“ States. And to give more entire satisfaction & confidence to those who may be disposed to aid you, I Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States of America, have written this letter of general credit for you with my own hand, and signed it with my name. ”

Lewis reported from Harper’s Ferry on July 8: “The waggon which was employed by M ^r. Linnard the Military Agent at Philadelphia, to transport the articles forming my outfit, passed this place on the 28 ^th. Ult ^mo.--the waggoner determined that his team was not sufficiently strong to take the whole of the articles that had been prepared for me at this place and therefore took none of them; of course it became necessary to provide some other means of geting [ sic -- Ed. ] them forward; for this purpose on the evening of the 5 ^th. at Fredercktown [ sic -- Ed. ] I engaged a person with a light two horse-wagon who promised to set out with them this morning, in this however he has disappointed me and I have been obliged to engage a second person who will be here this evening in time to load and will go on early in the morning: I shall set out myself in the course of an hour, taking the rout of Charlestown, Frankfort, Uniontown and Redstone old fort to Pittsburgh, at which place I shall most probably arrive on the 15 ^th.

"Yesterday I shot my guns and examined the several articles which had been manufactured for me at this place; they appear to be well executed . . .”

Three days later, on July 11, Jefferson wrote to Lewis: “ I inclose you your pocket book left here. if the dirk will appear passable by post, that shall also be sent when recieved. your bridle, left by the inattention of Joseph in packing your saddle, is too bulky to go in that way. we have not recieved a word from Europe since you left us. be so good as to keep me always advised how to direct to you. accept my affectionate salutations & assurances of constant esteem. ”

On July 15 Jefferson wrote to Lewis announcing that he had received the treaty for the Louisiana Purchase: “ I dropped you a line on the 11 ^th. inst. and last night recieved yours of the 8 ^th. last night also we recieved the treaty from Paris ceding Louisiana according to the bounds to which France had a right. price 11¼ milllions of Dollars besides paying certain debts of France to our citizens which will be from 1. to 4. millions. I recieved also from M ^r. La Cepede at Paris, to whom I had mentioned your intended expedition, a letter of which the following is an extract. ‘M ^r. Broughton, one of the companions of Captain Vancouver went up Columbia River 100. miles, in December 1792. he stopped at a point which he named Vancouver lat. 45 ^o.27' longitude 237 ^o.50' E. here the river Columbia is still a quarter of a mile wide & from 12. to 36. feet deep. it is far then to it’s head. from this point Mount Hood is seen 20. leagues distant, which is probably a dependence of the Stony mountains, of which m ( ^~ r) Fiedler saw the beginning about lat. 40 ^o. and the source of the Missouri is probably in the Stony mountains. if your nation can establish an easy communication by rivers, canals, & short portages between N. York for example & the city [they were building] or [to be built] [for the badness of the writing makes it uncertain which is meant, but probably the last] at the mouth of the Columbia, what a route for the commerce of Europe, Asia, & America.’ ”

Meanwhile on June 19 Lewis had written to William Clark, who replied from Clarksville on July 18: “I received by yesterday’s Mail, your letter of the 19 ^th.. ulto. The Contents of which I recieved with much pleasure--The enterprise & ^c. is such as I have long anticipated and am much pleased with--and as my situation in life will admit of my absence the length of time necessary to accomplish such an undertaking I will chearfully join you in an “official Charrector” as mentioned in your letter, and partake of the dangers, difficulties, and fatigues, and I anticipate the honors & rewards of the result of such an enterprise, should we be successful in accomplishing it. This is an undertaking fraited with many difficulties, but my friend I do assure you that no man lives whith whome I would prefur to udnertake such a Trip & ^c. as your self, and I shall arrange my matters as well as I can against your arrival here.

"It may be necessary that you inform the President of my acceding to the proposals, so that I may be furnished with such credentials as the ”