traverse the Louisiana territory, the expedition was presented under the guise of a literary project to the nation then claiming that region. Congress responded with an appropriation of $2,500 "for the purpose of extending the external commerce of the United States." That the expedition was to be primarily in the Interests of science and world commerce, rather than trade with the Indian tribes, is further confirmed b}^ the fact that Jefferson had Captain Lewis go to Philadelphia immediately upon his appointment as leader of the expedition, that he might improve his knowledge of "botany, zoology, and Indian history." On November 16, 1803, after the expedition had started, Jefferson wrote to Lewis:
"The object of your mission is single, the direct water communication from sea to sea formed by the bed of the Missouri, and, perhaps, the Oregon."
This is a reiteration of the object of the expedition as given in the formal instructions drawn up for it. The aims of the Lewis arid Clark expedition were scientific and commercial, rather than political and imperial. Jefferson did not have it in mind to establish a claim for the United States to the Oregon country; neither, for that matter, did Columbus set out to discover a new continent, nor was his vessel the first to touch the mainland. Nevertheless, Columbus is accounted the discoverer of America, and his voyage is held to have initiated that mighty train of consequences involved in the opening of a new continent to civilization. So the expedition of Lewis and Clark, the realization of Jefferson's idea, set in motion a series of events that has brought this nation into a position of advantage in the commerce and international politics of the Pacific. The voyage of Columbus at first led only to other voyages of exploration, and not until three centuries later, in the independence of the United States, did something of its tremendous signifi-
