5, od 
CHIHUAHUA EXPEDITION. 163 
California; whence, indeed, several stocks of 
goods have been introduced as far as the city 
of Chihuahua itself In 1840, a large amount 
of merchandise w as transported directly from 
the Red River frontier of Arkansas to Chihua- 
hua; but no other expedition has ever been 
made in that direction.* 
* With a view to encourage adventurers, va Pa! oe mag = 
Chihuahua —— wines the impost duties very low 
in favor of a pio nterprise ; ne pa ee ish ‘an escort we 
dragoons for the pecan of the trader 
The expedition was undertaken chiethy by Mexicans; but o 
American m t, Dr. H. Connelly, having invested capital in it 
n 
of the adventures of this pioneer party, which [ regret that my plan 
i rmi to in detail 
e adventurers set out from Chihuahua on the 3d of April, 
1839, amidst the benisons of the espe gee with the con confident h 
of transferring the valuable trade o: North 
caravan (includi d ), consisted of over a hundred 
men, a only about half a dozen of the ome were 
h they had bu gons, they ey 
specie and bullion, for the purposes of their adventure. 
They took the Presidio del Norte in their route, and then pro- 
ceeding northwestwardly, finally arrived at Fort Towson after a 
rotracted journey of three months; but without meeting with any 
fostile savages, - encountering any scrious casualty, except getting 
bewildered, ing ossing Red River, which they into for the 
razos. cateed them to shape their course thence nearly 
north, jmnianlind the foes er stream, until they reached the Cana- 
ware 
to Chi- 
huahua oars fall ; and de- 
lays, they were unable to get adn watil the rete sisson had too far ad- 
vanced ; which, sage te incessant, series of rains that followed, pre- 
