USA > Missouri > A history of Missouri from the earliest explorations and settlements until the admission of the state into the union, Volume II > Part 9
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63
DELOR DE TREGET
du Grand Hiver." Chouteau says that in this winter the thermom- eter fell thirty-two degrees below zero.127 In 1801 the Spanish gov- ernment established a military hospital at St. Louis and of this hospital Dr. Saugrain was appointed Surgeon at a monthly salary of 30 dollars.128 St. Louis, says Austin, at this time contained more than two hundred houses, "some of stone," 129 had a number of "wealthy merchants and an extensive trade from the Missouris and on the upper Mississippi," but Morales complained in 1802 that the secret importation of English and American goods is de- priving the Government of its revenue and New Orleans of trade.130 The immigration of farmers from the United States also continued to increase, and to these settlers DeLassus made
Cho Jehoul, Sela Bais
many grants of land. At the close of 1803 nearly one-half of the population of upper Louisiana was Anglo-American, residing mostly on farms and isolated homesteads.
Several years after Laclede established his trading post, Clement Delor de Treget,131 born at Quercy, Cahors, in the south of France, established himself on the Mississippi near the mouth of the Riviére des Pères, about ten miles below Laclede's village, probably on the site of the original Jesuit missionary settlement. De Treget, it is said, had been an officer in the French navy. When he first arrived
127 I Hunt's Minutes, Book 1, p. 127, Missouri Historical Society Archives. 128 Letter of Morales to De Lassus, August 5, 1801.
129 And "was better built than any town on the river" and asserts that some of the best hewn stone of Fort de Chartres were taken there.
130 Letter of Morales to De Lassus, January 21, 1802.
131 Pierre Delor de Treget, son of Clement, was a captain of militia at Carondelet, and on the death of his father acted as commandant. Had a grant on road leading from St. Louis to Carondelet and on the Gravois. The first wife of Clement Delor de Treget was Catherine Marin, who died December 14, 1776, leaving four children, Pierre Delor de Treget, intermarried with Sophia Chou- quet; Madelaine, intermarried with François Cailhol in 1781, and afterwards with Lambert Lajoie; Marie Rose, intermarried with Alexis Marie, 1784; his second wife was Angelique A. Martin with whom he intermarried February 15, 1779, and of their four children Angelique intermarried with Hyacinth Pidgeon; Felicite with Antoine Moitier; Margaret with J. B. M. Chatillon, and Agnes with Leon Constant, all early residents of upper Louisiana. The Ste. Gene- vieve church records show that one Jos. Delor de Treget resided there in 1774.
64
HISTORY OF MISSOURI
in Louisiana, he settled at Ste. Genevieve, but in 1767 from that place came up the river with his wife. Charmed with the beauty of the country, the hills gently sloping to the shore near the mouth of the Riviére des Pères, and the diversified landscape of prairie and open woodland, he resolved to settle there, and here St. Ange made a grant of land to him. At the foot of what is now known as Elwood street he built a small stone house, residing there until his death. The stone house stood for a hundred years, but finally gave way to im- provements made by the Iron Mountain railroad in that locality. A village soon sprung up near his place of residence, known at first as "Delor's village," but afterward as " Catalan's prairie," so named for one Louis Catalan, also an early settler. Then the village was named Louisbourg, and finally, shortly before the acquisition of Louisiana, was called Carondelet, in honor of Baron de Carondelet, governor-general of Louisiana. Generally, however, the village was known as "Vide Poche" (Empty Pocket), a nick-name bestowed upon it by the habitans of St. Louis. It was also known as "Pain de Sucre." The village grew slowly, and for a number of years not more than twenty families lived there, principally engaged in agri- culture, cultivating an adjacent common-field, "a farming people," Chouteau testified.132 The village had a common of 6,000 arpens, in fact more "commons" than they were able to pay Chouteau for surveying, and the whole town was present when the survey was made. When Louisiana was acquired, according to Stoddard, the place consisted of fifty houses and had a population of about two hundred and fifty. Pierre Delor de Treget, son of Clement Delor de Treget, was syndic of Carondelet after his father's death. "A man with no capacity, he neither reads nor writes," says DeLassus, and by way of apology for this appointment, adds that he "was appointed captain commandant for want of others. "133 In 1793 Carondelet first appointed him as sub-lieutenant to form a company of militia at "San Carlos del Misury" because "a person of courage, energy and good conduct." How rapidly, in many instances, the descendants of the French settlers retrograded intellectually and educationally in the wil- derness this instance shows. Delor de Treget himself undoubtedly was a man of culture and education, and that he should have allowed his family to grow up without even the rudiments of knowledge shows how indifferent to the importance of education the surrounding wil-
132 American State Papers, 2 Public Lands, p. 672.
.
133 American State Papers, 2 Public Lands, p. 672.
65
ST. FERDINAND
derness and isolation from civilized and civilizing influences made him, as well as many of the other early French and American settlers. Apparently without a struggle to impart to his family the knowledge he personally possessed, De Treget allowed his children to grow up in the grossest ignorance, little higher in the intellectual scale than the Indians by whom he and they were surrounded.134
134 Other residents of Carondelet were, Auguste Amiot (or Amyot) (1777), colored, in 1780 in St. Louis; Coussot (1778), Simon Coussot was in St. Louis in 1789; Jean B. Menard (1778); Louis and Joseph Menard (1786); François Lacombe (1791) on the Gravois near Carondelet, also owned a tract of land on the Maramec, which was granted to McFall but abandoned by him, another tract on the Isle à Boeuf, and in 1800 was a merchant in New Madrid, others of this family at Ste. Genevieve; Louis Ronde (or Ronday) dit Motie (1792), also a resident of Prairie Catalan near the village. The de la Rondes, according to Sulte, were "interpretes et agents dans les contrees sauvages" (7 Sulte's Cana- dien Français, p. 41); Julien Chouquette (1793), owned property at the fork of the Mississippi and River des Peres, was captain of the militia, and had a sugar house which he sold in 1804 to Antoine Pinoyer; Jean Baptiste Dauphin (Dol- phin or Dofine) (1794), on river Feefee in 1798, and at Portage des Sioux in 1802 ; Joseph Lemai (or Lemay) (1794); François Fournier (1793); François DeSalle, dit Cayolle (1795), Louis Degieure (DeGuire) (1795). A DeGuire family in Can- ada in 1751, received the grant of a seigneury in Yamaska county, under name of DeGuire DesRosiers. A native priest of Canada in 1750 also named De- Guire. (7 Sulte Canadien Française, p. 45.) To this family the DeGuires in Missouri may be related. A Louis Gegieure was here in 1795, and likely the same person; Gabriel Constant, dit Laramie, Senior (1795), from Vin- cennes, and Gabriel, Junior, at Belle Point near Carondelet, Julien Leon, Cath- erine and Joseph Constant, dit Laramie all lived in and near Carondelet, Joseph also at St. Ferdinand; and Gabriel, Senior, on the river Cuivre in St. Charles district in 1800; Veuve Rondon (Rondeau); Auguste Gamache, Junior (1795) ; J. B. Gamache, Senior, and son J. B., Junior, (1795) ; Jean Baptiste gave his name in Hunt's Minutes as "DeGamache" (3 Hunt's Minutes, p. 103, Missouri His- torical Society Archives.) The Gamache name famous in Canadian history. In 1652 Genevieve Gamache, dit Lamarre, married Julien Fortin, dit Bellefon- taine, in 1762 Nicolas Gamache and Louis Gagnier, dit Belleadvance, received the seigneury of Lafrenage. A Nicolas Rohault, Marquis de Gamache, a native of Picardy, gave 30,000 ecu to the Quebec seminary in 1639; his son, Rene, a Jesuit, induced his father to make this gift; Lambert Salle, dit Lajoie (1795), may be a relative of Jean of St. Louis; Charles Vallé (1797), owned a tract on the Gravois near Carondelet, but did not live on it; Christopher Shultz and his two sons Peter and George (1797), evidently Germans, and also had property
in St. Louis; François Roy (1800), also on the Mississippi in St. Charles dis- trict; Henry Chouquette; Joseph Leduc (1801), in St. Charles in 1802; Pierre Villeroy (or Villeray) (prior to 1802) from Vincennes. Others we find here prior to 1802 were: François DesNoyer, also at St. Louis; Pierre Mason, probably a relative of Amable Partenay, dit Mason, of Ste. Genevieve; Michael Tesson, dit Honore, who had a two-horse power grist-mill, Victoire Tesson married George Shultz; Gabriel Hunot, also in St. Louis; François Porier, in the common- field; Nicolas Gay, dit Gravir; Manuel Andre Roque, was the interpreter, ap- pointed by the English, to attend "Wabasha" in 1780, and perhaps a relative or the same person, who was associated with Calve, also an English interpreter, had a son who was an interpreter; Augustine Dubay (or Dube); Jean Baptiste Bouvet (Beauvet or Beauvais); Louis Moques (or Mouques). Others who owned property here by right of purchase in early times: Louis Constant, dit La- ramie; Mary Ann Black; Pascal Mallet (Mayette) from Vincennes; Dominique Eugene (probably Uge of St. Louis); Antoine Pinoyer (1804) bought sugar-house
66
HISTORY OF MISSOURI
When the United States took possession of Louisiana, the St. Louis district embraced all the territory between the Maramec and the Missouri and extended indefinitely west. The largest settlement in this district outside of St. Louis was St. Ferdinand, or San Fernando de Florissant. This village then contained sixty houses. The date when the first settlement was made here is not now known. It is, how- ever, supposed that about the time Laclede established his post some of the French immigrants from the east side established themselves near, and on Cold Water creek, engaged in hunting and incidentally opened up little farms in a common-field in the adjacent prairie. In 1767 Francesco Rui established "Fort El Principe de Asturias" near the Missouri, eight miles or so from where the village of St. Ferdinand is now located and it may be that the history of the first settlement of this village is connected with the erection of the fort. The ancient village of St. Ferdinand was located on rising ground on one side of Cold Water, opposite a fertile prairie two miles wide and twelve miles long, running parallel with, and about two or three miles from the Missouri river. This region was known as Florissant or "Fleurisant" long before it received the name of St. Ferdinand or "San Fernando de Florissant," and no doubt was so named because here we can well imagine the wild flowers then bloomed luxuriantly in the open prairie, and deeply impressed by their beauty even the rude hunters and trappers who first beheld the virgin land. Fountain à Biche or Cold Water, however, was called Fernando river (Rio Fernando) by the Spaniards. According to Perrin du Lac, Floris- sant was established in 1790 by "some inhabitants of St. Louis, " 135 but in this he is evidently mistaken, because many families resided in this locality long before this time. San Fernando de Florissant is also supposed to have been a missionary station, but of this we have no definite evidence. Although this suggestion is not improbable, because the Jesuit missionaries at that time traveled far and wide to promote the cause of religion. The location of St. Ferdinand "would have been most agreeable, if the inhabitants had not sacrificed everything to the proximity of the stream, which, however, contains
of Julien Chouquette; Devance Guion (1804); William Glenn; Jean Eugene Leitensdorfer; François Lemai; Louis Rivience (or Revence); Jacques Brunet; John Fardon; Jean Baptiste Mousset; William L. Long a witness of matters at Carondelet, and had an interest in a two-horse power grist-mill, and Z. Sapping- ton had a two-horse power grist-mill, Hyacinth Pigeon, Amand Micheau, had a shot factory below a landmark on the "commons" known as the "Sugar Loaf." Henry Morin, Amable Chartrand; Louis Courtois, also lived here.
135 Travels of Perrin du Lac, p. 48.
67
DUNEGANT
water only one half the year.'' 136 However, the village was located in a fertile land, fresh springs gushed from the hill-sides, and park- like woods interspersed with prairies made a charming landscape. Perrin du Lac observed, in 1802, that the people could live here in opulence if they were able to exchange at a reasonable rate the pro- ductions of their lands for clothing and other necessaries. During the Spanish occupancy of the country François Dunegant dit Beaurosier, was commandant of this village. DeLassus says that he was "an honest and brave officer;" but that he could "not read and write, " a poor man financially, but says Pascal Cerré "as to character, one of the best amongst us." 137 Dunegant was in command of the settle- ment from 1780 until the acquisition of the country by the United States.138 The extent of his territorial jurisdiction as commandant seems to have been somewhat indefinite, but extended over the village and adjacent country to the Missouri, and as far east as the Missis- sippi.139 A company of militia was also organized in this village. Of this company Don Francisco de Lauxier was sub-lieutenant in 1793 - so also Francesco Moreau. In 1782 the Indians were very troublesome in that neighborhood. The earliest resident in the neighborhood of St. Ferdinand was Nicholas Hebert, dit LeCompte, who lived there in 1765. 140 Nicolas, Antoine and Francois Mare- chal, Jacques Marechal, and others of the same name were also here certainly as early as 1785. Hyacinth Deshetre, an Indian interpreter, came over from Cahokia about the same time.141 Pierre Deveaux (Devot), Joseph Montreaux and Noel Brunet were settlers in 1784, and Jean Baptiste Creeley, Creliz, or Crely, came from Kaskaskia in 1787. He owned a wind-mill on the Mississippi in 1798. In 1824 Joseph Presse142 gave evidence before Commissioner Hunt as an "an-
Travels of Perrin du Lac, p. 49.
137 American State Papers, 2 Public Lands, p. 612.
138 I Billon's Annals, p. 301. Auguste Chouteau erroneously says that he founded the village in 1796 .- Hunt's Minutes, Book I, p. 127.
13º Prior to his appointment as commandant, says he was a laborer at the post of St. Louis, in 1782 was at Fontaine des Biches.
140 American State Papers, 2 Public Lands, p. 613.
141 The Deshetres were a family of Indian interpreters; Louis Deshetre was one of the first settlers of St. Louis; Antoine Deshetre, another member of the family, married Marie Kiercereau in 1788, died in St. Louis in 1798, his wife surviving him seventeen years; and Jean Baptiste Deshetre was in St. Louis in 1768; and one Joseph Deshetre, a resident of St. Ferdinand, testified before Commissioner Hunt to events prior to the cession of Louisiana.
142 Among other residents we find, Pierre Rousel (or Roussel) (1785), his property sold at public sale, also on the Cuivre in 1800; Auguste B. Trudelle (1786) also at New Madrid; Joseph Aubouchon, dit Yoche (1786), built a mill
68
HISTORY OF MISSOURI
cient inhabitant." Hezekiah Lard settled in this neighborhood in 1797, and erected a grist and saw-mill, which was in operation in later, also had a grant of an island in the Missouri river; Louis Reno (or Renault or Renaud) (1786); Joseph Hubert or Herbert (1788), seems to have been in the country in 1770, but afterwards in 1800 was in St. Charles district on the Cuivre, and on the Mississippi north of St. Louis. François and Michel Creliz from Kas- kaskia (1787), no doubt relatives of Jean Baptiste Creliz. Alexis Cadot (1789); François Riviere (1790); Louis Ouvre (1790); Paul Dejarlais (1790), also on the Cuivre; Antoine Dejarlais (1790) on the Missouri and Cuivre in 1800; Baptiste Presse (1792) on Grand Rue, a Louis Baptiste Presse was here in 1796; James Williams (1790) from New Madrid; Quebec L'Evecque (1792) evidently a nick-name, an early inhabitant; Jean Baptiste DeLisle (1792) from Kaskaskia, in 1797 had property outside of the town on rivers Fernando and Cuivre, and in 1802 on Lake Gayoso in New Madrid district; Jean Baptiste Billon (or Billot) (1792), a Baptiste Billia or Billieu here in 1796, and married Pelagie B. Mare- chal Latour; Louis Picard (1794); Joseph Rivet (1794); Jacques Tabeau (1794); Joseph LaPierre (1793), who may be Joseph Labbadie, dit St. Pierre, or LaPierre; François Honore (1793), at Portage des Sioux in 1802, also Village à Robert; Herbert (Hunert) Talbot (or Tabeau or Tabot) (1794), seems also to have been in New Madrid; Michael Talbot; François Menard (1794) from Kaskaskia, where he served in the militia; Louis and Joseph Rapieux, dit Lamare (1794) ; Joseph Lagrave (1794); Baptiste (or Jean Baptiste) Lachasse (Lachaise) (1794), Jean Baptiste Lachasse changed his name to Hunt, he was at Marais des Liards in 1802 and at St. Louis; Charles Lachaise; Madame Ladoucier (Ladouceur or Ladousier), an ancient resident and probably widow of Antoine; François Men- delle (or Mendelet, dit Bracome), and Auguste Buron cultivated land as partners in 1794; Buron was also in St. Louis; Amable Gagne (1794) from Kaskaskia, where he made sugar on the Marais Apaquois or river Gagne; Louis Marie (1794) also in St. Louis; Joseph Cadien (1794) from Kaskaskia, where he served in the militia; Antoine Roy, dit Desjardin (1794), afterwards was on the Missis- sippi near St. Louis, where he built a wind-mill, also on Prairie Boeuf Blanc; Toussaint Robideau (or Robidoux) from Kaskaskia; François St. Cyr (1794); Michael Hebert (1794); Louis and Baptiste Aler (1795); there also seems to have lived here a Misset (orMinet) Alares, a Kaskaskia family, and the name is spelled in the American State Papers in every possible way, Alary, Alere, Allard, Allaire and Allari. It may be it should be spelled Allart, the name of one of the early missionaries, a Recollet priest; Joseph Presse (1794), also owned property sixty-five miles from St. Louis; Father Didier, priest of the village; Antoine Du- breuil (1795) and was on river Aux Bœufs in St. Charles district in 1799; and Pascal Dubreuil, son of Louis, also François; Romain Dufresne (or Dufrene or Dufraine) (1795). One of the one hundred associates of New France in 1627 was Charles Dufresne, and secretary to the general of the galleys. Charles Mer- cier (1795) probably a branch of the Kaskaskia family of that name; Louis Tib- lon, dit Petit Blanc (1795) ; Pierre Payant, dit St. Ange (1795), also in New Madrid district; Jean Baptiste St. Germain (1796); Noel Marechal (1796); Marion Labonne (1796); (Augustine) and François Bernard, dit L'European (1796); François in 1797 had a grant in St. Charles district; J. Thp. (Theophile) Bou- doin (1796); Michael Castello (1796); Jacques Pera (Perez) (1796); Jean Bap- tiste Laurain(or Lorain), Junior (1796) ; Louis Collin (1797); Bernard Fetir (1797); Jean Farrot (1797), very likely Jarrotte or Jarrette, or Farrow, all of which names are mentioned; Joseph Couder (Conder or Coudaiere) (1797), from Kas- kaskia where he served in the militia; Braconia (1797) Jean Bonin (1797), from Kaskaskia, on the river (creek) Fernando, and at Marais des Liards; Toussaint Tourville (1797); Pierre Tourville (1797), between the Missouri and St. Fer- nando rivers, his land sold at public sale to François Marat; Charles Tibeau (1797), on the Missouri and Fernando; Etienne Labonte (1790); Louis Liretet (1797); Auguste B. Lagasse (or Lagasa), sold in 1802 to George Fallis, an early American settler; Benjamin Verger (1797); Amable Montreuil (1797), probably a Kaskaskia immigrant; Palmer; Gabriel Aubouchon (1798); Baptiste Derosia
69
BELLEFONTAINE
1799. Trudeau assisted Lard in the construction of his mill by loaning him $200. The United States cantonment, Bellefontaine, was (DeSoca), dit Canadian (1798), may be the same as Jean Baptiste Derosier ; L'Abbe Delorier (Delaurier) (1798); Amable St. Gem (or St. Jeme) (1799), probably related to the Beauvais, dit St. Jeme family of Ste. Genevieve; Joseph Moreau (1799); Baptiste Lachall (1799); Joseph Tibeau (or Thibault) (1799); Louis Lajor, dit Lajoy(e) (1799), also in St. Charles district in 1800; Antoine Lenacal (Senacal) (1799); Charles Dejarlais (1799) at Portage des Sioux in 1802; Joseph Lamirande, Lamer or Lammare (1800), from Saint Antonio Parish, lower Canada; Kincaid Caldwell (1799), on the Missouri near St. Ferdinand; Jean Baptiste Tesson (1799), and was at St. Louis, and also owner of property on Salt river in St. Charles district; Antoine Rancontre (1800) on the Missouri near St. Ferdinand, also in St. Louis; Jean Louis Vincent (1800); Louis Moreau (1800); François Drucis (1800); Amable St. Cenne (1800), came to the country and was in the employ of Mr. Bernard; Pierre Bargeron (1801); Eugennie Jer- rette or Madame Therburn, dit Jarette, in 1801 exchanged property with Joseph Lagasse; Francois Payant; Pierre Provenchere; Jean Marie Courtnay; Joseph Pelair (Pilaire); Amable Louis May (1804), on the Missouri and Fernando; Philipine Duchene (or Duchesne); Pelagie Belleville; François Boulanger; Delas; Joseph Joinal (Joutal); Marie Joseph Dunand, priest of the village; Antoine Deroche; Planchet, captain of militia at St. Ferdinand; Baptiste, Mi- chael, Francois and Noel Honore, sons of Louis Honore, afterward members of this family lived at Marais des Liards; Antoine Smith.
In addition to these we find the following American settlers, either in the village and south of fork of the Missouri river, or in the adjacent territory: Ed- mond Hodges, who was syndic in the neighborhood in 1787; James Williams (1790); Cumberland James (1793); William Musick (1795), from Kaskaskia, also David and Thomas R. Musick, David was also at Marais des Liards in 1797, and . part of the family on Feefee in 1800; John Brown (1796), from Kentucky, after- ward moved to Fox river, and in 1797 owned property at Marais des Liards, his son B. G. Brown taught school for many years; William Griffen (1796); Isaac Crosby (1797), who in 1798 sold to Charles Mercier his claim in the com- mon-field; Thomas Williams (1797), on the Maramec and Williams creek in 1800; Samuel, William, and Amos Duncan (1797), Amos afterwards removed to Pearl river in the Mississippi territory; Thomas Wilkinson (1797); Thomas Hooper (1797); William Palmer (1797), on the Missouri near St. Ferdinand, also claimed 1,000 arpents in the St. Charles district; Gilbert and Daniel Hodges (1798); Samuel Hodges, Senior, and Junior, (1798), also on the Dar- denne; Ebenezer Hodges, Senior and Junior (1798), all these seem to have been on the Missouri near the town; David Brown (1798), from Kentucky; James Smith, Senior, (1798), and his sons James, Eli and Levi; George Smith (1798), and at Marais des Liards; John Patterson (1798), from Kaskaskia, seems to have lived on the Mississippi in the Ste. Genevieve district, and also in the New Madrid district; George Fallis, land speculator (1798) owned a number of tracts of land around St. Ferdinand, had a tract on the Missouri near St. Charles in 1800, bought Joseph Rivet claim, paying him in wheat; Bonaventure Marion; Baptiste Marion, who was also in St. Charles district; Sarah James (1799) on the Missouri; John G. James (1800), who owned considerable property; Farquar Mckenzie (1800); Peter and John Ellis (1800); William Herrington (1800); William Hartley (1800); Joab Barton (1800).
Others here at an early date: James Whitesides; James English, from Ten- nessee; François Mandene; John Huit (Hewett); Uriah Campbell on the Mis- souri near the town; Joel L. Musick; J. J. James; the father of Judge Hyatt was also an early and prominent resident here. At this time so much confidence was shown in each other, it is said that the first lock on a smokehouse caused great indignation. Hezekiah Crosly (or Crosby); Alexander Clark (also at Por- tage des Sioux), Joseph Todd and James Mitchell in 1801 were residents near St. Ferdinand; Pierre Vial, dit Marritou (probably Meritoire), William Hart and Ira Nash (1801).
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HISTORY OF MISSOURI
afterwards located near his plantation. 143 Pascal Cerré and others said that all the springs in this locality were called "L'eau froid " since 1787.
West of St. Louis, James Mackay, a native of the Parish of Kil- donan, county of Sutherland, northeast part of Scotland and one of the first English-speaking settlers of upper Louisiana, established a settlement known as "Sn Andre del Misuri," and of this settlement in May 1798 was appointed commandant by Gayoso. This village (now in the river) was laid off by one John Henry, in that part of the Missouri river bottom known as Bon Homme. Mackay was a man of education, a surveyor by profession and conversant both with the French and Spanish languages, was an able executive officer, a captain of the militia, and managed his settlements without friction, keeping down all dissension among the settlers. DeLassus says that he was an " officer of knowledge, zealous and punctual," and that " he caused roads and bridges to be constructed by the inhabitants." In 1797 he built a horse-mill on Wild Horse creek. In 1795 and 1796 Mackay was employed by Carondelet, as "a person of great loyalty and merits" to make an exploration on the upper Missouri, and in his letters to the Prince of Peace states that prior to that time he had been employed by the English with great success in an exploration of the countries on the Missouri "with the intent of opening communica- tion with the South Sea."144 As a general agent of the Com- pany of Missouri he was dispatched by Clamorgan, to discover the Pacific ocean, and left St. Louis in August, 1795, accompanied by a number of picked men, going by boat up the river. He made one of the earliest maps of the upper Missouri region, until that time an "unknown part of the world." His journal of this expedition deliv- ered to the Governor Don Manuel Gayoso, was never published by the Spanish government, but in search of material for this history,
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