Explorers and Travellers

Page 48: "... Brouillan, governor of Placentia, who assumed entire command, interfered with Iberville's contemplated movements, and declared that his own troops, the Canadians, should not accompany him on the opening campaign." 'Brouillan' amended from 'Brouillian'.

Page 157: "The difficulties of communicating with the Chopunish were very great, and if errors occurred it was not astonishing." 'Chopunish' amended from 'Chopunnish'.

Page 180: "... well armed and prepared as braves to sell their lives dearly; that they should go on, and if the Pawnees opposed, the great American father would send other warriors to avenge the dead." 'Pawnees' amended from 'Pawness'.

Page 202: "Most unfortunately, on the chart transmitted to Ross by Wilkes, he entered, without distinguishing marks, land between longitudes 160° E. and 165° E., near the sixty-sixth parallel ..." 'parallel' amended from 'paralled'.

Page 289: "The consensus of opinion in the Lady Franklin expedition pointed to Cape Joseph Goode, 80° 14´ N., ..." 'consensus' amended from 'concensus'.

[Illustration: A. W. Greely]

MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT

EXPLORERS AND TRAVELLERS

BY

GENERAL A. W. GREELY, U.S.A.

GOLD MEDALLIST OF ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY AND SOCIÉTÉ DE GÉOGRAPHIE, PARIS

[Illustration]

NEW YORK

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

1894

COPYRIGHT, 1893, BY

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

TROW DIRECTORY PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY NEW YORK

PREFACE

The compiler of a series of sketches of American Explorers and Travellers experiences at the very outset a serious embarrassment from the superabundant wealth of original material at his command. The history of America for two hundred years after the voyage of Joliet has been the history of courageous, persistent, and successful exploration, wherein the track of the explorer, instantly serving as a trail for the pioneer, has speedily broadened into the wagon-road of invading immigrants.

Explorations and journeys of such an extent as in other and older lands would have excited praise and merited reward have been so frequent in this continent as to pass almost unnoticed. Hence the scope of this modest volume is necessarily confined to explorations of great importance or peculiar interest, and when made by men of American birth who are no longer living.

In deference to the author's advisers, two exceptions have been made--Du Chaillu and Stanley, Americans by adoption--otherwise African exploration, so wondrously successful in this generation and so fruitful in its results, would have been unrepresented. Again, the unparalleled growth and progress of our American republic owes no small debt to the wealth of physical vigor and strong intellectuality contributed by its sturdy emigrants. These men, American in idea, purpose, and action, whose manhood outgrew the slow evolution of freedom in their natal country, merit recognition. What thousands of other naturalized citizens have industrially wrought of the wonderful and great in this country, these selected representatives have equalled in African exploration.

A chronological arrangement appeared best suited to these sketches, which from Joliet to Frémont exhibit the initiation, growth, and development of geographic discovery in the interior and western portions of the United States. Since the sketches rest very largely on original narratives some current errors at least have been avoided.