CHAP. IX.- Journey to Red river. Prairies and mountains of the Pottoe. Pass the dividing ridge. Kiamesha river. Arrival on the banks of Red river. The murder of a Cherokee; attempts to obtain redress. Wild horses. Character, geological structure, and rare vegetable productions of the prairies. Return to the garrison at Belle Point.

CHAP. X.- Continue my voyage up the Arkansa. Geological remarks. Pass several lesser rivulets, and the outlet of the Canadian and the Illinois. Salt springs. Obstructions in the navigation. Indications of coal. Pass Grand river, and enter the Verdigris.

CHAP. XI.- Character of the surrounding country of the Verdigris river. Remarks on the Osage Indians.

[xii] CHAP. XII.— An excursion up Grand River to visit the Osage salt works. Geological observations. Return across the prairie; its general appearance and phenomena.

CHAP. XIII.—Interviews with the Osages. Occasional observations on their manners, habits, &c. Sickness in the encampment. CHAP. XIV.- Journey by land to the Great Salt river of the Arkansa. Proceed across the prairies to the Little North Fork of the Canadian. Detained by sickness. Continue up the Little North Fork, arrive at Salt river, and afterwards at the Arkansa. Molested and pursued by the Osages. Arrive again at the Verdigris, and proceed to the garrison. Conclusion of the treaty between the Osages and Cherokees.

CHAP. XV.- Proceed from the garrison to the Pecannerie settlement. Hot springs of the Washita. Phenomena of the seasons.

CHAP. XVI.- Cadron settlement. Arrive at Arkansas. Continue to the Mississippi. The wandering fanatics. Pirates. Natchez; stratification of its site, and remarks on its agricultural productions. The Choctaws. Fort Adams. Point Coupé. Baton Rouge. Opulent Planters. New-Orleans.

APPENDIX

SECT. I.— An account of the ancient aboriginal population of the banks of the Mississippi, and the contiguous country.

SECT. II.- The history of the Natchez.

SECT. III.— Observations on the Chicasaws and Choctaws.

SECT. IV.-Thermometrical observations in the Arkansa Territory, during the year 1819.

A JOURNEY INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE ARKANSA TERRITORY

CHAPTER I

Departure from Philadelphia - Geological remarks Route through Harrisburgh and Carlisle to Cammel'stown - Loudon, and the adjacent mountain scenery — The North Mountain - Cove Mountain — Passage of the Juniata, and surrounding scenery - BedfordOrganic remains-The Alleghany Ridge - Stoy's-town

First indications of bituminous coal - Laurel Mountain - Greensburgh - Arrival at Pittsburgh; manufactures; scenery, and peculiar character of its coalmines.

On the morning of the second of October, 1818, I took my departure from Philadelphia in the mail stage, which arrived safely in Lancaster, sixty-three miles distant, a little after sun-set. Though always pleasingly amused by the incidents of travelling, and the delightful aspect of rude or rural nature, I could not at this time divert from my mind the most serious reflections on the magnitude and danger of the journey which now lay before me, and which was, indeed, of very uncertain issue.

[10] Scarcely any part of the United States presents a more beautiful succession of hill and dale, than that which succeeds between Philadelphia and Lancaster; the valley, however, of Chester county, including Downingston, exceeds every other, except the site of Lancaster, in fertility and rural picture. It is about twenty-five miles in length by one in breadth, and pursues from hence a north-east direction. The rock throughout this valley is calcareous, and the soil is consequently of a superior quality. This

lime-stone, which has been assiduously examined by the mineralogists and naturalists of Philadelphia, though not very dissimilar to that of the western states, except in the high inclination of the strata and the predominance of spar, has never yet been found to contain any kind of organic remains, and scarcely any metals more than traces of iron, manganese, titanium, and lead.

3d.] From Lancaster, I continued my route on foot, as affording greater leisure, and better opportunity for making observation. The rain, however, to-day prevented me from proceeding more than seventeen miles on the road to Harrisburgh. About twelve miles east of Middleton, I had again occasion to observe certain ledges of the prevailing calcareous rock, dipping at an angle scarcely under that of 45°, traversed by sparry veins, occasionally intermingled with epidote, in which are also imbedded bright, brown-red rhombic masses of felspar and amorphous quartz, a circumstance which had formerly fallen under my notice in a pedestrian tour on this road; I was now, however, enabled to trace this appearance into a connection with the transition formation which almost immediately succeeds, presenting masses of agglomerated rock, chiefly calcareous, of which the fragments are both angular and arrounded. Beyond this, on the first succeeding hill, occur layers of the old or transition sand-stone, not always red, though some of that colour appeared in the vicinity, interlayed with [11] brown-red slate-clay. Afterwards, and in connection with this formation, appears the green-stone of the Germans, and the bottoms of the valleys only are calcareous. Twelve miles west of Lancaster, we enter the fine fertile tract, once known to the natives of

'For the early history of the site of Harrisburgh, see Post's Journals, volume i of our series, note 73.- ED.

the Susquehannah by the name of Pe-quay, or the Pleasant Fields.2

4th.] To Middleton, grunstein and argillaceous trap, with sand-stone conglomerate, and Spanish-brown slateclay alternate and succeed each other, affording an indifferent soil, and forming lofty hills, with precipitous declivities and narrow valleys. The sylvan hills of the Susquehanna are, however, calcareous and underlayed with common bluish grey and chlorite slate, which as at Lancaster abounds with scattered or imbedded cubic pyrites. The long bridge of a mile and a quarter, connecting with a small island, crosses a wide and shallow part of the river, whose bed is of slate (or argillite).

5th.] About half past seven, I left Harrisburgh, and in the course of the day proceeded through Carlisle to within five miles of Shippensburg, a distance of about 31 miles, over a deeply undulated country, evincing, by the ease and comfort of its scattered population, no inconsiderable degree of fertility in the soil, which is calcareous. The first considerable chain of hills, proceeding from north-east to south-west, clad with unbroken forests, appeared on our left during most part of the day, and indicated an approach to the mountains.

6th.] This evening I arrived at Cammels'-town,' situated at the foot of the North Mountain. The inter

'In colonial days, the Pequea Indians lived on the creek of that name, in Lancaster County. A township of this county still bears the name.- ED.

The chlorite slate of the Wissahickon, near Germantown, considered as primitive, contains similar pyrites with octahedral crystals of iron ore.— NUTTALL.

For the early history of Carlisle and Shippensburg, see Post's Journals, volume i of our series, notes 75, 76.- Ed.

'Cammels'-town (Campbellstown ?); no such town remains. The early settlers in the region were Scotch-Irish, and the name Campbell appears among them as early as 1766.- ED.