sipinokan, undulate in a direction opposite to the river, and thus form a succession of low vallies and perpendicular cliffs, ornamented with ash, elm, birch, sugarmaple, and cotton-wood. Above the falls of St Anthony these yield to the pine, which generally is seen on the borders of the streams. * The St Pierre or St Peter's river, which runs through the territories of the Naudowessies, flows, says Carver, through a most delightful country, abounding with all the necessaries of life growing spontaneously, and capable of affording all its luxuries also by cultivation. Wild rice grows here in abundance, and every part is filled with trees bending under their loads of fruit, such as plums, grapes, and apples; the meadows are covered with hops, and many sorts of vegetables. †

Mountains.-The great chain known by the name of Rocky or Shining Mountains, traverses the western parts of this territory from north to south, and separates the waters which run into the Atlantic from those that flow in a contrary direction to the Pacific. From the middle and eastern part of this chain, another, called the Black Mountains, separates the waters of the Kansas branch of the Missouri from those of the Arkansas of the Mississippi river. Another ridge divides the waters of the Osage from those of White river; and others, known by the name of Masserne, extend from this latter river in irregular shapes towards Red river.

* Pike's Journal. Appendix, No. I. p. 50.

Travels through the Interior Parts of America, p. 100 of the London edition, 1781.

The rocks are generally of a whitish limestone disposed in a horizontal strata. A remarkable circumstance, in the geology of this teritory, is the existence of a great number of circular cavities in the earth called "sinkholes," which are from 30 to 200 yards at the top, diminishing gradually to the bottom, and so deep that the tops of tall trees which grow therein do not reach the surface. The noise of water is generally heard, and sometimes the stream is visible. *

Climate. The climate of the parts of this territory already settled, situated between the thirty-third and fortieth degrees of north latitude, is subject to extremes of heat and cold, similar to those which are experienced in the Atlantic states, but they are here of much shorter duration, and the general temperature is mild and agreeable. The changes are not so sudden as in the eastern states, and the north-west wind, which brings a chilling cold, seldom continues more than eight hours. Spring opens with heavy rains, which are frequent till the first of May, when they cease, till the first of August; and, during this period, the weather is warm, with frequent thunder and lightning. † In winter, the Mississippi generally freezes over in the month of December, and the ice, which is nearly two feet thick, breaks up about the close of February. Sometimes this takes place at an earlier period; and the cold weather returning, the river freezes a second time. This happened in January 1811, when, after several weeks of delightful temperature, the thermometer, in

*Bradbury, p. 216.

+ Western Gazetteer, p. 194.

the space of four days, fell from 78° to 10° below zero. At St Louis, in latitude 38° 40', the winters are generally milder than in the same latitude east of the Alleghany mountains. The snow is seldom more than six inches in depth, though sometimes the cold, for two or three days in succession, is greater than in Canada. The mercury frequently falls several degrees below zero. At Fort Osage there are about three months of winter, and the range of the thermometer is from 25° above to 6° below zero. Bradbury states, that, in his voyage up the Missouri in 1810, the rain was incessant during seven days after his departure from St Charles on the 14th of March. On the evening of the 28th there was a tremendous thunder storm, during which a tree was struck and shivered by the electric fluid, about fifty yards from the place of encampment. On the 30th, the day was warm; but the wind changing to the north, created so great a degree of cold, that the water contained in a tin vessel of a pint measure in the boat was nearly all converted into ice. On the 27th of April, the sides of the boats and oars were covered with ice in the latitude of 40°. It is found that vegetation is more rapid, even as high as the latitude of 47°, near the fort of the Missouri Fur Company, than within the tropics, where the heat is much greater. Maize is found to ripen in ten weeks, but does not grow more than three feet in height.

*Bradbury, p. 145. This is probably owing to the nature of this grain, which is found to yield two crops in the same season in the state of Virginia.

The temperature is much influenced by the winds; which, coming from the south-west, bring an agreeable warmth; and from the north-west, produce a sudden cold. In summer, in the months of June and August, the mercury sometimes rises at St Louis to 96°, but generally does not exceed 84°. This high temperature, however, seldom lasts more than two months, while at Natchez it continues more than double this period. In the low tract of country along the Mississippi, which we have already described, the miasms, arising from decayed vegetable substances and stagnant waters, occasion bilious and intermitting fevers during the months of August and September, and particularly near the borders of the Mississippi. These fevers chiefly prevail among the new emigrants from more northern climates, and are seldom mortal. The native inhabitants are generally healthy, and it is said that fewer people die in proportion to the number than in most other countries. The soil on which St Louis and other villages are built is calcareous; and here, as in other places, it is favourable to health. In July and August, the heat of the sun is tempered by refreshing breezes. To the north of the Arkansas rains are heavy, though not frequent; and south from this river dews supply the place of rain; but in summer the drought is so great, that considerable streams become dry, and water is so scarce at a distance from the great rivers, that the Indians, in their long excursions, carry a provision of it in bladders. Mr Bradbury describes the climate to be very fine at St Louis. The spring commences in the middle of March; and, with

the exception of the vernal rains in May, the weather continues fine till the autumnal equinox brings rain again. After this, the weather is again serene till near Christmas, particularly during the Indian summer, which usually commences about the beginning or middle of October. Though a very severe cold is felt when the north-west wind prevails, the winter, in general, is much more moderate than in the same latitude on the eastern side of the Alleghany mountains.

Earthquakes.-The place on which New Madrid stands, situated in latitude 36° 34′, and longitude 89° 20′ west, was visited by an earthquake in December 1811, which manifested itself by a tremulous motion of the earth, and subterraneous noise, once every two weeks till the month of February 1812, extending as far as Kaskaskia in the Illinois territory, 150 miles distant. On the borders of White river, and in the Washita and Saline country, subterraneous explosions took place, the sound of which resembled that of cannon or distant thunder.

Lakes. A number of lakes extend along the north-eastern parts of this territory, and give rise to streams. Between Red river and Moose river there are also several lakes of considerable extent. The largest is the Lake of the Devils," which is thirtysix miles in circumference. Leech, and other smaller lakes to the south-west, cover a great surface. Lake Despice, the grand reservoir of the Little Sioux river, is seventy miles in circumference. Lake Marodisua,