The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 17, July 1913 - April, 1914 Page: 143
454 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Louisiana-Texas Frontier
and that such an incidental object must not be allowed to defeat
the main, purpose of the expedition.0
In his replies of May 15th and June 1st, Dunbar tempered his
expression of gratification over the fact that Congress had author-
ized the expedition by wishing that that body had displayed more
liberality. The House committee in its report had seemed to take
it for granted that scientific men would be led by patriotism to
undertake their work of exploration. While many might be in-
fluenced by such a motive, yet in the case of a talented man of
limited means it would be at the expense of precious time; and
when a great empire spoke of compensation it should be adequate
to the importance of the task. It would be difficult to find the
proper man in the vicinity of Natchez. Of the two men mentioned
by Jefferson, Gillespie was the better educated, while Walker, then
serving in the Spanish army, possessed the greater natural talent;
but neither had any particular qualification for the work aside
from a knowledge of surveying. He believed they must choose a
man possessing the requisite geographical knowledge and consider
themselves fortunate if he knew anything of natural history, bot-
any, or mineralogy. If a man of "only moderate talents" was
needed, he suggested that Dr. Hunter should command the expedi-
tion.?
The instructions to Dunbar as director of the expedition accom-
panied the President's letter of April 13, 1804. In general they
followed closely those previously issued to Meriwether Lewis.
From Natchez, the point of departure, the leader was to conduct
the party to the remotest source of the Red River, and thence to
the highlands dividing the waters of this stream from those of the
Bravo (Rio Grande) and the Pacific. After making a careful ex-
ploration of these highlands, he was to descend the Arkansas, not-
ing upon this river, as upon the former, the important natural
features and taking numerous astronomical observations. With
regard to the Indians, he should tell them, in accordance with the
later message borne by Lewis, that now the Spaniards had agreed
to withdraw all their troops "from the Mississippi and Missouri and
from all countries watered by any rivers running into them," thus
emphasizing the Jeffersonian idea of the extent of Louisiana. In8Jefferson Papers, Ser. 1, Vol. 10, No. 60.
'Ibid., Ser. 2, Vol. 28, Nos. 62 and 63.143
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 17, July 1913 - April, 1914, periodical, 1914; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101061/m1/147/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.