This Is The Wilkinson Who Fought
In The American Revolution, And Was Subsequently To This Time Accused
Of Accepting Bribes From Spain And Of Complicity With Aaron Burr
In His Treasonable Schemes.
Another item was to this effect:
"Mr. Burr & Genl.
Hambleton fought a Duel, the latter was killed."
This brief statement refers to the unhappy duel between Aaron Burr
and Alexander Hamilton, at Weehawken, New Jersey, July 11, 1804.
This interesting entry shows with what feelings the long-absent
explorers met Mr. Airs: -
"After so long an interval, the sight of anyone who could give us
information of our country was peculiarly delightful, and much of
the night was spent in making inquiries into what had occurred during
our absence. We found Mr. Airs a very friendly and liberal gentleman;
when we proposed to him to purchase a small quantity of tobacco,
to be paid for in St. Louis, he very readily furnished every
man of the party with as much as he could use during the rest
of the voyage, and insisted on our accepting a barrel of flour.
This last we found very agreeable, although we have still a little
flour which we had deposited at the mouth of Maria's River. We could
give in return only about six bushels of corn, which was all that
we could spare."
Three days later, the voyagers met a trading-boat belonging
to Mr. Augustus Chouteau, the founder of a famous trading-house in
St. Louis. From this party the captains procured a gallon of whiskey,
and with this they served out a dram to each of their men.
"This," says the journal, "is the first spirituous liquor any of them
have tasted since the Fourth of July, 1805." From this time forward,
the returning explorers met trading parties nearly every day;
and this showed that trade was following the flag far up into
the hitherto unexplored regions of the American continent.
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