St. Charles--Its Origin--Peculiarities--Early Name--Spanish Rule--Heterogeneous Population--Germans--The Wizard Spell-- American Enterprise--Site of the Village--Prospects--The Baltimore Settlement--Catholic Religion and Institutions-- "St. Charles College"--The Race of Hunters--A Specimen--The Buffalo--Indian Atrocities--The "Rangers"--Daniel Boone-- "Too Crowded!"--The "Regulators"--Boone's Lick--His Decease-- His Memory--The Missouri Indians--The Stoccade Fort--Adventure of a Naturalist--Route from St. Charles--A Prairie without a Path--Enormous Vegetation--The Cliffs--The Column of Smoke-- Perplexity--A delightful Scene--A rare Flower--The Prairie Flora in Spring--In Summer--In Autumn--The Traveller loiters 276 {iv} XXV Novel Feature of the Mamelle Prairie--A Footpath--An old French Village--Bewilderment--Mystery--A Guide--_Portage des Sioux_-- Secluded Site--Advantages--"Common Field"--Garden-plats--A brick Edifice--A _courteous_ Welcome--An _amiable_ Personage--History of the Village--Origin--Earthquakes--Name--An Indian Legend-- Teatable Talk--_Patois_ of the French Villages--An Incident!-- A Scene!--A civil Hint--A Night of Beauty--The Flush of Dawn-- The weltering Prairie--The Forest--The river Scene--The Ferry-horn--Delay--Locale of Grafton--Advantages and Prospects 288 XXVI Cave in the Grafton Cliffs--Outlines--Human Remains--_Desecration_ of the Coopers--View from the Cave's Mouth--The Bluffs--Inclined Planes--The Railroad--A Stone-heap--A beautiful Custom--Veneration for the Dead--The Widow of Florida--The Canadian Mother--The Orientals--An extensive View--The River--The Prairie--The Emigrant Farm--The Illinois--A _tortuous_ Route--Macoupin Settlement-- Carrolton--Outlines of a Western Village--Religious Diversity--An agricultural Village--Whitehall--The Emigrant Family _en route_-- A Western Village--Its rapid Growth--Fit Parallels--Manchester-- The Scarcity of Timber not an insurmountable Obstacle-- Substitutes--Morgan County--Prospects--Soil of the Prairies-- Adaptation to _coarse_ Grains--Rapid Population--New-England Immigrants--The Changes of a few Years--Environs of Jacksonville--Buildings of "Illinois College"--The Public Square 295 XXVII Remark of Horace Walpole--A Word from the Author--Jacksonville-- Its rapid Advancement--Its Site--Suburbs--Public Square-- Radiating Streets--The Congregational Church--The Pulpit--A pleasant Incident--The "New-England of the West"--Immigrant Colonies--"Illinois College"--The Site--Buildings--"Manual Labour System"--The Founders--Their Success--Their Fame-- Jacksonville--Attractions for the Northern Emigrant--New England Character--A faithful {v} Transcript--"The Pilgrim Fathers"-- The "Stump"--Mr. W. and his Speech--Curious Surmisings--Internal Improvements--Route to Springfield--A "Baptist Circuit-rider"-- An Evening Prairie-rider 305