National Scioilifw and Ediicalioiial fnslilnlioiis. 289 



became acquainted with John L,edyard, of Connecticut, a man of .^eniu.s, 

 of some science, and of fearless courage and enterprise, who had accom- 

 panied Captain Cook on his voyage to the Pacific. ' ' I suggested to him, ' ' 

 writes Jefferson, ' ' the enterprise of exploring the western part of our con- 

 tinent by passing through St. Peterslxtrg to Kamchatka, and procuring 

 a passage thence in some of the Russian vessels to Nootka Sound, whence 

 he might make his waj' across the continent to the United vStates." He 

 proceeded to within 200 miles of Kamchatka, and was there obliged to 

 take up his winter quarters, and when preparing in the spring to resume 

 his journey, he was arrested by an officer of the Empress of Russia, and 

 carried back in a closed carriage to Poland. "Thus," saj^s Jefferson, 

 ' ' failed the first attempt to explore the w^estern part of our northern 

 continent." 



In a letter to Bishop Madison, dated Paris, July 19, 1788, Jefferson 

 tells the story of lycdyard's failure, and of his departure on an expedition 

 up the Nile. "He promises me," continues Jefferson, "if he escapes 

 through his journej^, he will go to Kentucky and endeavor to penetrate 

 westwardly to the South Sea. ' ' Led}^ard died in Africa. 



The proposed expedition of lycdyard, though inidertaken at the instance 

 of the American minister in Paris, can scarcely be regarded as a govern- 

 mental effort. It is of interest, however, as leading up to the second 

 attempt, which also was inspired and placed on foot b}- Jefferson. 



Ill 1792, [writes Jefferson,] I proposed to the American Philosophical vSociety, 

 that we shonld set on foot a subscription to engage some competent person to explore 

 those regions in the opposite direction — that is, by ascending the Missouri, crossing 

 the Stony Mountains, and descending the nearest river to the Pacific' 



Captain Meriwether I^ewis, l)eing then stationed at Charlottesville on the recruit- 

 ing service, warmly solicited me to obtain for him the execution of that object. I 

 told him that it was proposed that the person engaged should be attended by a single 

 companion only, to avoid exciting alarm among the Indians. This did not deter 

 him, but Mr. Andre Michaux, a professed botanist, author of the Flora Boreali- 

 Americana, and of the Histoire des Chenes de I'Amerique, offering his .services, 

 they were accepted. He received his instructions, and when he had reached Ken- 

 tucky in the prosecution of his journey he was overtaken by an order from the 

 minister of France, then at Philadelphia, to relinquish the exjiedition and to pursue 

 elsewhere the botanical inquiries on which he was employed by the Government, 



and thus failed the second attempt to explore that region. = 



• 



'Jefferson does not mention in this connection the well-known fact that he himself 

 became personally responsible for raising the sum of 1,000 guineas from private 

 sources to secure the sending out of this expedition. 



= The late Doctor A.sa Gray, in a letter written to me shortly liefore his death, 

 remarks: "I have rea-son to think that Michaux suggested to Jefferson the expedi- 

 tion which the latter was active in .sending over to the Pacific. I wonder if he put 

 off Michaux for the sake of having it in American hands." 



I think it is sufficiently evident from what has been written, that the project had 



been considered by Jeffenson long before Michaux came into America. A statement 



parallel to that of Jefferson is found in the brief biography of Michaux prefixed by 



Professor C. vS. vSargcnt, to his reprint of the Journal of Andre Michaux, published 



NAT MU.S 97, PT 2 ig 



