Footnote_279" class="fnanchor">[279]</a> They raised a great cabin to serve -as a church, and as a place to teach them during my stay. -I baptized twelve of their children. I was obliged, when -the Salmon fishing commenced, to separate for some -months from these dear Indians, and continue my route -to New Caledonia.</p> - -<p>I arrived at Fort Alexandria on the 25th.<a id="FNanchor_280" href="#Footnote_280" class="fnanchor">[280]</a> All the -tribes I met manifested towards me the same emotions<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_276"></a>[276]</span> -of joy and friendship. To my surprise I found at the Fort -a frame church. I returned in the fall and remained -there a month, {225} engaged in all the exercises of our -holy ministry. The Canadians performed their religious -duties—I joined several in marriage, and administered -to many the Holy Communion. Twenty-four children -and forty-seven adults received baptism.</p> - -<p>On the 2d of September, I ascended the river Frazer, -and after a dangerous trip, arrived, on the 12th, at Fort -George;<a id="FNanchor_281" href="#Footnote_281" class="fnanchor">[281]</a> where the same joy and affection on the part -of the Indians attended me. Fifty Indians had come down -from the Rocky Mountains, and patiently awaited my -arrival for nineteen days, in order to have the consolation -of witnessing the ceremony of baptism. I baptized twelve -of their children, and twenty-seven others, of whom six -were adults advanced in age. I performed there the ceremonies -of the planting of the Cross.</p> - -<p>On the 14th, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy -Cross, I ascended the river Nesqually, and on the 24th, -arrived at the Fort of Lake Stuart.<a id="FNanchor_282" href="#Footnote_282" class="fnanchor">[282]</a> I spent eleven -days in giving instructions to the Indians, and had the -happiness of abolishing the custom of burning the dead, -and that of inflicting torments upon the bodies of the -surviving wives or husbands. They solemnly renounced -all their juggling and idolatries. {226} Their great medicine-hall, -where they used to practise their superstitious -rites, was changed into a church. It was blessed and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_277"></a>[277]</span> -dedicated to God under the patronage of St. Francis -Xavier.<a id="FNanchor_283" href="#Footnote_283" class="fnanchor">[283]</a> The planting of the Cross was solemnly performed -with all the ceremonies proper to such occasions. -Sixteen children and five old men received baptism.</p> - -<p>The 24th Oct., I visited the village of the Chilcotins.<a id="FNanchor_284" href="#Footnote_284" class="fnanchor">[284]</a> -This mission lasted twelve days, during which time I -baptized eighteen children and twenty-four adults, and -performed eight marriages. I blessed here the first cemetery, -and buried, with all the ceremonies of the ritual, -an Indian woman, the first converted to Christianity. -I next visited two other villages of the same tribe—in -the first I baptized twenty persons, of whom three were -adults. In the second, two chiefs with thirty of their -nation received baptism, and two were united in matrimony. -Polygamy prevailed everywhere, and everywhere -I succeeded in abolishing it. In a neighboring tribe I -baptized fifty-seven persons, of whom thirty-one were -adults. I also celebrated nine marriages.</p> - -<p>After my return to the Sioushwaps, I baptized forty-one -persons, of whom eleven were adults. I visited five -more villages among the {227} neighboring tribes, amongst -whom I baptized about two hundred persons. I performed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_278"></a>[278]</span> -the ceremony of the planting of the Cross, in eight different -places, and founded four frame churches which were -constructed by the savages.</p> - -<p>On an average, each village or tribe consists of about -two hundred souls.</p> - -<table summary="Population"> - <tr> - <td>In the neighborhood of Fort Alexandria the number of souls amounts to</td> - <td class="tdr">1255</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>About Fort George,</td> - <td class="tdr">343</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>In the neighborhood of Frazer’s Lake,</td> - <td class="tdr">258</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto2">”</span> Stuart’s Lake,</td> - <td class="tdr">211</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto2">”</span> McLeod’s Lake,</td> - <td class="tdr">80</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto2">”</span> Fort Babine,</td> - <td class="tdr">1190</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> <span class="ditto2">”</span> Bear Lake,<a id="FNanchor_285" href="#Footnote_285" class="fnanchor">[285]</a></td> - <td class="tdr">801</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Total number of souls,</td> - <td class="tdr bt">4138</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Population on Thompson’s river, or on the land of -the Sioushwaps or Atnass.<a id="FNanchor_286" href="#Footnote_286" class="fnanchor">[286]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_279"></a>[279]</span></p> - -<table summary="Population"> - <tr> - <td>The number of Sioushwaps, so called, is</td> - <td class="tdr">583</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> of Okinaganes,</td> - <td class="tdr">685</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Population on the North Branch,</td> - <td class="tdr">525</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> on Lake Superior,</td> - <td class="tdr">322</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="ditto2">”</span> at the Fountain of Frazer Lake,</td> - <td class="tdr">1127</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Number of Knife Indians,</td> - <td class="tdr">1530</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Total number of souls,</td> - <td class="tdr bt">4772</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>I remain, reverend Father, yours, &c.,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>J. Nobili, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter19">No. XIX<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Fort Walla-Walla, July 18th, 1846.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Very Rev. and Dear Father Provincial</span>,—I accepted -the kind offer of Mr. Lewes, and took my seat in one of -the barges of the Hudson Bay Company, on its way to -Fort Vancouver. We stopped at Fort Okinagane, where -I administered baptism to forty-three persons, chiefly -children. Our passage was very pleasant and agreeable. -I have little to add to what I have already stated in my -preceding letters of last year, respecting our residence -at Saint Francis Xavier’s, and the other Catholic establishments -in the Willamette Valley and vicinity. St. James’ -Church at Vancouver, St. John’s in Oregon City, St. Mary’s -at the Convent, and St. Francis Xavier’s chapel have all -been opened for divine service. The new church among -the Canadians, and Cathedral, were fast progressing. -The number of children in the Sisters’ school {229} had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_280"></a>[280]</span> -greatly increased, and a change for the better already -taken place among the little metis girls confided to their -care. Sister Loyola, the Superior, appeared delighted -with their present conduct. Two Protestant families, -among the most respectable in Oregon, Dr. Long and -lady and Judge Burnet and family, were received into -the bosom of the Catholic Church, in Oregon City.<a id="FNanchor_287" href="#Footnote_287" class="fnanchor">[287]</a> -Archbishop Blanchet and companions were anxiously -expected; may the Lord speed them, and grant them -a happy passage on the boisterous ocean—a route which, -it appears, they have selected in order to reach their destined -new homes. O, how large is the vineyard!—the -Island of Vancouver alone contains upwards of twenty -thousand Indians, ready to receive our missionaries—and -an extensive field awaits the laborers, among the -numerous nations of the north-west coast. The visits -paid to these various tribes, by the <i>Black-gowns</i>, and the -affection and kindness with which they are received by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_281"></a>[281]</span> -the Indians, leave little doubt of the ultimate success of -their holy enterprise.</p> - -<p>In order to return to the upper Missions, I started in -the beginning of July, from Fort Vancouver, two days -after the brigade of the Hudson Bay Company had left -it. An accident {230} by the way, fortunately not attended -with more serious consequences, here occurred to me. -A powder-horn exploded near me accidentally, scorching -me severely, and completely stripping the skin from my -nose, cheeks and lips—leaving me to all appearance, -after all my travels, a raw-faced mountaineer. I procured -an Indian canoe, well-mounted, and soon found -myself during a thunder storm, in the great gap of the -Cascade Mountains, through which the mighty Columbia -winds its way. The sublime and the romantic appear -to have made a grand effort for a magnificent display -in this spot. On both sides of the stream perpendicular -walls of rock rise in majestic boldness—small rills and -rivulets, innumerable crystalline streams pursue their -way; murmuring down on the steep declivities, they rush -and leap from cascade to cascade, after a thousand gambols, -adding, at last, their foaming tribute to the turbulent -and powerful stream. The imposing mass of waters -has here forced its way between a chain of volcanic, towering -mountains, advancing headlong with an irresistible -impetuosity, over rocky reefs, and prostrate ruins, for a -distance of about four miles; forming the dangerous, and -indeed the last remarkable obstruction—the {231} great -cascades of the Columbia. There is an interesting, and -very plausible Indian account of the formation of these -far-famed cascades, on which so much has been said and -written, so many conjectures regarding earth-slides, sinks, -or swells, caused by subterraneous volcanic agents. “Our -grandfathers,” said an Indian to me, “remember the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_282"></a>[282]</span> -time when the waters passed here quietly, and without -obstruction, under a long range of towering and projecting -rocks, which, unable to bear their weight any longer, -crumbled down, thus stopping up and raising the bed -of the river; here it overflowed the great forests of cedar -and pine, which are still to be seen above the cascades.” -Indeed, the traveller beholds with astonishment, a great -number of huge trunks of trees, still standing upright -in water about twenty feet deep. No person, in my opinion, -can form a just idea of the cause that produced these remarkable -changes, without admitting the Indian narrative.</p> - -<p>My baggage was soon conveyed to the upper end of -the portage. The distance from the cascades to the dalles -is about forty-five miles, and is without any obstacle. The -mountain scenery on both sides of the river, with its {232} -clusters of shrubs, cedars and pines, is truly delightful, -heightened occasionally by the sight of the snow-capped -Mounts Hood and St. Helena. A favorable breeze made us -unfurl two blankets for the want of sails, and as we were -gliding rapidly up the stream, we observed several islands -of volcanic formation, where the Indians deposit their -dead on scaffolds, or in little huts made of pieces of split -cedar, frequently covered with mats and boards; great -care is taken to hinder birds of prey, or the rapacious -wolves, with their hyena stomachs and plundering propensities, -from breaking in upon the abode of the dead.</p> - -<p>The third day we arrived at the great dalles. Indians -flock thither from different quarters of the interior, to -attend, at this season of the year, to the salmon fisheries. -This is their glorious time for rejoicing, gambling, and -feasting; the long lent is passed; they have at last assembled -in the midst of abundance—all that the eye can -see, or the nose smell, is fish, and nothing but fish. Piles -of them are lying everywhere on the rocks, the Indian<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_283"></a>[283]</span> -huts abound with them, and the dogs are dragging and -fighting over the offal in all directions. Not less than -eight hundred Indians were present on this occasion. -{233} One who has seen them five years ago, poor and -almost naked, and who beholds them now, discovers with -a peculiar feeling of humor and delight, the entire change -in their external appearance, a complete metamorphosis, -as Ovid would say. Their dresses are of the most grotesque -character, regardless alike of their appropriateness -to sex or condition of life. A masquerade character, as -we understand it, will at least exhibit unity of design; but -this Indian masquerade sets all unities at defiance. A -stout, swarthy Indian, steps proudly by you, apparently -conscious of the dignity conferred on him by his new acquisitions—a -roundabout much too small for him, a pair -of tights with straps, with an intervening space showing -the absence of linen, form his body dress, while an old -fashioned lady’s night-cap with large frills, and if he be -rich enough, a sailor’s glazed cap carefully balanced above -it, constitute his head dress; a pair, and sometimes half -a pair of brogans, complete the ludicrous appearance of -this Indian dandy. Some appear parading thro’ the -camp in the full dress of a wagoner, others in a mixture -composed of the sailor’s, the wagoner’s, and the lawyer’s, -arranged according to fancy; but the favorite article of -ornamental {234} dress appears to be the night-cap with -its large frills; some again with only one article of dress. -I have seen an old Indian showing off a pair of boots to -the best advantage, as they formed the only article of -his wardrobe then on his person. Indian squaws are -seen attired in long calico gowns, little improved by the -copious addition of fish oil, with which the taste or negligence -of the present owners besmeared them; occasionally, -if they can afford it, to this is superadded a vest, a flannel<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_284"></a>[284]</span> -or great-coat. The dalles at present, form a kind of -masquerading thoroughfare, where emigrants and Indians -meet, it appears, for the purpose of affording mutual aid. -When the Oregon emigrants arrive here, they are generally -in want of provisions, horses, canoes, and guides—these -wants the Indians supply, receiving in exchange the old -travelling clothes of the doctors, lawyers, farmers, Germans, -Frenchmen, Spaniards, &c., that pass through the dalles -on their westward route. Hence the motley collection -of pants, coats, boots, of every form and size, comforters, -caps and hats of every fashion.</p> - -<p>Here I overtook Messrs. Lewes and Manson,<a id="FNanchor_288" href="#Footnote_288" class="fnanchor">[288]</a> who -kindly offered me a place in one of the barges of the Company, -which I gladly accepted—the transportation of their -boats and goods {235} had taken up a whole day. From -the great dalles to the upper sources of the Columbia, -great care and attention are to be had in its navigation, for -it presents a constant succession of rapids, falls, cascades, -and dalles. Men of great experience, are here employed -as pilots, and notwithstanding their skill and precaution,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_285"></a>[285]</span> -no river probably on the globe, frequented as much, could -tell of more disastrous accidents.</p> - -<p>At the dalles you enter a barren region, where drift -wood is brought into every encampment by the Indians, -for which they gladly receive a piece of tobacco in return. -In the absence of the savages, the tombs of the dead are -sometimes shamefully pillaged by civilized <i>Christian</i> travellers, -taking away the very boards that cover the dead -bodies, and thus leave them the prey of vultures and -crows.</p> - -<p>Indians linger on the Columbia as long as a salmon -can be caught. Unconscious of the approaching winter, -they do not lay in sufficient stock of provisions, and till -late in the fall they may be seen picking up the dead and -dying fishes which float in great numbers on the surface. -In the immediate neighborhood of a camp the air is -infected with the scent of {236} salmon in a state of putrefaction; -they are suspended on trees, or on scaffolds, -and to this unwholesome and detestable food has the -improvident Indian recourse, when the days of his long -lent commence.</p> - -<p>You can scarcely form an idea of the deplorable condition -of the poor petty tribes, scattered along the banks -of the Columbia, of which the numbers visibly diminish -from year to year. Imagine their dwellings, a few poor -huts, constructed of rush, bark, bushes, or of pine branches, -sometimes covered with skins or rags—around these -miserable habitations lie scattered in profusion the bones -of animals, and the offal of fishes of every tribe, amidst -accumulated filth of every description. In the interior, you -find roots piled up in a corner, skins hanging from cross -poles, and fish boiling over the fire, a few dying embers; -an axe to cut wood being seldom found among them. The -whole stock of kitchen utensils, drinking vessels, dishes,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_286"></a>[286]</span> -etc., are comprised in something like a fish-kettle, made of -osier, and besmeared with gum—to boil this kettle stones -are heated red hot and thrown into it. But the mess cooked -in this way, can you guess what it is? No, not in twenty -trials—it is impossible to divine what {237} the ingredients -are that compose this outlandish soup!</p> - -<p>But to pass from the <i>material</i> to the <i>personal</i>; what -strange figures! faces thickly covered with grease and -dirt—heads that have never felt a comb—hands! but -such hands! a veritable pair of “jack of all trades,” fulfilling -in rapid succession, the varied functions of the -comb, the pocket-handkerchief, the knife, fork, and spoon—while -eating, the process is loudly indicated by the -crackling and discordant sounds that issue from the nose, -mouth, throat, etc., a sight, the bare recollection of which -is enough to sicken any person. Thus you can form some -idea of their personal miseries—miseries, alas! that -faintly image another species infinitely more saddening; -for what shall I say in attempting to describe their moral -condition? There prevails among the greater part of -them, a kind of superstitious idolatry, (called medicine -or juggling), that pays homage to the vilest animals; a -degeneracy of morals which knows no stronger tie in conjugal -obligations, than the caprice of the moment—a -vehement, inordinate passion for gambling, that is prolonged -to the time of repose—a laziness which nothing -can induce them to shake off but the love of play, {238} -or the pressing claim of hunger—they are in fine, addicted -to the vilest habits of gluttony, dissimulation, etc. Such -is the wretched condition of the poor savage tribes, along -the Columbia. But amidst all this misery, there is fortunately -one redeeming feature, a constant desire to discover -some power superior to man; this disposition renders -them attentive to the least word that seems to convey<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_287"></a>[287]</span> -the slightest knowledge of a Supreme Being, and hence -the facility with which they believe anything that at all -resembles the Word of God.</p> - -<p>Very reverend and dear Father, your humble and obedient -servant,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter20">No. XX<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">St. Ignatius, near the Kalispel Bay, July 26th, 1846.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Very Rev. and Dear Father Provincial</span>,—The eighth -day after my departure from Fort Vancouver, I landed -safely at Walla Walla, with the goods destined for the -different missions. In a few days all was ready, and -having thanked the good and kind-hearted Mr. McBride,<a id="FNanchor_289" href="#Footnote_289" class="fnanchor">[289]</a> -the Superintendent of the Fort, who had rendered me -every assistance in his power, we soon found ourselves -on the way to the mountains leading a band of pack mules -and horses over a sandy dry plain, covered with bunch -grass and wormwood. We made about sixteen miles -and encamped for the night, in a beautiful little meadow, -watered by the Walla Walla river, where we found abundance -of grass for our animals—these were soon unloaded -and left free to graze {240} at leisure; we next made<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_288"></a>[288]</span> -a fire, put on the camp-kettle, stretched the bed, consisting -of a buffalo-robe, and smoked together the friendly Indian -pipe, whilst supper was preparing. We found ourselves -at home and perfectly at ease in less than a quarter of an -hour. The evening was clear and beautiful—not a -cloud—our sleep, sound and refreshing, prepared us -for an early start at dawn of day. We had a day’s march, -with pack animals, over an undulating plain, before we -could reach the crossing of the Nez-percé or Lewis fork,<a id="FNanchor_290" href="#Footnote_290" class="fnanchor">[290]</a> -whose source is in the angle of the Rocky and Snowy -Mountains, between the 42d and 44th degrees, near the -sources of the western Rio Colorado, the Platte, the Yellow -Stone, and the Missouri rivers: its western course till -it reaches the Blue Mountains, and hence its northern -direction till it joins the Columbia, together with its principal -tributaries, are sufficiently known to you, and have -been amply described already.</p> - -<p>We found about a dozen Indian lodges called the -Palooses, a portion of the Sapetan or Nez-percé tribe.<a id="FNanchor_291" href="#Footnote_291" class="fnanchor">[291]</a> -We procured from the Indians here some fresh salmon, -for which we made them ample return in powder and -lead. But as the grass was withered and scanty, and -the {241} pilfering dispositions of these Indians rather -doubtful, we resolved on proceeding eight or ten miles<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_289"></a>[289]</span> -farther, and encamped late in the evening on the Pavilion -river.<a id="FNanchor_292" href="#Footnote_292" class="fnanchor">[292]</a> The Nez-percé and Spokane plain is at least -a thousand feet elevated above the bed of the river. It -is dry, stony, undulating, covered with bunch and nutritious -grass, with prickly pear and wormwood. The -basaltic and volcanic formations which extend through -the whole of this region, are really wonderful. We frequently -passed ponds and small lakes embedded between -walls of basaltic rocks—immense ranges of dark shining -pillars, as if forced from the bosom of the plain, extend -for some miles, resembling, not unfrequently, forts and -ancient ruined cities and castles. We encamped several -times near small but beautiful lakes, where ducks and -geese, with their young broods, were swimming in great -numbers. The Indians frequent these regions in search -of the bitter and camash roots, very abundant here. In -every one of their old encampments we observed great -quantities of prairie-turtle shells, a proof of their being -numerous and serving as food for the savages. Pheasants -or quails were very abundant—we daily killed what -we wanted for our meals.</p> - -<p>{242} On the fifth day of our departure from Walla Walla, -we reached the Spokane river,<a id="FNanchor_293" href="#Footnote_293" class="fnanchor">[293]</a> and found a good fording -for our animals. You will see with pleasure the chart -I have made of the head waters of this river, which, though -beautiful and interesting, is yet, like all the other rivers -in Oregon, almost an unbroken succession of rapids, falls, -and cascades, and of course ill-adapted in its present condition -to the purposes of navigation. The two upper<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_290"></a>[290]</span> -valleys of the Cœur d’Alene are beautiful, and of a rich -mould; they are watered by two deep forks, running into -the Cœur d’Alene lake, a fine sheet of water, of about -thirty miles in length by four or five broad, from which -the river Spokane derives its source. I called the two -upper forks the St. Joseph’s and the St. Ignatius. They -are formed by innumerable torrents, descending from -the Pointed-Heart mountains, a chain of the Rocky Mountains.<a id="FNanchor_294" href="#Footnote_294" class="fnanchor">[294]</a> -The two upper valleys are about sixty or eighty -miles long, and four or eight miles broad. I counted -upwards of forty little lakes in them. The whole neighborhood -of the Spokane river affords very abundant -grazing, and in many sections is tolerably well timbered -with pines of different species.</p> - -<p>{243} On leaving the river we ascended by a steep Indian -path. A few miles’ ride across a pine forest brings you -to a beautiful valley, leading to Colville, agreeably diversified -by plains and forests, hemmed in by high wooded -mountains, and by huge picturesque rocks towering their -lofty heads over all the rest. Fountains and rivulets -are here very numerous. After about thirty miles, we -arrived at the foot of the Kalispel Mountain, in the neighborhood -of St. Francis Regis, where already about seventy -metis or half-breeds have collected to settle permanently. -Several of them accompanied me across the mountain, -the height of which is about five thousand feet above the -level of the plain. Its access is very easy on the western -side; on the eastern, the narrow path winds its snake-like -course through a steep and dense forest.—After a -march of about eight hours we arrived at the beautiful<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_291"></a>[291]</span> -Kalispel Bay, on the margin of lake De Boey, almost -in sight of the <i>Reduction</i> of St. Ignatius.—My letter to -Mrs. P.,<a id="FNanchor_295" href="#Footnote_295" class="fnanchor">[295]</a> which I insert here will make you acquainted -with the whole history of that mission.</p> - -<p>I remain, with the profoundest respect and {244} esteem, -Very Rev. Father Provincial, your humble and obedient -servant,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<p class="center">A. M. D. G.</p> - -<p class="right">St. Ignatius, July 25th, 1846.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Madam</span>,—I am, indeed, ashamed at not having been -able sooner to answer the letters which you had the kindness -to write me on the 2d of September and the 7th of -December, 1844. They reached the Rocky Mountains only -the year after, while I was engaged in a distant mission -among the Indians, so that I received them only in the -month of July, 1846. If it had been in my power to forward -you an answer before this moment, my heart assures -me that I would have done it without delay, for I must -tell you here, that the debt of gratitude which my poor -Indians and myself owe you is very great; and I felt impatient -to inform you, that we have already begun to pray -for you, for your dear and amiable children, and for your -intentions. I have given directions to the Indians of -these different tribes, viz., the Flat-Heads, the Pends -{245} d’Oreilles, and the Cœur d’Alenes, to recite, every -week, the Rosary for one of their great benefactresses, -meaning yourself. Now, you cannot but be aware, that, -among the Indians, the beads are recited in each family, -so that I am already assured, and I have the consolation<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_292"></a>[292]</span> -of saying to you, that many thousand pairs of beads have -already been offered up to God and his august mother for -you. Those good Indians—those children of the forest—so -dear to my heart, will continue to display their gratitude -till I tell them to cease, and that will not be very soon. -What confidence have I not in the prayers of those Indians, -whose merit is known only to God! Oh! if it is true that -the prayer of him who possesses the innocence, the simplicity, -and the faith of a child, pierces the clouds—is -all-powerful, and is certainly heard—then be assured -that in these new missions, in which the finger of God -has been so visibly manifested, these virtues reign preeminently, -and that the prayer of the Indian will also -be heard in your behalf! How happy should I be, my -dear, excellent Madam, could I give you to understand -how great, how sweet, how enrapturing is their devotion -to the august mother of God! The name of Mary, which -{246} pronounced in the Indian language, is something -so sweet and endearing, delights and charms them. The -hearts of these good children of the forest melt, and seem -to overflow, when they sing the praises of her whom they, -as well as we, call their mother. Oh! I feel confident, -knowing, as I do, their dispositions, that they have a distinguished -place in the heart of that Holy Virgin; and -that, through the intercession of Mary, invoked by so -many fervent souls, you will obtain from God whatever -you ask; for I am too well acquainted with your piety -to think that you would ask anything that was not calculated -to promote the glory of God, the sanctification -of your own soul, and that of your children.</p> - -<p>Permit me, now, to say a few words concerning the -Indians and myself, since the time I had the honor of -conversing with you in B⸺, in the spring of 1843. On -the 6th of November of the following year, the Rev. Father<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_293"></a>[293]</span> -A. Hoecken came to meet me, accompanied by several -Indians of the tribe of Pends d’Oreilles of the Bay, among -whom I had determined, two years before, to open a -mission. They displayed every mark of friendship and -joy at my return among them; they conducted me in -triumph to their camp, {247} and received me there amidst -volleys of musketry and the sounding of trumpets. It -would be impossible to describe the feelings of my heart -at thus meeting with the first band of my dear neophytes -and children in God, and to represent to you the real joy -which animated them on this occasion. How much had -we not to communicate to each other! I gave them some -little and to them interesting details of the vast countries -through which I had travelled in order to promote the -interest and welfare of the Indians, since I bade them -farewell, that is, within fifteen months. I had crossed -the great American desert, and passed through so many -warlike, nomadical nations, extending from the Pacific -Ocean to the frontier of the State of Missouri. I had -travelled over the United States from New Orleans to -Boston—crossed the Atlantic—seen a great part of -Ireland and England—the whole of Belgium, Holland -and France. From Marseilles I had passed by Genoa, -the city of palaces, Leghorn, and Civitta Vecchia, to visit -the Capital of the Christian world. From Rome I had gone -to Anvers, and then, sailing round Cape Horn, touching -at Chili and Peru, and having twice crossed the Equator, -I had at length disembarked {248} at Fort Vancouver, -on the Columbia, and had the happiness to embrace, on -the 6th of November, my dear neophytes, who had prayed -so fervently for me, that, during all these long voyages, -by sea and land, passing through so many different climates, -and at all seasons of the year, I had not been troubled -either by sickness or any untoward accident. Glory to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_294"></a>[294]</span> -God for so special a protection, and a thousand thanks to -the good Indians who, from the moment of my departure -until my return, had not ceased to invoke, morning and -evening, the blessing and assistance of Heaven on its -unworthy servant.</p> - -<p>The details which the young missionary gave me respecting -their present dispositions, are too interesting to -be here omitted; and I give them in proof of the divine -grace over the hearts of this well-disposed people. All -that I had recommended to them in the visits I paid them -in 1841-42, had been strictly complied with. “The first -thing,” says Father Adrien Hoecken in a letter home, -“which struck me on my arrival among them, was a truly -brotherly love and perfect union, which animated the -whole tribe, and seemed to make {249} them but one -family. They manifest great love, obedience and respect -for their chiefs, and what is still more admirable, they -all, as the chiefs themselves declare, speak and desire but -one and the same thing. These chiefs are as much the -real fathers of their people as is a good Superior the -father of a religious community. The chiefs among the -Kalispels speak calmly, but never in vain; the instant -they intimate their wish to one of their followers, he -sets to work to accomplish it. Is any one involved in -difficulties—is he in want or sickness,—or does he wish -to undertake a journey, whether long or short—he -consults his chief, and shapes his conduct in accordance -with the advice he receives. Even with regard to marriage, -the Indians consult their chiefs, who sanction, or postpone -it, or disapprove of it, according as they deem it conducive, -or otherwise, to the happiness of the parties. The chief, in -quality of father, endeavors to provide for the support of -his people. It is he, consequently, who regulates hunting, -fishing, and the gathering of roots and fruit. All the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_295"></a>[295]</span> -game and fish are brought to his lodge, and divided into -as many shares as there are families. The distribution -is made with rigid impartiality. The old, the infirm, -the {250} widow, all receive their share equally with the -hunter. Is not this something like the return of the -golden age—those happy times when every thing was -held in common and all had, as the apostle informs us, -but one heart and one soul? Complaints, murmurings -and backbiting are here unknown; blasphemy has never -been uttered by an Indian: there are not even words in -his language to express it.” On the arrival of the <i>Black-gown</i>, -the great chiefs explained to him, with patriarchal -simplicity, their manner of life. “We are ignorant,” -he added, “but now that we have the happiness to have -a <i>Black-gown</i> among us, we will listen to his voice and -obey it; whatever changes he may deem necessary to -make, we will cheerfully submit.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Black-gown</i> confirmed and approved all the good -practices and customs he found established in this little -corner of the world, where, notwithstanding their poverty, -the Indians all seemed contented and happy. It is really -affecting to hear them speak of the darkness in which -they had been buried; and to see them now exulting in -the light of the gospel, and the knowledge of the Christian -virtues, which they cherish, and by which their hearts -seem to be inflamed. Their whole ambition consists -in listening {251} with docility to the word of God, and -in being able thoroughly to understand and recite their -prayers. Piety is what a young man seeks in her who -is to be his future wife—and what a young woman desires -to find in him who is to become her husband. In their -leisure hours they surround, and, if I may be allowed -the expression, besiege their missionary. To the day -they would add the night, if he could bear the fatigue,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_296"></a>[296]</span> -in speaking of heavenly things. Pride and human respect, -are absolutely unknown to them. How often have we -not seen gray-headed old men and even chiefs, sit down -by the side of children ten or eleven years old, who would -teach them their prayers, and explain to them the figures of -the <i>Catholic Ladder</i>, with all the gravity becoming a teacher; -and give to the explanation, for one or two hours, all the -attention of obedient pupils. In seasons of scarcity, when -the fishing or hunting has failed, or in other misfortunes, -they manifest no signs of impatience. They are quiet -and resigned receiving them as punishments for their -sins; while their success they attribute to the bounty of -God, and render to Him all the glory of it.</p> - -<p>The usual place of residence of the Kalispels—that -in which the <i>Reduction of St. Ignatius</i> is {252} now -established—is an extensive prairie, called the Bay of -the Kalispels, thirty or forty miles above the mouth -of Clark or Flat-Head River. A beautiful grotto exists -in the neighborhood of the mission, which I have named -the grotto of Manresa, in honor of our Holy Founder. -It is very large, and might, at a small expense, be fitted -up for a church. May the Indians gather in crowds into -this new Manresa, and after the example of their patron, -St. Ignatius, be penetrated with a feeling sense of heavenly -things, and inflamed with the love of God!</p> - -<p>I shall always remember with pleasure the winter of -1844-45, which I had the happiness of spending among -these good Indians. The place for wintering was well -chosen, picturesque, agreeable, and convenient. The camp -was placed near a beautiful waterfall, caused by Clark -river’s being blocked up by an immense rock, through -which the waters, forcing narrow passages, precipitate -themselves. A dense and interminable forest protected -us from the north winds, and a countless number of dead<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_297"></a>[297]</span> -trees standing on all sides, furnished us with abundant -fuel for our fires during the inclement season. We were -encircled by ranges of lofty mountains, whose snow-clad -summits reflected {253} in the sun, their brightness on -all the surrounding country.</p> - -<p>The place for wintering being determined, the first -care of the Indians was to erect the house of prayer. While -the men cut down saplings, the women brought bark and -mats to cover them. In two days this humble house of -the Lord was completed—humble and poor indeed, but -truly the <i>house of prayer</i>, to which pure, simple, innocent -souls repaired, to offer to the Great Spirit their vows, -and the tribute of their affections. Here the missionaries -continued with care and diligence, their instructions preparatory -to baptism. How consoling was it to see ourselves -surrounded by this fervent band, who had renounced -the chase of the buffalo—a pleasure so attracting to an -Indian—and had come from various parts of the country -to place themselves under our direction, in the well-founded -hope of being speedily regenerated in the saving -waters of baptism. They had already learned their prayers, -and all those things which it was necessary they should -practise. They applied with ardor to become acquainted -with the nature and obligations of the Sacrament of regeneration, -and the dispositions required for its worthy -reception.</p> - -<p>{254} The great festival of Christmas, the day on which -the little band was to be added to the number of the true -children of God, will never be effaced from the memory -of our good Indians. The manner in which we celebrated -midnight mass, may give you an idea of our festival. The -signal for rising, which was to be given a few minutes -before midnight, was the firing of a pistol, announcing -to the Indians that the house of prayer would soon be<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_298"></a>[298]</span> -open. This was followed by a general discharge of guns, -in honor of the birth of the Infant Saviour, and three hundred -voices rose spontaneously from the midst of the forest, -and entoned in the language of the Pends d’Oreilles, the -beautiful canticle: “<i>Du Dieu puissant tout annonce la -gloire.</i>”—“The Almighty’s glory all things proclaim.” -In a moment a multitude of adorers were seen wending -their way to the humble temple of the Lord—resembling -indeed, the manger in which the Messiah was born. On -that night, which all at once became bright as day, they -experienced, I know not what, that which made them -exclaim aloud, “Oh God! I give Thee my heart.” Oh! -I trust that the happy impression which this unwonted -spectacle made upon their hearts, will never be effaced. -Of {255} what was our little church of the wilderness constructed? -I have already told you—of posts fresh cut -in the woods, covered over with mats and bark; these were -its only materials. On the eve, the church was embellished -with garlands and wreaths of green boughs; forming, -as it were, a frame for the images which represent the -affecting mysteries of Christmas night. The interior -was ornamented with pine branches. The altar was -neatly decorated, bespangled with stars of various brightness, -and covered with a profusion of ribbons—things -exceedingly attractive to the eye of an Indian. At midnight -I celebrated a solemn Mass, the Indians sang several -canticles suitable to the occasion. That peace announced -in the first verse of the Angelic hymn—“The <i>Gloria</i>,—Peace -on earth to men of good will,” was, I venture to say, -literally fulfilled to the Indians of the forest. A grand -banquet, according to Indian custom, followed the first -Mass. Some choice pieces of the animals slain in the -chase had been set apart for the occasion. I ordered -half a sack of flour, and a large boiler of sweetened coffee<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_299"></a>[299]</span> -to be added. The union, the contentment, the joy, and -charity, which pervaded {256} the whole assembly, might -well be compared to the <i>agape</i> of the primitive Christians.</p> - -<p>After the second High Mass, all the adults, with the -chiefs at their head, presented themselves in the church -to receive baptism, the fulfilment of their longing desires. -The old man and woman whom I baptized two years -before, were sponsors for all. The men were placed on -the one side, according to the custom of Paraguay, and -the women on the other. I was assisted during the ceremony, -by Father Hoecken, their worthy and zealous -missionary. Everything was done in order and with -propriety. Permit me to repeat here that I should be -delighted could I but communicate to the zealous and -fervent, those pleasurable feelings—that overflowing of -the heart, which one experiences on such occasions. Here, -indeed, the Indian missionary enjoys his greatest consolations: -here he obtains his strength, his courage, his zeal -to labor to bring men to the knowledge of the true God, -in spite of the poverty, the privations of every description, -and the dangers with which he has to contend. Yes, -surely, even in this life is the promise of the Saviour fulfilled -with regard to him, “Ye shall receive {257} a hundred -fold.” The trifling things of the world he abandons, -are nothing to be compared with the blessings he finds -in the wilderness. The priest does not address in vain -to the Indians, those beautiful words of the Roman ritual; -“Receive this white garment, etc.,” “Receive this burning -taper, etc.” He may be certain that the greater number -of his catechumens will wear that spotless garment—will -preserve their baptismal innocence, to the hour of -their death. When I have afterwards asked them, if -they have not offended God? if their conscience does -not reproach them with some fault? how often have I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_300"></a>[300]</span> -received this touching and consoling answer: “Oh, Father! -in baptism I renounced sin, I try to avoid sin, the very -thought of offending God, frightens me!” The ceremonies -of baptism were closed by a second instruction, and by -the distribution of beads which the Indians are accustomed -to say every evening in public.</p> - -<p>About 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the solemn benediction -of the blessed sacrament was given for the first time, immediately -after which, upwards of fifty couples, many -of whom were eighty years old, came forward to renew -before the Church, their marriage promises. I could -not {258} help shedding tears of joy at witnessing this -truly primitive simplicity, and the love and affection with -which they pledged again their faith to each other. The -last instruction was then given, and thanks were returned -to God for all the blessings he had vouchsafed to shower -upon them, on this ever-memorable day. The recitation -of prayers and the chanting of hymns were heard in all -the lodges of the camp, till the night was far advanced.</p> - -<p>Fathers Mengarini and Serbinati, (the last-mentioned -Father has since died), had the consolation to see the -whole tribe of the Flat-Heads, among whom they had -been laboring, approach the Holy Table on this day. -Twelve young Indians, taught by Father Mengarini, performed -with accuracy, several pieces of music during -the midnight Mass. Fathers Point and Joset had, also, -the consolation of admitting for the first time, nearly the -entire tribe of the Cœur d’Alenes, on this auspicious day, -to the Holy Communion. Father Point has given the -particulars of this first communion in a letter, which has -been published, and which you have, no doubt, read with -pleasure. The Christmas of 1844 was, therefore, a great -and glorious day in the Rocky Mountains.</p> - -<p>{259} I will close this already lengthy letter with a few<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_301"></a>[301]</span> -words more concerning the Pends d’Oreilles of the Bay. -Early in the spring of 1845, began to build upon -the spot selected for the <i>Reduction</i> of St. Ignatius, and -to open fields. On Ascension day of the same year, -Father Hoecken administered baptism to upwards of -a hundred adults. At my last visit, which I paid them -in July last, they had already put up fourteen log houses, -besides a large barn, had the timber prepared for a church, -and had upwards of three hundred acres in grain, enclosed -by a substantial fence. The whole village, men, -women, and children, had worked most cheerfully. I -counted thirty head of horned cattle—the squaws had -learned to milk the cows and to churn; they had a few -hogs and some domestic fowls. The number of Christians -had doubled since Christmas, 1844.</p> - -<p>A flour and saw mill, a few more ploughs, with other -agricultural implements, and carpenter’s tools, were much -wanted in the village of St. Ignatius. All is to be commenced -among these poor, good Indians, and to us they -look for means and supplies, which we readily grant as -far as we are able. Already was an appeal made to the -generous and charitable {260} Christians, and it is consoling -for me to say, that appeal found an echo in the -hearts of the friends of the Indians, which enabled us to -enlarge our missionary operations, and I may add, that -the grateful prayer of the Indians is daily ascending to -the throne of the Almighty, to implore the blessings of -Heaven on their benefactors. In 1845 and ’46, several -stations were formed, and the extensive mission of New -Caledonia was commenced.</p> - -<p>I remain, with profound respect and esteem, madam, -your very humble and obedient servant,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_302"></a>[302]</span></p> - -<h3 id="letter21">No. XXI<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Valley of St. Mary’s, Aug. 10, 1846.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Very Rev. and Dear Father Provincial</span>,—On the -27th July, I bade farewell to Father Hoecken and his -interesting little flock, consisting of about five hundred -Indians. I was accompanied by two Kalispels, and some -of the Cœur d’Alenes, who came to meet me. We had -beautiful weather, and a path remarkably free from those -obstructions so annoying to travellers in the mountains. -Towards the middle of our day’s journey, we reached -a beautiful lake surrounded by hills, and a thick forest of -larch. I have named it the Lake de Nef, as a token of -gratitude towards one of the greatest benefactors of the -mission. It discharges itself through a narrow passage, -forming a beautiful rapid, called the Tournhout-torrent,<a id="FNanchor_296" href="#Footnote_296" class="fnanchor">[296]</a> -at the termination {262} of which it joins its limpid -waters to those of the river Spokane.</p> - -<p>Next day the sun rose majestically, and everything -gave promise of an agreeable day, but these fine appearances -were gradually lost behind a thick bank of ominous -clouds, which, shortly after overspreading the sky, poured -down such torrents of rain, that everything on us was -drenched as completely as if we had waded through a river. -At the foot of the great rapids, we crossed the river Spokane,<a id="FNanchor_297" href="#Footnote_297" class="fnanchor">[297]</a> -and continued our route over an extensive plain, -agreeably interspersed with thick groves of pine, when -towards sunset we encamped close by a refreshing fountain.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_303"></a>[303]</span></p> - -<p>A few words descriptive of our encampments during -wet weather, may not be out of place. The tent erected -in haste—saddles, bridles, baggage, etc., thrown into -some sheltered spot—large heaps of larch branches or -brushwood are cut down, and spread over the spot of -ground destined for our repose—provision of as much -dry wood as can be collected is now brought forth for -the whole night; on this occasion we made a fire large -enough to roast an ox. These preparations completed, -our meal (dinner and supper the same time) consisting -of flour, camash {263} roots, and some buffalo tallow, -is thrown into a large kettle nearly filled with water. The -great heat obliging the cook to stand at a respectable distance -from the fire, a long pole serves as a ladle to stir -about the contents until the mixture has acquired the -proper density, when a vigorous attack is made upon -it after a singular fashion indeed. On the present occasion -we were six in number, trusting to a single spoon, but -necessity soon supplied the deficiency. Two of the company -used pieces of bark; two others, strips of leather; and -the fifth, a small turtle-shell. Grace being said, a circle -is formed round the kettle, and the instruments plunge -and replunge into it with as much regularity and address, -as a number of smiths’ hammers plying at the anvils—a -few moments, and the contents of the large kettle are -gone, leaving not a vestige behind. We found this repast -delicious, thanks to our keen appetites. Making due -allowance for the tastes of others, “<i>de gustibus enim nil -disputandum</i>,” I confess I have never enjoyed a feast more -heartily, than such as I have now described, prepared -in the open air, after the Indian fashion. All the refined -inventions of the art culinary, as sauces, pickles, preserves, -pies, etc., designed to quicken {264} or restore weak appetites, -are here utterly useless. Loss of appetite, which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_304"></a>[304]</span> -among the wealthy forms the reigning complaint, furnishing -abundant employment to apothecaries and doctors, is -here unheard of. If these patients would have the courage -to abandon for a time their high living, and traverse the -wilds of this region on horseback, breakfasting at day-break, -and dining at sunset, after a ride of forty miles, -I venture to predict that they will not need any refined -incitements to relish as I did a simple dish prepared by -the Indians. Having dried our blankets and said night -prayers, our repose was not less sound for having fared -so simply, or lain upon a rough couch of brushwood. We -started early the next morning, and about mid-day arrived -at the mission of the Sacred Heart, where I was received -with the greatest cordiality by Fathers Joset and Point, -with B. B. Magri and Lyons.<a id="FNanchor_298" href="#Footnote_298" class="fnanchor">[298]</a> All the Cœur d’Alenes -of the neighborhood came to welcome me. The fervor -and piety of these poor Indians filled me with great joy -and consolation, especially when I considered how great -the change wrought in them since their conversion to -Christianity. The details of this conversion have, I believe, -been published by Father Point, and {265} by the -way, I may remark here, that some incidents connected -with my previous mission to this country, are inserted -in this letter. To these details I may add, that these -Indians previous to their conversion, were shunned by -the other tribes, on account, it is said, of their great power -in juggling and other idolatrous practices. Indeed, they -were addicted to superstitions the most absurd, blindly -offering adoration to the vilest beasts, and the most common -objects. Now, they are the first to scoff at these ridiculous<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_305"></a>[305]</span> -practices, adding at the same time, with much feeling -and veneration, “God has had pity on us—He has opened -our eyes—He is infinitely good to us.” A single instance -will serve to give you some idea of the objects of their -worship, and the facility with which they adopt their -manitous or divinities. They related to me, that the -first white man they saw in their country, wore a calico -shirt spotted all over with black and white, which to them -appeared like the smallpox, he also wore a white coverlet. -The Cœur d’Alenes imagined that the spotted shirt -was the great manitou himself—the great master of that -alarming disease, the smallpox—and that the white -coverlet was the great manitou of the snow; that if they -{266} could obtain possession of these, and pay them divine -honors, their nation would never afterwards be visited by -that dreadful scourge; and their winter hunts be rendered -successful by an abundant fall of snow. They accordingly -offered him in exchange for these, several of their best -horses. The bargain was eagerly closed by the white -man. The spotted shirt and the white coverlet became -thenceforward, objects of great veneration for many years. -On grand solemnities, the two manitous were carried in -procession to a lofty eminence, usually consecrated to -the performance of their superstitious rites. They were -then respectfully spread on the grass: the great medicine-pipe -offered to them, with as much veneration, as it is -customary with the Indians, in presenting it to the sun, -the fire, the earth, and the water. The whole band of -jugglers, or medicine-men, then entoned canticles of adoration -to them. The service was generally terminated -with a grand dance, in which the performers exhibited -the most hideous contortions and extravagant gestures, -accompanied with a most unearthly howling.</p> - -<p>The term <i>medicine</i> is commonly employed by the whites,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_306"></a>[306]</span> -to express whatever regards the {267} juggling, idolatrous -practices of the savages; probably, because the Indian -feeling his ignorance of the proper remedies in sickness, -and almost wholly dependent upon chance for his subsistence, -merely demands of his manitous some relief -in these distressing situations. This <i>something</i> that the -Indians call Power, is at times limited, say they, to the -procuring of only one object, as the cure of some disease. -Some other Power, again, is not so limited, it extends -to many objects, as success in hunting, fishing, waging -war, and avenging injuries. All this, however, varies -according to the degree of confidence reposed in it by -the individual, the number of his passions or the intensity -of his malice. Some of the Powers are looked upon even -by the savages themselves, as wicked in the extreme, the -sole object of such Powers is to do evil. Moreover it -is not at all times granted, even when those professing -to be most powerful medicine-men, earnestly desire it. -It comes only during sleep, in a fainting fit, during a loud -clap of thunder, or in the delirious excitement of some -passion; but never without some definite purpose, as to -foment dissensions, or exasperate to deeds of violence, -or to obtain some corporal advantage; favors which are -always {268} purchased at the expense of the soul. Much -exaggeration is, of course, clearly characteristic of those -misnamed effects of preternatural power. Most of those -that came under my notice, and which the Indians -attributed to preternatural agency, were the effects of -causes purely natural. Notwithstanding these deplorable -disorders of the soul, it is my greatest consolation to reflect, -that these superstitious practices, in consequence of -the many palpable contradictions they admit, become a -spiritual malady, the least difficult to cure.</p> - -<p>On the 5th of August, I left the Mission of the “Sacred<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_307"></a>[307]</span> -Heart of Jesus,” accompanied by the Rev. Father Point. -Three Indian families, desirous of visiting St. Mary’s, -served us for guides. Our journey for some days, lay -along the serpentine course of the river St. Ignatius, in -the valley of the North. The soil of this valley is for the -most part rich, and well adapted to cultivation, but subject -to frequent inundations. Grain and potatos are here -cultivated by the Indians with great success. Father -Joset, assisted by the savages, has already enclosed and -prepared for cultivation, a large field, capable of affording -sustenance to several Indian families. Our hopes, then, -of seeing {269} these poor Indians furnished with a plentiful -supply of provisions, and their wandering habits thereby -checked, will with the blessing of God, be realized at no -very distant day. To attain the desirable object of uniting -them in villages, and thus forming them to habits of industry, -we need, however, more means than we possess at -present—we are very much in want of seeds of various -kinds, and of agricultural implements.</p> - -<p>Before arriving at the snow-capped chain of mountains, -which separates the Cœur d’Alenes from the Flat-Heads, -we wound our way for two days, through forests almost -impenetrable and over immense beds of rock, always -following the course of the river, except where its tortuous -windings would lead us too circuitous a route.<a id="FNanchor_299" href="#Footnote_299" class="fnanchor">[299]</a> So -tortuous indeed is its course here, that in less than eight -hours, we crossed it no less than forty-four times. The -majestic cedars that shade the gorge at this point are truly -prodigious, most of them measure from twenty to thirty -feet in circumference, with a proportionate height, and -so numerous, that as the rays of the sun cannot penetrate<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_308"></a>[308]</span> -the dense mass, perpetual night may be said, without -exaggeration, to reign here. I doubt whether the {270} -owl could have selected a more fitting abode, certainly -none so majestic or mysterious. The death-like silence -of this glen, broken only by the passing breeze, the occasional -visit of some wild animal, or the constant murmuring -of the rills from the rocky banks, impress the beholder -with feelings of a most unearthly yet pleasing nature.</p> - -<p>With much difficulty and fatigue we forced a passage -through this dense mass of forest, stooping half the time -upon the neck of the horse, to avoid the low thorny -branches, so thickly crossed together, that one is inclined -at first sight, to abandon all hope of wedging his way -through them. Its termination brought us to the foot -of the great chain of mountains. It occupied us nearly -another day to ascend this by a narrow winding path, -which is shaded by one of the finest forests in Oregon. -Towards sunset we reached the top, where we pitched -our camp, within a few paces of one of those immense -snow masses, that perpetually shroud this lofty chain. -Here we enjoyed a most magnificent view—the horizon -for some hundred miles around presented a spectacle of -surpassing grandeur: as far as the eye could reach, a long -succession of mountains, towering cliffs, {271} and lofty -pinnacles, exhibited their dazzling snow-capped summits -to our astonished vision. The very silence of this vast -wilderness strikes the beholder with feelings of deep sublimity; -not even a breeze stirred to break the charm of -this enchanting view. I shall never forget the splendor -of the scene we witnessed, as the last rays of the setting -sun were throwing their full lustre upon the myriads of -pinnacles that ranged far away towards the distant horizon.</p> - -<p>The descent on the eastern side of this mountain is less -abrupt, presenting slopes of rich verdure, adorned with<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_309"></a>[309]</span> -a great variety of plants and flowers. This descent also -occupied us an entire day. We next arrived at a forest, a -twin-sister, if I may be allowed the expression, of the one -I have just described. Here the river St. Francis Regis -meanders through innumerable hoary cedars, pine trees, -and an impenetrable thicket of bushes of every species. -With the happiest recollections, we finally encamped on -the banks of the St. Mary’s river, in the Flat-Head -valley—the nursery of our first missionary operations in -the Far West.<a id="FNanchor_300" href="#Footnote_300" class="fnanchor">[300]</a></p> - -<p>In my next, I propose giving you some details of the -present condition of our first children in God, the good -and deserving Flat-Heads. {272} I recommend myself to -God in your prayers.</p> - -<p>I remain, with profound respect and esteem, reverend -and dear Father, your very humble servant, and brother -in Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter22">No. XXII<br /> -<span class="smcap">Letter of the Rev. Father Point, S. J., -Missionary in Oregon</span></h3> - -<p class="right">Village of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, ⸺, 1845.</p> - -<p>I learn by letters from Europe, that you take a lively -interest in our dear missions. From this, I conclude -that you will be very glad to learn some of those things -which are passing amongst us. I take the more pleasure, -because I can detail what my own eyes have witnessed,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_310"></a>[310]</span> -and because I can give a new proof of a truth, which you -love to extend, viz., that it is to their devotion to the Sacred -Heart of Jesus, that the pastors of souls are indebted for -the consolations they enjoy: this will explain the wonders -of mercy of which they are witnesses.</p> - -<p>You know already the history of the <i>Flat-Heads</i>; truly -their conversion is the result of a wonderful outflowing -of the riches of grace; but I do not hesitate to say, that -the conversion {274} of the <i>Pointed-Hearts</i> is a still more -striking indication of God’s love to man. What were -these savages less than a quarter of a century ago? They -had hearts so hard, that if their first visitors have undertaken -to give a true description of them, they could not -find an expression more just, than is the singular name -which they bear to this day. Their knowledge was so -limited, that, giving themselves up to the worship of animals -they had no idea of the true God nor of their soul, -much less of a future life; finally they were a race of men, -so degenerate that they had barely two or three notions of -the whole natural law, and almost all were strangers to -it in practice.</p> - -<p>What a different aspect they now present! I will not -say that they are perfect: that would be an exaggeration -even in the eyes of persons little versed in the knowledge -of the human heart. Everybody knows, that people -who are converted, always retain something of their primitive -character, and that the defects of education are not -corrected except by a long course of years; but I say to -the glory of Him, who can change the hardest rocks into -children of Abraham, that, at this day, our <i>Pointed-Hearts</i> -are true believers.</p> - -<p>{275} It is only two years since the cross was planted -on their soil, and all, with a very few exceptions, have -made their first communion.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_311"></a>[311]</span></p> - -<p>About fifteen years ago, several missionaries begged -to be employed among the savages. A new doctrine -was soon spread among the Pointed-Hearts, telling them -that there is but one God, who has, beyond the earth we -see, two things which we do not see:—a place for the -good, and a place for the bad; that the Son of God, in all -respects like his Father, seeing all men running in the -bad road, came down from Heaven to put them in the -right way; but that in order to effect this, it was necessary -for him to die upon a cross. One evening, all the families, -who were dispersed in different directions, for fishing, -for hunting, and gathering roots, assembled upon the -ground of an old chief called Ignatius,<a id="FNanchor_301" href="#Footnote_301" class="fnanchor">[301]</a> to see the author -of this news. Regardless of fatigue, they prolonged their -sitting to the silence of the night, and listened to all the -details of the glorious message.</p> - -<p>God is great—Jesus Christ is good:—two truths the -admission of which seemed to be the result of the first -sitting: was this, indeed, the case? Not so much, perhaps, -as would have been desirable: for before the families -separated, {276} Heaven sent a scourge, which struck -with death a great number of them. At the moment it -raged with the greatest violence, one of the dying—since -named Stephen—heard a voice from above, which said: -“Cast down thy idols; adore Jesus Christ, and thou -shalt be cured.” The dying man believed the word, -and was cured. He went about the camp and related -what had taken place: all the sick who heard him imitated -his example, and recovered their health. I have -this fact from the mouth of the savage who heard the -voice from heaven, and the same has been confirmed -by eye-witnesses, who could say, “I, myself, have been -the object of that wonder, and my eyes have seen<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_312"></a>[312]</span> -the mountain at the foot of which the idols were cast -down.”</p> - -<p>The savage takes little notice of an event which does -not strike him in a sensible manner; but what I have -related was marked by two such peculiar characters, that -it left traces in the memory of all. However, neither -constancy nor reflection is to be found in the savage. -After some years of fidelity to the impressions received, -the greater part returned to their former idolatry. This -retrograde movement was accelerated by the medicine-men—a -kind {277} of charlatans, who set themselves -up for physicians and prophets, and pretend to perform -wonderful things, especially, to cure the sick by their skill -and supernatural power. At the word of one of the chiefs, -who, probably, had not ceased to be an idolater, the men -convoked an assembly of those who were called believers, -in which it was resolved to return to their ancient practices; -and, from that moment, the animals of the country, -now become again divine, re-entered into possession of -their ancient honors. The mass of the tribe, had, indeed, -no confidence in them; but, either through fear of the -medicine-men, or by natural curiosity, they took part, -at least by their presence, in the sacrilegious worship paid -to them. Happily, choice souls were always among them -to intercede with Heaven for their deluded brethren; I -know many, who, from the time in which God was pleased -to manifest himself among them, have not the least faults -upon their consciences, with which to reproach themselves.</p> - -<p>Such was pretty nearly the condition of the people -when Providence sent among them the Rev. Father De -Smet. His visit, the circumstances of which have been -related elsewhere, {278} disposed them so much in favor -of the <i>Black-gowns</i>, that it was determined I should be -sent to their aid. Three months after, that is, at the close<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_313"></a>[313]</span> -of the hunting expeditions of the autumn of 1842, I left -St. Mary’s to place the new converts under the protection -of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</p> - -<p>The same day I entered their territory, the first Friday -of November, I made with three chiefs who came to seek -me, the promised consecration, and on the first Friday -of December, in the midst of chants and prayers, the cross -was raised on the borders of a lake, where the poor savages -had united for fishing. Thanks be to God, we can say, -that the miraculous draught of St. Peter was spiritually -renewed. For they spoke no more of their assemblies -of impostors, their diabolical visions, nor superstitious -ceremonies, which had before been so common; and -most important of all, gambling, which had always occupied -a great portion of their time, was two weeks afterwards, -abandoned; the conjugal bond, which for centuries, -perhaps, had known among them neither unity nor indissolubility, -was brought back to its primitive character. -A beautiful sight was presented by the <i>medicine-men</i> themselves, -{279} who with their own hands, did justice to the -wretched instruments hell had used to deceive them. -During the long nights of that period, it will not be necessary -to tell how many sacrifices were made of feathers, -wolves’ tails, stags’ feet, deer’s hoofs, wooden images, &c.</p> - -<p>Scarcely was the bad tree cut down and thrown into -the fire, than a blessing on their temporal affairs was united -to that of their spiritual. In one day three hundred deer -became the prey of the hunters.</p> - -<p>The first days of spring, the reunion of the people at -the place agreed on for the construction of a village was -more numerous than the first. It was formed upon the -ancient plans in Paraguay, and each one, according to -his strength and industry, contributed towards its construction. -Trees were felled, roads opened, a church<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_314"></a>[314]</span> -erected, and the public fields were sown; and, thanks -to the piety of our savages, Holy Week, Easter, Ascension, -and Pentecost were celebrated with becoming solemnity. -In truth, things went so well, that the enemy of men, perceiving -his prey escape him, redoubled his efforts. We -experienced some loss in consequence of a storm; but -after a partial destruction, {280} the storm only resulted -in purifying the atmosphere.</p> - -<p>Towards the end of October, 1844, one hundred families -of the Pointed-Hearts reunited in one village. The -sight of their little lodges around the house of God, brought -to mind the touching idea of the pelican in the desert. -Young and old united to make their first communion, or -renew it. Many had already acquired a certain degree of -instruction, but the greater portion, especially of the old, -were far from being sufficiently instructed; and the time -the Black-gown had to prepare them before the great -winter chase, was November and December, for the chase -could not be put off, it is essential to the life of a savage. -It was necessary, then, to hasten, and choose the shortest -method of instructing them.</p> - -<p>Everybody knows the savage has the eye of a lynx, -and never forgets what he has once seen; therefore when -he attaches any idea to a sensible sign, he can always -recall it as soon as he sees the sign under his eyes; thus -they have a wonderful facility in speaking by signs, and -a great inclination to render their thoughts by images: -upon this faculty I based my system of instruction. I -made images, representing {281} what they ought to -believe. Some of these represented the faults and vices -they ought to shun, others the virtues they should practice. -After this, with a little stick in my hand, I explained -my representations, and tried to adapt myself to the -understanding of all.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_315"></a>[315]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;" id="illus8"> -<img src="images/illus8.jpg" width="700" height="400" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">View of the new mission Establishment in 1846, among the Pointed-Hearts</p> -<p class="caption">(<a href="#letter21">See Letter 21</a>)</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_316"></a>[316]</span></p> - -<p>The success of this method surpassed my expectation: -for, having made the most intelligent repeat what I had -said, I had the pleasure to see that they lost nothing of -what was essential, and immediately I formed classes -for repetition. The first repetition was made immediately -after the instruction; the second in their lodges, the third -by the chiefs in their harangues, and the fourth at the -beginning of the next instruction.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_317"></a>[317]</span></p> - -<p>The plan was insisted upon, and rapid progress made, -not only in their instruction, but also in their morals. -Those who exhorted joined to their exhortations the force -of private example, so that the mass of the people seemed -to be led on, by attraction.</p> - -<p>From the 9th of September to the time in which I write—a -period of six months—not one single fault, which can -be called serious, so far as my knowledge extends, has -been committed in the village of the Sacred Heart of -Jesus; and a great many, who reproached themselves -{282} with light failings, cease not to make public confession -in terms of grief, which it would be desirable to -see the greater culprits exhibit at the tribunal of penance. -I have seen husbands come after their wives, and mothers -after their daughters, not to excuse the accusations which -they had made, but to acknowledge that their want of -patience and humility were the cause of the failings of -the others.</p> - -<p>It is worthy of remark that [of] all the adults, who had -not yet received baptism, and all who united to prepare for -their first communion, not one was judged unworthy to -receive the sacraments. Their simplicity, piety, charity, -and especially their faith, were admirable. And truly -all these virtues were necessary for these good old men, -who, for the sake of learning their prayers, had to become -the scholars of their children, and for the children to enable<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_318"></a>[318]</span> -them to do violence to their natural vivacity, while they -slowly communicated to their old parents and grandparents, -a part of what they had learned; and the chiefs -would rise at the dawn of day, and sometimes in the -middle of the night, to exhort their <i>people to weep over -their sins</i>.</p> - -<p>I have spoken of their faith. How pure and {283} above -all, how confiding it was! The first idea, necessary to -impress on their minds was, that the goodness of God is -not less great than his power, and they were so convinced -of it, that they begged God to perform miracles, as they -would beg their daily bread. They were told, that the -sacrament of extreme unction had the power not only -to purify the soul, but to restore health to the body; it -did not occur to them to doubt of the one more than of -the other.</p> - -<p>They have great faith in the sign of the cross. They -are accustomed to make it at the beginning of their prayers, -and of all their principal actions. Not satisfied with -making it themselves, their children can scarcely pronounce -a word, before they teach them to articulate the -words of the sign of the cross. I saw a father and mother -bending over the cradle of an only son, who was about -to die. They made their best efforts to suggest to him -to make the sign of the cross, and the child having raised -his little hand to his forehead, made the consoling sign -and immediately expired.</p> - -<p>A woman, sitting near the grave of her only daughter, -was conversing with her little boy, whom she had that -day presented at the baptismal font. “See,” said she, -“my child, how {284} happy it is to die after being baptized! -If you should die to-day, you would see again -our little Clementia.” And the pious mother exhibited -such a calmness in her tone of voice and countenance,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_319"></a>[319]</span> -that she seemed to have a foretaste of the happy abode -of which she spoke.</p> - -<p>Our infant church presented the picture of the purest -virtues, when the happy period for which she sighed was -approaching. The week preceding the celebration of -the Immaculate Conception of the blessed Virgin Mary, -was devoted to prepare the people for the reception of -holy communion. The time, of course, did not admit -of frequent instructions, long prayers and general confessions. -The good Father Joset gave instructions. Their -prayers were fervent, and experience had already taught -them the necessity of true sorrow for past sins, which -they exhibited in a lively manner at the confessional. I -used all the exertions I could to prepare those whose understandings -appeared more limited than the others; and -their piety, calmness and perseverance, have put to flight -all the fears which rested on my mind. The church was -small; it measured in length fifty feet, and in breadth -twenty-four. It was indeed, {285} poor, but from every part -of the wall and ceiling, were suspended rich festoons of -leaves. While the stars were still shining in the firmament, -the chant, <i>Lauda Sion</i>, was heard. But who sung -that divine canticle? The savages, who lately addressed -their prayers only to the animals of their mountains. Go -to the foot of the altar and see the new adorers, bowing -their heads before the Eternal One. The representation -of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Cross on which -he expired, raised their thoughts to the abode of glory, -and caused them to center there all their affections. They -approached the altar to receive holy communion with -the greatest order and devotion. It was Father Joset -who had happiness to distribute to them the bread of -life, a happiness, so much the more felt, as he had just -arrived among them. Before they approached the holy<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_320"></a>[320]</span> -table, he addressed them a few words; but the tender -piety apparent in all at the moment of communicating, -made him fear to spoil the work of God by adding more -words of his own, and he left them to their own devotion.</p> - -<p>We recited the usual prayers for the intentions of the -Church, and closed the morning services {286} by chanting -again the <i>Lauda Sion</i>. The high mass was celebrated -at ten o’clock.</p> - -<p>In the evening took place the renovation of the promises -of baptism. The church was illuminated, at least as well -as our poverty would permit. The sacrament of baptism -was conferred on twelve adults. After a preparatory instruction, -instead of the ordinary formulas, which were a little -difficult to be translated into the Indian language, all of -them, to show their constant fidelity, recited three acts -of love to God. In hearing them, we remarked, that like -the prince of the Apostles, they replied to the three-fold -enquiry of their Saviour. The holy sacrament was exposed. -To the expression of unanimous and forcible love, their -looks of piety directed towards the altar, seemed to add: -O beauty! always ancient, always new! too late have -we loved thee; but we will love thee forever! The benediction -of the blessed sacrament followed, and closed that -great and beautiful day, which had been so rich in every -kind of spiritual gifts. It was with difficulty that these -good souls left the place, which had, that day, been the -witness of their prayers and promises. The Pointed-Hearts -exhibited by their prayers, their canticles, and {287} their -holy conversations, a foretaste of heavenly joys. They -often came to visit the Black-gowns. Some days, I was -surrounded by these visitors. They all waited in profound -silence, till I had finished my office. One of them -then chanted the first verse of <i>Lauda Sion</i>, in which all -the voices joined. Thus, it is a consoling truth, that, at<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_321"></a>[321]</span> -the extremities of the heathen world, as well as in the -centre of civilization, the church puts forth a united effort -for the conversion and salvation of mankind.</p> - -<p>I am, devotedly yours, in Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>N. Point.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter23">No. XXIII<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Flat-Head Camp, Yellowstone River, September 6th, 1846.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Rev. and Dear Father Provincial</span>,—After an absence -of about eighteen months, employed in visiting the various -distant tribes, and extending among them the kingdom -of Christ, I returned to the nursery, so to speak, of our -Apostolic labors in the Rocky Mountains. Judge of the -delight I experienced, when I found the little log church, -we built five years ago, about to be replaced by another -which will bear comparison with those in civilized countries, -materials, everything ready to commence erecting it, the -moment they can procure some ropes to place the heavy -timbers on the foundation. Another agreeable surprise, -however, yet awaited me; a mill had been constructed, -destined to contribute largely to the increasing wants of -the surrounding country. It is contrived to discharge -{289} the two-fold charitable object of feeding the hungry -and sheltering the houseless. The flour mill grinds ten -or twelve bushels in a day; and the saw mill furnishes -an abundant supply of plank, posts, etc., for the public -and private building of the nation settled here.<a id="FNanchor_302" href="#Footnote_302" class="fnanchor">[302]</a> Indeed,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_322"></a>[322]</span> -the location stood much in need of so useful a concern. -The soil yields abundant crops of wheat, oats and potatos—the -rich prairie here is capable of supporting thousands -of cattle. Two large rivulets, now almost useless, can, -with a little labor, be made to irrigate the fields, gardens, -and orchards of the village. The stock at present on this -farm, consists of about forty head of cattle, a fast-increasing -herd of hogs and a prolific progeny of domestic fowl. In -addition to the mill, twelve log houses, of regular construction, -have been put up. Hence, you can form some -idea of the temporal advantages enjoyed by the Flat-heads -of St. Mary’s village.</p> - -<p>St. Mary’s, or Bitter-Root valley, is one of the finest -in the mountains, presenting, throughout its whole extent of -about two hundred miles, numerous grazing, but few arable -tracts of land. Irrigation, either by natural or artificial -means, is absolutely necessary to the cultivation {290} of the -soil, in consequence of the long summer drought that prevails -in this region, commencing in April and ending only in -October. This difficulty, however, if the country should -be ever thickly settled, can be easily obviated, as the whole -region is well supplied with numerous streams and rivulets. -These remarks apply to the valleys contiguous to St. Mary’s, -the general aspect of them differing perhaps but slightly -in regard to the heights of the mountains, the colossal -dimensions of the rocks, or the vast extent of the plains.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_323"></a>[323]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;" id="illus9"> -<img src="images/illus9.jpg" width="700" height="400" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">St. Mary’s, among the Flat-heads</p> -<p class="caption">(<a href="#letter23">See Letter No. 23</a>)</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_324"></a>[324]</span></p> - -<p>After what has been said in my former letters in relation -to religion, little now remains that has a direct reference -to it; but you will learn with much pleasure, that the improvements -made in the Flat-head village, afford the -missionary stationed there great facilities for prosecuting<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_325"></a>[325]</span> -successfully the grand object of his desires, viz., the eternal -happiness of the poor benighted Indian tribes, placed -beyond the reach of his immediate influence. The village -is now the centre of attraction to all the neighboring, and -many of the distant tribes. The missionary always avails -himself of these occasional visits, to convey to them the -glad tidings of salvation. Among the recent visitors were, -{291} the great chief of the Snake Indians with his band -of warriors; the Banax and Nez-Percés, conducted by -several of their chiefs,—even several bands of Black-Feet;<a id="FNanchor_303" href="#Footnote_303" class="fnanchor">[303]</a> -besides these, there were also, on their return -from the great hunt, almost the whole tribe of the Pends-d’Oreilles, -belonging to the station of St. Francis Borgia. -These last in particular, the greater part of whom I -baptized last year, may be said to rival the zeal of the -Flat-Heads in the practice of their religious duties.</p> - -<p>After the festival of Easter, the abundant supply of provisions, -in the granaries and cellars of the village, enabled -the minister to invite all the visitors present to a feast, -consisting of potatos, parsnips, turnips, beets, beans, -peas, and a great variety of meats, of which the greater -portion of the guests had never before tasted. Among -the industrial products which are mainly owing to the -skill and assiduity of their present pastor, Father Mengarini, -I must not forget to mention a kind of sugar, extracted -from the potato.</p> - -<p>Let us next turn to the improved condition of the people -themselves. Polygamy—or rather a connection, if possible, -still more loose—is now, thank God, entirely abolished -among our newly-converted {292} Indians; there is, consequently, -an evident increase of population. The reckless<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_326"></a>[326]</span> -abandonment of the helpless infant—the capricious discarding -of wife and children—the wanton effusion of -human blood—are no longer known amongst them. -Our feelings are not outraged by the brutal practice, heretofore -so commonly witnessed, of a father considering -a horse a fair exchange for his daughter; the justice of -allowing the young Indian maiden to choose her future -partner for life is now universally allowed;—the requisite -care of their offspring is regarded in its proper light, as -a Christian duty;—attention is paid to the wants of the -sick;—changes of treatment, with the remedies administered -according to our advice, have probably been the -means, under Providence, of rescuing many from premature -death. The long-cherished vindictive feelings -which so frequently led to depopulating wars, are now -supplanted by a Christian sense of justice, which, if unfortunately -compelled to take up arms, does so only to repel -unjust aggression or defend their inherent rights, but -always with the fullest confidence in the protecting arm -of Heaven.</p> - -<p>Indeed their unbounded confidence in the God of battle, -is well rewarded; a truth which the {293} enemies of the -Flat-Heads invariably acknowledge. “The medicine of -the Black-gowns,” (an expression synonymous with the -true religion,) “is,” say they, “the strongest of all.” Did -time permit, I could adduce almost innumerable instances -to confirm the belief universally entertained here, that -Almighty God visibly protects them in the wars they are -compelled to wage with the hostile tribes. A few of these, -for the authenticity of which I can vouch, may suffice for -the present.</p> - -<p>In 1840, when threatened by a formidable band of -Black-Feet, amounting to nearly eight hundred warriors, -the Flat-Heads and Pends-d’Oreilles, scarcely numbering<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_327"></a>[327]</span> -sixty, betook themselves to prayer, imploring the aid of -Heaven, which alone could save them in the unequal contest. -Confident of success, they rose from their knees in the -presence of their enemies, and engaged the overwhelming -odds against them. The battle lasted five days. The -Black-Feet were defeated, leaving eighty warriors dead -upon the field; while the Flat-Heads and Pends-d’Oreilles -sustained a loss of only one man; who, however, survived -the battle four months, and had the happiness of receiving -baptism the day before his death.</p> - -<p>{294} In 1842, four Pends-d’Oreilles and a Pointed -Heart were met and immediately attacked by a party -of Black-Feet. At the first onset, the Black-Feet had -to deplore the loss of their chief. Aroused by the noise -of the musketry, the camp of the Pends-d’Oreilles rushed -to the assistance of their companions, and without losing -a single man, completely routed the enemy. Their escape -is the more remarkable, as rushing into the entrenchments -of the Black-Feet, they received a volley of shot poured -in upon them by the enemy.</p> - -<p>The Flat-Heads were again attacked, during the winter -hunt of 1845, by a party of the Banax, which, though -outnumbering them nearly three times, they soon put -to flight, with the loss of three of the Banax party. The -Flat-Heads acknowledge that the Banax are the bravest -of their enemies; yet this did not deter them, though but -seven in number, from fighting a whole village of the latter, -that had rashly violated the rights of hospitality.</p> - -<p>During the summer hunt of the same year, the united -camp of Flat-Heads and Pends-d’Oreilles, when threatened, -hesitated not a moment to engage with a band of Black-Feet -four times their number. The latter, fearing the -“medicine {295} of the Black-gowns,” skulked around their -enemies, avoiding an open fight. The former perceiving<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_328"></a>[328]</span> -this, pretended flight, in order to draw the Black-Feet -into the open plain: the snare succeeded; and the Flat-Heads -and Pends-d’Oreilles suddenly wheeling, attacked -and repulsed them with considerable loss, driving the enemy -before them in hot pursuit, as they would a herd of buffaloes. -Twenty-three Black-Feet warriors lay dead on the -field, after the engagement, while the Pends-d’Oreilles lost -but three, and the Flat-Heads only one.</p> - -<p>I shall close these sketches of Indian warfare, so remarkably -evincing, as they do, the special protection of -Heaven, with an account of an engagement which, as it -was the occasion of my first interview with the Black-Feet, -and by its consequence contributed much towards my -favourable reception among them, will not, I trust, prove -entirely devoid of interest, if given a little more in detail.</p> - -<p>In 1846, while engaged in one of these hunting excursions, -the camp of the Flat-Heads was reinforced by thirty lodges -of the Nez-percés, and a dozen lodges of the Black-Feet -at their own solicitation. The Flat-Heads encamped in -the neighbourhood of the Crows,<a id="FNanchor_304" href="#Footnote_304" class="fnanchor">[304]</a> purposely to renew {296} -the terms of peace, if the latter felt so disposed. The -Crows, perceiving in the united camp, the Nez-Percés -and Black-Feet, with whom they were at war, and knowing -their own superiority both in numbers and bodily strength, -(they are the most robust of the Indian tribes) rushed -into it like a torrent, evidently more anxious to provoke -a contest than to make overtures of peace. The calm -remonstrances of the Flat-Heads, and the wise admonitions -of their own chief, were lost upon the now almost infuriated -mutinous band of the Crows.</p> - -<p>If the threatened outbreak had occurred at that moment, -it is probable that the whole united camp would have -been massacred in the hand-fight, for which evidently<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_329"></a>[329]</span> -the Crows came prepared, with loaded guns and other -destructive weapons, while the Flat-Heads and the others -were totally unprovided. At this critical juncture, fortunately, -indeed I may say providentially, my interpreter -Gabriel, and a Pend-d’Oreille named Charles, forced -their way breathless into the disordered camp, and announced -the arrival of the <i>Black-gown</i> who had visited -them four years ago. The alarming scene they witnessed -was indeed what they had expected for as we travelled -to overtake the Flat-Head {297} camp at the place designed -for their interview with the Crows, we perceived from -the marks of their daily encampments, that some Black-Feet -and Pends-d’Oreilles were with the Flat-Heads; -we accordingly feared a collision would result from the -interview. I therefore despatched with all possible speed, -Gabriel and Charles, to announce my arrival. Well -did they execute the commission—they rode almost -at full gallop during a whole day and night, performing -in this short period a journey which occupied the camp -fourteen days. This intelligence roused the Crow chiefs -to an energetic exercise of their authority. They now -seized the first missiles at hand, and enforced the weight -of their arguments upon their mutinous subjects, as long -as there was left in the united camp the back of a Crow -on which to inflict punishment. This forced separation, -though it may have checked the present ebullition, could -not be of long duration. It needed but a spark to rekindle -their hostile dispositions into open war. The next day, -as if to provoke a rupture, the disaffected Crows stole -thirty horses from the Flat-Heads. Two innocent persons -were unfortunately charged with the crime, and punished. -The mistake being discovered, the <i>amende honorable</i> was -{298} made, but to no purpose. The Flat-Heads, aware -of their dangerous position, employed the interval in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_330"></a>[330]</span> -fortifying their camp, stationing their women and children -in a place of safety, and arming themselves for the contest. -An immense cloud of dust in the neighborhood of the -Crow camp at ten o’clock, announced the expected attack. -On they came, with the impetuosity of an avalanche, -until within musket shot of the advanced guard of the -allied camp, who had just risen to their feet to listen to -a few words addressed them by their chief, Stiettietlotso, -and to meet the foe. “My friends,” said Moses, (the -name I gave him in baptism) “if it be the will of God, -we shall conquer—if it be not his will, let us humbly -submit to whatever it shall please his goodness to send -us. Some of us must expect to fall in this contest: if there -be any one here unprepared to die, let him retire; in the -meanwhile let us constantly keep Him in mind.” He -had scarcely finished speaking, when the fire of the enemy -was returned by his band, with such terrible effect as -to make them shift their mode of attack into another, -extremely fatiguing to their horses. After the battle had -raged for some time in this way, Victor, the grand chief of -the Flat-Heads,<a id="FNanchor_305" href="#Footnote_305" class="fnanchor">[305]</a> {299} perceiving the embarrassed position -of the enemy, cried out: “Now, my men, mount your best -horses, and charge them.” The manœuvre was successful. -The Crows fled in great disorder, the Flat-Heads abandoning -the pursuit only at sun-down, when they had driven the -enemy two miles from their camp.</p> - -<p>Fourteen warriors of the Crows fell in the engagement, -and nine were severely wounded, as we subsequently -learned from three Black-Feet prisoners, who availed -themselves of their capturers’ defeat to recover their liberty.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_331"></a>[331]</span> -On the part of the allied camp, only one was killed, the -son of a Nez-Percé chief, who fell by the hand of a Crow -chief, in so cowardly a manner, that the indignation of the -allied camp was at once raised into immediate action—it -was in fact, the first shot fired and the first blood drawn -on either side; the boy was yet quite a child. Besides -this loss, though the engagement lasted for several hours, -only three were wounded, two of them so slightly that -by application of the remedies I brought with me, they -recovered in a short time; the third died a few days after -my arrival in the camp.</p> - -<p>This defeat was the more mortifying to the Crows, as -they had been continually boasting {300} of their superior -prowess in war, and taunting their enemies with the most -insulting, opprobrious epithets. They had besides, forcibly -and most unjustly drawn on the engagement.</p> - -<p>Indeed, I look upon the miraculous escape of our Christian -warriors, in this fierce contest, as further evidence of the -peculiar protection of Heaven; especially when I consider -the numerous instances of individual bravery, perhaps -I should say reckless daring, displayed on the part of -the allied camp. The son of a Flat-Head chief named -Raphael, quite a youth, burning to engage in the contest, -requested his father to let him have his best horse. To -this the father reluctantly consented, as the boy had been -rather weak from sickness. When mounted, off he bounded -like an arrow from the bow, and the superior mettle of -his steed soon brought him close upon the heels of a large -Crow chief, who, turning his head round to notice his -pursuer, pulled up his horse to punish the temerity of the -boy, at the same time bending to escape the arrow then -levelled at him. The boy must have shot the arrow with -enormous force, for it entered under the lower left rib, the -barb passing out under the right shoulder, leaving nothing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_332"></a>[332]</span> -but the feathers to be seen where it entered. {301} The -chief fell dead. In an instant a volley was poured in -upon the boy—his horse fell perfectly riddled, with the -rider under him.—He was stunned by the fall, and lay -to all appearance dead. According to the custom of the -Indians, of inflicting a heavy blow upon the dead body -of their enemy, he received while in this position, a severe -stroke from each individual of the several bands of Crows -that passed him.—He was taken up half dead, by his -own tribe, when they passed in pursuit of the enemy. The -ardour and impetuosity of the young man belonging to -the Flat-Head camp amazed the oldest warriors present, -and formed the theme of universal admiration, as well -as the dread of their enemies. Even the women of the -Flat-Heads mingled in the fray. One, the mother of -seven children, conducted her own sons into the battlefield. -Having perceived that the horse of her eldest son -was breaking down in a single combat with a Crow, she -threw herself between the combatants, and with a knife -put the Crow to flight. Another, a young woman perceiving -that the quivers of her party were nearly exhausted, -coolly collected, amidst a shower of arrows, those that -lay scattered around her, and brought them to replenish -the {302} nearly exhausted store. The celebrated Mary -Quille, already distinguished in numerous battles, pursued, -with axe in hand, a Crow, and having failed to come up -with him, returned, saying: “I thought that these great -talkers were men. I was mistaken: it is not worth while -even for women to attempt to chase them.”</p> - -<p>The little party of Black-Feet, animated by a spirit -of revenge, for the loss of half their tribe, massacred the -preceding year by the Crows, and probably influenced by a -feeling of their safety while they fought in company with -the Flat-Head Christians, did signal service in the combat.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_333"></a>[333]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;" id="illus10"> -<img src="images/illus10.jpg" width="400" height="700" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Insula or Red Feather (Michel), -Great Chief and Brave among the Flat-heads</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_334"></a>[334]</span></p> - -<p>In the meantime, Gabriel and Charles, fearing the -threatened outbreak, immediately started back to meet -me and hasten my arrival, my presence being considered -necessary to prevent the effusion of blood. I arrived -at the Flat-Head camp the day after the battle. I found -everything ready to repel a second attack, should that -be attempted. I immediately sent an express to the Crows, -to announce my arrival, and at the same time, to convey -to them the great desire I had to see them, especially -for the purpose of effecting a reconciliation between -the {303} contending parties. But it appeared that after -having buried their dead, they retreated precipitately; -so that no account of their destination could be had. My -express told me that there must have been excessive grief -in the camp of the Crows, as the usual marks of it could -be traced in every direction, such as the dissevered joints -of fingers, and the numerous stains of blood, caused by -the wounds which the parents of the deceased inflict upon -themselves on such occasions.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_335"></a>[335]</span></p> - -<p>Shortly after my arrival, the Black-Feet came in a body -to my lodge, to express in a manner truly eloquent, their -admiration of the Flat-Heads, with whom in future they -desired to live on terms of the closest friendship. “To -their prayers,” said they, “must this extraordinary victory -be attributed. While the battle lasted, we saw their old -men, their women, and children, on their knees, imploring -the aid of Heaven; the Flat-Heads did not lose a single -man—one only fell, a young Nez-Percé, and another -mortally wounded. But the Nez-Percés did not pray. -We prayed morning and evening with the Flat-Heads, -and heard the instructions of the chiefs.” They then -begged of me in their own affecting way, to take pity on -them and be {304} charitable to them: they now determined -to hear the words of the Great Manitou of the whites, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_336"></a>[336]</span> -to follow the course which the Redeemer had marked -out on earth. Having addressed them on the nature -of the life they had proposed to adopt, they all without -exception presented their children for baptism, to the -number of eighty.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_337"></a>[337]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;" id="illus11"> -<img src="images/illus11.jpg" width="700" height="400" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Great Buffalo Hunt—View of Muscle-Shell Mountains</p> -<p class="caption">(<a href="#letter24">See Letter 24</a>)</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_338"></a>[338]</span></p> - -<p>The day after this sacred ceremony, they called on me, -requesting to be allowed to express in their own way, -the excess of joy which they felt on account of this twofold -victory. On returning from the late field of battle, -the warriors, at the head of whom was a young chief, -chanted songs of triumph, accompanied with the beating -of drums; at each beat, they sent forth a wild and piercing -shout; then followed the song, and so on alternately;—wild -as the music was, it was not without harmony. It -continued thus, during almost the whole of our route. -We marched along the right bank of the Yellow-Stone -River, having on our left a chain of mountains resembling -those old portals to which history has given the name -of “ancient chivalry.”<a id="FNanchor_306" href="#Footnote_306" class="fnanchor">[306]</a> We had scarcely arrived at the -encampment, when the Black-Feet commenced, under the -shade of a beautiful cluster of pines, their {305} arrangements -for a dance, insisting, at the same time, upon showing -the Black-gowns how highly they valued their presence -among them, and how gratified they would be to have -them witness this display. There was, indeed, nothing -in it that could give occasion to offended modesty to turn -aside and blush. I need not tell you it was not the polka, -the waltz, or anything resembling the dances of modern -civilized life. The women alone figure in it, old and -young; from the youngest child capable of walking, to -the oldest matron present. Among them I have seen<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_339"></a>[339]</span> -several old women upwards of eighty years, whose feeble -limbs required the aid of a staff in their movements through -the dance. Almost all appeared in the best costume of -the warriors, which, however, was worn over their own -dress, a sort of tunic they always wear, and which contributed -also not a little to the modesty of their appearance. -Some carried the arms that had done most execution in -battle, but the greater part held a green bough in the -hand. In proportion as the dresses increase in singularity, -the colors in variety, and the jingling of the bells -in sound, in the same degree is the effect upon the rude -spectator heightened. The whole figure is surmounted -by {306} a casket of plumes, which by the regular movements -of the individual is made to harmonize with the -song, and seems to add much gracefulness to the whole -scene. To lose nothing of so grand a spectacle, the -Indians mount their horses, or climb the neighboring -trees. The dance itself consists of a little jump, more -or less lively, according to the beat of the drum. This -is beaten only by the men, and all unite in the song. To -break the monotony, or lend some new interest to the -scene, occasionally a sudden, piercing scream is added. -If the dance languishes, haranguers and those most skilful -in grimaces, come to its aid. As in jumping the dancers -tend towards a common centre, it often happens that -the ranks become too close, then they fall back in good -order to form a large circle, and commence anew in better -style.</p> - -<p>After the dance, followed the presentation of the calumet. -It is borne by the wife of the chief, accompanied by two -other women, on the breast of one of whom rests the head -of the pipe, and upon that of the other, the stem handsomely -adorned with feathers. The most distinguished personage -of the nation precedes the calumet bearers, and conducts<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_340"></a>[340]</span> -them around the circle of dancers. The object, probably -of the {307} last part of the ceremony, the termination -of the rejoicings, is to indicate, that the best fruit of the -victory they celebrate is the peace which follows. To -establish this peace upon a better foundation, is a thought -constantly uppermost in my mind. May God grant that -our efforts to plant the crop of peace among these wild -children of the forest, be not unavailing; I earnestly recommend -these poor souls to the prayers of the faithful.</p> - -<p>Having thus, more fully perhaps than the limits of a -single letter would seem to justify, redeemed the promise -given in my last, of recounting some of the advantages, -spiritual and temporal, which the Flat-Heads enjoy, it -may now be proper to resume the course of events up -to the present date. On the 16th of August, we left St. -Mary’s by a mountain gap, called the “Devil’s gate,” a -name which it has probably received from the fact of its -forming the principal entrance of the marauding parties -of the Black-Feet.<a id="FNanchor_307" href="#Footnote_307" class="fnanchor">[307]</a> We encamped the first night, at -the foot of the Black-Foot forks. Innumerable rivulets, -and several beautiful lakes contribute largely to this river. -Towards its head, to the north-east, there is an easy pass -for cars and wagons.<a id="FNanchor_308" href="#Footnote_308" class="fnanchor">[308]</a> The valley we ascended, is watered -{308} by a beautiful stream called the Cart River. It -was through this valley we wound our way in former -days, with all our baggage, to the spot where St. Mary’s -now stands.<a id="FNanchor_309" href="#Footnote_309" class="fnanchor">[309]</a> We crossed the mountains in the vicinity<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_341"></a>[341]</span> -of the Arrowstone fork, another easy pass, and descended -a tributary of the Jefferson as far as its outlet, through -rather a wild, broken, and mountainous country, with -here and there an extensive, open plain, the ordinary -resort of innumerable herds of buffalo.<a id="FNanchor_310" href="#Footnote_310" class="fnanchor">[310]</a> The seventh -day found us encamped in the immense plain through -which the forks of the Missouri diverge, ascending to the -source at the very top of the main chain of the Rocky -Mountains.<a id="FNanchor_311" href="#Footnote_311" class="fnanchor">[311]</a> In travelling through these wilds, great -care is to be had in order to avoid the sudden attack of -some of those straggling war-parties that infest this neighborhood -purposely to search for scalps, plunder, and the -fame of some daring exploit. We halted every evening -for a few hours, to take a bite, as the trapper would say, -and to give some food and rest to our animals. When -it was quite dark, we would kindle a brisk fire as if to -last until morning; then under cover of the night, proceed -on our journey for about ten miles, to some unsuspected -place, thus eluding {309} our enemies, should any have -followed in our track, or be lurking in the neighborhood, -awaiting the midnight hour to execute their murderous -designs. From the three forks we went easterly, crossing -by an easy pass the mountain chain which separates the -head waters of the Missouri from the Yellow-Stone River,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_342"></a>[342]</span> -a distance of about forty miles.<a id="FNanchor_312" href="#Footnote_312" class="fnanchor">[312]</a> We followed in the -track of the Flat-Head camp for several days, when I -sent Gabriel, my interpreter, with a Pend-d’Oreille Indian -in advance to discover what direction the camp had taken, -and to bring back speedy news regarding their movements; -and also to learn the dispositions of the Crows, whom I -designed to visit. Four days later I was met by a few Flat-Heads -on their way to find me, when I was apprised of -the treachery of the Crows, and the severe chastisement -they had so deservedly received. I travelled the whole -of that night, and arrived next day in the allied camp, -as I have already informed you. Having failed to obtain -the desired interview with the Crows, our attention will -be now turned towards the Black-Feet, with whose favorable -disposition to receive the gospel you are already -acquainted. The result of this determination will form -the subject of my next {310} letter. I recommend myself -to God in your prayers.</p> - -<p>I remain, with sentiments of profound respect and esteem, -reverend, dear father, your very humble servant and brother -in Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter24">No. XXIV<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">St. Louis University, January 1st, 1847.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Very Rev. and Dear Father Provincial</span>,—You are -already acquainted with our determination to accompany -the Black-Feet in returning to their country. In the -sequel of this letter you will learn, with pleasure, how -far Almighty God has blessed our humble efforts in carrying<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_343"></a>[343]</span> -this resolution into effect. After the battle, described -in my letter from the Yellow-Stone camp, the Crows, -it appears, fled to the Wind River Mountains, determined, -however, to avenge themselves on the Black-Feet, whom -they now designed to follow into their own country.<a id="FNanchor_313" href="#Footnote_313" class="fnanchor">[313]</a> -The latter, probably through fear of this assault, resolved -to remain with the Flat-Head camp, until it reached -the head waters of the Muscle-shell River. In leaving -the Yellow-Stone our direction lay towards the north, -{312} through a broken and undulating, dry and woodless -country, destitute of any water fit to drink—stagnant -pools of brackish water being the only kind found here -to satiate the thirst.<a id="FNanchor_314" href="#Footnote_314" class="fnanchor">[314]</a> Only a few straggling bulls were -seen or killed, scarcely sufficient, indeed, to supply the -wants of our numerous camp. The great variety of matter -incidental to this journey with the united Indian camp, -will appear, perhaps, more satisfactory if given in the same -order in which it was entered in my diary; I therefore -present you with an extract from it:—</p> - -<p>8th Sept., 1846. The elements of discord existing -between the Nez-Percés and Black-Feet, there is every -appearance of an open rupture. The Nez-Percés being -evidently in the wrong, the Flat-Heads, following our -example, endeavor to convince them of the impropriety -of their conduct; but to no purpose, the principal men -among them refusing, for the second time, to smoke the -calumet of peace.</p> - -<p>9th. Towards night a touching incident occurred in -our lodge. A Nez-Percé chief, who declares himself<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_344"></a>[344]</span> -our friend, entered, accompanied by three Black-Feet, -a warrior, an interpreter, and a young man about twenty -years of age. This youth, when about one year old, -lost {313} both his parents; his mother, a captive among -the Black-Feet, died the first days of her captivity; his -father, whose country is far distant from the Black-Feet, -is altogether lost to him. The poor orphan became the -adopted child of a Black-Foot woman, who brought him -up as she would her own offspring. The adopted son grew -up, imbibing all the notions and customs of his new friends, -knowing no other relations than those around him. To-day, -the woman whom he believed to be his real mother, -declared to him that she was not; and that his father, -whom he had not seen since he was one year old, was -now sitting beside him. “Who is my father?” he anxiously -enquired. “There,” said the woman, pointing to the Nez-Percé -chief, who entered the lodge with him. The doubts -of the father were soon removed, as he hastily stripped -the youth’s garments from his back, and there discovered -the mark of a burn received in the parental lodge while -yet an infant. The sudden burst of feeling elicited from -these children of nature at this unexpected meeting, can -be better imagined than described. The chief has no -grown children, he is therefore the more eloquent in -endeavoring to persuade his son to return to his native -country, presenting him, at {314} the same time, with one -of the best and most beautiful of his steeds. I joined to -the entreaties of the father, the strongest motives I could -urge. The son, whose heart is divided between nature -and grace, begged to be allowed to bid farewell to the -companions and friends of his youth, who were now absent—he -could not, he declared, thus abruptly leave her who, -with motherly care and anxiety, had watched over him -so many years, and whom he had always so tenderly<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_345"></a>[345]</span> -loved, and looked upon as his mother. “Now that the -Black-gowns are with us,” he said, “I desire to be of the -happy number of those who are about to introduce them -to my friends, and to listen to the words of the Great -Spirit, whom they have come to announce. After that, -but not before, shall I follow my father.”</p> - -<p>10th. The Nez-Percés announce their determination -of leaving the united camp. The Flat-Heads, who dread -more the presence of a friend capable of injuring their -souls, than that of an enemy who can only hurt the body, -are excessively rejoiced at this announcement. The Black-Feet -also are highly pleased to see them go. The separation -took place about 8 o’clock; but they had gone -only a short distance from the {315} camp, when, fearing -an attack from the Crows, they rejoined the main body, -determined to remain as long as the great hunt shall last. -To avoid the outbreak, evidently threatened by the ill-will -of the Nez-Percé, the Black-Feet have resolved to -leave the camp on the morrow. This day I baptized -a Nez-Percé, who had been shot in the late battle with -the Crows—he cannot survive much longer.</p> - -<p>11th. Farewell to the Flat-Heads. All came to shake -hands with us, the grief of their hearts was depicted in -their countenances; we all perceived how deeply they -felt the separation. A great number of their cavaliers -accompany us for a considerable distance; six go as far -as our encampment, not less than twenty-five miles.</p> - -<p>Our course lay through an extensive level plain, at -the very base of the Muscle-shell mountains.<a id="FNanchor_315" href="#Footnote_315" class="fnanchor">[315]</a> These -rise abruptly from the plain around, resembling broken, -elevated islands in the midst of the ocean, and their tops -tufted with a heavy growth of cedar and pine. While<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_346"></a>[346]</span> -admiring the singular appearance of the scenery, my -attention is called off to a very distressing accident. An -old Indian is seen falling from his horse, receiving in the -fall a severe wound between his eyes; he remains senseless, -all efforts {316} to revive him are fruitless. It was the -old Black-Foot chief, <span class="smcap">Nicholas</span>, whom I baptized five -years ago; he acted, ever since, the part of a most effective -missionary, in preparing the way for the introduction -of the gospel among his tribe.<a id="FNanchor_316" href="#Footnote_316" class="fnanchor">[316]</a> To-day he entered what -he called his own country, chanting hymns of praise and -thanksgiving in the happy anticipation of soon presenting -us to his brethren. He dies! not even a sigh escapes him. -Oh, how profound are the designs of God. Happily -he leaves a son worthy of so excellent a sire. His attachment -to religion equals that of his father. Having resided -several years among the Flat-Heads, he has acquired a -perfect knowledge of their language—acting in the capacity -of interpreter, he has already rendered me considerable -assistance. Notwithstanding his great grief, he performs -the last sad offices near the tomb of his father with the -composure and firmness of a Christian. It is customary -among the Black-Feet to express their grief by wailings -and lacerations of the body, calculated only to afflict those -around, though intended by them as a mark of respect -towards the lamented dead. The son of <span class="smcap">Nicholas</span>, himself -a chief and a great brave, knowing the Christian -practice, {317} passes the night in prayer, with his wife -and children, near the funeral couch of his father. His -friends and brother, Pegans<a id="FNanchor_317" href="#Footnote_317" class="fnanchor">[317]</a> (pagan in name and in -fact), would now and then gather around him, kneeling<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_347"></a>[347]</span> -beside the mourner, pour forth, Christian-like, many a pious -ejaculation on behalf of their deceased chieftain. The -remains of the venerable chief were placed in the grave -by the hands of his own son, and over his tomb the -emblem of salvation was raised—the cross of the Saviour, -whose words were now for the first time announced to the -lonely tribes of this long-benighted wilderness. At the -very moment the last prayers of the funeral service were -uttered, “May he rest in peace,” a busy stir breaks the -death-like silence of the surrounding crowd of Indians. -A Flat-Head approached in full gallop, announcing the -pleasing intelligence that two Black-Feet had reached -their camp, and informed them that the tribe of <span class="smcap">Nicholas</span> -was within two days march of us.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_348"></a>[348]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;" id="illus12"> -<img src="images/illus12.jpg" width="700" height="400" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Announcement of the Discovery of Buffalos</p> -<p class="caption">(<a href="#letter2">See Letter 2nd</a>)</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_349"></a>[349]</span></p> - -<p>12th. The very evening of the day on which <span class="smcap">Nicholas</span> -was interred, immense herds of buffalo are seen in the -neighborhood of the camp. All are preparing for the chase—hunters -throwing the lasso over their buffalo horses, -already prancing and capering for a race—all ready -to {318} start; but before they separate, they halt for a -moment, and, in imitation of the Flat-Heads, all are seen -on their knees to beg of Almighty God their daily bread; -when again mounted, off they bound at full speed, each -for one, two, or three fat cows, according to the strength -of his favorite steed. The supper was abundant in every -lodge, regiments of steaks were paraded before all the -fires. My fire was encircled with tongues, or other dainty -dishes reserved for the Black-gown; and all who visited -our lodge were of course invited to partake of the superabundant -supply. Among my visitors, one in particular -distinguished himself by his originality and good sense—his -words were accompanied with expressive signs, -which rendered his conversation very agreeable; he related -to me what he observed while in the Flat-Head camp:—“When<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_350"></a>[350]</span> -we first arrived,” said he, “we had abundance -of provisions with us, while the Flat-Heads and Nez-Percés -were fasting; we were visited, and all partook -of what we had. The Flat-Head differed from the Nez-Percés; -the former prayed before he ate, the latter did -not. On the Lord’s-day, the Flat-Heads remained quiet -in the lodges, they frequently prayed, and spoke to us -words of the Great Spirit to make us good; but {319} -the Nez-Percés, painted, and proud of their feathers, -were seen going here and there, more for evil than good, -without reserve, before our young people. But then -came the battle with the Crows, and the Nez-Percés, though -the least brave of us all, and the least exposed, have had -to weep over the loss of one of their men, and another -is dying of his wounds. This made me believe the words -I had heard the Flat-Head say, ‘that the Great Spirit -is good to the good, but that he can find the wicked at -pleasure to punish them as they may deserve.’”</p> - -<p>The wonderful success of the Flat-Heads in the different -wars they have been compelled to wage, has confirmed -their enemies in the persuasion entertained for some -years, that the medicine of the Black-gowns is stronger -than their own. Two Indians of the Pegan camp have -just arrived, apprising us of their approach.</p> - -<p>13th. Sunday.—We are obliged to move camp;—every -dry stick had been burned where we passed the -night, and the rain has rendered the only other substitute -for fuel, buffalo dung, unfit for use;—the rain which -was falling as we travelled, changed into sleet and hail. -After a long day’s march we encamp for the night, in a -beautiful cotton grove, on the margin of the Judith river.<a id="FNanchor_318" href="#Footnote_318" class="fnanchor">[318]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_351"></a>[351]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;" id="illus13"> -<img src="images/illus13.jpg" width="700" height="400" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Chief reports to his Camp that Buffalos are in sight</p> -<p class="caption">(<a href="#letter3">See Letter 3rd</a>)</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_352"></a>[352]</span></p> - -<p>{320} The bad weather prevented the re-union of the -two camps; it will be so much the more remarkable, as -to-morrow will be the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. -The chief enquires, if it would please us to see the Black-Feet -manifest their joy in their own way, that is, by -painting, singing and dancing; the answer was: “Do the -best you can to show your friends that you are pleased.” -We learn by an express, just arrived, that the <span class="smcap">Big Lake</span>, -the great chief of the Pegans, harangued his people, exhorting -them to behave orderly, and to listen with attention -to all that the Fathers would say to them. He is accompanied -by the great Tail-Bearer, a kind of orator, -or aid-de-camp to the chief. His tail, composed of buffalo -and horse-hair, is about seven or eight feet long, and -instead of wearing it behind, according to the usual -fashion, it is fastened above his forehead, and there formed -into a spiral coil, resembling a rhinoceros’ horn. Such a -tail, among the Black-Feet, is a mark of great distinction -and bravery—in all probability, the longer the tail, the -braver the person.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_353"></a>[353]</span></p> - -<p>14th. An agreeable disappointment. The Flat-Head -camp, from which we separated four days ago, is only -about ten miles from us. They sent an invitation to the -Big Lake, desiring, at the same time, to trade with him -on friendly {321} terms. Opinions are divided among -the people of the Big Lake. The chief is for postponing -the trade until the meeting with the Black-gowns takes -place; the Tail-Bearer gives the preference to trade. The -chief’s voice prevails. An Indian from the camp arrives -about ten o’clock, to herald their approach; all the horses -are immediately saddled, and the two Black-gowns, at -the head of a numerous band of cavaliers, forming one -extensive line, in single file, proceed through a beautiful -open plain, the air resounding with songs of triumphal<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_354"></a>[354]</span> -joy. We are soon in sight of each other—a loud discharge -from all the guns was the signal to dismount, when -the Big-Lake and Tail-Bearer, followed by the whole -tribe, walked up to give us a warm and affectionate shake -of the hand. Smoking came next; and after the friendly -pipe had passed from mouth to mouth, and had made -several rounds, they communicate to each other the news -since parting. I made to them my preparatory address, -to dispose their minds and hearts to listen with attention -to the word of God. To this appeal they responded with -a loud and cheerful expression of the satisfaction they -felt in listening to the Black-gown. We had scarcely -introduced our new friends into the {322} camp, before -the Flat-Heads and Nez-Percés were seen approaching. -Their meeting was still more joyful and cordial than the -one we had just witnessed among the people of the Big-Lake. -This is not astonishing, when you know them; -the savage is naturally reserved towards men he does -not know. The candid, open ways of acting which distinguish -our neophytes soon communicate themselves -to the Black-Feet, and before the sun went down, Black-Feet, -Flat-Heads, young and old, all show equal pleasure -to find us, on such an occasion, in the midst of them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_355"></a>[355]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;" id="illus14"> -<img src="images/illus14.jpg" width="700" height="400" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">The Chief at the head of his Hunters</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_356"></a>[356]</span></p> - -<p>After evening prayers were said in the Black-Foot and -Flat-Head languages, I addressed to them a short discourse -on the happy re-union and peaceful disposition -that now existed between the two nations. What a -pleasing sight! What a consoling triumph for religion, -to behold those warriors, whose deep-scarred faces told of -the many bloody battles they had had together,—who -could never meet before but with feelings of deadly enmity, -thirsting for each other’s blood,—now bending the knee -before their common Father in prayer, as with one heart, -and listening with delight to the words of the peaceful<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_357"></a>[357]</span> -Redeemer. The chiefs and the principal {323} men of -both nations passed the evening in my lodge. <span class="smcap">Victor</span>, -the great Flat-Head chief, gains the good-will of all—charms -everybody by the suavity and dignified simplicity -of his manners. He relates some of his exploits, not indeed -to appear conspicuous, as is evident from the modest -and simple way in which he speaks, but to make them -fully sensible of the protection which the Great Spirit -extends to those who are devoted to His holy cause. The -Black-Feet who were engaged in the late battle with the -Crows, confirm the statements of Victor, and recount -many edifying circumstances which they had witnessed -in the Flat-Head camp. The making of the sign of the -cross was highly extolled, as a certain sign of victory to -those who had already given their hearts to the true God. -It is truly to-day the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.</p> - -<p>15th. The Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. -The new disciples of the cross assist at a solemn Mass, -sung in the open plain, under the canopy of green boughs, -to beg for the blessings of God upon this wilderness and -its wandering tribes, and unite them in the bond of peace. -Flat-Heads, Nez-Percés, Pegans, Blood Indians, Gros-Ventres -and Black-Feet,<a id="FNanchor_319" href="#Footnote_319" class="fnanchor">[319]</a> numbering {324} about two -thousand, all surround the altar of the living God, on -which “the clean oblation is offered,” in their behalf. -It is a thing unheard of, that among so many different -savage nations, hitherto so inimical to one another, unanimity -and joy, such as we now witness, should exist,—it -appears as if their ancient deadly feuds had been long -since buried in oblivion; and this is the more remarkable<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_358"></a>[358]</span> -in an Indian who, it is well known, cherishes feelings -of revenge for many years. How long will this last? -May Heaven strengthen their present good-will, and -grant them perseverance. Mention is already made -of baptizing all the Pegan children, but the ceremony -is postponed on account of the general rejoicing, and -the affairs of business that now occupy the camp.</p> - -<p>16th. The engaging simplicity and cordiality of the -Flat-Head chiefs have gained them the affections of all -the principal men of the Black-Feet tribe,—conduct -the more remarkable, when contrasted with the turbulent -disposition of the Nez-Percés, who are kept in check only -by the presence of the Flat-Heads. At this second separation, -they came again to renew their affection towards -us. The Flat-Head chiefs remain last in the camp to -see everything pass off {325} orderly and amicably. In -the evening the Black-Feet assemble around our fire, -where the first canticle is composed in their language; -the subject of the composition is the consecration of their -persons to the “Supreme Ruler of all things.” Apistotokie -Nina, Pikanniai tokanakos akos pemmoki tzagkoma -Achziewa ziekamolos.</p> - -<p>17th. Nothing very remarkable took place. We received -the visit of a war party of Blood Indians, the -most cruel among the Black-Feet. From them we learn -that their tribe will be delighted to receive a visit from -us,—that our persons are considered sacred among them,—that -we need apprehend no danger, and, to remove -all uneasiness on this head, that sixty of their children -had already received baptism at the hands of a Black-gown,<a id="FNanchor_320" href="#Footnote_320" class="fnanchor">[320]</a> -whom they met on the <i>Sascatshawin</i>, and that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_359"></a>[359]</span> -these children constantly wear the crosses and medals -which the Black-gown gave them.</p> - -<p>18th. News in great variety. Two Gros-Ventres have -been killed by the Crows. Seven families of Pegans -have been followed by a numerous band of Crees, and -have probably been destroyed. A chief, just arrived, -informs us that Black-Feet of different tribes are assembling -in the neighborhood of Fort Lewis to receive {326} -their annual supplies, and that the traders who bring up the -goods are distant only three days’ journey, with three large -canoes (Mackinaw boats).<a id="FNanchor_321" href="#Footnote_321" class="fnanchor">[321]</a> About two o’clock in the -afternoon the camp prepares for another great hunt.</p> - -<p>19th. Baptism was this day conferred on upwards -of one hundred children and two old men, with all the -usual ceremonies. To enter into a full description of -these, calculated, as they are, to leave a deep and lasting -impression upon the minds of all present, would be but -a repetition of what has been already stated in my former -letters on the like occasions.</p> - -<p>20th. Arrival of a great war party of Blood Indians. -They are returning from an expedition against the Crows, -having carried off twenty-seven horses belonging to the -latter. The leaders of this party, one a son, the other -a brother of the great chief, exhibit towards us particular -marks of friendship. The elder, who worshiped the sun -and moon, has long since ceased to invoke these deities—he -confirms the statement of the other party, that we shall -meet with a hearty welcome among his tribe. The Black-Feet -nation consists of about fourteen thousand souls, -divided into six tribes, to wit: the <i>Pegans</i>, the <i>Surcees</i>, -the <i>Blood Indians</i>, the <i>Gros-Ventres</i> {327} (descendants<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_360"></a>[360]</span> -of the Rapahos), the Black-Feet (proper), and the <i>Little -Robes</i>.<a id="FNanchor_322" href="#Footnote_322" class="fnanchor">[322]</a> These last were almost entirely destroyed in -1845.</p> - -<p>21st. A feast is given in my lodge to the new-comers. -It is preceded by the baptism of a Pegan, who had been -an old chief, but who, on account of age, resigned the -dignity of his title in favor of his brother. He possesses -the gift of speech in an eminent degree. He is daily here, -repeating and commenting on the instructions given by -us. He exercises over his flock a very happy influence, -and it is, doubtless, owing to his exertions that the Pegans -are the first among the Black-Feet tribe to manifest favorable -dispositions, and they will probably be the first also -to embrace and put in practice the saving truths of Christianity. -He presents, in his own person, a rare exception -among his people, and indeed the only instance I have -met with in my intercourse with the Indians, especially -in one of his age—of an Indian having lived with one -and the same wife, and with her also in perfect peace and -harmony. He received in baptism the united name of -<span class="smcap">Ignatius Xavier</span>, the medal having that impress—which -he constantly wears, to remind him of the virtues which -distinguish those saints. Let us hope {328} that the first -graces bestowed on this tribe may soon produce fruits -of salvation to all.</p> - -<p>22d. A day of great rejoicing—a dance. All the -Indian fineries are produced, all the war-caps, adorned -with eagle feathers, figure in the dance—a thousand -voices join in the song—the rejoicing prolonged till evening. -The common prayers have all been translated—already -several know what is to be believed. May the practice<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_361"></a>[361]</span> -of good soon take deep root in their hearts. <span class="smcap">Sata</span>, our -interpreter, acts the part of an Apostle<a id="FNanchor_323" href="#Footnote_323" class="fnanchor">[323]</a>—after each -interpretation, he resumes his discourse, and speaking -from the abundance of his heart, produces a powerful -effect upon his audience. The word <i>Sata</i> does not differ -in signification from <i>Satan</i>, and as the Indian generally -receives his name from the natural disposition he manifests, -we may safely conclude, when such a name is given -to a Black-Foot, that the grace of God has operated most -powerfully in converting this savage to what he is at present.</p> - -<p>23d. Nothing remarkable happened, except a trial -given to faith of the new catechumens. A theft of two -horses was committed in the camp by a stranger, residing -among the Flat-Heads. Some individuals from the western -side of the {329} mountains, occasionally forget what they -should be; but a few isolated misdeeds, highly disapproved -of by the entire nation, show to the best advantage the -good spirit that animates the great mass of them. The -critical position of the robber serves in some degree as -an extenuation of his guilt. He had advanced a considerable -distance from the Flat-Head camp, on his way to join -us about the time we should reach the Black-Foot Indians; -when he was given to understand that his life was in great -danger from the war parties prowling in the rear. The -poor fellow did not feel much inclined to meet death in -this way, and his meagre horse not being very well able -to avoid the meeting, <i>proprio motu</i> he left his, in exchange -for two other horses, fully equal to the task of sweeping -him past the danger. These horses will, however, be -returned to the owner. This is not the first instance of -restitution among the Indians.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_362"></a>[362]</span></p> - -<p>Sept. 24th. The missionaries, accompanied by a great -number of Indians, precede the camp on its way to Fort -Lewis, now only a few miles off. I am accosted by a little -Pegan chief, who invites me to smoke. He tells me that he -has come to the determination of settling at the Fort an -unfortunate personal difficulty between himself {330} and -another chief of the Blood Indian tribe. “I am going -to meet,” said he, “my mortal enemy, a Blood Indian -chieftain, renowned for his courage, but much more -for his wicked heart. He treacherously murdered a -Nez-Percé, while under my protection. I should be -dishonored forever if I did not avenge this shameful act, -and wash the stain from my nation in his blood. I shot -the murderer in his own lodge—he did not die—his -wound is healed—he awaits my arrival, resolved to kill -me. I dread him not, for I also am a chief. I have heard -your words, and other feelings have crept over my heart. -Black-gown, hear what I am about to do: I will present -to him the best horse of my band to cover his wound; -if he accepts it, well and good, if not, I must kill him.” -I offered myself as a mediator between them, before -any steps should be taken, and promised him a favorable -issue, according to the conviction of my own heart; for, -as I had never witnessed the spilling of one drop of human -blood, I felt assured that Almighty God would spare me -the painful sight on the present occasion. We continue -our route. The little chief and his Pegan friends prepare -their arrows and load their guns. When in sight of the -Fort, two {331} Black-Feet came running up towards us, -to tell the little chief that if he approached any further, -or any of his people, their lives would be in danger; and -they returned as they came, running to announce the -arrival of the Black-gowns. The bell of the Fort is sending -forth a solemn peal, to honor, as it subsequently appeared,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_363"></a>[363]</span> -the arrival of the Black-gowns—a mark of respect generally -paid to a priest by its inmates, who are chiefly French -Canadians and Spaniards. Heedless of the admonition -we had received, we proceeded to the Fort in full gallop. -The gates were thrown open. We received a hearty welcome -from every white man in the Fort; the bourgeois -being absent, soon returned, to add by their kindness -and politeness to the warm reception we had already received -at the hands of their tenants.<a id="FNanchor_324" href="#Footnote_324" class="fnanchor">[324]</a> The first compliments -over, two horses were saddled for Father Point -and myself, when we went over to an island formed by -the waters of the Missouri, where the murderer and his -band were encamped. The great neatness in the lodge -of the latter, to whom I had already sent word, showed -that it was prepared for our reception. We entered first, -followed by our Pegan friends; then came the Blood Indians, -and last of all the murderous {332} chief, with a countenance -far from serene—savage vengeance visibly lurking -in his breast. He shook hands only with the Black-gowns, -and sat down silent and surly. I explained to him the -object of my visit, and pleaded strongly for a reconciliation, -declaring, at the same time, that I would not leave his -lodge until I should see them reconciled. He listened -with much attention, made a very appropriate reply, and -in finishing, he exclaimed: “all is forgiven and forgotten. -How could my heart remain angry whilst I listened to thy -words?” Confidence was quickly restored in the assembly, -and his short but eloquent reply showed that there was -eloquence everywhere when the heart speaks. The little -chief who had first spoken of reconciliation ended his remarks -by an action that was really moving; stepping<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_364"></a>[364]</span> -up to the man who had been his mortal enemy, he tenderly -embraced him, and then, in addition to other gifts, presented -him with a beautifully-painted robe, wrought in -porcupine. The calumet of peace was cheerfully lighted, -and passed around several times. Conversation became -animated and friendly, and each one left the council-house -with a light and glad heart, more easily felt than -described. The chiefs who were present on this {333} -occasion were: <i>Amakzikinne</i>, or the Big Lake; <i>Onistaistamik</i>, -or White Bull; <i>Masléistamik</i>, or Bull-Crow; <i>Aiketzo</i>, -or Grande roulette; <i>Sata</i>, or the wicked; <i>Akaniaki</i>, or -the man who was beaten.</p> - -<p>27th. Sunday, I offered up the Holy Sacrifice of the -Altar, followed by an instruction on the end of man, at -which all the inmates of Fort Lewis attended, together -with as many Black-Feet as the large room and passage -could contain. Many a tear escaped from the Canadian, -the Creole, and the Spaniard, at the remembrance, no -doubt, of the innocent and happy days they spent when -young, in attending regularly to their religious duties. -Many a pious resolution was lowly made on the present -occasion, and their strict attention and devout feelings -during divine service, showed that the germ of faith in them -still gave promise of fructifying, however far they may -have wandered from the strict line of Christian rectitude. -In the afternoon I administered, with all the ceremonies, -the sacrament of baptism to thirty children.</p> - -<p>From what I have seen, I am firmly convinced of the -great good a missionary establishment would produce -among the Black-Feet. {334} Assuredly it is a work well -worthy the zeal of an apostle: to reclaim these savages -from their cruel and bloody wars; to wrest them from -the soul-destroying idolatry in which they are plunged, -for they are worshippers of the sun and moon: and to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_365"></a>[365]</span> -teach them the consolatory truths of the Divine Redeemer -of mankind, to which they seemed to listen with the -utmost attention, and heartfelt satisfaction. Allow me the -reflection, the ultimate fate of these fierce and lonely -tribes is fixed at no distant date, unless looked to in time. -What will become of them? The buffalo-field is becoming -narrower from year to year, and each succeeding hunt finds -the Indians in closer contact. It is highly probable that -the Black-Feet plains, from the Sascatshawin to the Yellow-Stone, -will be the last resort of the wild animals twelve -years hence. Will these be sufficient to feed and clothe -the hundred thousand inhabitants of these western wilds? -The Crees, Black-Feet, Assiniboins, Crows, Snakes, Rickaries, -and Sioux, will then come together and fight their -bloody battles on these plains, and become themselves -extinct over the last buffalo-steak. Let those, who have -the power and the means, look to it in time. Let some -efforts be made to rescue them from the threatened {335} -destruction, lest, by guilty negligence, the last drop of aboriginous -blood indelibly stain the fair fame of the Spread -Eagle, under whose protecting wing they are said to live. -Justice makes the appeal.</p> - -<p>After mature deliberation upon the various plans devised -for the contemplated establishment, it was deemed more -advisable that the Reverend Father Point should remain -with the Black-Feet, and continue the instructions; while -I should go to St. Louis and endeavor to procure the -means necessary to establish a permanent mission among -them. Accordingly, on the 28th, I took final leave of -my companions, of the kind and polite gentlemen of the -Fort, of all the Black-Feet then present, who ceased not, -during my stay among them, to give me the most marked -tokens of affectionate attachment. Our departure was -honored by the Fort with a discharge of the guns, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_366"></a>[366]</span> -amidst a thousand farewells we glided down the Missouri, -from a point 2850 miles above its mouth.</p> - -<p>We left the Fort about noon, and encamped 25 miles -below, near Bird Island. Next day, while passing the -bluffs, on whose steep declivities numerous groups of the -big-horn were browsing, we stole a march upon an old -buck {336} that came to drink at the water’s edge—the -first of the many victims sacrificed to our necessities during -this long trip. After passing the Maria and Sandy rivers, -we reached the remarkable formation, the yellow sandstone -walls, on both sides of the Missouri, exhibiting most -fantastic shapes and fissures—urns, of various sizes -and forms—tables of every description—rostrums, surrounded -by mushrooms, pillars, forts, castles, and a multitude -of other figures, which, for the greater part of this, -and the whole of the following day, furnished to our almost -bewildered fancies ample scope for comparisons and -theories.<a id="FNanchor_325" href="#Footnote_325" class="fnanchor">[325]</a> We passed, on the 8th of October, the great -Elk-horn steeple, near Porcupine Fork. I could not learn -what extraordinary event this remarkable tower was -intended to commemorate. Several thousand elk-horns -have been here piled up, which formerly constituted, I -have little doubt, the grand resort of numerous groups -of these animals.<a id="FNanchor_326" href="#Footnote_326" class="fnanchor">[326]</a> On the 11th we arrived at Fort Union, -600 miles distant from Fort Lewis, this making about -50 miles a day. Here we met with a very warm reception. -We availed ourselves of the kind offer given to us of resting<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_367"></a>[367]</span> -a day at the Fort; while there I baptized five children.<a id="FNanchor_327" href="#Footnote_327" class="fnanchor">[327]</a> -We left the Fort on the {337} 13th, with two companions. -Large herds of buffalo were seen on both sides of the river, -and bears, deer and elks appeared at every bend, so that -there is little danger of suffering from want at this season. -On the 16th our ardor to press forward, in spite of a strong -head-wind, was suddenly cooled by a side wind, which -upset the skiff and ourselves in four feet of water. We -were now satisfied that we had better wait for a more -favorable wind, and improve the time by drying our clothes. -We started quite refreshed in the afternoon, and made -up for the lost time by running sixty miles the next -day. On the 17th we met six lodges of Assiniboins; they -received us very kindly in their little camp,—gave us a -feast and abundance of provisions. The same day we -met eight Gros-Ventres, who were also exceedingly kind -to us, insisting on our accepting a lot of buffalo tongues.<a id="FNanchor_328" href="#Footnote_328" class="fnanchor">[328]</a> -A favorable wind on the 18th, induced us to unfurl our -sail. We were thus enabled to run about ten miles an -hour, and early next day we reached Fort Berthold, where -we were kindly entertained by Mr. Brugere.<a id="FNanchor_329" href="#Footnote_329" class="fnanchor">[329]</a> The Gros-Ventres -have a village here. I found but a few families;—one -of the chiefs invited me to a feast. On the 20th we<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_368"></a>[368]</span> -were hailed by several {338} bands of Indians, and kindly -received. We proceeded, and encamped for the night -near Knife river; but our fire discovered our encampment -to a band of Indians.<a id="FNanchor_330" href="#Footnote_330" class="fnanchor">[330]</a> The discovery would have -been fatal to us, had I not been fortunately recognized -by them; for they came armed for destruction, and took -us by surprise. As soon as the two leaders knew who I -was, they embraced me affectionately; our alarm was -soon quieted, and we passed the evening very agreeably -in their company; a good smoke, a cup of well sweetened -coffee, a few humps and buffalo tongues, put them in -a very good humour. They made me a solemn promise, -that they would, in future, never molest a white man. They -were Arikaras. The next day we breakfasted at Fort -Madison, with the good and kind-hearted Mr. Des Autel.<a id="FNanchor_331" href="#Footnote_331" class="fnanchor">[331]</a> -Shortly after leaving this Fort, we passed under a scalp -attached to the end of a long pole, which projected over -the river. This was probably an offering to the sun, to -obtain either fresh scalps or a good hunt. We were -hailed by a large village of Arikaras, encamped and fortified -on a point of land well timbered.<a id="FNanchor_332" href="#Footnote_332" class="fnanchor">[332]</a> They treated us -with great kindness, earnestly pressing me to accept invitations -to several buffalo feasts; and as time did not -admit of such delay, {339} their liberality fell little short -of sinking the skiff, with the most dainty pieces of the hunt. -Though late, we proceeded on our journey, principally, -indeed, to avoid passing the night in feasting. Having<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_369"></a>[369]</span> -had very favorable weather during the five following days, -we reached, on the 26th, the encampment of Mr. Goule, -an agent in the service of the American Fur Company.<a id="FNanchor_333" href="#Footnote_333" class="fnanchor">[333]</a> -I baptized several half-breed children at this place.</p> - -<p>Availing ourselves of the favorable weather the four -following days, we kept on the river, drifting down every -night, so that early on the 30th, we arrived at Fort Pierre. -Mr. Picotte, of St. Louis, received us with the utmost -cordiality and politeness.<a id="FNanchor_334" href="#Footnote_334" class="fnanchor">[334]</a> He forced me to remain -three days under his hospitable roof. This delay enabled -me to see a great number of Sioux, and baptize fifty-four -children. Meanwhile Mr. Picotte ordered a large and -convenient skiff to be made, and stored it with all sorts -of provisions. In all my travels, I have never met one -to surpass, perhaps to equal, the overflowing kindness -with which this gentleman confers a favor. I cannot -sufficiently express my gratitude to him. May God bless -and reward him. And, indeed, I must here add, as a token -of my {340} sincere gratitude, that in all the forts of the -American Fur Company, the charitable liberality and -kindness of the gentlemen were unbounded.</p> - -<p>Late on the 3d November we renewed our journey, but -had not proceeded far when we found it necessary to -refit our skiff, which, being quite new, leaks considerably. -We landed at a large farm belonging to the company on -Fleury’s Island. We freely used the permission given -to us, and committed great havoc among the poultry.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_370"></a>[370]</span> -On the 5th we breakfasted at Mr. Bouis’ Fort, where I -baptized thirteen half-breed children—the day was beautiful -and we made the whole of the Grande Detour.<a id="FNanchor_335" href="#Footnote_335" class="fnanchor">[335]</a> -We arrived at Fort Look-Out, of which I found Mr. Campbell -in charge.<a id="FNanchor_336" href="#Footnote_336" class="fnanchor">[336]</a> I baptized here sixteen half-breed children. -I was kindly received by a great number of Sioux. We -encamped nine miles lower down at a trading post held -by two Canadians, where I baptized four children. On the -10th we passed the entrance of Running-water river, a -fine stream with a strong current.<a id="FNanchor_337" href="#Footnote_337" class="fnanchor">[337]</a> Two miles above its -mouth were encamped one hundred families of the unhappy -and much-abused Mormons—met several Sioux about -Great Island, where we encamped.<a id="FNanchor_338" href="#Footnote_338" class="fnanchor">[338]</a> A favorable {341} -wind enabled us to reach Fort Vermilion on the 13th, four -hundred miles below Fort Pierre. I baptized seven half-breed -children. Mr. Hamilton liberally supplied us with -provisions.<a id="FNanchor_339" href="#Footnote_339" class="fnanchor">[339]</a> On the 14th we saw a Mormon along the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_371"></a>[371]</span> -beach, who fled at our approach. We met two Canadians -who had shot a fine turkey, which they gave me: in return -I presented them with some coffee and sugar, rare articles -in that country. A fine breeze brought us in sight of the -old Council Bluffs on the 18th.<a id="FNanchor_340" href="#Footnote_340" class="fnanchor">[340]</a> The river has made -considerable changes since my former visit to this place; -entirely new beds have been formed. For several hundred -miles, all the forests along the south side of the river were -filled with cattle belonging to the Mormons. On the 18th -we passed the ancient trading post, Lisel de Cabanne’s—a -few miles below is the new temporary settlement -of the Mormons, about ten thousand in number.<a id="FNanchor_341" href="#Footnote_341" class="fnanchor">[341]</a> I -was presented to their president, Mr. Young, a kind -and polite gentleman. He pressed me very earnestly -to remain a few days, an invitation which my limited time -did not permit me to accept.<a id="FNanchor_342" href="#Footnote_342" class="fnanchor">[342]</a> The persecutions and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_372"></a>[372]</span> -sufferings endured by this unhappy people, will one day -probably form a prominent part of the history {342} -of the Far-west. At sun-set we encamped at Mr. Sarpy’s -trading post,<a id="FNanchor_343" href="#Footnote_343" class="fnanchor">[343]</a> among the upper Potawotomies, where -I met several of my old Indian friends, and among them -Potogojecs, one of their chiefs, whose Indian legend of -their religious traditions will form the subject of my next -letter.</p> - -<p>20th. A beautiful day—we visited our old friends -in Bellevue, the good Mr. Papin<a id="FNanchor_344" href="#Footnote_344" class="fnanchor">[344]</a> and others. We -passed the Papillion, the Mosquito, and the Platte rivers, -and encamped near Table Creek.<a id="FNanchor_345" href="#Footnote_345" class="fnanchor">[345]</a></p> - -<p>On the 23d we arrived at St. Joseph’s, the highest town -in Missouri.<a id="FNanchor_346" href="#Footnote_346" class="fnanchor">[346]</a> It is now in a most thriving and prosperous<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_373"></a>[373]</span> -condition; much improved indeed since I last saw it.</p> - -<p>28th. We arrived at West-Port,<a id="FNanchor_347" href="#Footnote_347" class="fnanchor">[347]</a> from which I proceeded -by stage to St. Louis, the termination of a trip -which occupied just two months. I recommend myself -to your prayers.</p> - -<p>I remain, with sentiments of profound respect and -esteem, your obedient servant and brother in Christ.</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter25">No. XXV<br /> -A. M. D. G.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Legend of the Potawotomie Indians</span></h3> - -<p class="right">St. Louis University, January 10, 1847.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Very Rev. and Dear Father Provincial</span>,—Agreeably -to my promise, I send you the account given by the Potawotomies, -residing at Council Bluffs, respecting their -own origin, and the causes which gave rise to their “great -medicine,” and juggling, considered by them as of the -highest antiquity. Such superstitions, indeed, are found -to exist among all the tribes of the American continent, -differing only in the form and the accompanying ceremonies. -The Nanaboojoo of the Potawotomies, the Wieska of -the Objibbeways, the Wizakeshak of the Crees, the Sauteux -and the Black-Feet, the Etalapasse of the Tchinouks -on the coast of the Pacific, can, among these different tribes, -be traced up to the same personage.</p> - -<p>{344} I send it <i>verbatim</i>, as it was communicated to me -by Potogojecs, one of the most intelligent chiefs of the -Potawotomie nation. Though fabulous, it is not entirely -devoid of interest; it should excite us to offer up our<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_374"></a>[374]</span> -prayers the more fervently to the Great Father of Light, -for these poor benighted children of the forest, and beg -of Him to send good and worthy laborers into this vast -vineyard. Having enquired of this chief what he thought -of the Great Spirit, of the Creator, and of the origin of his -religion, or great medicine, he replied as follows: “I will -give you a faithful account of what my tribe believes in these -matters. We have not, like you, books to transmit our -traditions to our children; it is the duty of the old men -of the nation to instruct the young people in whatever -relates to their belief, and their happiness.</p> - -<p>“Many among us believe, that there are two Great -Spirits who govern the universe, but who are constantly -at war with each other. One is called the <i>Kchemnito</i>, -that is, the Great Spirit, the other <i>Mchemnito</i>, or the -Wicked Spirit. The first is goodness itself, and his beneficent -influence is felt everywhere; but the second is wickedness -personified, and does nothing but evil. Some believe -that they are equally {345} powerful, and, through fear -of the Wicked Spirit, offer to him their homage and -adoration. Others, again, are doubtful which of them -should be considered the more powerful, and accordingly -endeavor to propitiate both, by offering to each an -appropriate worship. The greater part, however, believe -as I do, that <i>Kchemnito</i> is the first principle, the first -great cause, and consequently ought to be all-powerful, -and to whom alone is due all worship and adoration; and -that <i>Mchemnito</i> ought to be despised and rejected!</p> - -<p>“Kchemnito at first created a world, which he filled -with a race of beings having nothing but the appearance -of men—perverse, ungrateful, wicked dogs—that never -raised their eyes to heaven to implore the assistance of -the Great Spirit. Such ingratitude aroused him to anger, -and he plunged the world in a great lake, where they were<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_375"></a>[375]</span> -all drowned. His anger thus appeased, he withdrew -it from the waters, and created anew a beautiful young -man, who, however, appeared very sad, and being dissatisfied -with his solitary condition, grew weary of life. Kchemnito -took pity on him, and gave him, during sleep, a -sister, as a companion to cheer his loneliness. When -he awoke and saw {346} his sister he rejoiced exceedingly—his -melancholy instantly disappeared. They spent their -time in agreeable conversation and amusement, living -for many years together in a state of innocence and perfect -harmony, without the slightest incident to mar the happiness -of their peaceful solitude.</p> - -<p>“The young man had a dream, for the first time, which -he communicated to his sister. ‘Five young men,’ said he, -‘will come this night, and rap at the door of the lodge—the -Great Spirit forbids you to laugh, to look at them, -or give an answer to any of the first four, but laugh, look, -and speak, when the fifth presents himself.’ She acted -according to his advice. When she heard the voice of -the fifth, she opened the door to him, laughing at the same -time very heartily; he entered immediately, and became -her husband. The first of the five strangers, called Sama, -(tobacco,) having received no answer, died of grief; the -three others, Wapekone, (pumpkin,) Eshketamok, (watermelon,) -and Kojees, (the bean,) shared the fate of their -companion. Taaman, (maize,) the bridegroom, buried -his four companions, and from their graves there sprung -up, shortly after, pumpkins, water-melons, beans, and -tobacco-plants {347} in sufficient abundance to supply -their wants during the whole year, and enable them to -smoke to the manitous, and in the council. From this -union are descended the American Indian nations.</p> - -<p>“A great manitou came on earth, and chose a wife from -among the children of men. He had four sons at a birth;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_376"></a>[376]</span> -the first born was called Nanaboojoo, the friend of the -human race, the mediator between man and the Great -Spirit; the second was named Chipiapoos, the man of -the dead, who presides over the country of the souls; the -third, Wabosso, as soon as he saw the light, fled towards -the north, where he was changed into a white rabbit, and -under that name is considered there as a great manitou; -the fourth was Chakekenapok, the man of flint, or fire-stone. -In coming into the world he caused the death -of his mother.</p> - -<p>“Nanaboojoo, having arrived at the age of manhood, -resolved to avenge the death of his mother, (for among -us revenge is considered honorable); he pursued Chakekenapok -all over the globe. Whenever he could come -within reach of his brother, he fractured some member -of his body, and after several renconters, finally destroyed -him by tearing out his entrails. All {348} fragments -broken from the body of this man of stone then grew up -into large rocks; his entrails were changed into vines -of every species, and took deep root in all the forests; the -flint-stones scattered around the earth indicate where the -different combats took place. Before fire was introduced -among us, Nanaboojoo taught our ancestors how to form -hatchets, lances, and the points of arrows, in order to -assist us in killing our enemies in war, and animals for -our food. Nanaboojoo and his brother, Chipiapoos, lived -together retired from the rest of mankind, and were distinguished -from all other beings by their superior qualities -of body and mind. The manitous that dwell in the air, -as well as those who inhabit the earth and the waters, -envied the power of these brothers, and conspired to destroy -them. Nanaboojoo discovered and eluded their snares, -and warned Chipiapoos not to separate himself from -him a single moment. Notwithstanding this admonition,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_377"></a>[377]</span> -Chipiapoos ventured alone one day upon Lake Michigan; -the manitous broke the ice, and he sank to the bottom, -where they hid the body. Nanaboojoo became inconsolable -when he missed his brother from his lodge; he -sought him everywhere in vain, he waged war against -all the manitous, {349} and precipitated an infinite number -of them into the deepest abyss. He then wept, disfigured -his person, and covered his head, as a sign of his grief, -during six years, pronouncing from time to time, in sad -and mournful tones, the name of the unhappy Chipiapoos.</p> - -<p>“While this truce continued, the manitous consulted -upon the means best calculated to appease the anger of -Nanaboojoo, without, however, coming to any conclusion; -when four of the oldest and wisest, who had had no hand -in the death of Chipiapoos, offered to accomplish the -difficult task. They built a lodge close to that of Nanaboojoo, -prepared an excellent repast, and filled a calumet -with the most exquisite tobacco. They journeyed in -silence towards their redoubted enemy, each carrying -under his arm a bag, formed of the entire skin of some -animal, an otter, a lynx, or a beaver, well provided with -the most precious medicines, (to which, in their superstitious -practices, they attach a supernatural power). -With many kind expressions, they begged that he would -condescend to accompany them. He arose immediately, -uncovered his head, washed himself, and followed them. -When arrived at their lodge, they offered him a cup containing -a dose {350} of their medicine, preparatory to his -initiation. Nanaboojoo swallowed the contents at a single -draught, and found himself completely restored. They -then commenced their dances and their songs; they also -applied their medicine bags, which, after gently blowing -them at him, they would then cast on the ground; at each -fall of the medicine bag, Nanaboojoo perceived that his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_378"></a>[378]</span> -melancholy, sadness, hatred, and anger disappeared, and -affections of an opposite nature took possession of his soul. -They all joined in the dance and song—they ate and -smoked together. Nanaboojoo thanked them for having -initiated him in the mysteries of their grand medicine.</p> - -<p>“The manitous brought back the lost Chipiapoos, but -it was forbidden him to enter the lodge; he received, -through a chink, a burning coal, and was ordered to go -and preside over the region of souls, and there, for the -happiness of his uncles and aunts, that is, for all men -and women, who should repair thither, kindle with this -coal a fire which should never be extinguished.</p> - -<p>“Nanaboojoo then re-descended upon earth, and, by -order of the Great Spirit, initiated all his family in the -mysteries of the grand medicine. {351} He procured -for each of them a bag well furnished with medicines, -giving them strict orders to perpetuate these ceremonies -among their descendants, adding at the same time, that -these practices, religiously observed, would cure their -maladies, procure them abundance in the chase, and give -them complete victory over their enemies. (All their -religion consists in these superstitious practices, dances -and songs; they have the most implicit faith in these strange -reveries.)</p> - -<p>“Nanaboojoo is our principal intercessor with the -Great Spirit; he it was that obtained for us the creation -of animals for our food and raiment. He has caused -to grow those roots and herbs which are endowed with -the virtue of curing our maladies, and of enabling us, -in time of famine, to kill the wild animals. He has left -the care of them to Mesakkummikokwi, the great-grandmother -of the human race, and in order that we should -never invoke her in vain, it has been strictly enjoined -on the old woman never to quit the dwelling. Hence,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_379"></a>[379]</span> -when an Indian makes the collection of roots and herbs -which are to serve him as medicines, he deposits, at the -same time, on the earth, a small {352} offering to Mesakkummikokwi. -During his different excursions over the -surface of the earth, Nanaboojoo killed all such animals -as were hurtful to us, as the mastodon, the mammoth, -etc. He has placed four beneficial spirits at the four -cardinal points of the earth, for the purpose of contributing -to the happiness of the human race. That of the north -procures for us ice and snow, in order to aid us in discovering -and following the wild animals. That of the -south gives us that which occasions the growth of our -pumpkins, melons, maize and tobacco. The spirit placed -at the west gives us rain, and that of the east gives us light, -and commands the sun to make his daily walks around -the globe. The thunder we hear is the voice of spirits, -having the form of large birds, which Nanaboojoo has -placed in the clouds. When they cry very loud we burn -some tobacco in our cabins, to make them a smoke-offering -and appease them.</p> - -<p>“Nanaboojoo yet lives, resting himself after his labors, -upon an immense flake of ice, in the Great Lake, (the -North Sea). We fear that the whites will one day discover -his retreat, and drive him off, then the end of the world -is at {353} hand, for as soon as he puts foot on the earth, -the whole universe will take fire, and every living creature -will perish in the flames!”</p> - -<p>In their festivities and religious assemblies, all their -songs turn upon some one or other of these fables. When -the chief had finished this history, I asked him whether -he had any faith in what he had just related. “Assuredly -I have, for I have had the happiness to see and entertain -three old men of my nation, who penetrated far into the -north, and were admitted into the presence of Nanaboojoo,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_380"></a>[380]</span> -with whom they conversed a long time. He confirmed -all that I have recounted to you!”</p> - -<p>Our savages believe that the souls of the dead, in their -journey to the great prairie of their ancestors, pass a rapid -current, over which the only bridge is a single tree, kept -constantly in violent agitation, managed, however, in such -a way, that the souls of perfect men pass it in safety, whilst -those of the wicked slip off the tree into the water and are -lost forever.</p> - -<p>Such is the narration given to me by the Potawotomi chief, -comprising all the articles of the creed held by this tribe, -we can hardly fail to recognize in it, much obscured by -the accumulation of ages, the tradition of the universal -{354} deluge, of the creation of the universe, of Adam -and Eve; even some traces of the incarnation are found -in the birth of Nanaboojoo, he was descended of parents, -one of whom only, his mother, was of the human race; -he is, moreover, the intercessor between God and man.</p> - -<p>I recommend myself to your prayers.</p> - -<p>I remain, with sentiments of profound respect and esteem, -your obedient humble servant and brother in Christ,</p> - -<p class="right"><i>P. J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter26">No. XXVI<br /> -A. M. D. G.</h3> - -<p class="right">Philadelphia, April 6th, 1847.</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">Mr. J. D. Bryant</span>,</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—The nation of the Pawnees is divided into -four great tribes, which act in concert as one people. -They have their villages upon the river Platte, or Nebrasca, -and its tributaries, about 150 miles west of the Missouri -river. They are the same true children of the desert -as they have been these many ages.—They dress in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_381"></a>[381]</span> -skins of animals killed in the chase. They cultivate maize -and squashes, using the shoulder-blade of the buffalo as a -substitute for the plough and hoe. In the season of the -chase, a whole village, men, women, and children, abandon -their settlements and go in pursuit of the animals whose -flesh supplies them with food. Their huts, which they call -akkaros, are circular, and about 140 feet in circumference. -They are ingeniously formed by planting young trees {356} -at suitable distances apart, then bending and joining -their tops to a number of pillars or posts fixed circularly in -the centre of the enclosure. The trees are then covered -with bark, over which is thrown a layer of earth, nearly -a foot in thickness, and finally, a solid mass of green turf -completes the structure. These dwellings, thus completed, -resemble hillocks. A large aperture in the top serves to -admit the light and also to emit the smoke. They are -very warm in winter, and cool, but oftentimes very damp, -in summer. They are large enough to contain ten or a -dozen families.<a id="FNanchor_348" href="#Footnote_348" class="fnanchor">[348]</a></p> - -<p>If, in the long journeys which they undertake in search -of game, any should be impeded, either by age or sickness, -their children or relations make a small hut of dried grass -to shelter them from the heat of the sun or from the -weather, leaving as much provision as they are able to -spare, and thus abandon them to their destiny. Nothing -is more touching than this constrained separation, caused -by absolute necessity—the tears and cries of the children -on the one hand, and the calm resignation of the -aged father or mother on the other. They often encourage -their children not to expose their own lives in -order to prolong their short remnant {357} of time.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_382"></a>[382]</span> -They are anxious to depart on their long journey, and -to join their ancestors in the hunting-grounds of the -Great Spirit. If, some days after, they are successful -in the chase, they return as quickly as possible to render -assistance and consolation. These practices are common -to all the nomadic tribes of the mountains.</p> - -<p>The Pawnees have nearly the same ideas concerning -the universal deluge as those which I have given of the -Potawotomies. In relation to the soul, they say, that -there is a resemblance in the body which does not die, -but detaches itself when the body expires. If a man has -been good during his life, kind to his parents, a good -hunter, a good warrior, his soul (<i>sa ressemblance</i>) is transported -into a land of delights, abundance, and pleasures. -If, on the contrary, a man has been wicked, hard-hearted, -cruel and indolent, his soul passes through narrow straits, -difficult and dangerous, into a country where all is confusion, -contrariety and unhappiness.</p> - -<p>In their religious ceremonies, they dance, sing and -pray before a bird stuffed with all kinds of roots and herbs -used in their superstition. They have a fabulous tradition, -which teaches them that the morning star sent this bird -to their ancestors, {358} as its representative, with orders -to invoke it on all important occasions and to exhibit it in -times of sacrifice.<a id="FNanchor_349" href="#Footnote_349" class="fnanchor">[349]</a> Before the invocation, they fill the -calumet with the sacred herb contained in the bird. They -then puff out the smoke towards the star, offer the prayers -and make their demands, dancing and singing, and celebrating -in verses the great power of the bird. They implore -its assistance and its favor, whether to obtain success -in hunting or in war, or to demand snow in order to make -the buffalo descend from the mountains, or to appease -the Great Spirit when a public calamity befalls the nation,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_383"></a>[383]</span> -or a family, or even a single person. The Pawnees are -one of the few aboriginal tribes, which, descending from -the ancient Mexicans, are guilty of offering human sacrifices.<a id="FNanchor_350" href="#Footnote_350" class="fnanchor">[350]</a> -In order to justify this barbarous practice, they -say that the morning star taught them by means of the -bird, that such sacrifices were agreeable to it, and would -bring down upon the nation the favor of the great Deliberator<a id="FNanchor_351" href="#Footnote_351" class="fnanchor">[351]</a> -of the universe. They are firmly persuaded that -human sacrifices are most agreeable to the Great Spirit. -Hence, when the Pawnee takes a prisoner and wishes -{359} to render himself acceptable to Heaven, he devotes -it to the morning star. At the time of sacrifice, he delivers -the prisoner over into the hands of the jugglers; soon -after which, commence the ceremonies preparatory to the -offering. I was in the neighborhood when one of these -bloody sacrifices took place, and the particulars, which -I am about to relate, were reported to me by worthy eye-witnesses.</p> - -<p>The victim in this horrid transaction was a young -Sioux girl, named Dakotha, aged 15 years, who had been -taken prisoner by the Pawnees about six months previous -to her immolation. During the months of her captivity, -Dakotha received from the Pawnees every mark of regard -which savages are capable of bestowing. She was an -honored guest at all the <i>fêtes</i> and <i>festivities</i> of the village; -and everywhere was treated, in appearance at least, rather -as a fond friend than as a prisoner. It is the custom thus -to prepare the victim, in order to conceal their infernal -design.</p> - -<p>The month of April being the season for planting, is -on that account selected for the offering of their abominable<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_384"></a>[384]</span> -sacrifices. To this end, four of the principal -savages of the tribe assemble in the largest and most -beautiful {360} akkaro or hut, to deliberate with Tirawaat, -or the great Deliberator of the universe, concerning the -sacrifice of the victim. According to their belief, a -human offering is rewarded by him with an abundant -harvest. He fills the hunting-grounds convenient to their -villages with immense herds of buffaloes, deer and antelopes, -thus enabling them to kill their prey with more -facility and with less risk of coming in contact with other -warlike and hostile nations.</p> - -<p>The oldest savage of the tribe presides at the feast given -on the occasion. Ten of the best singers and musicians, -each with his peculiar instrument, squat in the middle -of the akkaro. Four of them have dried calabashes in -their hands, from which the seeds have been extracted -and small pebbles placed in their stead, which being shaken -by the muscular arms of these gigantic savages, produce -a sound like falling hail. Four others beat their tekapiroutche—this -is a kind of drum of a most mournful and -deafening sound; it is made from the trunk of a tree and is -about three feet long and one-and-a-half broad, covered -at both ends with deer skin. The remaining two have -a kind of flute made of reeds, about two feet long and -one inch in diameter, instruments, such as were used by -{361} the ancient shepherds, and which give forth sounds -that may be heard at the distance of half a mile. They -fasten to each instrument a little tewaara, or medicine -bag, filled with roots and other materials, to which, in -their superstitious rites, they attach a supernatural power, -that renders their offering more agreeable to the Author -of life. Four sentinels, each armed with a lance, take -their position at the four cardinal points of the lodge, -to maintain order among the spectators and to prevent<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_385"></a>[385]</span> -the entrance of the women, young girls and children. The -guests are seated upon the ground or upon mats on the -right and left of the presiding juggler, turning around -from time to time in the most grotesque and ridiculous -dances. Imagine thirty swarthy savages, with their bodies -tattooed; their faces besmeared with paint—white, black, -made of soot and the scrapings of the kettles, yellow, -green and vermilion; and their long and dishevelled -hair clotted with mud or clay. Placing themselves in a -circle, they shriek, they leap, and give to their bodies, -their arms, their legs, and their heads a thousand hideous -contortions; while streams of perspiration, pouring down -their bodies, render the horrors of their appearance still -more dreadful, by {362} the confused commingling of the -colors with which they are smeared—now they crowd -together pell-mell, then separate, some to the right, some -to the left, one upon one foot, another upon two, while -others go on all-fours without order, and although without -appearance of measure, yet, in perfect harmony with -their drums, their calabashes and their flutes.</p> - -<p>Near the centre of the hut, at about four feet from the -fire-place, are placed four large buffalo heads, dissected, -in order that they may take the augury. The presiding -juggler, the musicians and the dancers have their heads -covered with the down of the swan, which sticks to them -by means of honey, with which they smear their hair—a -practice common to all the tribes of North America -in their superstitious rites. The president or presiding -juggler alone is painted with red, the musicians, one half -red and the other half black, while all the others are daubed -with all colors, and in the most fantastic figures.</p> - -<p>Each time that the music, the songs and the dances -are performed, the spectators observe the most profound -silence, and during the space of thirty minutes that the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_386"></a>[386]</span> -extraordinary charivari continues, nothing is heard but -the chants, the cries, the howlings and the music. When -all {363} have figured in the dance, the presiding juggler -gives the signal to stop, crying out with all the force of -his lungs. Immediately all cease, each one takes his place, -and the auditory responds: “Néva! Néva! Néva!” it is -well, it is well, it is well! The dancers then fill the ancient -nawishkaro, or religious calumet, which is used only upon -occasions the most important. They offer it to the president, -who, striking with both his hands the long pipe, -adorned with pearls and worked with different figures, -goes and squats himself down by the fire-place. One -of the guards places a coal upon the mysterious calumet. -Having lighted it, he rises and gives a puff to each of the -musicians without once slacking his hold from the pipe. -He then turns towards the centre, and raising his eyes -towards heaven, he offers the calumet to the Master of -life, resting for a moment in majestic silence: then, offering -three puffs to heaven, he speaks these words: “O, Tirawaat! -Thou who beholdest all things, smoke with thy children, -and take pity on us.” He then offers the calumet to the -buffalo heads, their great manitous, salutes each of them -with two puffs, and then goes to empty the bowl of the -pipe in a wooden dish, prepared for that purpose, that -the sacred ashes {364} may be afterwards gathered and -preserved in a deer-skin pouch.<a id="FNanchor_352" href="#Footnote_352" class="fnanchor">[352]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_387"></a>[387]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;" id="illus15"> -<img src="images/illus15.jpg" width="700" height="400" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Buffalos discovered</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_388"></a>[388]</span></p> - -<p>After the dance, the master of ceremonies serves up -the repast to the guests, seated in a circle. The food -consists of dried buffalo meat and boiled maize, served -in wooden plates, filled to the brim. Each one is bound<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_389"></a>[389]</span> -to empty his plate, even should he expose himself to the -danger of death from indigestion. The president offers -a portion of the meat and maize to the Great Spirit, and -places it accordingly upon the ground, and he then makes -a similar offering to one of the buffalo heads, which is -supposed to be a party to the feast. At length, while -each one occupies himself with doing honor to his plate, -one of the chiefs of the band rises up and announces to -all the guests that the Master of life dances with him, -and that he accepts the calumet and the feasting. All -the band reply: “Néva! Néva! Néva!” This is the -first condemnation.</p> - -<p>{365} The repast ended, they again dance, after which the -calumet is lighted the second time; and, as in the former -instance, is offered to the Master of life and to the buffalo -heads, upon which, the lodge again resounds with the -triple cry, “Néva!” This last dance condemns, without -appeal, the unfortunate victim whose immolation is invoked.</p> - -<p>After all their grotesque dances, their cries, their chants -and their vociferations, the savages, preceded by the -musicians, go out of the lodge, to present the sacred calumet -to the buffalo heads placed on the tops of the lodges -of the village, each of which is ornamented with from -two to eight heads, preserved as the trophies of their skill -in the chase. At each puff the multitude raise a furious -cry, for now the whole village joins in the extraordinary -procession. They stop before the lodge of the Sioux -girl, and make the air resound with the horrible imprecations -against their enemies and against the unfortunate -and innocent victim, who represents them on the present -occasion. From this moment she is guarded by two -old satellites, whose office it is to beguile her from the least -suspicion that she is the victim for the coming sacrifice;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_390"></a>[390]</span> -and whose duty it also is to entertain {366} her upon the -great feast, they prepare on the occasion in her honor, -and that she may be well fed in order to appear more -beautiful and fat, and thereby more agreeable to the Master -of life. This ends the first day of the ceremonies.</p> - -<p>On the second day, two old female savages, with dishevelled -hair, their faces wrinkled and daubed with black and -red paint, their naked arms and legs tattooed, barefooted, -and with no other dress than a deer-skin petticoat, extending -down to the knee—in a word, two miserable-looking -beldams, capable of striking terror in any beholder,—issue -from their huts with pipes in their hands, ornamented with -the scalps which their husbands have taken from their -unhappy enemies. Passing through the village, they -dance around each akkaro, solemnly announcing, “that -the Sioux girl has been given to the Master of life by -wise and just men, that the offering is acceptable to him, -and that each one should prepare to celebrate the day -with festivity and mirth.” At this announcement, the -idlers and children of the village move about and shout -with joy. They then, still dancing, re-conduct the two -old squaws to their huts, before which they place their -pikes as trophies, and enter.—All then {367} return to -their own lodge, to partake of the feasts of their relatives.</p> - -<p>About ten o’clock in the morning of the third day, all -the young women and girls of the village, armed with -hatchets, repair to the lodge of their young and unhappy -captive, and invite her to go into the forest with them -to cut wood.—The simple-hearted, confiding child, accepts -their malicious invitation with eagerness and joy, happy -to breathe once more the pure air.—They then give her -a hatchet, and the female troop advance towards the place -marked out in the dance, making the forest resound with -shouts of joy. Atipaat, an old squaw who conducted<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_391"></a>[391]</span> -them, designates, by a blow of the hatchet, the tree which -is to be cut down. Each then gives it one blow, after -which the victim approaches to complete the work. As -soon as she commences what seems to her but pastime, -the whole crowd of young furies surround her, howling -and dancing. Unconscious that the tree is to supply -the wood for her own sacrifice, the poor child pursues -her work as if a great honor had been reserved for her.—Atipaat, -the old woman, then fastens to her the ashki<a id="FNanchor_353" href="#Footnote_353" class="fnanchor">[353]</a> -with which to draw the wood.</p> - -<p>{368} The troop then lead the way towards the village, -dancing as they pass along, but giving the hapless victim -almost no assistance in dragging her load. An innumerable -multitude attend them to the place of sacrifice, and -receive them with loud acclamations. They there relieve -her of her burden and again place her in the hands of the -guards, who, with voices harsh and quivering, chant the -great deeds of their younger days and re-conduct her -to her lodge. In the meantime the whole band assist to -arrange the wood between two trees, after which they -immediately disperse.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the fourth day, before sunrise, a -savage visits all the lodges to announce to each family, -in the name of the Master of life, that they must furnish -two billets of wood about three feet long for the sacrifice.</p> - -<p>Then thirty warriors issue from their lodges, decked -in all sorts of accoutrements; their heads adorned with -deer and buffalo horns, with the tails of horses and the -plumes of the {369} eagle and heron, interwoven with<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_392"></a>[392]</span> -their scalp-locks, while the tails of wolves and wild cats -stream from various parts behind, as the wings of Mercury -are represented, with pendants hanging from their noses -and ears, so elongated by the weight of the ornaments -suspended to them, that they float about and strike against -their shoulders.—Glass beads, or necklaces of brass or -steel adorn their necks, while highly-ornamented deer-skin -leggins and curiously-painted buffalo-skins, negligently -thrown over their shoulders, complete their grotesque -habiliments. Thus accoutred they present themselves -at the hut of their captive, who is already adorned with -the most beautiful dress their fancy can devise, or the -materials at their command produce. Her head-dress -is composed of the feathers of the eagle and swan, and -descends behind in gracefully waving curves, even to the -ground. Her person is properly painted with red and -black lines. A frock of deer-skin descends to the knee, -while a beautiful pair of leggins extend from thence to the -ankle. A pair of moccasins garnished with porcupine -quills, pearl and glass beads, are on her feet. Pendants -hang from her ears and nose, a necklace ornaments her -neck, and bracelets her arms; {370} nothing was spared -that could add to her beauty.</p> - -<p>Tranquillity and joy distinguishes her as she approaches -the grand feast, which she has been made to believe her -kind guardians have prepared to honor her. At the first -cry of the warriors, the poor child comes out of the hut -and walks at the head of her executioners, who follow -in single file. As they pass along they enter into all the -huts, where the most profound silence and the utmost -propriety reign. The Sioux girl walks around the fire-place, -her followers do the same, and, just as she leaves -the lodge, the principal squaw gives her two billets of -wood, which the unconscious victim gives in her turn<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_393"></a>[393]</span> -to each of the savages. In this manner, when she has -been made to collect all the wood to serve for her immolation, -she takes her place in the rear of the band, joyous and -content that she has had the happiness to contribute to -the pleasure of her executioners; after which they again -restore her to her two guards, to be presented with her -last repast, which consists of a large plate of maize.</p> - -<p>All now wait in anxious expectation to witness the -last scene of the bloody drama. The whole village is in -commotion. Everywhere {371} the warriors, old and young, -may be seen preparing their murderous arrow, as upon -the eve of a battle. Some practice shooting at a mark; -the more barbarous, thirsting for the blood of their enemies, -encourage and instruct their children in the use -of the bow and arrow, and what part of the body they -ought to strike.—The young women and girls devote -themselves to clearing away the brushes and preparing -the place of sacrifice, after the accomplishment of which, -they employ themselves during the rest of that day and -night in polishing their necklaces, pendants and bracelets, -and all the other ornaments in which they wish to appear -at the great feast.</p> - -<p>On the fifth day, an aid-de-camp of Lechartetewarouchte, -or the chief of sacrifice, ran through the village to -announce, in the name of his master, the necessity of -preparing the red and black paint, which is to serve for -the grand ceremony. It is vain to attempt to give you, -my dear sir, an adequate description of this personage, -either as regards his costume, his figure, or his manner; -it is everything that a savage can invent of the fantastic, -the ridiculous and the frightful, united in one person. -The collector of colors himself scarcely yields {372} -to his comrade in monstrosity. He has the appearance -of one, truly, just escaped from the infernal regions. His<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_394"></a>[394]</span> -body is painted black, which, contrasted with the whiteness -of his teeth and of his huge eyes, and with his hair -besmeared with white clay, and bristling like the mane of -a lion, gives him an aspect terrible and ferocious in the -extreme. At each heel is fastened the tail of a wolf, and -on his feet a pair of moccasins made of buffalo skin, with -the long shaggy hair on the outside. He passes through -the whole village with a measured step, holding a wooden -plate in each hand. He enters the huts successively, -and, as he approaches the fire-place, he cries aloud: “The -Master of life sends me here.” Immediately, a woman -comes and empties into one of his plates either some red -or some black paint, which she had prepared. Upon -the reception of which, he raises his eyes to heaven, and -with a loud voice says: “Regard the love of thy children, -O Tirawaat! However poor, all that they possess is thine, -and they give it to thee. Grant us an abundant harvest. -Fill our hunting-grounds with buffaloes, deer, stags and -antelopes. Make us powerful against our enemies, so that -we may again renew this great sacrifice.” {373} Each one -replies by the usual exclamation: “Néva! Néva! Néva!”</p> - -<p>After the return of the collector of colors, and before -sunrise, the last scene commences. Men and women, -boys and girls, daub themselves in all the colors and forms -imaginable. They deck themselves in whatever they -possess which in their estimation is either beautiful or -precious—pearls, beads, porcelain collars, the claws -of the white bear, (this is in their view the most costly and -valuable decoration) bracelets and pendants; nothing is -forgotten on this occasion. They ornament their hair -with the feathers of the heron, and of the gray eagle, a -bird superstitiously venerated by them. Thus equipped -for their sortie, they listen attentively for the first signal -to the sacrifice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_395"></a>[395]</span></p> - -<p>While these preparations are in progress, the Tewaarouchte, -a religious band of distinguished warriors, known -in the procession by the down of swans upon their hair -or upon the tops of their heads, and by their naked bodies -painted in red and black lines, follow the braves of -the nation armed with their bows and arrows, which are -sedulously concealed beneath their buffalo robes. Thus -they approach the lodge where the unconscious victim -awaits, as she thinks, {374} the happy moment for the -festivities given in her honor, to commence. She is now -delivered into the hands of her executioners, dressed in the -beautiful costume of the previous day, with the addition of -a cord tied to each ankle. The poor child is all interest -and in a kind of impatience to participate in the grand -festivities. She smiles as she looks round upon the most -cruel and the most revengeful enemies of her race. Not -the slightest agitation, fear, or suspicion, is visible in her -manner. She walks with joy and confidence in the midst -of her executioners. Arrived at the fatal spot, a frightful -presentiment flashes across her mind. There is no one -of her own sex present. In vain do her eyes wander from -place to place, in order to find the evidences of a feast. -Why that solitary fire? And those three posts, which -she herself drew from the forest, and which she saw -fastened between two trees, and those swarthy figures of -the warriors, what can they mean? All, all indicate some -dreadful project. They order her to mount the three -posts. She hesitates, she trembles as an innocent lamb -prepared for the slaughter. She weeps most bitterly -and with a voice the most touching, such as must have -broken any other hearts than those of these {375} savage -men, she implores them not to kill her. With a persuasive -tone they endeavor to convince her that their intention -is not to injure her, but that the ceremonies in which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_396"></a>[396]</span> -she participates are indispensable before the grand feast. -One of the most active of the savages unrolls the cords -tied to her wrists and assists her to mount to the post. -He passes the cords over the branches of the two trees, -between which the sacrifice is to be made.</p> - -<p>These are rendered firm by the powerful arms of the -other savages, and her feet immediately fastened to the topmost -of the three posts, which she had unconsciously -cut and drawn to the fatal spot. On the instant all doubt -of their intentions vanishes from her mind. The savages -no longer conceal from her their frightful project. She -cries aloud, she weeps, she prays; but her supplications, -her tears and her prayers are alike drowned in the melée, -and cry of their horrible imprecations against her nation.</p> - -<p>Upon her innocent and devoted head they concentrate -the full measure of their vengeance, of all the cruelties, -of all the crimes, of all the injustice and cruelty of the -Sioux, which may have taken place in their most cruel -and protracted {376} wars, and which from time immemorial -had been transmitted from father to son, as a precious -heritage of vengeance and resentment. In a manner -the most furious and most triumphant they exult with -leaping and howling, like wild beasts, around their trembling -victim. They then despoil her of all her ornaments -and of her dress, when the chief of the sacrifice approaches -and paints one-half of her body black and the other half -red, the colours of their victims. He then scorches her -armpits and sides with a pine-knot torch. After these -preparatory rites, he gives the signal to the whole tribe, -who make the air resound with the terrible war-cry of the -Sassaskwi. At this piercing cry, which freezes the heart -with terror, which paralyzes the timid and rouses the -ardor of the brave, which confounds the buffalo in his -course, and fills the bear with such fear as to take from<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_397"></a>[397]</span> -him all the power of resisting or fleeing from his enemies, -the savages, impatient and greedy for blood, issue from -their dark lodges. Like a terrific hurricane they rush -headlong to the fatal spot. Their cries, mingled with the -noise of their feet, resemble the roar of thunder, increasing -as the storm approaches. As a swarm of bees surround -their queen, these Pawnee savages {377} encompass the -Sioux child—their trembling victim. In the twinkling -of an eye, their bows are bent and their arrows adjusted -to the cords. The arrow of Lecharitetewarouchte, -or chief of the sacrifice, is the only one which is -barbed with iron. With this, it is his province to -pierce the heart of the innocent Dakotha. A profound -silence reigns for an instant among the ferocious band. -No sound breaks the awful stillness save the sobs and -piteous moans of the victim, who hangs trembling in the -air, while the chief of the sacrifice makes a last offering -of her to the Master of the universe. At that moment -he transfixes her through the heart—upon the instant -a thousand murderous arrows quiver in the body of the -poor child. Her whole body is one shapeless mass, riddled -with arrows as numerous as are the quills upon the back -of the porcupine.</p> - -<p>While the howling and the dancing continue, the great -chief of the nation, mounting the three posts in triumph, -plucks the arrows from the dead body and casts them -into the fire. The iron-barbed arrow being the only one -preserved for future sacrifices. He then squeezes the -blood from the mangled flesh, upon the maize and other -seeds, which stand around in baskets ready {378} to be -planted; and then, as the last act of this cruel and bloody -sacrifice, he plucks the still palpitating heart from the -body, and, heaping the fiercest imprecations upon the enemies -of his race, devours it amidst the shouts and screams<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_398"></a>[398]</span> -of his people. The rite is finished. The haughty and -satisfied savages move away from the scene of their awful -tragedy; they pass the remainder of the day in feasts -and merriment. The murdered and deformed body -hangs where it was immolated, a prey to wolves and carnivorous -birds. I will end this painful tragedy, by giving -you an extract of a former letter.</p> - -<p>“Such horrid cruelties could not but bring down the -wrath of Heaven upon their nation. As soon as the report -of the sacrifice reached the Sioux, they burned with the -desire to avenge their honor, and bound themselves by -oaths that they would not rest until they had killed as -many Pawnees as their innocent victim had bones or joints -in her body. More than a hundred Pawnees have at -length fallen under their tomahawks, and their oaths -have since been still more amply fulfilled in the massacre -of their wives and children.</p> - -<p>“In view of so much cruelty, who could mistake the -agency of the arch enemy of mankind, {379} and who -could refuse to exert himself to bring these benighted -nations to the knowledge of the One only true Mediator -between God and man, and of the only true sacrifice -without which it is impossible to appease the Divine -justice?”</p> - -<p class="center">With sentiments of respect and esteem,</p> - -<p class="center">I remain, my dear sir, yours, &c.</p> - -<p class="right"><i>Peter J. De Smet, S. J.</i></p> - -<h3 id="letter27">No. XXVII<br /> -A. M. D. G.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Extract from the Missionary’s Journal</span></h3> - -<p>To-day, 17th August, we pitched our tents upon the -borders of a winding stream, in the heart of a wild, mountainous<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_399"></a>[399]</span> -country, whose deep ravines and gloomy caverns -are well suited for the dens of wild animals. Great as -our expectations were of finding here abundance of game, -they were not deceived. In less than an hour our hunters -killed as many as twelve bears. During the night, an -event of a far more serious nature occurred. The sudden -firing of a gun roused us from slumber. Every warrior -was on the alert; that shot could have proceeded from -no hand save that of a “Black-Foot!” We looked at -one another in silent anticipation. Who, then, had been -the sufferer? The painful question was quickly answered. -It was the {381} poor widow Camilla, one of the Sinpoil -tribe.<a id="FNanchor_354" href="#Footnote_354" class="fnanchor">[354]</a> The ball had passed through her throat, and she -expired without a groan! Happily, her soul was ripe for -Heaven. From the period of her first communion, she -had never passed a Sunday without approaching the holy -table, nor was her baptismal robe sullied by the slightest -stain. The funeral obsequies were performed on the -banks of Yellow-Rock River,<a id="FNanchor_355" href="#Footnote_355" class="fnanchor">[355]</a> because that spot was -better suited than any other to conceal her sepulchre from -the avaricious Black-Foot assassin. All things work together -for good to them that love God; this death, terrible, -indeed, in the sight of men, but precious in the eyes of -the Lord, became the source of a good work. The murdered -woman left two daughters, both very young; had -her life been spared, she would not, perhaps, have been -able to shield their innocence from the dangers to which -it would have been exposed; but, now, they were immediately -adopted by Ambrose, chief of the Flat-Heads, and -father of a numerous family; in his noble heart, charity,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_400"></a>[400]</span> -piety, and confidence in God, go hand-in-hand with his -courage.</p> - -<p>At the distance of a few gun-shots from Yellow-Rock, -the buffaloes made their appearance. {382} One of them -plunged into the river to avoid the death which threatened -him, swam rapidly down the current, then suddenly tacked -about to escape his pursuers; and, finally, exhausted -by his efforts, unable longer to contend with his fate, -came out of the river, and stretched himself upon the -turf at the entrance of our camp, where his presence -caused no other mischief than that of exciting the -mirth of the women and children.</p> - -<p>Farther on, two bears were seen making their way -through the bushes. The young people, who were the -first to perceive them, announced their discovery by loud -yells. Immediately, a Black-Foot, a friend of the Flat-Heads, -sprang forward with the intention of giving the -first blow to the common enemy; but the sagacious animal, -anticipating his design, rushed from his lair, and fastened -his enormous claws on the uplifted arm of the young -Indian, whose situation would have been desperate, had -not a Flat-Head come to his assistance. A few days after, -another converted Black-Foot, finding himself in the same -circumstances, and wishing to show that he knew better -than his comrade how to kill bears, went {383} about it -in the same manner, and shared the same fate; a punishment -which his temerity richly deserved.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_401"></a>[401]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;" id="illus16"> -<img src="images/illus16.jpg" width="700" height="400" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">A Prayer for success in hunting.</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_402"></a>[402]</span></p> - -<p>Whilst we were encamped in this place, several chiefs -of the Corbeaux tribe came to visit the Flat-Heads, accompanied -by the flower of their young warriors. They -spoke with enthusiasm of the visit their nation had received -from a Black-gown in 1842, and expressed great desire -for the time to come when they, like the Flat-Heads, -would enjoy the privilege of having Black-gowns always<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_403"></a>[403]</span> -with them, to instruct them in heavenly things. They -still observe the superstitious practices of the calumet. -To render the odor of the pacific incense agreeable to -their gods, it is necessary that the tobacco and the herb -(skwiltz), the usual ingredients, should be mixed with -a small quantity of buffalo’s dung, and that the <i>great pipe</i>, -after having gone round the lodge, should re-commence -the circuit as soon as it arrives at the opening, without -which ceremony they imagine it would be useless to smoke -with their brethren, or incense, as they do, the heavens, -earth, four cardinal points, and medals of Washington -and Jackson.</p> - -<p>Nothing but misfortunes could await them. {384} -Whilst they remained with us, we buried a Pend-d’Oreille -Indian, who had died shortly after baptism, strengthened -by all the sacraments of the church. This ceremony, -which was performed with more than ordinary pomp -in honor of the visitors, was concluded by the solemn -erection of the cross on the grave of the deceased. May -the remembrance of these last duties paid to a departed -child of the church, increase in the hearts of the Corbeaux -the desire of knowing Him, without the knowledge of -whom there is no salvation. The following day they -returned to their own camp.</p> - -<p>The Pierced-Noses were now on their way to their -own country; the Flat-Heads, on the contrary, were still -in pursuit of game; for, although the season was far advanced, -they had not yet commenced to lay in their winter -provisions. Early the following morning, we struck our tents -and resumed our march. We had not proceeded far, when -our attention was attracted by a herd of buffaloes quietly -feeding in the beautiful valley at our feet. They were -so numerous, that each of the hunters killed several. -The slaughter of these animals was but the prelude of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_404"></a>[404]</span> -that which was to take place on the following days. Our -hunters brought in {385} game in abundance. On one -occasion, they returned laden with the spoils of 344 fat -cows. We encamped in the very heart of the Black-Foot -territory, yet the howling of wolves and bears, calling one -another to their nocturnal repast, was the only sound -that disturbed our repose. The hunting season is a time -of rest for the missionary, of intimate union with his God, -of renovation for his soul! It was in this spirit I received, -with humble gratitude, the short but severe illness with -which I was visited at this period. I regarded it, likewise, -as sent me in punishment for the too natural pleasure -I felt in contemplating the strange and varied scenes by -which I was surrounded. During our encampment in -this spot, I had the consolation of baptizing ten adults.</p> - -<p>An unexpected fall of snow warned us that it was time -to think of our return. The chief accordingly gave orders -for all to be in readiness to set out the following day. -The weather was clear, but intensely cold; and, suffering -as I still was, from the effects of my recent illness, I had -great difficulty in supporting its severity. We were, however, -soon cheered by milder days, and warmer sunshine. -Our young hunters were, once more, all animation. The -pleasures {386} of the chase were resumed as far as the -good order necessary for the homeward march would -permit. Even the children caught the general spirit, -and bounded off in pursuit of some smaller animal, which -the elated winner of the race never failed to bring back -on his shoulder.</p> - -<p>We were now entering the defile where we had before -met with such brilliant success. At almost every step -we fell in with some straggler. At one time, an old -decrepit buffalo; at another, a fat cow, and sometimes -a playful calf, whose dam had already fallen a victim.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_405"></a>[405]</span> -These animals were an easy prey, and their capture was -a new source of sport for the boys.</p> - -<p>On the 28th I retired to the summit of a neighboring -mountain, to read the vespers of St. Michael. The atmosphere -was unusually serene; not a sound disturbed -the silence of nature. I gazed on the quiet beauty of -the scene, hushed, as it were, in the presence of God, -and my heart dilated at the thought of the thousands of -unconverted Indians, buried in the darkness of idolatry. -Full of these thoughts, I raised my eyes, and, excited as -my imagination was, it seemed to me that I beheld the -archangel, Michael, standing on the opposite mountain, -exclaiming, “Deluded nations! Who is {387} like unto -God?” The voice resounded through the forests—it -was echoed by the deep ravines. I fancied it was heard -and understood by the wild children of the woods; their -responding shouts rung in my ear. Yielding to the -enthusiasm of my feelings, I hastily quitted my elevated -position, and erected a wooden cross on the summit of -a neighboring eminence. Some days after, a hunter -discovered, near the half-consumed embers of an extinguished -fire, a similar cross, to which a banner was attached. -My first thought was, that it had been planted there by -some Catholic, who had lost his way in the forest, and -been devoured by the wolves. The Flat-Heads, however, -well acquainted with the practices of their ancient -foes, the Black-Feet, informed me that it was a custom -among them to erect these crosses to the moon, in order -to render her favorable to the robbery or chase, in which -they were about to engage. This information dispelled -the pleasing fancies in which I had indulged; and -painfully reminded me that the God-Saviour is yet -far from being adored in these wild abodes. May we -not hope that the time will yet come, when the banner<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_406"></a>[406]</span> -of the true cross will wave triumphant o’er this benighted -land!</p> - -<p>{388} The obstacles which have hitherto prevented -the missionaries from penetrating into the Black-Feet -territory are now beginning to disappear, and there is -every prospect of our soon being able to commence the -glorious work of their conversion.</p> - -<p>The next day we entered a mountain pass, where the -foot of man had seldom trodden, as was proved by the -fact, that fifteen beavers were taken in one night by three -hunters. After following for some time the circuitous -windings of the ravine, we came to an ascent so slippery, -that at every instant I was in anticipation of some sad -catastrophe. Presently a sumpter-horse missed his footing -and fell, rolling down the precipice. Who, that had seen -him fall from rock to rock, would ever have thought, -that in a few minutes he would be journeying on, laden -as before! Without uttering a single word, the guide -made her way through the deep snow to the spot where -the poor animal lay, unloaded him, raised him from the -ground, replaced his burden, and brought him back to -the rear of the troop.</p> - -<p>We continued our route until sunset, along the mountain’s -summit; at length, after a forced march of ten -hours, we pitched our tents on a {389} beautiful island, -where we enjoyed both security and repose. Surrounded -by the waters of the Missouri, and abounding in rich -pastures, this charming spot seems, as it were, destined -by nature as a place of rest for the wearied traveller.</p> - -<p>It would have been impossible to contemplate without -admiring the loveliness of the landscape. From the -southern coast of the river arose a ridge of mountains, -whose varied colors of blue, red, green, and yellow, gave -them a striking appearance; the effect of which was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_407"></a>[407]</span> -heightened by a small stream, leaping from rock to rock, -in the form of a cascade, cooling the parched ground, -insinuating itself into the crevices of the rocks, and giving -birth to an infinite variety of creeping plants, and flowering -shrubs.—The island itself is beautiful beyond description. -The scenery is diversified by groups of the majestic buttonball, -which, in this country, is the giant of the vegetable -kingdom. It was under the shade of one of these noble -trees that our hunters prepared to celebrate the feast of -the Maternity. The sun’s last rays had long disappeared -beneath the horizon, ere all was ready for the evening -prayer. After which, notwithstanding the fatigues of -the day, a large {390} fire was kindled before my tent, -and the greater part of the night consecrated by these -fervent children of the woods, to the reconciliation of their -souls with God. The following day the Holy Sacrifice -was celebrated with as much solemnity as the circumstances -would permit. Of the ninety persons who then -approached the table of the Lord, there was not one, who, -since the departure from St. Mary’s, had not communicated -every month. Several had enjoyed that happiness -each week. During the evening office nothing particular -occurred. The eve of my departure the mothers brought -their young children to receive my blessing; and the chiefs -erected a cross in token of their gratitude for the favors -received during the hunting season. To this latter circumstance -the island is indebted for the beautiful name of -St. Croix.</p> - -<p>The following day I bade farewell to my dear neophytes; -and, after joining in prayer with them for the last time, -I set out on my return to St. Mary’s.</p> - -<p class="right"><i>N. Point, S. J.</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_408"></a>[408]</span></p> - -<h3 id="letter28">No. XXVIII<br /> -“<span class="smcap">Henceforward the Prayer of the Flat-Heads -shall be Ours</span>”</h3> - -<p class="center">BY REV. P. N. POINT</p> - -<p>We shall see what gave occasion to these remarkable -words uttered by thirty-seven Black-Feet, who had fallen -into the hands of the Flat-Heads.</p> - -<p>It is rare, at present, to find any Black-Feet, even among -the most vicious tribes, who are not convinced that the -<i>Black-gowns</i> desire their happiness.</p> - -<p>The following observations clearly prove my proposition: -1, the kind reception they gave the Black Robe -who was taken by sixty of their warriors: 2, the attention -with which they listened to the Rev. Mr. Thibault, a -Canadian priest, who fell in with a large company of them -at Fort Augusta,<a id="FNanchor_356" href="#Footnote_356" class="fnanchor">[356]</a> on the River Sascatshawin: 3, sending -back to St. Mary’s, a horse belonging to a Flat-Head -missionary; a circumstance {392} hitherto unheard of, -in the relations of the Black-Feet with the Flat-Heads; -4, the confidence which several have manifested in the -missionaries, on many remarkable occasions; 5, the smoking -of the calumet in the plain of the Great Valley, with a -small number of Flat-Heads whom they might have killed -without difficulty; 6, the amicable visits they have paid the -Flat-Heads by the persuasion of the hoary chief Nicholas, -(baptized,) and the habitual residence of several of the -tribe at the village of St. Mary’s; 7, the plunder of horses -is incomparably more rare than during the preceding -years; 8, the four years’ cessation of any serious attack; -though, formerly, not a hunting party passed without a -sanguinary battle with the Flat-Heads. In proof of this,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_409"></a>[409]</span> -remember the sixty-five battles of old Paulin. If we add -to all this, the providential and admirable circumstance -which occurred during the chase, and which we purpose -relating, surely, it may be permitted to form the brightest -prospects relative to the religious conquest of this numerous -tribe; and I sincerely hope that an occurrence, which -lately took place at St. Mary’s, will contribute much to -realize my desires.</p> - -<p>{393} The 2d or 3d February, during the night, the -dogs barked—a pistol-shot was heard—a mournful -silence ensues! A thief, doubtless, had been wounded. -The following morning, marks of blood could be traced -as far as the river, which led to the conclusion that the -robber had perished in the waves; but, three days since, -George Sapime, whilst duck-shooting, found the suffering -being among some bushes, so exhausted by loss of blood -that he could scarcely stand. George might easily have -despatched him on the spot, according to the savage custom; -but he thought it better to return to the village and take -counsel as to what seemed most expedient to be done with -the hapless desperado. At this intelligence, numbers -of Indians mount their horses and gallop off, full armed, -to the spot indicated. Whilst this was being transacted, -the incident was related to Father Mengarini. Pelchimo -and Ambrose, two really brave Flat-Heads,<a id="FNanchor_357" href="#Footnote_357" class="fnanchor">[357]</a> who communicated -the intelligence, thought it base to kill a dying -man. The zealous missionary conceived an ardent desire -to secure the salvation of the culprit, by pouring on his -soul the saving waters of regeneration. Pelchimo, seconding -the good design, flies to the place, and arrives at the -very instant when the {394} pistols were cocked to terminate -the prisoner’s existence. “Stop!” vociferates the feeling<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_410"></a>[410]</span> -Pelchimo. At this word the execution is suspended, -and an hour after, the Black-Foot enemy and robber is -tended, in the chieftain’s lodge, with all the kindness that -could be lavished on a noble and much-loved sufferer.</p> - -<p>Father Mengarini, after having dressed his wounds, -spoke to him of God, and his judgments: the sick man -answered, that it was the first time he had heard these -great truths. Such a reply, made the father cherish the -hope of saving his soul; and, also, of contributing, by means -of this man, to the designs of mercy, which, it seemed, -the Almighty God had towards this terrible nation. -“Brethren,” said he, addressing the assembled chiefs, -“during four years the Black-gowns have been among -you, and each day have they spoken to you of God. You -know well that His divine Son not only died on the cross -for all men, but even pardoned his enemies, and prayed -for his executioners, to teach us how we should act in the -like occasions. An enemy has fallen into your hands—remember, -he has a soul like yours, redeemed by the -blood of Jesus Christ, and destined to sing eternally -the divine mercy of your Saviour! {395} What shall be -done with this man? Is he to live, or must he die?” -“Let him live,” answered every tongue. Overjoyed to -find their hearts so replete with compassion, the Black-gown -was expressing his satisfaction to the assembled -tribe, when he was told that some obscure savages, -of a different tribe, were not of the same opinion as -the generous chieftains who surrounded him. This -information induced the father to take a different tone; -and addressing the murmurers, he thus spoke: “Brethren! -when we pardon a foe, we imitate the ordinary conduct -of God towards men. Who, among you, has not sinned -during his life? And how often has God forgiven you? -If, instead of forgetting your multiplied offences, the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_411"></a>[411]</span> -Almighty had placed your souls in the power of your -infernal enemy, what would now be your fate? But no; -God has not treated you thus; he has sent his ministers -among you,—numbered you among his children, and -promised heaven to your fidelity and compassion for the -unfortunate; and who knows, if this signal favor may not -depend on the generosity you exercise towards your enemy? -The blood of Jesus Christ pleads for mercy in his behalf. -Already have your chiefs pronounced his pardon. Will -you imitate their {396} noble conduct? Ah! if you refuse, -take your knives and bury them in your enemy’s heart! -But, from that instant, call not God your Father; cease -saying to Him: ‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive -those who trespass against us;’ for, our Common Father -might hear your prayer, but, it would be for your eternal -reprobation.” This brief but energetic appeal caused -such sensation throughout the auditory, that every one -approved the first decision. From that moment the entire -village of St. Mary’s, with the exception of a few malicious -hearts, shared in the generous sentiments of the Flat-Head -chiefs. Selpisto, a chieftain of the Pends-d’Oreilles, -happened to be, at this time, at St. Mary’s. He took the -Black-Foot under his protection, and when he recovered -from his wounds, loaned him a horse to return to his -country; and he even redoubled his attention at the moment -when he received the news that one of his sons had fallen -a sacrifice to the Black-Feet. When the youth was met -by his enemies, he was returning in triumph to St. Mary’s, -with the horses recently stolen from the village. His -bravery had forced the robbers to return them; this circumstance -rendered his loss a still greater affliction to his -family. The return of the Black-Foot, so {397} honorably -dismissed, and the relation he gave the tribe of the mercy -exercised towards him, caused his nation to look upon the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_412"></a>[412]</span> -Flat-Heads in a different light. “I am very glad,” wrote -Father Mengarini, “that this affair terminated amicably. -I trust that the future will prove, that the Almighty, after -having exercised mercy towards this unfortunate sinner, -has also particular graces in reserve for this perfidious -and benighted nation, which I hope, is destined to receive -the light of the gospel. Should any fathers be named to -this mission, I should be too happy to be of their number.”</p> - -<p>To whom are the Black-Feet indebted for a change -so consoling, both to religion and humanity? Next to -Almighty God, we may safely say, they owe it to the -admirable conduct of the Flat-Heads, especially since -the residence of the missionaries among the tribe. Some -remarkable instances of virtue were exhibited during -the hunting season.</p> - -<p>On quitting St. Mary’s our pious neophytes added -some short invocations to their morning and evening -prayers; 1, to the Heart of Jesus, as protector of the men’s -confraternity; 2, to the blessed Virgin, patroness of the -women’s sodality; 3, to St. Michael, model of the brave; -{398} 4, to St. Raphael, the guide of travellers; 5, to St. -Hubert, the patron of hunters; 6, to St. Francis Xavier, -for the conversion of idolaters. We shall see, that these -pious aspirations were not addressed to Heaven in vain.</p> - -<p>The eve preceding the anniversary of St. Francis -Xavier’s canonization, the missionary administered baptism -to a Black-Foot, whose example induced many others -to solicit the like favor. The reception of the holy sacraments -of penance and eucharist, was very frequent. There -were 430 confessions, (children included), 350 communions, -103 of which took place the last Sunday. Only -one person was left, in the camp; he having recently made -his first communion, did not renew it during the chase;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_413"></a>[413]</span> -whereas, his companions approached two or three times, -and some, even more frequently. The pious practice of -saying the Angelus, reciting the Rosary, and singing canticles, -was maintained throughout the camp. The chiefs -displayed their zeal for every species of good; an unalterable -patience was the distinguishing virtue of all, and this -is saying much, if we consider the trials attending the -hunting season. Their resignation to the Divine will, -was strongly manifested. During twenty-four days they -had {399} been toiling onwards, undergoing much suffering -from a rigorous abstinence, when the news was spread -that a herd of buffaloes had been seen in the environs. -The Indians repaired thither, but it was to encounter a -keen disappointment. Thus, the poor Flat-Heads found -themselves constrained either to fast or seek food in the -country of the Black-Feet. As their horses were in a better -condition than those of the other tribes, they resolved to -risk the dangerous expedient. Four days they traversed -heights and floods: the weather was cold and snow lay -on the ground; no animals were to be seen. At last, on -Wednesday in Ember-week the missionary warned his little -flock that the moment was propitious for addressing Heaven -to implore the goods of earth; but, he added: “if you wish -the Divine bounty to shed on you His gifts, you must -promise not to abuse them.” His words were attended to -with deep emotion, and each savage, according to the Indian -expression, “Arranged his heart and began to pray.” The -next morning, (Thursday), herds of cattle were seen in -the neighborhood; and on Friday and Saturday so many -were killed that their great number encumbered the lodges.</p> - -<p>Already was the camp on its homeward {400} march, -when, 12th March, the chief, reaching the top of a mountain -which commanded an extensive view of the plain, suddenly -stopped—and after gazing fixedly for some time,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_414"></a>[414]</span> -discovered moving objects at the verge of the horizon. -At first, those around him imagined they saw buffaloes; -next, they fancied they could discover a herd of deer; the -final conclusion was, that an armed party of Black-Feet -rapidly approached them. What was to be done? Victor, -the chief, lost nothing of his usual presence of mind. He -calmly quitted the head of the camp, mounted his horse, -and making the animal perform a few evolutions, he was -instantly surrounded by the bravest of his band. Isaac -proposed prayer.—Victor exclaimed: “Let us wait until -the Black-Feet show themselves yonder.” Saying these -words, he pointed out a second mountain which concealed -us. Never had any position offered more advantages. -The Black-Feet were climbing the opposite side—they -were already fatigued. Between the mountain and the -chain which crowned the horizon extended an immense -plain, without either tree, ravine or river that could -offer them the least rampart. They were but thirty-seven -in number, newly exercised in arms, and on foot. The -Flat-Heads, on {401} the contrary, were on horseback, -numbered fifty, in the flower of age, all well armed and -conducted by chieftains whose shadow would put to flight -more enemies than were now approaching. Besides, -Victor was at their head; he who had never been conquered, -and what is more, not even wounded, though six different -times he had been encompassed by the Black-Feet. The -marked protection of Heaven had thus manifested itself -in his favor!</p> - -<p>The enemy, then, could not escape them. All eyes were -strained towards the spot indicated by the chief, expecting -the approach of the foe. Victor judges that there is “periculum -in mora;” he casts a smiling look on the missionary, -raises his fire-arms, utters a yell, urges on his steed, and flies -to the combat, followed by the bravest of the land. Perceiving<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_415"></a>[415]</span> -their approach, the Black-Feet took to flight, casting -away all that embarrassed them; but beholding themselves -hemmed in on all sides, they endeavoured to rally; the -Flat-Heads hasten towards them; Victor’s horse having -been lately wounded, Fidele, Ambrose, Isaac, Ferdinand, -and Emanuel, passed their chief, and arrived first in front -of the enemy. Fidele spoke not; but his warrior name, -signifying <i>Thunderbolt</i>, sufficiently {402} declared his courage. -Ambrose announced him by that title, which causes -the Black-Feet to turn pale, and added, in a terrible -voice: “Fire not! If you fire you are dead men!” God -spoke by his lips. Instead of firing, one of the Black-Feet -threw down his gun, whilst several others extended -their arms, in a supplicating attitude. The brave Ambrose -refused not the pardon his enemies solicited; for true -courage will never bathe itself in the blood of a conquered -foe, who appeals for mercy, and whose conversion has -been begged of Heaven. The generous warrior willingly -extends his hand to the foe; and <i>all</i>, imitating his example, -show that clemency has conquered. At this happy moment, -when such Christian sentiments pervaded every heart, the -<i>Black-gown</i> advanced, and the conquered foes offered him -their hands, and, spreading a buffalo-skin on the snow, -invited him to seat himself, and receive the honors of the -calumet. Whilst the smoke of peace ascended towards -heaven, presents were offered, and received, on both sides. -The oldest of the Black-Feet band, seated on the left of -the missionary, presented him a pair of Indian moccasins, -and, strange to say, they were embroidered, with a blue -cross standing out conspicuously {403} from the surrounding -work. The poor idolater! did he, at that moment, -think of the “quam speciosi pedes?” Most probably -not; but, it is certain, he remarked the pleasure caused by -his present, and felt an assurance, from the manner in which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_416"></a>[416]</span> -it was received, that, henceforward, all hearts would be -united.</p> - -<p>The Flat-Head camp set out on their return. The thirty-seven -Black-Feet followed them. The thawing of the -snow rendered the roads exceedingly bad, and the kind-hearted -Flat-Heads, compassionating the fate of their new -friends, did all they could to help them on their journey. -Before separating, Victor conducted the principal Black-Feet -into the missionary’s lodge, that he might witness -their parting good friends; and, during half an hour, every -thing was said that could strengthen the new-formed -friendship between the tribes. The Black-Feet told us, -that for some time past they had been expecting a Black-gown, -and that, when he should come among them, he -would be well received; that, henceforth, they and the -Flat-Heads would live like brothers; “that the prayer -of the Flat-Heads should be theirs.” And, although -the sun had set, they assisted at prayers; after which, -{404} they exchanged some tokens of friendship, and left, -declaring that they were going to persuade their village -to act as they had done.</p> - -<p>The 19th March, feast of St. Joseph, seven days after -the pardon so generously granted the Black-Feet, Heaven -bestowed on us the fruit of our forbearance in the amicable -visit of the grand chief of the “Petite Robe, Itchetles -Melakas—or the three crows.” All the chiefs smoked -with him under the missionary’s tent. Ambrose explained -to him the Catholic Tree; Victor invited him to pass the -night in his lodge. Such attention completely gained -his heart; and the next morning the Black-Foot communicated -to the missionary the resolution he had formed of -soliciting the admission of his twenty-eight lodges among -the Flat-Head tribe; and that he would repair to the village -of St. Mary’s for that purpose, towards the decline of the -present moon.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_417"></a>[417]</span></p> - -<p>During the night of the 19th some of the Black-Feet, -belonging to a distant tribe, stole into the camp of the -Flat-Heads and carried off five horses; but one of the robbers -fell, pierced with balls, and two strokes of the knife. -It would be difficult to describe the horrors of that night! -the {405} savage yells, mingled with the sound of thunder, -and report of musketry. The miserable desperado, -by the lightning’s glare, could be perceived on the ground, -streaming torrents of blood from his wounds, and his -unhappy soul about to quit the agonizing body, to find -in eternity the chastisement due to its crimes. What -else could the minister of God do, in such a circumstance, -but pray the Father of Mercy to perform a miracle of -grace in favor of the criminal.</p> - -<p>The Flat-Heads have abolished the barbarous custom -of reeking their vengeance on the mutilated body of their -enemy. They even carry their generosity so far, as to -give sepulture to all who die among them. The robber -owed his grave to the bravest of the Flat-Heads, the chief -of a numerous family, and the adopted father of two children, -whom the Black-Feet have rendered orphans.</p> - -<p>The following day offered nothing remarkable, if I -except the many proofs of solid virtue displayed by the -camp. To afford them pleasure, the missionary amused -himself in his leisure hours tracing with a pen several -historical facts, drawn from their annals, and suited to -{406} their tastes; such as, march of the camp, divers -occupations, labors of the chase, feats of arms, singular -tragic scenes, religious ceremonies, &c., &c. It would -be difficult to relate the pleasure this little collection gave -them; and, what is still better, it contributed powerfully -to raise the authority of the chieftains in the estimation of -the young men, and to excite in them a noble emulation -in the practice of good; for experience has clearly proved, -both in civilized and uncivilized society, that this quality<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_418"></a>[418]</span> -is not only a stimulus to noble actions, but a greater preventive -of evil, than all chastisements united.</p> - -<p>Human ingenuity is useful, but it can do little towards -the salvation of souls, if it be not joined to fervent prayer. -Every missionary should be convinced of this truth. Our -pious neophytes have experienced the efficacy of frequent -recourse to Heaven. Each day they had invoked the Sacred -Heart of Jesus, and the Holy Heart of Mary; and the first -Friday and Saturday of March proved the most successful -hunting days. We had invoked the patron of hunters, -and our chase was relatively fortunate. We had implored -the protection of the glorious St. Michael, and never did -our chiefs display greater valor {407} in the presence of -the enemy. We had entreated the Apostle of the Indies -to obtain the conversion of the Indians, and one party -of Black-Feet falls under our power, whilst the other -amicably visits us, and departs, exclaiming, “The prayer -of the Flat-Heads shall be ours.” In fine, we had taken -St. Raphael as our guide; our journey was long, fatiguing, -and perilous, nevertheless, no serious accident occurred, -though we often fell on the ice and rocks. Not a hunter -in our camp was there who did not remark this manifest -protection; and nearly all testified their gratitude to God -by a fervent communion.</p> - -<p>On Passion Sunday one hundred and three approached -the holy table. The evening of so happy a day was -crowned by the erection of a cross, to which they gave -the name of Eugene, because the previous evening a quiver -of that excellent Flat-Head, and a letter written on a piece -of skin, after the Indian fashion, apprised us that he had -been massacred in the neighborhood by a party of Banax. -We then remembered, with consolation, that, on Ash -Wednesday, a few days before his death, he came to see -us, and during his stay received the holy communion.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_419"></a>[419]</span> -{408} Thus, all seemed to concur, even this death, in -causing us to bless the Divine Bounty which ever watches -with paternal care, to supply the necessities of his confiding -children.</p> - -<p class="center">AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_420"></a>[420]</span></p> - -<h2>OUR FATHER, IN THE FLAT-HEAD AND PEND-D’OREILLE LANGUAGE</h2> - -<p class="center"><span class="allsmcap">THE SIGN OF + THE CROSS</span></p> - -<div class="interlinear"> - <ul class="sentence"> - <li> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Skwest kyle-e-ou, Ouls kezees, Ouls Saint Pagpagt.</li> - <li class="english">In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Komieetzegail.</li> - <li class="english">May it be so.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Kyle-e-ou Itchitchemask,</li> - <li class="english">Our Father of heaven,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">askwest kowâkshamenshem,</li> - <li class="english">may thy name be respected</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">a-i-letzemilkou</li> - <li class="english">every where</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">ye-elskyloog.</li> - <li class="english">on the earth.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Entziezie telletzia spoe-oez.</li> - <li class="english">May thou be master of all hearts.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Assintails ye-elstoloog etzageél</li> - <li class="english">May thy will be done on earth as it is</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Itchitchemask.</li> - <li class="english">in heaven.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Kóogwitzelt</li> - <li class="english">Give us</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">yettilgwa</li> - <li class="english">this day</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">lokaitsiapetzinem.</li> - <li class="english">all our wants.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Kowaeksméemillem</li> - <li class="english">Forgive us</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">klotaiye kloistskwen</li> - <li class="english">the evil we have done</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">etzageel</li> - <li class="english">as</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">kaitskolgwélem</li> - <li class="english">we forgive</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">klotaye kloistskwen klielskyloeg</li> - <li class="english">the evil done unto us by others.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">koayalokshilem takaekskwentem</li> - <li class="english">Grant us thy help to avoid</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">klotaye</li> - <li class="english">evil</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">kowaeksgwéeltem klotaye.</li> - <li class="english">but deliver us from evil.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Komieêtzegail.</li> - <li class="english">May it be so.</li> - </ul> - </li> - </ul> -</div> - -<h2>OUR FATHER, IN THE FLAT-BOW AND KOETENAY LANGUAGE</h2> - -<div class="interlinear"> - <ul class="sentence"> - <li> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Akikliai Stailoe, Akaltes, Saint Kilkiltlui.</li> - <li class="english">In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Schaeykiakakaaike.</li> - <li class="english">May it be so.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Katitoe naitle naite, akiklinais zedabitskinne wilkane.</li> - <li class="english">Our Father, who art in heaven, may thy name be great and honoured.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Ninshalinne</li> - <li class="english">Be thou</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">oshemake</li> - <li class="english">the master</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">kapaik</li> - <li class="english">of all</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">akaitlainam.</li> - <li class="english">hearts.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_421"></a>[421]</span></li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Inshazetluité</li> - <li class="english">May thy will</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">younoamake yekakaekinaitte</li> - <li class="english">be done on earth as it is in heaven.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Komnakaike</li> - <li class="english">Grant us</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">logenie niggenawaishne naiosaem miaitéke</li> - <li class="english">this day all our wants.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Kekepaime nekoetjekoetleaitle ixzeai,</li> - <li class="english">Forgive us all the evil we have done,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Iyakiakakaaike</li> - <li class="english">as we forgive</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">iyazeaikinawash</li> - <li class="english">all the evil</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">kokakipaimenaitle.</li> - <li class="english">done to us.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Amatikezawês itchkestshimmekakkowêlle akatakzen.</li> - <li class="english">Strengthen us against all evil, and deliver us from it.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Shaeykiakakaaike.</li> - <li class="english">May it be so.</li> - </ul> - </li> - </ul> -</div> - -<h2>OUR FATHER, IN THE ASSINIBOIN LANGUAGE</h2> - -<div class="interlinear"> - <ul class="sentence"> - <li> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Tnchiachttoobe</li> - <li class="english">Our Father</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">machpiachta</li> - <li class="english">heaven</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">yaeoenshi ba-eninshi</li> - <li class="english">who art there let it</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">nabishi</li> - <li class="english">be great,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">nietshalzilzi,</li> - <li class="english">thy name,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Nitanwiadezi,</li> - <li class="english">thy kingdom</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">ektyyaegnizi,</li> - <li class="english">come,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">yetshoeszizi</li> - <li class="english">thy will</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">aittshaiszi</li> - <li class="english">be done</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">lenmachkoetzizi</li> - <li class="english">on earth</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">asêettshaiszi</li> - <li class="english">as it is</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">machtpiachta</li> - <li class="english">in heaven,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Tnkoem</li> - <li class="english">give</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">nangaah</li> - <li class="english">us</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">oezoezandie innimbechain,</li> - <li class="english">this day the means of life,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">ezieyakink</li> - <li class="english">look over</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">taniôzeni</li> - <li class="english">our evil</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">etchoengoebezie sinkimbishnitshaa</li> - <li class="english">doings as we look over those</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">ektaes</li> - <li class="english">who do</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">etchoengoebezie.</li> - <li class="english">evil unto us.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Youoechtontjen</li> - <li class="english">Guide us</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">tanniaesni</li> - <li class="english">that we</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">etchoem goebishniet tchain,</li> - <li class="english">not fall into evil,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">napéen giettshioenn ingninnaegé.</li> - <li class="english">and drive off all evil from us.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Eetchees.</li> - <li class="english">Amen.</li> - </ul> - </li> - </ul> -</div> - -<h2>OUR FATHER, IN THE CREE LANGUAGE</h2> - -<div class="interlinear"> - <ul class="sentence"> - <li> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Eokosisit mina, ewiotawit mina, emiosit manito, owigowionik.</li> - <li class="english">Him who has a Son, him who has a Father, him who is the beautiful Spirit, in his name.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Pitone Ekeesiikik.</li> - <li class="english">May it be so.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_422"></a>[422]</span></li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Notanan kitsi kijikok epian</li> - <li class="english">Our Father in the great heaven being seated,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">pitone mewaitsikatek kiwigowin,</li> - <li class="english">may it be honoured thy name,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">pitone otitamomakad</li> - <li class="english">may it arrive</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">kitibeitsikewin, ispits enatota kawigan kitsi kisikok,</li> - <li class="english">thy kingdom (reign) like thee being followed in the great heaven,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">pitone ekusi iji waskitaskamik.</li> - <li class="english">may it be the same on earth.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Anots kakijikak</li> - <li class="english">Now in this day</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">miinânipakweji</li> - <li class="english">give us our</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">ganiminan</li> - <li class="english">bread</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">mina</li> - <li class="english">and</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">latwaw kigigake.</li> - <li class="english">in every day.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Canisi kaiji kasenamawayakik</li> - <li class="english">As we have remitted to those</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">ka ki matsitota koyankik</li> - <li class="english">who to us have done evil</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">ekusi iji kasinamawinan</li> - <li class="english">so likewise remit unto us</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">eki</li> - <li class="english">what we</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">matsitotamank.</li> - <li class="english">have done evil.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Pisiskeiminan kitsi eka matsi mamitoueitamank</li> - <li class="english">Be merciful to us that we fall not into evil,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">iekatenamawinan kamayatok.</li> - <li class="english">keep away from us all what is evil.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Pitone Ekeesiikik.</li> - <li class="english">May it be so.</li> - </ul> - </li> - </ul> -</div> - -<h2>OUR FATHER, IN THE BLACK-FOOT LANGUAGE</h2> - -<div class="interlinear"> - <ul class="sentence"> - <li> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Kikanâtzeniekasin ochkoeye tokakisint</li> - <li class="english">Of the Father in his name, of the Son, of the Holy Spirit.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Kamoemanigtoep.</li> - <li class="english">May it be so.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Kinanâ spoegsts tzittâpigpi,</li> - <li class="english">Our Father in heaven who art,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">kitzinnekazen kagkakomimokzin.</li> - <li class="english">thy name, may it be holy.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Nagkitapiwatog</li> - <li class="english">Thy reign</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">neto kinyokizip.</li> - <li class="english">may it arrive.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Kitzizigtaen</li> - <li class="english">Thy will,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">nejakapestoeta</li> - <li class="english">may it be done</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">tzagkom,</li> - <li class="english">on earth</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">nietziewae</li> - <li class="english">as it is</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">spoegsts.</li> - <li class="english">in heaven.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Ikogkiowa</li> - <li class="english">All we need,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">ennoch</li> - <li class="english">this day</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">matogkwitapi.</li> - <li class="english">unto us grant.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Istapikistomokit</li> - <li class="english">Forgive the evil</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">nagzikamoót</li> - <li class="english">we have done</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">komonetziewae nistowâ</li> - <li class="english">as we pardon the wrong we have received,</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Nagkezis</li> - <li class="english">Help us</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">tapi kestemoóg.</li> - <li class="english">against sin.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Spemmoók</li> - <li class="english">From all</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">matéakoziep</li> - <li class="english">what is evil</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">makapi</li> - <li class="english">deliver us.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Kamoemanigtoep.</li> - <li class="english">May it be so.</li> - </ul> - </li> - </ul> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_423"></a>[423]</span></p> - -<h2>OUR FATHER, IN THE POTAWOTOMIE LANGUAGE</h2> - -<p class="center">+ <span class="smcap">Tchibiatikonikewin</span>—sign of the Cross.</p> - -<div class="interlinear"> - <ul class="sentence"> - <li> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Olinosowinig Weosimit, ipi Wekwissimit, ipi menojuwepisit Mennito.</li> - <li class="english">In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.</li> - </ul> - <ul class="word"> - <li class="translation">Ape iw nomikug.</li> - <li class="english">Amen.</li> - </ul> - </li> - </ul> -</div> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap"><span class="gothic">Nosinan</span>—our Father.</span></p> - -<p>Nosinan Wakwik ebiyin ape kitchitwa kitchilwa wenitamag -kitinosowin, enakosiyin ape piyak kitewetako tipu wakwig, ape -tepwetakon chote kig. Ngom ekijikiwog michinag mamitchiyak -ponigetedwichinag kego kachi kichiinakineyi ponigeledwoiket -woye kego kachi kichiimidgin, kinamochinag wapatadiyak. -Chitchiikwan nenimochinag meyanek waotichkakoyakin.</p> - -<p class="right">Ape iw nomikug.</p> - -<h2>VOCABULARY</h2> - -<table summary="Vocabulary"> - <tr> - <th>ENGLISH.</th> - <th>FLAT-HEAD.</th> - <th>BLACK-FOOT.</th> - <th>CREE.</th> - <th>CREE.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hair</td> - <td>Komike</td> - <td>Notakane</td> - <td>Nistika-â</td> - <td>1 Péak</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Forehead</td> - <td>Tchilchemaiche</td> - <td>Nonissi</td> - <td>Miskatek</td> - <td>2 Nizo</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nose</td> - <td>Spezâeks</td> - <td>Nopisis</td> - <td>Niskiwen</td> - <td>3 Nisto</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mouth</td> - <td>Spelimetzim</td> - <td>Naoji</td> - <td>Tapisken</td> - <td>4 Nêou</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Teeth</td> - <td>Galaig</td> - <td>Nogpikiêt</td> - <td>Nepita</td> - <td>5 Nianen</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tongue</td> - <td>Taigoetzetze</td> - <td>Naetzinni</td> - <td>Daini</td> - <td>6 Koutonazek</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cheeks</td> - <td>Shilkzemoos</td> - <td>Nozippinain</td> - <td>Nanawai</td> - <td>7 Têpeko</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ears</td> - <td>Caine</td> - <td>Nogtokie</td> - <td>Nigtawake</td> - <td>8 Enanéo</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chin</td> - <td>Koiaipaits</td> - <td>Nogpiskinny</td> - <td>Gwaeskonêou</td> - <td>9 Tégametata</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Neck</td> - <td>Tchesspin</td> - <td>Nogkokinne</td> - <td>Nikwayo</td> - <td>10 Mitâtat</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Arms</td> - <td>Stitchewagen</td> - <td>Notezisê</td> - <td>Nespiton</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Elbow</td> - <td>Zintchenposka</td> - <td>Nogkinnetsis</td> - <td>Dossken</td> - <th>ASSINIBOIN.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Shoulder</td> - <td>Lintchemilkoy</td> - <td>Nogkazikkiê</td> - <td>Digtiman</td> - <td>1 Kâtcheêt</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hand</td> - <td>Tchails</td> - <td>Nogkiziaiks</td> - <td>Tzigtshie</td> - <td>2 Num</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fingers</td> - <td>Stagtig</td> - <td>Tommakiotketzis</td> - <td>Nemezittzischân</td> - <td>3 Yamine</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Belly</td> - <td>Olin</td> - <td>Nokoen</td> - <td></td> - <td>4 Tonza</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Backbone</td> - <td>Zintshametchin</td> - <td>Nogtazistkin</td> - <td></td> - <td>5 Zapita</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thighs</td> - <td>Zintzemoostche</td> - <td>Noketokezinnen</td> - <td></td> - <td>6 Shâgape</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Knees</td> - <td>Tcoemmekaisne</td> - <td>Noketokeziss</td> - <td></td> - <td>7 Shayoen</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Legs</td> - <td>Titchemaekshen</td> - <td>Nieziekzinnen</td> - <td></td> - <td>8 Shagnoge</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Feet</td> - <td>Tzotchin</td> - <td>Nietzigzip</td> - <td></td> - <td>9 Namtchoeank</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lips</td> - <td>Speliêmetzin</td> - <td>Notoinish</td> - <td>Ndon</td> - <td>10 Wi-ink Chemine</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eyes</td> - <td>Stitchekoetkoltloest</td> - <td>Nowaaps</td> - <td>Niskisick</td> - <td></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_424"></a>[424]</span></p> - -<h2>PLANTS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS IN FLOWER IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER,<br /> -<span class="smaller"><i>Of which the botanical names follow</i>:</span></h2> - -<ul> -<li>1. Helenium</li> -<li>2. Sabbatia Angularis</li> -<li>3. Spigelia Marylandica</li> -<li>4. Geum Geniculatum</li> -<li>5. Rudbeckia Comentosa</li> -<li>6. Euchroma Coccinea</li> -<li>7. Astet Coccinnus</li> -<li>8. Ilex Ligustrifolia</li> -<li>9. Convallaria Stellata</li> -<li>10. Chrysanthunum Arcticum</li> -<li>11. Aronia Amifolia</li> -<li>12. Polymnia Uvedelia</li> -<li>13. Frasera Caroliniensis</li> -<li>14. Ophrys, Malaxis</li> -<li>15. Sedum Stenopetalum</li> -<li>16. Prunus Duerinckii</li> -<li>17. Cantua Aggregata</li> -<li>18. Rudbeckia Purpurea</li> -<li>19. Actinomeris Squarrosa</li> -<li>20. Cardamine Bellidifolia</li> -<li>21. Houstonia Longiflora</li> -<li>22. Melanthium Monoicum</li> -<li>23. Liatris Brachystachya</li> -<li>24. Rhexia Mariana</li> -<li>25. Claytonia Spathulata</li> -<li>26. Aquilegia Formosa</li> -<li>27. Campanula Divarica</li> -</ul> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="nobreak">FOOTNOTES</h2> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[1]</a> Chapter v of volume ii of the original edition.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">[2]</a> For this island, now called Sauvie’s, see our volume xxi, p. 300, notes 85, 86. -The root is described in our volume vi, p. 278, note 87.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="label">[3]</a> The Clackamas River, for which see our volume xxi, p. 320, note 105.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_4" href="#FNanchor_4" class="label">[4]</a> The land at the Falls of the Willamette was a private possession of Dr. John -McLoughlin, who took up the claim in 1829, making some improvements. His -rights were first contested by members of the Methodist mission. Later, after -he had become a naturalized American citizen, he was deprived thereof by legislative -act—an injustice which was corrected in 1862, when the land was restored -to the heirs of the estate. The town site at this place was platted as Oregon City -(a name still retained), and for some years was the seat of government and metropolis -of Oregon.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_5" href="#FNanchor_5" class="label">[5]</a> Tualatin River, draining the present Washington County, was a fertile valley -early settled. About 1852 the river was by private enterprise made navigable -for some distance.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_6" href="#FNanchor_6" class="label">[6]</a> William Johnson, an English sailor who had deserted to the Americans, -and served on the “Constitution” in the fight with the “Guerrière.” He afterwards -became a trapper in the Hudson’s Bay service, and came to Oregon (1839) -to settle with his native wife and family. He served as sheriff in the first provisional -government. He appears later to have removed his claim to the lower -Willamette, in the neighborhood of South Portland. According to Dr. McLoughlin’s -statement, Oregon Historical Society <i>Quarterly</i> i, p. 197, he “left by sea -and never returned to Oregon.”—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_7" href="#FNanchor_7" class="label">[7]</a> For Thomas McKay consult our volume xxi, p. 201, note 46. His father is -noted in Franchère’s <i>Narrative</i>, our volume vi, p. 186, note 9.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_8" href="#FNanchor_8" class="label">[8]</a> Townsend was at Fort Vancouver when Bailey was brought in wounded, -after his contest with the Rogue River Indians. See his <i>Narrative</i> in our volume -xxi, pp. 328-330.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bailey was a Miss Margaret Smith, who came out in 1837 to reinforce -the Methodist mission.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_9" href="#FNanchor_9" class="label">[9]</a> The blacksmith and tinker were apparently Thomas J. Hubbard and Calvin -Tibbitts, who came to Oregon with Wyeth. See for the former, W. H. Gray, -<i>History of Oregon</i> (Portland, Oregon, 1870), pp. 191, 198; for the latter our -volume xxi, p. 73, note 50. Both were instrumental in laying the foundations -of the Oregon provisional government.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_10" href="#FNanchor_10" class="label">[10]</a> This mission was under the care of Father Blanchet, and was founded the -year of Farnham’s visit. It was located twelve miles above Champoeg, on the -east bank of the river. See De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, p. 320, note -164.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_11" href="#FNanchor_11" class="label">[11]</a> For the founding and site of this mission see our volume xxi, p. 299, note -84. The school was later (about 1842) removed to Salem, and the headquarters -established there.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_12" href="#FNanchor_12" class="label">[12]</a> Dr. Elijah White, a native of New York state, came out as missionary -physician in 1837. After serving about four years at the mission, he had some -disagreement with its superintendent, and returned to the states. He then -received the appointment at Washington of “sub-Indian agent for Oregon,” -an office with indeterminate duties, anomalous in character. Once more in -Oregon, Dr. White was zealous in execution of the business of his office as he -conceived it, but antagonized many of the settlers thereby and found himself in -disfavor; so that upon visiting Washington in 1845 he was not able to secure the -renewal of his appointment. He returned to Oregon, however, and in 1861 was -employed as special Indian agent. In later life he removed to San Francisco, -where he died in March, 1879.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_13" href="#FNanchor_13" class="label">[13]</a> Rev. David (not Daniel) Leslie came to the Methodist mission with the -second reinforcement of 1837. His ability was at once recognized, and during -Jason Lee’s absence he acted as superintendent. In 1838 at the request of the -American settlers he served them as justice of the peace. The first meeting for -a provisional government was held under his presidency (1841). Upon the dissolution -of the mission he became a Methodist preacher, making his home in -and about Salem, where he was chaplain of the first territorial legislature, and -for many years president of the board of trustees of Willamette University. With -the exception of a few months in the Sandwich Islands (1842-43), his life was -practically spent in Oregon, where he was highly respected for the probity and -purity of his character.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_14" href="#FNanchor_14" class="label">[14]</a> J. L. Whitcomb came out in 1837 as a lay member of the mission. His -duties were the superintendence of the farms. In 1842 he married the widow -of Cyrus Shepard, and the same year, because of broken health, returned to the -United States.</p> - -<p>Alanson Beers, from Connecticut, also came (1837) as a lay member of the -mission, and remained in Oregon until his death in 1853. He was one of the executive -committee of three appointed by the provisional government, and treasurer -of the board of trustees of Oregon Institute.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_15" href="#FNanchor_15" class="label">[15]</a> Farnham forwarded the petition to Congress from Honolulu, in January, -1840, accompanied by a letter of his own in which he sharply criticized the conduct -of the Hudson’s Bay Company—see <i>Senate Docs.</i>, 27 Cong., 3 sess., 102. -The petition or memorial, which is largely the work of Farnham, was presented -to the senate June 4, 1840, by Senator Lewis Linn of Missouri. It may be found -in <i>Senate Docs.</i>, 26 Cong., 1 sess., 514, signed “David Leslie and others;” <i>Cong. -Globe</i>, 26 Cong., 1 sess., 440, reports seventy signers. The memorial requests -Congress to establish a territorial government, notes that the British are, through -the Hudson’s Bay Company, granting lands, surveying harbors, bays, and rivers, -cutting and shipping timber, and preparing to hold all the territory north of the -Columbia. It describes the country south of that river as “of unequalled beauty -and fertility,” “a delightful and healthy climate,” and “one of the most favored -portions of the globe;” and concludes by praying for the “civil institutions of the -American Republic,” “the high privileges of American citizenship; the peaceful -enjoyment of life; the right of acquiring, possessing, and using property; and -the unrestrained pursuit of rational happiness.”—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_16" href="#FNanchor_16" class="label">[16]</a> An act of parliament was passed (about 1837) at the instigation of Dr. -McLoughlin, extending the jurisdiction and civil laws of Canada over the British -subjects of Oregon territory. Under this law James Douglas was commissioned -justice of the peace for criminal matters and for civil suits under £200 in value. -Imprisonment was possible either in the forts of the Hudson’s Bay Company or the -jails of Canada.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_17" href="#FNanchor_17" class="label">[17]</a> W. H. Wilson had in early life been a cooper on a whaling vessel. Having -been converted to Methodism, he came out to Oregon in 1837 as a lay helper, -and studied medicine with Dr. Elijah White. In 1840 he married Chloe A. Clark -of the mission, who afterwards became first teacher of the Oregon Institute, of -which her husband was for some time agent. They made their home in Salem, -where he died suddenly of apoplexy. Wilson was the treasurer of the first -provisional government of Oregon.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_18" href="#FNanchor_18" class="label">[18]</a> For Ewing Young see our volume xx, p. 23, note 2.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_19" href="#FNanchor_19" class="label">[19]</a> The reader will take notice that this is an ex-parte statement.—<span class="smcap">English -Editor.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_20" href="#FNanchor_20" class="label">[20]</a> For the origin of this northern boundary, see our volume xxviii, note 1.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_21" href="#FNanchor_21" class="label">[21]</a> For David Thompson, a former North West explorer, see Franchère’s -<i>Narrative</i> in our volume vi, p. 253, note 61. Exclusive of the Alaskan mountains, -there have been no peaks measured in the Rocky Mountain system exceeding -14,500 feet in height.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_22" href="#FNanchor_22" class="label">[22]</a> Mount Brown is in British Columbia, about latitude 52° 28′ north, not far -from Athabasca Pass. It was formerly thought to be above 15,000 feet in height, -but recent measurements have reduced it to less than 10,000.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_23" href="#FNanchor_23" class="label">[23]</a> This is Athabasca Pass, first discovered by David Thompson in 1811—see -Elliott Coues, <i>Henry-Thompson Journals</i> (New York, 1897), ii, pp. 668, 669. -Mount Hooker lay south of the pass, and Mount Brown to the north; the former -is about 10,500 feet above sea level (once supposed to be more than 15,000 feet). -For a description of the passage of this gap see Franchère’s <i>Narrative</i> in our -volume vi, pp. 352-357.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_24" href="#FNanchor_24" class="label">[24]</a> The first of these passes is now known as Maria’s, and is that taken by the -Great Northern Railway in crossing from Missouri waters to those of the Columbia. -The second pass is probably intended to designate that taken by Lewis -and Clark, who used not one, but several passes through the network of mountains -in western Montana and eastern Idaho. The third is the pass from Henry’s -Lake to Red Rock, the source of the Jefferson (not of the Big Horn), over which -De Smet went with the Indians—see his <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, pp. 252, -253, notes 128, 130. The last is South Pass, for which see Wyeth’s <i>Oregon</i> in -our volume xxi, p. 58, note 37.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_25" href="#FNanchor_25" class="label">[25]</a> These spurs from the mountains are not definable. Farnham simply implies -them from the watersheds. Upon many of the older maps the Kooskooskee -(modern Clearwater) is also called Salmon—leaving to the modern Salmon -River the name of Wapiacakoos (Waptacaca, Waptiacoos).—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_26" href="#FNanchor_26" class="label">[26]</a> Mount St. Elias and Mount Fairweather belong to the Alaskan system, -not to that of the Cascade or Presidents’ Range, which properly ends at Puget -Sound. Mount St. Elias, the highest mountain save one in North America (18,090 -feet) was discovered by Vitus Behring in 1741. Its ascent was accomplished -in the summer of 1897 by the Italian explorer, the Duke of Abruzzi.</p> - -<p>Mount Fairweather, so named by the whalers, who predicted fair weather -when the summit of this peak was free from clouds, has an altitude of 15,050 feet; -it is located near Sitka, on the Alaskan coast.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_27" href="#FNanchor_27" class="label">[27]</a> For Hall J. Kelley see our volume xxi, p. 24, note 6. In his “Memoir” to -Congress, <i>House Reports</i>, 25 Cong., 3 sess., 101, he says: “The eastern section -of the district referred to is bordered by a mountain range, running nearly parallel -to the spine of the Rocky mountains and to the coast, and which, from the -number of its elevated peaks, I am inclined to call the Presidents’ range.”—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_28" href="#FNanchor_28" class="label">[28]</a> The reader will remember that our Author is an American.—<span class="smcap">English Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_29" href="#FNanchor_29" class="label">[29]</a> By Mount Tyler Farnham evidently intends Mount Baker, an extinct volcano -in Whatcom County, Washington (altitude 10,827 feet), supposed to have -shown symptoms of eruption as late as 1875. This peak was named by Vancouver -(1792) for one of his officers. J. Q. Thornton, <i>Oregon and California</i> (New -York, 1849), i, p. 256, calls this Mount Polk, and assigns the name of Tyler to -“an elevation on the peninsula between Hood’s Canal and the ocean.”—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_30" href="#FNanchor_30" class="label">[30]</a> Evidently Mount Rainier, although incorrectly located, its distance and -direction being somewhat deceptive. It is southeast (not northeast) of Puget -Sound in Pierce County, Washington, the highest of the Cascade Range (14,526 -feet). It was first noted by Vancouver in 1792, and named for a rear-admiral -in the British navy. Its Indian name was Ta-ko-man, the white peak, hence -its alternate name of Mount Tacoma.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_31" href="#FNanchor_31" class="label">[31]</a> Mount Olympus, in Jefferson County, Washington (latitude 47° 50′ north, -altitude 8,150 feet), was discovered originally by Perez (see our volume xxviii, -p. 32, note 8), who named it Santa Rosalia. Captain John Meares (1785) -bestowed its present appellation (see our volume vii, p. 112, note 17).—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_32" href="#FNanchor_32" class="label">[32]</a> In re-naming the Presidents’ Range there appears to have been considerable -confusion in assigning the name of the first executive. Kelley intended the name -to be given to Mount St. Helens, which at first Farnham adopted (see <i>ante</i>, our -volume xxviii, p. 353, note 221). C. G. Nicolay, <i>Oregon Territory</i> (London, -1846), p. 209, says that St. Helens was called Mount Washington. Nevertheless, -Farnham here applies the name of Adams to Mount St. Helens, and that -of Washington to Mount Hood, for which latter see Franchère’s <i>Narrative</i> in -our volume vi, p. 248, note 54. Franchère applied the title Washington to Mount -Jefferson; it has been finally attached to a peak south of Jefferson, in Linn -County, Oregon.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_33" href="#FNanchor_33" class="label">[33]</a> Mount Jefferson, on the eastern borders of Linn County, a height crowned -with perpetual snow, was first sighted by Lewis and Clark on March 30, 1806, -from the mouth of Willamette River. In <i>Original Journals</i>, iv, p. 223, Clark -says: “discovered a high mountain, S. E. covered with snow which we call Mt. -Jefferson.”—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_34" href="#FNanchor_34" class="label">[34]</a> Mount McLoughlin (Madison) is now called Diamond Peak; it is in the -southeastern extremity of Lane County, and has an altitude of 8,807 feet.</p> - -<p>The mountain named for Monroe cannot now be definitely determined, -because of confusion of nomenclature. It would seem from the latitude given -by Kelley to have been intended for the present Mount Scott. Mount John -Quincy Adams is the present Mount Pitt, which name was first assigned by the -English to Mount Shasta; this, according to Thornton (<i>op. cit.</i> in note 29, <i>ante</i>), -was also the Mount Monroe of the Americans. The term Mount Pitt is now -applied to a volcanic peak (altitude 9,760 feet) on the borders of Jackson County, -Oregon, eight miles west of Klamath Lake.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_35" href="#FNanchor_35" class="label">[35]</a> Mount Shasta, of Siskiyou County, California, in latitude 41° 25′ north. -Next to Rainier, Shasta is the highest peak of the Cascades, attaining 14,380 -feet in altitude, and being perpetually capped with snow.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_36" href="#FNanchor_36" class="label">[36]</a> For Cape Disappointment see our volume vi, p. 233, note 36.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_37" href="#FNanchor_37" class="label">[37]</a> Boat Encampment, a noted place on the route to Canada, is described by -Franchère in our volume vi, pp. 351, 352.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_38" href="#FNanchor_38" class="label">[38]</a> For a brief history of Fort Okanagan see our volume vi, p. 260, note 71. -Alexander Ross had charge of this post for several years; see his descriptions in -our volume vii, pp. 151-159, 198-207, 272-319. Afterward it became a Hudson’s -Bay post (in 1821, not 1819). See De Smet’s visit to this region in our volume -xxvii, p. 372, note 193.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_39" href="#FNanchor_39" class="label">[39]</a> For Spokane River, Lake Cœur d’Alène (Pointed Heart), and Spokane -House, see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, p. 366, note 185. See also Ross’s -<i>Oregon Settlers</i>, our volume vii, pp. 207-222; also his <i>Fur-Hunters of the Far West</i>, -i, pp. 137-139.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_40" href="#FNanchor_40" class="label">[40]</a> For H. H. Spaulding see our volume xxi, p. 352, note 125. Fort Colville -is described in De Smet’s <i>Letters</i>, our volume xxvii, p. 330, note 166.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_41" href="#FNanchor_41" class="label">[41]</a> For Kettle Falls see our volume vi, p. 346, note 153.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_42" href="#FNanchor_42" class="label">[42]</a> For Archibald McDonald, see our volume xxi, p. 344, note 119.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_43" href="#FNanchor_43" class="label">[43]</a> Now known as Lower Arrow Lake, an expansion of the Columbia many -miles in length, between 49° and 50° of north latitude.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_44" href="#FNanchor_44" class="label">[44]</a> For the Flathead River, as here intended (now known as Clark’s Fork of -the Columbia), see our volume vi, p. 348, note 155. Its sources are near those -of the Missouri, not the Saskatchewan.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_45" href="#FNanchor_45" class="label">[45]</a> For Lake Pend d’Oreille (Kalispel, Kullerspelm) see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in -our volume xxvii, p. 339, note 175.</p> - -<p>Flathead House was built (November, 1809) by David Thompson, of the -North West Company, and was maintained throughout the regime of the British -fur-trade on the Northwest Coast. In 1824-25 Alexander Ross passed the winter -there. It was a small fort tributary to Colville, and in charge usually of a trusted -Canadian hunter or trapper. According to the report of 1854 it was situated -east of Flathead Lake, on one of its smaller tributaries—<i>Senate Docs.</i>, 33 Cong., -2 sess., vii, no. 37.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_46" href="#FNanchor_46" class="label">[46]</a> This is the stream now known as Kootenai River, for which see our volume -vi, p. 348, note 156. For the post of that name see our volume vii, p. 210, note 71. -The small post was maintained on Kootenai River for nearly half a century. In -1854 it was reported as an inferior station, in charge of a Canadian as trader and -postmaster.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_47" href="#FNanchor_47" class="label">[47]</a> For the passage of these straits and Upper Arrow Lake, see Franchère’s -<i>Narrative</i> in our volume vi, pp. 348, 349.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_48" href="#FNanchor_48" class="label">[48]</a> The Canadian Pacific Railway crosses the Columbia at Revelstoke just -above the Lower Dalles of the river. The Upper or Little Dalles shut in the -river for about a mile; these narrows are now navigated by local steamers.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_49" href="#FNanchor_49" class="label">[49]</a> The “few miles” is about one hundred and fifty, in which the river passes -through an almost continuous cañon—navigable by canoes, however, save at -Dalles des Morts (Narrows of the Dead), so named for the number of accidents -occurring therein. The canoe voyage ended at the upper bend of the Columbia, -where Canoe River enters from the north, the Columbia coming from the southeast.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_50" href="#FNanchor_50" class="label">[50]</a> The trail follows an affluent of the Columbia known as Little Canoe (or -Portage) River, leading to Athabasca Pass. See Franchère’s description of the -difficulties of the passage in our volume vi, pp. 352-354.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_51" href="#FNanchor_51" class="label">[51]</a> For these lakes see our volume vi, p. 353, note 163.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_52" href="#FNanchor_52" class="label">[52]</a> Fraser’s River, the largest stream wholly within the limits of British Columbia, -rises near the source of the upper branch (Canoe River) of the Columbia, -flows northwest for a hundred and ninety miles, and then turns abruptly south -until at about latitude 49° 20′ north it bends west into the Strait of Georgia. Sir -Alexander Mackenzie was upon its upper waters in 1793. The whole course -of the river was explored by Simon Fraser (1808), who until he reached the river’s -mouth supposed that he was upon the Columbia. See his “Journal” in L. R. -Masson, <i>Bourgeois de la Compagnie du Nord Ouest</i> (Quebec, 1889), i, pp. 155-221.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_53" href="#FNanchor_53" class="label">[53]</a> Probably Joseph McGillivray, for whom see our volume vi, p. 346, note 152. -Fort Alexandria, on Fraser River, was built (1821) on the east bank of the stream -to serve as a supply post, transmitting goods from the Columbia country. It was -placed at the point where Sir Alexander Mackenzie turned back (1793), and -was named in his honor. In 1836 the fort was removed to the west bank of the -river. With varying fortunes the post has ever since been maintained; in 1863 -a wagon road was opened as far as Alexandria to accommodate the inrush of -miners.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_54" href="#FNanchor_54" class="label">[54]</a> For the Similkameen River see our volume vii, p. 206, note 67.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_55" href="#FNanchor_55" class="label">[55]</a> For the Luhon (Lowhum, now Des Chutes) and John Day rivers see our -volume vii, p. 133, notes 32, 33; for the Umatilla and Walla Walla, volume vi, -p. 338, notes 141, 142.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_56" href="#FNanchor_56" class="label">[56]</a> Klamath River rises in southern Oregon, in the county of the same name, -flows through Klamath lakes and breaks through the barrier of the Cascades -about on the California boundary line. Thence flowing in a somewhat irregular -course, it receives tributaries from Shasta and Siskiyou mountains, and enters -the ocean in Del Norte County, California. It is about two hundred and seventy-five -miles long, and navigable for about forty miles from its mouth. Gold and -timber are found on its banks.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_57" href="#FNanchor_57" class="label">[57]</a> For the Cowlitz River see our volume vi, p. 245, note 49. For Juan de -Fuca Strait, <i>ibid.</i>, p. 256, note 64.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_58" href="#FNanchor_58" class="label">[58]</a> The Umpqua is noted in our volume vii, p. 231, note 82.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_59" href="#FNanchor_59" class="label">[59]</a> This appears extravagant, but the fact cannot be disputed. It may be -observed, however, that the wood, from its rapid growth, has but little weight—half -that of the common pine or deal.—<span class="smcap">English Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_60" href="#FNanchor_60" class="label">[60]</a> The Coquille River, which rises in several branches among the Coast Mountains -and enters the ocean at Coos Bay, in the county of that name. It is navigable -for small steamers for over thirty miles from its mouth.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_61" href="#FNanchor_61" class="label">[61]</a> Coal was first exported from Washington in 1854; no more was mined until -1870, when the Seattle shafts were opened. Washington is known as the “Pennsylvania -of the West” for the number and extent of its coal fields.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_62" href="#FNanchor_62" class="label">[62]</a> On the organization and career of the North West Company see J. Long’s -<i>Voyages</i> in our volume ii, preface, pp. 15, 16. The difficulties with the Hudson’s -Bay Company are briefly recounted by Franchère in our volume vi, pp. 379-381, -particularly notes 195, 199.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_63" href="#FNanchor_63" class="label">[63]</a> This lease was the result of a protest from Great Britain to the government -of Russia for the attack by the latter upon a British brig entering the Stikeen -River to found a fort. The Hudson’s Bay Company waived its claim for -damages in virtue of this lease of the mainland of Russian America between Cape -Spencer and 54° 40′ north latitude. After being several times renewed, the lease -expired in 1868 upon the purchase of Alaska by the United States.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_64" href="#FNanchor_64" class="label">[64]</a> See our volume vi, p. 377, note 191, for a description of York Factory.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_65" href="#FNanchor_65" class="label">[65]</a> For further details of the system of the Hudson’s Bay Company see A. G. -Morice, <i>History of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, formerly New -Caledonia</i> (Toronto, 1904), pp. 99-116; also George Bryce, <i>Remarkable History -of Hudson’s Bay Company</i> (Toronto, 1900).—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_66" href="#FNanchor_66" class="label">[66]</a> Henry Bliss, <i>The Colonial System: Statistics of the trade, industry and -resources of Canada and other Plantations in British America</i> (London, 1833, not -1831).—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_67" href="#FNanchor_67" class="label">[67]</a> Andrew Henry, one of the partners of the Missouri Fur Company, in the -autumn of 1818 built a post on the north fork of Lewis or Snake (Saptin) River. -This was maintained only until the following spring, but is renowned for being -the first American trading post on Columbian waters. The site was supposedly -near Egin, Idaho, and the stream has since been known as Henry’s Fork.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_68" href="#FNanchor_68" class="label">[68]</a> The North West Company decided (1805) to explore the region west of -the Rockies and commissioned Simon Fraser to undertake it. In 1805 he built -Fort McLeod, the first post in British Columbia. The next summer saw the -establishment of two posts—St. James on Stuart Lake, and Fraser on Lake -Fraser. Fort Fraser was begun by John Stuart and has been maintained until -the present time.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_69" href="#FNanchor_69" class="label">[69]</a> For the Astorian enterprise see our volumes v-vii.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_70" href="#FNanchor_70" class="label">[70]</a> David Thompson, for whose arrival at Astoria see Franchère’s <i>Narrative</i> -in our volume vi, pp. 252-255.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_71" href="#FNanchor_71" class="label">[71]</a> See Ross’s <i>Oregon Settlers</i> in our volume vii, pp. 244-249.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_72" href="#FNanchor_72" class="label">[72]</a> See our volume xxviii, p. 38, note 18.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_73" href="#FNanchor_73" class="label">[73]</a> The joint occupancy of Oregon was not determined by the provisions of -the Treaty of Ghent, but by a separate convention made (1818) at London. The -renewal occurred as Farnham states, by the convention of 1827 signed at London -by Albert Gallatin on the part of the United States, and Charles Grant and Henry -U. Addington for Great Britain; see <i>Treaties and Conventions between the United -States and Other Powers</i> (Washington, 1889), pp. 415-418, 426, 427.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_74" href="#FNanchor_74" class="label">[74]</a> For Fort Vancouver see our volume xxi, p. 297, note 82; the early history -of Fort George is narrated in our volume vi, p. 241, note 42. After the headquarters -of the fur company were withdrawn from Fort George, it was maintained -chiefly as a post of observation to report incoming vessels; a single clerk lived at -this place, raised vegetables and flowers in his garden, and welcomed travellers. -The foundations of Fort George were visible at Astoria as late as 1870, but are -now entirely built over.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_75" href="#FNanchor_75" class="label">[75]</a> For Fort Nisqually see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, p. 386, note -203. Fort Langley was founded in 1827 upon the north bank of the Fraser, not -far from the mouth; it was an important dépôt for supplying the interior posts. -While James Yale was factor in charge the buildings were totally destroyed by -fire (1840), but a new stockade was immediately erected. In 1858 Langley was -the prospective capital of the newly-erected province of British Columbia, and a -town site was surveyed about the fort; but being considered indefensible from a -military point of view, and on the wrong side of the river, New Westminster was -chosen instead and Fort Langley was abandoned.</p> - -<p>Fort McLoughlin was erected upon the seacoast in 1833, and placed in charge -of Dr. Tolmie; but the location was insecure because of the hostility of the neighboring -Indians, and it was therefore abandoned in 1843, the effects being removed -to the newly-established Fort Camosum at Victoria.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_76" href="#FNanchor_76" class="label">[76]</a> Fort Simpson, named in honor of Sir George, the Hudson’s Bay Company’s -governor, was not upon Dundas Island, but on the mainland opposite. Its first -site was six miles above the mouth of Nass River (1831). Three years later it -was removed to the Chimsyan Peninsula, below Nass River—one of the finest -harbors on the coast. It is still maintained as a Hudson’s Bay post, being known -as Port Simpson; recent efforts have been made to make this a port of entry for -Pacific Ocean traffic.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_77" href="#FNanchor_77" class="label">[77]</a> For Fort Fraser see <i>ante</i>, p. 56, note 68. Fort St. James, at the outlet of -Stuart Lake (latitude 54° 26′ north), was built in 1806 by Simon Fraser amid a -large population of Indians, and has been maintained continuously to the present. -After the advent of the Hudson’s Bay Company, Fort St. James was made the -emporium of New Caledonia, the residence of a chief factor. In 1828 it was -visited by Sir George Simpson, who entered in proper state with buglers and -bagpipers, the governor and his suite mounted, amid the welcoming discharge -of cannon and musketry (A. McDonald, <i>Peace River</i>, pp. 24, 25). For two views -of this post see Morice, <i>Northern Interior of British Columbia</i>, pp. 102, 110.</p> - -<p>Fort McLeod is the oldest permanent post west of the Rocky Mountains. -Founded in 1805 by Simon Fraser, it has maintained a continuous existence to -the present. It was named for Archibald Norman McLeod, a colleague of its -founder in the North West Company. Located on a lake of the same name, -near the source of Finlay River, in latitude 55° north, it was chiefly useful as a -supply post on the route from Canada via Peace River.</p> - -<p>Chilcotin was founded (about 1828) on a river of the same name tributary -to the upper Fraser, about latitude 52° as an outpost for Fort Alexandria (see -<i>ante</i>, p. 44, note 53). Difficult of maintenance because of the troublesome character -of the Chilcotin Indians, it was abandoned before 1850.</p> - -<p>In addition to the posts mentioned, the Hudson’s Bay Company had in Farnham’s -time within New Caledonia, Forts Babine, Connolly, and George—the -latter on the upper Fraser, the two former on lakes of the same name in the far -north.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_78" href="#FNanchor_78" class="label">[78]</a> All these posts have been before noted: Fort Thompson (Kamloops) in our -volume vii, p. 199, note 64; Kootenay and Flathead in notes 45, 46, <i>ante</i>; Fort -Hall in our volume xxi, p. 210, note 51; Fort Boise, in our volume xxviii, p. 321, -note 199; Fort Colville in De Smet’s <i>Letters</i>, our volume xxvii, p. 330, note 166; -Okanagan in our volume vi, p. 260, note 71; Walla Walla in our volume xxi, p. -278, note 73.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_79" href="#FNanchor_79" class="label">[79]</a> Usually known as Fort Umpqua, this post was founded in 1832 by John -McLeod, being situated about forty miles up the Umpqua River, on the south -bank, on a small prairie of about two hundred acres. It was usually in charge -of a French Canadian clerk, who needed to be vigilant because of the treacherous -nature of the savages. The post was attacked in 1840 by ten times the number -of defenders, but the assault was repulsed. The stockade having been -burned (1851), the Hudson’s Bay Company declined to rebuild, leasing the land -to an American settler, W. W. Chapman.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_80" href="#FNanchor_80" class="label">[80]</a> The idea of a transcontinental railway had not yet dawned. Farnham’s -plan shows, however, boldness of conception for these early days of railway building.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_81" href="#FNanchor_81" class="label">[81]</a> Alexander Simpson, a relation of Sir George, and brother of the Arctic -explorer Thomas Simpson, whose early death was a loss to geographical science. -Alexander Simpson was on his way to the Sandwich Islands, to investigate the -trade conditions therein. See his <i>Life and Travels of Thomas Simpson</i> (London, -1845), pp. 345, 351.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_82" href="#FNanchor_82" class="label">[82]</a> For the history of Fort Vancouver see our volume xxi, p. 297, note 82.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_83" href="#FNanchor_83" class="label">[83]</a> The site of the present St. Helens, a small town, the seat of Columbia County, -Oregon.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_84" href="#FNanchor_84" class="label">[84]</a> This epidemic began in 1829, and wrought great mortality among the -natives. By 1832 it was particularly severe around Fort Vancouver. One -village visited contained but two infants living—the remainder of the inhabitants -having died of the plague. Various causes have been given, some regarding the -disease as scarlet fever, others as some form of malaria due to putrid food, others -thinking it attributable to immoral habits, etc. By its ravages nearly three-fourths -of the native population was swept from the lower Columbia before the -advent of American immigrants.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_85" href="#FNanchor_85" class="label">[85]</a> For Tongue Point see our volume vi, p. 242, note 44.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_86" href="#FNanchor_86" class="label">[86]</a> For James Birnie, the clerk in charge, see Townsend’s <i>Narrative</i> in our -volume xxi, p. 361, note 130.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_87" href="#FNanchor_87" class="label">[87]</a> For Baker’s Bay see our volume vi, p. 234, note 38.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_88" href="#FNanchor_88" class="label">[88]</a> Charles Wilkes (1798-1877) entered the navy as a midshipman (1818). He -rose to a lieutenancy, and in 1838 was placed in charge of an expedition composed -of five vessels dispatched to explore Southern seas. After visiting the Pacific -islands, the squadron (1841) explored the Northwest Coast, Wilkes personally -visiting the Columbia and Willamette. Appointed to the rank of captain (1835), -Wilkes was commander of the vessel that in the War of Secession stopped the -steamer “Trent,” and took therefrom the Confederate envoys Mason and Slidell. -During the remainder of the war he was in charge of the West India squadron. -Retiring in 1864, two years later he attained the rank of rear-admiral. The -report of the Wilkes Exploring Expedition was not published until 1845, when -five volumes were issued; later, other editions brought the number up to eighteen. -In 1842, however, a <i>Synopsis of the Cruise of the United States Exploring Expedition -during the years 1838, ’39, ’40, ’41 and ’42</i> was published at Washington. -From this version Farnham evidently made his extracts.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_89" href="#FNanchor_89" class="label">[89]</a> What are now known as the Olympic Mountains, in northwest Washington. -The term “Claset” was first employed by Vancouver (1792), who bestowed upon -what Cook had called Cape Flattery, the name Point Classet, from an adjacent -Indian village of that name; see George Vancouver, <i>Voyage of Discovery</i> (London, -1801), ii, pp. 46-48.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_90" href="#FNanchor_90" class="label">[90]</a> By the Klameth (Klamath) is intended the present Siskiyou Mountains, -which branch off from Sierra Nevada toward the coast in about latitude 42°, the -boundary between California and Oregon. The country between the Rockies -and California had not then been explored, but there was an erroneous idea of a -transverse chain of mountains which was confused with the Sierra Nevada; see -our volume xxviii, p. 305, note 182.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_91" href="#FNanchor_91" class="label">[91]</a> Vancouver Island was long supposed to be a portion of the mainland. Its -insularity was not proved until 1792, when both Vancouver and the Spanish ships -circumnavigated it. At the request of the Spanish envoy, it received the name -Quadra and Vancouver Island (see Vancouver, <i>Voyage</i>, ii, p. 357); but the length -of the appellation has caused the first part to be dropped. See our volume xxviii, -p. 33, note 10.</p> - -<p>Queen Charlotte Islands (now proved to be two) were first visited by the -Spaniards in 1774. Dixon, an English navigator, named the group in 1787, -giving his own name to the channel north of the island. The Americans, in -ignorance of Dixon’s prior discovery, named the island for Washington (1789); -see our volume xxviii, p. 38, note 16.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_92" href="#FNanchor_92" class="label">[92]</a> Johnstone Straits, named for one of Vancouver’s lieutenants who first discovered -the passage thence to Queen Charlotte Sound, are on the northeast coast -of Vancouver Island, separating it from the mainland.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_93" href="#FNanchor_93" class="label">[93]</a> Gonsalez Lopez de Haro was pilot of two expeditions dispatched by the -Spaniards (1788, 1789) to watch their interests on the Northwest Coast. An -expedition of discovery passing from Juan de Fuca Straits into the Gulf of -Georgia (1790), gave to the channel the name of Lopez de Haro. This appears -on Vancouver’s map as “Canal de Arro.” During the boundary dispute (1858) -between the United States and British Columbia concerning the islands at the -entrance of Juan de Fuca Straits, the Canal de Haro acquired much prominence -as a limit to the United States claim. The matter was submitted to the decision -of the German emperor, who gave the award in favor of the United States (1872), -hence Canal de Haro became an international boundary.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_94" href="#FNanchor_94" class="label">[94]</a> The three largest islands off the mainland east of Hecata Strait and Queen -Charlotte are Princess Royal, Pitt, and Banks.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_95" href="#FNanchor_95" class="label">[95]</a> The fort upon Vancouver Island was founded at its southern extremity—not -at Nootka, or at Clayoquot Sound just below. Built in 1843, the aboriginal -name Camosun was soon changed to Victoria, in honor of the British sovereign. -When Oregon passed to the United States, Victoria became the presumptive -capital of British territory, and thither James Douglas, chief factor of the Hudson’s -Bay Company, removed. In 1849 the island of Vancouver was ceded to -the fur company on condition that a colony of British subjects be established -thereon. Accordingly Victoria was platted in 1851, and two years later had a -population of three hundred. The place was incorporated in 1862, and is now -the capital of British Columbia. It is a substantially built town, picturesquely -situated by the seashore, and possesses a mild climate.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_96" href="#FNanchor_96" class="label">[96]</a> Probably Athabasca Pass, for which see <i>ante</i>, p. 30, note 23. McGillivray’s -Portage is the route less than two miles in length between the headwaters of -Kootenai River and those of the Columbia. See De Smet’s <i>Oregon Missions</i>, -<i>post</i>, p. 209, note 109.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_97" href="#FNanchor_97" class="label">[97]</a> For the Yakima, Pisquow, and Entiatqua rivers see our volume vii, pp. 141, -147, 148, notes 40, 44, 45, respectively.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_98" href="#FNanchor_98" class="label">[98]</a> This is an error, for both the Kooskooske (Clearwater) and Salmon are -eastern affluents of the Lewis. The former rises in the Bitter Root Mountains in -several branches, which flowing westward unite in a large stream entering the -Lewis at Lewiston. It was down this stream that Lewis and Clark made their -way to Columbian waters; see <i>Original Journals</i>, iii, pp. 97-102.</p> - -<p>For the Salmon see our volume xxi, p. 69, note 45.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_99" href="#FNanchor_99" class="label">[99]</a> Three of these rivers are alluded to in note 55, p. 45, <i>ante</i>. Wilkes reported -them from hearsay information, for his own journey did not extend above Fort -Vancouver. Quisnel’s (Quesnel) River, an affluent of the Fraser in New Caledonia, -was named for Jules Maurice Quesnel, Fraser’s lieutenant on his voyage -of 1808. As here placed, “Quisnel’s” would seem to denote a Columbia affluent -between Umatilla and John Day’s; for such a branch see our volume vii, p. 135, -note 34.</p> - -<p>Cathlatate River is found on the map of Charles Preuss, drawn from the -surveys of Frémont (published in 1848), as a northern affluent of the Columbia, -between the Cascades and the Dalles; it would appear to correspond, therefore, -either to Klickitat or White Salmon River.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_100" href="#FNanchor_100" class="label">[100]</a> See on these streams our volumes vi, p. 245, note 49; and xxi, p. 320, note -105.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_101" href="#FNanchor_101" class="label">[101]</a> Stuart River was discovered (1806) by Simon Fraser, who named it in -honor of his companion, John Stuart. It rises near latitude 56° north, flowing -southwest through several lakes, of which Stuart Lake is the largest, into Nechaco -River. The latter comes from the west along the fifty-fourth parallel, and carries -the waters of Stuart’s River into the Fraser, sixty-five miles farther east at the -site of Fort George.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_102" href="#FNanchor_102" class="label">[102]</a> Chilcotin River, named for a turbulent Indian tribe, rises in several branches, -and flows west not far from the fifty-second parallel, into Fraser River. By -Pinkslitsa is probably intended the Puntataenkut, a small western affluent entering -the Fraser at 53° north latitude, opposite the Quesnel, which comes from the -east, having taken its rise in a large lake of the same name. For Thompson’s -River see our volume vii, p. 159, note 51.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_103" href="#FNanchor_103" class="label">[103]</a> Chehalis River, the largest coastal stream of Washington, drains the western -central part of that state, receiving many tributaries from the southern slope of -the Olympic Mountains. It is navigable for steamers as far as Montesano, seat -of a county of the same name as the river. The principal industry of the Chehalis -River valley is lumbering, although agriculture is creeping into the cleared districts. -Gray’s Harbor branch of the Northern Pacific Railway traverses the entire valley. -For Gray’s Harbor see our volume vi, p. 256, note 64.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_104" href="#FNanchor_104" class="label">[104]</a> For the Umpqua see our volume vii, p. 231, note 82; for the Klamath, <i>ante</i>, -p. 46, note 56. Rogue River in the southwestern portion of Oregon, is a rapid -stream of considerable size, rising in many branches in the Cascade Range, its -northernmost tributary heading near Crater Lake. Its general course is west -and southwest, the chief tributary being Illinois River. The name Rogue was -derived from a troublesome tribe of Indians who attacked parties of overland -emigrants from California; see our volume xxi, pp. 328, 329.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_105" href="#FNanchor_105" class="label">[105]</a> For Lake Okanagan see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, p. 372, note -193. Stuart and Quesnel are mentioned in notes 99, 101, <i>ante</i>; Lake Kamloops -in our volume vii, p. 159, note 51.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_106" href="#FNanchor_106" class="label">[106]</a> Flat Bow is now known as Kootenai Lake, an enlargement of the river of -that name in southeastern British Columbia, over sixty miles in length. For -Cœur d’Alène Lake see our volume vii, p. 211, note 75; Kulluspelm (Kalispel) -is the modern Pend d’Oreille Lake, for which see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our -volume xxvii, p. 339, note 175.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_107" href="#FNanchor_107" class="label">[107]</a> Referring to the Lapwai mission, for which see our volume xxviii, p. 338, -note 215.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_108" href="#FNanchor_108" class="label">[108]</a> Both of these names were assigned by Vancouver in the course of his exploration -in 1792. Having entered the Straits of Juan de Fuca he anchored at Port -Discovery, and then proceeding west sailed through the great inlet whose opening -(passed in 1790) was called by the Spanish navigator Quimper, Canal de Caamano. -Vancouver thoroughly explored this arm of the ocean, giving to its southwestern -branch the name of Hood’s Inlet; and “to commemorate Mr Puget’s exertions -(in exploring) the south extremity of it I named it Puget’s Sound.” (Vancouver’s -<i>Voyage</i>, ii, p. 146.)—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_109" href="#FNanchor_109" class="label">[109]</a> For the settlements at Nisqually and Cowlitz see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our -volume xxvii, p. 386, note 203.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_110" href="#FNanchor_110" class="label">[110]</a> This information concerning Fort Boise was incorrect; see our volume -xxviii, p. 321, note 199, and Palmer’s <i>Journal</i> in our volume xxx, which mentions -this post in 1845.</p> - -<p>Kamia was a mission established at the mouth of a stream of that name, now -called Lawyer’s Cañon Creek. Here Rev. Asa B. Smith labored for two years -(1839-41) among the upper Nez Percés, compiling with the help of the noted -chief Lawyer a grammar and dictionary of the Nez Percé language. The hostility -of the tribe did not, however, materially abate; the missionaries were denied the -right of agriculture and the station was finally abandoned. Lewis and Clark -camped near the site of this mission in 1806, on their return journey.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_111" href="#FNanchor_111" class="label">[111]</a> The Puget Sound Agricultural Company was organized in London (1838) -at the instance of Dr. McLoughlin, who perceived the agricultural possibilities -of the region and desired to turn them to account for British enterprise. It was -a sub-corporation of the Hudson’s Bay Company, designed to supply the Russian -contracts. Farms were opened at the points stated by Farnham, and large quantities -of cattle imported from California. Dr. W. F. Tolmie, who made headquarters -at Nisqually, was manager of the corporation. After the Oregon Treaty -(1846) he withdrew the headquarters to Victoria. The farms in Oregon proper -were gradually abandoned. Those in the present state of Washington, however, -were retained, and were the cause of much friction between the company and the -American settlers. In 1864 the commission appointed by the joint governments -to settle claims, awarded the Puget Sound Agricultural Company $750,000 for -their land and improvements in lieu of $5,000,000 claimed by the corporation. -The company continued operations in British Columbia until about 1874, but -never attained financial success. As a colonizing agency the association in successive -years brought (after 1839) several companies of settlers from the Red -River colony—a movement which is reported to have alarmed Dr. Marcus -Whitman, and to have been one of the causes of his journey (1842-43) to the -United States.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_112" href="#FNanchor_112" class="label">[112]</a> For these mission sites see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i>, our volume xxvii, pp. 367, -388, 389, notes 187, 208, 209.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_113" href="#FNanchor_113" class="label">[113]</a> The sale of spirituous liquors to Indians, during the days of the competition -between the fur-companies (see preface to J. Long’s <i>Voyages</i> in our volume ii) -was so ruinous and dangerous that early in the nineteenth century the North -West Company, moved by the exertions of William Wilberforce and other English -philanthropists, made strong efforts to discontinue the traffic, and upon its consolidation -with the Hudson’s Bay Company (1821) the liquor-selling to natives -was forbidden. Surreptitiously, however, this was continued, especially upon -the seacoast and the Russian frontier. Upon the assassination of John McLoughlin, -Jr., at his post at Stikeen, caused by a drunken frolic (1842), Sir George Simpson -visited Sitka and entered into an agreement with the Russian governor Adolphus -Etholin, to suppress the sale of liquor to the Indians in both Russian and British -territory. Meanwhile Dr. McLoughlin at Vancouver, used his best endeavors to -stamp out the traffic in Oregon. The vessel purchased (1841) as Farnham here -narrates, was the “Thomas H. Perkins” from Salem, Mass. The Oregon provisional -government made similar efforts, passing a prohibitory law (1844) under -which two incipient distilleries were destroyed. Not until the rush of settlement -coming with the gold seekers (1848-50) began, did the liquor traffic gain much -foothold.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_114" href="#FNanchor_114" class="label">[114]</a> For a brief sketch of Father Nicolas Point see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume -xxvii, p. 192, note 67.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_115" href="#FNanchor_115" class="label">[115]</a> On the boundaries of Oregon consult our volume xxviii, p. 29, note 1. By -the Oregon Treaty (1846) the northern boundary was fixed at the parallel 49°; -north of this was British, not Russian, territory. The writer of this introductory -matter seems not to have been well informed.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_116" href="#FNanchor_116" class="label">[116]</a> For the early Spanish explorations of the Northwest Coast see Farnham’s -<i>Travels</i> in our volume xxviii, pp. 30-32, including notes 3-9.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_117" href="#FNanchor_117" class="label">[117]</a> Compare with this Franchère’s <i>Narrative</i> in our volume vi, pp. 248, 249; -see also H. S. Lyman, <i>History of Oregon</i> (New York, 1903), i, pp. 167-174, where -the traditions of descendants from early castaways are collected. The Tillamook -(Kilamuke) Indians are noted in our volume vi, p. 258, note 67.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_118" href="#FNanchor_118" class="label">[118]</a> For Cook’s discoveries (1778-79, not 1790) see our volume xxviii, p. 31 -note 6; for Gray, Vancouver, and Mackenzie, our volume vi, pp. 183-185, notes -1, 2, 4.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_119" href="#FNanchor_119" class="label">[119]</a> For the Lewis and Clark expedition see Thwaites, <i>Original Journals</i> (New -York, 1905). The Astorian enterprise is narrated in Franchère’s <i>Narrative</i> -and Ross’s <i>Oregon Settlers</i>, volumes vi and vii of our series.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_120" href="#FNanchor_120" class="label">[120]</a> See Franchère’s <i>Narrative</i> in our volume vi, pp. 294-303; and Ross’s <i>Oregon -Settlers</i> in our volume vii, pp. 244-250.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_121" href="#FNanchor_121" class="label">[121]</a> For McLoughlin see Townsend’s <i>Narrative</i> in our volume xxi, p. 296, note -81.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_122" href="#FNanchor_122" class="label">[122]</a> See, on the Willamette settlement, De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, -p. 386, note 203; on Provencher, <i>ibid.</i>, p. 391, note 213.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_123" href="#FNanchor_123" class="label">[123]</a> The Methodist here mentioned was Jason Lee, who went out in 1833; see -our volume xxi, p. 138, note 13. The Episcopalian clergyman was Rev. Herbert -Beaver, who was sent as chaplain by the Hudson’s Bay Company on their vessel -the “Nereid,” arriving at Vancouver in August, 1836. Although having formerly -served in the West Indies, Beaver did not find it easy to adapt himself to frontier -life, and for his officious criticisms incurred the dislike of the gentlemen at Fort -Vancouver. After eighteen months of service he returned to England, and the -company sent no more chaplains to the Northwest.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_124" href="#FNanchor_124" class="label">[124]</a> For these two priests see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, pp. 320, 369, -notes 164, 189.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_125" href="#FNanchor_125" class="label">[125]</a> See our volume xxviii, p. 380, note 242, for account of Douglas.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_126" href="#FNanchor_126" class="label">[126]</a> The Catholic settlement was that known as French Prairie; the Methodist -establishment is described in De Smet’s <i>Letters</i>, our volume xxvii, p. 388, note -208.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_127" href="#FNanchor_127" class="label">[127]</a> The Cowlitz and Nisqually settlements are noted in our volume xxvii, p. 386, -note 203.</p> - -<p>Whidbey (not Whitby) is a large island in Puget Sound, which was named -(1792) in honor of Joseph Whidbey, one of Vancouver’s subordinates, who first -circumnavigated it. The permanent American settlement thereon began in 1851, -and prospered because of its fertile open prairie land.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_128" href="#FNanchor_128" class="label">[128]</a> For Fort Langley see note 75 (Farnham), <i>ante</i>, p. 58.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_129" href="#FNanchor_129" class="label">[129]</a> The site and founding of this mission is described in De Smet’s <i>Letters</i>, our -volume xxvii, pp. 281-284.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_130" href="#FNanchor_130" class="label">[130]</a> Bear Lake, frequently called Lake Connolly, was the site of the Hudson’s -Bay post of that name founded about 1826 among the Sekanais Indians. It is -somewhat north of latitude 56° near the source of Stuart River.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_131" href="#FNanchor_131" class="label">[131]</a> Mt. St. Helena was measured by Captain Wilkes, and was made 9,550 -feet.—<span class="smcap">Editor of Catholic Almanac.</span></p> - -<p><i>Comment by Ed.</i> For Mount St. Helens see our volume vi, p. 246, note 50.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_132" href="#FNanchor_132" class="label">[132]</a> For the Klamath (Clamet) see note 56 (Farnham), <i>ante</i>, p. 46; the Umpqua -is noted in our volume vii, p. 231, note 82; the Chehalis, note 103 (Farnham), -<i>ante</i>, p. 81.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_133" href="#FNanchor_133" class="label">[133]</a> For this epidemic see note 84 (Farnham), <i>ante</i>, p. 68.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_134" href="#FNanchor_134" class="label">[134]</a> On the camas consult our volume xxi, p. 247, note 61.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_135" href="#FNanchor_135" class="label">[135]</a> The Chinook and Kilamuke tribes on the coast call their most powerful -god by the name of Ikani, and to him they ascribe the creation of all things. The -god who made the Columbia river and the fish in it they call Italupus.—<i>Expl. -Exp.</i>, vol. v., p. 119.—<span class="smcap">Ed. of Catholic Almanac.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_136" href="#FNanchor_136" class="label">[136]</a> For the sites of the Methodist missions see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i>, in our volume -xxvii, p. 388, note 208. Our author here refers to the Willamette and Dalles -missions. For the Presbyterian missions consult our volume xxi, p. 352, note -125; De Smet’s <i>Letters</i>, our volume xxvii, p. 367, note 187; and Farnham’s <i>Travels</i>, -in our volume xxviii, pp. 333, 338, notes 210, 215.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_137" href="#FNanchor_137" class="label">[137]</a> This was known as the “great re-inforcement,” and was secured by Jason -Lee on his return to the United States in 1838-39. The bark “Lausanne” was -chartered, and inducements held out not only to missionaries but to farmers and -mechanics, to volunteer for this movement. The expense incurred was $42,000, -and in addition thereto a sum was said to have been contributed by the federal -government from the secret service fund. (H. H. Bancroft, <i>History of Oregon</i>, -i, p. 171.) Fifty-two persons set sail from New York October 10, 1839, arriving -in the Columbia the following May, and, as our author here indicates, soon scattering -to various posts. This formed the nucleus of the American colony in -Oregon.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_138" href="#FNanchor_138" class="label">[138]</a> For this symbolical catechism and its explanation see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i>, -in our volume xxvii, pp. 403-411.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_139" href="#FNanchor_139" class="label">[139]</a> Speaking of the farm belonging to the Hudson Bay Company at Cowlitz, -Capt. Wilkes says: “The grounds appear well prepared, and were covered with a -luxuriant crop of wheat, (May, 1841). At the farther end of the prairie was to be -seen a settlement, with its orchards, &c., and between the trees, the chapel and -parsonage of the Catholic mission gave an air of civilization to the whole. The -degree of progress resembles that of a settlement of several years’ standing in -our western states,” &c.—<i>Explor. Exped.</i>, vol. iv., p. 315.—<span class="smcap">Ed. of Catholic -Almanac.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_140" href="#FNanchor_140" class="label">[140]</a> For these Hudson’s Bay posts see respectively, De Smet’s <i>Letters</i>, our volume -xxvii, p. 330, note 166; Franchère’s <i>Narrative</i>, in our volume vi, p. 260, note 71; -and Townsend’s <i>Narrative</i>, in our volume xxi, p. 278, note 73.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_141" href="#FNanchor_141" class="label">[141]</a> For Fort George see note 74 (Farnham), <i>ante</i>, p. 57. The Chinook are -described in our volume vi, p. 240, note 40.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_142" href="#FNanchor_142" class="label">[142]</a> Of the Catholic mission at Penn’s cove, between Whitby’s Island and the -main, Mr. Wilkes says: “It (the island) is in possession of the Sacket tribe, who -have here a permanent settlement, consisting of large and well-built lodges of -timber and planks.... This whole tribe are Catholics, and have much affection -and reverence for their instructors.” After speaking of the good feeling promoted -among the Indians by the Catholic clergymen, he continues: “Besides inculcating -good morals and peace, the priests are inducing the Indians to cultivate the -soil, and there was an enclosure of some three or four acres, in which potatoes -and beans were growing.”—<span class="smcap">Ed. of Catholic Almanac.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_143" href="#FNanchor_143" class="label">[143]</a> Sir Edward Belcher (1799-1877) of the British navy was born at Halifax, -Nova Scotia, entered the navy in 1812, and was commissioned a lieutenant in 1818. -He became an expert in surveying and charting, and was thus employed (1825-28) -in the Pacific Ocean on H. M. S. “Blossom.” In 1836 he was appointed to the -command of the man-of-war “Sulphur,” which was sent to the Pacific on a surveying -expedition, and incidentally on account of the British difficulties with the -Russian settlements of Alaska. In 1839 (not 1840) he surveyed the coast from -San Francisco Bay to the Columbia, entering the latter with two men-of-war, -“Sulphur” and “Starling,” and surveying as far as Fort Vancouver. Belcher’s -relations with the Hudson’s Bay official in charge were not cordial, and he criticized -both the unmilitary appearance of Fort Vancouver and Dr. McLoughlin’s -attitude toward the American missionary colonists. On the return journey, -Belcher’s ships were detained on the coast of China by the war in those parts. -An account of the voyage was published in London (1843), and the same year -Belcher was knighted. He cruised in Oriental waters from 1842-47. In 1852-54 -he commanded an Arctic expedition searching for Sir John Franklin.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_144" href="#FNanchor_144" class="label">[144]</a> Sir George Simpson, born in Ross-shire, Scotland (1792), was in a merchant’s -office in London, 1809-20. In the latter year he came to America, having charge -during the winter of 1820-21 of a Hudson’s Bay post on Lake Athabasca. Upon -the coalition of the rival fur-companies, the North West and Hudson’s Bay (1821), -Simpson was chosen governor for the northern department, a position filled with -acceptability until his death in 1860. He made two expeditions to the Northwest -Coast, the first by canoe in 1828. In 1841-42 he journeyed entirely around -the world. Leaving Liverpool in March, 1841, he reached Fort Garry in the Red -River country (the modern Winnipeg), in May, whence the trip across the plains -and mountains to Fort Colville was made by horses. Proceeding down the Columbia -to Vancouver, Sir George visited California and Alaska, returning overland -across Siberia, and reaching London after an absence of nineteen months. His -adventures were published as <i>A Narrative of a Journey around the World, 1841-42</i> -(London, 1847). For a recent study of Simpson see George Bryce, <i>Makers of -Canada</i> (Toronto, 1905), ix. Simpson met Wilkes at Vancouver, and speaks of -the pleasure it gave him. See Farnham’s <i>Travels</i>, <i>ante</i>, p. 72, note 88.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_145" href="#FNanchor_145" class="label">[145]</a> “We stopped for a few hours at the Catholic mission,” says Capt. Wilkes, -“to call upon the Rev. Mr. Bachelet (Blanchet), to whom I had a note of introduction -from Dr. McLaughlin; he received me with great kindness. Mr. B. is -here settled among his flock, and is doing great good to the settlers in ministering -to their temporal as well as spiritual wants.... Mr. Drayton, Michael, and -myself, dined with Mr. B. on oatmeal porridge, venison, strawberries and cream. -His hospitality was tendered with good and kind feelings, and with a gentlemanly -deportment that spoke much in his favor, and made us regret to leave his company -so soon.” Mr. Wilkes represents the missions here and the farms of the Canadians, -in a thriving state. He has incorrectly given the name <i>Bachelet</i> to Mr. Blanchet, -superior of the Oregon mission, who was recently consecrated vicar-apostolic of -that country.—<i>Explor. Exp.</i>, vol. 4, p. 350.</p> - -<p>Of the Methodist mission at Willamette, Mr. Wilkes says: “About all the -premises of this mission there was an evident want of the attention required to -keep things in repair, and an absence of neatness that I regretted much to witness. -We had the expectation of getting a sight of the Indians on whom they were inculcating -good habits, and teaching the word of God: but with the exception of four -Indian servants, we saw none since leaving the Catholic mission.”—<i>Ibid.</i> p. 351, 2. -At this latter mission he numbers four or five hundred natives. The Methodists -had a school of twenty pupils at some distance.</p> - -<p>Near Port Orchard the chapel of the Catholic mission is 172 feet long by 72 -wide. “Many of the natives,” says Mr. Wilkes, “are capable of saying their -prayers and telling their beads, and some were met with who could sing some -Catholic hymns in their own language.”</p> - -<p>Of the Protestant missions at Clatsop, Capt. Wilkes observes: “There appeared -to me to be little opportunity for exercising their ministerial calling, though I understood -afterwards that at particular seasons a number of Indians collected to hear -them.”—Vol. iv., p. 322.—<span class="smcap">Ed. of Catholic Almanac.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_146" href="#FNanchor_146" class="label">[146]</a> See our volume xxvii (De Smet), pp. 192, 193, notes 67, 69, 70.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_147" href="#FNanchor_147" class="label">[147]</a> Identical with De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> published in our volume xxvii.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_148" href="#FNanchor_148" class="label">[148]</a> These two missionaries were refused passage in the annual Hudson’s Bay -Company’s brigade, and came to Oregon by sea, arriving in September, 1842. -Langlois was placed in charge of the Willamette mission and the seminary of St. -Joseph. Bolduc, who had formerly served in Polynesia, relates <i>post</i> his experiences -in Vancouver Island and vicinity.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_149" href="#FNanchor_149" class="label">[149]</a> See De Smet’s account in his <i>Letters</i>, our volume xxvii, pp. 374-376.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_150" href="#FNanchor_150" class="label">[150]</a> H. M. Chittenden and A. T. Richardson, in <i>Father De Smet’s Life and -Travels</i> (New York, 1905), give the following information with regard to these -fathers: Peter De Vos was born in Ghent in 1797; coming to America in 1836 he -went in 1842 to reinforce the mission of St. Mary’s in Montana. He served there -and in the Willamette valley for eight years, when he was transferred to the College -of Santa Clara, California, where he died April 17, 1859.</p> - -<p>Father Adrian, younger brother of Father Christian Hoeken, was born in -Holland in 1815. His mission service was connected with St. Ignatius at its -first site in 1844-54, and at the present site in 1854-59. In the latter year he -re-opened the abandoned Blackfeet mission, returning the following year (1860) -to the East, where he spent his later life, dying at Marquette College, Milwaukee, -April 19, 1897.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_151" href="#FNanchor_151" class="label">[151]</a> Michele Accolti was born at Bari, Italy, in 1806. Having been educated at -Rome, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1832, and accompanying De Smet to -Oregon remained there until 1851 in charge of various parishes both north and -south of the Columbia. About 1851 Accolti removed to San Francisco, and in -1853 went to Rome for reinforcements for the newly-founded Jesuit college at -Santa Clara. Returning thither in 1855 he served as pastor for ten years, when -he was transferred to San Francisco, where he died November 6, 1878.</p> - -<p>Giovanni Nobili was a native of Rome (1812). After six years in Oregon he -was transferred to California, and died at Santa Clara, March 1, 1856. See <i>post</i> -for the account of his journey to New Caledonia, where he was known as “Petit -Père,” because of his small stature.</p> - -<p>Antonio Ravalli was born in Ferrara in 1812. After entering the Jesuit order -(1827) he taught for some years in Turin and neighboring cities, before coming -to Oregon with Father de Smet. His first station was at St. Ignatius, whence he -went to Fort Colville, removing shortly to St. Mary’s in the Bitterroot valley -where so much of his life was spent. When St. Mary’s was abandoned (1854), -Father Ravalli removed to the Sacred Heart mission, returning three years later -to the Colville region. In 1860 he retired to Santa Clara, California, where for -three years he was master of novices. But his heart was in the mountains, whither -he returned and labored until his death, October 2, 1884. Father Ravalli was -much beloved in Montana. For illustration of his monument see L. P. Palladino, -<i>Indian and White in the Northwest</i> (Baltimore, 1894), p. 55.</p> - -<p>Aloysius Vercruysse was born at Courträi, Belgium, in 1806. He served -chiefly at St. Ignatius mission, being transferred to Santa Clara in 1863. Thence, -because of failing health, he was sent home to Belgium, where he died July 17, -1866.</p> - -<p>Brother Francis Huybrechts died at the Cœur d’Alène mission April 5, 1872, -aged seventy-four years.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_152" href="#FNanchor_152" class="label">[152]</a> De Smet gives a detailed account of the voyage and the visit to Valparaiso -and Lima, in the first letter in his <i>Western Missions and Missionaries</i> (New York, -1863). See also Chittenden and Richardson, <i>De Smet</i>, ii, pp. 408-436.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_153" href="#FNanchor_153" class="label">[153]</a> On the bar of the Columbia River occurred the wreck of the <i>Peacock</i>, one of -the vessels attached to the Exploring Expedition. A thrilling account of this -event is given in Capt. Wilkes’ Narrative. Of the bar itself he says: “Mere description -can give little idea of the terrors of the bar of the Columbia; all who have -seen it have spoken of the wildness of the scene, and the incessant roar of the waters, -representing it as one of the most fearful sights that can possibly meet the eye of -the sailor. The difficulty of its channel, the distance of the leading sailing marks, -their uncertainty to one unacquainted with them, the want of knowledge of the -strength and direction of the currents, with the necessity of approaching close to -unseen dangers, the transition from clear to turbid water, all cause doubt and -mistrust. Under such feelings, I must confess that I felt myself laboring.”—Vol. -iv., p. 293.—<span class="smcap">Ed. of Catholic Almanac.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_154" href="#FNanchor_154" class="label">[154]</a> For this mission see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, p. 365, note 184. -The direction from St. Mary’s is northwest, not south.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_155" href="#FNanchor_155" class="label">[155]</a> These were Fathers Zerbinati and Joset, and Brother Magri, whom De -Smet met in his journey eastward preparatory to sailing for Europe, and who had -been sent as reinforcement by the Jesuit authorities abroad. They went forward -to the frontier, arriving at the mission late in 1843.</p> - -<p>Pietro Zerbinati remained at St. Mary’s mission, where he was accidentally -drowned late in the summer of 1845.</p> - -<p>Joseph Joset was of Swiss origin. He reinforced the Cœur d’Alène mission, -where he resided for many years, serving both the government and the cause of -the Indians in the war of 1858. He was frequently stationed at Colville, and -for some years served a church in Spokane. In 1891 he returned to the Cœur -d’Alène mission, dying at De Smet in 1900.</p> - -<p>Brother Vincent Magri was a skilled mechanic, and had charge of milling -operations at St. Ignatius. Later he was sent to the Cœur d’Alène mission, where -he died June 18, 1869.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_156" href="#FNanchor_156" class="label">[156]</a> Augustine Magloire Alexander Blanchet, younger brother of Archbishop -Blanchet, was born near Quebec in 1797, educated in that city, and consecrated -to the priesthood in 1821. For some years he served as missionary on islands -in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and at Cape Breton; then he returned to parish work, -being arrested on a charge of participating in the Papineau revolt. No evidence -to that effect being adduced, he was released, and was serving as canon of Montreal -cathedral when called by his brother (1844) to be bishop of Walla Walla. -After consecration as herein described, he set out for his diocese by way of St. -Louis, first having declared his intention of becoming a citizen of the United -States. Blanchet arrived on the Walla Walla September 5, 1847, shortly before -the Whitman massacre. The Catholics were accused, doubtless unjustly, of -having instigated that event, whose horrors they sought to mitigate. Blanchet -was obliged to abandon the Cayuse mission, and in 1850 was made bishop of -Nisqually, a diocese which later (1853) was co-extensive with Washington Territory. -He established his headquarters at Vancouver, where was inaugurated -a long litigation of the land claim of the church. Bishop Blanchet resigned in -1878, dying in retirement February 15, 1887.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_157" href="#FNanchor_157" class="label">[157]</a> Bolduc probably refers to the Spanish settlement at Nootka Sound; see -Farnham’s <i>Travels</i> in our volume xxviii, pp. 32, 33, notes 8 and 10.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_158" href="#FNanchor_158" class="label">[158]</a> For Mounts Hood and St. Helens see our volume vi, pp. 246, 248, notes 50, -54; for Baker and Rainier, see notes 29, 30 (Farnham), <i>ante</i>, p. 33.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_159" href="#FNanchor_159" class="label">[159]</a> For the Cowlitz settlement see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i>, in our volume xxvii, p. 386, -note 203. “Shwally” is a form for Nisqually, described in the same note.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_160" href="#FNanchor_160" class="label">[160]</a> Still known as Partridge (Perdrix) Point, on the west side of Whidbey Island, -opposite Penn Cove.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_161" href="#FNanchor_161" class="label">[161]</a> The eulachon (<i>Thaleichthys pacificus</i>), commonly known as the candlefish. -It is of the smelt order, and has a delicious flavor. See a drawing by Capt. -William Clark in <i>Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition</i>, iv, frontispiece.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_162" href="#FNanchor_162" class="label">[162]</a> For the Clallam consult De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, p. 387, note -207.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_163" href="#FNanchor_163" class="label">[163]</a> For Vancouver Island see Farnham’s <i>Travels</i>, <i>ante</i>, p. 75, note 91. The -expedition landed in Camosun Bay. A manuscript journal of Sir James Douglas -forms the basis of the account in H. H. Bancroft, <i>History of British Columbia</i> -(San Francisco, 1887), pp. 92-116.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_164" href="#FNanchor_164" class="label">[164]</a> These were the Songhies, a tribe of Coast Salishan stock, inhabiting the -region around Victoria. For a detailed description of this tribe see Franz Boas -in <i>Report</i> of British Association for the Advancement of Science, 1890, pp. 563-582. -Boas gives the proper tribal name as Lkuñgen, and says the term Songhies -(Songish) is derived from one of their septs. As Bolduc reports, they lived in -the long board houses with carved posts, and enclosed their village with palisades. -There are about a hundred of this tribe extant under the charge of the Cowichan -agency.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_165" href="#FNanchor_165" class="label">[165]</a> This was a band of Cowichan Indians, named for their chieftain Tsoughilam -(Toungletats). The Cowichan are a large subdivision of the Coast Salishan -tribe, occupying the east coast of Vancouver Island, and up the Fraser River -as far as Yale; see <i>Report</i> of British Association for the Advancement of Science, -1894, pp. 454-463. See also an account of the attack of this tribe on the newly-erected -Fort Camosun in H. H. Bancroft, <i>British Columbia</i>, pp. 106-110.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_166" href="#FNanchor_166" class="label">[166]</a> The former tribe was probably the Kwantlums, a branch of the Cowichan -family, occupying the lower Fraser valley about Fort Langley and above.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_167" href="#FNanchor_167" class="label">[167]</a> For Kawitskins (Cowichan) and Klalams (Clallam), see <i>ante</i>, p. 148, note -49; for Isanisks (Songhies), p. 149, note 51.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_168" href="#FNanchor_168" class="label">[168]</a> For the founding of Sitka see our volume vi, p. 258, note 68.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_169" href="#FNanchor_169" class="label">[169]</a> Lopez Island, between Rosario Straits and Canal de Haro.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_170" href="#FNanchor_170" class="label">[170]</a> Bishop Blanchet had previously visited Whidbey Island; see <i>ante</i>, p. 120. -The Skagit Indians were a tribe of Salishan origin inhabiting the territory in the -neighborhood of Skagit Bay and on the river of that name. In 1855 they took -part in the treaty of Point Elliott, and were assigned to the Swinomish Reservation -at the mouth of Skagit River. The Indians on this reservation number -about two hundred and fifty; they are partly civilized, wear civilized dress, speak -English, hold allotted lands, and are largely members of the Roman Catholic -church.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_171" href="#FNanchor_171" class="label">[171]</a> For the origin of this name see our volume vi, p. 233, note 36.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_172" href="#FNanchor_172" class="label">[172]</a> For the Clatsop see our volume vi, p. 239, note 39. The American with -them was probably either Solomon H. Smith, or Calvin Tibbitts, who both lived at -Clatsop Plains, having crossed the continent with Wyeth; see Wyeth’s <i>Oregon</i>, -our volume xxi, p. 73, note 50.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_173" href="#FNanchor_173" class="label">[173]</a> James Birnie (Burney), for whom see Townsend’s <i>Narrative</i> in our volume -xxi, p. 361, note 130.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_174" href="#FNanchor_174" class="label">[174]</a> See descriptions of this form of entombment in our volume xxi, p. 338; also -in <i>Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition</i>, iii, pp. 260, 326.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_175" href="#FNanchor_175" class="label">[175]</a> This was the building on the site of the present city of Salem, which was -erected in 1842 by Jason Lee for the Indian mission school formerly conducted -in a log house twelve miles below. The mission school had suffered reverses -from illness and the loss of missionary leaders, and Rev. George Gary had arrived -in Oregon May 1, 1844, to close up the affairs of the entire Methodist mission. -The building for the school, which had with the surrounding land cost nearly -$10,000 became the property of the Oregon Institute, which opened a school -therein in the autumn of this year (1844). This subsequently became the nucleus -of Willamette University, chartered in 1853.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_176" href="#FNanchor_176" class="label">[176]</a> The site was about three miles above Champoeg, not far from the residence -of Etienne Lucier, one of the earliest settlers of French Prairie.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_177" href="#FNanchor_177" class="label">[177]</a> For a sketch of this missionary see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, -p. 193, note 69.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_178" href="#FNanchor_178" class="label">[178]</a> The mission or residence at this point was known as St. Francis Xavier. -The convent was, however, entitled St. Mary’s or Notre Dame, from the convent -at Namur, whence the sisters set forth.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_179" href="#FNanchor_179" class="label">[179]</a> Chittenden and Richardson, <i>De Smet</i>, ii, p. 453, give “Oregon City” as -the alternative of this native village. Consultation with Oregon historians, however, -gives no support to this theory—the term “Cuhute” never having been -applied to the locality of Oregon City during the residence, or within the knowledge -of white settlers. George H. Himes of Portland, after interviewing several -pioneers, writes us: “I conclude that the village referred to by De Smet was the -name of a village belonging to a small sub-tribe of Indians in the vicinity of the -present town of St. Paul, Marion County, which was annihilated by the disease -already alluded to.”—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_180" href="#FNanchor_180" class="label">[180]</a> This letter enclosed those following, numbered iv-xv, in the last of which -De Smet says that he is sending a packet of letters by the Hudson’s Bay brigade -from Columbia, which he has just encountered.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_181" href="#FNanchor_181" class="label">[181]</a> Addressed to Bishop (later Archbishop) John Hughes of New York. From -the time of the descriptive letter number ii, written from Willamette valley October -9, 1844, to the beginning of this letter in February, 1845, Father de Smet -had made a journey to his previously-founded missions in the interior. Leaving -Vancouver, he ascended the river to Fort Walla Walla, thence crossed Spokane -plains and the mountains to the camp of the Pend d’Oreille on Clark’s Fork, -where he met Father Adrian Hoeken. There a deputation from the Cœur -d’Alènes waited on the father to persuade him to visit their mission of Sacred -Heart, where he was received November 11 by Father Nicolas Point. Setting -forth thence, eight days later he found the road to the Flatheads impracticable -because of floods and ice, so that he was obliged to pass the winter (1844-45) -with the Pend d’Oreille in their winter quarters on Clark’s Fork.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_182" href="#FNanchor_182" class="label">[182]</a> For the location of Horse Plain see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, -p. 337, note 172. The location of the Bay of the Pend d’Oreille (Kalispels) is -given <i>post</i>, note 73.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_183" href="#FNanchor_183" class="label">[183]</a> For these tribes and the former visit of De Smet, see his <i>Letters</i> in our volume -xxvii, especially p. 141, note 8.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_184" href="#FNanchor_184" class="label">[184]</a> This stream, now known as St. Regis Borgia, is a tributary of the Missoula -from the west. Rising in Bitterroot Mountains it flows slightly south of east -through a fertile valley, which forms the present route of the Northern Pacific -Railway. See De Smet’s <i>Letters</i>, in our volume xxvii, p. 362, note 183.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_185" href="#FNanchor_185" class="label">[185]</a> Stiettiedloodsho was surnamed “Bravest of the Brave;” for an account of -his fight with the Crows, see <i>post</i>, letter xxiii. His baptismal name was Moses, -and he was an adopted brother of Father de Smet, who relates several anecdotes -of his piety; see Chittenden and Richardson, <i>De Smet</i>, iv, pp. 1225, 1226. He -was known to be living in 1857. Possibly Selpisto was the great chief baptized -in 1840 as Peter. For Chalax see our volume xxvii, p. 284, note 148.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_186" href="#FNanchor_186" class="label">[186]</a> The site of the first mission of St. Ignatius, called by De Smet the Bay of -the Kalispels, was on the east bank of Clark’s Fork, in latitude about 48° 20′ -north, longitude 117° 10′ west, in the present Stevens County, Washington, not -far from the town of Usk. The mission was maintained at this point until 1854, -when, the spot proving unsuitable from frequent overflows, a site was chosen in -western Montana on the present Flathead Reservation, whence the mission was -transferred and where it has since been maintained. See L. B. Palladino, <i>Indian -and White in the Northwest</i>, pp. 68-79.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_187" href="#FNanchor_187" class="label">[187]</a> Manresa is a town in the northeastern part of Spain, where Ignatius Loyola, -founder of the Jesuit order, spent a year dwelling in a cave, and subjecting himself -to severe austerities. It is now a place of pilgrimage for the pious followers -of the saint.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_188" href="#FNanchor_188" class="label">[188]</a> Champoeg—an Indian name, signifying a kind of edible root—was an -Indian camping and council ground, lying on the borders of Kalapuya territory. -Among the earliest settlements in the Willamette valley were those made near -this place.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_189" href="#FNanchor_189" class="label">[189]</a> Oregon City was laid out in lots (1843) by Dr. John McLoughlin, who had -taken up the site as early as 1829 and by 1837 had made improvements there. -The Methodist mission had built a store and a mill on the same site and later -there was a prolonged dispute over the title. Meanwhile Oregon City (or Willamette -Falls) grew, and was made the seat of the provisional government (1845-49). -McLoughlin gave the site for the building of the church here mentioned, -which was dedicated February 8, 1846.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_190" href="#FNanchor_190" class="label">[190]</a> The Kamloop and Atnah are Shushwap (Shoowhapamooh) clans of the -great Salishan stock of Indians, inhabiting the region between the Rocky Mountains -and Fraser River, north of the British American boundary line. The Kamloop -lived in the Thompson River district, near a fort of that name (see Ross’s -<i>Oregon Settlers</i> in our volume vii, p. 199, note 64). For the term “Atnah” see -our volume vii, p. 159, note 52.</p> - -<p>The Porteurs (Carriers) are described in De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume -xxvii, p. 307, note 160. Consult G. M. Dawson “The Shuswap People,” in -Royal Society of Canada <i>Transactions</i>, ix, part ii, pp. 3-44; A. G. Morice, “The -Western Dénés” in Canadian Institute <i>Proceedings</i>, 3d series, vol. 7, pp. 109-120; -and Franz Boas, in <i>Report</i> of British Association for the Advancement of Science, -1890, pp. 642-647.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_191" href="#FNanchor_191" class="label">[191]</a> The Stelatin dwelt on the western end of Fraser Lake; the Nashkutin (Nashkoten) -on and about Blackwater River; the Chilcotin (Tchilkoten) on a river of -that name [see note 102 (Farnham), <i>ante</i>, p. 81,] and the Nakasletin (Nazeteoten) -on Stuart Lake.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_192" href="#FNanchor_192" class="label">[192]</a> Brother J. B. McGean (McGill) was an Irishman, who went to the mission -field with Fathers Peter De Vos and Adrian Hoeken in 1843. In 1854 he was at -St. Ignatius mission where he was farm superintendent.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_193" href="#FNanchor_193" class="label">[193]</a> Father de Smet and his Indians followed the aboriginal trail across the -Cascades, which afterwards became the foundation of the Barlow Road. See -“History of the Barlow Road,” in Oregon Historical Society <i>Quarterly</i>, iii, pp. -71-81. For Mount Hood see our volume vi, p. 248, note 54.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_194" href="#FNanchor_194" class="label">[194]</a> For Captain Nathaniel Wyeth and his expeditions to Oregon, see our volume -xxi, preface, and p. 23, note 3. This quotation, which is not verbatim, is taken -from Wyeth’s <i>Memoir</i>, published in <i>Reports of Committees</i>, 25 Cong., 3 sess., no. -101, p. 11.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_195" href="#FNanchor_195" class="label">[195]</a> For the Nez Percé Indians see our volume vi, p. 340, note 145. While -closely related the Cayuse are thought by modern ethnologists to be a separate -language stock, although they also spoke the Nez Percé tongue. See our volume -vii, p. 137, note 37.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_196" href="#FNanchor_196" class="label">[196]</a> Now known as Kettle Falls; see our volume vi, p. 346, note 153.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_197" href="#FNanchor_197" class="label">[197]</a> For the first two tribes see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, p. 319, -notes 161, 162. The Zingomenes are the Spokan (see Father de Smet’s letter -in Chittenden and Richardson, <i>De Smet</i>, iii, p. 801), for whom see our volume vi, -p. 341, note 146. Kalispel is an alternative for the Pend d’Oreille, noted in our -volume xxvii, p. 141, note 8 (De Smet).—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_198" href="#FNanchor_198" class="label">[198]</a> The salmon of the Pacific coast rivers comprises five species of one genus, -<i>Oncorhyncus</i>: <i>O. chavicha</i>, the quinnat or King salmon; <i>O. nerke</i>, the blue-backed -salmon; <i>O. kisutch</i>, the silver salmon; <i>O. keta</i>, the dog salmon; and <i>O. gorbusha</i>, -the hump-backed salmon. The sixth variety noted may be the <i>Salmo gairdneri</i>, -or steelhead salmon trout.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_199" href="#FNanchor_199" class="label">[199]</a> The residence or mission of St. Francis Regis is in the Colville valley, about -seven and a half miles from the present town of Colville. On his next visit De -Smet found settled in the vicinity about seventy Canadian métis, or half breeds. -The station does not appear to have been continuous, but to have been re-established -after the Indian wars (1847-56). Later it became a flourishing mission, with -schools for boys and girls, and was frequently visited by Spokan and Colville -Indians from the neighboring reservations. For the Cree see J. Long’s <i>Voyages</i> -in our volume ii, p. 168, note 75.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_200" href="#FNanchor_200" class="label">[200]</a> The Flatbows (Arcs à plats), in the use made of the term by De Smet, signify -that branch of the Kutenai stock that is now known as the Lower Kutenai; by -“Kootenay” the author designates the Upper branch of the tribal stock. They -differ slightly in customs and dialects, as well as in habitat, the Lower Kutenai -being partly in the United States; the Upper almost wholly in British Columbia. -For a scientific study of this stock see Dr. A. F. Chamberlain in <i>Report</i> of British -Association for the Advancement of Science, 1892, pp. 549-614; see also De Smet’s -<i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, p. 357, note 180.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_201" href="#FNanchor_201" class="label">[201]</a> Lake Pend d’Oreille, in northern Idaho; for which see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> -in our volume xxvii, p. 339, note 175.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_202" href="#FNanchor_202" class="label">[202]</a> For a brief biographical sketch of Peter Skeen Ogden see Townsend’s -<i>Narrative</i> in our volume xxi, p. 314, note 99. For an account of De Smet’s -journey with Ogden in 1842, see the former’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, pp. 373-377.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_203" href="#FNanchor_203" class="label">[203]</a> These officers were Captain Henry J. Warre, nephew and aide-de-camp -of Sir R. Downer Jackson, commandant of British forces in North America, and -Lieutenant M. Vavasour of the Royal Engineers. They had a commission from -the government, perhaps not as extensive as is reported by De Smet, but doubtless -ample in case of war. They were also secretly commissioned by the Hudson’s -Bay Company to report on Dr. McLoughlin’s attitude in regard to the American -settlers, and their adverse account was answered by him in detail, after his resignation -(1846). The two officers left Montreal May 5, 1845, reporting at Fort -Garry, whence they took the overland route followed by Sir George Simpson in -1841, arriving at Fort Colville August 12, three days after the meeting with De -Smet in the Idaho forests. Their appearance at Fort Vancouver nearly coincided -with that of the naval officers Park and Peel from the Pacific squadron. Warre -and Vavasour examined the country thoroughly, and made estimates of the -Indian tribes. See Robert M. Martin, <i>Hudson’s Bay Territories</i> (London, 1849), -p. 80. They visited Vancouver Island and Puget Sound, the settlements on the -Willamette and the mouth of the Columbia, making drawings and sketches of -several places visited. They remained at Fort Vancouver during the winter -of 1845-46 assisting at the festivities inaugurated by the officers of the “Modeste” -(see Palmer’s <i>Journal</i> in our volume xxx, note 189), and left for England via the -spring brigade. They mention meeting Father de Smet seven days from Boat -Encampment on the return journey. Arriving in Liverpool August 12, 1846, -Captain Warre prepared for the press <i>Sketches in North America and the Oregon -Territory</i> (London, 1849), a copy of which is in the Portland public library. -Captain Warre had been in Canada since 1839; on his return to England he -received the thanks of the colonial secretary, Earl Grey, for his arduous services -during his journey to the West on “special duty.” Later he commanded the 57th -regiment in the Crimean War and in New Zealand, 1861-66, becoming lieutenant -general in 1877, and dying in 1898. He is the author of <i>Sketches in the Crimea</i> -(London, 1856); he also wrote <i>Historical Records of the 57 regiment of foot</i> -(London, 1878.)—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_204" href="#FNanchor_204" class="label">[204]</a> Doubtless De Smet followed the well-known Indian trail which David -Thompson called the “Great Road of the Flatheads,” reaching Kootenai River -about on the border between Idaho and Montana, where was built a North West -Company house, later abandoned. See Thompson’s description of the road in -Elliott Coues (ed.) <i>New Light on the Early History of the Greater Northwest</i> -(New York, 1897), ii, p. 673; also the accompanying map by Thompson.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_205" href="#FNanchor_205" class="label">[205]</a> The wappato (<i>sagittaria latifolia</i>) was an important article of food for the -Northwest Indians. See descriptions of its gathering and preparation in <i>Original -Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition</i>, index. The flower of the bitterroot -(<i>Lewisia rediviva</i>) has been chosen as the Montana state flower; it gives name -both to the river and to a range of mountains in that state. The biscuit root was -probably what is known as the white-apple or prairie potato (<i>Psoralea esculenta</i>), -a food-root widely spread in North America. See our volume xxi, p. 248, note -62.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_206" href="#FNanchor_206" class="label">[206]</a> On the camas see our volume xxi, p. 247, note 61.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_207" href="#FNanchor_207" class="label">[207]</a> <i>Evernia vulpina</i>, still used for food by the Kutenai.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_208" href="#FNanchor_208" class="label">[208]</a> Kootenai Lake, in eastern British Columbia, is an enlargement of the river -of the same name, seventy-five miles in length and with a width of from two -to five miles. The river enters at the southern end, and leaves the lake about -midway of its length opposite Pilot Bay.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_209" href="#FNanchor_209" class="label">[209]</a> Edward Berland, a Hudson’s Bay Company employe, aided Sir George -Simpson on his voyage around the world in 1841. See his curious autograph -reproduced in Simpson, <i>Narrative</i>, i, p. 125.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_210" href="#FNanchor_210" class="label">[210]</a> Known as Kootenai River Traverse, located in the neighborhood of the -present Fort Steele. See Simpson’s description of its passage in his <i>Narrative</i>, -pp. 137, 138.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_211" href="#FNanchor_211" class="label">[211]</a> De Smet is passing up the Kootenai River in its course through Montana, -following the line of the present Great Northern Railway, which leaves Kootenai -valley at Jennings, where the river coming from the north makes an abrupt turn -to the west. A recently-built branch of this railway extends from Jennings along -the upper Kootenai into British Columbia.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_212" href="#FNanchor_212" class="label">[212]</a> Probably the Yaac River, a considerable mountain tributary of the Kootenai, -in northwestern Montana. De Smet may, however, refer to some small stream -that enters the main river near Kootenai Falls, some ten or twelve miles above -the embouchment of the Yaac. David Thompson called the Kootenai, McGillivray -River, in honor of the Hon. William McGillivray, one of the North West -Company partners.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_213" href="#FNanchor_213" class="label">[213]</a> De Smet was an observant traveller. The mineral wealth of Flathead -County, Montana (through which he was passing), has not yet been developed; -but galena ore bearing both lead and silver has been found, and considerable -quantities of coal and oil are known to exist in that district. See <i>Report</i> of Great -Northern Railway, 1902.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_214" href="#FNanchor_214" class="label">[214]</a> Tobacco Plains are situated on both sides of the international boundary, -taking their name from Tobacco River, a Montana affluent of the Kootenai. -This has for many years been the habitat of one division of the Upper Kutenai, -known as Agkanegunik (people of the Tobacco Plains). David Thompson -visited and traded there in 1808. A British Columbia branch of this tribe still -has a reservation of 2,560 acres just north of the international boundary, where -a band of fifty-seven was in 1902 employed in farming and cattle-raising. The -Kutenai of to-day are all Roman Catholics.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_215" href="#FNanchor_215" class="label">[215]</a> For Flathead (Tête plat) Lake see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, -p. 359, note 181.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_216" href="#FNanchor_216" class="label">[216]</a> From Tobacco Plains De Smet advanced up the valley of the upper Kootenai, -towards the portage near the headwaters of the Columbia. This valley runs -between the main range of the Rockies and the Selkirks, among some of the most -majestic scenery on the North American continent.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_217" href="#FNanchor_217" class="label">[217]</a> Taken from a composition of De Smet’s on his second journey to the -Rocky Mountains (1841), and then applied to the heights around the sources -of the Platte. See Chittenden and Richardson, <i>De Smet</i>, iv, pp. 1353, 1354.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_218" href="#FNanchor_218" class="label">[218]</a> These are Upper Columbia and Windermere lakes, the former 2,700 feet -above sea level, and the ultimate source of the Columbia River. The river is -navigable from Lake Windermere as far as Golden, where the Canadian Pacific -Railway crosses, and steamers ply the course of about 160 miles. The passage -from one lake to the other is possible only for canoes. This region was first -explored by David Thompson in 1807.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_219" href="#FNanchor_219" class="label">[219]</a> These are composed of gravelly flats, the great spawning beds of the Columbia -salmon. At times steamboat navigation is impeded by the immense number -of the fish.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_220" href="#FNanchor_220" class="label">[220]</a> The Hot Springs—one of a temperature of 120°, the other of 90° Fahrenheit—issue -from natural basins of their own formation, on the side of a cliff -just below Upper Columbia Lake.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_221" href="#FNanchor_221" class="label">[221]</a> Richard Chandler (1738-1810), an English antiquary, undertook an exploring -expedition to Asia Minor and Greece (1765) under the auspices of the English -Dilettanti Society. The results were published as <i>Travels in Asia Minor</i> (London, -1775), both sufficiently popular to run through several editions. The author -particularly mentions the famous Hot Springs of the ancient Hierapolis, whose -site is now known as Kambuk Kalessi, on the Mæander River in Phrygia, and -describes their incrustations and stalactites. For the famous geographer Conrad -Malte-Brun see our volume xviii, p. 345, note 136.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_222" href="#FNanchor_222" class="label">[222]</a> The portage from Kootenai River (Arcs-à-plats) to Upper Columbia Lake -is but a mile and a half in length, over a level trail of rich black soil now known as -Kootenai Flat. There is little doubt that the upper Columbia once drained this -way into the Kootenai River, which now, however, is slightly higher than the -source of the Columbia. A canal has been projected across the portage, but it is -not yet completed.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_223" href="#FNanchor_223" class="label">[223]</a> For the Shushwap see our volume vii, p. 159, note 52.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_224" href="#FNanchor_224" class="label">[224]</a> Vermillion River, one of the headstreams of the Kootenai, rises in the great -group of the Rockies, near the foot of Mount Biddle, west of Laggan, on the Canadian -Pacific Railway, and flows southeasterly until uniting with the Beaverfoot -to form the Kootenai. See “Sketch map of the Canadian Rocky Mountains” -in James Outram, <i>In the Heart of the Canadian Rockies</i> (New York, 1905).—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_225" href="#FNanchor_225" class="label">[225]</a> De Smet is not sufficiently precise in his topography to make it certain by -which pass he crossed the Rocky Mountain divide. Probably it was that over -which Sir George Simpson made his way to the westward in 1841, now known -as Simpson Pass (elevation 6,884 feet). It comes out in the neighborhood of -Banff on the Canadian Pacific Railway, in the valley of Bow River, a tributary -of the South Saskatchewan. See Simpson, <i>Narrative</i>, i, pp. 118-121.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_226" href="#FNanchor_226" class="label">[226]</a> The Saskatchewan, with its two great branches, North and South, drains -a large portion of the vast plain lying between the Rocky Mountains and the -lake region of Manitoba, and enters Lake Winnipeg in latitude 53° 10′, longitude -99° 20′ west. Nelson River enters Hudson Bay near the fifty-seventh parallel -of north latitude.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_227" href="#FNanchor_227" class="label">[227]</a> Bow River (des Arcs) is the northern branch of the South Saskatchewan. -It rises in the Rocky Mountains above Laggan, flowing east and southeast until -its junction with Belly River near longitude 111° 30′; these two then form the -great South Saskatchewan. The name Rivière des Arcs is thought to have been -given from its course, as it was first applied to the entire South Saskatchewan -which takes a crescent course. More probably it arose from its frequent curves -or “ox-bows,” especially in the upper reaches, above Banff. The earliest explorers -of this stream were the French, who under Lieutenant de Niverville, sent out by -Legardeur de St. Pierre (1752), erected Fort La Jonquière not far from the modern -town of Calgary. David Thompson explored Bow River valley for the North -West Company in 1800. The upper Bow is now the route of the Canadian -Pacific Railway.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_228" href="#FNanchor_228" class="label">[228]</a> The Blackfeet are noted in our volume v, p. 225, note 120, and described in -more detail by Maximilian in his <i>Travels</i>, our volume xxiii, pp. 95-122. They -range into the northern part of Montana in the United States, but their usual -habitat is the great plain of the Saskatchewan in the provinces of Alberta and -Assiniboia.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_229" href="#FNanchor_229" class="label">[229]</a> For the Assiniboin see our volume ii, p. 168, note 75. The Assiniboin -were wandering Indians grouped into many bands under separate chiefs. Early -in the nineteenth century those of the woods and foothills of the Rockies became -differentiated from the Assiniboin of the Plains, and were usually denominated -Stoney Indians. These latter were in two bands, the Thickwood and Mountain -Stoney, with dialects differing considerably from the Assiniboin of the Plains. -Their characteristics were also different, they being more peaceable and inoffensive -than their Eastern relatives. They were very poor, nevertheless were good -hunters and energetic workers, many of them acting as guides especially in the -explorations connected with the Canadian Pacific Railway surveys. First visited -by Wesleyan missionaries as early as 1840, they now are largely members of that -denomination. A band of about six hundred live on a reservation on Bow River -near Morley, forty miles west of Calgary, not far from the region in which they -were encountered by De Smet.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_230" href="#FNanchor_230" class="label">[230]</a> The Assiniboin of the Plains had been decimated by small-pox in 1838; -while still a numerous tribe, they were reduced from 1,000 to 400 thinly-populated -lodges. They had somewhat recovered, doubtless, before Father de Smet’s -journey.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_231" href="#FNanchor_231" class="label">[231]</a> Red Deer River rises in the Sawback Range, nearly east of Laggan, and -flowing east and southeast through the plains of Alberta empties into the South -Saskatchewan in Assiniboia, just east of the hundred and tenth meridian.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_232" href="#FNanchor_232" class="label">[232]</a> Snake Country (Pays Serpent) was the term applied by the Hudson’s Bay -Company to the area drained by Snake (or Lewis) River, the home of the Shoshoni -(or Snake) Indians.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_233" href="#FNanchor_233" class="label">[233]</a> These tribes have all been previously noted—by “Kants” being meant -the Kansa; by “Saucs” the Sac; and by “Ajouas” the Iowa.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_234" href="#FNanchor_234" class="label">[234]</a> See De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, p. 391, note 213.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_235" href="#FNanchor_235" class="label">[235]</a> Jean Baptiste Thibault went as a missionary to the Red River country -in 1833, and travelled widely in the great Northwest, visiting the Hudson’s Bay -posts and founding missions for both half-breeds and Indians from Manitoba to -New Caledonia. His colleague, Joseph Bourassa, was engaged in the same work -from 1844 to 1856.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_236" href="#FNanchor_236" class="label">[236]</a> For these rivers see our volume vi, p. 354, with accompanying note. The -mission at St. Ann, in Alberta about fifty miles west of Fort Edmonton, was later -in charge of the Oblate Fathers, headed by Father La Combe.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_237" href="#FNanchor_237" class="label">[237]</a> The last four tribes belong to the great Athapascan, Déné, or Tinneh stock, -whose northern division occupies the northernmost interior of the American continent. -The names here given (probably translated from French) are intended -for the Beaver, Dogrib, Slave and Hare (or Hare-skin) tribes. In general terms -their habitat may be described as follows: the Beaver upon Peace River; the Dogrib -between Great Slave and Great Bear lakes; the Slaves west of Great Slave -Lake, upon Mackenzie and Liard rivers; the Hares on the Mackenzie, Hare, -Indian, and Anderson rivers. See A. G. Morice, in Canadian Institute <i>Proceedings</i>, -1889, pp. 109-174. These Indians still rove the great northern lands, little -affected by contact with whites.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_238" href="#FNanchor_238" class="label">[238]</a> These are all fur-trading posts, most of which De Smet had visited. They -have been described in previous volumes of our series, as follows: Fort Corbeaux -(Crow), or Alexander, our volume xxvii, p. 146, note 12 (De Smet); Laramie (La -Ramee), xxi, p. 181, note 30; Union, xxii, p. 373, note 349; Mandan, or Clark -(near Big Knife, not Little Missouri), xxii, p. 344, note 317; Pierre, xxii, p. 315, -note 277; Lookout, xxii, p. 304, note 261; Vermillion, xxvii, p. 153, note 22 (De -Smet); fort at Council Bluffs, xxii, p. 275, note 231; and Bellevue, xxii, p. 267, -note 221. Fort Osage, originally a government post on the Missouri (not the -Osage), was abandoned in 1827; see our volume v, p. 60, note 31. Probably De -Smet here refers to the trading post at the Osage villages on Osage River, in what -is now Kansas. Fort Pied-Noir (Blackfoot), or Lewis, was the successor of Fort -Mackenzie (for which see our volume xxiii, p. 87, note 75), destroyed in 1844. -Fort Lewis was built (1845) by Alexander Culbertson some distance above the old -fort at the mouth of Maria’s River, on the south bank of the Missouri, eighteen -miles above the present city of Fort Benton, Montana; see account of founding -in Montana Historical Society <i>Contributions</i>, iii, pp. 241-243 (note, however, that -the dates in these reminiscences are quite unreliable). Fort Lewis, named for -the explorer, Captain Meriwether Lewis, was abandoned in 1846 for the site of -Fort Benton—the new post, however, retaining the name Lewis until about -1850. Fort Berthold, in McLean County, North Dakota, on the Indian reservation -of that name, one hundred and twenty-five miles above Bismarck, was built -as an American Fur Company post in 1845, and named for Bartholomew Berthold, -one of the partners of that corporation. An opposition post (erected in -1859) was bought out in 1862, and the effects and name transferred thither. -This new stockade was nearly captured by the Sioux in December, 1862. Two -years later it was converted into a military post, but the soldiers being withdrawn -(1867) the fort was thereafter maintained as an Indian agency, until accidentally -burned in 1874; all vestiges have now disappeared. See engraving of its former -appearance in O. D. Wheeler, <i>Trail of Lewis and Clark</i> (New York, 1904), -i, p. 276.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_239" href="#FNanchor_239" class="label">[239]</a> Right Reverend Mathias Loras was born in Lyons, France, in 1792. At -the age of twenty-six he was ordained priest, and in 1829 came to the United -States with Bishop Portier of Mobile. He served in the latter city until chosen -(1839) first bishop of the newly-created see of Dubuque. Two years later he -visited Europe for recruits, returning with two priests and four deacons. Bishop -Loras died at Dubuque in 1858. In 1841 he sent Augustine Ravoux, one of the -deacons who had reinforced his mission (ordained priest in 1840), to visit the -traders in what is now Minnesota, and attempt the founding there of a Sioux -mission; he was accompanied by Father Lucien Galtier. The latter built a chapel -on the site of St. Paul, and gave the infant settlement its name, but in 1844 he was -removed, dying in 1866 at Prairie du Chien. Father Ravoux made many missionary -journeys over his wide territory—in 1845 to Fort Vermillion, in 1847 to Fort -Pierre—and established an incipient Sioux mission. The withdrawal of Galtier -made it imperative for Ravoux to devote himself to the care of the Catholic communicants -of his wide diocese. See his <i>Reminiscences and Memoirs</i> (St. Paul, -1890). He was still living in 1904.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_240" href="#FNanchor_240" class="label">[240]</a> For the Potawatomi mission see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, -p. 156, note 26. Its first site in Kansas was as here stated; later (1848) it was -removed to Kansas River, and during the early settlement was well known as -St. Mary’s Mission—afterwards, simply St. Mary’s. The mission school was -continued until 1869. A town of this name is in the southeastern corner of -Pottawatomie County.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_241" href="#FNanchor_241" class="label">[241]</a> Several posts of the Hudson’s Bay Company were known as the Rocky -Mountain House; but this one, upon the North Saskatchewan, had no other name. -It was founded in 1802 by the North West Company, and David Thompson was -in charge 1806-07, making thence his first expedition west of the mountains. It -was located about a mile and a half above the mouth of the Clearwater, on the -south bank of the Saskatchewan. See <i>Explorations by Captain John Palliser</i> -(London, 1863), pp. 74-77, descriptive of the expedition sent by the government -in 1857-59.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_242" href="#FNanchor_242" class="label">[242]</a> For the Sauteux see J. Long’s <i>Voyages</i>, in our volume ii, p. 79, note 38. -The Chippewa are the most numerous tribe of the Algonquian stock, large numbers -being still found in both Canada and the United States, with a range nearly -as wide as De Smet here gives them. In the United States, however, their habitat -never extended much beyond Minnesota, where they were met by their hereditary -enemies, the Dakota (or Sioux). In Canada, their alliance with the Cree gave -them a farther westward range, and they occasionally traded at Fort Edmonton -on the upper Saskatchewan.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_243" href="#FNanchor_243" class="label">[243]</a> George A. de Belcourt arrived in the Red River country in 1831, and spent -twenty-eight years as a missionary in this territory, officiating also at Pembina -under commission from Bishop Loras of Dubuque. The Chippewa mission here -mentioned was situated on Winnipeg River, at a place whose native name was -Wabassimong. In 1846, the Oblate Father Aubert was placed in charge; but -lack of success rendered it necessary to abandon the mission the following year. -The log church which had been erected was used some years later by Protestant -missionaries. See Alexandre Taché, <i>Vingt Années de Missions dans le Nord-Ouest -de l’Amérique</i> (Montreal, 1866).—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_244" href="#FNanchor_244" class="label">[244]</a> This was the half-breed known as Bird, whose treachery toward Antoine -Godin at Fort Hall, Idaho, is narrated by Townsend in our volume xxi, pp. 353, -354; see also our volume xxiii, pp. 135, 145, 153.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_245" href="#FNanchor_245" class="label">[245]</a> This band of Blackfeet, which took its name from an important chief, was -mentioned by George Catlin in 1832, being said to consist of two hundred and -fifty lodges. Father de Smet says that they were almost entirely destroyed. -Charles Larpenteur, however, mentions this band as on the war path against -the Flatheads in 1848; see his <i>Forty Years a Fur Trader</i> (New York, 1898), ii, -pp. 259-261.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_246" href="#FNanchor_246" class="label">[246]</a> John Rowand was born at Montreal and entered the North West Company -as a clerk in 1800. He was in charge at Fort Augustus for many years and there -was born his son who became widely known in Northwest annals. Educated at -Montreal and Edinburgh, he travelled abroad before returning to the Northwest, -where he was for many years a chief factor of the company. He accompanied -Sir George Simpson on his journey of 1841, and in 1848 retired from active service, -settling in Quebec, where he died in 1889. See <i>Henry-Thompson Journals</i>, ii, pp. -602, 603; and Chittenden and Richardson, <i>De Smet</i>, iv. pp. 1559-1561.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_247" href="#FNanchor_247" class="label">[247]</a> For Fort Edmonton (or Fort Augustus) see our volume vi, p. 364, note 177. -A nearly contemporary description may be found in Simpson, <i>Narrative</i>, i, pp. 101, -102.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_248" href="#FNanchor_248" class="label">[248]</a> For Fort Jasper see our volume vi, p. 357, note 167.</p> - -<p>Assiniboine House was built in 1825 on the north side of Athabasca River, in -northern Alberta; the place is now abandoned and ruined. See Alexander Ross, -<i>Fur Hunters of the Far West</i> (London, 1855), ii, p. 204.</p> - -<p>Lesser Slave Lake House, at the western end of the lake, was built by Alexander -Stuart of the North West Company early in the nineteenth century.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_249" href="#FNanchor_249" class="label">[249]</a> For Fort des Montagnes see <i>ante</i>, p. 234, note 128.</p> - -<p>Fort Pitt was established in 1831, not far below old Fort Vermillion, about -half way between Carlton and Edmonton, on the south bank of the Saskatchewan, -about a hundred yards from the river. See description of its appearance in 1859, -in Earl of Southesk, <i>Saskatchewan and the Rocky Mountains</i> (Edinburgh, 1875), -pp. 139-142, 285-292.</p> - -<p>Fort Carlton (Carrollton) was the Hudson’s Bay post replacing the old Fort -de la Montée, for which see our volume vi, p. 374, note 185. Sir George Simpson -well describes its appearance in 1841 in his <i>Narrative</i>, i, p. 84. For Cumberland -House see our volume vi, p. 376, note 188.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_250" href="#FNanchor_250" class="label">[250]</a> The Lake of the Black Eagle does not appear to be charted, but the entire -country between Forts Edmonton and Assiniboine abounds in lakes. This route -was followed by Ross in 1825; see his <i>Fur Hunters</i>, ii, pp. 205, 209.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_251" href="#FNanchor_251" class="label">[251]</a> For the Pembina see our volume vi, p. 364, note 177. It is not feasible to -identify all these affluents of the upper Athabasca. Next to Pembina, the largest -of those mentioned is McLeod (McCloud) River, a southern branch coming in -some fifty miles above old Fort Assiniboine. The Baptiste (the additional word -Berland has been dropped) flows from the west, entering the Athabasca where it -bends to the east.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_252" href="#FNanchor_252" class="label">[252]</a> Of the two lakes at the headwaters of the Athabasca, both are sometimes -called Jasper, but the lower one was more frequently known as Burnt (or Brulé) -Lake. For these and Jasper House see our volume vi, p. 357, note 167.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_253" href="#FNanchor_253" class="label">[253]</a> The names of these streams appear to change frequently. The Violin is -now known as Fiddle River; it debouches from the south, near the upper end of -Brulé Lake. Medicine appears to be identical with the stream called Rocky -River, coming from very near the source of the North Saskatchewan. The -Assiniboine is now usually called Snake Indian River; it takes its name from a -small tribe that frequented its banks, who were totally exterminated early in the -nineteenth century by a fierce band of Assiniboin.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_254" href="#FNanchor_254" class="label">[254]</a> The Maligne is a large stream coming from the south, not far from the -source of the Brazeau. Gens de Colets is now known as Snaring River; it enters -the Athabasca some miles above Jasper Lake. The Miette comes from the -west and joins the Athabasca at its abrupt turn from north to east. The trail -to Yellowhead Pass follows up the Miette, while that to Athabasca Pass follows -the main Athabasca River, to the Trou (or Hole), more frequently Whirlpool -River.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_255" href="#FNanchor_255" class="label">[255]</a> The Boucane is now Smoky River, the largest southwest affluent of Peace -(a la Paix) River.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_256" href="#FNanchor_256" class="label">[256]</a> For Fraser River see Farnham’s <i>Travels</i>, <i>ante</i>, p. 43, note 52.</p> - -<p>A small branch of the Miette approaches within a few rods, on the summit -of Yellowhead Pass of the upper source of the Fraser, running thence into -Yellowhead, and sixteen miles lower down Moose Lake, whence issues the main -Fraser.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_257" href="#FNanchor_257" class="label">[257]</a> For the Carrier Indians, see our volume xxvii, p. 307, note 160. They are -the main branch of the Déné (Tinneh) stock, in British Columbia. See Rev. -A. G. Morice, “Are the Carrier Sociology and Mythology exotic?” in Canadian -Royal Society <i>Transactions</i>, x, part ii, pp. 109-120, with map giving location of -the tribes of New Caledonia.</p> - -<p>By the Achiganes, De Smet probably intends the Sekanais (Tsekenné), who -inhabit the western slopes of the Rockies from latitude 54° to 60°. They are a -nomadic people of the Déné stock, lacking houses, villages, or social organization. -Despising fish, they subsist on game and roots. Numbering about two hundred -souls, they now exist in two wandering bands in the Babine and Upper Skeena -River agency, Hoquelget division, British Columbia.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_258" href="#FNanchor_258" class="label">[258]</a> The Montagnais are a branch of the great Athapascan (or Déné) stock of -northern Indians. By some authorities they are identified with the Chippewyan; -others consider them the western branch of the Chippewyan tribe—De Smet -uses the term in the first sense. The Chippewyan still rove in their ancient habitat -on Athabasca lake and river. The majority of the tribe has been christianized -by Catholic missionaries.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_259" href="#FNanchor_259" class="label">[259]</a> Lake Athabasca, in the northern portion of the territory of that name, is -the outlet of Athabasca River, and extends 190 miles in length and from five to -fifty-five in width. It discharges by Slave River into Great Slave Lake, thence -through the Mackenzie into the Arctic Ocean. Fort Chippewyan, upon the shore -of Lake Athabasca, was one of the earliest trading posts erected by the English -in the Northwest. Thence Sir Alexander Mackenzie made his famous explorations -(1789-93).—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_260" href="#FNanchor_260" class="label">[260]</a> The Oblate monk was Alexandre Antoine Taché, later archbishop of St. -Boniface on the Red River, and the priest Father L. Laflèche. Father Thibault -had visited all the Athabascan district in the summer of 1844, preparing the way -for permanent mission stations. Reporting to Bishop Provencher at Winnipeg, -the latter sent the two missionaries to found a central station at Ile à la Crosse -(largely frequented by Crees), whence stations were later established at Cariboo -Lake and Lake Athabasca.</p> - -<p>Father Laflèche came to the Red River country in 1844, remaining at Ile à la -Crosse until 1849, when infirmities led him to retire. Elected coadjutor for Bishop -Provencher, he declined the responsibility, but served as vicar general until 1856.</p> - -<p>Taché was Canadian born (1823); educated at Montreal, he joined the Oblate -order, and (1845) volunteered for mission service on the frontier. Arrived at Red -River, he was ordained priest, and sent (July, 1846) to found the mission at Ile à -la Crosse, whence he made journeys to the distant tribes of the Northwest. Elected -coadjutor bishop in 1849, he visited Europe, being two years later consecrated in -France. Returning to Canada, he went back to his mission, whence he was summoned -to Winnipeg by the death of Bishop Provencher (1853). Taché was an -important figure in the Canadian Northwest, being profoundly interested for the -material and spiritual welfare of the Indians and half-breeds. He interceded -with the Dominion government for the latter’s grievances in 1869, and after the -Riel rebellion was useful in restoring harmony. Raised to an archbishopric in -1871, he ably administered his diocese until his death in 1894.</p> - -<p>See his own account of his early missionary experiences in <i>Vingt Années de -Missions dans le Nord-Ouest de l’Amérique</i>.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_261" href="#FNanchor_261" class="label">[261]</a> Paul, son of Simon Fraser the explorer (for whom see Farnham’s <i>Travels</i>, -<i>ante</i>, p. 43, note 52), was born in Glengarry, Ontario, in 1799. He entered the -Hudson’s Bay Company as early as 1827, or before, and in the following year was -chief clerk in charge at Fort Vermillion, when Sir George Simpson passed that -way. In 1833 he was a senior clerk at Fort McLeod, giving his principal attention -to New Caledonia where he was a chief trader before 1844. He built Fort Umpqua -in Oregon, and was stationed there for some time. In 1850 he resigned from the -Northern department and was sent to Fort Kamloops, where not long afterwards -he was killed by the fall of a tree.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_262" href="#FNanchor_262" class="label">[262]</a> There is an Island Lake on the Sturgeon River chain, not far from Lake -Ann, but De Smet’s topography is too indefinite to insure identification.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_263" href="#FNanchor_263" class="label">[263]</a> La Fourche du Trou (Fork of the Hole), better known as Whirlpool River, -is that branch of the Athabasca that descends from the Committee’s Punch Bowl -on the summit of Athabasca Pass. The first appellation is given because of a -peculiar rock formation by which it enters the other branch of the Athabasca -through a rocky channel or hole. See our volume vi, p. 353.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_264" href="#FNanchor_264" class="label">[264]</a> By reference to Letter iii, <i>ante</i>, pp. 170-172, it will be seen that all the succeeding -letters to this point were enclosed with that accompanying them, and -forwarded by the usual Columbia brigade, which De Smet met at this point of -his journey.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_265" href="#FNanchor_265" class="label">[265]</a> For a brief sketch of York Factory see our volume vi, p. 377, note 191.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_266" href="#FNanchor_266" class="label">[266]</a> For Francis Ermatinger see our volume xxvii, p. 235, note 108.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_267" href="#FNanchor_267" class="label">[267]</a> This river has various names, by some called Portage, and by others Little -Canoe, since it enters the Columbia at its great northern bend, just where the -Canoe River coming from the north also joins it. This westward-flowing mountain -torrent—first discovered by David Thompson in 1810-11—issues from a -small lake at the summit of the pass, within a few rods of the Committee’s Punch -Bowl.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_268" href="#FNanchor_268" class="label">[268]</a> So named from Thompson’s camp, where he stopped to build canoes to -descend the Columbia. It became a noted site on the upper Columbia, where -horses or snow-shoes were exchanged for canoes or vice versa.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_269" href="#FNanchor_269" class="label">[269]</a> For the two peaks here mentioned, see Farnham’s <i>Travels</i>, <i>ante</i>, pp. 29, -30, notes 22, 23.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_270" href="#FNanchor_270" class="label">[270]</a> The Dalles of the Dead was an especially dangerous place on the upper -Columbia. Probably they took their name from the sad fate of a party who turned -back from Boat Encampment in 1817. See Ross Cox, <i>Adventures on the Columbia -River</i> (New York, 1832), p. 245.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_271" href="#FNanchor_271" class="label">[271]</a> Alexander Ross in his <i>Fur Hunters</i>, ii, pp. 165-175, speaks of paintings in -red ochre upon a rock on Lower Arrow Lake, against which the passing Indians -shot their arrows in defiance of the tribes beyond. By examining these arrows, -the natives could tell what tribes have lately passed. Doubtless from this custom -the lakes have received their name. They are wide spreads of the river, beautifully -located, amid high cliffs and peaks. Upper Arrow Lake is about thirty-three -miles long and three broad; the Lower is more tortuous, and slightly -longer and narrower. The distance between them is more nearly sixteen than -six miles.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_272" href="#FNanchor_272" class="label">[272]</a> For these two lakes see our volume xxvii, pp. 339, 359, notes 175, 181, -respectively.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_273" href="#FNanchor_273" class="label">[273]</a> Roothan was at that time father general of the Jesuit order; see our volume -xxvii, p. 155, note 25 (De Smet). The lake is now known as Priest Lake, and -Blackrobe River as Priest River, occupying a forest reserve of that name in -northwestern Idaho, with a like strip in northeastern Washington.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_274" href="#FNanchor_274" class="label">[274]</a> This portion of the river is fifteen miles south of the international boundary -line, and twenty-six above Kettle Falls. It is known as the Little Dalles, the -cañon being deep and narrow, without bottom lands. See Thomas W. Symons, -<i>Report of an Examination of the Upper Columbia River</i> (Washington, 1882), pp. -11-13.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_275" href="#FNanchor_275" class="label">[275]</a> Lewes (according to H. H. Bancroft, John Lee; according to Father Morice, -Thomas) was an old North West Company man, who was now chief factor in the -Hudson’s Bay Company. He had been stationed both on Mackenzie River and -in New Caledonia, and came to Colville about 1845. Offered chief command of -the latter district the following year, he declined because of ill-health. Soon -afterwards resigning, he retired to Australia, but ultimately returned and settled -in the Red River country.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_276" href="#FNanchor_276" class="label">[276]</a> For Commodore Wilkes see Farnham’s <i>Travels</i>, <i>ante</i>, p. 72, note 88.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_277" href="#FNanchor_277" class="label">[277]</a> For Fort Okanagan see our volume vi, p. 260, note 71.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_278" href="#FNanchor_278" class="label">[278]</a> De Smet proceeded with his Indian guides up the valley of Okanagan -River and lake, crossed to the upper waters of the South Thompson, and came -out on Shuswap Lake, a large irregularly-formed body of water, a gathering place -for the tribes of that stock. See our volume vii, p. 159, notes 51, 52.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_279" href="#FNanchor_279" class="label">[279]</a> “Fort of the Sioushwaps” is Fort Kamloops, for which see our volume vii, -p. 199, note 64.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_280" href="#FNanchor_280" class="label">[280]</a> See Farnham’s <i>Travels</i>, <i>ante</i>, p. 44, note 53.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_281" href="#FNanchor_281" class="label">[281]</a> Fort George, situated at the confluence of the Nechaco with the Fraser, was -built by Simon Fraser in the autumn of 1807, and named in honor of the reigning -English monarch. Hugh Faries was the first officer in charge. The fort stood -in the midst of a hunting country, and was noted for its fine furs. A Hudson’s -Bay Company post is still maintained at this place.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_282" href="#FNanchor_282" class="label">[282]</a> Father de Smet ascended first the Nechaco to the embouchment of Stuart -River, then up that stream—whose native name is Nakasley or Na’kaztle—to -Stuart Lake, where is situated the capital of New Caledonia, Fort St. James. -See Farnham’s <i>Travels</i>, <i>ante</i>, p. 58, note 77.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_283" href="#FNanchor_283" class="label">[283]</a> The mission at Fort St. James received no further visit after that of Father -de Smet’s successor, Father Nobili (1847), for twenty-one years. In 1868 the -order of Oblates sent two missioners thither who were at the fort in the early -summer, and soon after founded a permanent mission thereat, of which Father -Adrian G. Morice was for many years the head. See his <i>History of the Northern -Interior of British Columbia</i>, pp. 326-336.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_284" href="#FNanchor_284" class="label">[284]</a> The Chilcotin are one of the four tribes of Western Déné, occupying the -valley of the river bearing their name. They are nearly related to the Carrier -in their customs and modes of life; but have always been more turbulent, and -difficult to control. The Hudson’s Bay Company built a fort among them which -was later abandoned because of the untrustworthy character of the native population; -see Farnham’s <i>Travels</i>, <i>ante</i>, p. 58, note 77. In 1864 they attacked the -miners of the region, and the consequent punitive expedition cost the Dominion -government over $60,000. They are now on reservations in their valley, being -Roman Catholic communicants and gradually becoming civilized.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_285" href="#FNanchor_285" class="label">[285]</a> For the forts upon these lakes and their location, see Farnham’s <i>Travels</i>, -<i>ante</i>, pp. 56, 58, notes 68, 77.</p> - -<p>Fort Babine—during the first years called Fort Kilmaurs—was built in -1822 on the north bank of the lake of that name. Pierre C. Pambrum and William -Connolly were the first traders in charge. The Babine Indians, so named from the -plug of wood worn by the women to enlarge the lower lip, were loyal Hudson’s -Bay people, and good hunters. There are still three bands of this tribe dwelling -near Babine Lake—one known as the Old Fort Babines have a village in the -vicinity of the first post, fourteen miles from the foot of the lake, and accessible -only by canoes.</p> - -<p>The fort on Bear Lake was named Connolly, and established in 1826 for the -benefit of the northern Sekanais. The earliest post was built on an island in the -lake, and was the most northerly of the interior stations of New Caledonia.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_286" href="#FNanchor_286" class="label">[286]</a> The Shushwap (Atnahs) proper live on both branches of Thompson River; -the Okanagan, on the lake and river of that name. Lake Superior (or the “Upper” -Lake) is probably Upper Arrow Lake of the Columbia. The Fountain of Fraser -River (not Lake) is an Indian village known as Hulilp, near the site of the modern -Lillooet; probably the author intends by this the whole tribe of Lillooets, a western -branch of the Shushwap. The Knife Indians are probably the Thompson (or -Similkameen) branch of the Shushwap stock, inhabiting the valley of Similkameen -River and ranging thence to the Thompson and Fraser. The six bands of Shushwap -here named correspond in part with the divisions given by G. M. Dawson in -“The Shuswaps of British Columbia,” in Canadian Royal Society <i>Transactions</i>, -ix, part 2, pp. 3-43.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_287" href="#FNanchor_287" class="label">[287]</a> Peter H. Burnett was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1807. While still -young he moved with his parents to Missouri, where he engaged in mercantile -pursuits and began legal studies. Upon the introduction of Senator Linn’s bill -in Congress providing land for bona fide Oregon settlers, Burnett determined to -emigrate thither, and was chosen captain of a large company, which set forth -in 1843. Arrived in Oregon, he settled first at Linnville, then at Tualatin -Plains, where he took much interest in the provisional government and was a -member of its first legislative committee (1844). The following year he was -chosen judge of the supreme court, and upon the establishment of territorial government -was appointed justice of the United States court. In 1848 he went to California, -where in 1850 he was elected first governor of the new state, and later (1857-58) -served as justice of the California supreme court. Embarking in the banking -business in San Francisco, he won eminence as a financier, dying in his adopted -home in 1894. He has related his experiences in <i>Recollections and Opinions of an -Old Pioneer</i> (New York, 1880). He therein details his conversion to Catholicism, -due chiefly to conviction following the reading of controversial works. Going to -Oregon City, he was received into the church by Father Devos (June, 1846).</p> - -<p>Dr. John E. Long was a native of England, being educated for a physician. -Emigrating to the United States in 1833, and to Oregon ten years later, he acted -as recorder of the first legislature of the provisional government, but in 1846 was -killed by an accident.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_288" href="#FNanchor_288" class="label">[288]</a> Donald Manson, born in Scotland in 1800, entered the Hudson’s Bay Company -at the age of seventeen, and was sent out to York Factory. Three years -later, at Winnipeg, he met Dr. McLoughlin and in 1823 accompanied him to the -Pacific department. At first assigned to an exploring expedition under charge of -Samuel Black, he reached Vancouver January 6, 1825, and aided in completing -its works. Two years later he accompanied the expedition that founded Fort -Langley, and was afterwards sent to restore the trading post of old Fort George, -at the mouth of the Columbia. In 1829 Manson was placed in charge of Fort -McLoughlin, on Millbank Sound, and there remained for ten years, after which -a well-deserved furlough gave him the opportunity to revisit Scotland. Returning -to the Pacific, he was sent (1841) to succeed Samuel Black at Kamloops, and -to punish the latter’s murderers; the following year a like task was assigned him -at Stikeen. In 1844 Manson was placed in command of New Caledonia, with -headquarters at Fort St. James, a position ably filled for fourteen years, when he -retired from the service and settled near Champoeg, in the Willamette valley, -where he died January 7, 1880. He married (1828) the daughter of Etienne -Lucier, first settler of French Prairie, and had a large family of children. See -interview with his daughter in Oregon Historical <i>Quarterly</i>, iv, p. 263; also -Oregon Pioneer Association <i>Transactions</i>, 1879, p. 56.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_289" href="#FNanchor_289" class="label">[289]</a> For Fort Walla Walla see our volume xxi, p. 278, note 73. The clerk in -charge was William B. McBean (not McBride), an educated half-breed born in -1790 on the eastern side of the Rockies. In 1825 he was a subordinate at Fort -Alexandria; from 1836 to 1842 in charge at Fort Babine. Thence he was sent to -Fort Connolly (1842), and next (1845) succeeded Archibald McKinley at Walla -Walla. He attained an unpleasant notoriety in connection with the Whitman -massacre, because of his Catholic proclivities, and his tardiness in aiding the -survivors; but most of the charges against him were unfounded. In New Caledonia -he had a reputation for being despotic and wily, also somewhat fanatical in -religious matters.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_290" href="#FNanchor_290" class="label">[290]</a> For the Lewis River see our volume vi, p. 277, note 86. The crossing must -have been made not far from the boundary line between Walla Walla and -Columbia counties on the south side of the river, and that between Franklin and -Whitman counties on the northern bank.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_291" href="#FNanchor_291" class="label">[291]</a> The Paloos were a Shahaptian tribe, nearly related, as De Smet says, to the -Nez Percés. Their habitat was the north bank of Lewis River, from the mouth of -Palouse River to that of the Lewis. Lewis and Clark called them “Palleotepellows,” -and credited them with 1,600 souls. In 1854 there were five hundred extant -in three bands. They took part in the wars of 1855-58, but were thoroughly cowed -by Colonel George Wright’s invasion of their territory. In 1860 their agent reported -that the remnant of the tribe had intermarried and settled among the Nez Percés, -on the Lapwai reservation in Idaho, and after that their separate tribal existence -lapsed.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_292" href="#FNanchor_292" class="label">[292]</a> Now known as Palouse River, the largest northern tributary of the Lewis, -below the Clearwater. Rising in eastern Idaho, it flows west and then south—through -a considerable cañon in its lower course, forming falls over a hundred -feet in height, about seven miles above its confluence with the Lewis.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_293" href="#FNanchor_293" class="label">[293]</a> For Spokane River, see our volume xxvii, p. 366, note 185. De Smet probably -crossed the river not far from the present city of Spokane.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_294" href="#FNanchor_294" class="label">[294]</a> Of these two upper branches of the Cœur d’Alène, St. Joseph’s has retained -its name. Rising in the Bitter Root (not now called Pointed Heart) Mountains -it flows northwest into the southern arm of Cœur d’Alène Lake. The St. Ignatius -is now known as the Cœur d’Alène River; and through its valley runs the -Northern Pacific Railway. See our volume xxvii, p. 365, note 184.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_295" href="#FNanchor_295" class="label">[295]</a> Mrs. S. Parmentier of Brooklyn, a liberal donor to Father de Smet’s missions, -to whom the following letter is addressed.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_296" href="#FNanchor_296" class="label">[296]</a> Apparently this was the present Blake’s Lake, in northern Spokane County, -which discharges by the West Branch into Little Spokane River. No other lake -north of Spokane River appears to answer to De Smet’s description. Blake’s is -about three miles long and a half mile wide, and is in the forest region.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_297" href="#FNanchor_297" class="label">[297]</a> Probably Spokane Falls, the site of the modern city of that name.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_298" href="#FNanchor_298" class="label">[298]</a> For the mission of Sacred Heart see our volume xxvii, p. 365, note 184. A -sketch of Father Point is given in the same volume, p. 192, note 67; those of Father -Joset and Brother Magri, <i>ante</i>, p. 139, note 42. For a description and engraving -of this mission as it appeared in 1853 see 35 Cong., 2 sess., <i>Senate Docs.</i>, vol. -18, pp. 112-114.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_299" href="#FNanchor_299" class="label">[299]</a> The Bitterroot Mountains, which the travellers were approaching by way of -Cœur d’Alène River, along which passed the Mullens road, and now the Northern -Pacific Railway.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_300" href="#FNanchor_300" class="label">[300]</a> The river here called St. Francis Regis is the same as St. Regis Borgia, for -which see note 71, <i>ante</i>, p. 174. De Smet advanced down that stream to its junction -with the Missoula, up the Missoula to St. Mary’s (or Bitterroot) River -thence to the mission, for which see our volume xxvii, p. 282, note 145.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_301" href="#FNanchor_301" class="label">[301]</a> For this Iroquois Indian see our volume xxvii, p. 230, note 104.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_302" href="#FNanchor_302" class="label">[302]</a> The erection of the flour mill—the first in Montana—was due to the -mechanical skill of Father Antonio Ravalli, who arrived at St. Mary’s mission in -the autumn of 1845. The grinding stones, fifteen inches in diameter, were brought -from Europe, and are still preserved as curiosities in the museum of the present -St. Ignatius mission on the Flathead reservation. See Palladino, <i>Indian and -White in the Northwest</i>, p. 46. The sawmill was made from wagon-tires, hammered -and filed into a saw and a crank.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_303" href="#FNanchor_303" class="label">[303]</a> For the Snake (Shoshoni) Indians see our volume v, p 227, note 122; the -Bannock, xxi, p. 192, note 41; the Nez Percés, vi, p. 340, note 145; the Blackfeet, -v, p. 225, note 120; also our volume xxiii, pp. 95-122.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_304" href="#FNanchor_304" class="label">[304]</a> For the Crows see our volume v., p. 226, note 121.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_305" href="#FNanchor_305" class="label">[305]</a> For Victor see our volume xxvii, p. 251, note 126. Governor Isaac Stevens -said of him in 1853: “We have to-day seen a good deal of Victor in our camp, the -Flathead chief, celebrated in the book of De Smet. He appears to be simple-minded, -but rather wanting in energy, which might, however, be developed in an -emergency.”—35 Cong., 2 sess., <i>Senate Docs.</i>, vol. 18, p. 109.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_306" href="#FNanchor_306" class="label">[306]</a> The party were marching up the Yellowstone along its southern bank, to -their left being the Snow Mountains, which extend just north of Yellowstone -National Park.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_307" href="#FNanchor_307" class="label">[307]</a> For Hell Gate (Devil’s Gate) see our volume xxvii, p. 269, note 139.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_308" href="#FNanchor_308" class="label">[308]</a> The foot of the Blackfoot forks is the mouth of Big Blackfoot River, which -rises in the main range of the Rockies and flows west for about seventy-five miles -into Hellgate River, about five miles above the gorge called by that name. Up -this stream is the “road that leads to the buffalo,” going over Lewis and Clark -Pass—the route which Captain Lewis took on his return journey in 1806.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_309" href="#FNanchor_309" class="label">[309]</a> Leaving to the left the Big Blackfoot River, and its easy pass across the -mountains, De Smet continued up Hellgate River and its upper waters, Deer -Lodge River (called by him Cart River). See our volume xxvii, p. 253, note 130, -which describes the journey made by De Smet in 1841.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_310" href="#FNanchor_310" class="label">[310]</a> No stream named “Arrowstone” is now charted. De Smet passed from -the waters of the Columbia to those of the Missouri, by one of the numerous low -and easy gaps between Mullen’s on the north and Deer Lodge on the south. -Probably the party went over Cottonwood (or Peterson) Pass, leading from Deer -Lodge County into Jefferson, coming out upon Boulder River, which empties into -the Jefferson at Jefferson Island; or else they followed the Silverbow route past -the present Butte, and proceeded by Big Pipestone Creek to the Jefferson—a -route now used by the Montana railways. All these were well-worn Indian -trails.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_311" href="#FNanchor_311" class="label">[311]</a> For a brief description of the Three Forks of the Missouri see our volume -xxiii, p. 138, note 114.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_312" href="#FNanchor_312" class="label">[312]</a> See De Smet’s description of this route on his previous journey (1841), in -his <i>Letters</i>, our volume xxvii, p. 177, note 50.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_313" href="#FNanchor_313" class="label">[313]</a> For the Wind River Mountains see our volume xxi, p. 134, note 35.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_314" href="#FNanchor_314" class="label">[314]</a> The route lay almost directly north from the Yellowstone, along the valley -of what is now Shield’s River (named by Lewis and Clark for one of their party), -toward the sources of the Musselshell, the largest—with the exception of the -Yellowstone—southern tributary of the Missouri. See our volume xxiii, p. 58, -note 33.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_315" href="#FNanchor_315" class="label">[315]</a> Probably the Elk Mountains, lying between the two forks of the Musselshell -in Meagher County, Montana.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_316" href="#FNanchor_316" class="label">[316]</a> For the previous relations of De Smet with this chief see his <i>Letters</i> in our -volume xxvii, pp. 317, 352.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_317" href="#FNanchor_317" class="label">[317]</a> For the Piegan, one division of the Blackfeet, see Maximilian’s <i>Travels</i> in -our volume xxiii, pp. 95-97.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_318" href="#FNanchor_318" class="label">[318]</a> For this stream see our volume xxiii, p. 70, note 51. The camp was probably -upon one of the western affluents of the Judith, on the eastern edge of the Little -Belt Mountains.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_319" href="#FNanchor_319" class="label">[319]</a> For the Blood Indians, a branch of the Blackfoot tribe, consult our volume -xxiii, pp. 95-97, especially note 84. The Grosventres of the Prairie, likewise -called Fall Indians, are noted in our volume vi, p. 371, note 183; also our volume -xxiii, pp. 75, 76. By the Blackfeet—his final category—De Smet intends that -branch of the tribe known as Siksekai, or Blackfeet proper. See Maximilian’s -description in our volume xxiii, pp 95, 96.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_320" href="#FNanchor_320" class="label">[320]</a> Probably the missionary here mentioned was J. B. Thibault from Red -River, who travelled extensively in the Saskatchewan territory; see note 122, <i>ante</i>, -p. 231.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_321" href="#FNanchor_321" class="label">[321]</a> The trader was Charles Larpenteur, then in the employ of the American -Fur Company. He left Fort Union July 8, with one keel-boat and later made a -Mackinac boat en route. See his journal in Elliott Coues, <i>Forty Years a Fur-Trader -on the Upper Missouri</i>, ii, pp. 237-242.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_322" href="#FNanchor_322" class="label">[322]</a> These tribes formed the Blackfoot confederacy, but the Sarcee (Surcees) -and Grosventres belonged to different stocks. For the former see our volume -xxiii, p. 90, note 77.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_323" href="#FNanchor_323" class="label">[323]</a> Sata was at Fort Benton in 1847, and acted as guide to Larpenteur in the -latter’s effort to reach the Flathead country. Larpenteur calls him a half-breed -Blackfoot and Flathead; evidently his mother was of the latter tribe. See <i>Forty -Years a Fur-Trader</i>, pp. 272, 274.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_324" href="#FNanchor_324" class="label">[324]</a> For the term “bourgeois” see our volume xxi, p. 183, note 33. Larpenteur’s -journal in <i>Forty Years a Fur-Trader</i>, ii, pp. 236-243, explains why neither he nor -Malcolm Clarke was at the fort when the missionary arrived.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_325" href="#FNanchor_325" class="label">[325]</a> For Maria’s River see our volume xxiii, p. 84, note 73. Little Sandy Creek, -twenty-three miles below Maria’s, rises on the western slope of Bearpaw Mountain, -and flows west and then south into the Missouri. For Maximilian’s description -of the natural stone walls see our volume xxiii, pp. 71-83; also the representations -in our atlas, volume xxv, Plates 18, 61, 68, and 74.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_326" href="#FNanchor_326" class="label">[326]</a> For Porcupine River see our volume xxiii, p. 33, note 19. The pyramid of -elks’ horns is described in <i>ibid.</i>, pp. 34, 35; and pictured in our atlas, volume -xxv, Plate 21. De Smet describes its later destruction by a modern vandal, in -Chittenden and Richardson, <i>De Smet</i>, iv, p. 1372.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_327" href="#FNanchor_327" class="label">[327]</a> For Fort Union see our volume xxii, pp. 373-383. James Kipp, who had -been at Fort Clark during Maximilian’s visit, was at this time in charge of Fort -Union. See biographical sketch in our volume xxii, p. 345, note 319.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_328" href="#FNanchor_328" class="label">[328]</a> Not the Grosventres of note 206, <i>ante</i>, but the Minitaree, also called Grosventres -(Big Bellies), for whom see our volume v, p. 113, note 76; also our volumes -xxii, pp. 350, 359-363; xxiii, pp. 367-385. The Minitaree removed to Fort Berthold -in 1845.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_329" href="#FNanchor_329" class="label">[329]</a> For Fort Berthold see <i>ante</i>, p. 233, note 125. The clerk in charge was -probably Jacques Brugière, a nephew of James Kipp, who for many years was at -Fort Union. In 1847-48 he entered into partnership with Charles Larpenteur -for a trading venture to the Flatheads, which did not prove successful. Theophile -Brugière was also an American Fur Company employe, who lived and married -among the Yankton Sioux, becoming later the first settler on the site of Sioux -City, Iowa.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_330" href="#FNanchor_330" class="label">[330]</a> For Knife River see our volume xxii, p. 357, note 333.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_331" href="#FNanchor_331" class="label">[331]</a> This post was evidently Fort Mandan (or Clark); see our volume xxii, p. -344, note 317, also xxiii, pp. 228-236. Des Autel (D’Isotille) was clerk at Fort -Mackenzie in the early forties, and aided Chardon and Harvey in the massacre at -this post, which led to its abandonment, whereupon all the principals concerned -were sent to lower posts. Larpenteur reports Des Autel (Des Hôtel) as being in -charge of Fort Clark in 1847.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_332" href="#FNanchor_332" class="label">[332]</a> For the Arikara at the old Mandan village see our volume xxvii, p. 150, note -19 (De Smet).—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_333" href="#FNanchor_333" class="label">[333]</a> According to the translation from the French given in Chittenden and -Richardson, <i>De Smet</i>, ii, p. 607, the voyagers were delayed five days by adverse -winds, reaching the camp, October 26, in the neighborhood of Butes au Grés (or -Sandstone Buttes), not far from Bismarck, North Dakota. Henry Goulet (Goulé) -afterwards resided at Sioux City, and during the Harney campaign (1856) obtained -permission to construct ferries in that neighborhood. See South Dakota Department -of History <i>Collections</i>, i, p. 417.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_334" href="#FNanchor_334" class="label">[334]</a> For Fort Pierre see our volume xxii, p. 315, note 277, also pp. 317-321. For -Honoré Picotte see our volume xxiv, p. 16, note 10.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_335" href="#FNanchor_335" class="label">[335]</a> Fleury’s Island is now called Farm Island, about two and a half miles long, -and the same distance below Fort Pierre. The post where De Smet tarried, -known as Fort Bouis or Fort Defiance, was erected by Harvey, Primeau and -Company who were acting in opposition to the American Fur Company. The -trade was with the Brulé Sioux, and the post was located on the west bank of the -Missouri at the mouth of Medicine Creek. It had been founded but a short time -before De Smet’s visit, but was soon bought out by the American Fur Company, -being then abandoned.</p> - -<p>For the Grande Detour (Big Bend) of the Missouri see our volume xxii, pp. -312, 313.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_336" href="#FNanchor_336" class="label">[336]</a> For Fort Lookout see our volume xxii, p. 304, note 261. The bourgeois in -charge was Colin Campbell, one of the best interpreters of the region, who had -accompanied Joshua Pilcher on the Arikara expedition of 1823, and long served -in the American Fur Company’s employ. Chittenden and Richardson, <i>De Smet</i>, -ii, pp. 609, 610, give the report of a council held with the Sioux at this post, concerning -their conversion.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_337" href="#FNanchor_337" class="label">[337]</a> For Running Water (Eau qui Court) River see our volume xxii, p. 291, note -252.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_338" href="#FNanchor_338" class="label">[338]</a> Apparently Bon Homme Island, the largest in that vicinity, for which see -our volume vi, p. 91, note 34.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_339" href="#FNanchor_339" class="label">[339]</a> For Fort Vermillion see our volume xxvii, p. 153, note 22 (De Smet).</p> - -<p>Major Joseph V. Hamilton was Indian agent at Council Bluffs, 1839-41; in -1843 Audubon found him at Fort George, in temporary charge of the agency at -that place.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_340" href="#FNanchor_340" class="label">[340]</a> For old Council Bluffs see our volume xxii, p. 275, note 231. See also De -Smet’s letters on this locality in Nebraska Historical Society <i>Transactions</i>, i, pp. -42-44.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_341" href="#FNanchor_341" class="label">[341]</a> For Cabanné and the location of his post see our volume xxii, p. 271, note -226.</p> - -<p>For the early history of the Mormons in Missouri and Illinois, see our volumes -xx, pp. 94-99 with accompanying notes; xxiv, p. 119, note 99; and xxvi, pp. 334-338.</p> - -<p>The charter of Nauvoo, their Illinois settlement, having been revoked early -in 1846, the Mormon leaders organized an emigration, and moved west through -Iowa to the Missouri River. Having held a council with the neighboring Indians, -they established winter quarters at what is now Florence, Nebraska, where De -Smet found them. Early in the spring of 1847 a delegation was dispatched to seek -a permanent home. The valley of Salt Lake was chosen, and removals thither -began in 1848. In a later letter Father de Smet intimates that his account to -them of the Salt Lake basin had some influence in determining the site of their -future home.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_342" href="#FNanchor_342" class="label">[342]</a> Brigham Young was born in Vermont in 1801; at the age of sixteen he -removed to New York, where he became a convert to Mormonism, entering that -church in 1832. Three years later he was chosen one of the twelve apostles, and -in 1837 led a band of followers to Missouri. After the persecutions in that state, -he aided in founding Nauvoo, Illinois, and in 1840 made a missionary trip to -England. Upon the death of Joseph Smith, Young became the head of the -church—a position maintained until his death in 1877. He guided the emigration -to Salt Lake, and in 1850 was appointed governor of the territory of Utah.</p> - -<p>De Smet’s early sympathy with the Mormons, as expressed at this time and -in other letters, later suffered a considerable change. See his letter of 1858 in -Chittenden and Richardson, <i>De Smet</i>, iv, pp. 1407-1415.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_343" href="#FNanchor_343" class="label">[343]</a> The post at Bellevue, for which see our volume xxii, p. 267, note 221.</p> - -<p>Pierre Labbadie Sarpy, better known as Colonel Peter, was born in St. Louis -in 1805 of a prominent French Creole family. About 1822 he went to the frontier -as a trader, and thereafter preferred the free life of the West to a conventional -career in St. Louis. Upon the retirement of Cabanné, Sarpy became the American -Fur Company’s agent at Bellevue, where he autocratically ruled for many years. -His Indian wife Nekomi was a woman of influence with the neighboring tribes. -Colonel Sarpy aided the Mormons on their emigration and assisted in building up -the new territory of Nebraska, establishing ferries, and maintaining several trading -posts. He removed from Bellevue to St. Mary’s, Iowa, later (1861) to Plattsmouth, -where he died in 1865.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_344" href="#FNanchor_344" class="label">[344]</a> For Laforce Papin see our volume xv, p. 143, note 44.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_345" href="#FNanchor_345" class="label">[345]</a> For these streams see our volumes v, p. 72, note 40; and xiv, pp. 219, 221, -notes 170, 173. Table Creek is a small run in Otoe County, Nebraska, at whose -mouth is situated Nebraska City.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_346" href="#FNanchor_346" class="label">[346]</a> The site of St. Joseph was early known as Blacksnake Hills, where Joseph -Robidoux had a trading post—see our volumes xxii, p. 257, note 210, and xxiv, -p. 121, note 102. After the Platte purchase (1836) settlers began flocking in, and -in 1843 the town was platted, being named St. Joseph for its founder. By the -close of the year 1846, when De Smet passed, the place had a population of nearly -a thousand.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_347" href="#FNanchor_347" class="label">[347]</a> For the early history of Westport (Kansas City) see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i>, our -volume xxvii, p. 135, note 2.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_348" href="#FNanchor_348" class="label">[348]</a> For the Pawnee and their four great divisions see our volume xiv, p. 233, -note 179. See illustration of interior of a Kansa lodge, built in a manner similar -to the Pawnee, in <i>ibid.</i>, p. 208.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_349" href="#FNanchor_349" class="label">[349]</a> See our volume xxvii, p. 208, note 82.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_350" href="#FNanchor_350" class="label">[350]</a> See on this subject of human sacrifice note 83 in De Smet’s <i>Letters</i>, our -volume xxvii, p. 210.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_351" href="#FNanchor_351" class="label">[351]</a> A name which they give to the Great Spirit.—<span class="smcap">De Smet.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_352" href="#FNanchor_352" class="label">[352]</a> This method of smoking is in great repute among all the savages of the West. -It is of the same importance and equally as binding as an oath among civilized -nations. If two savages, ready to kill each other, can be induced to accept the -calumet, the dispute ceases, and the bond of their friendship becomes stronger -than ever.—<span class="smcap">De Smet.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_353" href="#FNanchor_353" class="label">[353]</a> The ashki is a cord, made of horse-hair or of the bark of the elm, which they -prepare by boiling it in cold water. It varies from twenty-five to sixty feet in -length, and, although it is but about one inch in thickness, it is strong enough to -bind the most powerful man. This they adorn with the quills of the porcupine, -and with little bells. The bells, besides for the sake of ornament, are intended -to give notice in case the victim makes any efforts to escape.—<span class="smcap">De Smet.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_354" href="#FNanchor_354" class="label">[354]</a> For the Sanpoil Indians see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our volume xxvii, p. 319, -note 161.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_355" href="#FNanchor_355" class="label">[355]</a> For different forms of the name of the Yellowstone see our volume xxii, -p. 375, note 351.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_356" href="#FNanchor_356" class="label">[356]</a> Fort Augustus, the present Edmonton, Alberta.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_357" href="#FNanchor_357" class="label">[357]</a> For the former exploits of these two chiefs see De Smet’s <i>Letters</i> in our -volume xxvii, pp. 285, 286.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PART II OF FARNHAM'S TRAVELS IN THE GREAT WESTERN PRAIRIES, ETC., OCTOBER 21-DECEMBER 4, 1839; AND DE SMET'S OREGON MISSIONS AND TRAVELS OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, 1845-1846 ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. -</div> - -<div style='margin:0.83em 0; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center'>START: FULL LICENSE<br /> -<span style='font-size:smaller'>THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE<br /> -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</span> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person -or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the -Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when -you share it without charge with others. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work -on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the -phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: -</div> - -<blockquote> - <div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most - other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions - whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms - of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online - at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you - are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws - of the country where you are located before using this eBook. - </div> -</blockquote> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg™ License. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format -other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain -Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -provided that: -</div> - -<div style='margin-left:0.7em;'> - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation.” - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ - works. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works. - </div> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right -of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™ -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread -public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state -visit <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/donate/">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. -</div> - -</div> -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/ahc-co.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/ahc-co.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index bc18f7b..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/ahc-co.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7e5d826..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus1.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus1.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0ecbab5..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus1.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus10.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus10.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7f787a8..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus10.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus11.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus11.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e01cabb..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus11.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus12.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus12.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e20dfeb..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus12.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus13.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus13.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f7d374c..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus13.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus14.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus14.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9af0e96..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus14.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus15.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus15.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c7e71cc..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus15.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus16.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus16.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 50160a3..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus16.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus2.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus2.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3e1d84f..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus2.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus3.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus3.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 6766758..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus3.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus4.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus4.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d7a3b2f..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus4.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus5.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus5.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index bef3862..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus5.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus6.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus6.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 588c42f..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus6.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus7.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus7.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3b9ddb5..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus7.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus8.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus8.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index dfa7535..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus8.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/illus9.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/illus9.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2cfc7a3..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/illus9.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/67730-h/images/map.jpg b/old/67730-h/images/map.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 633fa76..0000000 --- a/old/67730-h/images/map.jpg +++ /dev/null |
