Ill [ 1 ] 



very much like the fox corn of my Virginia collection, was abundant. 

 We have cut green ash timber, which the captain says is better than the 

 dry Avood we have been getting before. No locality of fossil specimens 

 has been seen, or rather we have landed at no such place, although I have 

 seen some that appeared worthy of an examination. 



Half-past nine A. M. — The boat is now wooding on the western shore, 

 not far above the mouth of the Little Shayen ; the fuel is cotton wood, 

 that has been killed by the fire, I would judge. Vegetation is flourishing, 

 but flowers scarce ; got one new specimen and saw several old ones ; the 

 purple violet must have abounded here, as the beds were numerous, and I 

 took one merely as a remembrance of this upper country. Saw several frogs, 

 but was able to secure but one of the smaller kind ; have as yet seen no 

 snakes ; saw some mushrooms. Slate still continues to appear on the 

 western bank. 



This is certainly the most agreeable traveling I ever experienced ; the air 

 is delightful — the shores and trees quite green — only three of us on board, 

 besides the Captain, who are really companions ; myself, the only " dis- 

 tincruished" stranser, livinc on the best, and treated with the most o-enerous 

 kindness and respect — all these thmgs combme to render the trip as de- 

 lightful as possible. I can never forget the kindness that has afforded me 

 this pleasure. The musquitoes, however, are showing the cloven foot ; 

 they have made sundry violent attacks on my person, with malice afore- 

 thought, and intent of blood-drawing, and I have murdered numbers in 

 pure self defence. 



We have just passed the mouth of the river marked Sawarcana on the 

 map ; its most common name here is the Moreau, so called from an old 

 Frenchman who probably lived on it once. It is a small stream, although 

 larger than most others here. The banks of the Missouri for some miles 

 below are gently ascending hills with round tops, and they are covered with 

 short grass, enough, however, to give them a very pleasing appearance. 

 The opposite bank is less hilly, but equally beautiful, and timber rare on 

 both of them. I do not feel as persons generally expect to feel when tra- 

 veling in a wild country, inhabited only by savages, nor have I so felt, at 

 any period of my traveling on the prairies, with very few exceptions. The 

 reason of this has frequently appeared to be the almost entire absence of 

 forests ; on the prairies, early in the season, one sees large tracts of land 

 covere(l with yellow grass that readily suggests the grain fields of his home ; 

 the lonely appearance of the prairie as the grass comes up reminds one of 

 the green pastures of home, and one almost feels as if the farm house was 

 just over the hill. It was hard to realize that the beautiful fields we 

 saw to-day were not the fields of a cultivated tarm. Just where we 

 are the eastern side exhibits an abrupt bank, thirty feet high, composed 

 of slate. 



Saturday, June 8 — Seven o'clock A. .M.— Last evening 1 exhibited my 

 tabular view of the Sioux nation to Mr. Picotte for examination, and he pro- 

 nounced it to be correct, except that the estimate of souls to each lodge is 

 too small ; he feels sure that eight or ten is the correct average for each 

 lodge, and his opinion is worthy of regard. 



When we landed I examined a bluff" bank to confirm an opinion 1 had 

 formed that certain flowers seen along the bank were the same as some about 

 Fort Pierre, and I found myself correct. Alexander found a buffalo skeleton 

 wanting very few of the bones, and, as it was probably, the most perfect one 



