village called Prairie De
Rouche or Rocky Meadows. In traveling this distance I saw only three
houses. Just before I arrived at the village Prairie De Rouche we
descended a hill half a mile in height and entered again on the American
bottom. The lands are hilly, barren and full of limestone. Game of all
descriptions in great abundance. Mme. LaCount entertained us politely.
She is considered the queen of this little village, which is the sum and
substance of everything that is poor and miserable. Mme. LaCount's
daughter being ill, I was deprived of a great deal of valuable
information. She speaks good English, and is a very sensible,
intelligent young lady for such a village. The houses here have the most
antique and mean appearance, built of the barks of trees and puncheons,
slabs, etc., often without doors. Their windows are without sashes, but
small pieces of broken glasses of all shapes pasted ingeniously
together with paper serve to admit the light upon a motley family,
between white, red and black. Many of those wretched hovels are ready to
tumble down on the heads of starving Indians, French and negroes, all
mixed together. Negro-French is the common language of this town.
Indeed, unless you can speak some French it is with much difficulty you
can find any person who can understand you. Left Mme. LaCount's,
traveled twelve miles over an extremely fertile country and arrived at
Kaskaskia a little before sunset.

Monday, Nov. 15.--Remained in this inconsiderable village this day. Much
disappointed in the appearance of the long-talked-of Kaskaskia. It is
situated on the Okaw or Kaskaskia river, three miles from the
Mississippi. It never can be a place of much business. The land office
is kept at this place. There are some neat buildings, but they are
generally old, ugly and inconvenient. Their streets are irregular and of
bad widths. The inhabitants are all generals, colonels, majors, land
speculators or adventurers, with now and then a robber and a cutthroat.
I have to keep my long knife sharp and my eyes open. Went to church at
night. A fellow tried to pick my pocket. Had my hand upon my long
knife.

Tuesday, Nov. 16.--Dr. Hill having business at the lead mine, I
consented to wait until his return. Wanting amusement, I engaged in
hunting. Among other game I wounded a parrot, an uncommonly handsome
bird, with rich plumage. It appeared to possess all the sagacity of the
tame parrot. When it was first wounded i