VALLEY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 23 



hills of Lee's-creek (called Papillon, in Pike's map) 

 and about eight miles below the garrison of the Pot- 

 toe. Lime-stone is found along the banks of the 

 Salais-eau, a few miles above the former, but we no 

 where meet with any considerable quantity of calca- 

 reous rock, in that part of the Arkansa territory 

 which came under my notice, excepting on the banks 

 of Grand river, whence the garrison was supplied 

 with lime for building. As indications of coal, how- 

 ever, appear in this quarter, on both sides of the river, 

 and even near the garrison, along the banks of the 

 Pottoe, accompanied by the usual fossil reliquiae, 

 we are not to suppose that the secondary calcareous 

 stratum is so limited in its existence in this direction, 

 but merely covered by the sand-stone with which the 

 occurrence of coal is concomitant This circumstance, 

 again, almost independent of any collateral observa- 

 tion, points out the extraordinary approach of these 

 strata towards the horizontal level ; for, from Lee's 

 creek to the northern branches of the Canadian, and 

 from thence to the great Saline river of the Paunees, 

 a distance, over land, of near 300 miles, on the 

 southern side of the Arkansa, we were never able to 

 discover a solitary specimen of calcareous rock, be- 

 ing every where covered by the sand-stone, and in 

 no place presenting a derangement or dip sufficient 

 to be exposed from beneath. It is almost unneces- 

 sary to add, that a country like this, presents little 

 else than one uniform plain, in general destitute of 

 arborescent vegetation, and that it is also very defi 



