20 June: Early in the morning, [we had] a view of the chain of beautiful green, forested mountains that stretches along the river. The mountains are cone-shaped. Everything everywhere—the whole area, far and wide, just like Brazil—[is] covered uniformly with tall forest in which [there are] individual cleared places with settlements.

Large, flat, square boats loaded with cut timber await the steamboats everywhere on the river. If the skipper finds it necessary to buy wood, the [flatboat] is attached [to the steamer and] unloaded while the journey is continued; it is released as soon as the wood is transferred. Such boats usually carry a slate where the price of the wood is written.

At about noon we reached the mouth of the Scioto River on the right bank [of the Ohio]. The town of Alexandria, which amounts to only three or four dilapidated houses, is located next to [the confluence]. 73 After half an hour, we put ashore at Portsmouth. Before the mouth of the river, we came to a fairly substantial raft, about 100 paces long [and] 40 paces wide, planked with boards. On it [were] three huts made of boards and [?] 74 at the end but smaller than the ones on the Rhine.