qf the C irrvlni; Plies. Tkat two f ich
riven Iha-.iU tak.- their rife fo nar each
ther, anJ after ruining fuch different
courfe-, emv.f themfeWes- into the fsa
at a JL'ljnji fo ami zing (for the former,
hrhv palTT through feveral great
lak:, and tun upwards of two thoufand
miles, falls into the gulpH of -St. Law
rence, and the other, joining the MUIi
fipVt, and having run an equal nun.bsr
of miles, dife'mbogaes itfelf into the
rrph of Mexico) is an i nuance fcareely
? be met with in the extenfive conti-
-at of North.-America. I had an op
p irtunity the year following of rnakitg
the fame observations on the arfinity oi
various head branches of the waters of
the St. Lawrence and the Miiifippi t6
each other, and now bring them as a
proof, that the opinion of thofc gefgra
phers who affcrt, that rivers taking their
rife fo near each other, mu.l fpring trom
the lame foorce, is erroneous ; for I per
eied avifibly dirtinft reparation in all
of them, no twith landing, in fome places,
they approached fo near that I could
have lteppei from one to the other.
On the 8 h of 0-!Uber we got our ca
noes into die Ouifconfin River, which
at this place is more than an hundred
yards wid- ; and the the nextiday arriv
ed at the Great Town of the Saukies.
This is ihr largeft and bell built Indian
town I ever faw ; it contains about nine
ty houfis, each large enoujh for feveral
lamilies. They are built of hewn plank
juniiy jointed, and covered with bark fo
corr.Vaclly as to keep out the moft pene
trs'.A; rain. Before the doors are
piacrd comfortable (beds, in which the
inhabitants fit, when the weather will
perrmr, and fmeke their pipes. The
ftreets are regular and fpacious ; fo that
it appears more like a civilized town
than the abd of favages. The land
near the town is very good in their
pi .n ations, which Ke adjacent to their
houfes, and which are nea ly laid out,
they ralfe great quantities of Iadian
corn, beaas, melons, Sec. fo that this place
is elteemed tae bed market for traders
to lumilh them elves with previfionr,
f anv -within ei?ht hundred miles ef it.
The Saekies can raifc abut three
Kindred warriors, who are generally
employed every fumaer in making in
earfieois into the territories of the llli
r.ui and pawnee nitnr.?, from whence
i hey return with a great n;.:iSercI" ih.ves.
I! u ihofc- people frequently retaliate,
jd,"ia their vl. i Je.iroy grat numbers
r! the Saukies, wvih I j-s-Jc to be the
efM th.uth'y i:rc.ii rj :ter.
' Vni'.e I fcsyei here, T lock 'a vi-?n of
fcrnt r:io r.itai;! ; :hr. h alsout fifteen
y.illei ta th? ibsithvrird, i:r. u'oinj .i
C-iS-)
cf thefe, and had an extennve vh of
the country. For many miles nothing
was to be feen but lefor mountains,
which appeared at a diilance like hay
cocks, being free from trees. Only a
few groves of hickory, and ftunted oaks
covered fome of the vallies. So -plentiful
is lead here, that I faw large quantitiei
lyinr about the fireets in the town be
longing to the Saukies, and it fcem to
be a: the produce of other countries.
On the ioth of October we proceeded
down the titer, and the next day reach
ed the hft town of the Ol Igaumies.
This town contained about fifty houfes,
but we found moil of them eferted, on
account of an epidemical diforder that
lately raged among them, and carried
off more than one, half of the inhabitants.
The greater part of thofe who furvived
had retired into the woods to avoid the
contagion.
On the 15th weemtered that estenfiTe
river the Miffifxnpi. The Ouifconfin-,
from the Carrying Piace to the part
where it falls into the MiffiSppi, flows
w ith a fincoth but ftrng carrent ; the
water of it is exceedingly clear, and
through it you may perceive a fine and
randy bottom, tolerably free from rocks.
In it are a few iflatfds, the foil of which
appeared to be good, though fcmewhat
woody. The land near the river alfo
feemed-to be, in general excellent; but
that at aditlance is very full of mour
tains, where it is aid there arc many
lead mines..
About five miles frcm the JuncKon cf
the rivers, I obferved the ruins of a large
town in a very pleafmg fituation. On
enquiring of the neighbouring Indians
why it was thus deferted, I was inform
ed, that "about yearaago the Great Spirit
had appeared on the top of a pyramid
of rcks, which lay' 3t a little diftance
from it, and warned them to quit their
habitations ; for theTand oa which thry
had built belonged to him, and he had
eccafion for it. As a proof that he who
give them thefe orders was really the
Great Spirit, he further told them, that
the grafs ihouldimmediuiely fpring up on
thofe very rocks from whence he novrad
drrfTed them, which 'het knew to bs bare
and barren The Indians cbyed, atid
foou after difcovered that thir miracu
lous alteration had taka p?-.jcc. Thef
fhewed m.? tht fpot, ivt ' ih- trowih of
the crrafs appeared n vczj. Isifrrnatu
rah I a Dp 'eh ended this to have been a
ft rn tavern cf the i'r:neh or Spunfa-ds in
a-slv:!f ibme le.ri-h vie 7 ; l:it in what
m.n-.nrr ihey ciiifd their pmipofes I
k. ,'V v not. ,
This pro''de,'foon after th':r remo-val,
b'lilt a to-n o: tht b:u'k f ih? ? : (r, : -3.
al a placs calkd by tie Frckch la ?ikirii
lei Chicns, which j fig nines the D
x-iauii. n i5 a uigc town, ana coiitins
about three hundred families : the hnr.r
are well built afte? the Indian manner
and plealantiy iitiated on a very rH
ioil, tram, wmch they raue every neceifa
ry i hie m great abunaance. I fa
here many horfes of a good Cit and
fhape. This town is the great mart
where all the adjacent tribes, and evtg
thofe who inhabit tp rnoft remote bran
ches of the MiMifiBpi, aianuallv aferaWi
,
about the fatter end f May, brihgir
. 1 .1.1 r ' . 1 i - . o 4
witntnem ineiriurs to aiipoie et to tkt
traders. But it is nt always that they
conclude theirifalei htre : tljis is deter
wiined kv a p-eheral co'inril f tK-
j - 0 . . ..v. wiiu:
who cqnfult whether it would be !mr
conducive to their mterelt to fell rhciv
oods at this place, or carry them n u
JLouiiiana or iMacmliirnackmae. At
crdie; to the detilion of this cunc
they either proceed further, or retttrn J
thnr dtrlsrenfc horaes.
The MiOlfippi, at the entrance of tli;
uuiicfBiin,; near wnitn itancs a moun
tain of soafiderable height, is about
half a mile over ; but oppfite to the lai
mentioacd town it! auears to be. mor?
than a mile wid, th fail of whick iis ei-
tremely rich and but thinly wooded.
A little farther o the weft, on the eonj
trary fide, a fmall rirer falls into th
Miflifippi, which the-French call lc jtrw
JLi itre, or the Yellow river.. Her e the
traWrswh had accompanid me hither
to, tok up their refidc-ce for the winter.
I then bought a fanoe, and, w'uh. two
ici vanes, one a.rrejncn vanaian and
Other' a lifoh-jwl' nf OmnJ'-t- r tVi; tniit
prc-eded up the MiUmppi.
FOR THE GAZETTE..
THOUGHTS eri, the PRACTICE h
Nerih-C&rlina
Tlii. whole practice of farming msj
be reduced totbe following1 quci
tion?, Which lead into each other
1 1 11
. j. What are the inirurnent-s wo
which the farmer (liouli begin ?
Q a. Ih what manner is tht &
be prepared ani opened witH thcie ii
ftrumerits ? r
3. What plants, tree,' gtai
grall'es, &c fiioutd be! brought into th:
foil ?
4. How fliouldthefe be .defeni
cd, cultivated, and prepared for ufe I
$ - II o w Hi o aid they b e nfci .
fed awav when thus precared ?
i?. 'How lhalli the 'foil be prefer
and dtted for a kiond, third, or; four;3
er-7- tt-d io oa ':x iucccloa forever.