[9] The expedition was the most extensive which had been sent out by the government, up to that time; and, as the _North American Review_ remarked, was "in many respects much better qualified and fitted out than Lewis and Clark." Nevertheless, in commenting on the sentence in the Preliminary Notice, in which James explains the scarcity of means for the expedition as due to the state of the national finances, the same journal exclaims: "Detestable parsimony! The only country but one in the world, that has not been reduced to an avowed or virtual bankruptcy; the country, which has grown and is growing in wealth and prosperity beyond any other and beyond all other nations, too poor to pay a few gentlemen and soldiers for exploring its mighty rivers, and taking possession of the empires, which Providence has called it to govern!" [10] Chittenden, _American Fur Trade_, ii, p. 578. [11] We have, for convenience, signed James's name to all notes reprinted by us from the original issue; it should be understood, however, that several members of the party contributed these notes--some of them being indicated therein, and others not. PART I OF JAMES'S ACCOUNT OF S. H. LONG'S EXPEDITION, 1819-1820 Preliminary Notice reprinted from Volume I of Philadelphia edition, 1823. Text reprinted from Volume I of London edition, 1823. [Illustration: _Map of the Country_ drained by the _MISSISSIPPI_.] [Illustration: Facsimile of title-page to Volume I of James's _Account_ ACCOUNT OF AN EXPEDITION FROM PITTSBURGH TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, PERFORMED IN THE YEARS 1819, 1820. BY ORDER OF THE HON. J. C. CALHOUN, SECRETARY OF WAR, UNDER THE COMMAND OF MAJ. S. H. LONG, OF THE U. S. TOP. ENGINEERS. COMPILED FROM THE NOTES OF MAJOR LONG, MR. T. SAY, AND OTHER GENTLEMEN OF THE PARTY, BY EDWIN JAMES, BOTANIST AND GEOLOGIST TO THE EXPEDITION. _IN THREE VOLUMES._ VOL. I. LONDON: PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN, PATERNOSTER-ROW. 1823. ] TO THE HONOURABLE JOHN C. CALHOUN, SECRETARY OF WAR; WHOSE LIBERAL VIEWS, ENLIGHTENED POLICY, AND JUDICIOUS MEASURES, WHILE THEY HAVE BEEN PROSECUTED WITH THE UTMOST CIRCUMSPECTION AND ECONOMY, HAVE CONTRIBUTED IN AN EMINENT DEGREE TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE NATIONAL CHARACTER OF THE UNITED STATES, BOTH IN SCIENCE AND POLITICS; THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHORS, AS A FEEBLE TESTIMONIAL OF THEIR HIGH CONSIDERATION OF HIS TALENTS AND PATRIOTISM, AND A GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF HIS INDULGENCE AND PATRONAGE. PRELIMINARY NOTICE [From the Philadelphia edition, 1823]