i ü
r iters. branches o f which able to bear the weight are, in the proper feafon óf
. the year, loaded with eagles’ nefts. Their injhn£hve wifdom has taught
them to choofe this place, as it is fecure, on account of the rapids afc&ve,
from the attacks of either man ,or->beaft.
j. « Frombthe beft accounts that can. be obtained from tbefrndig.ns^'wc
jpaffl that thpfonr^pjoft’ capital rivers on-tbfe (continent ofl^Jotfeh Abme-
ffca, viz.1 -the'St. -L^wfencej the Miffrffippi, the river Bourhon, and the
Oregon, or the river of the Weft, have their fources in the ,feme-,S.ejgh-
bourfibod. The waters of tRe'three-formerjare faid„ teblfc wTthi$ »
jnie^t|#%hta#e®ri|tht latter is rather M
“ This ihevfs that thefe 'parts arófthe.higheft lands in Nortb^Afne-
rica; - and it is-an.. inftance not to be paral^d in , t;he three Qtbs?£<jaar-
ter§ jö^ die jiobg,, that four -rivers of fuph magnitude ftiQuld.ta®è fair
rifej^ggjbepj and each, after running feparate^tourfesj idaftSil^ Keir
waters into different- oceans, at the- diftaneé of more, thanl ly^Mufand
miles from their fources. For in thqir paffage from this fpot ta#|e?bay
JljsT "tt^i 5 tolheT>ay of Mexico, &*th ; ^toJfJudfopIsRy,
north-;, and: to the bay at the ftraits of Annia,n„ weft,;,v^here'fa ftver
, Jfaganisfappofed to emptyr each; pf them travèrfes üpyvards’ ofdwo
thoufand IJaÉjjHH
OHo.. “ The Ohio is:atnoft beautiful riven''.Its current gei^ej4ifetèBè|lear,
and bofom fmooth and unbroken by- rocks and rapids, ahhgk&ftance
only excepted. It is one quarter of a mile wide at Fort P itt; 500 yards
at thé mouth of the Great Kanhaway ; 1200 yards at Louifville : -,and
the. rapids half a mile in fome few places below Louifville : but its general
breadth-does not exceed 600. yards. In fome places its width is not
400 ; and in one place particularly, far below the rapids, it is lefs than
300. Its breadth in no one place exceeds 1200 yards ; and at its junction
with the Mifliffippi neither river is more than 900 yards wide.” 6
Mr. Morfe proceeds to ftate the precife meafurement of the length of
the Ohio, with all its windings^ from Fort Pitt to its junction with the
* Thefe obfervations only Ihew the ftate of geographical knowledge in America at the time.
The fu.ppofed fources, See. of, the rivers are wholly erroneous; and the Bourbon feems a.non-
exiftence, but as it was -faid to how into Hudfop’s Bay may be the riVer Salkalhawin, of which
thé Nelfon may be regarded as a continuation.
* Mode's American Geography.
MiffiflipP':
Mifliffippi; dmduintaf^f#t%8# mile&^-T^fo^dktibi^boramonSy be- Rivers.
gin with April, and fuhfide in July. A veffel drawing twelve feet water
might fafely navigate from Pittfourg to the fea. Two great rivers unite
t'b form- f a r(faiSp.,Tbahf§]!y tbe^l&'aofe^gaihela; atli-if .the 'Allegany, Both o f
eM^Tubferv-ieiit
,cuF#61fr .the^faefedidg afa%:<fefcr!pti“eSril, which fa 'fa e a t 'importance '
of thefe rivers to the proipenty of North America- authorizes, it appears
tbat/djfeM5^ JafltfeiBd; Gafacioias ^d®h®idn«<^f^^e;‘Ta4ltge tribesfae
'^'Aegartdedi-<&!^^fbi}i'dE;1-iver w^^i^nftitutes-’what'is-
calied f a ’Miffiffippfa Me#ijfeed^t®A the,feme merd^soniparative.Le-ale
whi&Jj h a s , 4 <iopteft*giye-a go&eral ifteafloftthf dearth ofiit&e.rivers-
^ ^ f,0 p e and Aflac M-^ffi.ppftv^-11 be.-ahaufl
i ^ eag A ; - :Plfeje,great j^ jeF io f^ faw r^ n e e ,j^ fa fer io r , being,chiefly
re i^ fableL or itsbrqaxltb^flaa^utteAmefica f a j ^ anpp$i©r Tive^fejf-
A^t|,zpn's, meafored on'tbe fanCf/jQmp^ratiye isaje, wilbbe JWundUo ‘he
ahputt j jo g ,; ^nd f a f a o f a igpg.y f a t{i'e*ila;^ne. ^ampa^
rati|e,way, meafured on f a ^a^cutate planifphere. qf Mr ■ Arr.ofcfih.ith
the ,Kjan K u fa^ e d ^ «fa and, .ri-valsfae M a ranoi^v fa fa fe ft
is ptohahJy afro t i v ^ ^ ’bythe Ob* S ^ ^ c ^ p j h s have arifellfnjfiii^
c™.,| ^ fubi.e<^, as.,the .l^ g fa iy e rsfa 'A ^ e r fa fa y g bepp, opthputed b y •
aftual nayiga|jpn.<©f the wholg,’ pit\.a patjt, in v^&dithgfa
ta^n .into- the ae;cpunt| ^ h i|§ -A@Jieng^'. QLthp{e ^ Afia ha«--- ueen
merely §fru,med jfrom thp general appeaj|npe in t n ^ , ^gkou^dlioifeb
t^ftdn_to the innumerable^-evi^^s^^ A fay§^rabfel^feate)’".Mad other
c% ^ fta n c e s , reuser the America4,‘rISeK^m ore. navigable
beiag^impeded by ice, aud th-e Sian K u by the.Jfpfa rpgks^Qf Tihe^f
* 'k'lie
, * Froni Mr. Arrowfmith’s laft map of the American. States, with correftions and additmhs.
*o 1 8or, and his interetting map of North America of the fame date, it appears that the MiffiJJippi
wfesl.from the Turtle Lake, lat. 47® 40', not far to fhe foS&'of1 the Red Lake. But'from't-he.
lsft map, and .the molt authentic .travellers, it is clear that the M iff ij ip p i (hould properly be termed
the Missouri-!, the iaft being the-moff ebrifiderable river,varid riling from' foiirfees in the weffern chaiu
about 600 B. miles more remote than the ’fijrtheb'foii.ree'-of the MifGflippi, fo that tlid-ecimpara -
live courfe of the fiffflburi' may be about 2000 B. miles. The Miffiuri, like the St. Lawrence
and liver of Amazons, is a while muddy ftream, while the Milfiffippi 'is clear like the Black
, er’ wl l i .falls.into that of Amazons. Charlevoix, ii. 21S, has deferibed the cos9Wence as
‘ ■ | randeft [n the. world. Each river is about half a league in breadth ; bill the Miffouriis the
broaddft. *