The Arkansaw is a fine navigable | They are considerably advanced toriver, for more than a thousand miles, at a middle stage of water, and affords as rich land, on both sides, as there is in the world. In fact, on all the riv-try. The Osage village is built as

wards civilization, and were very decent in their deportment. They inhabit a lovely, rich part of the coun

ers is to be found land abundantly rich and fertile; and uniformly to be found. Back from the water streams, the land is quite indifferent, you may say poor, till you go west two or three hundred miles, then it is very good. The country is very flat and level from the Mississippi, west, for 150 miles, then it becomes hilly and broken, and rocky on all the hills. Of animals in this country, both winged and quadruped, we have no want. There is almost every species of the bird and fowl in great abundance; wild geese and swans, turkies, quails, rabbits, rackoons, bear, wolf, catamount, wild-cat, beaver, otter, deer, elk, and buffaloe; the huntsman has full scope.

"As to minerals, we have plenty of iron, lead, coal, salt, &c.

compactly as Boston, in the centre of a vast prairie. We rode forty miles into it before we came to the town. All the warriors, chiefs, and young men met us, two miles from the town, on horseback, mounted on good horses and as fine as they had feathers or any thing else to make them. They professed much friendship. I got them to suspend their hostilities. The Osage town consisted of 145 dwellings, with from ten to fifteen in each house. The average height of the men is more than six feet. They are entire in a state of nature. Very few white people have ever been among them.They know nothing of the use of money, nor do they use any ardent spirits.

"I pitched my tent about half a "This country is the best for rais-mile from the town, and stayed five ing stock of every kind I have ever seen. A man may raise and keep, summer and winter, any number he pleases. They grow large and hand

some.

"Cotton and corn are the staple articles. The land, well tended, will average, about one thousand pounds, in the seed, to the acre; corn, from fifty to sixty bushels. The crop is good this year; but the birds destroy vast quantities of the corn.

days. They made dances and play, every night to amuse me. These indians have a native religion of their own, and are the only tribe, I ever knew, that had. At day break, every morning, I could hear them at prayer, and crying for an hour. They appeared to be as devout in their way as any class of people. They made me a psesent of eight horses, when I left them.

"I got there two horned frogs"I have spent more than two they are a curiosity. I kept one of months on a visit to the Cherokee and them alive twenty-two days; it laid Osage Indians, this summer. The twenty-two eggs, as large and about the most of the rest of the time I have shape and appearance of a large white been sick. The object of my visit to bean, and died. I have them all safely the indian villages, was to settle a difpreserved in spirits. I obtained the ficulty betwixt them. I went on to skin of a young wild hog; this is a the Cherokees, (25 miles) and held a curiosity: likewise the skin of a badgcounsel with them. They agreed to er. I procured, also, some salt that send four of their chiefs with me to came from the salt prairie, which is to the Osages, about 350 miles fur- covered, for many miles, from four to ther. The settlement of the Chero-six inches deep, with pure, white kees is scattered for a long extent on chrystalized salt. All men agree, both the river, and appears not much dif-white and indian, who have been there, ferent from those of the white people. || that they can cut and split off a piece cers already mentioned. Lieutenant Graham, Lieut. Swift, Dr. Say, Dr.

a foot square. This place is about 1300 miles, by the course of the river, above this. One branch of the Ar-James, and Messrs. Seymour and

kansaw passes through this prairie, and sometimes overflows it.

When

that is the case, the water in the river here is too salt to drink. There is a place about 150 miles from this, where the water gushes out of a mountain so hot, that you may scald and dress a hog with the water as it comes from the ground. This is a fact which admits of no doubt.

"David Starret, shot himself in Hemstead county, in this territory, about one year since; leaving a wife and two children, and but very little property. He went by the name of William Fisher. The cause of shooting himself was this: He was engaged in a law-suit which involved his whole property; and in order to save it, it became necessary to send to Boston for evidence. This he found would lead to his true name, and he rather chose to put an end to all at once."

NORTH WESTERN REGION OF THE
UNITED STATES,

From the National Intelligencer,

We were yesterday gratified with a few minutes conversation with captain J. R. Bell, who arrived in this city on Tuesday, from Cape Girardeau, in Missouri, which place he left on the 13th October last. The information derived from him was so interesting to us, that we believe our readers will be pleased with some account of it.

Peale, designers and painters.

The expedition sat out from the Council Bluffs, on the 6th of June, directing their course first to the Pawnee villages, on a fork of the La Platte, distant about one hundred and twenty miles from the Council Bluffs, and thence proceeded to the rocky mountains, distant about four hundred miles from the Pawnee villages. The interval is a rolling prairie country, of course destitute of hills and wood, so that the mountains are visible at the distance of one hundred and twenty miles. Time has not yet allowed a calculation of the observations, which were made as accurately as circumstances would allow, but it is supposed the greatest height of the ridge does not exceed the elevation of four thousand feet above the base of the mountain.

The expedition separated into two parties, near the point of Arkansas designated on the maps of Pike's block house.

The party, under the command of major Long, proceeded thence with a view to strike the head-waters of Red-river. But it appears the maps which we have are very defective, the courses of the rivers being almost wholly conjectural, and often entirely fabulous. The expedition did not attain the object sought, because it was not to be found where it is laid down in the maps, and fell upon the waters of the Canadian fork of the Arkansas, which it pursued, and terminated its tour at Belle Point on the Arkansas, the post mentioned, in the late message of the president to Congress, as being the advanced post of our cordon in that direction.

Captain Bell was second in rank of an exploring expedition, under the command of major Long, the objects of which were topographical and scientific information respecting the vast wilderness of country which stretches from the Council Bluffs, on the Missouri, to the foot of the rocky mounThe other party, under the comtains, of which so little is yet known. mand of capt. Bell, proceeded down The expedition being wholly pacific the Arkansas to Belle Point, which in its objects, consisted of some twenty place they reached on the 9th Septemsoldiers only, and the following offi-ber, after an absence of three months cers and artists, besides the two offi- from the haunts of civilization.

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