Botanical Excursion to the Mountains of North Carolina. 7 



des informations geographiques des pays a I'onest de Mississippi, 

 et demande qu'ils aient a endosser raes traites pour la somme de 

 £3600, si je suis dispose a voyager aux sources du Missouri, et 

 meme rechercher les rivieres qui coulent vers I'ocean Pacifique. 

 Ma proposition ayant ete accepte, j'ai donne a Mr. Jefferson, Sec- 

 retaire d'Etat, les conditions auxquels je suis dispose a entrepren- 



dre ce voyage J'offre de communiquer toutes les connoi- 



sances et informations geographiques a la Societe Philosophique ; 

 et je reserve a mon profit toutes les connoisances en histoire nat- 

 urelle que j'acquirerai dans ce voyage." Remaining at Philadel- 

 phia and its vicinity until the foUov/ing summer, he set out for 

 Kentucky in July, 1793, with the object of exploring the Western 

 States, (which no botanist had yet visited,) and also of conferring 

 with Gen. Clarke, (at Mr. Jefferson's request,) on the subject of 

 his contemplated journey to the Rocky Mountains, &c. He 

 crossed the Alleghanies in Pennsylvania, descended the Ohio to 

 Louisville, Kentucky, traversed that State and Western Virginia 

 to Abingdon, and again travelled through the Valley of Virginia 

 to Winchester, Harper's Ferry, &c., arriving at Philadelphia on 

 the 12th of December of the same year. Conferences respecting 

 his projected expedition were now renewed, in which Mr. Genet, 

 the envoy from the French republic, took a prominent part ; but 

 here the matter seems to have dropped, since no further refer- 

 ence is made to the subject in the journal ; and Michaux left 

 Philadelphia in February, 1794, on another tour to the Southern 

 States. In July of that year, he again visited the mountains of 

 North Carolina, travelling from Charleston to Turkey Cove by 

 his usual route. On this occasion he ascended the Linville 

 Mountain, and the other mountains in the neighborhood ; but 

 having •' differe a cause du manque des provisions," he left his 

 old quarters, (at Ainsworth's,) crossed the Blue Ridge, and estab- 

 lished himself at Crah Orchard on Toe River. From this place 

 he revisited the Black Mountain, and, accompanied by his new 

 guide, Davenport, explored the Yellow Moufitoin, the Roan, and 

 finally the Grandfather, the summit of which he attained on 

 the 30th of August.* Returning to the house of his guide, he 



* His earlier journals are full of expressions of loyalty to the king under whose 

 patronage his travels were undertaken ; but now transformed into a republican : 

 " Munt6e au sotmnct de la plus haute montagne de toutc VAmerique Septentrionale, 

 chante avec mon covipagnon- guide Vhymne de Marseillois, et cri6, Vive la Liherti et 



