ページの画像
PDF
ePub

come with a great degree of certainty, by using the necessary precautions. The passage by land of 340 miles from the falls of the Missouri to the Kooskooske, is the most formidable part of the tract proposed across the continent. Of this dis tance, 200 miles is along a good road, and 140 miles over tremendous mountains, which for 60 miles are covered with eternal snows. A passage over these mountains, is, however, practicable from the latter part of June to the last of September; and the cheap rate at which horses are to be obtained from the Indians of the Rocky Mountains, and west of them, reduces the expences of transportation over this portage to a mere trifle. The navigation of the Kooskooske, Lewis's river, and the Columbia, is safe and good, from the 1st of April to the middle of August; by making three portages on the latter river; the first of which, in descending, is 1200 paces at the falls of Columbia, 261 miles up that river: the second of two miles, at the long narrows six miles below the falls; and a third, also of two miles at the great rapids, 65 miles still lower down. The tide flows the Columbia 183 miles, and within seven miles of the great rapids. Large sloops may with safety ascend as high as tide water, and vessels of 500 tons burthen reach the entrance of the Multuomab river, a large southern branch of the Columbia, which takes its rise on the confines of New Mexico, with the Callerado and Apostle's rivers, discharging itself into the Columbia, 125 miles from its entrance into the Pacific Ocean. I

up

consider this tract across the continent of immense advantage to the fur trade, as all the furs collected

in nine tenths of the most valuable fur country in America, may be conveyed to the mouth of the Columbia, and shipped from thence to the East Indies, by the 1st of August in each year; and will of course reach Canton earlier than the furs which are annually exported from Montreal arrive in Great Britain.

"In our outward-bound voyage, we ascended to the foot of the rapids below the great falls of the Missouri, where we arrived on the 14th of June, 1805. Not having met with any of the natives of the Rocky Mountains, we were, of course, ignorant of the passes by land which existed through these mountains to the Columbia river; and had we even known the route, we were destitute of horses, which would have been indispensably ne cessary to enable us to transport the requisite quantity of ammunition and other stores to ensure the remaining part of our voyage down the Columbia; we therefore determined to navigate the Missouri, as far as it was practicable, or unless we met with some of the natives from whom we could obtain horses and information of the country. Accordingly we took a most laborious portage, at the fall of the Missouri, of 18 miles, which we effected with our canoes and baggage by the sd of July. From thence, ascending the Missouri, we penetrated the Rocky Mountain at the distance of 71 miles above the upper part of the portage, and penetrated as far as the three forks of that river, a distance of 180 miles further. Here the Missouri divides into three nearly equal branches at the same point: the two largest branches are so nearly of the same dignity that we did not conceive that either of them could, with propriety,

relaiu

retain the name of the Missouri; and, therefore, called these streams Jefferson's, Madison's, and Galla tin's rivers. The confluence of these rivers, is 3848 miles from the mouth of the Missouri by the meanders of that river. We arrived at the three forks of the Missouri the 27th of July. Not having yet been so for tunate as to meet with the natives, although I had previously made several exertions for that purpose, we were compelled to continue our route by water.

"The most northerly of the three forks, that to which we have given the name of Jefferson's river, was deemed the most proper for our purposes, and we accordingly ascended it 248 miles, to the upper forks, and its extreme navigable point. On the morning of the 17th of August, 1805, I arrived at the forks of Jefferson's river, where I met Capt. Lewis, who had previously penetrated with a party of three men to the waters of the Columbia, discovered a band of the Shoshone nation, and had found means to induce 35 of their chiefs and warriors to accompany him to that place. From these people we learned, that the river on which they resided was not navigable, and that a passage through the mountains in that direction was impregnable. Being unwilling to confide in this unfavourable account of the natives, it was concerted between capt. Lewis and myself, that one of us should go forward immediately with a small party and explore the river; while the other, in the interim, would lay up the canoes at that place, and engage the natives with their horses to assist in transporting our stores and baggage to their camp. Accordingly I set out the next day, passed the divid

ing mountains between the waters of the Missouri and Columbia, and descended the river, which I since called the East Fork of Lewis's river, about 70 miles. Finding that the Indians' account of the country in the direction of that river was correct, I returned and joined capt. Lewis on August 29, at the Sho- . shone camp, excessively fatigued, as you may suppose; having passed mountains almost inaccessible, and been compelled to subsist on berries during the greater part of my route. We now purchased seventeen horses of the Indians, and hired a guide, who assured us, that he could, in 15 days, take us to a large river, in an open country west of these mountains, by a route some distance to the north of the river on which they lived, and that by which the natives west of the mountains visit the plain of the Missouri, for the purpose of hunting the buffalo. Every preparation being made, we set forward with our guide on the 31st of August, through these tremendous mountains, in which we continued till the 22d of September, before we reached the lower country beyond them.— On our way we met with the Olelachshook, a band of the Tuchapaks, from whom we obtained an accession of seven horses, and exchanged eight or ten others; this proved an infinite service to us, as we were compelled to subsist on horse beef about eight days before we reached Kooskooske. During our passage over these mountains, we suffered every thing which hunger, cold, and fatigue, could impose; nor did our difficulties terminate on our arrival at the Kooskooske; for although the Pollotepallors, a numerous nation inhabiting that country, were extremely hospitable, and, 3 M 4

for

for a few trifling articles, furnished us with an abundance of roots and dried salmon, the food to which they were accustomed, we found that we could not subsist on these articles, and almost all of us grew sick on eating them; we were obliged therefore to have recourse to the flesh of horses and dogs, as food to supply the deficiency of our guns, which produced but little meat, as game was scarce in the vicinity of our camp on the Kooskooske, where we were compelled to remain, in order to construct our perogues to descend the river. At this season the salmon is meagre, and forms but indifferent food. While we remained here I was myself sick for several days, and my friend capt. Lewis suffered a severe indisposition.

Having completed our perogues and a small canoe, we gave our horses in charge to the Pollotepallors until we returned, and on the 7th of October re-embarked for the Pacific Ocean. We descended by the route I have already mentioned. The water of the river being low at this season, we experienced much difficulty in descending: we found it obstructed by a great number of difficult and dangerous rapids, in passing of which our perogues several times filled, and the men escaped narrowly with their lives. -However, this difficulty does not exist in high water, which happens within the period which I have previously mentioned. We found the natives extremely numerous, and generally friendly, though we have on several occasions owed our lives and the fate of the expedition to our number, which consisted of 31 men. 17th of November we reached the ocean, where various considerations induced us to spend the winter; we,

therefore, searched for an eligible situation for that purpose, and selected a spot on the south-side of a little river, called by the natives Netat, which discharges itself at a small bar on the south-side of the Columbia, and fourteen miles within point Adams. Here we constructed some log-houses, and defended them with a common stockade work; this place we called Fort Clatsop, after a nation of that name who were our nearest neighbours. In this country we found an abundance of elk, on which we subsisted principally during the last winter. We left Fort Clatsop on the 27th of March. On our homeward-bound voyage, being much better acquainted with the country, we were enabled to take such precautions as in a great measure secured us from the want of provision at any time, and greatly lessened our fatigues, when compared with those to which we were compelled to submit in our outward-bound journey. We have not lost a man since we left the Mandians, a circumstance which I assure you is a pleasing consideration to me. As! shall shortly be with you, and the post is now waiting, I deem it unnecessary here to attempt minutely to detail the occurrences of the last 18 months.

"I am, &c.

"Your affectionate brother, "WILLIAM CLARK."

Remarkable Instance of Propensity to the Savage State.

[From a Jamaica Paper.] On the To the Editors of The Royal Gazette. Gentlemen,

I request you will have the goodness to insert the following extraor

dinary occurrence in The Royal Gazette; it may possibly lead to some important discovery. With great respect, I remain, Gentlemen,

Your obedient servant,
W. W.

Greenwich Park, St. Ann, Jan. 22.

"A few days ago, it was mentioned to me, in the shape of a complaint, that there was a wild white man resident in the woods of this property, who had interrupted the negroes in working their provision-grounds, &c. Upon inquiry, I found his residence in the woods had not been a secret; but some late outrages which he committed, prompted the sufferer to complain. It appeared that he occasionally molested the women, but always ran from the men. Upon this information, I sent out a party, with a guide, who knew his haunts. The party divided, with a view to surround his hut; and, in the deepest recesses of the woods, they saw him sitting on the point of a rock; he fled, but, after a short pursuit, was overtaken, and brought hither. He was naked, save the scanty remains of a doublet; his beard had attained the utmost point of its growth; his feet and hands were callous as leather: his skin was discoloured with filth; and, altogether, he exhibited the most humiliating object that monkish debasement could furnish. When first taken, he affected dumbness, but afterwards I obtained from him the following particulars:-His name is Charles Martin, is an Italian, born at Florence, thinks he has been two or three years in the woods; he entered them at Port Maria, 30 miles

distant from this place; in that time never saw a white face or human habitation; had enjoyed perfect health. When he was asked, why he had abandoned society? he shrugged his shoulders, and lifted up his hands, as if in the act of adoration. When a cordial was given to him, he was cautioned not to drink much, as excess would kill him; he replied, 'death to me is welcome.' He was clothed, fed, and encouraged, and the writer of this retired to reconmend him as a fit object for the hospital. In a minute afterwards, he was told the wild man had escaped. It seems he had watched for an opportunity of being unobserved, when he seized his victuals, and ran with amazing celerity towards the woods. The dogs were alarmed, and pursued him; as they approached, he threw down pieces of meat to stay them.-When he found his efforts to escape unavailing, he stopped suddenly, and ran to his pursuers. When he was expostulated with on his want of confidence, after the kind treatment he had met with, he shook his head, sighed deeply, and said, man is my enemy; I am afraid?' His intellects appear to be sound, although he speaks with great reluctance; he is well made, has blue eyes, is in stature about 5 feet 8 inches. His hut is fashioned much like an Indian wigwam, and he has contrived a subterraneous kitchen, with great ingenuity; his habitation was surrounded with springes to catch birds, one of which he had prepared for his breakfast. He had displayed talents in fabricating divers sorts of baskets; and, what is strange, no iron, not even a knife, was found in his possession."

From

From the same.
Gentlemen,

Perhaps the following additional particulars of Charles Martin, the wild white man, mentioned in your paper of the 1st instant, may be interesting to some of your readers:

When retaken as stated in the former communication, he was sent to the hospital, where he occupied a room, was kindly treated, and indulged with an extra allowance of food; but his habits are so incorrigibly savage, that what civilized man considers comfort, is to him intolerable insipidity. On the night of the 24 inst. he made his escape through a small aperture in the wall of the room in which he was confined; he left not a vestige by which to trace his flight. A fortnight afterwards, he was found by accident, in the centre of a cane-piece, about half a mile from the hospital, surrounded with cane trash, the refuse of his subsistence; he had divested himself of the incumbrance of dress, and had, for fourteen days, been exposed to the inclemency of the weather, which is here peculiarly severe at this season of the year; his appearance was squalid and extenuated; and although a nudity, he appeared before numbers of people unabashed, and with an unblushing composure of countenance, which evinces that the sense of shame in him is entirely abolished.

He

was reconducted to his old quarters, and asked in what manner he lived? He answered, that he had never moved more than a few yards from the spot he first occupied; that he eat two canes daily; that he had slept well (although unsheltered, and nightly exposed to "the peltings of the pitiless storm;") and that

he felt himself happy, because he was safe. The writer of this account asked him, were he permitted his liberty, whether he would abide in the court of the hospital? He said he would make no promise. When he was questioned why he had deserted the comforts of society, to submit to the privations of a sivage and solitary life? he eagerly replied, that the very sight of mankind gave him pain. He persists that his name is Charles Martic; that he was born at Nice, in Piedmont (not at Florence, as before stated); that he was educated at Caen, in Normandy; that of the former place his father is a winemerchant; and that himself kept a store at Port-au-Prince, in St. Domingo, some years ago. He writes a legible hand, and speaks Norman French with great fluency. His understanding on general subjects is unimpaired; but he is possessed of a notion that he is reserved for sowe ignominous death; and neither the encouragement nor the kindness he has received, has been able to eradicate this impression, which seems to be indelible.

I understand the former account of this miserable self devoted outcast, was treated by some as fabulous; if there be still sceptics, they may have their doubts removed, by application to,

Gentlemen,
Your humble servant,
WM. WESTON.

St. Ann's Bay, Feb. 26, 1806.

P. S. On re-examining the hut, his former habitation in the woods, around it were growing 13 Alicada pear plants; from the size of the

largest

« 前へ次へ »