Rocky Mountains. 521 



country. " The proximity of Canada, the great breadth of 

 the new continent towards the north, the mass of snows with 

 which it is covered," says he, " occasion in the Mexican 

 atmosphere frigorifications by no means to be expected in 

 these regions."* By the inspection of the tables of thermo- 

 metric observations annexed to this volume it will be seen that 

 the extremes both of cold and heat are greater at Council 

 Bluff than at Germantown in the vicinity of Philadelphia. 



It is proper to remark that the winter of 1817-18 was con- 

 sidered one of unusual severity in the Arkansa Territory. 

 From the account of Hunter and Dunbar it appears that in 

 December 1804 the weather was much milder in the same 

 portion of country. An alligator was seen, in December, 

 many miles above the entrance of the Saline Fork, and even 

 at the Hot Springs many plants were in flower, and the 

 ground in the woods had considerable appearance of ver- 

 dure. 



On the 12th October, the Exploring party were all as- 

 sembled at Cape Girardeau. Lieutenant Graham with the 

 steam boat Western Engineer, had arrived a day or two 

 before from St. Louis, having delayed there, some time sub- 

 sequent to his return from the Upper Mississippi. In the 

 discharge of the duties on which he had been ordered, 

 lieutenant Graham and all his party, had suffered severely 

 from bilious and intermitting fever. 



A few days subsequent to our arrival at Cape Girardeau, 

 the greater number of those who had been of the party by 

 land, experienced severe attacks of intermitting fever, none 

 escaped except Capt. Bell, Mr. Peale, and Lieut. Swift, 

 Maj. Long and Capt. Kearney, who had continued their 

 journey immediately towards St. Louis, were taken ill at St, 

 Genevieve, and the latter was confined some weeks. The at- 

 tack was almost simultaneous in the cases of those who re- 



* New Spain, p. 58, Vol. I. 

 VOL. II. 4X 



