Travels Through North America, During the Years 1825 and 1826. v. 1-2

St. Charles has no remarkable exterior, and the streets are not paved. We had it in contemplation to go to an eminence lying below the town, “les Mamelles,” where it was said there was a view of the Missouri and Mississippi both at once. The road carried us through a wood, which begins below St. Charles. We had no guide, lost our way, and came at last to a couple of lonely cabins. These cabins were inhabited by Canadians, who took me for a Catholic pastor. We learned to our dismay, that far from the “Mamelles,” we had six miles between us and St. Charles. In this manner we took a sentimental walk of twelve miles for nothing. Luckily for us we had fine weather. We had constantly remained in the vicinity of the river, the return way took us somewhat differently, and we came to a great marshy meadow, from which we could distinguish the heights on the left bank of the Mississippi. The forest is rather thick, with the same trees before-mentioned, and with large and very thick sycamores. Not a sign of herbage was to be seen. In the forest, however, there were beautiful birds, a pair were of a dazzling sky-blue, and several paroquets, similar to those I had seen on the river Alabama. For snakes, and especially for rattlesnakes, which are found in great numbers here in summer, it was now too cold.

Exceeding fatigued with our useless promenade, we crossed the Missouri immediately from St. Charles to Chauvin’s ferry, where we had slept. We took our dinner here, and set out on the road to St. Louis in our little light carriage, about four o’clock. We got over the worst part of the road by daylight. We were surprised at the great numbers of partridges, upon which we came, and which were so tame, that they would hardly run out of our way: they remained sitting within ten paces of us. As the night overtook us, we reached the better part of the road. We passed a bivouack of an emigrant family, and arrived in St. Louis without accident, in a very cold night about ten o’clock.

The 9th of April found us plunged into the midst of winter. It never ceased snowing and freezing during the whole day. Except a slight fall of it that I had experienced at Harper’s ferry, in the month of November, 1825, this was the first snow that I happened to witness in America. We could not make up our minds to go abroad, but preferred sitting at the fire-side, and entertained ourselves with past happy days. Later, however, we paid Mrs. Clark a visit, and spent the evening at her house.

The steam-boat Mexico, Captain Clark, from the Prairie des Chiens on the upper Mississippi, arrived this day, in the afternoon, at St. Louis, fired a cannon to announce it, and intended to sail the next morning down the Mississippi, and up the Ohio to Louisville and Pittsburgh. I determined to embrace this opportunity to arrive in the Ohio, and then visit New Harmony on the Wabash. My design at first was to have gone by land through the state of Illinois, to Vincennes, and from there down the Wabash to New Harmony. From information since obtained, this road would be almost bottomless at this season of the year, several rivers were to be crossed, and those provided with miserable ferries. For these reasons, I declined the journey by land, in which, without such considerations, there was nothing interesting to attract attention.

I had also felt a desire to visit the lead-mines, of which the most important lie at Potosi, sixty miles from St. Louis, which are almost daily increasing in consequence. I declined to join in this excursion, since the journey there would take at least two days, the return as much, and besides the road was described as wretched in the highest degree. I was told, that the lead ore lies almost on the surface, and is so extensive, that it is not worth the trouble to dig for it deep. If therefore a shaft is pushed so deep as to strike water, this shaft is abandoned and another opened. This easy method of working will last until the owner has laboured over every part of his territory, then he will be obliged to have recourse to water-pumps, and steam-engines. On Fever river, on the upper Mississippi, are also very rich lead-works. These, united to the works at Potosi, have delivered, during nine months, eight hundred and eighty-seven thousand two hundred and ninety-eight pounds of lead; the amount of per centage which the United States receive from these works during that time, was a hundred and four thousand one hundred and thirteen pounds. It is supposed, that in the next year the mine-works will produce from three to four million pounds of lead, which must be three hundred and fifty thousand pounds for the share of the United States. It is but a few years since these mines were worked.

On the 10th of April, we paid yet some other visits, before our departure. First, to Major Biddle of the sixth regiment of infantry. He is a brother to Commodore Biddle, and also of the President of the United States Bank, in Philadelphia. His wife, educated in France, does not appear particularly delighted with these out posts of civilization. We then went to see Mrs. Clark, who, through the secretary of her husband, Mr. Alexander, exhibited to us the museum collected by the governor on his travels, and since considerably augmented. Mr. Alexander showed us articles of Indian clothing of different kinds, and various materials, – except the leather, the larger part of these materials were American, or rather entirely European in their origin. A single garment alone, was made by the Cherokees of cotton, which was pulled, spun, wove on a loom, made by an Indian, and even dyed blue by them. Besides, several weapons of different tribes, wooden tomahawks, or battle-axes, in one of them was a sharp piece of iron to strike into the skulls of their prisoners; another made of elks-horn, bows of elks-horn and of wood, spears, quivers with arrows, a spear head of an Indian of the Columbia river, hewed out of flint, a water-proof basket of the same people, in which cooking can be performed, several kinds of tobacco pipes, especially the calumet, or great pipe of peace. The heads of this pipe are cut out of a sort of argillaceous earth, or serpentine; in time of war the spot where this stone is dug out, is regarded as neutral, and hostile parties, who meet each other at that place, cannot engage in any thing inimical against each other. The pipe which the commissioners of the United States use at treaties with the Indians, has a heavy silver head, and a peculiarly handsome ornamented wooden stem. Farther: Mr. Alexander showed us the medals which the Indian chiefs have received at different periods from the Spanish, English and American governments, and the portraits of various chiefs, who have been at St. Louis to conclude treaties with the governor, who is also Indian agent. Among the remarkable things in natural history, we noticed an alligator, eight feet long; a pelican; the horns of a wild goat, shot by the governor in his tour among the rocky mountains; the horns of a mountain-ram, and those of an elk, several bearskins, among others, of the white bear; buffalo, elk, of the skunk, which were sowed together in a robe, skins of martins, ferrets, &c. &c. moreover, several petrifactions of wood, and animal subjects, among others, of elephants teeth, a piece of rock-salt, tolerably white, yet not shooting in crystals, as the English; various crystals; a large piece of rock crystal; very handsome small agates, which are here taken for cornelians, &c. Among the curiosities, the most remarkable were two canoes, the one of animal-hide, the other of tree-bark, a peace-belt, which consists of a white girdle, set with glass beads two hands breadth wide; farther, snow shoes, nets which are drawn over an oval frame, also the rackets, which they use in playing their game of ball, &c. &c.

After the examination of this interesting collection, we paid our visit to Mr. Choteau. This is a venerable old man of eighty years, a native of New Orleans. He told us that at the founding of St. Louis, he felled the first tree. His house resembling in architecture the old government-house in New Orleans, was the first substantial building erected here. The conversation with this aged man, who received us like a patriarch, surrounded by his descendants, was very interesting. He was of opinion that the people from whom the Indian antiquities have come down to us, either by a pestilential disease, or by an all-destroying war, must have been blotted from the earth. He believed that Behring’s Straits were more practicable formerly than at present, at least it must have been Asiatic hordes that came to America. How otherwise, (asked he,) could the elephants, since there have been none ever upon this continent, have reached the American bottom, where their bones are now found? This bottom is a very rich body of land, running south, opposite to St. Louis. Mounds and fortifications are found there, of the kind spoken of before. Here the elephants bones are not scattered about, but found laid in a long row near each other, as if they had been killed in a battle, or at the assault of some fortification. I gave him a description of the opening of a Roman mound, at which I was present with my father, in the year 1813, and he expressed his astonishment at the great similarity between these mounds, and those of the Indian grave-hills. Among the stone war-hatchets in the governor’s museum, there are several resembling the battle-axes which are found in Germany at these mounds.

In our inn there lodged merchants, who prepare caravans, with which they go in a space of from between forty and fifty days, to Santa Fé in New Mexico. The articles which they mostly carry there, consist of cotton fabrics, cloths, iron ware, &c. These goods they pack in four-horse wagons, covered over, in which they sleep at night. There are about one hundred men in such a caravan. From Santa Fé they bring back dollars and mules.

After dinner the worthy old gentleman, Mr. Choteau, surprised us by a visit, and brought his brother, his sons, and a Captain Smith, of the first regiment of infantry, who is here on recruiting duty, with him. He staid long with us and was very talkative. He related, for example, that at the commencement of the settlement of St. Louis, the Indians attacked the town, which was only defended by one hundred and fifty men, and that they were driven off. After this attack, the Spaniards had built the defensive towers, of which the remains stand yet around the city. They resemble the English Martello towers, and like them were of but little value.

CHAPTER XXI

Travels from St. Louis to New Harmony. – Mr. Owen’s System and Experiment

On the 10th of April at seven o’clock, P. M. we left St. Louis, in the Mexico, a neat boat with a low pressure engine. We went down the stream so rapidly, that we advanced fourteen and fifteen miles per hour. We received an unpleasant shock during the night from a snag. It gave the vessel such a violent blow, that all were roused from sleep, and sprang out of bed: I thought that the boat was going down. Happily we were only scared this time. Towards morning we hastened past Cape Girardeau, and all the places which we had seen a few days before. It was agreeable for us again to come something more southerly, and recognize traces of vegetation. We reached the junction of the Ohio with the Mississippi about twelve o’clock in the day. We then quitted the Mississippi, and steered into the Ohio.

At the period when the French extended their posts from Canada to New Orleans, the Ohio was known to them under the name of “La Belle Riviere;” Mr. Choteau, Senr. used this appellation constantly in speaking of it, while conversing with me. The water of the Ohio is much clearer and purer than that of the Mississippi, which is evidently very foul from the confluence of the Missouri. At the union with the Ohio, this difference in the colour of the streams is striking, when you pass from the turbid waters of the Mississippi into the purer current of the Ohio. They are divided from each other by a perceptible line, disturbed cloudings being visible on each side of this line.

I took a solemn leave of the majestic father of rivers, the Mississippi; but, with God’s permission, not an eternal one.

The banks of the Ohio are at first very low, and exposed to inundations. Upon the right bank, eleven miles above the mouth, lies a small place, consisting of a few wooden houses, called America. It is built upon a bank raised several feet above the highest water-mark. It is only three miles hence across to the Mississippi. A project, therefore has been agitated, and a company formed with a capital of ten thousand dollars, to cut through this narrow piece of land, to unite the rivers sooner, and gain an easier navigation. Since the bank is not exposed to overflow at this point, as I have remarked before, a town may be established here, in process of time, when this design is carried into effect, that will be extremely important and wealthy.

About six miles from the mouth, stand a tavern and warehouses, on the right bank, which is called Trinity. In this vicinity there are several rocks concealed under the water, that must be very dangerous at a low stage of the river. Some miles higher, thirty-seven and a half miles from the mouth, fourteen hundred miles from New Orleans, and three hundred and thirty-four and a half from Louisville, is Fort Massac, situated on an eminence on the right bank. The remains of a stockade, two block-houses, and barracks, are what is left of this fort, which gains its name from the massacre of the French garrison by the Indians. As long as the western military posts of the United States were kept up, an infantry company remained here in garrison. This fort has been abandoned for a long time. Nine miles higher up on the left bank, the Tennessee river flows into the Ohio, upon which the Western Navigator makes the following remarks: “This river is the largest branch of the Ohio, and is navigable for large boats more than six hundred miles. It rises in the north western part of Virginia, and runs through the whole breadth of East Tennessee, in a south-westerly direction. Afterwards it enters at the north-east corner of Alabama, through the breadth of which it runs, then turning in a northern direction, nearly in a direct line with the western boundary of that state, it flows through Tennessee and a part of Kentucky, in which it discharges itself into the Ohio.” The right bank of the river on which we were now sailing, belongs to the state of Illinois, and the left to Kentucky. Both shores are thickly covered with woods. Although our course up the stream did not equal the speed with which we had descended the Mississippi, yet we made handsome progress.

On the second night we went on, in spite of the snags, and without accident. On the third day, 12th of April, we were delighted with the prospect of the beautiful banks of the Ohio, thickly covered with wood. The right shore especially is rocky, and occupied by neat dwellings and little settlements. During the night we had passed the mouth of the Cumberland, an eastern tributary river to the Ohio. This is one of the largest rivers in Kentucky. It rises in the Cumberland mountains, in the vicinity of the heads of Clinch and Kentucky rivers, flows in a westerly direction more than two hundred miles, enters the state of Tennessee, reaching Nashville, after meandering through that state one hundred and twenty miles, in the thirty-sixth degree of north latitude, or thereabouts, flows then one hundred and twenty miles in a north-west course, and discharges itself into the Ohio.

This mouth of Cumberland is eight hundred and ninety-four miles from Pittsburgh, and ten hundred and thirty-five from New Orleans. On the right shore we saw the little town of Golconda, afterwards the Cave in Rock, where a considerable cavern runs into the rock. It reaches one hundred and fifty feet deep under the hill, and was used by a robber in former days for a place of residence, whence he sallied out and plundered the passing flat-boats and smaller craft.

Towards noon we reached Shawnee town, on the right bank, ten hundred and ninety-five miles from New Orleans, and eight hundred and thirty-four from Pittsburgh. The Western Navigator says, “Shawnee town was formerly a village which belonged to the Shawnee Indian nation, and bore its name. It is at present a handsomely situated town, in Gallatin county, state of Illinois. It contains a post-office, a land-office, and a bank, called the Great Bank of Illinois, with a capital of two hundred thousand dollars. Although it is subject to be overflowed, yet it is nevertheless a considerable place, since it is the centre of the emigrants going to Kaskaskias, St. Louis, &c.” It appeared to me safe from inundation, as it lies upon a tolerably elevated bank. The houses, of which many contain stores, are mostly of wood, yet I observed many of brick. It may contain eight hundred inhabitants, mostly white persons. The states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, lying between the Mississippi and Ohio, hold no slaves; a slave coming here from other states is free: and yet these states are only divided by the Mississippi from Missouri, and by the Ohio from Kentucky and Virginia, in which three states, slavery still exists.

Ten miles above Shawnee town we passed the mouth of the Wabash, a western tributary of the Ohio.

The Wabash, a very beautiful river, rises not far from the sources of the Miami of the Lakes, and meanders through one of the most fertile districts of the west. At its mouth, it is about two hundred and fifty yards broad, and is navigable about four hundred miles. The Wabash forms the boundary between the states of Illinois and Indiana, the right bank belongs to the former, the left to the latter state. About evening, the steam-boat landed Mr. Huygens and myself on the right bank at Mount Vernon, a place established about two years ago, whence we proposed to go by land to New Harmony. Mr. Hottinguer left us, as he pursued his voyage in the steam-boat; I parted very reluctantly from this esteemed fellow traveller, who possessed many good qualities, above all others, one seldom found in his countrymen, great modesty.

Mount Vernon lies upon a high bank, one hundred and twenty-six miles from New Orleans, and eight hundred and three from Pittsburgh. It is a favourable situation for trade, laid out on an extensive plan, but has only frame houses, and at most three hundred inhabitants. It is the new capital of Posey county. A prison was finished for the use of the county; a court-house was about to be built. We formed an acquaintance with a physician established here, and a travelling merchant. The roots of the felled trees remained yet in the streets of the town, the woods began close behind the houses; nay, the latest built were encircled by them.

On the following morning, 15th of April, we hired a two-horse wagon, to carry us to the village of New Harmony, which is sixteen miles distant from Mount Vernon, and lies on the left shore of the Wabash. The road passed through a hilly country, thickly grown with green-leaved trees. The way was made very bad by former rains, and the most miry places were mended with logs, forming a grievous causeway;51 over a little stream, called Big creek, we crossed a tolerable wooden bridge. About half way is Springfield, at first made the capital of Posey county, which, however, afterwards was changed to Mount Vernon, as I have mentioned before. In Springfield the county gaol still remains, also a brick court-house, and about ten wooden houses, two of them are taverns. As the road was very bad, and the horses went very slow, I walked at least ten miles, and arrived at New Harmony, before the carriage. As soon as you clear the woods, you have a very handsome view of the place. It lies in a valley, not far from the Wabash. The woody and low banks of this river, were at present, in the neighbourhood of New Harmony, overflowed. From the roots of trees still remaining, it was visible, that this country had been covered with wood but a short time back.

In fact, it is but eleven years since Mr. Rapp with his society, after they had disposed of Harmony in Pennsylvania, moved here, and felled the first tree to found New Harmony in a country inhabited only by wolves, Indians, bears, rattlesnakes, &c. The hills immediately next to the place, are already cleared of timber of the larger kind; they are converted into vineyards, and partly into orchards. Farther off are meadows and fields to the right, and to the left fruit and vegetable gardens, carefully enclosed by palisades. New Harmony itself, has broad unpaved streets, in which good brick houses appear alternately, with framed cabins and log houses: the streets are regular, running at right angles. We took up our quarters in the only tavern there, belonging to the community; it was passable.

Rapp’s society, called from their former residence, the Harmonites, consisted of Wurtemburgers. Their early history is known, and perhaps, when I visit this society from Pittsburgh in their new establishment, “Economy,” I may find an opportunity to say more concerning them. Rapp sold New Harmony in the year 1825, to the Englishman, Robert Owen, and left there with his people on the 5th of May, to go up the Ohio to Economy. Mr. Owen was originally engaged in manufactures, and possessed a large cotton factory at New Lanark, on the Falls of Clyde, ten miles from Glasgow in Scotland, where he had, by the adoption of a new system of education and formation of character, changed a collection of one thousand rude labourers into a community of industrious beings. His system, and his ideas upon the situation of human society, as well as the improvements that are capable of being made, he has divulged in a series of essays, which are collected, and appear in print under the name of a new view of society. They conclude with the project of a constitution for a community formed on his system.

Mr. Owen is an enemy to all sects, the spirit of which has generated so much evil under the imposing name of religion. He allows each person liberty to believe in what he may consider to be good; so that a pure Deism is the peculiar religion of his adherents. On this account he was very obnoxious to the prevailing sects in Great Britain, and accordingly his system could not extend itself there. He was therefore induced to turn his attention to the United States, and particularly to the western part of the Union, where, as he says, there is less hypocrisy of religion prevailing than to the east. He then purchased New Harmony from Mr. Rapp, and commenced his establishment in the month of May last. As he laid the foundation of it entirely on perfect equality and community of property, many enthusiasts in these principles from various parts of the Union joined themselves to him; and also a number of vagabonds and lazy worthless persons, from all parts of the world, that would willingly live well at the public expense, who had drank away the little money, if they brought any at all, at the tavern, and who would not work, but desired to say a great deal. Mr. Owen had gone to England on account of business in the month of July, and during his absence, a complete anarchy had been introduced into the new community. At the end of October he arrived from England at New York on his return, gave lectures there, in Philadelphia, and in Washington, upon his system, made some proselytes in Philadelphia, and came back to New Harmony. He lamented over his people, and brought the situation of anarchy in which they had fallen before their eyes so plainly, with the consequences resulting therefrom, that they invested him with dictatorial authority for one year.

In the eastern states there is a general dislike to him. It was thought unadvised that he issued a proclamation to the Americans on his last arrival in New York, in which he told them, that among many virtues they possessed great faults, among which he alluded to an ill-directed propensity to religious feelings, and proposed himself as their reformer in this respect. I heard at that time unfavourable expressions from persons in the highest public offices against him; and one of them gave Mr. Owen to understand very plainly, that he considered his intellects rather deranged.52 In one family alone, where theory took place of experimental knowledge, did I hear conversation turn to his advantage.

After all this, I came with the utmost expectation to New Harmony, curious to become acquainted with a man of such extraordinary sentiments. In the tavern, I accosted a man very plainly dressed, about fifty years of age, rather of low stature, who entered into a conversation with me, concerning the situation of the place, and the disordered state in which I would find every thing, where all was newly established, &c. When I asked this man how long before Mr. Owen would be there, he announced himself, to my no small surprize, as Mr. Owen, was glad at my visit, and offered himself to show every thing, and explain to me whatever remained without explanation. As the arrangement calculated for Rapp’s society was not adapted to his, of course many alterations would naturally be made. All the log houses still standing in the place, he intended to remove, and only brick and framed edifices should be permitted to remain. Also all enclosures about particular gardens, as well as all the enclosures within the place itself, he would take away, and only allow the public highways leading through the settlement to be enclosed. The whole should bear a resemblance to a park, in which the separate houses should be scattered about.