96 IN THE OLD WEST 



hood and instinctive wisdom. Whilst the French 

 portion of the population retain the thoughtless 

 levity and frivolous disposition of their original 

 source, the Americans of St. Louis, who may lay 

 claim to be native, as' it were, are as strongly dis- 

 tinguished for determination and energy of char- 

 acter as they are for physical strength and ani- 

 mal courage; and are remarkable, at the same 

 time, for a singular aptitude in carrying out com- 

 mercial enterprises to successful terminations, ap- 

 parently incompatible with the thirst of adventure 

 and excitement which forms so prominent a feature 

 in their character. In St. Louis and with her 

 merchants have originated many commercial en- 

 terprises of gigantic speculation, not confined to 

 the immediate locality or to the distant Indian 

 fur-trade, but embracing all parts of the con- 

 tinent, and even a portion of the Old World. And 

 here it must be remembered that St. Louis is situ- 

 ated inland, at a distance of upwards of one thou- 

 sand miles from the sea. 



Besides her merchants and upper class, who 

 form a little aristocracy even here, a large portion 

 of her population, still connected with the Indian 

 and fur trade, preserve all their original character- 

 istics, unacted upon by the influence of advancing 

 civilization. There is, moreover, a large float- 

 ing population of foreigners of all nations, who 

 must possess no little amount of enterprise to be 

 tempted to this spot, whence they spread over the 



