the Ohio from Santa Fé on the river Norte, is one thousand miles. From Santa Fé to its mouth in the Gulph of Mexico is one thousand two hundred miles. The road from New Orleans to Mexico, the Rio Norte at a post called by the same name, eight hundred miles below Santa Fé:

and from

this post to New Orleans is about one thousand two hundred miles; this mak ing two thousand miles between Santa Fé and New Orleans, passing down the North River, Red River, and Mississippi; whereas it is two thousand two hundred and thirty miles through the Messauri and Mississippi. From the same port of Rio Norte, passing near the mines of La Sierra and Larguana, which are between the north river and the river Salina, is three hundred and seventy-five miles; and thence passing the mines of Charsas, Zaccatieas, and Potosi, to the city of Mexico, is three

hundred and seventy-five miles more, making in all one thousand five hundred and fifty from Santa Fé to the city of Mexico. From New Orleans to the city of Mexico is then about one thousand nine hundred and fifty miles: the roads, after setting out from the Red River, near Natchitoches, are generally parallel with the coast, and about two hundred miles from it, till it enters the city of Mexico.

Thirty miles up and on the north side of the Messauri, is a village called St. Charles. It is of a tolerable size, and the principal trade is with the Indians. About eight miles above this, the village and settlement of Bon-homme opens to view; twenty-six miles farther up is the village of New Versailles; and about seven hundred and fifty miles above, a little off from the river, is the Grand Sors, a principal Indian trading town.

The Osage nation of Indians reside on the banks of a river of the same name, eighty leagues from where it enters the Messauri on the right. They consist of about one thousand warriors, of a gigantic stature, being seldom under six feet, and frequently between six and seven in height. They are accused of being a cruel and ferocious race, and are feared and hated by all the other Indian tribes. From the mouth of the Messauri to that of the Osage river is computed at eighty leagues.

The river Kanous empties in about sixty leagues farther up on the same side, and eighty leagues up it reside the Kanous nation, consisting of about three hundred warriors.

Sixty leagues above the Kanous, and two hundred from the mouth of the Messauri, still on the right bank, is the Riviere Platte, or Shallow River, re

markable for its quick-sands; near its confluence dwell the Octatoetas, a nation of Indians of about two hundred warriors. Forty leagues up Riviere Platte, and far distant from Santa Fé,. is a nation of Indians called Panis, in number about seven hundred warriors, who reside in four villages, hunt but little, and seem disposed to follow agricultural pursuits.

The villages of the Mohos nation are three hundred leagues from the Mississippi, and one hundred from the Riviere Platte. This nation consisted, in 1791, of five hundred warriors.-I am now informed that the small pox has almost entirely cut them off.

The Poncas nation dwell about fifty leagues above the Mohos Indians, on the left bank of the Messauri, in number near two hundred warriors. About four hundred and fifty leagues from the Mississippi, on the right bank of the

Messauri, reside the Aricaras nation, to the number of seven hundred warriors. This nation is friendly towards the whites; its members have been continual victims of the Sioux and Mandawessees, who, being better provided with firearms than themselves, have always taken advantage of the helpless situation of the friends of white men, and murdered them on all occasions without mercy.

Farther up the Messauri there are many other nations of Indians,-the Mandan, Cahego, &c. of whom very little is as yet known, either of their numbers, manners, or customs. But the Manduessees, who frequent the country between the north bank of the Messauri and Mississippi, take every method to prevent all communication between the nations higher up and those below them; and when this is attempted they massacre all who fall into their hands.

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