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be expected from so small an instrument.* From the time these observations commenced, until they were completed, I had but few hours sleep; for the space of three successive days and two nights, I slept but three hours.
The day on which the observations were closed, Mr. Gillespie arrived from New Orleans, and brought with him a few barrels of flour. His expedition on this occasion, and the manner in which he executed his trust, do him the greatest credit.
On the 15th and 16th, we were employed in laying off the correction, and making the necessary arrangements for carrying on a guide line to the Mobile, and correcting back to Thompson’s Creek. The former was submitted to Mr. Daniel Burnet, and the latter to Mr. Gillespie.
The difficulty of passing through the country from Thompson’s Creek to the Pearl river, was so great, owing to the swamps and morasses which lay in the way, and were daily filling with water, that the principal part,of our baggage and clothes, which we had left behind, had not yet overtaken us. I nevertheless found it necessary to set out immediately for New Orleans, with no other clothing than what was immediately calculated for the woods. This measure had become necessary for the following reasons. It has already been mentioned that our tents were worn out before wc commenced our business, and myself and people without the requisite covering. The escort was without either pay or clothing. On these subjects I had early written to the department of state, and received assurances that the articles should be immediately forwarded; but from some cause or other, it was never done. We had therefore to procure them at an
advanced
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advanced price in New Orleans, or suspend our operations. It lias likewise been observed, that Governor Gayoso left us without officially confirming the work that was executed before he joined us, his signature to the report was yet wanting, and it did not appear probable that it would be had without waiting upon him. Experience had already taught us, that it would be impossible to convey our apparatus, baggage and provision wholly by land; a vessel to carry the heavy articles was therefore wanting, calculated to follow the coast, and ascend the navigable rivers, to or near the points where the line of demarcation crossed them.
With this, another object which appeared of considerable importance was combined, which was to obtain as accurate a knowledge as possible of the sea coast, and r	of the navigation of the rivers that rise in the United
c.,	States, and fall into the Gulf of Mexico.
* '
Dv	On	the	17th	in the afternoon, I left the encampment,
E2	accompanied by a part of the military escort. Our
^	passage down the Pearl river was extremely disagree-
~	able, the rain was cold and almost incessant, and our
-yi	canoes small and uncovered, which added to other ob-
^	stacles, prevented our reaching the Bluffs on the tide
;	water, till the 25th. From the Bluffs a person was
^	immediately despatched to New Orleans, to procure a
t j	vessel to convey myself and party across Lake Pontchar-
c	train, which by the exertions of Governor Gayoso, was
;	immediately obtained, and arrived at the Bluffs in the
L	forenoon of the 1st of January, 1799. On the same
day about three o’clock in the afternoon we got under 2,	way, but the tide beingagainstus, we came to an anchor '
k	about six o’clock in the evening. Early the next morn-	4
£	ingwe were under way, but the tide failing, and the wind
being ahead, we came to an anchor in the Rigolets, where • we lay until the morning of the 3d; when we got under way, and entered Lake Pontchartrain about ten qVlnclr