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On the morning of the 22d of November, they arrived at the road of the Chadadoquis Indian nation leading to the Arkansa nation; a little beyond this is the Ecor a Fabri (Fabri's cliffs) from 80 to 100 feet high; and a little distance above, a smaller cliff called "Le Petit Ecor a Fabri" (the Little Cliff of Fabri): these cliffs appear chiefly to be composed of ash coloured sand, with a stratum of clay at the base, such as runs all along under the banks of this river. Above these cliffs are several rapids; the current is swifter, and denotes their ascent into a higher country: the water becomes clear, and equal to any in its very agreeable taste and as drinking water. In the river are immense beds of gravel and sand, over which the water passes with great velocity in the season of its floods, carrying with it vast quantities of drift wood, which it piles up, in many places, to the height of twenty feet above the present surface, pointing out the difficulty and danger of na vigation in certain times of the flood; accidents, however, are rare with the canoes of the country.

As the party ascended they found the banks of the river less elevated, being only from nine to twelve feet and are probably surmounted by the freshes some feet. The river becomes more obstructed by rapids, and sand and gravel beaches, among which are found fragments of stone of all forms, and a variety of colours, some highly polished and rounded by friction. The banks of the river in this upper country suffer greatly by abrasion, one side and sometimes both being broken down by every flood.

At a place called "Auges d'Arcion," (Arclon's troughs) is laminated iron ore, and a stratum of black sand, very tenacious, shining with minute chrystals. The breadth of the river is here about eighty yards: in some places, however, it is enlarged by islands, in others, contracted to eighty or one hundred feet. Rocks of a greyish colour, and rather friable, are here found in many places on the river.* On the banks grow willows of a different form from those found below, and on the margin of the Mississippi; the last are very brittle; these, on the contrary, are extremely pliant, resembling the osier, of which they are probably a species.

At noon on the 24th, they arrived at the confluence of the lesser Missouri with the Washita; the former is a considerable branch, perhaps the fourth of the Washita, and comes in from the left hand. The hunters often ascend the Little Missouri, but are not inclined to penetrate far up, because it reaches near the great plains or prairies upon the Red river, visited by the lesser Osage tribes of Indians, settled on Arkansa; these last frequently carry war into the Chadadoquis tribe settled on the Red river, about west, south-west from this place, and indeed they are reported not to spare any nation or people. They are prevented from visiting the head waters of the Washita by the steep hills in which they rise. These mountains are so difficult to travel over, that the savages not having an object sufficiently desirable, never attempt to penetrate to this river, and it is supposed to be unknown to the nation. The Cadadoquis (or Cadaux, as the French pronounce the word) may be considered as Spanish Indians; they boast, and it is said with truth, that they never have imbrued their hands in the blood of a white It is said that the stream of the Little Missouri, some distance from its mouth, flows over a bright splendid bed of mineral of a yellowish white colour, (most probably martial pyrites) that thirty years ago, several of the inhabitants, hunters, worked upon this mine, and sent a quantity of the ore to the government at New Orleans, and they were prohibited from working

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There is a great sameness in the appearance of the river banks: the is lands are skirted with osier, and immediately within, on the bank, grows a

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The banks rise into hills of free stone of a very sharp and fine grit, fit for grind stones. The strata irregular, inclining from 20 degrees to 30 degrees down the river.

range of birch trees and some willows; the more elevated banks are cover. ed with cane, among which grows the oak, maple, elm, sycamore, ash, hic. kory, dog wood, holly, ironwood, &c. From the pilot they learned that there is a body of excellent land on the Little Missouri, particularly on the creek called the "Bayau a terre noire," which falls into it. This land extends to Red river and is connected with the great prairies which form the hunting grounds of the Cadaux nation, consisting of about two hundred warriors. They are warlike, but frequently unable to defend themselves against the tribe of Osages, settled on the Arcansa river, who passing round the mountains at the head of the Washita, and along the prairies, which separate them from the main chain on the west, where the waters of the Red and Acansa rivers have their rise, pass into the Cadaux country, and rob and plunder them.

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The water in the river Washita rising, the party are enabled to pass the numerous rapids and shoals which they meet with in the upper country; some of which are difficult of ascent. The general height of the main banks of the river is from six to twelve feet above the level of the water; the land is better in quality, the canes, &c. shewing a more luxuriant vegeta. tion. It is subject to inundation, and shews a brown soil mixed with sand. Near Cache Maçon (Maison's hiding place) on the right, they stopped to examine a supposed coal mine: doctor Hunter and the pilot set out for this purpose and at about a mile and a half north-west from the boat, in the bed of a creek, they found a substance similar to what they had before met with under that name, though more advanced towards a state of perfect coal. At the bottom of the creek, in a place then dry, was found detached pieces of from 50 to 100 pounds weight,adjoining to which lay wood changing into the same substance. A stratum of this coal,6 inches thick, lay on both sides of this little creek, over another of yellow clay, and covered by one foot of gravel; on the gravel is 8 inches of loam, which bears a few inches of vegetable mould. This stratum of coal is about 3 feet higher than the water in the creek, and appears manifestly to have been, at some period, the surface of the ground. The gravel and loam have been deposited there since, by the waSome pieces of this coal were very black and solid, of an homogeneous appearance, much resembling pit coal, but of less specifick gravity. It does not appear sufficiently impregnated with bitumen, but may be consider.. ed as vegetable matter in the progress of transmutation to coal.

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Below the "Bayau de l'eau Froide," which runs into the Washita from the right, the river is one hundred and seventy yards, flowing through toler. ably good land. They passed a beautiful forest of pines, and on the 28th fell in with an old Dutch hunter and his party, consisting in all of five per

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This man has resided forty years on the Washita, and before that period, has been up the Arcansa river, the White river, and the river St. Francis; the two last, he informs, are of difficult navigation, similar to the Washita, but the Arkansa river is of great magnitude, having a large and broad channel, and when the water is low, has great sand banks, like those in the Mississippi. So far as he has been up it the navigation is safe and commodious, without impediments from rocks, shoals, or rapids; its bed being formed of mud and sand. The soil on it is of the first rate quality. The country is easy of access, being lofty open forests, unembarrassed by cans or under growth. The water is disagreeable to drink, being of a red colour and brackish when the river is low. A multitude of creeks which flow into the Arkansa furnish sweet water, which the voyager is obliged to carry with him for the supply of his immediate wants. This man confirms the ac

Called Coal-mine creek.

counts of silver being abundant up that river; he has not been so high as te see it himself, but says he received a silver pin from a hunter, who assured him that he himself collected the virgin silver from the rock, out of which he made the epinglete by hammering it out. The tribe of the Osage live higher up than this position, but the hunters rarely go so high, being afraid of these savages, who are at war with all the world, and destroy all strangers they meet with. It is reported that the Arcansa nation, with a part of the Choctaws, Chickasaws, Shawneese, &c. have formed a league, and are actually gone, or going, 800 strong, against these depredators, with a view to destroy or drive them entirely off, and possess themselves of their fine prairies, which are most abundant hunting ground, being plentifully stocked with buffaloe, elk, deer, bear, and every other beast of the chase common to those latitudes in America. This hunter having given informa tion of a small spring in their vicinity, from which he frequently supplied himself by evaporating the water, doctor Hunter, with a party, accompani ed him, on the morning of the 29th November, to the place. They found a saline, about a mile and a half north of the camp from whence they set out, and near a creek which enters the Washita a little above. It is situated in the bottom of the bed of a dry gulley. The surrounding land is rich, and well timbered, but subject to inundation, except an Indian mount on the creek side, having a base of eighty or a hundred feet diameter, and twenty feet high. After digging about three feet, through blue clay, they came to a quicksand, from which the water flowed in abundance: its taste was salt and bitter, resembling that of water in the ocean. In a second hole it re, quired them to dig six feet before they reached the quicksand, in doing which they threw up several broken pieces of Indian pottery. The specifick gravity, compared with the river, was, from the first pit, or that three feet deep, 1,02720, from the second pit, or that six feet deep, 1,02104, yielding a saline mass, from the evaporation of ten quarts, which, when dry, weighed eight ounces this brine is, therefore, about the same strength as that of the ocean on our coast, and twice the strength of the famous licks in Kentucky called Bullet's lick, and Mann's lick, from which so much salt is made.

The "fourche de Cadaux" (Cadadoquis fork) which they passed on the morning of the 30th, is about one hundred yards wide at its entrance into the Washita, from the left: immediately beyond which, on the same side the land is high, probably elevated three hundred feet above the water. The shoals and rapids here impede their progress. At noon they deduced their Jatitude, by observation, to be 30. 11 37". N. Receiving information of another salt lick, or saline, doctor Hunter landed, with a party, to view it. The pit was found in a low flat place, subject to be overflowed from the river; it was wet and muddy, the earth on the surface yellow, but on digging through about 4 feet of blue clay, the salt water oozed from a quicksand, Ten quarts of this water produced, by evaporation, 6 ounces of a saline mass, which, from taste, however, shewed an admixture of soda, and muriated magnesia, but the marine salt greatly preponderated. The specifick gravity was about 1,076, probably weakened from the rain which had fallen the day before. The ascent of the river becomes more troublesome, from the rapids and currents, particularly at the "isle du bayau des Roches" (Rocky creek island) where it required great exertions, and was attended with some hazard to pass them. This island is three fourths of a mile in length. The river presents a series of shoals, rapids, and small cataracts; and they passed several points of high land, full of rocks and stones, much harder and more solid than they had yet met with.

The rocks were all silicious, with their fissures penetrated by sparry mat, ter. Indications of iron were frequent, and fragments of poor ore were

sommon, but no rich ofe of that, or any other métal, was found. Some of the hills appear well adapted to the cultivation of the vine; the soil being a sandy loam, with a considerable proportion of gravel, and a superficial covering of good vegetable black earth. The natural productions are, se. veral varieties of oak, pine, dogwood, holly, &c. with a scattering under growth of whortleberry, hawthorn, china briar, and a variety of small vines.

Above the Isle de Mallon, the country wears another prospect, high lands and rocks frequently approach the river. The rocks in grain, resemble free stone, and are hard enough to be used as hand mill stones, to which purpose they are frequently applied. The quality of the lands improves, the stratum of vegetable earth being from six to twelve inches, of a dark brown colour, with an admixture of loam and sand. Below Deer Island they passed a stratum of free stone, fifty feet thick, under which is a quarry of imperfect slate in perpendicular layers. About a league from the river, and a little above the slate quarry, is a considerable plain, called " Prairie de Champig nole," often frequented by buffaloe. Some salt licks are found near it, and in many situations on both sides of this river, there are said to be salines which may hereafter be rendered very productive, and from which the fu ture settlements may be abundantly supplied.

About 4 miles below the "chuttes," (falls) they, from a good observation, found the latitude 34°. 21′ 25′′. 5. The land on either hand continues to im prove in quality, with a sufficient stratum of dark earth of brownish colour. Hills frequently rise out of the level country, full of rocks and stones, hard and flinty, and often resembling Turkey oil stones. Of this kind was a promontory which came in from the right hand, a little below the chuttes; at a distance it presented the appearance of ruined buildings and fortifications, and several insulated masses of rock conveyed the idea of redoubts and out-works. This effect was heightened by the rising of a flock of swans which had taken their station in the water, at the foot of these walls. As the voyagers approached, the birds floated about majestically on the glassy surface of the water, and in tremulous accents seemed to consult upon means of safety. The whole was a sublime picture. In the afternoon of the third of December, they reached the chuttes, and found the falls to be occasioned by a chain of rocks of the same hard substance seen below, extending in the direction of north-east and south-west, quite across the river. The water passes through a number of branches worn by the impetuosity of the torrent where it forms so many cascades. The chain of rock or hill on the left, appears to have been cut down to its present level by the abra sion of the waters. By great exertion, and lightening the boat, they passed the chuttes this evening and encamped just above the cataracts, and within the hearing of their incessant roar.

Immediately above the chuttes, the current of the water is slow, to ano. ther ledge of hard free stone; the reach between is spacious, not less than two hundred yards wide, and terminated by a hill, three hundred feet high covered with beautiful pines: this is a fine situation for building. In latitude 34° 25′ 48" they passed a very dangerous rapid, from the number of rocks which obstruct the passage of the water, and break it into foam. On the right of the rapid is a high rocky hill covered with very handsome pine woods. The strata of the rock has an inclination of 30° to the horizon in the direction of the river descending. This hill may be three hundred or three hundred and fifty feet high; a border or list of green cane skirts the margin of the river, beyond which generally rises a high and sometimes a barren hill. Near another rapid they passed a hill on the left, containing a large body of blue slate. A small distance above the bayau de Saline they had to pass a rapid of one hundred and fifty yards in length, and four feet and a half fall,

which, from its velocity, the French have denominated "La Cascade." Below the cascade there are rocky hills on both sides composed of very hard free stone. The stone in the bed of the river, and which has been rolled from the upper country, was of the hardest flint, or of a quality resembling the Turkey oil stone. "Fourche au Tigree," (Tyger's creek), which comes in from the right, a little above the cascade, is said to have many extensive tracts of rich level land upon it. The rocky hills here frequently approach the Washita on both sides; rich bottoms are nevertheless infrequent, and the upland is sometimes of moderate elevation and tolerably level. The stones and rocks here met with have their fissures filled by sparry and chrystaline matter.

Wild turkies become more abundant and less difficult of approach than below; and the howl of the wolves is heard during the night.

To the "Fourche of Calfat," (Caulker's creek) where the voyage terminates, they found level and good land on the right and high hills on the left hand. After passing over a very precipitous rapid, seemingly divided into four steps or falls, one of which was at least fifteen inches in perpendicular height, and which together could not be less than five and a half feet, they arrived at Ellis's camp, a small distance below the Fourche au Calfat, where they stopped on the sixth of December, as the pilot considered it the most convenient landing from whence to carry their necessary baggage to the hot springs, the distance being about three leagues. There is a creek about two leagues higher up, called "bayau des sources chauds," (hot spring creek) upon the banks of which the hot springs are situated at about two leagues from its mouth. The banks of it are hilly, and the road less eligible than from Ellis's camp.

On ascending the hill, to encamp, they found the land very level and good, some plants in flower, and a great many evergreen vines; the forest oak with an admixture of other woods. The latitude of this place is 34° 27′ 31". 5. The ground on which they encamped was above fifty feet above the water in the river, and supposed to be thirty feet higher than the inundations. Hills of considerable height, and clothed with pine were in view, but the land around, and extending beyond their view, lies handsomely for cultivation. The superstratum is of a blackish-brown colour, upon a yellow basis, the whole intermixed with gravel and blue schistus, frequently so far decomposed as to have a strong allumnious taste. From their camp, on the Wash--ita, to the hot springs, a distance of about nine miles, the first six miles of the road is in a weste: ly direction without many sinuosities, and the remainder northwardly, which courses are necessary to avoid some very steep hills. In this distance they found 3 principal salt licks, and some inferiour ones, which are all frequented by buffaloe, deer, &c. The soil around them is a white, tenacious clay, probably fit for potters' ware; hence the name of "glaise," which the French hunters have bestowed upon most of the licks, frequented by the beast of the forest, many of which exhibit no saline impregnation. The first two miles from the river camp is over level land of the second rate quality; the timber chiefly oak, intermixed with other trees common to the climate, and a few scattering pines. Further on, the lands, on either hand, rise into gently swelling hills, covered with handsome pine woods. The road passes along a valley frequently wet by numerous rills and springs of excellent water which issue from the foot of the hills. Near the hot springs the hills become more elevated, steeper of ascent and rocky. They are here called mountains, although none of them in view exceed four or five hundred fect in altitude. It is said that mountains of more than five times the elevation of these hills are to be seen in the north-west, towards the sources of the Washita. One of them is called the glass, crys tal, or shining mountain, from the vast number of hexagonal prisms of very

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