CHAPTER II. 



The Ohio below the Rapids at Louisville— 'ascent of the Mis- 

 sissippi from the mouth of the Ohio to St. Louis.* 



Our small boat descended over the rapids without injury, 

 and having taken on board some wood near New Albany, 

 we proceeded on our voyage, with a pressure of steam 

 equalling one hundred pounds to the square inch, upon all 

 parts of the engine, exposed to its immediate operation. 

 This enabled us to descend, at the rate of ten miles per hour. 

 A small island in the Ohio, about twenty-three miles below 

 the rapids, is called Flint Island, from the great numbers 

 of fragments of flints, broken arrow points, and various in- 

 struments of stone, heretofore used by the Indians, which 

 are found there on turning up the soil. This island has proba- 

 bly been the favourite residence of some tribe, particularly 

 expert in the manufacture of those rude inplements, with 

 which the wants of the aboriginal Americans were supplied. 

 The stone employed in these manufactures appears to have 

 been in most instances, that compact flint, which occurs in 

 nodular masses, in the secondary limestones. In one instance 

 we met with a triangular prism, of a very hard and compact 

 aggregate of feldspar, and hornblende, unlike any rock we 

 have seen in the valley of the Mississippi. This prism was 

 about five inches long, with faces of about an inch in width, 

 and was perforated, from end to end, forming a complete 

 tube, with an orifice, about half an inch in diameter, and 

 smoothly polished, both within and without. We were 



* Observations were made, at Shippiagsport, to ascertain the rate of 

 going of our chronometer, the latitude of the place, and for other purposes; 

 according to thsee, the Falls are in 38° 15 23 " N. 



