forests easily traversed, of beautiful prairies, impetuous torrents, pretty rivulets; here and there are lakes, from three to six miles in circumference, whose waters are clear crystal, well stored with fish of various kinds: nothing can he more charming than the prospect. We called one of the largest of these lakes, St. Mary.
On the 26th of July we crossed the mountain which separates the sources of the Clark River from those of the Missouri, at the 48th degree of north latitude and the I 15th degree of longitude. The crossing does not take more than half an hour, and is very easy even for wagons and carts. At the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains the country is mountainous, and almost destitute of timber; we followed up a small tributary of the Dearborn for twelve miles to reach Sun River, and followed down its valley al most to its mouth. We visited the great falls of the Missouri on our way: the principal fall is ninety-three feet
high. Father Hoeken and Brother Magri met us in this vicinity.
On the 29th we arrived at Fort Benton, a post of the St. Louis Fur Company, where we received the greatest attention from all its inmates. We feel particularly obliged to Mr. Dawson, the superintendent of the fort, for his con tinued kindness and charity to all our missionaries. May the Lord protect and reward him! The Blackfeet occupy an immense territory in this neighborhood; they reckon from 10,000 to 12,000 souls in the six tribes which compose this nation. They have been asking for Black-gowns (priests) for many years, and their desire appears universal. In my visit to them in 1846, they begged me to send a Father to instruct them.
Father Hoeken is now in these parts, and I have just read with the greatest pleasure, in the "Annals of the Propagation of the Faith," that the work of the conversion of the Blackfeet has been commenced, with the entire approbatiiou of the Very Reverend Father-General.