419 



From tbis official prodrome,* the earliest available source of much- 

 desired information, books quickly sprung, which, however modified iu 

 title or in substance with successive editions, are essentially the same. 

 These are mostly anonymous as to author, compiler, or editor, being 

 clearly publishers' enterprises ; and, though containing matter of in- 

 trinsic merit and interest for the time, they are all, as just stated, 

 spurious in as far as they pretend to be the narrative of Lewis and 

 Clarke, and therefore properly to be styled the apocrypha. These 

 books consist chiefly of accounts of*the Indians, variously compiled from 

 the three sources indicated in the President's message. The titles and 

 captions of some of them are well contrived to make them appear as the 

 work of our authors. The apocrypha were not wholly superseded by 

 the appearance of the genuine narrative in 1814, but continued to be 

 published at least until 1840, though the}'^ are now becoming scarce and 

 are seldom if ever quoted. The earliest one of them I have seen (one 

 which, however, j)urports to be no more than it really is) was printed 

 in London the year following the President's message and accompany- 

 ing documents, of which it is a literal reprint {'■'■ nearly an exact copy," 

 says Field), under a modified title, as follows : — 



[1807.] Travels | in the \ Interior Parts of America; \ communicating \ 

 Discoveries \ made in Exploring \ the Missouri, Red Biver and Washita, 



I by I Captains Leivis and Clarlc, \ Doctor Sibley, | a^id | Mr. Dunbar ; 



I loith j a statistical account \ of the \ Countries adjacent. \ — | As laid 

 before the Senate, \ by the \ President of the United States. \ In Febru- 

 ary, 180G, I and never before published in Great Britan. \ — | London : 



I Printed for Richard Phillips, 6, Bridge Street, \ Blachfriars, \ By J. 

 O. Barnard, 57, Snow-hill. \ — | 1807. 



8yo. pp. 1-116, icith a folding table. Forming apart, separately paged, 

 of Vol. VI. of Phillips's " Collection of Modern and Contemporary Voy- 

 ages,^'' &c. 



Of this book. Field remarks, somewhat quaintly, " It is one of a 

 series of travels published by Sir Eichard Phillips, bookseller and bar- 

 onet, who is the only example I recollect of that combination of trade 

 and title." 



Two years subsequently, iu 1809, two editions of the apocrypha 

 appeared simultaneously iu England and America. To judge by their 

 titles, and from what I can learn of the English one, they are very 

 similar, if not identical. I do not know the inside history of these two 

 anonymous books iu their mutual relations, nor which has actual 

 priority ; but I should suppose that the English was taken from the 

 American, just as the Rees edition of the authentic narrative was from 

 the Biddle-AUen one. As transcribed by Rees, the title is somewhat 

 abbreviated; the fuller title, as giv^en by Field, is as follows : — 



* Anioug collateral publications bearing on the subject may be noticed the following 

 State Paper — iu some evidence against the proverbial ingratitude of republics : — 



[1807.] ^'Documents accompanying a Bill maMng compensation to Messieurs Lewis and 

 Clarke, and iheir companions, presenled the 23fZ January 1807. Washington : A. c/- G. 

 Way. 1807." 8vo. pp. 1-8. 



[Grants of land to the whole party. Captain Lewis was soon after made governor 

 of "Louisiana"; Captain Clarke, general of Louisiana militia axd agent for Indian 

 ati'airs.] 



