Glass. Rook U .^S^- iSd Congress, [ Doc. No. 323. 1 Ho. of Repi. 1st Session. WarDept. SCHOOLCRAFT AND ALLEN— EXPEDITION TO NORTH- WEST INDIANS. ^^fM LETTER ' 4r Icyf^n^^^ THE SECRETARY OF WxlR, TRANSXITTIXG A Map and Report of Lieut. Allen and H. B. Schooler afVs visit to the Northwest Indians in 1833. April 12, 1834. Read, and laid upon the table. War Department, April 11, 1834. Sir : In obedience to a resolution of the House ^( Representatives of the 28th of March, 1834, 1 have the honor to transmit a copy of the map and report furnished this department by Lieutenant Allen, who accom- panied H. B. Schoolcraft, Esq. to, and beyond, the sources of the Mis- sissippi river, on a visit to the Northwestern Indians, in the year 1832. Very respectfully. Your most obedient servant, LEW. CASS. Hon. A. Stevenson, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Head Quarters or the Army, Washington, May 9, 1832. Sir: I have been informed that Mr. Schoolcraft intends making an ex- pedition into the Indian country, under the authority of the War Depart- ment. You will detail an officer and ten or twelve men, to make apart of that expedition. The otlicer will be directed to keep a journal of the expe- dition ; to describe the country through which it may pass ; to delineate, topographically, the route and several points of importance ; to ascertain the manners and characters of the various Indian tribes, their numbers, strength in warriors, condition, mode of living, of obtaining subsistence, whether at peace with their neighbors or not, their places of resort for foreign supplies, how supplied, and by whom. He will also be directed to note the nature of the soil ; the geology, mineralogy, and natural his- [Gales 8c Seaton, print.] [ Doc. No. 323. ] tory ; he will remark upon the game and fishes, as to quantity, qu and facilities of procuring them. The oflScer will transmit his report to Head Quarters, for the infc tion of the General in chief, and to be laid before the Secretary of He will be considered as on topographical duty during the time he be absent from his post, and engaged in the expedition. The men have the extra allowances accorded to soldiers on fatigue duty, ofl&cer will report to Mr. Schoolcraft, and take his directions. I am, sir, with respect. Your obedient servant, A. MACOMB, Major General commanding the Army. To Capt. Wilcox, Or officer commanding Fort Brady. Copy from the records of Fort Brady. J. ALLEN, Lieut, and P. Adft. Special Order, ) Head Quarters, Fort Brady, No. 2. ] June 6, IS32. In' obedience to general order, dated 9th May, 1832, Lieutenant Allen,. Corporal Wibru,ofK, Privates Briscoe, Beemis, Burke, Button, Ingram, and Riley, of B, Privates Copp, Lentz, and Wade, of K companies, are detailed to accompany Mr. Schoolcraft on his expedition into the Indian country. Lieutenant Allen will be furnished with a copy of the order, , by which he will be governed. The acting assistant quartermaster will furnish a boat to transport the party. D.WILCOX, Captain 5th Regiment commanding. Copy from the records of Fort Brady. J. ALLEN, Lieut, and P. Adft, Fort Dearborn, November 25, 183S. Sir : In obedience to the foregoing orders and instructions, I have pre- pared the accompanying map and journal, which are now most respect- fully submitted, as embracing my report on the several subjects to which you have directed my attention. I have been induced to report in this form, because, from the circum- stances of my position on the expedition, I was not able to collect sufl&- cient facts on which to base a full and separate report, under each of the various heads mentioned in your instructions ; and I have thought this the best method of combining the observations which I was enabled to make, so as best to comply with your views, and to acquit myself of a re- sponsible duty ; and because, in this way, I could present all my re- marks in the most concise shape. [ Doc. No. 323. ] 3 The route of the expedition was up Lake Superior, to Fond du Lac ; thence, up the Fond du Lac river, ninety-one miles, to the mouth of the East Savanne river, and across by the latter river, the Savanne portage, and the West Savanne river, to Sandy lake and the Mississippi ; thence, up the Missisippi, through Lake Winnipeg, Upper Red Cedar or Cass lake, and Lac Traverse, to Lac La Biche^ or Elk lake, the source of the river ; thence, returning, back to Cass Lake, and across the country, by small lakes and portages, to Leech lake ; and thence across again, by little lakes and portages, to the source of Crow Wing river, and down this to the Mississippi again ; down the Mississippi, fifty-nine miles below the falls of St. Anthony, to the St. Croix river, up the latter to its source, in upper Lake St. Croix ; and thence, down the Bois Brule river, to Lake Superior ; again, twenty miles from Fond du Lac river, by which we had left the lake, on our w^ay up ; and thence back to the Saut de Ste. Marie, the point from which we started. We were absent eighty days, between the 6th of June and 26th of Au- gust, and travelled in that time two thousand eight hundred miles. The facts and observations collected on this route, and herewith pre- sented, are all that my time and means would allow me to collect ; and I have endeavored, in the following pages, to lay them before you, as they were brought under my notice, by the journey and operations of each day ; and wherever they are not as full and satisfactory as your instruc- tions would seem to require, the reasons for the deficiency are to be found in the limitation as to time and means, which necessarily and un- avoidably applied from my subordinate situation to the principal and con- ductor of the expedition, and my duty as commander of the detachment of troops constituting the escort. The primary objects of the expedition, and consequently of Mr. School- craft, being to vaccinate the Chippewa Indians, our movements between points, for this purpose, were generally rapid, scarcely allowing a mere passenger to make many useful observations on subjects of science, con- nected with the country ; and when, in connexion with this, it is con- sidered that I had solely the charge and care of the transportatiob and subsistence of a detachment of soldiers, under circumstances of great dif- ficulty, it will, probably, not be expected of my observations on several sub- jects made at the same time, that they could be very minute and complete. Hence the subject of botany, and one or two others, could receive but little attention, and are not much noticed beyond such remarks as would occur to a hasty observer. To the former subject. Doctor Houghton, the surgeon, devoted much attention, and will probably give the result to the public. On the subjects of geology and mineralogy, I have been enabled to collect many useful facts, which are communicated, principally, in my description of the route up Lake Superior, and contained in my journal between the 7th and 25th of June. My observations on this part of the route are more full and in detail than on any other, as I was enabled to make them from travelling it twice, going and returning. We saw but little rock for- mation elsewhere. From the source of the Mississippi to the rapids below Crow Wing river, rock in place is seen but once, at the falls of Peckagama, 150 miles above Sandy lake, where the river runs through a formation of granular quartz. 4 [ Doc. No. 323. ] All the formations that did occur, however, are properly noticed in their appropriate place. The poor pine hills about the source of the Missis- sippi are broken down, primitive rock, showing numerous fragments and pebbles of the quartz gems, and of hornblende, feldspar, mica, &c. On the subject of Indians, I have endeavored to comply strictly with your instructions, and have given information derived from the most au- thentic sources, much of it from the Indians themselves but mostly from their particular traders ; in obtaining which, particularly the cen- sus of the several bands and villages, I was much assisted by the polite- ness of Mr. Schoolcraft and Doctor Houghton. The value of the trade in furs, and facts relating to it, were mostly fur- nished by Messrs Holiday, Warren, Oakes, and Aitkin, of the American Fur Company, who enjoy most of the trade of the country. It will be perceived that the condition of the Chippewa Indians is rapidly approaching a crisis, when their increased population and de- creased resources must bring upon them great calamities, unless a conside- rable change is previously effected in their means of subsistence and mode of life. Since the humane measures of the Government for the stoppage of whiskey in the Indian trade, they have increased and are in- creasing rapidly ; but the furred and large animals of the country, upon which is their great dependence for their very existence, have diminish- ed in a converse ratio, and are every day becoming more scarce. And yet these Indians, with a characteristic improvidence and blind fatuity, have not made, nor are making, any other provision for their future wants and contingencies, but, on the contrary, manifest, by a continued -adherence to their established and peculiar habits of living, an apathy and indifference to their approaching condition of want and misery, al- together inexplicable and astonishing. Their vast country, though generally poor, has land enough of the rich- est quality to afford a subsistence, by cultivatioti, for ten times their pre- sent poj)ulation. But tiiey have imt any where sought a living from agriculture ; and in parts where the soil is richest, and the Indians most in need, they have been the least attentive to this means of su|ij)l^ing their wants; although some of them, as those about Fond du Lac, and along *the shores of Lake Superior, have already experienced, during two or three severe winters, much suffering from starvation, and many of them must have perished but for a scanty relief furnished by their traders. All the Chippewas, north and west of Lake Superior, entertain unfriend- ly feelings to the Government of the United States, and would undoubtedly embrace another occasion, similar to that of the last war with Great Bri- tain, to join and assist an English or other powerful enemy : but their hostility amounts to nothing, for they are too poor and weak to attempt to \\ ar tliemselvcs, and are restrained, by motives of fear and interest, from depredating much upon their traders. Those at Leech lake, and about the sources of the Mississippi, are the least friendly, as my account of them represents. About the time of the removal of the British traders from this country, it had commenced the decline in Indian resources, which has gone on stea- dily ever since, until the country is now j)oor, compared with what it was in the time of the JNortliwest Company and British trade ; and the Indians, •contrasting their present, condition with their former, and without the [ Doc. No. 323. J judgment to know and assign the true cause of the difference, attribute their present comparative distress and want to the change oF Government and traders, effected at the time referred to. And this will account for much of their present hostile feeling to the American Government and traders. All the Chippewa Indians have a most inveterate and irreconcilable hatred for their border tribe, and natural enemies, the Sioux; which, being duly reciprocated by the latter, keeps them both, near their borders, in a state of constant insecurity and warfare, and leads to endless aggressions on the part of eacfi. The Chippewas, however, from their poverty and "Weakness, suffer most fi-om this state of things, and are seldom able to pursue an offensive war, or to carry their operations much beyond their own country. Whereas their enemies, from their superior numerical strength, and abundant resources in means of subsistence, are enabled to push their excursions into the Chippewa territory, until they are resisted by the inaccessible nature of the country. The Chij)pcwas, remote from their lines, as those along Lake Superior, at Fond du Lac, &c., are seldom engaged in these wars, or much affected by them : but tlieir border brethren at Leech lake, Red lake, and along the Mississippi, are never at peace. The Lee;:h lake band particularly, being the largest single band of the tribe, and occupying a place near ihe lines, and made secure by the fastnesses of their lake, are in a state of constant excitement, either from tlie depredations of their enemies, or their own, upon tiiein ; and they suffer and resent more than any' other band. They also possess more of the qualities of savage warriors than any other Inur boats, but not more than ten feet from them liorizontally. We have come to-day forty-four miles, and have had high peaked, gra- nitic looking mountains on our left nearly all day. The rock about our encampment shows many large veins of green stone. Mr. Schoolcraft and Dr. Houghton, with the canoe, have their encampment ahead. June 14. — Leaving our rough harbor, we passed a low sandstone sliore of seven or eight miles. A high range of hills was seen off to the south, running N. W. and S. E., probably a part of the chain observed yester- day back of Presque Isle. About ten miles from our encampment, the shore shows a very irregular black rock for two or three miles, which on examination proved to be hornblende rock and hornblende slate. This rock projects into the lake in many points, which present, for some dis- tance from the water, a bare, black, glossy surface. Leaving this, the red sandstone shows itself again, in high, prominent bluflf points, embrac- ing deep regular bays, nearly all of which have low sandy shores and beaches in the bottom of their circuit. Six of these bluff points occur nearly in the same N. W. line, in a distance of twenty miles, before we reach Keewaywenon bay ; some of them seventy feet higli, and all pre- senting mural precipices to the lake. This sandstojie, of which we have seen so much, has a dull, dark red color, occurs in thin strata, and has a very rough, ugly appearance. It contains no organic remains, and is in no way interesting ; a thin sandy soil rests upon it, and supports a growth of cedar and pine. Back of this formation, the chains of granite mountains rise to great heights, and occasionally display the base surfaces of their rugged peaks. They come down to within a mile of the lake, at the entrance to the Kee- waywenon bay, where another chain farther back runs off to the south, in the direction of the length of the bay. From the last of the high sandstone bluff points, described above, the two boats commence the traverse of the great bay Keewaywenon, steering N. 60° W., to a cluster of little rocky islands which are situated in the bay, about eight miles from the shore, and off the mouth of Huron river called the '' Huron Islands." These islands, four or five in number, are great masses of granite, grouped near together, of very rugged aspect, and irregular shape. The largest is about a mile in length, one hundred and fifty feet high, and has some little bushes and trees growing in its fis- .sures. The others are bare rock, and served thousands of gulls for nest- ing places. Some fissures of the large island, on which we landed, are remarkable. One running entirely through the island in a narrow part of it, allows the water to flow through, though at the top, forty or fifty feet above the water, a person may leap over it. South of the Huron islands is the mouth of Huron river, and six miles west of the latter is a long narrow point, called Point Abbaye, which is the western cape of Huron bay, and divides it from Keewaywenon bay. Huron bay opens into Keeywawenon bay between Huron river and Point Abbaye, and runs back to the south and southwest, to a distance of more than twenty miles, almost as far as the great bay of which it is a subordinate branch. It is deep water throughout, but becomes verj narrow towards the end, and is used as a fishery by the Indians, affording trout, herring, and whitefish. Keewaywenon bay is the largest and most remarkable of the whole akc. It is thirty-two miles deep from Point Abbaye, in a southwest direc- [ Doc. No. 323. J 15 tion, and its whole depth, from the extreme point of the peninsula of Kee- waywenon, is about seventy miles. This peninsula runs far into the lake, in a northeasterly direction, and seems to approach Granite point in such a manner as to make the great bay of Keewaywenon to commence pro- perly between Granite point and tlie east end of the peninsula. The dis- tance between these two points is between forty and fifty miles. The voyageurs, however, going up the lake, do not consider themselves in Kee- waywenon bay until they get within six or seven miles of Huron river, or the Huron islands. The breadth of the bay from Huron river is thirty miles, and from the islands to the nearest point of the peninsula is twenty- two miles ; this is the usual boat traverse in fair weather, and was ours on the present occasion. We left the islands at 3 o'clock P. M., and crossed the bay in a direction a little N. of N. W., in five hours and a half, encamping at half past 8, behind a sandstone bluff point, in a little sandy hay opening to the northeast. All the traders and voyageurs con- sider this a dangerous traverse, and boats are frequently detained for several days on one or the other sides of the bay, waiting for favorable weather to cross. We were fortunate in having a perfect calm all the way, and crossed without difficulty or apprehension. The view from the middle of the bay is one of the most beautiful and picturesque of tiie lake. A high mountain chain that runs along the middle of tlie peninsula Kee- waywenon, is seen, in front, running far out into the lake, till its tops seem just emerging above the surface. Behind, to the S. and S. E. the granite mountains that come down to the lake at Huron river, show their base surfaces and tops ; and the more distant chain which runs off to the sodth, gives, in the blue distance, a distinct outline of innumerable high peaks, connected by curves made regular, and well defined by the dis- tance. To the right and left, in the direction of the length of the bay, nothing is to be seen but the beautiful expanse of clear water. Mr. Schoolcraft, in his canoe, left the boats near the Huron islands^ and took the usual canoe route down the bay, intending to visit Mr. Holiday's trading house, and an Indian village, near the bottom of the bay, and then make the traverse to Portage river, in a narrow part, and cross the great peninsula by a portage to the lake on the other side, "where he was to remain encamped till the boats made the tour round. The usual route for canoes that make the portage, is, from Point Abbaye down the southeastern shore about nine miles, and thence across, in an oblique direction, about twelve miles, to the mouth of Portage river ; up this river six miles, to a lake twelve miles long and two or three broad, and through this lake to a little river at its head, which is ascended six miles to its source in a wet savanna ; from which, by a portage of one mile, they reach the lake on the north side of the peninsula, which here, and by this route, is twenty-five miles broad. A distance of ninety miles round the point Keewaywenon is saved by this route across by the portage. Boats, however, must always coast round the point, and, from the great prevalence of winds and seas so far out in the lake, this part of the route is frequently tedious, difficult, and dangerous. The number of Indians about Huron and Keewaywenon bays is one hun- dred and thirty, about half of them males, and about twenty-five of these warriors. They subsist in summer principally on fish, which they take in sufficient quantities in the bays by gill nets and the spear. Whitefish, herring, and trout, are abundant in these bays. In winter they hunt the marten, otter, muskrat, and beaver, and during their iiunts are mainly sub- 16 [ Doc. No. 323. J sisted by their trader, with provisions taken from Mackinac. In this season they depend much on him for their subsistence, and it is questiona- ble if they could now, in the present state of their counti-y, live without the partial supply that he annually distributes to them. Their country is ex- hausted of the game, deer, bears, &c.,that once furnished them food; their fisheries are impracticable at times, from the rigors of winter, and many of them would undoubtedly suffer from starvation, were it not for the relief alluded to, which is given them for their furs. They get provi- sions and goods from their trader, when he first returns from Mackinac, in the fall, and disperse to their several hunting grounds for the winter; from which the men frequently return to bring in their furs, and get fresh supplies. The present trader at this post is 5lr. Holiday, of the Ameri- can Fur Company, who makes this his head quarters for two other posts, at which he has subordinate traders or clerks ; one at Grand island, and one at the mouth of the Ontonagon river. This gentleman has lived and traded at this post for about twenty-four years, only coming out every summer to Mackinac to sell his furs, and get new goods. The Indians of his district now depend on him for their annual supply of clothing, ammu- nition, &.C., for which he usually gets all their furs ; but the exhausted condition of their country, requiring, in addition to the usual wants of Indians, a great quantity of j)rovisions, the trade of late years has not been profitable, and his whole returns in furs in the spring seldom exceed by more than one thousand dollars the expenses of his thiec posts. More tlian half of his annual stock in trade is provisions. He makes usually at Grand island, three packs; at his own j)ost, on the bay, ten packs; and at the Ontonagon river, two packs; in all, fifteen packs, worth 55300 a pack, or j^4,500. The furs are principally beaver, martens, rats, otters, and a few bears. Mr. Holiday is frequently opposed at his several posts by other traders, not of the American Fur Company, but generally with loss to those op- posing ; for his superior influence over the Indians, acquired from a long residence among them, secures for him all the furs. June 15. — Started at half past 3 A. M., and commenced the coasting of the peninsula, along its southern shore, in a general direction a little east of northeast, eight miles took us across a sandy bay of no great depth, and to the mouth of a small river, supposed to be *' Tobacco river.*' It runs out in a mouth about ten yards broad, and eighteen inches deep, with a strong current over a flat, sandstone rock, and has three j)erpendicu- lar falls over the same rock, all of which can be seen at one view from its mouth. The first, 50 yards from the mouth, is five feet ; the second, £0 yards farther, seven feet, and the third, 10 yards farther, eight or nine feet. It is remarkable that so large a river should flow from the peninsula, Nvhich is in no ])art more than thirty or forty miles broad, and has a chain of mountains dividing it in the centre. A few miles fiom Tobacco river we met Mr. Oakes, a trader of the Ame- rican Fur Company, from Lac du Flambeau, his post. He was on his way to Mackinac, with two Mackinac boats, carrying out the furs of his trade the previous winter. Mr. Oakes is the princij)al trader for the dis- trict or department of Lac du Flambeau, between Lake Superior and Green Bay and the Ouisconsin river. He has four posts under iiis charge, Lac du Flambeau, his head quarters ; Lac Sable; Chippewa river, and Ouiscon- sin river; which yield, severally, about the same quantity of furs, but [ Doc. No. 323. J 17 varying, in different years, between 1,500 and §2,000 for each post, and making his whole trade worth between six and eight thousand dollars a year. Tlie Indians of his department get nearly all their goods and ne- cessaries from him, and subsist on the resources of the counUy, game and fish. In tlie fall and winter they kill great numbers of the common red deer, which are \evy plenty about Chippewa river. In the spring and summer, their subsistence is principally fish and berries, and a few furred animals. They sometimes make excursions against the Sioux, but they are not, at present, at war with any other tribe. They are represented ag entertaining, generally, a very unfriendly feeling towards the Government of the United States, and are only restrained by fear from depredations on their traders. Leaving Mr. Oakes, we crossed a large deep bay that ran eight or ten miles inland, with a sandy bank and beach for about half its circuit, where the mountains came abrujjtly down, and form the noi-tliern shore of rugged massive rock. From this bay the shore inclines a little more to the east, and presents tmmerous rocky points, with little coves and sandy bays between. Near the end of the peninsula, the shore becomes more rocky, rough, and abrupt, and the course is east of northeast till we reach the most easterly point, whei-e it suddenly changes to almost due north, vary- ing but two or three degrees west, for a distance of four miles, when it again suddenly changes to nearly due west, along the north side of the peninsula. That part of the shore that runs north and south is the end of the peninsula Keewaywenon, and the most easterly point of it is called *' Point Keewaywenon." There is no projecting or attenuated point, but the peninsula is here abruptly truncated in a north and south direction, presenting a rough rocky end, of near four miles, in this course, with a small island, called "' Beaver Island," about five miles directly off it in the lake. This is a dangerous part of the coast for boat navigation. The penin- sula offers no safe harbor for boats on its extremity, or near it, on the south side, and we were anxious to get into a harbor' on the north side be- fore dark. My boat, iiow^'ver, was several miles behind Mr. Johnston's, and darkness, a strong head wind, and a thick fog, overtook me soon after 1 turned the eastern point. I was then obliged to grope my way for seve- ral miles along a high rocky shore, of most forbidding aspect, against which 1 was in continual danger of being dashed to pieces, but which I •could not leave fartiier than the length of the oars, lest 1 should lose sight of it, and get lost and be blown off into the lake. In this situation I con- tinued to hug the shore, and contend with the wind and sea, though not without great apprehension, until half past nine at night, when I ran the boat into a dark opening in the rock, which proved to be a little cove about fifteen feet bioad, formed between the main rock and a projecting crag about thirty feet high, and of sufficient length to conceal the boat and protect it from the wind then blowing. The bottom of the cove had been filled in with pebbles for a distance of twenty feet, and on this I encamped, securing the boat by means of cold chisels driven into the rock, to make fast to. My experience to-night proves the necessity, in coasting this lake, of always having a guide mi the boat well acquainted with the coast and the situation of its harbors. The severe winds and sudden storms on Lake Superior are proverbial, and it is never considered safe to encamp over night out of a harbor. 3 18 [ Doc. No. 323. J This peninsula is the most marked topographical feature of the southern* shore of the lake, and is one of the most interesiing in its geology and mine- ralogy. Estimating fts length ftoni the hottom of Keeway vvenon hay, it is about eighty miles long. It is four miles broad at its extremity, twenty- five or thirty miles in its middle part, twenty miles at the portage, and between thirty and forty at the base, across from the bottom of the bay. A chain of round lopped roc ky mountains, from 500 to 800 feet iiigli, rise near the end of the ])oinr, and extend back, along its centre, to a distance of near forty miles, occupying, for this distance, nearly the whole breadth of the peninsula, and soujetimcs coming down, at the bottoms of bays, till their bases are washed by the lake. >\ herever these mountains have beeu examined, tlicy are trap rock, and this is undoubtedly tlie formation of all of them. Several varieties of trap are seen along tlie shore, and, in fact, constitute ail the rock of tl»c shore from Tobacco river. Basalt, amygda- loid, hornblende, greenstone, and rubblestone, arc a>nong the varieties. The rock of the extreme point, and of the shore, for seven or eiglit miles beyond, is a coarse crag. It is composed of pebbles, of a dark brown color> showing the same color in tlieir fracture, varying in size from the smallest to more than one foot in diatneter, and usiited by a calcareous cement, which, exhibits calcareous spar, in crystals and little veins, in many parts. It does not seem to extend far from the shore towards the mountains, for in many places, where it is worn out to form little coves, the shore, at the bottom of the cove, shows only sand and pebbles that have been worn from the main rock. From its exposed situation so far out in the lake, this rock is much subjected to abrasion from ice, &c., a«id presents to the lake an ir- regular, ugly, dark colored surface, generally vertical, and from eight to thirty feet high. Many large portions are detached, and stand out one or two hundred yards in the lake, in huge shapeless masses. Travelled this day 45 miles. June 16. — Left my rough encampment, between the crags, at half past four in the morning, in a dense fog, and coasting along the rock in a di- rection about west; a mile and a half brought us to the ♦* Little Marais" harbor, where Mr. Johnston had preceded us with his boat, and encamp- ed the previous evening, and was now waiting for us to con»e up with him, under some apprehension that we had met with accident during the night. This harbor is much used by the voyageurs of Lake .Superior, and is the first secure one that occurs after leaving Tobacco river. It is a lit- tle basin one hundred and fifty yards across, nearly circular, with a low- sandy beach all round, excepting on the side next to the lake, where it is separated by the crag rock spoken of, which forms the shore. I'he en- trance is a narrow gap in the rock ; and this again is locked and pro- tected from the lake by a long mass of the same, fifteen feet high, and twenty or thirty broad, placed directly before the entrance, and extending thirty or forty yards on each side of it, parallel to the main rock, leaving a channel open at both ends, and just broad enough to admit boats with- out oars. The banks of this harbor are much lower than the rocks in front ; ajid there is a small marsh a short distance back ; hence, the name of «' Marais" for the harbor. Two miles farther brought us to the " Green Rock," a detached block of the crag rock, eight or nine feet high, and as many through the base, to which the voyageurs have given this name, from the color it has acquired from copper green disseminated through it. It is intersected by a vein of calcareous spar, that is also impregnated with the [ Doc. No. 323. J 19 ore, and lies in the water but a few feet from the main rock of the shore, which also presents traces of copper green and copj)er black.* From the Green rock, the shore has a general direction southwest; and the same rock continues five or six miles, intersected by numerous veins of calcareous spar, all running perpendicular to the shore. Some of them were two feet broad, and could be traced up the rock, and into the lake, as far as we could see. Numerous rocky islands occur along this part a short distance from The main land : some of them bare, and others covered with vegetation. We landed again, twelve miles from the Green rock, at some covper veins, discovered by Mr. George Jolinston last year. The crag rock had disappeared some miles back, and we now struck upon the amygdaloid, which formed the whole shore, and the base of mountains that rose gradually back. These veins of copper ate four or five in number, very near together, and all rur» perpendicular to the shore. They can be traced by their color many yards into t!ie water, but they soon disappear on the shore, running under the rock. Tlie largest of the veins is about three inches broad at the surface, but it has been excavated for specimens, about two feet in depth, where it is near six inclies broad. All the veins are composed alike of the green carbonate of copper and metallic copper mixed. In excavating for specimens in the largest vein, I took out pieces of metallic copper of several ounces weight ; and the men picked several pieces from the smaller veins, that occupied their whole breadth, and pro- jected above the general surface of the rock. It would require much time and labor to make such an examination of these veins as would definitely develop their extent and resources, but the inducements their present ap- pearance offers to such an investigation are certainly very strong and flat- tering. The rock here is the amygdaloid variety of trap, and presents, ail over its surface, innumerable little geodes of ijuartz gems, agate, cornelian, chalcedony, &c. I knocked many from it, and picked up otliers that were loose on the shore. And near the veins I discovered a large agatized cornelian of more than ten pounds weight, embedded in the lock about a foot under the water ; but its surface, having been long exposed to the action of the frost and waves, was very much fractured, and in splitting the rock to obtain it, it was broken into many pieces, most of which rolled into the deep water and were lost. I, however, brought away large geo- logical specimens of the rock, to which much of it is still attached. After passing four miles more of the same rock, I crossed a beautifully curved bay, about nine miles across and six deep, with a sandy beach, and sand banks sometimes fifty feet high. Leaving the bay, the shore con- tinued regular and less rocky, presenting, alternatel}, dark sandy beaches and rocky points; and some little bays, with a beach of white sand, and banks of the same. In one of the latter, I encamped at sunset, having travelled this day thirty-two miles. One of my men caught a trout to-day of more than forty pounds weight, ♦ On my return, Doctor Houghton and myself put a blast in the main rock, at this place, ■which raised off about two feet thickness of it, and developed a vein of pure copper black, from which we obtained many specimens of the richest quality, containing no impu- rity whatever. The vein was about six inches broad, and ran vertically into the rock, in- creasing in breadth as it descended. It is probable that tlie vein descends into the trap rock, to wliich it belongs, and tliat the crag rock has been formed round it, by the deposi- tion and cementation of its pebbles. The copper black is one of tlie richest ores of cop- per ; and this locality of it is worthy of further investigation, which our time would not permit us to make. 20 [ Doc. No. 323. ] with a trowling line : these fisli may be caught in this way along almost any part of the lake, when the boat is sailing. June 17, {S^niday.) — The last rocky j)(»int of this part of the coast was near our encampment, and on examination proved to be amygdaloid, very compact and hard, resembling massive basalt. It showed on its sur- face many large crystals of amethystine spar, but with their crystals much injured by attrition, the rock being low and subject to l)e washed by the waves. From the same rock I got a few specimens of the smoky quartz crystals, a very rare mineral. P'rom this point our course was across a bay of fifteen miles traverse, with high banks of light yellow sand and a gravel beach ; the shore gently curved, and of no great depth from the line of traverse, which was in direction S. S5° W". NN hen we had made about twelve miles across the bay, we discovered, on the shore, the tents of Mr. Schoolcraft and party, denoting the end of the |)oi"tage where Mr. S. had promised to wait for us, on parting, three days before, in Keewaywcnon bay. This being Sunday, we stopped here for Ihe rest of the day. Mr. S. had come over the portage, from Mr. Iloli- rti()n of one of the Sioux scalps, now taken, had been brought to Cass lake, and the Indians here regaled us with a scalp dance, soon after our arrival. They had two other scalps, taken at formei* periods, and all Mere exhibited on this occasion, stretched by means of tiiongs, in the cen- tre of wooden hoops, afoot in diameter, profusely ornamented with feathers ; staves or handles, four or five feet long, were attached to the hoops, and in the dance each was carried above her head by an Indian woman, who sang and dar)ced incessantly. The other Indians around, men, women, and children, all engaged in the singing, and kept time on the Indian drum, and by beating any thing, but the dancing was done entirely by the women who carried the scalps. Two of them were young, but sucli was their excitement on this occasion, that they seemed to have forgotten the peculiar modesty of Indian v.omen of their age ; holding their heads erect, casting fierce and wild glances on all around, and showing an expression of countenance, at times, almost fiendish. A like enthusiasm seemed to animate the aged and the children ; and an observer of these cei'emonies, when he reflects on their freipient occurrence, will not be at a loss to ac- count for the irreconcilable hatred wiiich exists in the breasts of these Indians for their enemies. I'hey had been dancing here for many days previous to our arrival, and they continued now, without the least cessa- tion, until after twelve at night. They expect during this dance, when strajigers are present, to receive presents for the benefit of the widows or families of their warriors who may have perished in battle, and our men and voyageurs were liberal in the observance of this custom. We were busied, from our arrival till night, in making preparations to continue our journey to the source of the Mississippi ; and it was arranged to leave our large canoes and most of our men here, atid proceed in small canoes, borrowed from the Indians. Five of these were provided for the five gentlemen of our party, and the pr(»visions and necessaries for the trip, each to cari-y a passenger, a share of baggage, and two voyageurs; this being a full load for canoes of their very diminutive size. But a branch of the river which we were to ascend, was represented to be so very small, as to be only navigated with canoes of this size. Yellow Head, an intelli- gent Indian, who belongs to this village, and who came with us from Lake Superior, continues as our guide. July 11. — All proper arrangements for our further journey being com- pleted the previous evening, we made an early start. I left my men and baggage in charge of my corporal, and took one of Mr. Schoolcraft's voy- ageurs and an Indian to conduct my canoe, as I could not entrust the ma- nagement of so small and delicate a craft to any of my men. These very small canoes require a care and skill to conduct them safely, only known [ Doc. No. 323. ] m to those long accustomed to the use of them. They are used hy the Indians of this couriti'y, because the streams are all small ; and because, in many of tjjeir routes, there are numerous portages, where it is a great object to make the carrying as light as possible. These i-casons have determined us to adopt them on this occasion ; for we expect to ascend a small branch of the Mississippi, and to make a long portage from its head to the source of the larger bianch. We entered the Mississippi from a bay on the west side of Cass lake^ and passed, in a short distance, through two small lakes and a savanne, above all which we still found a large river forty or fifty yards broad, and from tv.o to six feet deep, which wound its way through a narrow valley of low, alluvial bottom, confined by pine hills, up toLacTravers, forty miles above Cass lake. In this distance there a)'e many rajjids running over boulders of primitive rock, but there is no fall, and no rock is seen in place. LacTravers may well be arranged among the sources of the Mississippi. It is a beautiful lake, about ten miles long from north to south, and about half as broad, surrounded by pine woods, which rise into high hills on the north and northwest, foi-ming a part of the chain dividing the waters of the Mississipj)i from those of Red river. Tiie western shore is much in- dented with bays, but the east and southeast is beautifully regular and plain, with a sandy bank, and beach of pure white sand. The river emp- ties into the south end of tiie lake, and runs out at the east side, not far from its entrance, leaving the great body of the lake to the north of our passage through it. There is a trading house on the west bank, near the mouth of the river, wliich is occupied, in winter, by a clerk of Mr. Aitkin* From Lake Travers we passed by a broad channel one hundred yards long, into another small lake, and, half a mile above this, came to the forks of tlie 1-1 ver. The blanches are of nearly the same breadth, about forty feet, but the stronger current of the right hand branch denoted it much the larger. We ascended the left or east branch, as we had intended, which soon narrowed to twenty feet breadth, and, in a distance of ten or twelve miles, brought us to Lake Rahbahkanna, or Resting lake, a pretty little lake, four nules in diameter, and nearly round, with a low beach of smooth pebbles all round it. We encamped a few miles above this lake at 7 P. M., having come this day, by my estimate, fifty-five miles. Our course ta Lac Travers was northwest ; from the latter, nearly south. July 1£. — This was a rainy, disagreeable day, and the moschetoes were numerous, hungry, and extremely annoying, but we travelled, notwith- standing, at our usual speedy rate. Our course has been south, and the valley of the river was savanne and tamrack and cedar swamp, but generally nar- row, about half a mile broad, with low ridges and a miserable giowth of pine bordering it on both sides. I'he river has become very small and some- what rapid • and we have encamped after making a portage of two miles round a chain of rapids. One of our Indians killed a deer this morning, and we saw many more during the day. This country is so very remote and dreary, that the Indians seldom visit it. and the deer are more abun- dant than about the river below ; ducks are also very numerous in the sa- vannes where there is wild rice. Joui-ney 52 miles. July 13. — We ascended the river in our canoes ten miles farther, to a little lake, (Usaw-way, or Perch lake,) about two miles long and half a mile broad ; the river was very narrow and crooked, through a low, nar- row meadow, and a little above this lake we left it; seeing that we had 44 [ Doc. No. S'2B. J now traced this smaller branch of the Mississippi into the very swamps and meadows, from the drainage of which it takes it rise. From here we set off, over laml, in a southwest direction, to reach Lac La Biche, represented as the source of the larger branch. Ourcajioes and baggage being vei-y light, all was transported at one load, one man carry- ing the canoe, and the other the baggage of each of the party. In this way we made a portage of six miles in four hours, and struck the lake, the ob- ject of our search, near the end of its southeastern bay. The first mile of the portage was through a tamrack swamp, and the remainder, excepting a little lake of 300 yards diameter, was over pine ridges of the poorest character imaginable. The soil was almost pure sand, and the pine was stinted and mostly of the scr/tft species, (pinus banksianus,) which, hung as it was with lichens, and no other growth, not even a bush or shrub, mixed \vith it, presented a picture of landscape more dismal and gloomy than any other pait of this miserably poor country that we had seen. Not a bird or animal, scarce even a fly, was to be seen in the whole distance of this portage, and it would seem that no kind of animal life was adapted to so gloomy a region. From these hills, which were seldom more than two or tliree hundred feet high, we came suddenly down to the lake, and we embarked and passed nearly tlirough it to an island, near its west end, where we remained one or two houis. We were now sure that we had reached the true source o^ the great river, and a feeling of great satisfaction was manifested by all the party ; Mr. Schoolcraft hoisted a flag on a high staff", on the island, and left it flying. Lac La Biche is about seven miles long, and from one to three broad, but is of an irregular shape, conforming to the bases of pine liills, which, for a great part of its circumference, rise abruptly from its shore. It is deep, and very clear and cold, and seemed lo be well stocked with fish. Its shores show some boulders of primitive rock, but no rock in place, and are generally skirted near the water with bushes. The island, the only one of the lake, and which I have called Schoolcraft island, is one hundred and fifty yards long, fifty yards broad, and twenty or thirty feet elevated in its highest part; a little rocky in boulders, and grown over with pine, spruce, wild cherry, and elm. There can be no doubt but that this is the true source and fountain of the longest and largest branch of the Mississippi. All our information tiiat we had been able to collect on the way, from traders and Indians, pointed to it as such ; and our ])rincipal Indian guide, Yellow Head, who has proved to us his close intelligence of the countr-y, represents the same. He has formerly hunted all around it, and says there is a little creek, too small for even our little canoes to ascend, emptying into the south bay of tiie lake, and having its source at the base of a chain of higli hills, which we could see, not two miles off", and that this is the only stream of any description running into it. In fact, the whole country showed that there was no stream beyond, for the lake was shut in on all sides by pine hills, and the only opening through them was that by which it discharged itself. To the west we could see distinctly a range of almost mountains, covered with pine, which was undoubtedly the chain dividing us from the waters of Red river. It will be seen, from my map, that Lac La Biche is but little west of south from Cass lake, and almost due south from Lac Travers, which is a [ Doc. No. 823. ] 45 different position from that assigned to it on published maps, where it is inva- riably represented north of Cass lake. There is, however, a little stream, Turtle river, entering Cass lake from the north, in the route of traders to Turtle lake and Red lake, but it is a very small and insignificant stream, and is only forty-five miles in length. We left Lac La Biche, from its northern bay, having coasted nearly its Avhcde circumference, and found the Mississippi, at its very egress from the lake, a respectable stream ; its channel being twenty feet broad ajid two feet deep, and current two miles per hour. Its course was nortiiwest and soon ran through a chain of Ingh pine hills, where the channel contracted very mucli, and numerous rapids occurred of very great fall over boulders of primitive rock ; tiie river running, for the distance, in a deep ravine. We descended twenty-five miles, and encamped. July 14. — The course of the river was nearly north all day, passing several miles of rapids in the morning, in one of which my canoe was upset, and 1 lost my compass, and, with every thing else, my notes were wet and much injured. Mr. Schoolcraft, howevei-, furnished me with another compass, and I proceeded, securing my notes as well as I could until night,, when I would have an opportunity to dry them. After the rapids, the river was of gentle current, and ran mostly through savannes of wild rice, and tamrack and cedar swamps, but the valley of the swamps and savannes was generally narrow and bounded by hills of inferior pine, and some- times a small thick growth of aspen poplar, where the pine had been de- stroyed by fire. We travelled very rapidly all day, and, when we stopped at night, had made seventy-five miles. After supper, Mr. Schoolcraft and the other gentlemen continued on, being anxious to reach Cass lake ; but I remained encamped till morning, that I might, in daylight, continue the tracing of the river, and my observations of the country. The moschetoes were thick and very troublesome all day, as has inva- riably been the case in our route through swamps and savatmes. Jnlij 15, (Sunday.) — Left my lonely encampment as soon as I could see to trace the river, and ran down with a gentle current, most of the way through savannes and rice meadows, to Lac Travers, a distance of twenty miles. Tiie junction with the branch we ascended is just above this lake^ and the lake and river below are described in our route ascending, (July 11.) I travelled very rapidly in consequence of the numerous rapids be- low Lac Travers, and reached Cass lake and the encampment at 6 P. M., having travelled this day a distance of sixty-five miles. Mr. Schoolcraft and party had gone all night, and arrived at 9 A. M. Thus the journey to the source of the Mississippi and back has been ac- complished in five days, a distance of 290 miles, it being 125 miles to Lac La Biche, by the route ascended, and 165 by that descended, or by the longer and larger branch, which runs from Lac La Biche ; this latter be- ing the true length of the river above Cass lake. This makes the length of the Mississippi, above the falls of St. Anthony, 1,029 miles, or 1,038 miles above the St. Peter's river and Fort Snelling. The true character of the river above Sandy lake is represented on my map, which is also, in a measure, descriptive of this part of the country. My men, being left here during this trip, have had a very useful and necessary rest from the excessive fatigues of the former part of the jour- ney, and, excepting the man who was hurt on the portage of Fond du Lac 46 [ Doc. No. 823. ] river, are well recovered. The Indians are represented to have danced the scalp dance every night of our absence, and they are still dancing. July 16. — Mr. Schoolcraft held a council with the Indians of this band, and constituted the Indian, Yellow Head, a chief, by presenting him with a large medal, the emblem of his authority. Yellow Head, vviio had tra- velled with us, and been our princijjal guide from Fond du Lac, had pi'oved himself, in the course of our journey, to be industrious and intelligent : he had also character and influence with his band, and it is probable he will make a good chief. He seemed fully aware of tiie responsibility of the new relation in which this placed him to his band ; and when he received the medal, and during the speech and advice of Mr. Schoolcraft to him, he manifested, by his manner and countenance, the strongest interest and concern. The council, and the distribution of the few presents Mr. Schoolcraft had to give, and the vaccination, kept us till 10 o'clock A. M., when we started for Leech lake, parting here with Mr. Dufour, the trader who had accom- panied us from Fond du Lac, and who was going from here to Red lake, his post. Our direction to Leech lake was south, the route leading from a deep bay of the south of Cass lake over a short portage to a little lake, and thence over another portage of two miles on a pine plain to another little lake, from which, by a very small jiver, we entered a western bay of Leech lake, and got to the chief's village at 10 o'clock at niglit, having, not- withstanding the portages, travelled this day a distance of near forty miles. July 17. — The village of our encampment was Flat Mouth's, (Aish-ka- bug-a-kosh,) who is the principal chief of his band, and perhaps one of the most poweri'ul and influential men of his whole nation. He is also their jirincipal orator, and on all occasions like the present, when councils are iield on their general interests, he is looked up to with great confidence and respect, and depended upon to say and do whatever is necessary for the benefit of the whole. He had heard of our coming by a message sent from Lake Winnipeg, on our way up, and seemed to have prepared himself for the occasion. I visited his house, which is built of squared timber, and like the trader's house, early in the morning, and found it in a neat condi- tion, and the walls hung round with his flags, war clubs, spears, pipes, medals, and wampum ; all arianged with a peculiar taste. His medals, %vampum, and Hags were spotted with rech paint, a circumstance which he afterwards exj)lained in his speech in council. He invited Mr. Schoolcraft and the interpreter to breakfast with him, his assumed dignity on this oc- casion, as we understood it, not allowing him to invite any but the princi- pal of the party. The Indians of this band, who were living at different parts of thelake, in several villages, began to assemble at the chief's village as soon as they heard of our arrival, and Doctor Houghton commenced vaccinating immediately. Flat Mouth dined with Mr. Schoolcraft by invitation, and in the afternoon the council was held, at which most of the band were pre- sent. The few presents which Mr. S. hi»d to give them were soon distri- buted by two or thiee of the subordinate chiefs ; after which Mr. S. held a " talk," wherein he advised the chiefs and warriors to endeavor to put a stop to their feuds with the Sioux ; to cultivate peace, and to take care of their women and children ; to hunt their rich forests for game, cultivate the soil, raise corn, and endeavor to j)rocure and enjoy some of the com- forts of the whites, and to learn to live like them. He told them they [ Doc. No. 323. J 47 ought not to make war with their neighbors, but it was not expected of them to sit still and be " struck ;" tliat tliey might properly carry on a defensive war, but that they should not go to war without cause ; that their great lather, the President, loved them, and was ever watchful of all their actions, and it was his wish that the Sioux and Chippewas should live happily, and at peace with each other. Flat Mouth spoke in reply. That he considered Mr. Schoolcraft as appointed and sent to listen to the Indians, and he wished him to listen attentively to what he had to say. He intended to speak fearlessly; his young men and warriors expected him to do so, and would think lightly of him if he did not. He had long listened to the admonitions of his great father to maintain jjcace with the Sioux ; but his great father had not fulfilled the promises of protection made to the Chippewas at the trea- ties of Prairie du Ciuen and Fond du Lac; and tlie unchecked aggres- sions of the Sioux had now become so intolerable that it was necessary for the Chippewas to punish the Sioux themselves, and it was their fixed deter- mination to do so. That it had been promised them, at these treaties, that the <' long arm'* of the President should be constantly extended over them to protect them; and if the Sioux made further aggressions upon their territory, the arm of the President would reach them, and draw tiiem back and chastise them. This had not been done. The Sioux had, since that time, made fiequent inroads, and had killed great numbers of their young men, and, among them, his own son ; but the long arm of the Pre- sident had not yet reaclied the aggressors, to inflict the promised punish- ment. He had, therefore, resolved to listen no longer to advice to keep peace, but to revenge his numerous injuries by fighting and killing his enemies ; too many of their warriors and relatives had been murdered, for his people to think of any other course. [Here he gave a bunch of short reeds, about 50, to represent tlie number of his young men killed by the Sioux, since the treaty of Prairie du Chien.] The blood of so njany had stained every thing around him, and must, in some way, be washed away; it covered every thing he had received from t!«e Government, his medals, his flags, the letteis of advice ^\hich had been sent to him from the agent, through the traders ; the wampum sent him by the President, and the very ribbons that now suspended the medals and wampum from his hand ; all were dyed deep with the blood of his murdered young men. He wished the Government of the United States to wash it off, and make his medals as bright as when he received them ; and until this would be done, he could not consent to remain at peace. If Mr. S. could do this, he wished him to do it now, and at once, for he regarded it as a stain upon the Govern- ment, and his tribe ; and he now threw down his medals before Mr. S. that he might make them again bright, [throwing them down at Mr. Schoolcraft's feet.] His warriors had but now returned from an excur- sion against the Sioux, in which they had killed three of their enemies, but they were by no means satisfied ; and he had sent messages to differ- ent bands, inviting to another campaign, and expected before the snow fell to be again in the field. He deplored the poverty and weakness of his tribe ; the very trees of the forest were dropping tears of pity over them, and he thought it a duty of the Government of the United States now to give them assistance to chastise their enemies, as had been promised them. If it did not, he would go beyond the Americans, to men wearing hats, (meaning British,) to seek help. He wished to say a great deal to Mr. 48 [ Doc. No. 323. ] Schoolcraft, and if he would wait till the next day, he would be prepared to make a better speech, and to say many things more. During this speech he was surrounded by most of the warriors of his band, who, by their ready and general response, seemed to be well pleased with it. His manner was bold and vehement, particularly when he spoke of the Sioux ; and, from the glow of excitement in the eyes and counte- nances of his warriors, I could see that they fully entered into his feelings. Mr. Schoolcraft said a few words in reply to parts of the speech, and the council broke up a little before sunset, when we injmediately embarked, and went about three miles down one of the bays of the lake to encamp. Tliis was altogether the most interesting band that we had met with among all the Chippewas whom we had visited. Their lake is the largest of all the lakes which contribute to the waters of the Mississippi, being more than one hundred miles in circumference, and most curiously formed of deep and narrow bays, which afford abundance of wild rice, while their immediate shores are of a character of soil, very ricli, and suitable for their gardens. Tiie Leech lake band is too large to live comfortably iu one or two villages, and is therefore dispersed in little villages all around the lake, and on two of its islands. The number of the band is put down, from the most accurate information we could obtain, at 836, 806 of whom live about Leech lake, and 30 on Peckagama river. Their country abounds in furred animals and game, and the lake affords abundance of fish ; whitefish, herring, and tullibee, which they take in gill nets at all seasons. Deer and bears are the principal animals of the forest which are hunted for their meat ; and beavers, otters, martens, and muskrats are the chief furred animals, which are taken in such great num- bers as to make this one of the most valuable posts of the north for the American trade. About seven thousand dollars worth of furs are annually sold to American traders, and great quantities are taken from here across the lines to the British trader at Rainy lake, and sold there for whiskey and some British goods. These Indians have a partiality for the British, which they take no pains to conceal, and, as far as is in their power, they obtain their supplies from the Britisii traders. Mr. Aitkin is of opinion that four or five thousand dollars woith of furs are annually traded by this band across the lines to the Hudson Bay Company. From their remoteness from white settlements, they still retain much of their native character. They have not been debased or enfeebled with whiskey, from the difficulty of obtaining it in great quantities ; and, unlike most of their tribe, they are strong, athletic, muscular men, of large stature, and fine appearance, looking proud, haughty, and unsubdued ; and carrying an independence and fearlessness with their manner, that indicates a full estimate of their own strength. They have sometimes robbed tiieir traders of a part of their goods, and have hence acquired the name of «The Pillagers," or <' The Robbers :" but, of late years, they have been less troublesome to their traders, and are not much complained of except for their impudence, and a total disregard of, and disrespect for the power and Government of the United States. They are undoubtedly inimical to our Government, and friendly to the Britisii ; and such is their ignorance and arrogance, that they have threatened to drive away the American trader, and bring a British one, whom they would maintain and protect among them. The strength of the band in warriois may be estimated at about two hundred, which is much greater than that of any other single band of the [ Doc. No. 323. ] 49 nation ; the Chippewas being, in consequence of the great poverty of their country, divided into numerous bands and villages, and scattered over their vast territory. The Leech lake band, being wearest to the Sioux, are in a state of con- tinual war with them ; and tlieir hatred for this enemy of their tribe is perhaps the strongest feeling of their nature, which lias grown and strengthened with them from their very infancy. As Flat Mouth remarked to us, " it was decreed by the Great Spirit that hatred and war should ever exist between the Sioux and themselves ; that this decree could never be changed ; and the Chippewas must ever act accordingly." In the wars of this band with the Sioux, howevei', they associate witli other bands, as those of Lake Winnipeg, Cass lake, and Red lake, as they had done on their recent excursion, when they had sent out a hundred warriors. The nature of their country protects them from inroads of their enemies to their villages ; and they feel inaccessible and secure from any power whatever, even that of the United States. The traders have, in vain, to tlu-eaten with the power of the Government to check their excesses; their reply is, that they have not yet seen that power, and that it cannot reach them. It is probable, however, that our visiting them with such apparent ease, may have the effect of lower ing their ideas of their inaccessible position. They have several war chiefs who are much superior, in appearance, to Flat Mouth, and who have a much better character for warlike qualities. But the latter is the great chief in council, where his oratory sustains his authority ; and he is acknowledged, by all, their principal cliief. The excitement of their recent success against their enemies was still prevailing to a great extent, and it was one object of our leaving their village, to escape from the noise of their dancing. Mr. S. had engaged, for me, two guides and steersmen, in place of the two from Sandy lake, who now left me to return home ; but we started so soon after the council, that they were displeased, and did not join us, at night, at our encampment, as tliey were requested. July 18 — We waited for our guides to join us until six in the morn- ing, but they did njt come, and we embarked without them. Our route Avas, now, to tlie head of Crow Wing river, which we were to descend to the Mississippi, and our only guide was a map or sketch of it, drawn by a Leech lake Indian. We ran several miles down a deep bay, to the south of the lake, and, after much coasting and searching, found the portage leading from it, which we crossed in a direction a little west of south, over a pine ridge, to a small lake ; and passing through this and four other small lakes, with sandy shores, and clear, beautiful water, filled with fish, and connected together by very short and narrow channels, as described on the map, we came to another portage of 700 yards, to another lake, which, with tliree more little lakes, and as many more portages, brought us to Long lake, the source of Crow Wing river. These portages were all siiort and over pine ridges, with pine forests of yellow and pitch pine ; and the lakes were deep, clear, and beautiful, with the pine hills coming down to the watei'. This whole country is pine, and is filled with hundreds of these little lakes ; all of the same character, and without outlet or inljt : three or four may be seen from a single point, on an ele- vated hill. It was night when we got througli the last portage, and we encamped at the end of it on the shores of Long lake, w hich, though also 50 [ Doc. No. 323. ] small, has an outlet, wliich is Crow Wing river, or the great western' branch ot'the Upper Mississippi. Flat Moutli and another chief had overtakcH us, but no guides had yet come, and I felt apprehensive of danger, in descending the river, without other steersmen than tlie soldiers, with whom 1 had not yet dared to trust the management of my canoes in rapids ; and who in fact were unprac- tised and unskilled as steersmen, my having had Indians in that capacity all the way till now. In consequence of the portages, we made but thirty miles to-day. July 19. — We took leave of the old chief, Flatmouth, and his companion. Major Gaw-bo-way, and, starting early, passed tlirough Long Lake in its lengtli, which was about four miles. This is the first of a singular chain of eleven pretty little lakes, from two to fi\e miles in lengtli, and near to- gether, from which Ciow Wing river takes its rise. The channel, or river connecting them, is at first very narrow, shallow, and crooked, but in- creases a little in size in passing through each, until, where it leaves the last of the scries, it is thirty yai'ds broad, from two to five feet deep, and running three miles per hour. We had no other guide tlirougli these lakes than our rude Indian map, and in one of the last of the chain, being then three or four miles ahead of the other canoes, I was niislcd in my search for the outlet, and ran several miles in a wrong diiection, into a bay of the lake, where 1 found a small river coming into it, and in the mean time Mr. Schoolcraft's canoes passed me, unobseived. When I had found the right ■way, I did not know if Mr. Schoolcralt were in front or rear, and waited some time for him to come up, and then proceeded, still ignorant of his situation, until late in the afternoon, when a tremendous storm and rain drove me to encamp, at half past four o'clock, on a pine plain. The country passed to-day has no other novelty than that of its total destitution of Indian habitations ; being too near the borders of tlieir re- spective territories, to be used by cither the Sioux or Chippewas, except- ing as a route for tlieir war parties, and as an occasional hunting ground for some of the daring young men of the Leech lake band, who are some- times led hither to hunt, by a scarcity in their immediate grounds, and by the abundance of this, the game here being abundant, from its not being much hunted. It is here that the Chippewas, and particularly the band at Leech lake, have lost so many of their braves, who, in these dai-ing hunts, have been cut off by lurking Sioux. Hence the bitter complaints of the Chippewas against the Sioux, this land being properly a part of the territory of the former, and valuable for game and furs. Journey to-day fifty miles. July 20. — Started from my encampment as soon as I could see, and in a short time passed the last lake of the eleven sources of the river, and to which the river is merely tangent, running only one or two hundred yards through the wild rice and grass of one end of it. Ten miles below this lake, I passed the mouth of Leaf river, which comes in from the N. W., and is almost as large at its moutli as Crow Wing river, and is navigable for canoes fifty miles, to its source in Leaf lake. Ten miles below this river, I passed Mr. Schoolcraft's encampment of the previous night, thirty miles from mine. Supposing me to be ahead of him, he had gone on till late at night, to overtake me, and had conse- quently got this distance ahead of me. As we were in the houily expecta- tion of meeting on this river a war party of Sioux, coming out against the f Doc. No. 323. ] 51 Chippewas, I felt anxious to be up with Mr. Schoolcraft, and continued with all possible speed, which was now near ten miles per hour, assisted as ■we were by a strong current. Passing a willow swamp, through which the river ran, for a distance of twelve or fourteen miles, we came suddenly to a most interminable chain of strong rapids, twenty-four of whicli Oc- curred in a distance of thirty miles, and some of them a mile or more in length. From the ignorance of my men in steering canoes, tlie passage of these rapids was dangerous, but, by directing the first canoe myself, and requiring the other to follow her closely, and in the same track, we got down the whole with but slight injury. It is the method of Canadians and Indians, in descending rapids in canoes, to allow them to float, and to check them continually, by |)oles, at the bow and stern, to avoid tlie rocks ; but as my men had not tlie skill for this, I caused tliem to row with all their might, and steered the canoes with paddles, by means of their head- way over the current. By this means, my speed was so much increased, over that of Mr. Schoolcraft, that I overtook him in the afternoon, about 2 o'clock. Below the rapids, the river attained a breadth of more than one hundred yards, and twenty miles below, Shell river comes in from the west, through an immense willow marsh, and discharges itself in a mouth forty yards broad. This is called a large river by the traders, and is navigable for large canoes sixty miles, to its source in Shell lake. Below this river, the Crow Wing has much of the character of the Up- per Mississippi — broad, shallow, muddy, and sandy bottom, with long sand bars running out from the points ; it runs through several willow swamps, but is generally confined by high banks, falling from pine hills- and plains. We encamped on an elevated pine plain, after sunset, my dis- tance, travelled to-day, being 120 miles, and Mr Schoolcraft's 90 — both greater than usual, in conse(iuence of the rapidity of the general current, and my increased exertion, in the forepart of the day, to overtake Mr. Schoolcraft. July 2.1. — The river continued to increase in breadth to its mouth, where it divides into two channels ; but just above which it is between two and three hundred yards broad, but shallow, not more tlian five or six feet deep. About twenty miles from the mouth, it receives Long Prairie river, from the west, navigable for canoes thirty miles, to a lake which is its source. We reached the Mississippi, 40 miles from our encampment, at 12 o'clock. The Crow Wing river is discharged by two mouths nearly equal, and near a mile apart, separated by Crow island, in one side of which the Mis- sissippi makes its curve. The island is about three miles in circumfe- rence, of rich, alluvial, vegetable soil, supporting a rich heavy forest of elm, ash, linn, walnut, soft maple, &c., but like all the little alluvial bottoms of the Crow Wing and Upper Mississippi rivers, it is inundated every spring. The river has its mouth three hundred miles above the falls of St. Anthony, and three hundred below Sandy lake,* and is the largest river that empties into the Mississippi above the falls of St. Anthony. It is two hundred and ten miles in length to its source in Long lake, from which its general course is nearly south to the Mississippi. It is navigable for ca- noes all the way, and for boats, in low stages of water, to the rapids, about 80 miles. In very high stages, the rapids may be passed by Mack- inac boats, which might then ascend nearly to its source. It is by far the nearest route by water, from Fort Snelling to Leech lake, and presents ♦ According to the estimate of the traders, which is probably too great. 52 [ Doc. No. 323. ] 110 greater difficulties to navigation than the Mississippi does above the falls of St. Anthony. It runs, all its length, through a country of pine plains and gentle hills, so regular, smooth and free from undergrowth, that, as I was informed, a cart might he driven, near its banks, almost to Leech lake. If troops were to be sent against the upper bands of Chip- pewa Indians at any future time, this would be a proper route for them to take, whether in boats or marching : and fiom the tone and manner of the Leech lake Indians, observed during our visits, and the unfriendly cha- racter given of them by their traders, it is probable that such a measure may become necessary^ The Crow Wing river country, and that of all its tributaries, Prairie, Shell, and Leaf rivers, and two or three little streams coming in from the east, is rich in furs and game, such as beaver, marten, rats, bears, &c., and deer ; but much of it is not hunted, because of its border character to the Sioux territory. The east bank of the Mississippi, opposite Crow island, is near one hundred feet high, and tlie country back is an immense rolling prairie, which is here poor, the soil being dry and sandy. Here we found the whole of the Sandy lake band of Indians encamped, awaiting our arrival ; Mr. Schoolcraft having given notice, as we passed Sandy lake on our way up, that we would meet them here on our return. This band con- sists of about 280 souls, of whom 60 are warriors. Their principal chief is Gros Gueule, or Big Mouth, who in his youth was a man of energy and influence ; but he is now old and imbecile, and his autlioiity has de- clined with his vigor, until his band are not much prone to take his ad- vice. His policy has been peace ; and it is many years since his band liave fought the Sioux. But he remaiked to Mr. S. that he was fearful this state of things would not continue, as the excitement of the recent success- ful war excursion of tlieir brethren, the Leech lake Indians, had spread to his band, and he might not be able to restrain his young men from tak- ing part in any other expedition against the Sioux that might be got up. This band, however, is poor, and their country exhausted ; and these cir- cumstances will, undoubtedly, restrain them more than the influence and advice of their declining chief. Their hunting grounds are about Sandy lake, and along both banks of this Mississippi as far as this place ; but the game of the country, deer and bears, is scarce, and does not, with the fish they get from Sandy lake, and some other small lakes, afford them a sufficient subsistence ; and much of their food, in winter, is supplied by Mr. Aitkin, their trader at Sandy lake. Since the prohibition of whiskey in the Indian trade, these Indians, like those of Fond du Lac, have increased moie rapidly than the poor state of the country will admit of; and it is now only their trade in furs that saves many of them from starvation. They were, however, pretty well clothed, and looked healthy and comfortable. Mr. Schoolcraft held a council with them, in which Gros Gueule com- plained much of the treachery of the Sioux, who, he said, had often, under the appearance and assurance of friendship, invited some of the Chippewas to their lands and villages, to share the abundance of their forests, and when the latter had gone with this prospect, and to escape the poverty of their own hunting grounds, their entertainers had suddenly risen upon them and murdered them all. He hoped the Government would interpose [ Doc. No. 323. ] 53 to check the Sioux, and protect the Chippewas from their aggressions, as was promised at the treaties of Prairie du Chien and Fond du Lac. After vaccinating them, and giving them some presents and advice, we embarked, and proceeded ten miles below to Mr. Baker's trading house, where we encamped. Juhj 22, {Sunday.) — We remained at the house of Mr. Baker, who po- litely gave us much valuable information respecting the country, above and below. I am indebted to him for the topography of the country east and west of the Mississippi, from Sandy lake to St. Peter's ; which I have given on my map, in the character, course, and length of the streams which enter the Crow Wing and Mississippi rivers. Tlie following is also derived from him : Tlie prairie, where he lives, east of the Missis- sippi, extends from about one hundred miles below Sandy lake down below Piairie du Chien, and back from the river to the pine country intervening the waters of the Mississippi and Lake Superior. Its soil is generally poor, but affords abundance of grass ; and, in some places, where the prairie is low and level, as near rivers, it is rich. Timber occurs over it in numerous little groves and clusters and isolated trees, but it is, gene- rally, an iiifei-ior species of the oak. Pine grows on some of the highest ])arts, and near some of the rivers — mostly white pine, (pinus strobus.) Mr. Baker has driven a cart from Fort Snelling to his house, in summer; and he says the prairie is practicable for carts as far as Sandy lake, ex- cepting a few obstructions of narrow rivers. Beaver, otter, and rats, are taken about the rivers ; and deer and bears are tolerably abundant about Mr. Baker's and below, but above, and more remote from the Sioux and Chippewa boundary line, tliey have been so much hunted by the Sandy lake Indians that they are now scarce. On the west side, opposite Mr. Baker's, is a thick green forest of oak, poplar, sugar-maple, and pine, which extends up to the pine plains about Crow Wing river; down, about a hundred and fifty miles, to where it ter- minates in prairie; and back from the river to what is called *'The Plains," a part of the great prairie of the Sioux, where they hunt the buffalo. The buffalo are frequently driven by severe winters to take refuge in this forest ; and they sometimes penetrate it to the Mississippi in search of w^ater, in winter; but, in summer, they roam continually over their bound- less praii'ies, and are nowhere seen near the Mississippi, and east of it they are not now to be found, any where, at any season of the year. The western side of tlie river abounds in deer, elk, and bears, much more at this place than the eastern. Mr. Baker's house is prettily situated on a point in a bend of the river, at the loot of a moderate rapid, just above which the river expands, and thiee small islands, heavily wooded, of about equal size, lie parallel to each other in its breadth, separated from themselves and the main land by four equal and parallel cliannels, and presenting from the house a very pretty view. This is the commencement of the thousands of islands of the Mississippi, which occur from here to its mouth. Mr. Baker is a trader of Mr. Aitkin — he has been here only one year, and has made but little improvement ; but, the land about him being rich, it his intention to raise cattle and hogs, and to make this a permanent trading post. Being near their lines, he will trade with both Sioux and Chippewas, though there is no village of either near him at present. 54 [ Doc. No. 323. ] July 23. — I abandoned one of my canoes, which was worn out, and bor- rowed one of Mr. Baker, to take me to Fort Snelling. He also gave ine two of his Canadians, whom he was sending to the fort for supplies, to act as steersmen and pilots over the numerous rapids below. I had now four oars and two paddles in each of my canoes ; which being also light of baggage, and my men fresh after the rest of yesterday, we were enabled to course the rapid current with incredible speed. At a distance of ten miles we passed the *• Little Falls" — a chute, wheie the river is contract- ed from three hundred yards to fifty yards, and falls about ten feet iti sixty, through a formation of talcous slate rock ; tlie first rock we had seen iu place, since leaving the falls of Pacagama. A little further down we passed Pike's rapids, and the site of Pike's blockhouse, where Lieut. Pike wintered his command in 1805-'6 ; and, a little farther, a chain of rapids called the "Grand Rapids," where the river runs over an extensive lock foimation of graimlar (juartz. We also passed, during the day, another rapid at the mouth of Elk river, and the *'Big Falls," at the mouth of Sac river ; and, a short dis- tance above the latter, the mouth of Little Sac or Wattah river, where the boundary line of the Sioux and Chippewas, established by the treaty of 1825, crosses the Mississippi ; Wattali rivtr making, in its whole length, a part of the line, and entering tlie Mississippi about one hundred and twenty miles above the falls of St. Anthony. We encamjied at night near tlie last of six other rapids, called the '* Six Prairie Rapids," which occur at nearly equal distances apart, in a distance of fifteen miles, having travelled, during fourteen hours, a distance of 160 miles. The river was broa*!, (three or four bundled yards.) excepting at the rapids ; and islands occurred at the point of every bend. The fall in the rapids was nowhere so great as in the chute passed in the morning. The banks were high ; sometimes coming down in a gentle slope, which was covered with luxuriant grass (poa compressa) to the edge of the water; and sometimes abrupt sand to a height of one hundred feet. Before night the forest had disappeared on our right, and beautiful green prairies were seen on both sides. July 24 A sl.iort distance below our encampent, we passed the mouth of St. Francis, or Parallel river, a considerable stream, running jiaral- lel to the Mississippi, and navigable for canoes one hundred miles. And larther down, on the same side, the mouth of Rum river, which is sixty yards broad at its mouth, and is navigable for canoes one hundred and fifty miles, to Mil lac, a lake almost as large as Cass lake, where the American Fur Company have a trading house, and where there is a village of one hundred and twenty Indians. Another branch of Rum river, called Kettle river, has its source near Fond du Lac river, one hun- dred miles north of Mil lac. Several smaller tributaries of the Mississippi are delineated, in their appropriate place, on the map of this day's Journey. We arrived at the falls of St. Anthony at I P. M., and at Fort Snel- ling at 3 P. M., a distance of ninety miles* from our encampment. The river and countiy passed to-day have the san»e character as yester- day, the country being uneven prairie on both sides, and the river filled with islands, but becoming wider continually, from its numerous tributa- *This diminishes the distance from Crow Wing river to the falls fifty miles beneath.tbe estimate of the traders, who make it 300 miles. My estimate is 250. [ Doc. No. 323. J 55 ries, until it lias a breadth of four hundred yards. The falls have been de- scribed by Mr. Schoolcraft, and other former travellers, who had more time to observe them than was allotted to me. I have only to correct an error in the height of the perpendicular fall. It was estimated by Lieut. Pike sixteen feet, and by Mr. Schoolcraft forty feet. I was told by an officer at Fort Snelling, that, by actual measurement, it was eighteen feet pre- cisely. Below the falls there is a considerable rapid, and the whole de- scent at this place, including also the rapid above, may be estimated at eighty feet. IJetwecn the falls and Fort Snelling, a distance of nine miles, the channel is contracted, in a 3 smaller tlie canoe is, t!ie more effectual will be their exer- tions ; and, in descending, the small canoe is easier turned from the rucks; and when it does sti-ike, it is with less force than the larger one ; and it is, consequently, less injured, an(-l easier repaired, Veiy small canoes, however, are objectionable witli awkward men, as they are theii more lia- ble to be upset than the larger ones. But the manage^nent of bark canoes, of any size, in rapid Hvers, is an art which it takes years to acquire; and, in this counti-y, it is only pos- sessed by Ca«adians and Indians, whose habits of life iiave taught them but little else. The common soldiers of the army have no experience of this kind, a)id, consequently, are not generally competent to transport themselves in this way ; and whenever it is I'equired to transport troops, by meansof bark canoes, two Canadian voyageurs ought to be assigned to each canoe, one in tlie bow, and another in the stern : it will then be the safest and most expeditious method that can be adopted in this country. Mongarid, the chief of this village, has brouglit my boat here from Fond du Lac liver, where 1 gave it to him in charge on n»y way up, and has kept it safely ; he has also shown more willingness to oblige mo, on this occasion, than any Indian I have met with, tliough he is aware that I have nothing wherewith to compensate him. Mr. Schoolcraft had left the mouth of the Bois Brute on the nwniing of the 6th ; he was, therefoie, f(Hjr days ahead of uje. August 10 and II.— Embarked again in my boat on the lake, early on the morning of the 10th, and reached La Pointe in the afternoon of the se- cond day. Here I found Dr. Houghton waiting for me, agreeably to pro- mise, and our ariangement for a belter examination of some parts of the lake shore; and Mr. Boutwell, the missionary gentleman, who had made the route of the expedition with us, aiul was Jiow to remain with the mis- sion here, to pursue his pious efforts for christianizing thelndians. The country along the lake is described in a former part of this journal, and need not be spoken of again. .4Mj:«sfJ2anrf 13.— rLeavLng.La. Pointe on the iS>A\\, with Dr. Hoiigh- [ Doc. No. 323. ] 67 toil, wc reached the mouth of Ontonagon river on tlie ISth, at 3 P. M., where we were much disappointed in not finding Indians, expecting, as we did, to get some of them to conduct us to the « Copper Rock," on this river, which it was our purpose to visit. The village which we found here, on our way up, had hcen broken up, and the Indians dispersed to their gar- dens and hunting grounds in the country hack. After some search, how- ever, we found a little Indian canoe laid away in the bushes, and Dr. Houghton and myself, with two of my men, set off in it, after I had drawn out my boat, and set the men to repairing her in my absence; the Doctor, who had made a hasty visit to the Copper the previous summer, undertak- ing tlie office of guide. August 14. — We reached the forks of the Ontonagon, 38 miles from the mouth, at I P. M. Here the river branches into two equal streams, both of which being too rapid to ascend farther, we left our canoe, and followed the ravine of the right branch two and a Iialf miles, when we ascended a bare bank, of red clay five hundred feet high, which, although very steep, was of easier asceiit than any other part, from its being free of timber. From the summit of tiiis, our course was west, corresponding with that of tlje river, and led for seven or eigiit miles through a tall, iicavy forest, and over the best land by far that I had any where seen on the lake, or near it — it being elevated, rolling in parts, well watered with beautiful springs, and very rich in soil and timber — large sugar-maple, birch, hem- lock, oak, &:c, ; and in several places I saw little i)atches of leatiicrwood (dirca) which grows only on the richest of land. On a little hill here we found trap rock, in ])lace ; from which it may be inferred that this rock forms a part of the Porcupine mountains, which arc seen from the lake, between La Pointe and the Ontonagon, and which have, heretofore, been thought to be entirely granite. We finally, to-day, lost the proper route, and got lost, and struck the river six or eight miles above the Copper, where it was broad and deep, with but little current, and abi'upt high cedar hills rising immediately from the water on both sides ; and, turning back from this point, we encamped on a high hill, in a forest of heavy pine timber. Jlngiist 15. — From the great elevation of our encampment wc followed down a dee|) ravine to the river, and after a few hours of troublesome search found the <* Copper Rock," the object of thisaimoying and «lifficult journey. It lies in the edge of the ri.er, resting on small boulders of primitive rock, and near the foot of a red clay bank, twentyoi" thirty feet high : it is bright on the surface, from the washing and abrasion of sand during freshets, which makes it very conspicuous, and easily distinguished from the numerous boulders of i)rimitive and sand rock, which form the bed of the river in this part ; but it is also much disfigured by the cutting with cold chisels, by travellers, at difterent times, for specimens; and in one place is mixed with particles of serpentine rock, which seem to affect the solidity of the mass : the copper, however, is continuous throughout, and a specimen, cut from any part of the mass, will contain twice as much native copper as rock. The mass rings, when struck with a hammer, as though it were solid metal, and it is probable that the imperfection of solidity, ob- served on its surface, does not extend far into it. Its early visiters, among whom is Henry, have estimated its weight at about five tons ; subsequently it has been stated at one ton. My estimate is, of its mass or solid content, twenty cubic feet ; and of its weight, conse- quently, between four and Jive tuns. It is probable there are four tons of 68 [ Doc. No. 823. J pure metal in it, after deducting foreign matter : and this, I believe, makes it the largest mass of native copper ever found. We made an attempt to cut through a part of it four inches thick, to get off a specimen of about thirty pounds weight ; but when we had cut in about one inch and a half, furtiier effort only broke our chisels, and we did not succeed. Large specimens might be taken from it by means of saws, but its edges and thinner parts, where chisels were effectual, have already been taken away. Wc however cut off about twelve ])()unds in little pieces, from different parts of the mass, and left it at 2 P. M. It was one of the objects of our visit to ascertain if there were any other native copper, or ores of copj)er, in tlic vicinity of this extraordinary mass ; and after careful search we did not discover a i)article or trace of either. Returning we followed down the bed of the river, which was filled with large and small boulders, and tlic water being low and rapid, we could wade it without dilliculty. About two miles below the Copper we came to the falls, where t!ie river is contracted, between mural precipices of sand- stone rock, from fifty to two hundred feet higli, and falls about two him- drcd feet in two miles. The first and gi'catcst perpendicular fall is fifteen feet, after which the river tumbles over successive strata of the rock, and lias sevei'al perpendicular descents of from one to three or four feet. We could not pass this part without ascending to tiie top of the precipice; and the rock, on toj), was covered with soil and a growtii of timber. The strata of the sandstone dip to the south, rising northerly towards tiie Por- cujiinc mountains. It is six miles from the Copper to the foiks of the river, and, excepting at the falls, we found tlie channel practicable for walking all the way, and mucli tlic best i-oute in low stages of water, but not jirac- ticable when the river is high. We encamped fifteen miles below the forks. August 16. — Wc readied the lake at 10 A. M. and continued our way Ijome. Jlngnsl 17. — Met Mr. Aitkin, Mr. Warren, and Mr. Oakes, all witfi their clerks, voyagcurs, boats, and goods, on tlieir way back from Mack- inac to their several trading posts. August 18 to 25. — The observations on the coast of Lake Superior, made on my return, are embodied in the joui-nal of the route up the lake. We were detained by head wiiu'.s at several points ,: one whole day at Grand island, and another at Shelklrakc river, thirty miles from Saut de Ste. Marie. Asevere noi'tlivvest wind overtook us off the Pictured rocks on the morn- ing of the 23d, which soon inci-eased to a gale, and made such a sea by the time we reached the first harbor, the Grand Marais, tliat we could not enter it ; for tiie same I'eason wc could not, safely, run the boat ashore or beach iier, and were forced to run on, with the most tremendous seas of this lake, till we found a lee behind W hitefish point, a little before sunset. We could only keep up a light foresail from the moining, but ran, not- Avitiistanding, a distance of ninety miles before night, liut ours being a small Mackinac boat, wc were in great danger, 'in the afternoon, of being overwiielmcd by the seas. We reached Fort Brady, safely, on the 25th of August, in the afternoon, having been absent eighty days, and travelled, in that time, a distance of two thousand eight hundred miles. J. ALLEN, Lieut. 5th Inf.