14 American Expedition of Discovery, 



river 134 miles, and the Cokimbia 413 miles to the Pacific 

 Ocean ; making the total distance from the confluence of 

 the JNIissouri and Mississippi to the discharge of the Co- 

 lumbia into the Pacific Ocean 3554 miles. The navigation 

 of the Missouri may be deemed good ; its difficulties arise 

 irom its falling banks, timber embedded in the mud of its 

 channels, its sand-bars, and steady rapidity of its current ; 

 all which may be overcome, with a great degree of certainty, 

 by using the necessary precautions. The passage by land 

 of 340 miles, from the falls of the Missouri to the Koos- 

 kooske, is the most formidable part of the track proposed 

 across the continent. Of this distance 200 miles is along 

 a good road, and 140 miles over tremendous mountains, 

 which for 60 miles are covered with eternal snows. A pas- 

 sage over these mountains is, however, practicable from the 

 latter part of June to the last of September ; and the cheap 

 rate at which horses are to be obtained from the Indians of 

 the Rocky Mountains, and west of them, reduces the ex- 

 penses of transportation over this portage to a mere trifle. 

 The navigation of the Koosbooske, Lewis's river, and the 

 Columbia, is safe and good from the 1st of April to the 

 middle of August, by making three portages on the latter 

 river ; the first of which, in descending, is 1 200 paces at the 

 falls of Columbia, 261 miles up that river; the second, of 

 two miles, at the Long Narrows, six miles below the falls; 

 and a third, also of two miles, at the Great Rapids, 65 miles 

 still lower down. The tide flows up the Columbia 183 

 miles, and within seven miles of the Great Rapids. Large 

 sloops may with safety ascend as high as tide water, and ves- 

 sels of 300 tons burthen reach the entrance of the Multno- 

 mah river, a large southern branch of the Columbia, which 

 takes its rise on the confines of New Mexico, with the Cal- 

 lerado and Apostle's rivers, discharging itself into the Co- 

 lumbia, 125 miles from its entrance into the Pacific Ocean. 

 I consider this track across the continent of immense advan- 

 tage to the fur trade, as all the furs collected in nine-tenths 

 of the most valuable fur country in America may be con- 

 veyed to the mouth of the Columbia, and shipped from 

 thence to the East Indies, by the 1st of August in each 



year J 



