[ 4 ] 
Western country, writing geography, philosophy, history, and the Lord 
knows what; but, I thank heaven, I have had sufficient firmness to re¬ 
sist this temptation to prove a recreant to the delightful pages of my 
Lord Coke, to the erudite commentator, Blackstone, or to neglect my 
new friends, the code of Justinian, and commentators thereon, the Por- 
ti.das, the ordonnarices of Bilbao, and Domat. 
During the winter before mentioned, I became acquainted with Mr. 
Bradbury, Fellow of the Linnean Society; a gentleman as distinguish¬ 
ed for his agreeable manners, sound understanding, and general sci¬ 
ence, as for his attainments in the department of natural history. My 
acquaintance with him naturally nourished the fondness X bad begun to 
feel for the subjects treated of in this volume. In the spring following, 
this gentleman set off to ascend the Missouri in the party of Mr. Wil¬ 
son P. Hunt, for the purpose of pursuing his researches in those unfre¬ 
quented regions. Shortly after his departure, Mr. Manuel Lisa, one 
of the members of the Missouri Fur Company, ascended with a small 
party, for the purpose of retrieving the affairs of the company, which 
had become considerably deranged : being solicited by this gentleman 
to accompany him, my wish to visit those countries was so strong, that 
I did not hesitate, notwithstanding that there was much to be feared 
from the hostilities of the Indians, who of late had been unfriendly to 
the whites ; in so much, that it was generally supposed, that even the 
considerable party of Mr. Hunt would not be able to make its way 
through the Sioux bands. The pleasure of being in company with Mr 
Bradbury, whom we expected to overtake, was not a light considera¬ 
tion I accordingly ascended, and after an absence of four or fiv<? 
months, returned to St. Louis, with two boats loaded with furs and pel¬ 
try of the company, placed under my command. Remaining at St. Louis 
until the month of November, l embarked for New Orleans, where I ar¬ 
rived in December 1811, Here I met with one of the publishers of 
this work, Mr. Cramer, and proposed to him the publication of the es¬ 
says before mentioned, with the journal of my voyage up the Missou¬ 
ri ; to which he assented, on condition that I would extend it, and add 
something relative to the state of Louisiana. 
Such is the history of the volume now offered to the public, respect¬ 
ing which, I have observed with regret, that expectations have been 
excited, much beyond its real importance. I say regret, because those 
expectations, will most probably be disappointed, if, instead of the cur¬ 
sory observations of an ordinary traveller, the reader shall look for a 
complete and scientific account of Louisiana, emulating the famed pro¬ 
ductions of Depons, Molini, or Humboldt. 
The extensive country which constitutes the subject of these essays, 
although, one of the most interesting portions of the new world, ap- 
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