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some beautiful groves, or copses of large trees. 

 Near the fort, and along the banks of the river 

 there are a number of settlers, who have welt 

 cultivated gardens and fields, which are very pro- 

 ductive. At a small distance below, is Wilker 

 sonville, situated on a bluff, formerly called Cedar 

 Bluffs, but has very few inhabitants. 



On the river Mississippi, the first settlement of 

 any note in the Indiana Territory, is the village 

 Kaskaskia. It is an ancient French town, about 

 linety miles above the mouth of the Ohio, sitti- 

 4 ted on the Kaskaskia river, at the distance of five 

 niles from the Mississippi. The village contains 

 tbout one hundred houses, and the inhabitants 

 principally French. In the vicinity of this village 

 the land is excellent and highly cultivated. The 

 -iver Kaskaskia is navigable about one hundred 

 miles, and drains an extensive tract of level coun- 

 try. There is a road leading from Saint Vin- 

 :ennes to the Kaskaskia village, nearly in a west 

 direction. This road passes through almost one 

 continued prairie for about two hundred miles, 

 there being only scattered copses of wood, which 

 lave the appearance of small islands, in a wide 

 extended bay. These natural meadows are cov- 

 ered with a tall grass, and the sun appears to rise 

 ind set in the grass. On this road .there are few 

 settlers, and the traveller is obliged, for several 

 lights, to lodge in the grass or copses of wood, 

 [n this prairie, large herds of buffaloe, elk, and 

 6 



