^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) k ^4 .^/ .^"^^^^ <;. ^ :? :/ 5r «:/. 1.0 I.I 11.25 !Sf "^ Ilia ;^ lis liiM 1.8 U IIIIII.6 % <^ /} % /: o^. ///, Photogr4;»bic Sciences Corporal] on 13 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) 872-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical IVIicroreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreprodiictions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of lilming, are checked below. L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6X6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mdthode normale de iWvnage sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. n G n Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur □ Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagde Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurde et/ou pellicul6e Cover title missing/ I I Le titre de couverture manque □ Coloured maps/ Cartes gdographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured pages/ n v/ □ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagdes Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaur^es et/ou pelliculdes Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages ddcolor^es, tacheties ou piqu^es Pages detached/ Pages d6tach6es Showthrough/ Transparence I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ D □ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Relid avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ Lareliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge int^rieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout6es lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela dtait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6td film^es. □ Quality of print varies/ Quality in6gale de I'impression I I Includes supplementary material/ D Comprend du mat6riel suppldmentaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuille^ d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6t6 filmies d nouveau de faqon d obtenir la meilleure image possible. □ Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl6mentaires: This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiqu6 ci-dessous. 18X 22X 10X 14X 26X 30X X 12X lex 20X 24X 28X 37X Th« copy filmad her* has b««n raproduc^w *hankt to tha ganarosity of: Library Division Provincial Archives of British Columbia L'examplaira film4 fut raproduit grAca A la g^nArosIt* da: Library Division Provincial Archives of British Columbia Tha imagas appearing hara ara tha bast quality possibia conaidaring tha condition and lagibility of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract apacifications. La* imagas suivantas ont At* raproduitas avac la plus grand soin, compta tanu da la condition '' t da la nattatA da I'axamplaira filmA, at en conformity avac las conditions du contrat da filmaga. Original copies in printed pjper covers ara filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. Les exemplairas originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimAe sont filmAs en commen^ant par Iq premier plat at en terminant soit par la darnlAre page qui comporte une emprainte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par la second plat, salon la cas. Tous les autres exemplairas originaux sont filmAs en commen^ant par la premiAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration at en terminant par la derniAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symboi —^ (meaning "CON- TINUED "), or the symbol V (meaning "END 'I, whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de chaque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole -^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Meps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filnr:ed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmAs A des taux da reduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre raproduit en un r,eul clichA, il est filmA d partir da Tangle supAr'aur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bus, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants iiiustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ivV ■;.>f >^.:..€ ;i^>.ii 'v % -t /V 1 ^ R ;; 1 rp '4;/-?fK, •^ ,ri'^'! .rA& /f*" l^^^ ^f«>7C6fl!^^^^V^ LIFE y :/. . OF // * ' / ' • JQ.HN LEDYARD, THE AMERICAN TRAVELLER BY JARED SPARKS BOSTON: LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY. 1864 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1847, by CaARLEi C. LlTTtK AND J AMES BRCWN, in the Clerk's Office of the Di^strict Court of the District of Massachusetts. CONTENTS. Preface, Page. 3 47, by laastvchusetts. CHAPTER I. Birth and Parentage. — Early Education. — Enters Dartmouth College. — His Fondness for Theatrical Exhibitions while at College. — Travels among the Indians of the Six Na^ tions. — His Return to College. — Constructs a Canoe, and descends the Connecticut River in it alone to Hartford. — Dangers of the Passage. — His Enterprise compared to thai of Mango Park on the Niger CHAPTER n. Commences the Study of Theology. — Visits sev- eral Clergymen on Long Island. — Returns to Connecticut. — Abandons his Purpose of studying Divinity. — Sails from New London on a Voyage to Gibraltar. — Enlists there as a Soldier into the regular Service. — Released. 187484 VI CONTENTS. — Returns Home hy Way of the Barhary Coast and the West Indies% — Sails from New York to Ensland. — Enlists in the na- val Service. — Embarks with Captain Cook on his last Voyage round the World. . . . 00 CHAPTER III. Sails for the Cape of Good Hope^ and thence to New Holland ,and New Zealand. — Man' ners and Peculiarities of the People. — Omai^ the Otahcitan. — Departs from New Zealand^ and visits newly discovered Islands, — Arri- val at the Friendly Islands. — People of Ton- gatnhoo. — Ledyard passes a Night with the King. — Character and Habits of the Natives. — Their Propensity to Thieving. — Depart- ure from Tongataboo 51 CHAPTER IV. Society Islands. — Otaheite. — Language, Cus- toms, Religion, Laws, and Government of the Natives. — Sandwich Islands discovered. — Nootka Sound. — Cayinibalism. — Origin and Practice of Sacrifices. — Bering's Sfniit. — Cook sends Ledyard with two Indians in Search of a Russian Establishment. — Re- turns to the Ships, and reports to Captain Cook. — Sails to the Sandwich Islands. . . 83 *• rr; Ai(iirjir % C. . 1 ^ CONTENTS. rU 00 CHAPTER V. Cook arrives again at the Sandwich Islands.-^ The Natives show Symptoms of Uneasiness. — Cook departs f hut is compelled by a Storm to return. — Natives receive him coldly. — Is at- tacked and killed. — Ledyard^s Description of the Event. — Expedition sails for Kamtschat- ka, and returns to England, — Ledyard^s Opinions respecting the first Peopling of the South Sea Islands 120 61 4 CHAPTER VI. Ledyard returns to America. — Interview with his Mother. — Writes his Journal of Cook's Voyage. — Visits New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. — Plans a Voyage to the North- west Coast. — Failure of the Enterprise. — Was the first to propose such a Voyage. — Sails for Cadiz ; thence: to V Orient. — Goes to Paris 166 in Re- ^ tain . . 83 CHAPTER Vn. Meets with Mr. Jefferson at Paris. — Project of a Voyage to the Northwest Coast with Paul Jonesn — Jefferson and Lafayette. — Ledyard proposes a Journey through Russia and Siberia to Bering's Strait. — Observations in Paris. — Proceeds to London. — Sir Joseph ■ \ .'■ VUl CONTENTS. Banks and other Gentlemen contribute Funds to aid him in his Travels 201 CHAPTER VIII. Ledyard proceeds to Hamburg ; thence to Copen- hagen and Stockholm. — Journey round the Gulf of Bothnia. — Arrives at Petersburg. — Procures a Passport from the Empress. — Sets out for Siberia. — Crosses the Uralian Mountains. — Descriptions of the Country and the Inhabitants. — Arrives at Irkutsk. . . 233 i 'V, V CHAPTER IX. Residence at Irkutsk. — Account of the Tar' tars. — Pur Trade on the American Coast. — Lake Baikal. — Leaves Irkutsk for the Rivet Lena. — Scenery around the Baikal. — Esti' mate of the Number of Rivers in Siberia. — Proceeds down the Lena in a Bateau. — IIoS' pitality of the Inhabitants: — Ends his Voy- age at Yakutsk 271 CHAPTER X. Interview with the Commandant of Yakutsk. — Detained under false Pretences. — The Ycb- kuti Tartars. — Influence of Religion upon them. — Peculiarities of Features in the Tar- tar Countenance. — Difficulty of taking Fo- cabularies of unknown Languages. — Classi' I CON TENTS IX . 201 Jicntion of the Tartars and North American Indians. — Causes of the Difference of Color in the Human Race. — Tartars and Amer- ican Indians the same People 295 CHAPTER XI. Climate in Siberia. — Parti ulars concerning that Country. — Ltdyard's celebrated Eulogy on Women. — Captain Billings- meets him at Yakutsk. — Bering's Discovery. — Russian Voyages. — Russian Pur Trade. — Billings's Expedition. — His Instructions 392 . 271 I CHAPTER CII. Ledyard returns to Irnutsk. — Is seized by Or- der of the Empress ^ and hurried off in the Charge of two Guards. — Returns through Siberia to Kazan. — Purther Observations on the Tartars. — Passes Moscow, and arrives in Poland. — Proceeds to KorJgsberg, and thence to London. — Inquiry into the Motives of the Empress. — Her Declaration to Count Segur. — Lafayette's Remark on her Conduct. 363 CHAPTER XIII. Interview with Sir Joseph Banks in London.^-' I Engages to travel in jtfrica under the Aus- pices of the African Association. — Remark' able Instance of Decision of Character, — ■- I X CONTENTS. Letter to his Mother. — Visits Mr. Jefferson and Lafayette in Paris. — Sails from Mar- seilles to Alexandria in Egypt. — Arrives in Cairo. 372 CHAPTER XIV. Interview with the Aga. — Observations on the Customs of the Arabs. — Information respect- ing the Interior of Africa. — Visit to the Caravans and Slave Markets. — Reflections on his Condition and Prospects. — His last juetter to Mr. Jefferson. — Joins a Caravan, and prepares to depart for Sennaar. — Taken suddenly ill. — His Death. — His Person and Character, 396 I - \ ferson Mar- ves in . . 372 ^ m the 'spect- lo the xtions 's last "avan, Taken ^erson . . 396 LIFE OF JOHN L E D Y A R D vol,. XIV. r *" • : ill ; M 1 ' 1 1 1 -.1 ■i ■! ' ' 1 ' ■ i' 1 <. \ I 4 PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. .■qf Not long after the death of John Ledyard, the traveller, some progress was made in col- lecting materials for an account of his life by his relative, Dr. Isaac Ledyard, of Ne*. York. The biographer's task was never begun, how- ever, and the project was abandoned; but the papers procured for the purpose have been pre- served by the family of Dr. Ledyard, and have furnished the facts for much the larger portion of the present narrative. Researches have also been made in other quarters, and important original letters obtained. Particular acknowl- edgment is due to Mr. Henry Seymour, of Hartford, Connecticut, for the aid he has ren- dered in this respect. All the papers that have been used are entitled to the credit of unques- tionable authenticity. Wherever it could be done, without deviat- ing too much from a regular and proportionate train of events, the traveller has been allowed to speak for himself. His manner of thinking, I ' PREFACE 1 M i as well as of acting, was so peculiar, that a true picture of his mind and genius, his mo- tives and feelings, could not be exhibited in any other way with so much distinctness, as through the medium of his own language. Free and full selections from his manuscript Letters and Journals are interspersed. His in- cessant activity, want of leisure, and few op- portunities of practising composition as an art, afford an apology for the imperfections of his style, which the candid reader will regard •in the favorable light it deserves. His diction is never polished, and his words are not always well ohosen ; but his ideas are often original, copious, well combined, and forcibly expressed. In executing this work, the only aim has been to bring together a series of facts, which should do justice to the fame and character of a man, who possessed qualities and* per- formed deedS; that rendered him remarkable, and are worthy of being remembered. If the author has been successful in this attempt, he is rewarded for the labor it has cost him. i M I I October, 1827. Soon after the fjr«rt publication of this Me- moir, it was ascertained that a portrait of Led- I ^*^»^ ^ PREFACE. r, that a his mo- libited in ctness, as language, lanuscript His in- 1 few op- as an art, lis of his regard * in diction is ot always I original, expressed. ' aim has cts, which character and' per- emarkable, d. If the ttempt, he , him. yard existed in Stockholm, painted by Breda, ail artist of celebrity, who had known Led- yard in London. The picture was seen at Stockholm, by an American traveller, in pos- I session of the artist, who was then far ad- I vanced in life. It is doubtless the same that is mentioned by Ledyard as his "Swedish portrait," and which he pronounces to be "not only a perfect likeness, but a good painting." An effort was immediately made to procure this picture, or a copy ; but, on inquiry, it was found that the artist had died, his pictures had been sold and dispersed, and no one could tell into whose hands this portrait had fallen. It is therefore probably lost to the world, as few i persons now living could identify it. f this Me- ait of Led- 1^ ,1 1' * * , ■ :i ■ m ■''it ffl I 'I i j JOHN LEDYARD. CHAPTER I. I i Birth and Parentage. — Early Education. — En' ters Dartmouth College. — His Fondness for ' Theatrical Exhibitions while at College. — Travels among the Indians of the Six Na- tions. — His Return to College. — Constructs a Canoe, and descends the Connecticut River in it alone to Hartford. — Dangtr* of the Passage. —His Enterprise compared to that of Mungo Park on the Niger. John Ledtard, the celebrated traveller, was born in the year 1751, at Groton, in Connecti- cut, a small village on the bank of the River Thames, opposite to New London. The place of his birth is but a few hundred yards from Fort Griswold, so well known in the history of the American revolution. His grandfather, named also John Ledyard, came in early life to America, and settled at 8 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ■! ! I i"! ! i ! Southold, Long Island, as a small trader in dry goods. He was a native of Bristol, Eng- land, and had been bred a merchant in Lon- don. Being prosperous in business at South- old, he was soon married to a lady of amiable qualities and good fortune, the daughter of Judge Young, a gentleman of character and influence in that place. From Southold he removed to Groton, where he purchased an dstate, and resided many years. He had ten children, and after the death of his wife he removed to Hartford, in Connecticut, and there spent the remainder of his life. For his sec- ond wife he married Mrs. Ellery, a respectable widow lady of Boston. To his eldest son, who had the same name as himself, he gave the estate at Groton. He was a sea captain, engaged in the West India trade, a man of sound understanding, vigorous constitution, and industrious habits. But he died at the age of thirty-five, leaving a widow and four children, three sons and one daughter, of whom the subject of this memoir was the eldest. Colonel William Ledyard, the brave commander in the memorable action of Fort Griswold, who was barbarously slain after the capitulation, was the second son. It thus appears that John Ledyard, the trav- eller, was the third of that name in lineal de- I 1 I I ; ' I' t^ "^ JOHN L E D Y A 11 D . 9 rader in ol, Eng- in Lon- Soiith- amiable filter of cter and thold he liased an had ten wife he md there his seo- spectable ime name (ton. He ''est India , vigorous But he ; a widow daughter, • was the the brave 1 of Fort after tbe , the trav- lineal de- scent. His mother, who was the daughter of Robert Hempsted, of Southold, has been de- scribed as a lady of many excellences of mind and character, beautiful in person, well in- formed, resolute, generous, amiable, kind, and, above all, eminent for piety and the religious virtues. Such a mother is the best gift of Heaven to a family of helpless young children. In the present instance, all her courage and all her strength of character were necessary, to carry her through the duties and trials which devolved upon her. The small estate, which had belonged to her husband in Groton, was, by some strange neglect of her friends, or criminal fraud never yet explained, taken from her soon after his death. During a visit to Long Island, the deed, which she had left with a confidential person, disappeared. As this deed was the only evidence of her title to the property, and her claim could not be substantiated without it, the whole reverted to its former owner, her husband's father, who was still living. The particulars of this trans- action are not now known, nor is it necessary to inquire into them. It is enough to state the fact that such an event occurred, and thai tKe widowed mother with four infant children was thus thrown destitute upon the world. In this condition she and her children repaired I I' l'"l r i:.' ' .1, "•li' iU ^ll< i 'I ■1:1' m 10 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. to the house of her father in Sonthold, where they found protection and support. The es- tate at Groton afterwards fell into the hands of Colonel William Ledyard. It may be supposed that misfortune did not weaken her parental solicitude, nor make her neglectful of her liigh trust. The education of her children was the absorbing object of her thoughts and exertions. Her eldest sou was now of an age to receive impressions, that would become deeply wrought into his mind, and give a decided bias to his future charac- ter. In the marked features of his eventful life, eccentric and extraordinary as it was, full of temptations, crosses, and sufferings, may often be traced lineaments of virtues, and good im- pulses, justly referred to such a source, to the early cares and counsels of a judicious, sensi- ble, and pious mother. Nor were these coun- sels scattered in a vacant mind, nor these cares wasted on a cold heart ; in his severest disap- pointments and privations, in whatever clime or among whatever people, whether contending with the fierce snows of Siberia or the burn- ing sands of Africa, the image of his rnother always came with a beam of joy to his soul, and was cherished there with delight. Such of his letters to her as have been preser"'?d are written with a tenderness of filial aftec- 1 I ., f '!' ">■ JOHN LEDYARD. 11 i, where rhe es- 3 hands did not ake her iucation )ject of lest sou Dns, that s mind, charac- eventful vas, full ay often Dod im- , to the s, sensi- se coun- se cares It disap- ;r clime itending le burn- mother his soul, . Such >reser"-?d al aftec- 1 M 1 ;=?; M M tion, that could flow only from an acute sen- sibility and a good heart. A few years after leaving Groton, and set- tling at Southold, Mrs. Ledyard was married to a second husband, Dr. Moore, qf the latter place. At this time her son John was taken into the family of his grandfather at Hartford, who, from tliat period, seems to have consid- ered him as wholly under his charge. Tra- dition tells of peculiarities in his manners and habits at this early age, of acts indicating the bent of his genius, and the romantic disposi- tion that gave celebrity to his after life. But no recoixi of his schoolboy adventures has come down to us, and we are left to conjec- ture in what manner the wild spirits of a youth like his would exhibit themselves. He attended the grammar school in Hartford, it is to be presumed, with commendable proficiency, since he was at first designed for the profes- sion of the law. Several months were passed by him as a student in the office of Mr. Thomas Seymour, a respectable lawyer of that place, who had married his aunt. Meantime his grandfather died, and Mr. Sey- mour became his guardian, and took him to his own house. Whether Ledyard turned his thoughts to the law by his voluntary choice, or by the advice and wishes of his friends, 'III ' 'I i h vl li: II I' I'll 12 AMERICAN BIOGRAFIir. who desired to quiet his temper, by fixing him in some settled pursuit, is not related ; most probably the latter, for it was soon man- ifest, that neither the protouud wisdom, the abstruse learning, nor the golden promises of the law, had any charms lor him. It was de- cided without reluctance on his part, therefore, that he should leave the path, which he had found so intricate, and in which he had made so little progress, and enter upon one more congenial to his inclination, and presenting ob- jects more attractive to his taste and fancy. Here was a difficult point to be determined. The pursiut, which would accord best with the propensities, temperament, and wishes of John Ledyard, and best promote his future usefulness and success, was a tiling not to be decided, even at that time of his life, by the common rules of judging in such cases ; it was a preliminary, which no one probably would have been more perplexed than him- self to establish. Never was he accustomed to look forward with unwavering predilections, to prepare for contingencies, or to mark out a course from which he would not stray. To be seeking some distant object, imposing and attractive in his own conceptions, and to move towards it on the tide of circumstances, through perils and difficulties, was among the ^'i •I J0 *? JOHN liEDYARD 13 fixing elated ; I maii- m, the ses of v^as de- erefore, he had i made 3 more ing ob- ticy. rmined. st with hes of future to be by the .ses ; it robably ti him- istomed ections, c out a To ng and o move stances, )ng the ■V' ?.■ chief pleasures of his existence. On enter- prises, in which no obstacles were to be en- countered, no chances to be run, no disappoint- ments to be apprehended, no rewards of haz- ardous adventure to be looked for, he bestowed not a thought ; but let a project be started, thickly beset with dangers, and promising suc- cess only through toils and sufferings, deeds of courage, and the resolute efforts of an untiring spirit, and not a man would grasp at it so eagerly, or pursue it with so much intenseness of purpose. The wholesome maxim of pro- viding for the morrow rarely found a place in his ethics or his practice ; and as he never allowed himself to anticipate misfortunes, so he never took any pains to guard against them. He was now, at the age of nineteen, with very narrow means, few friends, and no defi- nite prospects. In this state of his affairs, as it was necessary for something to be done, he was compelled to look around him, and for a moment to exercise that foresight, which the tenor of his life proves him to have been so reluctant on most occasions to call to his aid. And, after all, he was more indebted to acci- dent, than to his own deliberations, for the immediate event^^ that awaited him. Dr. Wheelock, the amiable and pious " founder of lii ■I ;, I ''ll! 8. il t;: 14 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, Dartmouth College, had been the intimate friend of his graiidfather ; and prompted by the remembrance of this tie, he invited Led- yard to enter his institution, recently estab- lished at Hanover, New Hampshire, amidst the forests on the banks of the Connecticut River. This offer was accepted, and in the spring of 1772, he took up his residence at this new seat of learning, with the apparent intention of qualifying himself to become a missionary among the Indians. His mother's wishes and advice had proba- bly much influence in guiding him to this resolution. In accordance with the religious spirit of that day, she felt a strong compassion for the deplorable state of the Indians, and it was among her earliest and fondest hopes of this her favorite son, that, he would be edu- cated as a missionary, and become an approved instrument in the hands of Providence to bring these degraded and suffering heathen to a knowledge of a pure religion, and the bless- ings of civilized life. When she saw this door opened for the realizing of her hopes, and her son placed under the charge of the most eminent laborer of his (Jay in the cause of the Indians, her joy was complete. From the first settlement of the country much zeal and much disinterested philan- 1% M JOHN LEDYARD. 15 intimate pted by 3d Led- ■f estab- lidst the It River. )ring of his new- intention issionary i proba- to this religious mpassion 3, and it lopes of be edu- approved ence to at hen to liQ bless- saw this ir hopes, 3 of the he cause country philan- thropy have been exercised, in attempts to convert the Indians to Christianity, and induce them to adopt the manners and participate the comforts of civilized men. Eliot (rightly named the Apostle to the Indians) and the May hews are entitled to the praises, which succeeding times have bestowed on them ; and the eiforts of the Society in Great Brit- ain for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, were prompted by motives of the no- blest kind, and were bestowed with an ardor and with sacrifices, that demand a generous tribute from the pen of history, and the grate- ful remembrance of posterity. For many years little had been done, however, till the popular talents and fervent zeal of David Brainerd caused the journals of his missionary tours to be read throughout the country, his labors ap- plauded, and his success regarded as an evi- lence of the great w-crk, that might be wrought by the proper use of means. About this time the Reverend Eleazer Wheelock, who was then a settled clergyman in Lebanon, Connecticut, formed the scheme of an Indian School, which should have the double object of preparing young preachers for tl^e missionary field, and of educating Indian youth, who should return to their tribes, and become teachers among their own people. IN II: rl: m I'!,'' W. il I; M" I ' . mi' '. ]\. , "II, : '!''•■ i ■ ' ''"!,| i w m ; 16 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. Without show or ostentation, Dr. Wheelock commenced the school at his own house, and almost at his own charge. He began with two pupils, one of whom was Sampson Ce- cum, an Indian of the Mohegan tribe, after- wards so much celebrated as a preacher, and for his instructions to the Indians. The school, gradually increased, and so benevolent an undertaking, pursued with such singleness of purpose, could not fail to attract public no- tice and approbation. He was aided by con- tributions from individuals, and the province of Massachusetts voted to pay, for a certain time, the expense of educating six Indian children. Mr. Joshua Moor, who owned lands in Leba- non, gave a portion of them for the benefit of this school ; and from this circumstance the seminary for the education of Indian boys, afterwards attached to Dartmouth College, was called Maoris Indian School. But Dr. Wheelock still found, that pupils from the forest flocked to him faster than he could provide for them. He thought it now time to adopt the expedient of sending to England, and soliciting assistance from the wealthy and charitable on the other side of the water. For this object, Sampson Cecum and another cieigyman were sent out as agents, furnished with testimonials of their A '"% JOHN LEDYARD. 17 ^eelock ise, and % n with i on Oc- f , after- ■* er, and The ■1 levolent igleness blic no- )y con- dnce of • ■ in time, '/ hildren. ; ( I Leba- nefit of nee the A 1 boys, ;ge, was "'■r. t pupils %. than he it now ding to om the side of Occum out as Df their i character, and certificates of approbation from eminent persons in the colonies. Occum was looked upon as a wonder in England. He was the first Indian preacher from North America, that had ever been seen in the Old World; wherever he went crowds ga.hered around him, and it has been the lot of few speakers to address audiences so thronged. A North American Indian in a pulpit, eloquently preaching in the English tongue, was a phe- nomenon too nearly miraculous to pass un- seen or unheard. It was said, moreover, that he exhibited in his person and character a practical example of what might be done with Indians, when fairly brought under the influ- ence of instruction. All this was highly favorable to the great ends of the mission, and in a few months a subscription was obtained, and money paid to the amount of nearly ten thousand pounds. The King gave two hundred pounds, and sev- eral gentlemen one hundred each. The mon- ey was deposited in the hands of trustees in England, and drawn out as occasion required. With this addition to his resources. Dr. Whee- lock began to think of enlarging the plan of his S(3hool, and removing nearer to the fron- tiers, both to diminish the expcr.se of living, and to be nearer the Indians. After examin- VOL. XIV. if! nii'i m r ■ -ft I .ffi; : m I > 18 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ing several situations, he selected Hanover, then almost a wilderness, to which place he removed in 1773, cut away the trees, and erected the institution, which he called Dari- ' mouth College, in honor of Lord Dartmouth, who had ' manifested zeal and liberality in col- lecting the Indian fund in England. To this college, about two years after it was founded, Ledyard resorted, to prepare himself for the arduous office of a missionary among the Indians. The nature of a missionary's life at that time, and the prospects of the young candidate for siich a station, may be fully realized by a perusal of the letters from the Reverend Samuel Kirkland to Dr. Whee- lock, written previously to the removal from Lebanon. Mr. Kirkland was a graduate of Nassau Hall, in New Jersey, and, when quali- fied for the ministry, he undertook a mission to the Seneca Indians, the most remote and fierce of the confederate nations. He contin- ued there more than a year and a half, and gained the confidence of some of the chief persons of the tribe ; but so general was the aversion to the whites, and to the arts of civ- ilized life, that, after a thorough experiment, he despaired of any such success as would be adequate to the sacrifices he must make, and the sufierings he must endure. Leaving the I ■J 1 , ■lill, I m JOHN LEDYARD. 19 Haijover, place he ees, and jd Dart- rtmouth, y in col- er it was himself J among sionary's of the may be ers from ■. Whee- ral from luate of jn qiiali- mission lote and ! contin- lalf, and le chief was the 3 of civ- )eriment, irould be 3.ke, and tring the -.4 Senecas, . therefore, he next proceeded to th*e Oneidas, with whom he took up a permanent residence. Here poverty, and famine, and wretchedness stared him in the face. Nor were these the worst evils, with which he was obliged to contend. The capricious temper and furious passions of the savages, especially when intoxicated, frequently put his life in jeopardy, and kept him in a state of unceas- ing alarm. All these things were endured by Mr. Kirk- land with a Christian fortitude, which nothing but a deep sense of the sacred nature of his duties could have enabled him to maintain. He triumphed at last ; he lived many years with the Oneidas, and had the satisfaction to see that his toils were not fruitless. The In- dians revered him as a father; they had the wisdom to respect and sometimes to follow his counsels ; a visible change took place in their character and modes of life ; the rough features of the savage were softened, famine and want chased away, and the comforts of life multiplied. These advantages the sons of the forest saw and felt. No man has ever been more successful than Mr. Kirkland in improving the condition of the Indians, and, to the last day of his life, he continued to receive from them earnest demonstrations of affection and gratitude. .1 : IP'! 1:' .1. iiil: till: r.'j: |i:|. *»•! 11. I I; 20 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. : i'l„i;l To this brief sketch it is hardly necessary to add that, when the revohitionary war came on, a check was given to the designs of the benevolent in behalf of the Indians, They engaged in the strife, which had been kindled by their white neighbors, and the voice of the missionary was silenced by the war whoop and the din of battle. Many of Dr. Whee- lock's Indian pupils, having gone through a regular course of instruction, had returned to their homes, and were beginning to scatter the light they had received ; but their influence was lost amidst the ravages of war. Much was it to be lamented, that the agency of a school, to which Dr. Wheelock had devoted the years of a long and toilsome life, and which had awakened a lively interest in the friends of humanity, should be so soon brought to an end, and nothing be seen in the result but a melancholy waste of time, talents, and money. Such was the condition of a missionary among the Indians, and such the origin and purpose of the institution, to which Led yard resorted for an education, which should qual- ify him to enter upon hip destined task. Not many memorials remain of his college life. The whole time of his residence at Dart- mouth was not more than one year, and dur- : : Ij' ! : . '"it-' ' 1 "'ii'il ' : Mlliiilii: JOHN LEDYARD. 21 lecessciry irar came s of the They 1 kindled ;e of the : whoop :. Whee- irough a urned to catter the influence Much ricy of a . devoted life, and in the 1 brought he result ents, and lissionary igin and Led yard lid qual- isk. Not ege life, at Dart- and dur- ing that period he was absent three months and a half, rambling among the Indians. A classmate still living recollects, that he had then some amusing singularities, was cheerful and gay in conversation, vanning in his ad- dress, and a favorite with his fellow-students. His journey from Hartford to Hanover was performed in a sulky, the first vehicle of the kind that had ever been seen on Dartmouth plain ; and it attracted curiosity not more from this circumstance, than from the odd appear- ance of the equipage. Both the horse and the sulky gave evident tokens of having known better days ; and the dress of their owner was peculiar, bidding equal defiance to symmetry of proportions and the fashion of the times. In addition to the traveller's own weight, this ancient vehicle was burdened with a quantity of calico for curtains, and other articles to as- sist in theatrical exhibitions, of which he was very fond. From the character of this outfit, we may conclude that he did not intend time should pass on heavy wings at Dartmouth. Considering the newness of the country, the want of bridges, and the bad state of the roads, this jaunt in a crazy sulky was thought to indicate no feeble spirit of enterprise. The journey might have been performed with much more ease and expedition on horseback, but in i!';'i •S|! I ■!i i. f :i|. Milnl •If 'II' ill' 22 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHT. that case his theatrical apparatus mnst have been left behind. As a scholar at college he was respectable, but not over diligent. He acquired knowledge with facility, and could make quick progress when he chose ; but he was impatient under discipline, and thought nothing more irksome than to go by compulsion to a certain place at certain times, and tread from day to day the same dull circle of the chapel, the recitation room, the commons hall, and the study. It is not affirmed, that he ever ventured to set up any direct hostility to the powers that ruled, but he sometimes demeaned himself in a man- ner, that must take from him the praise of a shining example of willing subordination. In those primitive times, the tones of a bell had not been heard in the forests of Dartmouth, and the students were called together by the sound of a conch-shell, which was blown in turn by the freshmen. Ledyard was indignant at being sumriioned to this duty, and it was his custom to perform it with a reluctance and in a manner corresponding to his sense of the degradation. The scenic materials, brought with so much pains from Hartford, were not suffered to lie useless. The calico was manufactured into curtains, a stage was fitted up, and plays were ;l Vi\i' nst have spec table, iiowledge progress nt under ', irksome lin place 3 day the recitation ly. It is set up lat ruled, in a man- aise of a tion. In bell had artmouth, !r by the blown in indignant id it was tance and se of the so much ed to lie ured into lays were JOHN LEDYARD. 23 acted, in which our hero personated the chief characters. Caio was among the tragedies brought out upon his boards, and in this he acted the part of old Syphax, wearing a long gray beard, and a dress suited to his notion of the costume of a Numidian prince. His trage- dies were doubtless comedies to the audience, but they all answered his purpose of amuse- ment, and of introducing a little variety into the sober tenor of a student's life. At this period h<3 was much addicted to reading plays, and his passion for the drama probably stole away many hours, that might have been more profitably employed in preparing to exhibit himself before his tutors. He had not been quite four months in col- lege, when he suddenly disappeared without previous notice to his comrades, and apparent- ly without permission from the president. The full extent of his travels during his absence cannot now be known, but he is understood to have wandered to the bordei-s of Canada, and among the Six Nations. It is certain, that he acquired in this excursion a knowl- edge of Indian manners and Indian language, wliich was afterwards of essential service to him in his intercourse with savages in various parts of the world. His main object, probably, was to take a cursory survey of the mission- r " :i> i 'I I:" iij'i I, i'il; fei, 1 ,; 'I •■ 24 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ary ground, which he was contemplating as the theatre of his future career; and, judging from what followed, we may suppose that this foretaste put an end to all his anticipations. Nothing more is heard of his missionary pro- jects, although it is not clear at what time he absolutely abandoned them. When three months and a half had expired, he" returned to college and resumed his studies. If his dran;atic performances were not re- vived, as it would seem they were not, his erratic spirit did not sink into a lethargy for want of expedients to keep it alive. In mid- winter, when the ground was covered with deep snow, Ledyard collected a party, whom he persuaded to accompany him to the sum- mit of a neighboring mountain, and there pass the night. Dr. Wheelock consented to the project, as his heart was bent on training up the young men to be missionaries among the Indians, and he was willing they should be- come iiuired to hardships, to which a life among savages would frequently expose them. The projector of the expedition took the lead of his volunteers, and conducted them by a pathless route through the thickets of a swamp and forests, till they reached the top of the mountain, just in time to kindle a fire, and ar- range their encampment on the snow before it JOHN LEDYARD. 25 ating as , judging that this 3ipatioiis. lary pro- hat time en three turned to 3 not re- not, his riargy for In mid- red with y, whom the sum- liere pass d to the lining up nong the iqiild be- h a hie )se them. the lead em by a a swamp )p of the B, and ar- before it t was dark. The night, as may be supposed, was dreary and sleepless to most of the party, and few were they who did not greet the dawn with gladness. Their leader was alert, prompt at his duty, and pleased with his suc- cess. The next day, tliey returned home, all perfectly satisfied, unless it were Ledyard, with this single experiment of their hardihood, without being disposed to make another sim- ilar trial. He had a propensity for climbing mountains, as will be seen hereafter when we meet him at the Sandwich Islands. After abandoning his missionary schemes, he began to grow weary of college, and the more so, probably, as his unsettled habits now and then drew from the president a salutary admonition on the importance of a right use of time, and a regard for the regulations of the establishment. Such hints he conceived to be an indignity, and fancied himself ill treated. fThat there was value in rules of order and discipline he did not pretend to deny, but seemed at a loss to imagine why they should apply to him. That the whole subject might be put at rest, without involving any puzzling questions of casuistry, he resolved to escape. On the margin of the Connecticut River, which runs near the college, stood many ma- jestic forest trees, nourished by a rich soil. !!*j'i T tiii 26 AMERlxSAN inon RAPHY. ft'' ' I ■ "111)''' :<:t,,:" ,^W:ti i^wir in. f '11!'!!!' #1.1 ::i; II' One of these Ledyard contrived to cut down. He then set himself at Avork to fashion its trunk into a canoe, and in this labor he wa§ assisted by some of his fellow-students. As the canoe was fifty feet long and three wide, and was to be dug out and constructed by these unskilful Avorkmen, the task was not a trifling one, nor such as could be speedily exe- cuted. Operations were carried on with spirit, however, till Ledyard wounded himself with an axe, and was disabled for several days. When recovered, he applied himself anew to his work ; the canoe was finished, launched into the stream, and, by the further aid of his companions, equipped and prepared for a voy- age. His wishes were now at their consum- mation, and, bidding adieu to these haunts of the muses, where he had gained a dubious fame, he set off alone, with a light heart, to explore a river, with the navigation of which he h'dd not the slightest acquaintance. The distance to Hartford was not less than one hundred and forty miles, much of the way was through a wilderness, and in several places there were dangerous falls and rapids. With a bearskin for a covering, and his canoe well stocked with provisions, he yielded himself to the current, and floated leisurely down the stream, seldom using his paddle, and niji!! JOHN L K D Y A R D . 27 !Ut down, ishion its )r he wa§ ents. As iree wide, meted by vas not a edily exe- /^ith spirit, iself with eral days. ' anew to , launched aid of his for a voy- r consnm- hannts of a dubious heart, to of which ice. than the way eral places s. and his he yielded leisurely paddle, and The one t stopping only in the night for sleep. He told Mr. Jefferson, in Paris, fourteen years after- wards, that he took only two books with him, a Greek Testament and Ovid, one of which he was deeply engaged in reading when his canoe approached Bellows's Falls, whore he was suddenly roused by the noise of the wa- ters rushing among the rocks through the nar- row passage. The danger was imminent, as no boat could go down that fall without be- ing instantly daslied in pieces. With diffi- culty he gained the shore in time to escape such a catastrophe, and through the kind as- sistance of the people in the neighborhood, who ■were astonished at the novelty of such a voy- age down the Coniiecticut, his canoe was drawn by oxen around the fall, and committed again to the water below. From that time, till he arrived at his place of destination, we hear of no accident, although he was carried through several dangerous passes in the river. On a bright spring morning, just as the sun was rising, some of Mr. Seymour's family were standing near his house on the high bank of tlie small river, that runs through the city of Hartford, and empties itself into the Connecti- cut River, v.-^hen they espied at some distance an object of unusual appearance moving slow- ly up the stream. Others were attracted by ill '■• \m 1, ," M Iff... m ■■..t* *l,| liif; 111" , ,, M l"!^r: I ! (Ml, « 'I: fe-rii 28 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, the singularity of the sight, and all were con- jecturing what it could be, till its questiona- ble shape assumed the true and obvious form of a canoe ; but by what impulse it was moved forward none could determine. Some- thing was seen in the '^tern, but apparently without life or motion. At length the canre touched the shore directly in front of the house ; a person sprang from the stern to a rock in the edge of the water, threw off a bearskin in Avhich he had been enveh^ped, and behold John Ledyard, in the presence of his uncie and coniiections, who were filled with wonder at this sudden apparition, for they had received no intelligence of his intention to leave Daitmouth, but supposed him still there diligently pursuing his studies, and fitting him- self to be a missionary among the Indians. However unimportant this whimsical adven- ture may have been in its results, or even its objects, it was one of no ordinary peril, and illustrated in a forcible manner the character of the navigator. The voyage was performed in the last part of April or first of May, and of course the river was raised by the recent melting of the snow on the mountains. This circumstance probably rendered the rapids less dangerous, but it may be questioned whether there are many persons at the present day, "m % i * 'W. m JOHN LEDYARD. 29 ^ere con- uestiona- ous form 5 it was Some- pparently lie canre of the tern to a w off a ^ped, and ;e of [lis led with they had mtion to till there ing him- iians. d adven- even its leril, and character lerfornied ^lay, and le recent s. This pids less whether ent day, 1 w vf who would willingly run the same hazard, even if guided by a pilot skilled in the navi- gation of the river. We cannot look back to Ledyard, thus launching himself alone in so frail a bark upon the waters of a river wholly unknown to him, without being reminded of the only similar occurrence, which has been recorded, the voyage down the River Niger by Mungo Park, a name standing at the very head of those most renowned for romantic and lofty enterprise. The melancholy fate, it is true, by which he was soon arrested in his noble ca- reer, adds greatly to the interest of his situa- tion when pushing from the shore his little boat Joliba, and causes us to read his last af- fecting letter to his wife with emotions of sympathy more intense, if possible, than would be felt if the tragical issue were not already known. In many points of character there was a strong resemblance between these two distinguished travellers, and they both perished martyrs in the same cause, at empting to ex- plore the hidden regions of Africa. ■*i ■ !i!!ilf I 111"'" m n P' it '•I' "■:;' ■Hit .; ;;! :1 ! '■!';■ '■" ifhi;'; '■ 11- • ]■»". 'I, 5 ;'i!;|:t'l||:;| 30 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. CHAPTER II. Commences the Study of Theology. — Visits sev eral Clergymen on Long Island. — - Returns to Connecticut: — Abandons his Purpose of ■study- ing Divinity. — Sails from New London on a Voyage to Gibraltar. — Enlists there as a Sol- dier into the regular Service. — Released. — Returns Home by Way of the Borbary Coast and the West Indies. — Sail!i *" ' New York to England. — Enlists in the naval Service. — Embarks with Captain Cook on his last Voy- age round the World, As Ledyard left Hanover when Dr. VVliee- lock was absent, this was probably seized upon by him as a fit opportunity for taking his de- parture. A few days after his arrival in Hart- ford^ his uncle thought proper to show hhn some of Dr. Wheelock's letters, in whi< ', < :e very just complaints of his conduct, Lir i i' - gard of discipline, and particularly his thou^.r- less waste of the small means lie posyessed, which his friends flattered themselves might, with good economy, be made to })ay the ex- penses of his education. These letters of the president were apparently written no! -jo much by way of accusation, as to viudicti '"imseK JOHN LEDYARD. 31 ,sits sev" cturns to )f 3tudy~ . Ion on a as a Sol- k eased. — ry Coast ew York zrvice. — last Voy- \ Whee- '# led upon J his de- in Hart- 10 w hkxi i' '. t. :e v. : -r' - ' th()U5^;.r- )Ossessed, s might, the ex- rs of the •;o much ';imsel'' .<-' from any charge of neglect that might be made against him, on account of the ill suc- cess of his efforts to manage a young man, whom he had no other motive for taking un- der his particular care, than good will for the grandson of his deceased friend, and regard for his family. Led yard was much incensed at these letters, and replied to them under the impulse of feelings not the most kindly or respectful. From his nature he was extremely impatient of reproach, and ever deemed it an unpardon- able offence in any one to question his mo- tives, or insinuate that he could act delib- erately and intentionally wrong. His foibles he could bear to have touched with a gentle hand, but no one ventured a suspicion of his integrity, or of the kindness of his heart, with impunity. He often lamented the failure of ■purposes caused by his fondness for change and love of advent^ire ; but at no time did he allow himself to think, that he was not pur- suing great and worthy objects, and such as would redouiid to his honor, and the good of mankind. With this disposition, and this con- fidence \:\ himself, it was natural that he should sometimes regard the opinions, which others entertained of his conduct, with stronger feelings of disapprobation than the merits of I hh\r t! ;.! it; ii;!' 11. '.;;i;i 'I '. h'l;' I Ji.'n. ill. !!' ! llii'^ 'm "Kih iii.i, :■■ : : :h i'lir 1 '-'i'lii ■^ili' I M 32 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. the case required. In reading the following extracts from a letter to Dr. Wheelock, these particulars should be kept in mind; and it should, moreover, be remembe ed that, whether right or wrong, he really fancied himself not well treated at Dartmouth. " When I sit down to write," says he, " I know not where to begin, or where to end, or what to say, especially since I have the con- tents of two of your letters concerning my affairs. What do I see? Who is this that assumes the port of compassion, kindness, be- nevolence, charity, and writes as he writes? You begin. Sir, with a surprise, that my leg- acy was so much exhausted. Justly might you, Sir, but not more so than my unfortunate self; and if truth has not turned liar, if any protestations, any declarations of honesty, up- rightness, or anything else can avail, I now, under the most sacred obligations, bond fide, declare I was not aware of it ; and when I saw the letters and account, I was so nuich ashamed of my inadvertency, and so justly culpable before you, that I could not compose myself to come before you, and answer for my misconduct. But from that moment, with much anxiety and care, I studied to remedy the matter. This I declare was the honest • purpose of my lieart ; and to make yon rep- % ! ,si m jp JOHN LEDYAim. 33 bllowing 'A, ;k, these ■ ■ . ■ - and it whether Qself not 5 he, "I 1 i o end, or the con- ning my this that iness, be- 3 writes ? t my leg- ly might ifortunate if any ir, lesty, up- , I now, bond fide, when I so much so justly compose nswer for lent, with remedy ic honest yon rep- aration still is ; and, under Heaven, you shall say you are satisfied. Then, Sir, you say, a little af'er, that you could have no confidence in me, after the character given of me by Mr. Seymour. 1 am sorry. Sir, you could not. "I take what you have said, in regard to my pride, very ill natured, very unkind in you. So far as I know myself, I came to your col- lege under influences of the good kind, wheth- er you. Sir, believe it or not. The acquaint- ance I have gained there is dearer than I can possibly express. Farewell, dear Dartmouth ! Doctor, my heart is as pure as the new fallen snow. Farewell, and may the God of Abra- ham, Isaac, and Jacob, bless you and yours. I am, honored and reverend Sir, though sorely beset, your obliged and dutiful young servant." Here end all the fjarticulars, which have come to niy knowledge, respecting Ledyard's college life. He next appears before us in the character of a student in divinity. Within a month after mooring his canoe at the river's bank in Hartford, he is found at Preston, in Connecticut, advising with the Reverend Mr. Hart, a clergyman of that town, on the subject of his theological studies and prospects, and also with the Reverend Dr. Bellamy, at that time a preacher of wide fame in Connecticut. Both of these clergymen gave him such en- VOL. xiv. 3 ' ji il:i|j i' III 2 '!;, lit: l'"' "ii ' ai- ■'i!-!!;; ,"i. 1*1;' ■■ i"'-i;;:"' 41' I :ff ■111'. ■ ''I', .!.■ ■ 'li^^ii:'!'!; :>i:!!l'l!' '.i'il.:i ;.;■ ll' ::'.lr.;:; h r.|,.j Ml!! J ri'f::ffii; "'•tiilFllji- ':!:;;: ;''ir >,i!'i:;. II PIS': 34 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. couragement, that he resolved to apply him- self immediately to a preparation for dischar- ging the sacred functions of a divine, and turn the rufiied tenor of his life into the quiet and grateful occupation of a parish minister. He speaks of his anticipations on this occasion with a heartiness and enthusiasm,- whiclii show, at least, that he imagined himself sincere, and that in the future he fancied he had only to look for the unalloyed blessings of tranquillity, competence, and peace. Such was his haste to realize these precious hopes, that he had not patience to wait the usual term required of young candidates, who had not been grad- uated at a college. To facilitate the attainment of this end, his advisers recommended that he should go to Long Island, and there pass through his initia- tory studies, where, it was said, smaller at- tainments were required for admission to the desk ; and, when once admitted, he might re- ■uni and procure a settlement wherever there should be an opening. With this scheme he was well satisfied, and being furnished by the above gentlemen with suitable letters of rec- ommendation, he mounted his horse and set off for Long Island, with the same buoyancy of spirits as when, two months before, he en- tered his canoe at Dartmouth, and with a 4 m >i -ii ■ '"rfe M- I 11 i||l!'i' illlil i pill JOHN LEDYARD, 35 )ly him- dischar- ind turn uiet and er. He occasion 111 show, ere, and only to tiqnillity, lis haste he had required en grad- end, his d go to lis initia- aller at- i to the night re- ^er there heme he i by the ; of rec- and set juoyaiicy 2, he en- with a ■■g >*? purpose much more definite, and higher ex- pectations. In describing this tour, I shall let him speak in his own language, as contained in a letter written to a friend at the time. " Equipped with my credentials, I embarked for Long Island. The next day I fortunately arrived at Southold, surprised my mother with a visit, and after remaining with her twenty- four hours, I rode to the eastward. With an- other recommendatory letter from the Reverend Mr. Storrs, I crossed Shelter Island Ferry, and thence to East Hampton, where I met with a kind reception from the Reverend Mr. Buell, moderator of the synod, an influential man, and a glorious preacher. Here I was intro- duced to a very large library, and, in company with another young candidate, 1 spent about a month with intense application to study. But this was only an interregnum. Mr. Buell let me know, that the presbytery here proceed in these matters with a perfect extreme of delib- eration ; and since my circumstances were as they were, he advised me to comply with the dispensations of Providence, and seek a school, and study under some divine. I knew his advice to be as that from a father to a son, and, without a moment's hesitation, wiping the sweat of care from my brow, I bestrided my I 1--I i:-ii!iii s 'I''!,; , ■■ ■ '■'iil ;;; ;'■■■ ■tl" ' • ■:;ri.l'''ii :!|i ' I'. ;:..|; j '■■!:i::ji!i::;: •'!mi. it.i;ri; ■l:^ l^tiislj':!!!'!: •i-!l !iri";ii:i lilii: '1:1 " 36 AMERICAN BlOGKAPllY. Rosinaiite with a mountain of grief upon my shoulders, but a good letter in my pocket. I jogged on groaning, but never desponding, passed to Bridgetown, thence to Southampton, and through many little villages to Sataucket Quorum, then to Smithtown, Fireplace, Oyster Bay, and so on, visiting and making acquaint- ance with the clergy wherever I went. *• At length, after a ride of almost one hun- dred miles, by crossing the island I arrived at Huntington, a large town about forty miles from New York, where I visited the minister of the place, old Mr. Prime. After about twelve days' feasting upon his great library, and a quickly made friendship with the inge- nious Dr. Prime, formerly of New York, and a fruitless attempt to get a school, I was return- ing, but stopped to become acquainted with the excellent Irishman, the Reverend Mr. Cald- well, of Elizabeth Town, and the popular Dr. Rogers of New York ; and, after some cordials of consolation and encouragement, they bade me go on, and God speed me. They told me that the sufferings I met with, and the con- temptuous ideas the people where I was born and educated had of me, were nothing strange, but reflected honor on me ; that a prophet is hardly accepted in his own country, and the like. 1 '%. 1 f ■ J II X L E D Y A R D . 37 pon my ket. I (ondiiig, amptoii, itaiicket , Oyster cquaiiit- me huu- rived at ,y miles minister r about library, he inge- k, and a s return- ed with Hr. Cald- ular Dr. cordials ley bade told me he coii- i^as born strange, ophet is and the ■ft " I returned, after a very fatiguing journey, to Mr. Buell's, and stayed a short time with that hermit, where and with whom I longed to be buried in ease ; but I scorned to be a coward, and chose to die in front of battle, if any- where. We advised together anew, and it was resolved, that, since I was so disappointed, I should proceed with renewed vigor. Accord- ingly, with warm letters I came again to the continent, where I arrived in the evening, but thought it most prudent not to stop there, no, not where I was born. I dropped a tear upon the occasion, and rode on toward Pres- ton till eleven at night, when, feeling quite exhausted, for I had been severely sea-sick, I dismounted, left my horse to graze, looked up to heaven, and under its canopy fell asleep. The next morning I rode to my cousin Isaac's house, and being refreshed, I advanced once more to Mr. Hart's, where I was again hand- somely and kindly received." Thus disappointed in his expectations on Long Island, his ardor was somewhat damped, but his resolution remained unshaken. He made up his mind to apply again to his old friends, and seek their sympathy and counsel. As they had expressed themselves warmly in his favor, and recommended him in flattering terms to the Long Island clergy, he was san- iliMi ■">, NT-'"!, mi 1^. : 'iu-'i |Vm 'Ml ""'illl'l"- li' ■ 'i ■ i;-i ■"'iij!!' H,l| M'ii:i:';: S jivll'liiii':!!' , # P' !, > II"'' ijili!!!'' i liii': li:: ;; H Mi::ir ;ii!;iii:;: iii'liiiji. iillliji;: m :' /Hill, ! 38 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHV, giiiiie in the faith, that they would not, when things came to an extremity, hesitate to do, on their own part, what they had encouraged so earnestly in their brethren. With some confi- dence, therefore, he repeated his solicitations to Mr. Hart. The result shall likewise be given in his own words. . " We have advised together, and read the aforesaid letters. The amount of all is this ; ' Don't be discouraged, Mr. Ledyard ; you will think the bettor of fair weather after this storm. My private sentiments and my public conduct, in your case, are two things. I don't doubt one single instant of your probity and well-meaning. What the world does, I cannot say ; but, as I officiate in a public character, I must deal with you as so officiating ; and for that reason, as well as securing your fu- ture tranquillity in the ministry, by making a good begiiming, I by all means advise, first, that you write speedily to the Reverend Mr. Whitman, and gtt him to write to us respect- ing you what he can, as you have lived long under him ; secondly, that you write also to Dartmouth, to procure a regular dismission from the president. When we have these, we shall proceed with confidence in the face of all men, and not be ashamed to introduce you anywhere.' Now, Sir, though but very brief, ■■1* f JOHN LEDYARD 39 . when do, on igcd so ! confi- ions to ? given 3ad the is this ; ou will ter this pubHc I don't >ity and I cannot laracter, ig ; and youv fu- laking a se, first, end Mr. respect- ved long also to ismission hese, we face of luce you ry brief, y m '# '-0 I have given you an exact account of my situation, and the fatigues of my pursuits. You see what bars my sitting directly dowit. " As Dartmouth is at such a distance, the clergy here do not insist on a return from tliat place so soon as from Hartford ; but the sooner I have an answer from Mr. Whitman, the sooner will my mind be at rest. There are four ministers that stand ready to advance me the moment this is done, among whom the f^imous Dr. Bellamy is one. The clergy are very exact in these things, and I have sometimes thought that they meant to keep me humming around them till I was tired, and so get clear of an absolute refusal ; or, as Dr. Young expresses it, to ' Fright me, with terrors of a world unknown, From joys of this, to keep them all their own.' They have found me affliction proof, if this was their motive ; but I plainly see they mean it for my honor, and their own too. The re- quest, in short, which I make of you is, that you will please to wait on Mr. Whitman with my letter, hurry him for an answer, and send it to me by the earlie'.t opportunity." That such an anc-wer never came, may be inferred . from the fact that he was never li- censed as a preacher ; and the judgment of his friends, the clergymen, is not to be so much ■ili'.i!':,,; !:'■ ■ni' .( Hi;,, .?:.: |H;'„:: '"liri'i'' i: *:iii' ' : i?i Mil! i'l "' 1 1 k ii'iir i iiilli'i, "111- '''- ■■''i'lil.iiiil I 40 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. censured in this, perhaps, as in the unjustifia- ble encouragement tliey held out to him. They could not suppose him qualified for the clerical office, with the limited knowledge and experience he possessed, and it was wrong to delude him with the notion that they would, under any circumstances, publicly approve him as such, merely upon receiving two letters, which, at most, could testify only to his gen- eral character. His attainments were after- wards to be made. He was doubtless impor- tunate, and Mr. Hart and Dr. Bellamy were good natured ; but their kindnef' svould have been better applied, especially t mind like that of Ledyard's, if they had been more frank and decided in the outset. His sensibility was keen'/ touched by the disappointment, which, as much as anything perhaps, drove him, somewhat disgusted, from prosecuting his theological studies. That he engaged in them with considerable ardor, no one can doubt after reading his remarks above ; that he would have continued long of the same mind is not very likely; but it was a mistaken exercise of benevolence to foster hopes, which there was no chance of seeing ripened into realities, and thus enticing him into a profession, for which he was hardly in any one respect fitted. As a further proof that ■■;!» m !!:;i JOHN I, EDYARD 41 ijiistifia- o him. for the jgc and 'long to would, 3ve him letters, liis gcn- e after- 3 impor- ly were jld have ind Uke )re frank by the anything ed, from That he irdor, no s above; of the X was a to foster if seeing :ing him lardly in >roof that he was in earnest at the beginning, it may be mentioned, that he not only apphed himself as- siduously to study, but was accustomed to de- claim in the woods and retired places, that he might discipline his voice, and prepare himself for public speaking. But his studies in theology were of short duration. He was mortified at the ill success of his application to the clergy for .being ap- proved as a candidate, and other circumstances concurred to annoy and wound him. The effect of these on his feelings will appear in the following postscript to a letter, written three months after the one last quoted. " I send you this from Groton, even the little Groton, where it seems I must at last hide my head, and relinquish all the glorious purposes I had in view. 'Tis hard. Do you not won- der that I still live, when there is such in- quiry about the strange man in Hartford, when I am the mark of impertinent curiosity, when everything around me opposes my designs ? Do you not wonder that I have my senses in so great a degree as to let you know, that I am as unmoved as my observers and op- posers ? " These hints are enough to show that obstacles of a serious kind, whether im- aginary or real, met him in various quarters, and that a weight of corroding cares hung upon his soul. pijtiil;'';;'''! '^r•;!,: ■''.:■": ■'■'**■:' ■ ' 'I ,..r'lC '■ '..111' . .1' ■■i»I'iHi..;. ..■ir".'i':'.">' ;:?vi! 'til ;?»;;;' .ii'u. :■■' r::t!!i| ■ . " 'irii' ' ■/■ ■' « 1" ■■■tA ' .•Mm 1 .-if"M.i1W; '^[ 42 AMTSRICAN BIOGRAPHY. But we are not left long to sympathize with him in his griefs. AH thoughts of di- vinity being now abandoned, he is introduced to us, a few weeks afterwards, in a totally new character, that of a sailor on board a vessel bound to Gibraltar. Captain Deshon, who re- sided in New London, and sailed from that port, had been his father's friend, and the hero of our narrative now shipped with him for a voyage to the Mediterranean. He entered as a common sailor, but was treated by the cap- tain rather as a friend and associate, than as one of the ordinary crew ; and his good hu- mor, suavity of manners, and intelligence, made hii company highly acceptable to all on board. I'he voyage was first to Gibraltar, next to a port on the Barbary coast for taking in a car- go of mules, and thence homeward by way of the West Indies. One incident only has been tranismitted, as worthy of notice during this voyage. While the ship was lying at Gibraltar, Ledyard was all at once missing, and it was some time be- fore anything could be heard of him. There came a rumor, at length, that he was among the soldiers in the barracks. A person was sent to make inquiry, who d^^scried him iu the ranks, dressed in the British uniform, armed and equipped from head to foot, and m m Hf ^■€ m JOHN LEDYARD. 43 [ipatliize s of di- roduced Ily new vessel who re- m that he hero n for a ered as he cap- haii as )od hu- e, made board. it to a a car- )y way- ted, as While I'd was ne be- Thure among 11 was lim in liform, t, and carrying g hiniseL with a martial air and atti- tude, which proved that, to whatever vocation he might be called, he was not to be outdone by his comrades. Captain Deshon went to his quarters, and remonstrated with him for this strange freak, and urged him to return, lie said he enlisted because he was partial to the service, and thought the profession of a soldier well suited to a man of honor and enterprise ; but that he would not be obstinate, and was willing to go back, i{ the captain insisted ou it, and would procure his release. When the circumstances were made known to the British commanding officer, he consented to release his new rect'ii';, who returned on board the ship and prosy.uted his voyage. While at Gibraltar, he wrote home a very full avd amusing account of what he saw in that place, but the letter has been lost. Within a year from the time of sailing from New London, the vessel anchored again in the same harbor, and the only profit yielded by the voyage to our young adventurer was a little experience of the hardships of a sailor's life, and knowledge of the mysteries of his profession. However valuable might be this species of gain as stock in hand for future use, it had no power to satisfy immediate want. Poverty stared him in the face ; and, ^*^. •1 'n^iti'i!' ■'!,!' .'"■u. :d!0'i" .'I 'K f'0M\ ^ f;H':'ii;:':r ' :rb "i r; ii II! 'I h M ,i.(il.lilllfl |«!|l''l|!r;| " ■ ■ ,1 i" ■ 44 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. at the age of twenty-two, he found himself a solitary wanderer, dependent on the bounty of his friends, without employment or prospects, having tried various pursuits and failed of suc- cess in all. Neither his pride, nor his sense of duty, would suffti him to remain in this condition one moment longer, than till he could devise a method of escape from it ; yet the peculiar frame of his mind and temper was such, that nothing would have been more idle, either in himself or any other person, than to think of chaining him down to any of the dull courses of life, to which the great mass of mankind are contented to resort, as the means of acquiring a fortune, gaining a com- petence, or driving want from the door. That he mui^t provide for himself by his own efforts, was a propooition too forcibly im- pressed upon him to be denied ; but there seemed not a single propensity of his nature, which inclined him to direct these efforts in the same manner as other people, or to attain conmion ends by common means. Poverty and privation were trifles of no weight with him, compared with the irksome necessity of . walking in the same path that all the world walked in, and doing thhigs as all the world had done them before. He thought this a very tame pursuit, unworthy of a rational man, ••liii' ii'%M JOHN LEDYARD 45 limself a ounty of prospects, d of suc- liis sense 11 in this till he it ; yet nper was lore idle, than to Y of the eat mass as the a com- Dr. f by his :ibly im- iit there 5 nature, fforts in to attain Poverty ht with sssity of le world le world t this a lal man, whose soul should be fired with a nobler am- bition. Entertaining such views of the objects of human life, it is not surprising that he should feel himself hanging loosely upon society, and should discover that, while he continued with- out purpose and vnthout property, he would exhibit slender claims to the respect of the community, or the confidence of his friends. Their sympathy he might have ; but this was a boon which he disdained to accept, when elicited by misfortunes springing from his own improvidence, or by evils which he had power to avoid. That he had no intention of fixing himself down in any steady occupation, is proved by a remark in a letter written from Gibraltar. "I allot to myself,'- said he, "a seven years' ramble lore, although the past has long since wasted !ie means I possessed ' Often had he heard his grandfather descant on his ancestors, and his wealthy connections in England ; and the thought had entered our rambler's head, that one day it might be no unwise thing for him to visit these relatives, and claim alliance with them as a hopeful branch of so worthy a stock. In this stage of his affairs, he was convinced that the proper time had come, and he suf- fered now and then a bright vision to play F^^" imm a: ? i'!; !i lii ^ , Kikii',!!^:; M' .'I'll ■*• , '. ■■?!riil!'-': ..,-,* i . .t ii! '!'.;• '' i ; iii Ml ■ i4«i"|; ■!.•"■ I' ;; tiJUU > il .P ' ill ! Miiil'i'i I ! y ili!!! ■Jill ''^''liiii'i! ; " I. 'till. 46 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. before his fancy, of the happy change that kvould ensue, by the aid and influence of his newly found friends in England, who would receive with joy so ^iromising a member of their family from America. Elated with dreams like these, he took a hasty leave of the place of his nativity, and the associates of his youth, and made the best of his way to New York, there to seek out a passage to the land of promise. The first vessel about to sail for England was bound to Plymouth, and in this he ob- tained a berth, probably on condition of work- ing as a sailor. His trip to the Mediterranean was now to yield its fruits. On his arrival in Plymouth and leaving the vessel, he was re- duced to the extreme of want, without money in his pocket, or a single acquaintance to whom he could apply for relief. Thus sit- uated, it behoved him to make haste to Lon- don, where he looked for an immediate wel- come and a home among the relations, whose wealth and virtues he had heard so much ex- tolled by his grandfather. As the good fortune of the moment would have it, he fell in with an Irishman, a genuine specimen of the hon- esty, frankness, and good nature, which char- acterize many of the sons of Erin ; whose plight so exactly resembled his own, that they '£■■ JOHN LEDYARD, 47 ige that e of his would member ;ed with leave of ciates of 3 way to re to the England s he ob- of work- iterranean arrival in was re- it money tance to rhus sit- ! to Lon- iate wel- ls, whose nuch ex- )d fortune in with the hon- ich char- whose that they formed a mutual attachment almost as soon as they came in contact with each other. There is a sympathetic power in misfortune, which is heedless of the forms of society, and acts not by any cold rules of calculation. Both the travellers were pedestrians bound to Lou- don, both were equally destitute, having noth- ing wherewith to procure a subsistence. They agreed to take turns in begging on the road. In this manner they travelled h-trmoniously to- gether, till they "eached London, without hav- ing any reason to complain that Providence had neglected them on the way, or that there was a lack of generous and disinterested feel- ing in the human kind. Ledyard's thoughts were now gay ; for, al- though in beggary, he fancied that the next step would place him at the summit of his wishes, and open to him wide the door of prosperity. Had he possessed the very lamp of Aladdin, and been endued with the Der- vise's power, lie could not have been more confident or happy. To find out his relations was now his only anxiety. By accident he saw the family name on a carriage, and he inquired of tho coachman where the owner lived, and what was his occupation. The an- swer was, that he was a rich merchant, and the place of his residence was pointed out. .*:!'• iiill ' 1 si.iii::"'!,,! '■$■«• ■■■'■-I'' ' ' ■;iiiii; .'W': ::!!M; ,? Hill' ,#:1(!"-U : I ill |f:'i 48 AMERICAN B I O U R A r H Y . Our eager traveller hastened to the house, inquired for the occuj)ant, and ascertained that he was not at home. A son was there, how- ever, who listened to his story, but gave him soon to understand, that he put ho faith in his representations, as he had never lieard of any such relations as he told of in America. lie observed, moreover, that he resembled one of the family, who had been absent some years in the East Indies, and whom they were ex- tremely anxious to see, assuring him that, if he were really the person, he would be re- ceived with open arms. This was a very un- lucky interview, for nothing ever raised Led- yard's anger to so high a pitch, as a suspicion expressed or implied of his integrity and hon- est intentions. He seemed, from that moment, determined to prosecute his inquiry after his family connections no further, but to shun all that bore the name. The son pressed him to remain till his father should return, but he abruptly left the house, and never went back. Some time afterwards, when he had gained acquaintances of respectable name in London, to whom he related his story, they went with H to tlie same gentleman, telling him, that the young man seemed honest, and they doubted not the' truth of what lie had stated. The gentleman refused at first to credit him, unless JOHN LEDYARD. 49 e house, lied that re, how- jave him th ill his i of any ca. He one of me years were ex- that, if i be re- very uii- sed Led- suspicion and hon- momeut, after his shun all d him to , but he ent back, id gained London, ;rent willi , that the f doubted 3d. Tlie im, unless he would bring some written evidence. Upon further inquiry, however, he was better satis- fied, and sent for Ledyard to come to his house. This invitation was declined in no very gracious manner : and when money was sent to him afterwards by the same person, who had heard that he was in distress, he re- jected it with great indignation, and command- ed the bearer to carry it back to his master, ; and tell him that he belonged not to the race A of the Ledyards. Such was the end of his dreams about his rich relations, and it must be acknowledged, that his own haughty spirit seeii:s to have been the chief enemy to his success. He would, probably, have called it magnanimous self-respect ; and, name it as we will, since it operated wholly against himself, he must certainly be freed from any charge of mean motives or selfish ends. It was just at this time, that Captain Cook was making preparation for his third and last voyage round the world. So successful had he been in his former expeditions, and so loud was the sound of his fame, that the whole country was awake to his new undertaking, and the general sensation was siich, as to in- spire adventurous minds with a wish to par- ticipate in its glory. Nothing could more ex- actly accord with the native genius and cher- VOL. xiv. 4 ^i If.t' •" 4 ^ : I .til ■., ' , '1. : iM^I": ill ■!?'l,l ■itJiHiliii'li Mte ^ '1 i!:ii;id:H I'i lii!:i: Mi!'i''fe!i;. 1 ■mi • ''iti ■! Ill' ' ■ IS liiiiii :il:; II. I* tiW ■■Mm ■:"M' 'itiililli: 50 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, ished feelings of Ledyard. As a first step towards becoming connected with this expedi- tion, he enlisted in the marine service, and then, by his address, he gained an introduction to Captain Cook. It may be presumed, tliat on an occasion of so much moment to him, he would set himself forward to the best ad- vantage ; and he had great power in recom- mending himself to the favor of others, when- ever he chose to put it in action. His manly form, mild but animated and expressive eye, perfect self-possession, a boldness not obtrusive, but showing a consciousness of his proper dignity, an independent spirit, and a glow of enthusiasm giving life to his conversation and his whole deportment ; these were traits which could not escape so discriminating an eye as that of Cook ; they formed a rare combination peculiarly suited to the hardships and perils of his daring enterprise. They gained the confi- dence of the great navigator, who immediately took him into his service, and promoted him to be a corporal of ma/ines. In this capacity he sailed from England ; but tradition reports, on what authority I know not, that he was in due time raised to the post of sergeant. That he should have been willing to undertake so long a voyage, in so humble a station, can be accounted for only ^ ^i«|- Mil JOHN LEDYARD. 51 irst step J expedi- rice, and roduction led, that to him, best ad- 1 recom- fs, when- [is manly isive eye, obtrusive, is proper glow of ation and its which 1 eye as rnbmation perils of the confi- mediately loted him England ; ;y I know d to the lave been ige, in so for only '\IA from his burning desire to be connected with the expedition. His skill in nautical matters was not yet such as to qualify him for a higher place, even if he had been able to ex- hibit stronger pretensions through the agency and influence of friends. Bnt he was in the midst of strangers, without any other claims to notice, than such as he presented in his own person. These were his only passport to the favor of Cook, and, in relying on them, iio one was ever deceived. CHAPTER HI. Sails for the Cape of Good Hope, and thence to New Holland and New Zealand. — Manners and Peculiarities of the People. — Omai^ the Otaheitan. — Departs from New Zealand, and visits newly discovered Islands. — Arrival at the Friendly Islands. — People of Tongataboo. — Ledyard passes a Night with the King. — Char- • acter and Habits of the Natives. — Their PrO' pensity to Thieving. — Departure from Ton- gataboo. The particulars of this voyage have been so often repeated from the official narrative, and are so well known, that any formal at- 52 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. hi .f i' (r-'V ' '. ': iili , ;r'n!i ^''i;*if:| ■•If tempt to give a connected series of events would be superfluous and without interest. I shall, therefore, chiefly confine myself to such incidents as came under our traveller's obser- vation, and to such remarks and reflections of his own, as indicate his opinions and the char- acter of his mind. He kept a private journal of the whole voyage, but on the return of the expedition, before any person had landed, all papers of this description were taken away from both officers and men, by order of the commander, and Ledyard's journal among the rest. This precaution was necessary to pre- vent an imperfect account of the voyage going abroad, before one could be issued under the sanction of the Admiralty.* Ledyard never recovered his papers ; out when he returned to Hartford, more than two years after the termination of the voyage, his friends induced him to write the short ac- count, which appeared with his name. To satisfy public curiosity till a complete work could be prepared, a very brief sketch of thp voyage in a single volume had already been * In a review of the first London edition of this Me- moir, in the London Quarterly Revieio, understood to have been written by Sir John Barrow, it is stated that parts of Ledyard's original journal are still preserved in the Admiralty. JOHN LEDYARD. 53 -i published by authority in England. This vol- ume Ledyard had procured, and he relied on It for dates, distances, the courses of the ves- sels, and for other particulars serving to revive his recollection of what he had experienced and witnessed. Extracts are made without alteration in two or three instances, and sev- eral of the last pages are literally copied. With no other written materials Ledyard pro- duced his manuscript journal, which he sold lo Mr. Nathaniel Patten, publisher in Hartford, for twenty guineas. It was printed in a duo- decimo volume containing a chart, and a ded- ication to Governor Trumbull, expressive of the author's gratitude for the generosity and kindness, which he had received from that veteran patriot. A narrative thus drawn up must, of course, be in many respects imperfect ; but the narrator makes no high pretensions. He never taxes our faith beyond the obvious bounds of prob- ability, nor calls our attention to hearsay re- ports and speculations of others. He describes what he saw and heard, and utters his own sentiments. In a few instances, he varies from the accounts afterwards published in England : but these commonly relate either to occur- rences, as to which he had a better opportu- 54 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. . -^ "fill ■ I'. '■' t'ltj I •'■■'■I'j.i.'iM, ■»*( ■ ''■ „ii Mil: m "ill m .[■ :i;;i 4 nity for personal knowledge, or concerning which, for various reasons, it was the policy of the leaders of the expedition to preserve silence. The train of events at the Sandwich Islands, which led to the death of Captain Cook, is narrated by Ledyard in a maimer more consistent and natural, than api)ears in any other account of it. The precipitancy of the officers, and of Cook particularly, or at least their want of caution, which was the primary cause of the tragical issue, was kept out of sight by the authorized narrators, and a mystery long hung over that catastrophe, ow- ing to the absence of any obvious coherency between causes and effects. On this puint Ledyard's narrative is full and satisfactory, us will be seen in its proper place. As a proof of our traveller's activity of mind, and his ardor of inquiry, during this voy- age, I shall here quote a passage from a work recently published by Captain James Burney, entitled "■ A Chronological History of North- eastern Voyages of Discovery." The author of this book was a lieutenant under Cock in his two last voyages, son of Dr. Burney, and consequently brother of Madame d'Arblay, the celebrated novelist. He is repeatedly men- tioned in Ledyard's journal, and was a very enterprising officer. The estimation in which ^ JOHN LE DT A RD. 55 cerning policy "E , ire serve f ndwich M Captain # manner ■:i )ears in mcy of , oi" at /as the - IS kept ii 3, and a le, ow- l^.erency s puint tory, us nty of lis voy- a work Burney, ' North- J ' author IJook in ' ey, and ay, the ■ f men- i a very I which oui hero was hold by him will appear from the following extract, as well as from other pLrts of the work. " With what ed.ication I know not," says Captain Bnrney, "but with an ardent disposi- tion, Ledyard had a passion for lofty senti- ment and description. When corporal of ma- rines on board of the Resolution, after the death of Captain Cook, he proffered his ser- vices to Captain Clerke to undertake the office of historiographer to our expedition, and pre- sented a specimen, which described the man- ners of the Society Islanders, and the kind of ■ife led by our people whilst among them. He was not aware how many candidates he would have to contend with, if the office to which he aspired had been vacant; perhaps not with fewer than with every one in the two ships who kept journals. Literary ambi- tion and disposition to authorship led us in each ship to set up a weekly paper. When the paper in either ship was ready for deliv- ery, a signal was made, and, when answered by a similar signal from the other ship, Cap- tain Cook, if the weather .was fine, would good- naturedly let a boat be hoisted out to make the exchange, and he was always glad to read our paper, but never favored our editors with the contribution of a paragraph. I believe I ■ ■■'l-il M 'I i'fi'k.:; ni. \ tit . ^:'.'/-;^ I- ■■•'i ■a'. \ i;ii ■ ■ Kf ■'■'■' I I'M'' 56 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. none of these papers have been saved, nor da I remember by what titles we distinguished them. Led yard's performance was not cri> icized in our paper, as that would have en- titled him to a freedom of controversy not con- sistent with military subordination. His ideas were thought too sentimental, and his language too florid. No one, however, doubted that his feelings were in accord with his expressions; and the same is to be said of the little, which remains of what he has since written, more worthy of being preserved, and which its wor- thiness will preserve, and particularly of his celebrated commendation of women in his Si- berian Tour." Ledyard's contributions to the paper here mentioned, and his account of the Society Islanders, were probably taken from him with his manuscript journal, as I have found no remnants of them among his papers. His printed Journal contains a graphic and ani- mated description of the Society LJands, but it was evidently written from recollection, like the rest of the volume. This testimony of Captain Burney in favor of his habits of ob- servation and literary industry, may justly in- spire confidence in his writings. The last expedition under Captain Cook, and the one in which our traveller was engaged, 4J I *4" ■W9-: JOHN LEDYARD. 57 nor do ruished >t cri> .ve en- lot con- s ideas Liiguage hat liB issions • , which 1, more Is wor- of his his Si- er here Society ni with und no His id ani- ds, but on, like lony of of ob- stly in- •ok, and n gaged, 1 ■^ 1 ■t left England on the 12th of July, 1776. It consisted of two ships, the Resolution and Discovery, the former commanded by Captain Cook, and the latter by Captain Clcke. After touching at TenerifFe, they proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope, and came to anchor ii Table Bay, where they were to refit, lay in a new stock of provisions, and prepare for en- countering the inconveniences and dangers of a long voyage in the great Southern Ocean, with the certainty that many months must elapse, before they could hope to arrive again in a port of civilized people. Several days were passed here in getting all things in readiness; the men of sciencfe em- ployed themselves in short excursions into the country ; provisions were collected by the prop- er officers, and the sailors were t^^y at their daily tasks. Last of all were taken on board various live animals, designed to be left at the islands where they lid not exist, making, in connection with those brought from England, a motley collection of horses, cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, dogs, cati hares, rabbits, monkeys, ducks, geese, turkeys, and peacocks. Thus, says our voyager, " did we resemble the ark, and appear as though we were going as well to stock as to discover a new world." iEsop might have conversed for weeks with such a ..^ I 1 :;' %'k 5S AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. :^:fi.;[::i.|i >m ! >k: ■Ml! ■ .' Hi : ii ■;r;ii,itr>''iM i ill! congregated multitude. The monkeys and peacocks seem to hare been out of place in this assembly of sober and useful animals, and, in the end, they did little credit to their com- munity. The monkeys never ceased from mischief, and the gay attire of the peacocks tempted a chief of Tongataboo to steal and carry them off. On the 1st of December, Cook departed from the Cape of Good Hope, and proceeded in a southeasterly direction, intending to shape his course around Jie southern extremity of New Holland. Aftc sailing twenty-five days and passing two islands, the tops of which were covered with snow, although it was mid- summer in those latitudes, he came to anchor at an island, which had been recently discov- ered by Kerguelen, a French navigator. A bottle was found suspended by a wire between two rocks, sealed, and containing a piece of parchment, on which was written, in French and Latin, an account of Kerguelen's voyage and discovery. The island was desolate, with- out inhabitants, trees, or shrubs. A little grass was obtained for the cattle, and a species of vegetable was found resembling a wild cab- bage, but of no value. It rained profusely, streams of fresh water came down from the hills, and the empty casks were replenished. m "M s and lace in Is, and, r com- from ^acocks !al and eparted )ceeded ) shape lity of e days which IS mid- anchor discov- tor. A letween iece of French voyage 3, with- le grass cies of Id cab- ofusely, om the 3nished. JOHN LEDYARD. 59 The shore was covered with seals and sea- dcgs, the former of which, apparently uncon- scious of danger, were killed without difficulty, and they afforded a seasonable supply of oil for lamps and other purposes. Vast flocks of birds hovered around, and the penguins, so lit- tle did they understand the character of their visitors, would allow themselves to be ap- proached and knocked down with clubs. Man was an enemy, whose sanguinary prowess these tenants of the lonely island had never learnt to fear, and the simple penguin received his death blow with a composure and uncon- cern, that would have immortalized a stoic philosopher. The sailors were indulged in celebrating Christmas at Kerguelen's Island, after which the ships sailed, and the next harbor to be gained was Adventure Bay, in Van Diemen's Land, being at the southern limits of New Holland. As no discoveries were to be at- tempted during this run, they proceeded di- rectly to the point of destination, at which they safely arrived within less than two months after leaving the Cape of Good Hope. The ships being moored in this bay, called by Tasman, who discovered it, Frederic Hen- ry's Bay, the sailors were sent out in parties to procure wood, water, and grass, all of ^hich rfP :«r 'Jb ■; I I !:l Hi, ; ! l?i!.:V''r!' ,1 » il' ' I ';!:( ■ itlflf ";:|hi|! 60 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. existed there in great plenty. No inhabitants appeared, although columfts of smoke had been seen here and there rising through the woods at some distance, affording a sign that- people were in the neighborhood. After a day or tAVO, the natives came down to the beach in small parties, men, women, and children ; but they seemed the most wretched of human be- ings, wearing no clothes, and carrying with them nothing bat a rude stick about three feet long, and sharpened at one end. Their skin was black, hair curly, and the beards of the men, as well as their hair, besmeared with a red oily substance. They were inoffensive, neither manifesting fear, nor offering annoy- ance to their visitors. When bread was given them, it was thrown away without being r/m tasted, although they were made to under- stand that it was to be eaten; the same they did with fish, which had been caught in the harbor ; but they accepted birds, and intimated a fondness for that kind of food. When a gun was fired, they all ran off like wild deer to the woods, and were seen no more that day; but their fright was not of long dura- tion, for they came again the next morning with as little unconcern as ever. In all respects, these people • appeared in the lowest stage of human advancement. " They n iiii ' ^ JOHN L E D Y A 11 1) , 61 are the only people," says Ledyard, " who are known to go with their persons entirely naked, that have ever yet been discovered. Amidst tiie most stately groves of wood, they have neither weapons of defence, nor any other species of instruments applicable to the various purposes of life ; contiguous to the sea, they have no canoes; and exposed from the nature of the climate to the inclemency of the seasons, as well as to the annoyances of the beasts of the forest, they have no houses to retire to, but the temporary shelter of a few pieces of old bark laid transversely over some small poles. They appear, also, to be inactive, indolent, and unaffected with the least curi- osity." Cook remarked, that the natives here resembled those, whom he had seen in his former voyage on the north part of New Hol- land ; and from this and other circumstances it was inferred, that New Holland from that point northward was not divided by any strait. Subsequent discoveries overthrew this conjec- ture, and it has since been made known, that Van Diemen's Land is an island separated from New Holland by a passage, or strait, nearly one hundred miles broad, and contain- ing many small islands. It is remarkable, that no resemblance has been discovered between ; i ■ ' ! ^ 62 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY '"Ml 11 ;,! ,, IT' I 1 ■^iy i\ -''tip.. I " v.,! the language of the natives here and that spoken by the New Hollanders. On Van Dien^ien's Island are now some -^f the most nourishing settlements in the British dominions. The wilderness is disappearing he- fore the strong arm of enterprise, and, under the hand of culture, the hills and valleys yield in abundance all the products common to sim- ilar latitudes in the north. Emigrants from England annually flock to that country, invest their capital in lands, and engage in agricul- tural pursuits. Towns have been built, and commerce established. Wheat, maize, wool, cattle, and other articles, are largely exported ; and there is hardly recorded in history an in- stance of a new colony having increased so rapidly in numbers and wealth. The wild men, like our North American Indians, retreat and leave their native soil to a better destiny. When Cook had provided his ships with wood and water, they were unmoored, and their course directed to New Zealand, where they entered a cove in Queen Charlotte's Sound. Here they remained a month, which afforded time for observations, and for laying in such provisions as were found in the coun- try. New Zealand consists of two islands, which are situate between parallels of latitude on the south of the equator, nearly correspond- JOHN LEDYARD. 03 that ing with those of the United States on the north, thus having a variable chmate, and a soil suited to most of the productions of tem- perate regions. In the character of the inhab- itants are exhibited contrasts never perceived in any other people. They are cannibals, de- vouring human victims with eagerness and de- light, ferocious beyond example in their wars, deadly in their revenge, and insatiable in their thirst for the blood of their enemies ; yet they have many of the opposite traits, strong at- tachment to friends, with a quick sensibility to their sufferings, and grief inconsolable at the death of a relative ; nor are they devoid of generosity, or unsusceptible of thg tender pas- sion. Living as they do in a temperate climate, they are an athletic, hardy race of people, Avhose progress in refinement bears no propor- tion to their natural powers of body and mind ; and thus, no proper balance being main- tained, the contending elements of human na- ture, the propensities, passions, and affections, shoot forth into the wildest extremes. How they should differ so entirely from their neigh- bors, Che New Hollanders, who are in nearly the same external condition, is a question upon which the curious may speculate, but will hardly come to a satisfactory conclusiojx :m i'' I'; \u 64 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ■-ill I . .Sff! I' .'-WkA ■Jifi '. • s'k ; Plausible reasons may, nevertheless, be ad- duced to prove, that the New Zealanders and New Hollanders, notwithstanding their proxim- ity, have originated from stocks widely remote. While the ships lay at anchor in Q,ueen Charlotte's Sound, a singular love adventure occurred between a young English sailor and a New Zealand girl, the particulars of which are related in Ledyard's journal, as they are also in Cook's Voyages, and which prove the softer sex among savages, even the daughters of cannibals, to be capable of deep affection and strong attachment. An intimacy was con- tracted between a sailor and a native girl about fourteen years of age, which grew stronger from day to day, till, at length, all the time he could spare from his duties was devoted to her society. He furnished her with combs to decorate her hair, and with ornaments for her person ; and, to make himself more attractive in her eyes, he submitted to be tattooed ac- cording to the custom of the country. His passion was reciprocated in the most ardent and artless manner by the maiden, Gowauna- hee, whom no conventional fules had taught to conceal the emotions of nature ; and, al- though they understood not each other's lan- guage, yet love whispered in accents, which they found no difficulty in comprehending. i! ^ JOHN LEDYARD. 65 ad- atid al- Thiis their days and hours flew rapidly away, till the time of separation approached, Gowannahee was much distressed when such an event was hinted at ; she would throw her arms around her lover's neck, and insist that he should not go ; and such were the allur- ing arts she used, and such the willingnesa of the youth to be led by them, that he resoivcd to desert from the ship and remam behind. He contrived to remove his clothing and other effects on shore, and to escape by the strata- gem of dressing himself in the costume of the natives and minghng in the crowd, just as or- ders were given to sail, and the New Zea- landers were recjuired to leave the ships. When the roll was called to ascertain if all hands were on board, his absence was discov- ered. The cause was easily apprehended ;' and some of the officers were disposed to let such an instance of true love have its reward, and not to disturb the enamored sailor in his dreams of future felicity among the savages of New Zealand. The loss sentimental Cook was not moved by these mild counsels ; he saw mischief in such a precedent, and he was inflexible ; a guard of marines was despatched to search for the truant, and bring him back to duty. He had proceeded to the interior and se- VOL. XIV. 5 C6 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ;.:a ' ■■.<•■ i If creted himself with his faithful Gowannahee, but his hiding-place was at last discovered. As soon as she perceived their intention to take him away, she was overwhelmed with , anguish ; and, at the parting scene on the beach, she yielded herself up to expressions of grief and despair, which the stoutest heart could not witness unmoved. The young sailor was examined and tried for his misdemean- or ; but Cook was so much amused with the schemes he had devised for himself, and the picture he hn'i drawn of his future prospects and greatnesb, as the husband of Gowannahee, and a chief of renown, that he forbore to ag- gravate the pains of disappointed hope by any formal punishment. Recent observations have confirmed all that was said by Cook and his companions of the New Zealanders. English missionaries have for some years past been stationed among them, and possessed the means of becoming perfectly acquainted with their character and habits. They have witnessed their banquets of human flesh, their extremes of passion, their savage barbarity at one time, and their docile, affectionate temper and keen sensibility at an- other. War is their highest delight, and, in pursuing an enemy, nothing of the human be- ing seems left, except his reason maddened I ■*■ m m- '■■ JOHN LEDYAHD. 67 with revenge, and making him adroit in the work of death. In several instances, boats' and ships' crews have been cut off and devoured by them. Yet these people are superstitious and full of religious fear, imagining themselves to be surrounded by invisible spirits, who have power over them, and who must be conciliated by prayers and ceremonies ; who control the ele- mentSf bring rain on the land, and rouse up the winds and waves at sea. The missionaries have known persons become so frantic, at the death of a near relation, as to commit suicide ; and it is a common thing for them to wound and mangle their bodies in a frightful manner on such occasions. When Mr. Marsden made his second missionary touf to those islands, after having been away two or three years, his old acquaintances burst into tears in talk- ing of their friends, who had died during his absence. History does not acquaint us with more eminent examples of humanity and pious eftorts, of resolution and self-denial, than are manifested in the missionaries, who have for- saken even the common comforts of civilized life, and settled down with a determination to pass their days in this region of moral dark- ness and human debasement. While Cook was at New Zealand, he was i !l I ,1 ...ii 68 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. greatly assisted in his intercourse with the people by Omai, a native of the Society Islands, whom he had taken to England on a former voyage, and who was now retnrning to his country, loaded with presents from the king, and. other persons whom curiosity had drawn around him in Great Britain. Although Omai had never before seen a New Zealander, yet the language so much resembled his own, that he could easily converse with the inhab- itants. As he knew English, he thus became a ready interpreter. This was an advantage, which Cook had never been able to enjoy on any former occasion. The vessels weighed anchor and departed from dueen Charlotte's Sound, destined to OtaVieite, or, as it' is now called, Tahiti, the largest of the Society Islands, and about fif- teen hundred miles distant from New Zealand. Head winds and boisterous weather forced them out of their course ; grass and water for the cattle, as well as fresh provisions for the men, began to fail ; and it was thought best to bear away for the Friendly Islands, where a supply could be at once obtained. On this passage, they fell in with several islands never before discovered, but their shores were so closely bound with coral reefs as to prevent the approach of the ships. The natives came HI: 'Plii J' '111 JOHN li K D Y A H D . 69 off in canoes, and brought hogs and frnit, which they gave in exchange for articles of little value. A small party, consisting of Mr. Burney, three or four other officers, and Omai, landed on one of these islands, called Watteeoo, where they were immediately plundered of everything they had about them, and detained through the day. Great crowds gathered around, and annoyed them much, but no violence was of- fered to their persons. Here Oniai was aston- ished to find three of his own countrymen. Their story was affecting. Several years be- fore, they had set off" in a large canoe, with a party of about twenty persons, men, women, and children, to pass from Otaheitc to Ulietea, a neighboring island. A storm overtook them, and, after continuing three days, drove them so far out to sea, that they knew not where they were, nor what course to steer. Some of the women and children had perished in the storm, and others were so much exhausted as to survive no longer. The canoe was car- ried along by the current from day to day ; water and provision failed ; some of the sur- vivors died of hunger and fatigue ; others, in the frenzy of despair, jumped overboard and were drowned ; and after thirteen days, when the canoe was discovered by the natives of I 'r 'i' ■%',, 1* 11 ,.v , S^-l ".'■■ 1 ' 1 -■ ■^'■K I " ■*'■■ , 1 1 m', 1; .»|' ; i"i:,;i ' ; •4 .;: " ' ;' .',1: :: •ill ,, ■ iil; ^ ' %l> \<.' ::ty,: g. :: -1 •j.-i ' t 70 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. Watteeoo, it contained but four men, and these so much reduced by famine and suffering as to be unconscious of their situation, and scarce- ly to be distinguished from the dead bodies, with which they were promiscuously lying, in the bottom of the boat. They were taken on shore, and by kind treatment they gradu- ally recovered their consciousness and strength. One had since died, but the other three said they were happy in their adopted country, and declined Omai's invitation to return with him to their native islands, adding that their nearest relatives had perished before their eyes on the disastrous voyage, and it would only bo renewing their grief to visit again the places in which they had formerly known them. The distance between Otaheite and Wat- teeoo is more than fifteen hundred miles, and this voyar,e of a canoe affords an important fact in solving the great problem, which has so long perplexed geographers and speculating philosophers, as to tUe manner in which the innumerable clusters of islands in the Pacific O^ean have been peopled. We here have proof incontestable, that a communication be- tween remote islands was possible, even by such means only as the natives themselves possessed. This single fact, in short, is enough to settle the question. '; »rr: ff JOHN LEDYARD. 71 After touching at Anamoca, and resmaining some days at the Happaee Islands, Cook came to anchor in a harbor of Tongataboo, on the 9th of June. Here they stayed twenty-six days, collecting a great abundance of provisions, and living on social and friendly terms with the natives. This island is exceedingly fertile, covered with fores' s and luxuriant herbage. Agriculture and the arts of life were carried to a much greater extent here than at New Zealand, or indeed most of the South Soa Islands. The kind disposition of the people had given to Tongataboo, and the cluster of islands in its neighborhood, the name of the Friendly Islands. Latei' experience has proved, that they had a smaller claim to this distinction than was at first supposed. It is very probable, however, twit their acquaintance with civilized men was the principal cause of their apparent change of character. They learnt new vices faster than they acquired a knowledge of their crmi- inahty, or the moral power of resisting temp- tation. Nowhere have the missionaries found their situation more uncomfo/ lable, or their task more difficult, than at the Friendly Islands. When visited by Cook, th'^ people were com- paratively amiable, simple, and happy, addicted to the weaknesses, but not to the grosser I \ m ■ lit ilf:- '[i' 72 -AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. crimes of the savage state ; accustomed to warlike enterprises, but not making them, as did the New Zealanders, the chief source of their pleasure, and the great business of their lives. On the contrary, they had amusements of an innocent kind, as well as curious reli- gious ceremonies, which occupied much of their time, and were suited to a state of peace and tranquillity. These were often exhibited, and obviously as much with a desire to please their visitants, as to show off their skill to ad- vantage, or .promote their own gratification. The king, or great chief, whose name was Poulaho, treated Cook with marked respect, and caused all his people to do the same, as far as he could exercise his power to that end. Led yard describes i»T an agreeable manner the scenes, that came under his observation at Tongataboo. The day after lauding, it was liis duty to be on shore, and he passed the night with Poulaho, who had declined Cook's invitation to go with him on board. "It was just dusk," says Lcdyard, "when they parted, and as I had been present during a part of this first interview, and was detained on shore, I was glad he did not go off, and asked tiim to my tent : but Poulaho chose rather to have me go with him to his house, where we went and sat down together with- JOHN LEDYARD. 73 to out the entrance. We had been here but a few minutei], before one of the natives ad- vanced through the grove to the skirts of the green, and there haUed. Poulaho observed him, and told me he wanted him, upon which I beckoned to the Indian, and he came to us. When he approached Poulaho, he squatted down upon his hams, and put his forehead to the sole of Poulaho's foot, and then received some directions from him, and went away, and returned again very soon with some baked yams and fish rolled up in fresh plantain leaves, and deposited in a little basket made of palm leaves, and a large cocoanut shell full of clean fresh water, and a smaller one of salt water. These he set down, and went and brought a mess of the same kind, and set them down by me. Poulaho then desired I would eat ; but preferring salt, which I had in the tent, to the sea water which they used, I called one of the guard, and had some i( that brought me to eat with my fish, which was really most delightfully dressed, and of which I ate very heartily. "Their animal and vegetable food is dressed in the same maimer here, as at the southern and northern tropical islands throughout these seas, being all baked among hot stones laid in a hole, and covered over first with leaves and :f. I : li *.■»: !:■ ,■ ; i ; I I. '<' iiil H|t'$t It : rougliest exercises I never saw any of them choleric, envious, malicious, or revengeful ; but preserving their tempers, or being less irascible than wc generally are, they quit the stage with the same good nature with which they en- tered it. " When they wrestle, they seize each other by a strong plaited girdle, made of the fibres of the cocoa-nut, and worn round the waist for that purpose ; and they describ? nearly the same operations in this contest th^i we do in what we call hugging or scuffling. In boxing their manoeuvres are diiferent. They had both hands clinched, and bound round separately with small cords, which perhaps was intended to prevent their clinching each other when closely engaged, thus preventing foul play ; or it might be to preserve the joints of the fin- gers, and especially the thumb, from being dis- located. Perhaps the best general idea I can convey of their attitudes in this exercise, is to compare them with those of the ancient glad- iators of Rome, which they much resembled. " They are very expert and intrepid in these performances, but, as they are mere friendly eff'orts of skill and prowess, they continue no longer than till the purposes of such a con- tention are answered ; and the combatant, as soon as he finds that he shall be conquered, JOHN LEDYARD. 77 is seldom such an obstinate fool as to be beat out of liis senses to be made sensible he is so, but retires most comifionly with a whole skin. But the exercise of the club is not so, and as these contests are very severe, and even dan- gerous, they are seldom j)erformed. We never saw but one instance of it, but it was a most capital one, as the performers were capital char- acters ; ,and though we expected the exhibition to be very short, yet it lasted nearly twenty minutes, protracted by the skill of the com- batants in avoiding each other's blows, some of which were no less violent than artful. After being pretty well buffeted about the body, a fortuitous blow upon the head of one decided the matter, and the conquered was carried off, while the victor, elated with suc- cess, stood and enjoyed the subsequent shouts of praise, that proceeded from the spectators. When these shouts ended, the young women round tlie circle rose, and sang, and danced a short kind of interlude in celebration of the hero." Not to be outdone by the monarch of the Friendly Isles in politeness and attempts to please. Cook got up a brilliant exhibition of fireworks, with which Poulaho and all his people were greatly astonished and delighted. The mathematical and astronomical instru- 78 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. :' 'W 1 a 'I- ments, which had been fitted up in lerits on shore, were also matters of curiosity and won- der. The natives were particularly amused, likewise, with the horses, cows, sheep, goats, and other animals, which Led yard said, on leaving the Cape of Good Hope, made the ships resemble Noah's ark. As dogs and hogs were the only animals found on the islands, and of course the only ones ever before seen by the inhabitants, they seemed completely puzzled to know what to make of these new orders of the creation. The sheep and goats they called birds ; but the horses, cows, cats, and rabbits, were nondescripts for which no place had been assigned in their scientific ar- rangement. ■ Thus agreeably passed the days at Tonga- taboo ; the good natured people omitted noth- ing, which was in their power, to gratify their visitors, whether by supplying them with the best provisions the islands afforded, or by amusing them with innocent pastimes. One thing only marred the harmony of their inter- course. These simple and hospitable people, each and all, from the highest rank down- wards, were incorrigible thieves ; that is, they made no scruple to take whatever they could lay their fingers upon, and appropriate it to their own use. This habit was prevalent t w -■■! 11 Id JOHN LEDYARD. 'J no ar- throughoiU all the South Sea Islands, but no- where had the voyagers been so much an- noyed by it, as at these islands of friendship. Cook resorted to summary and severe meas- ures to teach the natives what he thought of this vice, and sometimes inflicted punishments little suited to the moral light of the people, whom he arraigned as transgressors. It does not appear that pilfering' was deemed a crime, or a disreputable offence ; and indeed the his- torian of Cook's Voyages declares, that " the inhabitants of the South Sea Islands, in their petty larcenies, were actuated by a childish disposition, rather than a thievish one." [n this view of the subject, it can hardly be im- agined that there was any natural right in the civilized visitors to iu/licl h'lreh punishment on their ignorant and kind (.'//lr;r(/ii/i<;rs ; on the contrary, it was cruel and unjust ; it was the hiFt way to gain i'/)unds, (i| iu j/ispire the natives with n love of thib lfiiiill\ /j/z/je. Lcdyafd speaks vi'|||| wiirmiii '// some ex- anijilf'R ui' iIj/h kind, which <'U/, the king, to be arrested, and placed a guard over him in his own house, giving him to understand tht^t he should be held a pris- oner till the peacocks were restored. This was a novel mode of making a king answer- able foi the acts of his subjects. Much dis- order ensued ; the chiefs felt the insult offered to their sovereign, and began to assume a war- like attitude, and threaten the guard ; but Poulaho advised them to desist, and preserve peace till a reconciliation should be attemptec ; VOL. XIV. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) AV 4. 1.0 I.I m ui 2.2 Ui 1^ M 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 .4 6" ► p .^. //

/ > .ol '/ ^, Photographic Sdences Corporation 7i V'?ST MMN STREET WEPSVr.a, N.Y. 14580 (7 UN) 5)72-4503 82 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. fct.'*!'! and when Cook appeared, the king saluted him with dignity and respect, but with a man- ifest sense of the injustice that was pract'sed upon him. His coolness and counsel kept the people from offering violence to the guards, who surrounded him with fixed bayonets ; and the next day Feenou himself came forward, entreated for the release of the king, and as- sured Cook that the birds should be returned to him before sunset. Thus the affair was happily terminated, leaving a much stronger proof of the firmness than of the prudence of the great navigator. The reconciliation was followed by magnifi- cent presents of red feathers and provisions on the part of Feenou, and others equally valua- ble from Cook. He gave Poulaho some of the domestic animals, which he had brought from England for the purpose of distributing them among the islands. All parties separated mutually satisfied with each other, and with as warm tokens of friendship from the natives as could be expected after the recent transactions. 'I JO«N LEDYARD. 83 ^CHAPTER IV. Society Islands. — Otaheite. — Language, Cus- toms, Religion, Law^, and Government of the Natives. — Sandwich Islands discovered. — Nootka Sound. — Cannibalism. — Origin and Practice of Sacrifices. — Bering's Strait. — Cook sends Ledyard with two Indians in Search of a Russian E ahlishment. — Returns to the Ships, and reports to Captain Cook. — Sails to the Sandwich Islands. We shall next join our navigators at the Society Islands, where they arrived on the 14th of August. Many of the officers and seamen, who had been there on a former voy- age, were recognized by the natives, and re- ceived with great cordiality. The day of land- ing at Otahei';e was given up to festivity and mutual congratulations between old acquaint- ances. The occurrences during their stay at these islands are related in a lively manner by Led- yard. He describes the natural productions of the Society Islands ; the appearance and condi- tion of the natives ; their food, clothing, and houses ; their language, customs, religion, laws, and government. From the minuteness with M i 84 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ■,<)':*. M which he speaks on most of these subjects, it is evident that the principal pqints in the es- say mentioned by Mr. Burney were still fresh in his memory, and moreover that he was a close and inquisitive observer of everything, which came within his reach or knowledge. "The inhabitants," he remarks, "are of the largest size of Europeans ; the men are tall, strong, well limbed, and fairly shaped. The women of superior rank among them are also in general above our middle size, but those of the inferior rank are far below it ; some of them are quite small. Their complexion is a clear olive, or brunette, and the whole contour of the face quite handsome, except the nose, which is generally a little inclined to be flat. Their hair is black and coarse ; the men have beards, but pluck the greatest part of them out ; they are vigorous, easy, graceful, and lib- eral in their deportment, and of a courteous, hospitable disposition, but shrewd and artful. The women cut their hair short, and the men wear theirs long. They have a custom of staining their bodies in a manner that is uni- versal among all those islands, and is called by them tattooing. In doing this, they prick the skin with an instrument of small, sharp bones, which they dip, as occasion requires, into a black composition of coal dust and wator, i; I JOHN LEDYARD. 85 which leaves an indelible stain. The opera- tion is painful, and it is some days before the wound is well. " Their clothing consists of a cloth made of the inner rind of the bark of three differ- ent kinds of trees, the Chinese paper mulberry, the bread-fruit tree, and a kind of wild fig tree, which, in the formation of different kinds of cloth, are differently disposed of by using one singly, or any two, or all of them together. The principal excellences of this cloth are its coolness and softness; its defects are its being pervious to water and easily torn. They some- times, especially if it is wet, wear fine mats, of which they have a great variety. " Their amusements are music, dancing, wrestling, and boxing, all which are like those of Tongataboo. " As to the religion, laws, and government of these people, much has been said about them by former voyagers; and in truth too much, especially about their religion, which they are not fond of discovering, and there- fore, when urged on the matter, they have, often, rather than displease those who made the inquiry, told not only different accounts, but such as were utterly inconsistent with what we knew to be true from ocular demon- stration. They assured us, for instance, that ! 1 I 86 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. they never sacrificed human bodies, but an ac- cident happened, that contradicted it, and gave us the full proof of it, the operation and design. " They believe in the immortality of the soul, at least its existence in a future state ; but how it exists, whether as a mere spiritual substance, or whether it is united again to a corporeal or material form, and what form, is uncertain. It is supposed they have notions of transmigration. Our conjectures originate from observing that universal, constant, and uniform regard, which they pay in a greater or less degree to every species of subordinate beings, even to the minutest insect, and the most insignificant reptile. This was never es- teemed a philosophical sentiment, nor a mere dictate of nature, because the people who en- tertain these notions are not led to embrace them by the unbiased impulses of nature, which would lead them to regard their own species more than any other. It must, there- fore, be from other motives, and I know of .none so probable as religion or superstition, which are indeed synonymous terms when ap- plied to these people ; besides, it is well known to have befin a religious sentiment among many other people, both ancient and modern, who have claimed the appellation of civilized. !!■ JOHN LEDYARD. 87 ive nd he te; It exists now among several Asiatic sects, both east and west of the Ganges, particularly among the Banians, who abstain from all ani- mal food. It is well known, that some tribes in Asia have built hospitals for certain species of subordinate beings." The author's reasoning here about the doc- trine of transmigration is somewhat curious, but his inference that the natives believed in it, because they showed a regard for inferior animals, is at least questionable. He goes on to enforce his opinion, however, by remarking that they eat" little animal food, and abstain from the flesh of some kinds of birds alto- gether. In killing animals, also, they are care- ful "to inflict as little pain as possible ; they are extremely indulgent to rats, with which they are much infested, and rarely do them any harm ; when stung by flies or mosquitoes, they only frighten them away. This lenity towards animals, however commendable in those who practise it, will hardly prove their faith in the doctrine of transmigration, or that these savages refrained from crushing a fly or mosquito, because they apprehended a spirit, which had once animated a human form, had been doomed lo an existence irl one of these insects. It is a favorite theory of the author, at ( ; Ill iij'i J i! 88 AMERICAN BI0GRAPH7. terh K i)''^/ 1:1 ;Hi' III it:!.; which he hints on several occasions, that such habits and superstitions of a people, as are woven into their character and history, must have come down from some very remote time, and not have sprung out of casual or local circumstances, of which any knowledge exists. He says, "All the customs of mankind appear to be derivative and traditionary." How far he would carry back the tradition, he does not add ; but this doctrine of transmigration he traces to Asia, and supposes it to have found its way to the islands of the Pacific with the first settlers, who came from that quarter, and to have kept its place through all subsequent changes among the superstitions of their descendants. " Their notions of a Deity." he continues, ''and the speculative parts of their religion, are involved, even among themselves, in mys- tery, and perplexed with inconsistencies ; and their priests, who alone pretend to be informed of it, have, by their own industrious fabrica- tions and the addition of its traditionary fables, shut themselves up in endless mazes of inex- tricable labyrinths. * None of them act alike in their ceremonies, and nohe of them narrate alike when inquired of concerning the matter; therefore, what they conceive respecting a God we cannot tell j though we conclude, upon the JOHN LEDYARD. 89 whole, that they worship one great Supreme, the Author and Governor of all things ; but there seems to be such a string of subordinate gods intervening between him and the least of those, and the characters of the whole so contrasting, whimsical, absurd, and ridiculous, that their mythology is very droll, and repre- sents the best of the group no better than a harlequin. " The government of Otaheite resembles the early condition of every government, which, in an unimproved and unrefined state, is ever a kind of feudal system of Subordination, secur- ing licentious liberty to a few, and a depend- ent servility to the rest." Having above spoken of Omai, the native of the Society Islands, whom Cook had taken with him to England on a former voyage, and who had received every possible advan- tage for becoming acquainted with the habits, arts, and enjoyments of civilized life, the reader may be curious to know in what manner he demeaned himself when he returned to his . native country, and what were the prospects of his being benefited by his acquisitions and experience. In this case, as in many others, . it will be seen, that the attempt to enlighten the ignorance and change the character of the savage was unsuccessful. 5 I \ >i w m\ 90 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. On landing at Otaheite, says Ledyard, " we had a number of visitors, among whom was a sister of Omai, who came to welcome her brother to his native country again ; but the behavior of Omai on that occasion was con- sonant to his proud, empty, ambitious heart, and he refused at first to own her for his sis- ter ; the reason of which was, her being a poor, obscure girl, and as he expected to be nothing but king, the connection would dis- grace him." In a few days the vessels sailed over to Hueheine, the native island of Omai, at which he was finally to be left. Here a small house was built for him, in which his effects were deposited. About an acre of ground adjoining the house was purchased of the natives, surrounded with a ditch, and con- verted into a garden, in which various Eu- ropean seeds were planted. Several of the live animals, brought from England, were also put on shore, and left under his charge. " When ready to sail. Captain Cook made an entertainment on behalf of Omai at his little house, and in order to recommend him still further to the chiefs of the island, he in- vited them also. Every body enjoyed him- self but Omai, who became more dejected as the time of his taking leave of us for ever ap- preached ; and when he came finally to bid JOHN LEDYAllD. 91 Wfc a er he li- ft, is- a be Us- led adieu, the scene was very affecting to the whole company. It is certainly to be regret- ted, that Omai will never be of any service to his country by his travels, but perhaps will render his countrymen, and himself too, the more unhappy." The subsequent fate of Omai is not known ; but had his knowledge, his efforts, or his ex- ample produced any valuable effects in his na- tive island, the monuments of them would have been obvious to future voyagers. There has never been a more idle scheme of philan- thropy, than that of converting a savage into a civilized man. No one attempt, it is be- lieved, has ever been successful. Even Samp- son Occum, before his death, relapsed into some of the worst habits of his tribe; and no North American Indian of unmixed blood, whatever pains may have been taken with his education, has been known to adopt the man- ners of civilized men, or to pass his life among .them. The reason is sufficiently plain, without re- sorting to natural instinct. In a civilized com- munity, a man who has been a savage must always feel himself inferior to those around him ; this feeling will drive him to his native woods, where he can claim and maintain an equality with his associates. This is the uni- m i-:'\ 92 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. U'- 'i i\^''- ' U versal sentiment of nature, and none but a slave can be without it. When a man lives with savages, he will assume the habits of a savage, the light of education will be extin- guished, and his mind and his moral sense will soon adapt themselves to his condition. The vessels at length departed from the Society Islands, and took a northerly course, with the intention of falling in with the coast of America, at about the fortieth degree of north latitude. After sailing six weeks, with- out approaching any other land, than an unin- habited island, consisting chiefly of a bed of coral rocks, and abounding in turtle of a fine quality, the mariners were greeted with a view of high land at a distance, which was not marked on the charts. It proved to be a new discovery, and was one of the group of islands, named afterwards by Cook the Sandwich htands. A safe harbor was found and entered, in which the vessels were no sooner anchored, than they were surrounded by canoes filled with the natives, who regarded the new comers with inexpressible surprise, though not with apparent fear. A source of astonishment to the navigators was, that the people should speak a language differing but little from those of the Society Islands and New Zealand, which were distant, t i m JOHN L E I) Y A 11 . d'6 the first nearly three thousand, and the other four thousand miles, with an ocean interven- ing. The wide extent of the Polynesian dia- lects was not then known. Although very shy at first, the natives were not long in sum- moning courage to go on board. They looked with wonder upon the objects around them, examined the handsj faces, and clothes of the sailors, and inquired if they could eat. W!ien satisfied on this head, by seeing them devour dry biscuit, the simple islanders were eager to show their hospitality, and presented them with pigs, yams, sweet potatoes, and plantains, thus verifying a declaration of Led yard on another occasion, that "all uncivilized men are hospitable." A friendly interco' rse was established, and provisions were given in bar- ter for old iron, nails, and other articles of lit- tle intrinsic value, but important to the natives. Cook remained ten days only at these islands, and then sailed for the American coast, in- tending to visit them again on his retr.io from the north in the following winter. It was now the 1st of February, and no time was to be lost in hastening his voyage to the northward, for his plan was to proceed along the American shore, and run through Bering's Strait, so as to explore the polar latitndes at the proper season. Without any remarkable 94 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. accident or adventure he reached the conti- nent, and anchored in Nootka Sound. This is an extraordinary bay, extending several leagues into the country, and completely land-locked. On the first night the ships were anchored in water nearly five hundred feet deep, and in other parts it was more than six hundred. A convenient harbor was found the next day. The bay is surrounded by lofty hills, and the shore is so bold, that the ships were secured by ropes fastened to trees. Our wanderer was now on his native con- tinent, and although more than three thousand miles from the place of his birth, yet he could not resist the sensations kindled by the re- membrance of home. All the deep emotions, says he, " inciderrt to natural attachments and early prejudices, played around my heart, and I indulged them." The feeling was sponta- neous and genuine. Ledyard saw in the in- habitants, likewise, indications of an affinity between them and the Indians, whom he had visited in his native country. In all his trav- els he manifests a remarkable acuteness in observing the human character in its vari- ous gradations of improvement, and particularly in detecting resemblances between uncivilized people of different regions. Whether among the South Sea Islands, on the Northwest Coast f JOHN LEDYARD. 95 of America, in Kamtschatka, Siberia, or Egypt, remarks of this kind escape him continually. He seems to have had in his mind a scale upon which he graduated the nations of men, and which he studied so carefully, that he could assign to each its proper place. His observations were not restricted to one class of qualities or circumstances, but they extended to all that constitute individual and national peculiarities, to the intellect, physical characteristics, modes of living, dress, warlike implements, habitations, furniture, government, religion, social state, and domestic habits. Nor was he merely observing and inquisitive ; he was addicted to thought and reflection. His theories were raised on the basis of facts ; his results were sustained by reasons, satisfactory at least to himself. He was fond of pursuing analogies, especially in regard to the origin, customs, and characters of the various races of men ; and here the wide compass of his in- quiries supplied him with so many materials not accessible to others, that he sometimes came to conclusions less obvious to those who follow him, than they were to his own mind. His description of the people of Nootka is here inserted. "I had no sooner beheld these Americans, than I set them down for the same kind of 96 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. people, that inhabit the opposite side of the continent. They are rather above the middle stature, copper-colored, and of an athletic make. They have long black hair, which they gen- erally wear in a club on the top of the head ; they fill it, when dressed, with oil, paint, and the down of birds. They also paint their faces with red, blue, and white colors, but from Avhence they had them, or how they were pre- pared, they would not inform us, nor could we lull. Their clothing generally consists of skins, but they have two other sorts of garments ; the one is made of the inner rind of some sort of bark, twisted and united together like the woof of our coarse cloths ; the other very strongly resembles the New Zealand toga, and is also principally made with the hair of their dogs, which are mostly white and of the domestic kind. Upon this garment is displayed, very well executed, the manner of their catching the whale ; we saw nothing so well done by a savage in our travels. Their garments of all kinds are worn mantlewise, and the borders of them are fringed, or terminated with some par- ticular kind of ornament. " Their richest skins, when converted to gar- ments, are edged with a great curiosity. This is nothing less than the very species of wampum^ so well known on the opposite side of the con- JOHN LED YARD. 97 tinent. It is identically the same , and this wampum was not only found among all the aborigines we saw on ihis side of the conti- nent, but even exists uiimutilated on the op- posite coasts of North Asia. We saw them make use of no coverings to their feet or legs, and it was seldom they covered their heads. When they did, it was with a kind of a bas- ket covering, made after the manner and form of the Chinese and Chinese Tartars' hats. Their language is very guttural, and if it were possible to reduce it to our orthography, it would very much abound with consonants. In their manners they resemble the other aborigi- nes of North America. They are bold and fe- rocious, sly and reserved, not easily provoked, but revengeful ; we saw no signs of religion or worship among them, and if they sacrifice, it is to the god of liberty." The fact here stated, respecting wampum, is curious, and confirms a remark of the author, that the diffusive power of commerce extended at that time throughout the whole continent of North America. " Nothing," says he, " can impede the progress of commerce among the uninformed part of mankind, but an interven- tion of too remote a communication by water." Civilized nations may impose restrictions, or adopt regulations, under the name of protect- VOL. XIV. 7 98 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ing laws, and thereby embarrass commerce ; but, when left fcee to move in its own channels, there is no obscure nook of human society, which it will not pervade. Ledyard discov- ered, among the natives on the Northwest Coast, copper bracelets and knives, which could only have come to them across the continent from Hudson's Bay. Clapperton found articles of English manufacture in the heart of Africa; and the Russian embassy to Bukaria met with others from the same source in Central Asia. The wampum of the North American Indians has been an article of traffic, and probably passed as a kind of currency among all the tribes, from time immemorial. . Ledyard's views of the commercial resources of Nootka Sound, and other parts of the North- west Coast, must not be overlooked in this place, because they were the foundation of many important succeeding events of his life, in suggesting to him the benefits of a traffick- ing voyage to that coast. It will be seen hereafter, that he was the first, whether in Europe or America, to propose such a voyage as a mercantile enterprise, and that he perse- vered against numerous obstacles for se^reral years, though with frifitless endeavors to ac- complish his object. ' The furs, purchased of the natives for a mere trifle, were sold in JOHN LEDYARD. 99 3 ; but, annels, lociety, discov- rthwest h could nitinent articles Africa; net with al Asia. Indians probably ; all the resources le North- in this dation of his life, a trafiick- be seen hether in a voyage he perse- or sfc^reral )rs to ac- •chased of sold in China at an enormous advance, which had not been anticipated, but which gave ample proof of the advantages of such a commerce, under- taken upon a ;arge scale. After enumerating some of the productions of the soil, he adds, " The light in which this country will appear most to advantage respects the variety of its animals, and the richness of their furs. They have foxes, sables, hares, mar- mosets, ermines, weasels, bears, wolves, deer, moose, dogs, otters, beavers, and a species of weasel called the glutton. The skin of this animal was sold at Kamtschatka, a Russian factory on the Asiatic coast, for sixty rubles, which is near twelve guineas ; and had it been sold in China, it would have been worth thirty guineas. We purchased while here about fif- teen hundred beaver, besides other skins, but took none but the best, having no thoughts at that time of using them to any other advan- tage, than converting them to the purposes of clothing ; but it afterwards happened that skins, which did not cost the purchaser sixpence ji^.liug, sold in China for one hundred dollars. Neither did we purchase a quarter part of the beaver and other fur skins we might have done, and most certainly should have done, had we known of meeting the opportunity of dis- posing of them to such an astonishing profit." 100 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. Mi': I ! i 1 1 I At Nootka Sound, and at the Sandwich Islands, Ledyard witnessed instances of canni- balism. In both places he saw human flesh prepared for food, but on one occasion only at each ; for, he says, the sailors expressed such a horror at the sight, that the natives never ventured to repeat the act in their presence. In this part of his narrative he makes a di- gression on sacrifices, which I shall quote, not so much for its originality, or the conclusive- ness of its reasoning, as to show his manner of considering the subject. His opinion is, that cannibalism, or the custom of eating human flesh, which has by no means been uncommon among savage tribes, had its origin in the cus- tom of sacrificing human victims. There is good evidence, that other tribes of North Amer- ican Indians, besides those at Nootka, have been cannibals, if they are not so even at the pres ent day. There was a time, when some phi- lanthropists professed to doubt the existence of this habit, so shocking to humanity ; but the mass of testimony brought to light since Cook's first voyage is such, as to conquer the most obstinate reluctance to conviction. Let the skeptic look at New Zealand, and cease to doubt. " The custom of sacrificing is very ancient. The first instance we have of it is in thn JOHN LEDYARD. 101 latidwich )f canni- lan flesh I only at sed such es never presence, kes a di- luotc, not onchisive- ,s manner on is, that ig human incommon ill the ens- There is orth Amer- have been t the pres some phi- xistence of ^; but the ince Cook's sr the most Let the Lcl cease to ery ancient, t is in thn Hves of Cain and Abel. Their sacrifices con- sisted in part of animal flesh, burnt upon an altar dedicated to God. This custom exists now among all the uncivilized and Jewish na- tions, in the essential rites requisite to prove it analogous to the first iustitution. The only material change in the ceremony is, that the barbarous nations have added human flesh. Whether this additional ingredient in the obla- tion took place at a remote subsequent period, by the antecedent intervention of any extraor- dinary circumstance independent of the original form, does not appear, unless we place the sub- sequent period below the time of Abraham, or perhaps below the time of Jephthah. " The circumstance of Abraham's intended sacrifice of Isaac, to which he was enjoined by the Deity, though he absolutely did not do it, yet was sufficient to introduce the idea that such a sacrifice was the most pleasing to God ; and as it was an event very remarkable, it probably became an historical subject, and went abroad among other tribes, and was handed down among them by tradition, and liable to all the changes incident thereto ; and in time the story might have been, that Abraham net only offered, but really did sacrifice his own son. " But perhaps the story of Jephthah, judge of 187484 T:r w 102 AMERICAN BlOGRAPUr. mk h' III Israel, is more to the point. It is said, he sac- rificed his daughter as a burnt-offering to the god who had been propitious to him in war ; which does appear to be an act independent of custom or tradition, as it was performed wholly from the obligations of a rash vow, made to the Deity in the fulness of a heart surcharged with hopes and fears. It is also a fact, that after this, particularly in the reign of the Wxjked Ahaz, it was a general custom, es- pecially among the heathen, to make their chil- dren ' pass through the fire ; ' by which, I sup- pose, it is understood that they were sacrificed with fire. " It seems, then, that the circumstance of adding human flesh in the ceremony of sacri- ficing did take place in the years antecedent to Christ, and most probably from the example of Jephthah. After this we find it shifting places, attending the diffusive emigrations of the tribes, and commixing with mankind in general, but especially with those disunited from the chosen descendants of the great Abraham ; whose descendants, being constantly favored with civil and religious instructions from Heav- en itself, were not only preserved from super- stition and barbarity themselves, but were the means of furnishing the detached heathen with n variety of customs and ceremonies, that from 5TI|£ JOHN LEDYARD. 103 he sac- to the n war ; pendent •formed ih vow, a heart IS also a reign of stom, es- heir chil- ;h, I sup- sacrificed stance of T of sacri- intecedent e example it shifting Lons of the in general, from the Abraham ; ly favored 'rom Heav- rom super- t were the sathen with 3, that from the mere light of nature they never could have thought of; nor could they preserve them pure and uncorrupt after they had adopted them. " Even the favored Israelites were perpetu- ally deviating into schisms and cabals, and fre- quently into downright idolatry, and all the van- ity of superstition and unbridled nonsense, from the imbecility of human policy, when uninflu- enced by heavenly wisdom and jurisprudence. No wonder, then, that the separate tribes from the house of Abraham, though they primarily received many of their principles of civil and religious government from a pure fountain, should debase and contaminate them by the spurious conjunction of things derived from their own imaginations. And this seems to have been the course of things to this day. There hath always been a part of jnankind, conspicuous for knowledge, superior in wisdom, and favored by Heaven, from whom others are separated ; and these, like the moon, have only shone with borrowed light. '' Some customs may be local and indigenous to particular times and circumstances, both in the civilized and uncivilized world, but far the greater part are derivative, and were originally bestowed on man by his supreme Governor ; those that we find among the civilized and wise, measured on a philosophic scale, are uti- i !l I 111 ill I ill 'I, 'if II! S'l 104 AMERICAN BIOGRAPIir. corrupted, while those that we find existing in parts remote from civilization and knowledge, though they have a resemblance which plainly intimates from whence they came, are yet de- based, mutilated, and by some hardly known. But who, that had seen a human body sacri- ficed at Otaheite to their god of war, would not perceive an analogy to ancient custom on those occasions, and attribute it rather to such custom than to any other cause whatever ? " And the -custom is not confined to Ota- heite alone ; it pervades the islands throughout the Pacific Ocean. It was the case with the ancient Britons. The Mexicans depopulated society by this carnivorous species of sacrifice. This could not be the effect of accident, want, or caprice. It may be worthy of notice to re- mark furthermore, that in the time of Ahaz, these sacrifices were made in high places. It was so in Mexico, and is so at Otaheite and other islands. The Mexicans flung their vie* tims from the top of their temple, dedicated to their god of war. The Otaheitans and the other islanders prepare those oblations on their Morais." Captain Cook remained a few days only at Nootka Sound, and then sailed northward, coast- ing along the American shore, and making va- rious geographical discoveries, till he came to i JOHN LEDYARD. 105 ing in fledge, plainly et de- [110 wn. ■ sacri- would ;om on ,0 such rer ? :o Ota- mghout ith the tpulated acrifice. t, want, =^ to re- Ahaz, les. It ite and leir vic- sdicated and the on their only at d> coast- cing va- came to Bering's Strait, which separates Asia from Amer- ica. In passing through this strait, Ledyard says both continents were distinctly seen at the same time. Cook traversed the polar seas in the month of August, as far north as the ice would permit, in search of a northwest passage, but without success. As the season advanced, he returned to the south, intending to renew his attempts the next year. Few occurrences are recorded in the voyage back to the Sandwich Islands. There is one, however, which merits particular attention in this narrative, since our hero was the chief actor. The adventure is mentioned in Cook's Voyages, and by Captain Burney, as highly creditable to the enterprise and discretion of Ledyard. It happened at the Island of Ona- laska, on the Northwest Coast. Ledyard him- self wrote a particular description of it, which hardly admits of abridgment, and which may best be given, therefore, in his own words. " I have before observed, that we had no- ticed many appearances to the eastward of this, as far almost as Sandwich Sound, of a Eu- ropean intercourse, and that we had at this island in particular met with circumstances, that did not only indicate such an intercourse, but seemed strongly to intimate, that some Eu- ropeans were actually somewhere on the spot. Ill m !-^« I' h. 1 ; i I ,1 I I N 106 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. The appearances that led to these conjectures were such as these. We found among the in- habitants of this island two different kinds of people ; the one we knew to be the aborigines of America, while we supposed the others to have come from the opposite coasts of Asia. There were two different dialects also observed^ and we found them fond of tobacco, rum, and snuff. Tobacco we even found them possessed of, and we observed several blue linen shirts and drawers among them. " But the most remarkable circumstance was a cake of rye meal newly baked, with a piece of salmon in it, seasoned with pepper and salt, which was brought and presented to Cook by a comely young chief, attended by two of those Indians whom we supposed to be Asiatics. The chief seemed anxious to explain to Cook the meaning of the present, and the purport of his visit ; and he was so far successful as to persuade him, that there were some strangers in the country, who were white, and had come over the great waters in a vessel somewhat like ours, and though not so large, was yet much larger than theirs. " In consequence of this. Cook was deter- mined to explore the island. It was difficult, however, to fix upon a plan, that would at once answtr the purposes of safety and expe- J () il N L L I) Y A U D 107 dition. An armed body would proceod slowly, and if they should be cut off by the Indians, the loss in our present circumstances would be irreparable ; and a single person would entirely risk his life, though he would be much more expeditious if unmolested, and if he should be killed the loss would be only one. The latter seemed the best, but it was extremely hard to single out an individual, and command him to go upon such an expedition ; and it was there- fore thought proper to send a volunteer, or none. " 1 was at this time, and indeed ever after, an intimate friend of John Gore, first lieuten- ant of the Resolution, a native of America as well as myself, and superior to me in com- mand. He recommended me to Captain Cook to undertake the expedition, with which I im- mediately acquiesced. Captain Cook assured me, that he was happy I had undertaken it, as he was convinced I should persevere ; and after giving me some instructions how to proceed, he wished me well, and desired I would not be longer absent than a week if possible, at the expiration of which he should expect mQ to return. If I did not return by that time, he should wait another week for me, and no longer. The young chief before mentioned, and his two attendants, were to be my guides. ■!|;|! ;ii;: 'I'MI ;i|'i. ill , i !!! I'll , In 'ilir 'iJii i M!! 111 9 108 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. I look with me some presents adapted to the taste of the Indians, brandy in b.. ttles, and bread, but no other provisions. I went entirely unarmed, by the advice of Captani Cook. " The first day we proceeded about fifteen miles into the interior part of the island, with- out any remarkable occurrence, until we ap- proached a village just before night. This village consisted of about thirty huts, some of them large and spacious, though not very high. The huts are composed of a kind of slight frame, erected over a square hole sunk about four feet into the ground ; the frame is covered at the bottom with turf, and upwards it is thatched with coarse grass ; the whole village was out to see us, and men, women, and chil- dren crowded about me. I was conducted by the young chief, who was my guide, and seemed proud and assiduous to serve me, into one of the largest huts. " I was surprised at the behavior of the In- dians, for though they were curious to see me, yet they did not express that extraordinary curiosity, that would be expected had they never seen a European before ; and I was glad to perceive it, as it was an evidence in favor of what I wished to find true, namely, that there were Europeans now among them. The women of the house which were almost the I I 4' ill JOHN LEDYARD, 109 and into that only ones I had seen at this island, were much more tolerable than I expected to find them ; one, in particular, seemed very busy to please me ; to her, therefore, I made several presents, with which she was extremely well pleased. As it was now dark, ray young chief intimated to me, that we must tarry where we were that night, and proceed further the next day ; to which I very readily consented, being much fatigued. Our entertainment, the subsequent part of the evening, did not consist of delica- cies or much variety ; they had dried fish, and I had bread and spirits, of which we all par- ticipated. Ceremony was -not invited to the feast, and nature presided over the entertain- ment. " At daylight Perpheela (which was the name of the young chief that was my guide) let me know, that he was ready to go on ; upon which I flung off the skins I had slept in, put on my shoes and outside vest, and arose to accompany him, repeating my presents to my friendly hosts. We had hitherto travelled in a northerly direction, but now went to the westward and southward. I was now so much relieved from tiie apprehension of any insult or injury frort; the Indians, that my journey would have been even agreeable, had I not been taken lame, with a swelling in the feet, i: uii ■ •.,] i\ l!lJ ri.-^< '5 Hi! li'' ill ■ ii.:;! "ii" 1 i'! it jlllli '■\';\ iliiii 1 .1.1 .1 ■I'll .111, l,\\ ,,■11 II lU I! ."•II 110 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. which rendered it extremely painful to walk ; the country was also rough and hilly, and the weather wet and cold. About three hours be- fore dark we came to a large bay, which ap- peared to be four leagues over. " Here my guide, Perpheela, took a canoe and all our baggage, and set off, seemingly to cross the bay. He appeared to leave me in an abrupt manner, and told me to follow the two attendants. This gave me some uneasi- ness. I now followed Perpheela's two attend- ants, keeping the bay in view ; but we had not gone above six miles before we saw a canoe approaching us froip the opposite side of the bay, in which were two Indians. As soon as my guides saw the canoe, we ran to the shore from the hills and hailed them, and finding they did not hear us, we got some bushes and M^aved them in the air, which they saw, and stood directly for us. This canoe was sent by Perpheela to bring me across the bay, and shorten the 'distance of the journey. " It was beginning to be dark when the canoe came to us. It was a skin canoe, after the Esquimaux plan, with two holes to ac- commodate two sitters. The Indians that came in the canoe talked a little with my two guides, and then came to me and desired I would get into the canoe. This I did not ii •I JOHN LEDYARD. Ill walk ; id the rs be- ;h ap- g' canoe ly to me in w the uneasi- atteiid- lad not canoe of the oon as e shore finding les and LW, and is sent iy, and len the )e, after to ac- at came ay two jsired I did not very readily agree to, however, as there was no other place for me but to be thrust into the space between the hole§, extended at length upon my back, and wholly excluded from seeing the way I went, or the power of extricating myself upon any emergency. But as there was no alternative, I submitted thus to be stowed away in bulk, and went head foremost very swift through the v/ater about an hour, when I felt the canoe strike a beach, and afterwards lifted up and carried some distance, and then set down again ; after which I was drawn out by the shoulders by three or four men, for it was now so dark that I could not tell who they were, though I was conscious I heard a language that was new. " I was conducted by two of these persons, who appeared to be strangers, about forty rods, when I saw lights, and a number of huts like those I left in the morning. As we approached one of them, a door opened, and discovered a lamp, by which, to my joy and surprise, I dis- covered that the two men, who held me by each arm, were Europeans, fair and comely, and concluded from their appearance they were Russians, which I soon after found to be true. As we entered the hut, which was particularly long, I saw, arranged on each side, on a plat- form of plank, a number of Indians, who all k ? ml MS W ■il i'->>'j; fi, .il)! 11 ,'l lli:;: III'', liil! i|l"l 1 i,;i' i 1 ii| I' II I m M ■''"! ^ ; 1 ill'; m i.iijii ^t?'^; 'Sim '111 1 ■ !' , ^i^--' ^;'l!i 'l!!i *'tff i; 1 && •' ! i 1 i ml i 112 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. bowed to me ; and as I advanced to the fur- ther end of the hut, there were c*her Russians. When I reache'd the end of the rnom, I was seated on a bench covered with fur skins, and as I was much fatigued, wet, and cold, I had a change of garments brought me, consisting of a bkie silk shirt and drawers, a fur cap, boots, and gown, all which I put on with the same cheerfulness they were presented with. Hospitality is a virtue peculiar to man, and the obligation is as great to receive as to confer. " As soon as I was rendered warm and com- fortable, a table was set before me with a lamp upon it ; all the Russians in the house sat down round me, and the bottles of spirits, tobacco, snuff, and whatever Perpheela had, were brought and set upon it. These I pre- sented to the company, intimating that they were presents from Commodore Cook, who was an Englishman. One of the company then gave me to understand, that all the white peo- ple I saw there were subjects of the Empress Catharine of Russia, and rose and kissed my hand, the rest uncovering their heads. I then informed them, as weli as 1 could, that Com- modore Cook wanted to see some of them, and had sent me there to conduct them to our ships. JOHN LEDYARD. 113 to " These preliminaries over, we had supper, which consisted of boiled whale, halibut fried in oil, and broiled salmon. The latter I ate, and they gave me rye bread, but would eat none of it themselves. They were very fond of the rum, which they drank without any mixture or measure. I had a very comfortable bed composed of different fur skins, both under and over me, and being harassed the preceding dsLj, I went soon to rest. After I had lain down, the Russians assembled the Indians in a very silent manner, and said prayers after the manner of the Greek Church, which is much like the Roman. " I could not but observe with what partic- ular satisfaction the Indians performed their devoirs to God, through the medium of their little crucifixes, and with what pleasure they went through the multitude of ceremonies at- tendant on that sort of worship. I think it a religion the best calculated in the world to gain proselytes, when the people are either un- willing or unable to speculate, or when they cannot be made acquainted with the history and prmciples of Christianity without a formal education. * " I had a very comfortable night's rest, and did not wake the next morning until late. As soon as I was up, I was conducted to a hut VOL. XIV. 8 i 4.1 |fi m m t'SA 'Vi- ■ ■m 111 ■u li! 1 1,". lll'li !lh, 111;'": ! !!i':'i i irili ' li'M ■ i ll'lii; " I'! I M m illi iiili ill! "Ill' lli'i t-u\, i'ii iiil lil! 4. ■ii' lit 114 AMERICAN BI06RAPHT. at a little distance from the one 1 had slept in, where I saw a number of platforms raised about three feet from the ground, and covered with dry coarse grass and some small green bushes. There were several of the Russians already here, besides those that conducted me, and several Indians, who were heating water in a large copper caldron over a furnace, the heat of which, and the steam which evapo- rated from ■ the hot water, rendered the hut, which was very tight, extremely hot and suf- focating. *' I soon understood this was a hot bath, of which I was asked to make use in a friendly manner. The apparatus being a little curious, I consented to it, but before I had finished undressing myself, I was overcome by the sud- den change of the air, fainted away, and fell back on the platform I was sitting on. I was, however, soon relieved by having cold and lukewarm water administered to my face and different parts of my body. I finished undress- ing, and proceeded as I saw the rest do, who were now all undressed. The Indians, who served us, brought us, as we sat or extended ourselves on the platforms, water of different temperatures, from that which was as hot as we could bear, to quite cold. The hot water was accompanied with some hard soap and a JOHN LEDYARD. 115 d slept raised lovered green -iissians ed me, water .ce, the evapo- le hut, nd suf- 3ath, of friendly- curious, finished the sud- and fell I was, )ld and ice and mdress- io, who IS, who ttended lifferent hot as t water > and a I flesh-brush ; it was not, however, thrown on the body from the dish, but sprinkled on with the green bushes. After this, the water made use of was less warm, and by several grada- tions became at last quite cold, which con- cluded the ceremony. " We again dressed and returned to our lodgings, where our breakfast was smoking on the table ; but the flavor of our feast, as well as its appearance, had nearly produced a re- lapse in my spirits, and no doubt would, if I had not had recourse to some of the brandy I had brought, which happily saved me. I was a good deal uneasy, lest the cause of my discomposure should disoblige my friends, \vh6 meant to treat me in the best manner they could. I therefore attributed my illness to the bath, which might possibly have partly occa- sioned it, for I am not very subject to faint- ing. I could eat none of the breakfast, how- ever, though far from wanting an appetite. It was mostly of whale, sea-horse, and bear, which, though smoked, dried, and boiled, pro- duced a composition of smells very offensive at nine or ten in the morning. I therefore desired I might have a piece of smoked sal- mon broiled dry, which I ate with some of my own biscuit. " After breakfast I intended to set oflf on kli' 1 'U^ "I In ;'Si«.': l!;:i!l 11 ■tll ' III' i:l 'jl" 11) !' ■II! l|",i|il I III !lii ; ! i;' 1 II": m il! ■II!! "Ilii il ;i'|.in 111 I . :'i!i Jii '' t "''■il iliijl !'ll ! i;'!(i 1^ ii!|i 116 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. my return to the shi[)S, though there came on a disagreeable snow storm. But my new-found friends objected to it, and gave me to under- stand, that I should go the next day, and, if I chose, three of them would accompany me. This I immediately agreed to, as it anticipated a favor I intended to ask them, though I be- fore much doubted whether they would com- ply with it. I amused myself within doors, while it snowed without, by writing down a few words of the original languages of the American Indians, and of the Asiatics, who came over to this coast with these Russians from Kamtschatka. " In the afternoon the weather cleared up, and I went out to see how those Russian ad- venturers were situated. I found the whole village to contain about thirty huts, all of which were built partly under ground, and covered with turf at the bottom, and coarse grass at the top. The only circumstance that can recommend them is their warmth, which is occasioned partly by their manner of con- struction, and partly by a kind of oven, in which they constantly keep a fire night and day. They sleep on platforms built on each side of the hut, on which they have a num- ber of bear and other skins, which render them comfortable ; and as they have been educated JOHN LEDYARD. 11 and in a hardy manner, they need little or no other support, than what they prucure from the sea and from hunting. " The number of Russians were about thir- ty, and they had with them about seventy Kamtschadales, or Indians from Kamtschatka. These, with some of the American Indians, whom they had entered into friendship with, occupied the village, enjoyed every benefit in common with the Russians, and were converts to their religion. Such other of the aborigi- nes of the island, as had not become converts to their sentiments in religious and civil mat- ters, were . excluded from such privileges,' and were prohibited from wearing certain arms. "I also found a small sloop of about thirty tons' burden lying in a cove behind the vil- lage, and a hut near her, containing her sails, cordage, and other sea equipage, and one old iron three pounder. It is natural to an ingen- uous mind, when it enters a town, a house, or ship, that has been rendered famous by any particular event, to feel the full force of that pleasure, which results from gratifying a noble curiosity. I was no sooner informed, that this sloop was the same in which the famous Be- ring had performed those discoveries, which did him so much honor, and his country such great service, than I was determined to go on I ^n:':\ ml ml ' F'li ; iill'II' 111 ' 1 lii'ii!; I ii 'I' ji'!! i III' .1, ii-ii •* Hill ■ 11 lit, " I l:.l III , !:'?i| !l; ■;!l:|' 'ifflii; "I' 118 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, board of her, and indulge the generous feelings the occasion inspired. " I intimated my wishes to the man that accompanied me, who went back to the vil- lage, and brought a canoe, in which we went on board, where I remained about an hour, and then returned. This little bark belonged to Kamtschatka, and came from thence with the Asiatics already mentioned to this island, which they call Onalaska, in order to estab- lish a pelt and fur factory. They had been here about five years, and go over to Kamts- chatka in her once a year to deliver their merchandise, and get a recruit of such supplies as they need from the chief factory there, of which I shall take further notice hereafter. " The next day I set off from this village, well satisfied with the happy issue of a tour, which was now as agreeable as it was at first undesirable. I was accompanied by three of the principal Russians, and some attendants. We embarked at the village in a large skin boat, much like our large whale-boats, rowing with twelve oars ; and as we struck directly across the bay, we shortened our distance sev- eral miles, and the next day, passing the same village I had before been at, we arrived by sunset at the bay where the ships lay, and before dark I got on board with our new ac- JOHN LEDTARD. 119 quaintances. The satisfaction this discovery gave Cook, and the honor that redounded to me, may be easily imagined, and the several conjectures respecting the appearance of a for- eign intercourse were rectified and confirmed." Such other researches as could be pursued at that season having been made at Onalaska, and along the coast, Cook left the continent and shaped his course for the Sandwich Islands. Two months' sailing brought him in view of one of the group, not discovered on his voy- age to the north, called by the natives Owhy- hee, or Hawyhec, as Led yard writes it, or Ha- waii, according to the modern orthography of the missionaries. As our traveller is more mi- nute in his description of the events that hap- pened at this island, and particularly in his account of the death of Captain Cook, than most narrators, and as he describes only what came within his own knowledge, it may be wcrth while to dwell a little upon these topics. r , '' ■ ■ t ■ 1 .' I ■ mm I'si an ' iLi ■ ill ' '"III : Iti I: ; II ';, .' ' ■ I'lH lli'l h 120 AMERICAN BIOGRArilY. CHAPTER V. Cook arrives again at the Sandwich Islands. — The Natives show Symptoms of Uneasiness. — Cook departs, but is compcJhd by a Storm to return. — Natives receive him coldly. — Is at- tacked and killed. — Ltdyard'^s Description of the Event. — Expedition sails for Kamtschat- ka, and returns to England. — Lcdyard's Opin- ions respecting the first Peopling of the South Sea Islands. P hfm" I m m Ijliii ','>i»i ^iii'ii ii'Mll il l''lii 'II I :i,!i| "3: til I I I L The ships were several days among the islands, sailing in different directions, before a harbor was discovered in which they could anchor with safety, and where water and pro- visions could be procured. At length they en- tered a commodious bay on the south side of Owhyhee, extending inland about two miles and a half, having the town of Kearakekua on one side, and Kircrna on the other. These towns contained fourtevui hundred houses. The crowds of people that flocked to the shore, as the vessels sailed in and came to anchor, were prodigious. They had assembled from the in- terior and the coast. Three thousand canoes were counted in the bay, filled with men, women, and children, to the number of at ii'i JOHN LEDYARD 121 mds. — ' ncss. — 'toriii to - Is at- )tioii of mtschat- s Opin- le South )ng the jefore a y could md pro- they eii- side of '0 miles irakekiia . These Bs. The shore, as lor, were 1 the in- d canoes th men, jr of at least fifteen thousand, besides others that were swimming- and sustaining themselves on floats in the water. The scene was animated and grotesque in the extreme. "The beach, the surrounding rocks, the tops of houses, the branches of trees, and the adjacent hills were all covered ; and the shouts of joy and admiration, proceeding from the sonorous voices of the men, confused with the shriller exclamations of the women dancing and clapping their hands, the overset ting of canoes, cries of the children, goods afloat, and hogs that were brought to market squealing, formed one of the most curious pros- pects that can be imagined." But amidst this immense concourse, all was peace, harmony, hilarity, and good nature. Man3'' of the natives were contented to gaze and wonder ; others, by their noise and actions, gave more imposing demonstrations of their joy and admiration ; while others were busy in bartering away hogs, sweet potatoes, and such provisions as they had, for articles that pleased their fancy. Cook's first visit to the shore was attended with a good deal of ceremony. Two chiefs, with long white poles as ensigns of their au- thority, made a passage- among the canoes for his pinnace, and the people, as he was lowed along, covered their faces with their hands. m k Ml: w m if ps Hi m mm m ml Ml m iliii! iir:l!l|; :!' 'iil ■'■I (lliilii i .1 !! •im i tm mn i'iii- I'lii- :-i!l! 4 I'd' I •3!"' 122 AMEIIICAN BIOGRAPHY. When he landed, they fell prostrate on the beach before him, and a new set of officers opened a way for him through the crowd. The same expressions of awe were manifested, as he proceeded from the water's edge. " The people upon the adjacent hills, upon the houst ,, on the stone walls, and in the tops of the trees, also hid their faces, while he passed along the opening ; but he had no sooner passed them, than they rose and followed him. But if Cook happened to turn his head, or look behind him, they were down agiin in an in- stant, and up again as soon whenever his face was reverted to some other quarter. This punctilious performance of respect in so vast a throng, being regulated solely by the acci- dental turn of one man's head, and the trans- ition being sudden and short, rendered it very difficult even for an individual to be in proper attitude. If he lay prostrate but a second too long, he was pretty sure not to rise again until he had been trampled upon by all be- hind him, and if he dar^id not to prostrate hitnself, he would stumble over those before him who did. This produced a great many laughable circumstances, and as Cook walked very fast, to get from 4he sand into the shades of the town, it rendered the matter still more difficult. Ac length, however, they adopted a ; ?:: n the (fficers ;rowd. fested, "The lOUSl ., of the passed passed But )r look an in- lis face This so vast ,e acci- 3 trans- it very I proper ond too e again all be- prostrate 5 before .t many walked e shades ill more lopted a JOHN LEDYARD. 123 ': i medium, that much better answered a running compliment, and did not displease the chiefs ; this was to go upon all fours, which was truly ludicrous among at least ten thousan'l people." This confusion ceased, hov/ever, before long, for Cook was conducted to the Moral, a sacred enclosure, which none but the chiefs and their attendants were allowed to enter. Here he was unmolested, and the presents were dis- tributed. His first object was to procure a situation on shore to erect tents, and fit up the astro- nomical instruments. A suitable spot was granted, on condition that none of the seamen should leave the place after sunset, and with a stipulation on the part of the chiefs, thai none of their people should entev it by night. To make this effectual, the ground was marked out by white rods, and put under the restric- tion of the tabu, which no native dared vio- late, being restrained by the superstitious fear of offending the atuas, or invisible spirits of the island. This caution surprised Cook a lit- tle, as he had not witnessed it among the na- tives of the other South Sea Islands. It ap- peared reasonable, and he consented to it, not foresrsing the mischiefs to which it would ultimately lead. Ledyard considers it the ori- gin of all the disasters that followed. Restric- m p if mi; [ml » i '*• m i Hi? m m i5',.' iil iW li ijf ill!"! ■v'ilHil •')l!''''. iliiiiiiii! ! > '11! III.-,, •0 ipii'lii ill .llil'i: "I m 124 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. tions were imposed, which could not be en- forced ; they were violated secretly at first, then with less reserve, and at last openly. The men in the tents were the first to transgress, by going abroad contrary to the agreement. The native women were tempted by them to pass .over the prescribed limits, although they shuddered at the apprehension of th*? consequences, which might follow such a disn^.gard of the tabu. When they found, however, that no harm came upon them from the euraged atuas, their fears by degrees sub- sided. This intercourse was not such as to raise the Europeans in the estimation of the islanders. It was begun by stealth, and pros- ecuted in violation of the sacred injunction of the tabu; and as no measures were taken to prevent it, the chiefs naturally considered it an infraction of the agreement. Ledyard was him- self stationed on shore with a guard of marines to protect the tents, and enjoyed the best op- portunity for seeing and knowing what passed in that quarter. Harmony, and a good understanding among all parties, prevailed for several days. Cook went through the ceremony of being anointed with cocoanut oil by one of the chief priests, and of listening to a speech half an hour in length, on the occasion, from the same high JOHN LEDYARD. 125 be en- t first, ly- irst to to the empted limits, hension w such found, m from es sub- 1 as to of the id pros- ction of aken to ^,d it an '^as him- marines Dest op- passed among Cook nointed priests, hour in ae high dignitary. When Teraiobu, the king, a feeble old man, returned from one of the other islands, where he had been on a visit, there was an- other ceremony, conducted with great form, at his meeting with Cook. Entertainments suc- ceeded, and good cheer and good humor were seen everywhere. Cook first invited Teraiobu and his chiefs on board to dinner. They were temperate, drinking water only, and eat- ing but little. The old king satisfied him- self entirely with bread-fruit and water, but the younger chiefs comprised in their repast the luxury of pork and fowls. They all went away well pleased, and the king invited Cook to dine with him the next day at his royal residence. The invitation was accepted ; and when the hour came, the navigator and his officers were sumptuously feasted on baked hog and potatoes, neatly spread out on green p'avtein leaves, and for beverage they were t^ j.i'd with cocoanut milk. The day was clot: d V- ith gymnastic exercises, wrestling and boxing, ordered by the old king for the amuse- ment of his guests. On the next evening. Cook in his turn ex- hibited fireworks on shore, much to the amaze- ment of the beholders, who had never before een such a display. Many laughable inci- u ;nt ? occurred. When the first sky-rocket was i>!' m ,I|IJ!|„|! i I liilfi I if Sii'iil: M ■ I'J". S'!l ii.iiiii I It- m '4 126 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. discharged, the multitude was seized with the greatest consternation. Cook and his officers " could hardly hold the old feeble Teraiobu, and some elderly ladies of quality that sat among them ; and before they had recovered from this paroxysm, nearly the whole host, that a moment before surrounded them, had fled." Some were Tiuch frightened to return any- more, but oi fs came back as their fears abated, and had the courage to keep their ground through the remainder of the exhibi- tion. Thus all things were proceeding, as Ledyard expresses it, " in the old Otaheite style ; " the visitors and the islanders were mutually pleased with each other, kind offices were reciprocated, abundant stores of provisions were carried on board, and prospects were favorable. While affairs were in this train, Ledyard formed the design of ascending the high peak, which rises from the centre of the island, and is called by the natives Mouna Roa. Although this mountain stands on an island only ninety miles in diamet«3r, yet it is one of the highest in the world. Its elevation has been estimated to be about eighteen thousand feet, and its summit is usually covered with snow. From his station at the tents, Ledyard sent a note on board the Resolution to Captain Cook, ask- ! U JOHN LED YARD. 12; ith the oflicers eraiobu, that sat 3Covered ost, that id fled." urn any sir fears 3p their exhibi- Ledyard le ; " the y pleased iprocated, arried on Led yard igh peak, jland, and Although ily ninety le highest estimated ;, and its IT. From nt a note ^ook, ask- ing permission to make this jaunt, for the double purpose of exploring the interior, and, if possible, climbing to he top of the moun- tain. The request was granted. The botanist, and the gunner of the Resolution, were deputed by the commander to accompany him. Na- tives were also engaged to carry the baggage, and serve as guides through the woods, A tropical sun was then pouring its rays on them at the Bay of Kearakekua, but the snows visible on the peak of Mouna Roa warned them to provide additional clothing, and guard against the effects of a sudden transition from heat to cold. The party at length set off. On first leaving the town, their route lay through enclosed plantations of sweet potatoes, with a soil of lava, tilled in some places with difficulty. Now and then a patch of sugar- cane was seen in a moist place. Next came the open plantations, consisting chiefly of bread- fruit trees, and the land began to ascend more abruptly. " We continued up the ascent," he writes, " to the distance of a mile and a half further, and found the land thick covered with wild fern, among which our botanist found a new species. It was now near sunset, and being upon the skirts of these woods, that so remark- ably surrounded this island at a uniform dis- :"isl' ., I !" 128 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ll'iii' 1"|||||'|| IS af :;:»!. i^! ''!^ «!' :4ili ml I "1 i; tance of four or five miles from the shore, we concluded to halt, especially as there was a hut hard by, that would afford us a better retreat during the night, than what we might expect if we proceeded. When we reached the hut, we found it inhabited by an elderly man, his wife, and daughter, the emblem of innocent, uninstructed beauty. They were somewhat discomposed at our appearance and equipment, and would have left their house through fear, had not the Indians, who accompanied us, per- suaded them otherwise, and at last reconciled them to us. We sat down together before the door, and from the height of the situation we had a complete retrospective view of our route, of the town, of part of the bay, and one of our ships, besides an extensive prospect on the ocean, and a distant view of three of the neighboring islands. " As we had proposed remaining at this hut through the night, and were willing to pre- serve what pro\ Nions we had ready dressed, we purchased a little pig, and had him dressed by our host, who, finding his account in his visitants, bestirred himself and soon had it ready. After supper we had some of our bran- dy diluted with the mountaia water; and we had so long been confined to the poor brack- ish water at the bay below, that it was a kind i-^t; JOHN LEDYARD. 129 hore, we ms a hut r retreat t expect the hut, man, his innocent, omewhat luipment, ugh fear, d us, per- econciled )efore the lation we our route, d one of ct on the e of the this hut to pre- j dressed, m dressed nt in his had it our bran- and we or brack- ras a kind V : ; of nectar to us. As soon as the sun was set, we found a considerable difference in the state of (he air. At night a heavy dew fell, and we felt it very chilly, and had recourse to our blankets, notwithstanding we were in the hut. " The next morning, when we came to en- ter the woods, we found there had been a heavy rain, though none of it had approached us, notwithstanding we were within two hun- dred yards of the skirts of the forest.* And it seemed to be a matter of fact, both from the information of the natives and our own obser- vations, that neither the rains nor the dews descended lower than where the woods termi- nated, unless at the equinoxes or some period- ical conjuncture, by which means the space between the woods and the shore is rendered warm, and fit for the purposes of culture, and the vegetation of tropical productions. We traversed these woods by a compass, keeping a direct course for the peak, and were so happy the first day as to find a footpath that tended nearly our due course, by which means we travelled by estimation about fifteen miles ; and though it would have been no extraordinary march, had circumstances been different, yet, as we found them, we thought it a very great one; for it was not only excessively miry and rough, but the way was mostly an ascent, and VOL. XIV. 9 m |i' ii m ii , 'M i, ! 31 ' I 'I •»r Ii ! 111! 'I ilil'il i ' I I'.' J 30 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. we had been unused to walking, and especial- ly to carrying such loads as we had. Our Indian companions were much more fatigued than we were, though they had nothing to carry, and, what displeased us very much, would not carry anything. " Our botanical researches delayed us some- what. The sun had not set when we halted ; yet, meeting with a situation that pleased us, and notii being limited as to time, we spent the remaining part of the day as humor dic- tated, some in botanizing, and those who had fowling-pieces with them in shooting. For my part, I could not but think* the present appear- ance of our encampment claimed a part of our attention, and therefore set about some altera- tions and amendments. It was the trunk of a tree, that had fallen by the side of the path, and lay wit?i one end transversely over another tree, that had fallen before in an op- posite direction, and as it measured twenty- two feet in circumference, and lay four feet from the ground, it afforded very good shelter except at the sides, which defect I supplied by large pieces of bark, and a good quantity of boughs, vvhich rendered it very commodious. We slept through the night under it much better thai we had done the preceding, not- withstanding there was a heavy dew, and the air cold. JOHN LEDYARD. 131 especial- d. Our fatigued thing to h, would us some- 3 halted; eased us, tve spent imor dic- who had For my )t appear- irt of our 16 altera- trunk of of the sel.y over n an op- twenty- four feet Dd shelter ; supplied quantity nmodious. it much ding, not- and the 9 t "The next morning we set out in good spirits, hoping that day to reach the snowy peak ; but we had not gone a mile, before tho path, that had hitherto so much facilitated our progress, began not only to take a direction southward of west, but had been so little fre- quented as to be almost effaced. In this sit- uation we consulted our Indian convoy, but to no purpose. We then advised among our- selves, and at length concluded to proceed by the nearest route without any beaten track, and went in this manner about four miles fur- ther, finding the way even more steep and rough than we had yet experienced, but, above all, impeded by such impenetrable thickets as rendered it impossible for us to proceed any further. We therefore abandoned our design, and returning in our own track, reached the retreat we had improved the last night, hav- ing been the whole day in walking only about ten miles ; and we had been very assiduous too. " We found the country here, as well as at the sea-shore, universally overspread with lava, and also saw several subterranean excavations, that had every appearance of past eruption and fire. Our botanist to-day met with great success, and we had also shot a number of fine birds of the liveliest and most variegated pin- ',11 1 1 , ilili . I'A If':' ! I . I 'I il I , . . ' t- III m :r:|i|; : ill; .;: Im III M I ■iii;i:'i' ■':;;'< fli ;i!fi 132 AMCHICAN BIOGRAPHY. mage that any of us had ever met with ; but we heard no melody among them. Except these, we saw no other kind of birds but the screech-owl ; neither did we see any kind of quadruped ; but we caught several curious in- sects. The woods here are thick and luxu- riant, the largest trees being nearly thirty feet in the girth, and these with the shrubbery un- derneath, and the whole intersected with vines, render it very umbrageous. " The next day, about two in the afternoon, we cleared the woods by our old route, and by six o'clock reached the tents, having pen- etrated about twenty-four miles, and, we sup- posed, within eleven of the peak. Our Indians were extremely fatigued, though they had no baggage." * Were we to follow the author closely in his narrative, we should here introduce his de- scription of the Island of Hawaii, and of the various objects that attracted his notice. He speaks of the geological structure of ihe island, its soil, productions, climate, and animals ; the * This mountain was never ascended to the top, till re- cently. Mr. Goodrich, one of the American missionaries on the island, was the first person who persevered in reach- ing the summit He ascended on a side of the moun- tain nearly opposite to that where Ledyard made the attempt -; JOHN LEDYARD. 133 ith; but Except but the kind of rious iii- nd luxu- lirty feet t)bery uri- ith vines, afternoon, oute, and ving pen- , we sup- ur Indians y had no closely in ice his de- iiid of the )tice. He the island, liinals ; the le top, till re- n missionaries jred in reach- of the moun- rd made the customs of the natives, their superstitions, gov- ernment, and criminal offences ; their way of living, and the remarkable differences between them and the other islanders of the South Sea. On some of these topics liis remarks are ori- ginal and striking ; but we must pass over them, and hasten to particulars of higher interest. ■ Before two weeks had expired, the natives began to show symptoms of uneasiness at the presence of the foreiginprs, and to treat them with diminished respect. In truth, very fittle pains were taken to preserve their good opin- ion, or to keep alive their kind feelings ; and one untoward event after -another was perpet- ually occurring, to lessen the admiration which novelty had excited, and to alienate them from their newly made friends. Ledyard mentions several incidents of this description, which are not alluded to in the authorized account of Cook's last voyage. Some of them, probably, were not known to the writer, and others were omitted from motives of policy, as being rather evidences of neglect or injudicious manage- ment, than of cautious or discreet measures. The natives first began to practise slight in- sults, which seemed to proceed rather from a mischievous, than a malignant temper. The master's mate was ordered to take on board the rudder of the Resolution, which had w I!' SI; !III,|l:|' I II Mir '«!'!■ •ll II, I 1 1, !'■' .'• ^$ 111': ■i'Vll lii'i |! : I 1 1 01 I :| I •'ft ir 11 .iv'j ill I fell il!' ii: 111 134 AMERICAN BIOGUArHr. I! been sent ashore for repairs. It was too heavy for his men to remove, and he asked the na- tives to assist them. Fifty or sixty immedi- ately caught hold of the rope attached to the rudder, and began to pull. But whether in sport, or by design, they caused only embar- rassment and disorder. " This exasperated the mate, and he struck two or three of them, which being observed by a chief that was present, he interposed. The mate haughtily tola the chief to order his people to assist him, and the chief as well as the people, hav- ing no intention but of showing their disregard and scorn, which had long been growing to- wards us, laughed at him, hooted him, and threw stones at him and the crew, who, taking up some trunnels that were lying by, fell upon the Indians, beat many of them much, and drove the rest several rods back ; but the crowd, collecting at a little distance, formed, and began to use abusive language, challenge our people, and throw stones, some of which came into our encampment." Ledyard's guard of marines was ordered out, " at least to make a show of resentment,'" and the commanding officer at the tents went out himself to quell the disturbance ; but they were all pelted with stones, and retired, leaving the field to the na- tives till night, when the rudder was taken on board ! I I • ■ * I JOHN LED YARD. 135 heavy le na- nmedi- to the her in embar- ted the them, at was ughtily assist e, hav- isregard hig to- rn, and 1, taking ell upon ich, and but the formed, hallenge f which 's guard to make manding to quell Ited with 1 the na- as taken I « Instances of this kind, though of less ap- parent importance, had happened several times, before this on sliore ; but on board hardly a day passed, after the first week, that did not produce some petty disturbance in one or both of the ships, and they chiefly proceeded from thefts perpetrated by the natives in a manner little short of robbery. Cook and Teraiobu were fully employed in adjusting and com- promising these differences ; and as there was really a reciprocal disinterested regard between him and this good old man, it tended r ach to facilitate these amicable negotiations. But in the midst of these measures. Cook was in- sensible of the daily decline of his greatness and importance in the estimation of the na- tives ; nay, so confident was he, and so secure in the opposite opinion, that on the 4th of February he came to Kearakekua, with his boats, to purchase and carry off the fence round the Moral, which he wanted to wood the ships with. When he landed, he sent for the priest Kikinny, and some other chiefs, and offered them two iron hatchets for the fence. The chiefs were astonished, not only at the inade- 'quate price, but at the proposal, and refused him. "Cook was as much chagrined as they were surprised, and, not meeting with the easy ac- 1 flf f p m mi}'. W'fi m m li i!* ,1 J' I k I i ill: 11 .il li^llli 136 AMERICAN BIOGRAi"!'/. quic.:cericehe expected to his requisition;:}, gave immediate orders to his people to ascend the Morai, break down the fence, and load the boats with it, leading the way himself to en- force his orders. The poor, dismayed chiefs, dreading his displeasure, which they s'.ivv ap- proaching, followed him upon the Morai to behold the fence that enclosed tbj mdnsions of their noble ancestors, and the images of their gods, torn to pieces by a handful of rude strangers, without the power, or at least with- out the resolution, of opposing their sacrilegious depredations. "When Cook had rocended the Morai, he once more offered the hatchets to the chiefs. It was a very unequal price, if the honest chiefs would have accepted of the bribe ; and Cook offered it only to evade the imputation, of taking their property without payment. The chiefs again refused it. Cook then added another hatchet, and, kindling into resentment, told them to take it or nothing. Kikinny, to whom the offer was made, turned pale, and trembled as he stood, but still refused. Cook thrust them into his garment, that was folded round him, and left him immediately, to hastei> the execution of his orders. As for Kikinny, he turned to some of his menials, and made them take the hachets out of his garrfient, not J W f to JOHN LEDYARD 137 %i I touching them himself. By this ti'.:.e a con- siderable concourse of the natives had assem- bled under the walls of the Morai, where we were throwing the wood down, and were very outrageous, and even threw the wood and im- ages* back as we threv.'- them down ; and I cannot think what prevented them from pro- ceeding to greater lengths. However, it so happened that we got the whole into the boats, and safely on board." This story is told differently by Captani King, who wrote that part of Cook's Third Voyage, which relates to the Sandwich Islands. As he represents it, no objection was made to the proposal for taking away the enclosure of vvood, that surrounded the !^Jjrai, and even the images were tumbled down and carried off, under the eyes of the p iests, without any re- sistance or disapprobation on their part. This would seem improbable. The Morai was the depo.-.itory of the dead, a place where the im- ages of the gods were kept and solemn cere- monies performed. It is not easy to reconcile the two accounts,, but Ledyard was employed with others in removing the fence, and he manifestly describes what he saw. He may not have been so weil acquainted with the manner and conditions of the purchase as Cap- tain King, yet in the detail of occurrences iu I: tell V ; Iff mi U'^'. of" IT*'' Plf m 4!: 'in.: II il,i m ' ":.iili| % !;i||i* ■Si!!. I'til ' ji'iiiB;:;' ■^1 It: i r.S»5 138 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. which he was engaged, and their effects on the people around him, it is hardly possible that he should have been mistaken. Again, he writes, " On the evening of the 5th we struck our tents, and everything was taken on board, and it was manifestly much to the satisfaction of the natives. A little after dark, an old house, that stood on a corner of the Morai, took fire and burnt down ; this we supposed was occa- sioned by our people's carelessly leaving their fire near it ; but this was not the case. The natives burnt it themselves, to show us the resentment they entertained towards us, on ac- count of our using it without their consent, and indeed manifestly against it. We had made a sail-loft of one part of it, and a hos- pital for our sick of the other, though it evi- dently was esteemed by the natives as holy as the rest of the Morai, and ought to have been considered so by us." They had now been nineteen days in Keara- kekua Bay ; the ships had been repaired, the seamen recruited after their long toils, provis- ions for several months laid in, and nothing more was wanting, to enable them to go again to sea, but a supply o^ water. This was not to be had at Kearakekua, except of a brackish quality, and it was resolved to search for it ' cts on )ossible Again, ick our I'd, and tion of house, 5ok fire IS occa- g their . The us the on ac- consent, Ve had I a hos- i it evi- holy as ve been Keara- red, the provis- nothing ;o again vas not •rackish I for it JOHN LEDYARD, 139 n on some of the other islands. For this object the vessels were unmoored, and sailed out of the harbor. No sooner had they got to sea, than a violent gale came on, which lasted three days, and injured so seriously the Resolution's foremast, that Cook was compelled to return speedily to his old anchorage ground and make repairs. Our voyager is so circumstantial in his account from this point, till the tragical death of Captain Cook that I shall not mar his narrative by curtailing it. The only thing necessary to be premised is, that he was one of the small party, who landed with the un- fortunate navigator on the morning of his death, and was near him during the fatal con- test, although this does not appear from his own statement. " Our return to this bay was as disa^ eeable to us, as it was to the inhabitants, for we were reciprocally tired of each other. They had been oppressed, and were weary of our prostituted alliance, and' we were aggrieved by the consideration of wanting the provisions and refreshments of the country, which we had every reason to suppose, from their be- havior antecedent to our departure, would now be withheld from us, or brought in such small quantities as to be worse than none. What we anticipated was true. When we entered il i4 m ill''" <^ili m i-Si LSI •:*! p^'jl' ■|p ill lis T 140 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. the bay, where before we had the shouts of thousands to welcome our arrival, we had the mortification not to S' ; a single canoe, nnd hardly any inhabitants in the towns. Cook was chagrined, and his people were soured. " Towards night, however, the canoes came in, but the provisions, both in quantity and qualuy, plainly informed us that times were altered ; and what was very remarkable was, the exorbitant price they asked, and the par- ticular fancy they all at once took to iron dag- gers or dirks, which were the only articles that were any ways current, with the chiefs at least. It was also equally evident from the looks of the natives, as well as every other appearance, that our former friendship was at an end, and that we had nothing to do but to hasten our departure to some different island, where our vices were not known, and where oiu' extrinsic virtues might gain us another short space of being wondered at, and doing as we pleased, or, as oiir tars expressed it, of being happy by the month. " Nor was their passive app* arance of dis- gust all we had to fear, nor did it continue long. Before dark a canoe with a number of armed chiefs came alongside of us without provisions, and indeed without any perceptible design. After staying a short time only, they JOHN L E D Y A K n . 141 went to the Discovery, where a part of them went on board. Here they affected great friendship, and unfortunately overacting it, Gierke was suspicious, and ordered two senti- nels on the gangways. These men were pur- posely sent by the chief, who . had formerly been so very intimate with Gierke, and after- wards so ill treated by him, with the charge of stealing his jolly-boat. They came with a determination of mischief, and effected it. " After they were all returned to the canoe but one, they got their paddles and everything ready for a start. Those in the canoes, ob- serving the sentry to be watchful, took off his attention by some conversation, that they knew would be pleasing to him, and by this means favored the designs of the man on board, who, watching his opportunity, snatched two pairs of tongs, and other iron tools that then lay close by the armorers at work at the forge, and mounting the gangway-rail, with one leap threw himself and his goods into the canoe, that was then upon the move, and, taking up his paddle, joined the others ; and standing di- rectly for the shore, they, were out of our reach almost instantaneously, even before a musket could be had from the arms-cher-t t.'> fire at them. The sentries had only hangers. " This was the boldest exploit that had yet ;:l)0^ a.; ill Fife It If?!! il! ». i: ;:,!;!, ■il m *:fi; i]l Mill''; I'lilli I i 'I't; I! lilfp riii': ■:■ 4- 111 .'','■ km »f !! '51- il! ^I'j'll n SI ,H; I !! ■ 142 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. been attempted, and had a bad aspect. Gierke immediately sent to the Commodore, who ad- vised him to send a boat on shore to endeavor at least to regain the goods, if they could not the men who took them ; but the errand was as ill executed as contrived, and the master of the Discovery was glad to return with a severe drubbing from the very chief, who had been so maltreated by Gierke. The crew were also pelted with stones, and had all their oars broken, and they had not a single weapon in the boat, not even a cutlass, to defend them- selves. When Gook heard of this, he went armed himself in person to the guard on shore, took a file of marines, and went through the whole town demanding restitution, and threat- ening the delinquents and their abettors with the severest punishments ; but not being able to effect anything, he came off just at sunset, highly displeased, and not a little concerned at the bad appearance of things. But even this was nothing to what followed. " On the 13th, at night, the Dtscoven/s large cutter, which was at her usual moorings at the bower buoy, was taken away. On the 14th, the captains met to consult what should be done on this alarming occasion ; and the issue of their opinions was, that one of the two cap- tains should land with armed boats and a guard ? JOHN LEDYARD. 143 Gierke ;rho ad- ndeavor uld not Liid was aster of a severe id been ere also eir oars apon m d til cm- tie went ►n shore, Ligh the 1 threat- Drs with ing able t sunset, erned at ven this '•y's large ^s at the he 14th, lould be the issue two cap- a guard of marines at Kiverua, and attempt to persuade Teraiobu, who was then at his house in that town, to come on board upon a visit, and that, when he was on board, he should be kept prisoner, until his subjects should release him by a restitudon of the cutter ; and if it was afterwards thought proper, he, or some of the family who might accompany him, should be kept as perpetual hostages for the good be- havior of the people, during the remaining part of our continuance at Kearakekua. "This plan was the more approved of by Cook, as he had so repeatedly, on former occa- sions to the southward, employed it with suc- cess. Gierke was then in a deep decline of his health, and too feeble to undertake the affair, though it naturally devolved upon him, as a point of duty not well transferable ; he therefore begged Gook to oblige him so much, as to take that part of the business of the day upon himself, in his stead. This Gook agreed to, but, previous to his landing, made some additional arrangements, respecting the possible event of things, though it is certain, from the appearance of the subsequent ar- rangements, that he guarded more against the flight of Teraiobu, or those he could wish to see, than from an attack, or even much insult. "The disposition of our guards, when the * I ;"'''ll|it if %P§ m^ -'li ■:;;'!. 1% n i;;.;i' ii ill!'"! ;fV| .'HI 111 .■■■'^2 I ' : i r\'r . I I fjlllil' i 'km. i^l If III . sit; I; I.: i ■'^ f ' ■ , 4 r'" ::':!! 144 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. movements began, was thus. Cook, in his pin- nace, with six private marines, a corporal, ser- geant, and two lieutenants of marines, went ahead, followed by the launch with other ma- rines and seamen on one quarter, and the small cutter on the other, with only the crew on board. This part of the guard rowed for Kearakekua. Our large cutter and two boats from the Discovery had orders to proceed to the mouth of the bay, form at equal distances across, and prevent any communication by wa- ter from any other part of the island to the towns within the 'bay, or from those without. Cook landed at Kiverua about nine o'clock in the morning, with the marines in the pinnace, and went by a circuitous march to the house of Teraiobu, in order to evade the suspicion of any design. This route led through a con- siderable part of the town, which discovered every symptom of mischief, though Cook, blinded by some fatal cause, could not per- ceive it, or, too self-confident, would not re- gard it. " The town was evacuated by the women and children, who had retired to the circum- jacent hills, and appeared almost destitute of men ; but there were at that time two hun- dred chiefs, and more than twice that number of other men, detached and secreted in differ- JOHN LED YARD. 145 his pin- oral, ser- es, went ther ma- and the the crew :)wed for wo boats oceed to distances 1 by wa- d to the without. )'clock in pinnace, he house suspicion ^h a con- iiscovered ^h Cook, not per- i not re- le women e circum- stitute of two hun- at number in difFer- • ', I ent parts of the houses nearest to TeraioDu exckisive of unknown numbers without tne skirts of the town ; and those that were seen were dressed, many of them, in black. When the guard reached Teraiobu's house. Cook or- dered the lieutenant of* marines to go in and see if he was at home, and if he was, to bring him out. The lieutenant went in, and found the old man sitting with two or three old women of distinction ; and, when he gave Te- raiobu to understand that Cook was without, and wanted to see him, he discovered the greatest marks of uneasiness, but arose and ac- companied the lieutenant out, holding his hand. When he came before Cook, he squatted down upon his hams as a mark of humiliation, and Cook took him by the hand from the lieuten- ant, and conversed with him. " The appearance of our parade both by water and on shore, though conducted with the utmost silence, and with as little ostenta- tion as possible, had alarmed the towns on both sides of the bay, but particularly Kive- rua, where the people were in complete order for an onset ; otherwise it would have been a matter of surprise, that though Cook did not see twenty men in passing through the town, yet, before he had conversed ten minutes with Teraiobu, he was surrounded by three or VOL. XIV. 10 \''Mk.^'}i #1 ''Mir I I" hit I""' n I irti .11, ;■ I III li\\ ■yh il^i'i \mt\ «l - ill I Jfcii 'If'i' .'H ■ , ■'. ^« if i !!!■ ll 146 AMERICAN B I O O R A P H k' . four hundred people, and above half of them chiefs. " Cook grew uneasy when he observed this, and was the more urgent in his persuasions with Teraiobu to go on board, and actually persuaded the old man to go at length, and led him within a rod or two of the shore ; but the just fears and conjectures of the chiefs at last interposed. They held the old man back, and one of the chiefs threatened Cook, when he atterApted to make them quit Terai- obu. Some of the crowd now cried out, that Cook was going to take their king from them and kill him, and there was one in particular that advanced towards Cook in an attitude that alarmed one of the guard, who presented his bayonet and opposed him, acquainting Cook in the mean time of the danger of his situa- tion, and that the Indians in a few minutes would attack him ; that he had overheard the man, whom he had just stopped from rushing in upon him, say that our boats which were out in the harbor had just killed his brother, and he would be revenged. " Cook attended to what this man said, and desired him to show him the Indian, that had dared to attempt a combat with him, and as soon as he was pointed out. Cook fired at him with a blank. The Indian, perceiving he re- JOHN LEDYARO. 147 them 1 this, lasions ;tually ti, and shore ; chiefs d man Cook, Terai- it, that [11 them irticiilar attitude :eseiited s Cook s situa- mimites ard the rushing ch were brother, said, and that had and as i at him g he re- I ceived no damage from the fire, rushed from without the crowd a second time, and threat- ened any one that should oppose him. Cook> perceiving this, fired a ball, which entering the Indian's groin, he fell and was drawn off" by the rest. " Cook, perceiving the people determined to oppose his designs, and that he should not succeed without further bloodshed, ordered the lieutenant of marines, Mr. Phillips, to withdraw his, men and get them into the boats, which were then lying ready to receive them. This was effected by the sergeant ; but the instani they began to retreat. Cook was hit with a stone, and. perceiving the man who threw it, shot him dead. The officer in the boats, ob- serving the guard retreat, and hearing this third discharge, ordered the boats to fire. This oc- casioned the guard to face about and fire, and then the attack became general." " Cook and Mr. Phillips were together a few paces in the rear of the guard, and, perceiving a general fire without orders, quitted Teraiobu, and ran to the shore to put a stop to it ; but not being able to make themselves heard, and being close pressed upon by the chiefs, they joined the guard, who fired as they retreated. Cook, having at length reached the margin of the water, between the fire of the boats, waved m w: K'-,,-''-' § ,t''' "'l\ •ilh A Hit' h !!:jp!|ij ill: m 148 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, with his hat for them to cease firing and come in ; and while he was doing this, a chief from behind stabbed him with one of our iron daggers, just under the shoulder-blade, and it passed quite through his body. Cook fell with his face in the water, and immediately expired. Mr. Phillips, not being able any longer to use his fusee, drew his sword, and engaging the chief whom he saw kill Cook, soon despatched him. His guard, in the mean time, were all killed but two, and they had plunged into the water, and were swimming to the boats. He stood thus for some time the butt of all their force ; and being as complete in the use of his sword as he was accomplished, • his noble achievements struck the barbarians with awe ; but being wounded, and growing faint from loss of blood and excessive action, he plunged into the sea with his sword in his hand and swam to the boats; where, however, he was scarcely taken on board, before somebody saw one of the marines, that had swum from the shore, lying flat upon the bottom. Phillips, hearing this, ran aft, threw himself in after him, and brought him up with him to the surface of the water, and both were taken in. " The boats had hitherto kept up a very hot fire, and, lying off without the reach of any weapon but stones, had received no dam- ig and a chief )ur iron and it ell with expired. • to use ing tlie spatched tvere all into the ts. He all their se of his is noble th awe ; int from plunged land and he was )ody saw from the Phillii)s, in after m to tlie taken in. ip a very- reach of no dam- JOHN LEDYA UD. 149 i age, and, being fully at leisure to k^.ep up an unremitted and uniform action, made great havoc among the Indians, particularly among the chiefs, who stood foremost in the crowd and were most exposed ; but whether it was from their bravery, or ignorance of the real cause that deprived so many of them of life, that they made such a stand, may be ques- tioned, since it is certain that they in general, if not universally, understood heretofore that it was the fire only of our arms that destroyed them. This opinion seems to be strengthened by the circumstance of the large, thick mats, they were observed to wear, which were also con.tn'i'ly kept wet; and, furthermore, the In- dian that Cook fired at with a blank discov- ered no fear, when he found his mat unburnt, saying in their language, when he showed it to the by-standers, that no fire had touched it. This may be supposed at least to have had some influence. It is, however, certain, whether from one or both these causes, that the numbers that fell made no apparent im- pression on those who survived ; they were immediately taken "olT, and had their places supplied in a constant succession. " Lieutenant Gore, who commanded as first lieutenant under Cook in the Resolution, which lay opposite the place where this attack was '*'f ;: i.'- 150 AMERICAN BIOURAPHY. i!ili'li,,l"-!'4i ;:>?; ■f ^ If M!|::i M W I' it' ■>H, A made, perceiving with his glass that the guard on shore was cut off, and that Cook had fallen, immediately passed a spring upon one of the cables, and, bringing the ship's starboard guns to bear, fired two round shot over the boats into the middle of the crowd ; and both the thunder of the cannon and the effects of the shot operated so powerfully, that it produced a most precipitate retiaat from the shore to the town." " Our mast that was repairing at Kearake- kua, and our astronomical tents, were protected only by a corporal and six marines, exclusive of the carpenters at work upon it, and de- manded immediate protection. As soon, there- fore, as the people were refresh'' d with some grog and reenforced, they were ordered thither. In tho mean time, the marine who had beer tak'jn up by Mr. Phillips discovered returning life, and seemed in a way to recover, and we found Mr. Phillips's wound not dangerous, though very bad. We also observed at Kive- rua, that our dead were drawn off by the Indians, which was a mortifying sight; but after the boats were gone, Ihey did it in spite c5 our caiiuon, which were firing at them sev- eral mhiutes. They had no sooner effected this matter, than they retired to the hills to avoid our shot, The expedition to Kivcrua JOHN LEDYARD. 151 guard fallen, of the 1 guns 3 boats ith the of the oduced lore to ^earake- rotected tckisive md de- I, there- 1 some thither, id beer iturnmg and we i^erous, t Kive- by the ht; but in spite em sev- effected hills to Kivcrua had taken up about an hour and a half, and we lost, besides Cook, a corporal and three marines. " Notwithstanding the despatch that was used in sending a force to Kearakekua, the small party there were already attacked before their arrival ; but by an excellent manoeuvre of taking possession of the Morai, they defended themselves without any material damage, until the succors came. The natives did not at- tempt to molest the boats in the debarkation of our people, which we much wondered at, and they soon joined the others upon the Mo- rai, amounting in the whole to about sixty. Mr. Phillips, notwithstanding his wound, was present, and, hi conjunction with Lieutenant King, carried the chief command. The plan was to act only defensively, until we could get onr mast into the water, to tow off, and our tents into the boats ; and as soon as that was effected, to return on board, ^^his we did in about an hour's time, but not without killing a number of the natives, who resolutely attacked us, and endeavored to mount the walls of the Morai, where they were lowest ; but be- ing opposed with our skill in such modes of attack, and the great superiority of our arms, they were ever repulsed with loss, and at length retieated among the houses adjacent to I if II" ill; :VM 1., iir'li(|iii"..'ii' ^m^' ai.; i i ft'l I •S lill i; mm i Mi mini I' '\i ft '^ ■Ur)ii> r,\ 152 AMERICAN JIOGRAPHT. the Moral, which affording a good opportunity to retreat to our boats, we embraced it, and got off all well. Our mast was taken on the booms, and repaired there, though to disad- vantage." This account is the more valuable, as hav- ing been drawn up by one, who had a per- sonal knowledge of all that passed. Neither Captain King nor Captain Burney, each of whom has described the transactions, was on shore with Cook. Nor, indeed, as hinted above, can it be inferred with certainty from any- thing Ledyard says, that he was in thai part of the fray. But the confidence and particu- larity with which he speaks would seem to indicate actual observation. We have Captain Burney's testimony, moreover, which may be deemed conclusive. He says, that " Cook land- ed with Lieutenant Molesworth Phillips of the marines, Sergeant Gibson, Corporals Thomas and Ledyard, and six private marines, being in the whole eleven persons."* It follows, that Ledyard must have been near COok from the time he left the ship till he was killed, and that he heard and saw distinctly all that 'hap- pened. Four marines were killed, three wound- ed, and three escaped unhurt, of which last number he was one. * Chronological History of Northeastern Voyages of Dis- covery, p. 260. T ^ JOHN LLDYAKD. 153 rtimity it, and on the disad- as hav- . a per- Neither ach of was on 1 above, m any- lai part particu- seem to Captain may be ok land- is of the Thomas Deing in ws, that rom the led, and hat *hap- wound- lich last (res of Dis- After this melancholy catastrophe, the ships remained six days in the harbor, till the de- fective mast was repaired, and a supply of water obtained. This latter was effected with difficulty, however, as the watering parties were repeatedly assailed by the natives, and skir- mishes ensued. It may well be imagined, therefore, that the hour of departure was hailed with joy by all on board. They passed ten days more among the islands, and, the water on board oeing bad, a fresh supply was pro- cured at the Island of Atui. The season be- ing now advanced, and everything in readiness, they launched out again into the great ocean, pursuing a northerly course, with the design of making a second attempt to explore the polar regions, in search of a northwest passage. In six weeks they approached the shore of Kamtschatka, and anchored in the harbor of St. Peter and St. Paul. The result of the ex- pedition is well known. They passed through Bering's Strait, and groped among islands of ice in a high latitude, but with no better suc- cess than the year before. They toucher' again at Kamtschatka on their return ; and, proceeding by the way of China and the Cape of Good Hope, they reached England, after an absence of four years and three months. Many facts and speculations in our travel- !!;!:;; ?;"'!i!!':: >l,i.'^: ii"!il:!''. 'ill''- ■•^illl;')!!::: .ms i! «. Ell Mill! 'ii ill i il H 154 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ler's journal, not a little curious in themselves, have been omitted in the preceding sketch, because they would occupy a space not con- sistent with the nature or limits of the pres- ent memoir. I am tempted, however, to quote his interesting remarks on the mode in which the South Sea Islands were proba- bly first peopled. The subject has since 'been much discussed by philosophers and geogra- phers, but no one before him had examined it vith views so much enlarged by experience and observation ; and it is believed he was the first to advance the opinion, that the in- habitants of those islands, scattered as they are through an ocean of vast exent, " were derived from one common origin." Of this he will not allow that there is any room for doubt, and the only question is, whether they came from Asia or America. Whichever way this question may be an- swered, there will remain objections not easy to be removed, if we attempt to find out a re- semblance in every peculiarity of character and manners, or to explain obvious differences. He does not pretend to solve the problem, but only to throw out such hints illustrative of the subject as occurred to him, and as tend to establish the possibility that an emigration from either of the continents might have reached Ji h JOHN LEDY^RD. 155 I selves, sketch, t con- 3 pres- er, to mode proba- ;e • been geogra- lined it Derience he was the iii- they are derived he will f doubt, ;y came be an- not easy- oat a re- icter and ces. He lem, but •ative of s tend to migration 6 reached to all ttie islands, without any other means of transportation, than such as the people them- selves possessed. '' The New Zealanders say their ancestors came from an island called Hawyjee ; now. Owyhee, as we carelessly pronounce it, is pro- nounced by its inhabitants Hawyhee, This is a curious circumstance, and admits of a pre- sumption, that the Island of Owyhee, or Hawy- hee, is the island from which the New Zea- landers originally emigrated. It supersedes an- alogical evidence. But Owyhee is in twenty north, and New Zealand is in forty south, and not above three hundred leagues distant from the southern parts of New Holland, and is besides situated in the latitudes of variable winds, which admit of emigrations from any quarter. " On the other hand, the languages of Owy- hee and New Zealand were originally the same, and as much alike as that of Otaheite and New Zealand ; not to mention other cir- cumstances of the like kind. Whereas the languages at New Zealand and New Holland have very little or no resemblance to each other. This difference, with many others, be- tween New Zealand and New Holland, cannot be reconciled ; but the difficulties that may arise from considering the distance between m It V-:'!!W'li:',,; ■ ;,: liljli"; If (I I- .; kM ;i "i! tm\ :m ts fel iilUlii':;! :M li!i ''■'li Its !i,':;.;;iiC!!> i!l; itir;!!j|;:;i I i »,■(/• US' '^^ m ^ l( i:''!! M 1 ; :M :!f.i;] i|fj; ill! '4 , \ asi ^' ft': r .: 'i if: 156 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. New Zealand and Owyhee may be, as there are clusters of islands that we know of, and there may be others unknown, that occupy, at no great distance from each other, the inter medip' ocean from Owyhee to New Zealand. The ». ivious reasonings, that would be used to conclude the New Zealanders emigrants from Owyhee, would be, first, to suppose them from the Friendly Isles, .then the Society Isles, and then the Sandwich Isles ; and the grada« tion thus formed is very rational and argu- mentative, because all their manners and cus- toms havf' the same cast. " Suppose, then, that the islands we have mentioned were peopled from Owyhee, and suppose it to be the first island settled, the second and ultimate question is. From which of the continents, America or Asia ? Its situa- tion respecting America, and the trade winds, strongly intimate from that continent, for it is twice the distance from Asia that it is from America; and a ship, fitted for the purpose at China, which is in a parallel latitude, would be more than two months in reaching it, and we must suppose the emigrations that respect these people to have been merely fortuitous ; but a canoe, driven by stress of weather from the southern part of California, or the coast of New Galicia, the opposite parallel, would reach there f, and ipy, at inter ealand. used ligrants e them y Isles, grada- argu- id cus- te liave ee, and led, the 1 which ts situa- i winds, for it is is from u'pose at 3, would ; it, and L respect rtuitous ; her from coast of lid reach JOHN LEDYARD, 157 Owyhee in a direct course in half the time, or less. The distance is about nine hundred leagues ; and we saw people at the Island Wat- teeoo, who had been driven from Otaheite there, which is five hundred leagues. " But if we suppose Owyhee peopled from South America, we shall be somewhat disap- pointed in supporting the conjecture by argu- ments, that respect their manners and customs, and those of the Californians, Mexicans, Peru- vians, or Chilians. There is but a faint anal- ogy, compared with that which we should find on the southeastern coasts of Asia in these respects. Let us, then, without attending to the few analogical customs, that subsist be- tween the Owyheeans and the South Ameri- cans, reverse our system of emigration. Sup- pose the inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands to have come from the Society Islands, and those from the Friendly Isles, and the New Zealanders from them ; the inhabitants of the Friendly Isles from New Caledonia, from the New Hebrides, New Guinea, Celebes, Borneo, Java, or Sumatra, and finally from the conti- nent at Malacca. "Supposing the emigration we are now speaking of to have taken this course, the most apparent argument in its favor is^ the proximity of the several islands to eac>i other, 158 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ■"X !'iii;i ;ii:|:i'J||;il'ili:i ■m i dignity himself, sions of hwarted, iral that m error, ed from high re- thought ometimes was no y others. 3f Cook's idopted a rea, espe- le pohcy s obvious he South jnized in n offence, punished rerity. A rmed the 'actised it JOHN L E D Y A R D . 165 usually with success. We have seen how he applied it in the case of Feenou, who stole the peacocks at Tongataboo j and many similar instances might be cited. It was his rigid adherence to this course, in fact, which at last caused bis death; for he landed at Kiverua with the express purpose of enticing the old king on board, that he might retain I.M'a there as a hostage, till the stolen boat should be givren up. The opinions of Ledyard on this head, therefore, though sometimes exi)ressed with earnestness, argue no disrespect or want of esteem for the commander, whom he hon- ored for the high station to which his merits had raised him, and whom he admired for his many great and good qualities. I Ill ■"'$ £2,''^ :"■;.,. I ' I ■; "III":.! ffW'-it '■!( \l^. m l}m ;■"' rial!"; 'fcHJiii,,:.;."!!;. ■ ! gi iif'i S"! , Hif. W^ f!!l :. J ■";:'"|.!i i;'^?( Mm #fiti*'iii I 166 Aft^ERICAN UIOGRAPHT. CHAPTER VI. Ledyard returns to America. — Interview with his Moihu. — Writes his Journal of Cook^s Voyage. — Visits New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. — Plans a Vdyage to the North- west Coast. — Failure of the Enterprise. — Was the first to propose such a Voyage. — Sails for Cadiz; thence to U Orient. — Goes to Paris. During the two years succeeding our trav- eller's arrival in England from Cook's last ex- pedition, he continued in the navy ; but what rank he held, or on what stations he served, cannot now be ascertained. It is onl;'' known, that he refused to be attached to any of the squadroLs, which came out to America, giving as a reason, that he would not appear in arms against his native country. Growing weary, however, of a mode of life little suited to his disposition, unless on some adventurous enter- prise, like that from which he had lately re- turned, his thoughts began to wander home- ward, and to dwell on the scenes of his youth- ful days. Apparently conquering the scruples, which he had hitherto urged as the motives of his reluctance, he sought the of the 3ive such leh' fancy 1 be pur- in com- i at such I affix. It that they ide would jst efforts, knowledge m to pur- uperior to le compet- ime chaa- So strong had grown his confidence in the accuracy of his opinions, by long reflection on the subject, and such was the eagerness of his desire to prove the truth of his theory by actual experiment, that he applied the whole energy of his mind and character to the task of creating an interest in his project among the merchants, who had the means of carry- ing it into efliect, and without whose patron- age nothing could be done. In New York he was unsuccessful ; his scheme was called wild and visionary, and set down as bearing the marks rather of a warm imagination and sanguine temperament, than of a sober and mature judgment. No merchant was found willing to hazard his money, or his reputation, ni an adventure so novel in its kind, and so questionable in its promise ; a scheme not only untried, but never before thoi 'ht of. His first inquiries in Philadelphia met vith no better favor, till Mr. Robert Morris, with an ertlarge- ment of mind and purpose, which character- ized his undertakings, enters i into his views, and made arrangements to furnish the outfits of a voyage, according to the plan hs drew up. The first thing to be done was to procure a ship suitable foi sur.h a voyage. At that time there was noi.e unemployed in Philadel- r>S 'iu ^OJ ^A^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 1&K» 12.5 !2^ lia IIIIIM 1.8 U III 1.6 H- ^ V] <^ ^ /i 7 'c>l o 7 im Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STRFIT WEBS"ai::,N '^ifiO (716) Vll't.'jfi^ ft: i * It ill' ■| |iif i ! 17G AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. phia, and Ledyard was despatched to Boston, where it was thought a purchase might speed- ily be effected, and where progress was actu- ally made in the preparation of a vessel for this purpose ; but, for some cause not now known,, it was taken for a voyage of a differ- ent kind. He next proceeded to New Lon- don, where the Continental frigate Trumbull was engaged for the voyage ; but this ship was afterwards diverted to another adventure, sug- gested by this plan. The Count d^Artois, a large French ship then lying in the harbor of New London, was next thought of, but was finally otherwise destined. Again, a ship in New York, of about three hundred tons, was provided ; but, on examination, it proved to be so old and defective, that it was condemned as unsafe for a voyage of such length and hazard. The season was by this time too far ad- vanced to think of prosecuting the voyage be- fore the next spring. Meantime Mr. Daniel Parker was employed to purchase a ship in New York, and to have it in readiness as soon as the favorable season for its sailing should arrive. A ship was procured accordingly, but the outfits were delayed from time to time, till the winter passed by, and then the spring ; and, at last, it was sent on an adventure to • JOHN LEDYARD. 177 Canton. Thus a year was spent, in a vexa- tions and fruitless struggle to overcome diffi- culties, which thickened as he advanced, till his patience, and that of Mr. Morris also, would seem to have been exhausted, for the voyage was altogether abandoned. While he was in New London negotiating for the ship Trumbull, after his return from Boston, he wrote a letter to his mother, from which an extract here follows. " This is the first opportunity, in reality, which I have had of writing to you, since I have been in this country. My ambition to do everything, which my disposition as a man, and my relative character as a citizen, and more tenderly as the leading descendant of a broken and distressed family, should prompt me to do, has engaged me in every kind of speculation, which afforded the least probabil- ity of advancing my interest, my happiness, or the happiness of my friends. These different engagements have led me into different con- ditions; sometimes I have been elated with hope, sometimes depressed with disappointment and distress. I postponed informing you of my circumstances, indulging the constant hope of their soon being better, until which time I was determined you should not Know any- thing particularly concerning me. If that time VOL. XIV. 12 178 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. li :;ti:.'-3! '^hi P .1 ;; Ell; "IIH. !H;iMi I im V::!: li, '.jii is now arrived, it has been more from the in- fluence of a kind Providence, than my own merits. " My prospects, at present, are a voyage to the East Indies, and eventually round the world. It will be of two or three years' du- ration. If I am successful, I shall not have occasion to absent myself any more from my friends ; but, above all, I hope to have it hi my power to minister to the wants of a be- loved parent, and others who languish and fade in obscurity. My dear sisters engage my tenderest love, and solicitude for their future welfare. My best wish is, that they may be educated and disposed of suitably to the beauty of their persons, and their excellent hearts, and that I could be instrufiaental in conferring such a kindness. I beg my brotherly saluta- tions to them. Tell them I long to strew roses in their laps, and branches of palm be- neath their feet." It ought to be recorded in this place, that while Ledyard was in New York, anxiously waiting for a vessel, his embarrassments, occa- sioned by the want of money, were often re- lieved, in a spirit of great kindness, by Mr. Comfort Sands. This gentleman became ac- quainted with him in Philadelphia, and early approved and promoted the enterprise which JOHN LED YARD, 179 the in- ly own rage to nd the lars' du- )t have om my 7e it ill •f a be- ish and ?age my f future may be e beauty arts, and Qnferring jr saluta- to strew paltn be- ace, that mxiously ts, occa- often re- , by Mr. came ac- md early se which he had in contemplation ; he proposed sending an adventure by the same voyage, and during the whole preparation rendered him essential services, for which it is believed he never re- ceived any other returns, than such as always attend the consciousness of benevolent acts, and of having aided the advancement of large and useful designs. Not discouraged by the ill fortune which he had so signally experienced, Ledyard resolved not to relinquish his purpose, till he had made other trials to carry it forward. He repaired to New London, and suggested the same ad- venture to persons of commercial pursuits in that port. He was particularly strenuous in persuading Captain Deshon, who owned a fine new ship then lying in the harbor, and well constructed for such a voyage, to embark with him in a trading expedition to the Northwest Coast. Captain Deshon Avas the nephew of the commander of the vessel in which Led- yard sailed to Gibraltar ; and, although at that time a youth, he was himself on board in the service of his uncle. A friendship had ever afterwards subsisted between the two voyagers, and Captain Deshon was now willing to join with his friend in any mercantile adventure, which should seem to him practicable, safe, and affording a reasonable prospect of gain. (I I r' 180 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. !r:'ii mm • ' ' '■ 'I; I ^■11 .HI ^,*I'I'!'";';%;hi ill m •^'•=3 ill .■(:i: '•'f'!!. -it'll i'a'ii'i •3'S « Sf ''Jl ■C'^. But Ledyard drew so glowing a picture of the advantages to be derived from his projected voyage, the trifling vahie of the articles neces- sary for an outward cargo, and the immense advances that would be received on the price of the articles purchased ; in short, his enthu- siasm gave so bright a coloring to his repre- sentations, and such amplitude to his hopes, that Captain Deshon could not so far resist the dictates of prudence, as to participate in feelings and views, which he deemed little short of romantic, and as more strongly tinged with the native warmth of his character, than with that trait of mind which weighs and deliberates cautiously before it resolves. It is needless to add, that, under these im- pressions, he could not prevail on himself to second his friend's wishes; yet he was after- wards heard to say, that Ledyard's accoimt, in its minutest details, was verified by the first voyages of that kind from the United States, and that he had often regretted his not hav- ing listened to him, and prosecuted the voy- age in compliance with his solicitation. As far as can be ascertained, Ledyard's views of the subject, both as unfolded in the transac- tions with Mr. Morris and with Captain De- shon, accorded exactly with those acted upon by the first adventurers, who were rewarded JOHN L E D Y A R D 181 of the >jected neces- imense ie price enthu- repre- hopes, resist pate in d little r tinged er, than hs and lese im- mself to as after- account, the first I States, not hav- the voy- ion. As views of ; transac- (tain De- ted upon rewarded with extraordinary success. It was a part of his plan to purchase lands of the natives, and establish a factory, or colony, for the purpose of a continued intercourse and trade. Weary of making fruitless applications in his own country, Ledyard determined to embark for Europe, where he might expect better pat- ronage from larger capitalists, and in a wider field of commercial activity. Mr. Morris had made him some compensation for the time he had spent in his service, and favored him with several letters of recommendation to eminent merchants abroad, particularly in France. He took passage in a vessel from New London, bound to Cadiz. On the 1st of June, 1784, he wrote as follows to his mother. " Since I saw you last, I have passed through a great many difficulties and disappointments, which my most intimate friends are, and must be for the present, at least, unacquainted with, as it will answer no good purpose to break their repose, or add to my cares, by reflecting on what is past, and thence anticipating evil. You have no doubt heard of my very great disappointment at New York. For a moment, all the fortitude that ten years' misfortune had taught me could hardly snpport me. I am now very well in health. This will probably be the last letter I shall write you from thi? 4*^ ' 182 AMERICAN BIOGHAPHT. im ill rh. J .lllf |J:i| i'l ^ r^. Ill mf, ,:i .^1 . I- country. I shall sail within twelve days for Spain, whence I expect to go to France, and there again to renew the business I was so unfortunate in at New York. If I succeed in my wishes, it may be two or three years be- fore I return. In this interim, I pray you to give me your blessing and your prayers. My sisters I hope are well, and beg them to ac- cept a brother's love. Please to present my kuid love to my brothers. May that Being, who is infinitely great and infinitely good, be the. friend of them, and of us all." He sailed for Spain, as here intimated, short- ly after writing this letter, having been the. first, whether in America or Europe, to suggest a scheme of trade with the Northwest Coast, which has since proved to be a very lucrative field of commerce to merchants in both hem- ispheres. It was more than a year after his earliest application to the merchants in New York, before any expedition of the kind was fitted out from Europe. The first voyage from the United States to the Northwest Coast was in the ship Columbia, of three hundred tons, which sailed from Boston under the command of Captain John Kendrick, about three years after Ledyard's visit to that place in search of a ship for Mr. Morris. He may justly be con- sidered, therefore, the first projector of this branch of commerce. JOHN LEDYARD, 183 lays for ice, and was so jceed in ears be- you to Ts. My I to ac- sent my t Being, good, be }d, short- 3een the suggest st Coast, lucrative 3th hem- after his in New- kind was rage from !oast was Ired tons, command ree years search of y be con- of this Captain Kendrick so far adopted his ulterior purpose, as to purchase lands of the natives, with a view of founding a colony there, when a proper occasion should offer. To this end, he look formal deeds of the land, confirmed by the signs manual of the chiefs, who claimed the territory.* To some of his friends .Led- yard mentioned his intention of leaving the ship on the coast, when the cargo should be obtained, and exploring the country over land from Nootka Sound, or some point farther north, across to the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, thus traversing the whole space between the Pa- cific and Atlantic Oceans. Meantime the ves- sel was to proceed to China, and thence to return and meet him in New York, ready for another voyage. But all the fine prospects, which he had dwelt upon in anticipation, are to be given up for the present, and we must follow him to Europe. The passage to Cadiz was favorable and expeditious. He does not seem to have had any special design in visiting Cadiz, in reference to the main object of his crossing the Atlantic. This destination probably await- * The oriofinai deeds are now in the office of the Sec- retary of State in Washington. In company with the Co' lumhia was the Washington, a vessel of one hundred tons' burden, commanded by Captain ilobert Gray, ■ ;;rE! !l :)\\ km ''''m*m ?'^i4' sAj 1# 1 •■'if." J' ' iSi i i [Us 11 llf 1! 1 I lllllliS|||ii 184 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ed him. in consequence of an opportunity pre- senting itself of a more direct passage to that port, tlian to any other in the south of Europe. L'Orient was the city which he intended to visit, and in which he had been encouraged to look for patrons of his projected enterprise. He had been furnished with letters to wealthy and enterprising merchants there, and he made all haste to be on the spot. Various causes of delay kept him in Cadiz more than a month. This time he filled up as well as he could, in gaining information of the place, of its resources and trade, and of the mani:ers and character of the people. He also endeavored to drive away the melancholy thoughts, incident to the anxiety of his situa- tion, by mingling in social circles, and contriv- ing to be entertained by the public amuse- ments, that were much frequented by all ranks of people. On the 16th of August he wrote thus to Dr. Ledyard frojn Cadiz. "Just as I was seated, and had dated my letter, the carriage of General O'Reilly hove in view, a clumsy, Gothic vehicle, dragged by five jaded mules to the bull-fight. Who is Gen- eral O'Reilly ? A poor, migrating, Irish cadet ; a soldier that was scalded at the storm of Gibraltar. O'Reilly is to Cadiz, and all within his jurisdiction, which consists of two prov- JOHN LE DYARD. 185 y pre- o that 111 rope, ded to )uraged erprise. iveaUhy made Cadiz illed up ation of and of Die. He lancholy lis sitiia- contriv- 5 amuse- all ranks he wrote .ated my J hove in d by five ) is Gen- jh cadet; storm of dl within wo prov- inces, what Czar Peter was to Russia. The reform he has made in the minutest parts of his government, as well as the most important, is looked upon as a phenomenon in this coun- try. He has, with a boldness that character- izes an enterprising commander and legislator, even struck at those old habits among a peo- ple so dangerous to be meddled with. Envy is the natural concomitant of such merit, and O'Reilly has probably greater friends and ene- mies at the court of Madrid than any other cliaracter in the kingdom ; and both parties had a fair opportunity of cont'^sting their as- cendency, after the miscarriage of the late de- scent against the Moors ; but his conquering his court enemies at home fully compensated that misfortune abroad, and confirmed his fame, nay, added to its lustre.* To execute all these * This alludes to an attack by the Spaniards on Algiera in the year 1775. A formidable armament of six ships of the line, twelve frijrates, a larcfe number of smaller vessels, and twenty-tive thousand men, all under the command of the Conde de O'Reilly, formed that expedition. A large p.al of the army was landed, and a partial battle ensued, m which the Spaniards met with a signal and most dis- graceful defeat. Severe censures were pnssed on O'Reilly, and a general spirit of indignation existed against him throughout Spain ; but tlie weight of his talents, and hig influence at court, enabled him to triumph over his ene- mies, and to sustain himself in the liighest stations. ( ^ !fi 186 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. % K'l ^;^-^ inn 'W ■ m great matters, O'Reilly is not the man you would suppose. His education is contracted ; he is capricious, severe, and arrogant-; ordinary in his person, and forbidding in his address. " The exhibition of the bull-fights is in a spacious amphitheatre, that will accommodate twelve thousand spectators. The horsemen display more skill and courage than the foot- men. But it is a barbarous amus'^ment. There are many Irish inhabitants here, all of whom are particularly friendly to Americans. I am now writing at the house of Mr. Harrison, handsomely situated on the side of the Ala- meda. I take a family dinner with him to- day, having already taken a formal one. The British Consul also receives me with great po- liteness. But what I am doing &mong these gentry, with only half a dollar and four reals in my pocket, you must, with me, wait for time to develop. I shall soon leave this place for France, and my route will be either up the Mediterranean to Marseilles, and thence on the grand canal west to Bourdeaux, or along the coast of Spain and Portugal by sea. I yester- day conversed with an Englishman, who is commissioned to treat privately with our States in behalf of the Emperor of Morocco ; but if I can persuade him to send his Arabic com- mission ack, and join me with his cash and JOHN LEDYARD. 187 Hn you racted ; )rdinary Iress. is in a imodate orsemen le foot- There whom I am larrisoii, the Ala- him to- e. The ^reat po- ng these 3ur reals wait for his place 3r up the e on the long the I yester- who is >ur States ) ; but if bic com- cash and importance at Bourdeaux, or Nantz — . The preliminary step is accomplished, and he is now somewhere in the town, as busy in the att'air as a dozen such heads as mine could be." Since no more is heard of this commissioner from the Emperor of Morocco, it is presumed the preliminary step was the only one taken in the business. Ledyard remained in Cadiz, apparently waiting for a passage either to Mar- seilles, or to some port in the west of France, as chance might offer. He wrote to his friends, communicating his observations on what passed around him, but said little of his own circum- stances or prospects. The remarks now about to be quoted, are contained in a letter written to his correspondent in America, after he '.ad been two weeks at Cadiz, and are not more curious for their singularity, than for the his- torical hints they convey, in regard to the state of knowledge and feeling, which then prevailed in the south of Europe, respecting the United States. " The people in this, as in other parts of Europe, are more systematic than you [Amer- icans] are in everything. Here the routine of life, however varied, is still uniform, whether composed of virtue or vice, wisdom or folly. Before dinner, the merchant, mechanic, and or- dinary laborer, are assiduously intent on their I 188 AxMKRICAN BIOGRAPHY. itU •!': ':-j.'i«-''';:ii|(i't| $ .<'i w! ' 'I" > ■'■■1. I ip'iill * Its ■;"■••!'"" I :li» 'i?<;ivii If, 4 fit. ^ t'li I iiii. < different employments. After dinner, they as regularly devote themselves to their several grat- ifications, which consist either of conversation or sleep. The opulent and polite adopt the first. At a polite table, therefore, you hear the very best things they are capable of saying. Here, then, I am told you err in your politics ; I mean that kind of policy, which your inde- pendence has given birth to. The general dis- approbation of your present government on this score, is the sentiment of those who are sub- jects of other nations, as we'l as of this ; but I am happy to say, that I have found no char- acter, who any otherwise thinks ill of you. " This is not a negative regard, bestowed on a people they think cannot approximate their importance, and therefore deserve pity; it is a positive one ; and you may please your- selves with the assurance of its originating from your general conduct during the war. Another feather in your cap, and that not an obscure one, let me tell you, is the plain, affable, and honest deportment of your kinsfolk, who so- journ hereabout. Brother Jonathan is an agree- able singularity. These observations, which you are included m, did not come from the cabinet of Charles, or the Pope, who no doubt hate you very sincerely ; the one for your laws, which he fears; and the other for your reli- JOHN LEDYA RD, 189 hey as al grat- rsation )pt the lear the saying. )olitics ; ir iude- ;ral dis- on this ire siib- lis ; but 10 char- ^ou. estowed oximate pity; it ,e your- ng from Another obscure ble, and who so- n agree- which om the o doubt lur laws, our reli- gion, which he is unwise enough to abom- inate. " The great complaint, which people make against your government, is the obscure, unim- portant, unenergetic investitures of Congress. So strongly are they impressed with the idea of the degree of power, which Congress ought to hold, compared with what they now con- ceive it to be invested with, that they declare the resolve of a Boston committee commands more immediate attention in Cadiz, than a congressional one would do ; observing, that although Congress claims more respectability, it only demands what it ought to have, and not what it is possessed of. " They further add, that whatever embarrass- ments may attend the progress of a young na- tion, and however excusable some exigencies may have rendered some parts of your conduct, yet surely the leading preliminaries, the first strong outlines, that form the basis of a great republic, cannot be thus lost sight of without reflecting on your councils. Have you formed even a treaty of friendship with that pestilen- tial meteor in power, Hamet, Emperor of Mo- rocco? No. Have you in your own right a Mediterranean passport ? No. What security have you then for your Straits-men? The savage Hamet knows no medium in such kind 1, m tliii m 190 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ■■■■M\: #u '■mm' *:j8. mm i^i I '!;:'* ^ri!!'^ 'M liiii,, I'A '*,i 1 pu m .1 i::f:'i|; -.i^i '. -Si!!: of friendship ; never dreamt of such a thing as an independent neutrality. What will you do then ? Eat all your flour, cod, spars, and potash, or ransom your captivated countrymen at fifteen hundred pounds a head, and lose your produce? Hamet wants your alliance. Give the snarling mastiff a hone, and while he is gnawing it you can do as you please. It is certain, that your unorganized system of gov- ernment is here much talked of, and you know the consequence of these matters being much talked of. Your paltry state schisms are con* sidered to be such vulgar errors, as a people aiming at the most refined system of govern- ment could not commit, without the imputa- tion of perfect insanity. But adieu, politics. Indeed, I know not what humor prompted me to offer my advice to you in this way. " If the incongruity of my letter besj)eaks a perturbation of mind, it will not deceive you. It is a cloudy day with me. However, my hobby tells me it will be fair weather to-mor- row ; and I believe it, because I wish it. You will probably next hear from me in France. In the mean time, let me make sure of one circumstance, and if to-morrow bring its misfor- tunes, they will be less severe, when I reflect on having said to those I know will believe me, that no evil, till that which is esteemed JOHN LEDYARD. 191 thing rill you irs, and itrymen se your Give 3 he is . It is of gov- 3U know- much ^re con- a people govern- imputa- politics. ipted me 7- }si)eaks a 3ive you. ever, my r to-mor- it. You France, •e of one ts misfor- i I reflect \ believe esteemed the last of evils, can ever obliterate, or even obscure, that lasting affection and esteem, which 1 have for you and your best of brothers My other remembrances I commit to your care." He remained in Cadiz but a few days after this letter was v/ritten, when he somewhat unexpectedly procured a passage for Brest, on board the French ship Bourbon. It was rare for him to be out of health, but in Cadiz he was attacked with a fever, which had scarcely left him when he went to sea. While on board, he writes, " My fever was in conse- quence of a slight cold originally, and height- ened by a fit of uncommon melancholy ; but I am getting about again, and excepting a slight debility, and some of Cook's rheumatism in my bones, I am well." His spirits were not un- frequently oppressed, when the various turns in his affairs left him inactive, with precarious means of support, and uncertain as to the fu- ture ; but he took great pains to conceal the symptoms of gloom from his friends. They are occasionally discovered in his letters, rather from his forced attempts to be cheerful and gay, when it is evident, by the general tenor of his thoughts, that his heart is sad, than from any formal complaints of his ill fortune, or re- pinings at the will of Providenae. He was now visiting FiUrope in the prose- 192 AMERICAN B I O (J II A P :i Y . i- ;'' J ' S'' .;'-s- ■ ''I I !.i 111 . -Hi', 'm i sp^'^ii iPii'i ::^i fir ■a n 'i' f '■■' 'III cution of what he deemed a noble and im- portant enterprise ; but he was going among strangers, who could only be induced to listen to his proposals by motives of interest, and whom he must inspire with some portion of his own enthusiasm, before they could be ex- pected to favor his schemes, or even compre- hend his views. The task thus presented to him was disheartening'. But however despond- ency might sometimes give a hue to his thoughts, he never suffered it to weaken his resolution, or repress his ardor. The great ob- ject of pursuit was never lost sight of, while his way to its accompUshment was lighted by a gleam of hope. The whole force of his mind was now bent upon a voyage of trade and discovery to the Northwest Coast. He was powerfully impressed with the belief, that such an enterprise would redound to the honor of those engaged in it, and confer new benefits upon the commercial world ; and was not a little chagrined at the small encouragement, which his strenuous exertions had received in his own country. In this state of mind, it is no wonder that he should express himself in the following language on his voyage to Brest. " I saw an English gentleman at Cadiz, who assured me that, about six months past, a ship of seven JOHN LEDYARD, 193 hundred tons, commissioned by the Empress of Russia, was fitted out in the English Thames on a voyage to the back parts of America ; that she was armed, and commanded by a Russian, and that some of lier officers were those who had been with Cook. You see the business deserves the attention I have endeavored, and am still striving, to give it ; and had Morris not shrunk behind a trifling obstruction, 1 should have been happy, and America would this moment be triumphantly displaying her flag in the most remote and beneficial regions of commerce. I am tired of my vexations." He arrived, after a short passage, at Brest, and set oflT by land through Quimper to L'Ori- ent. "I am now at Q,uimper," he writes, "and to-morrow, if my horses please, I will be in L'Orient. ' What will you do there ? ' The best I can. Brest is a naval arsenal, but not so respectable as I had imagined. Monsieur de Kferguelen, the great navigator, lives within nine miles of me ; but a Holland Consu has me by tb*^ button, and I canaot see him. The dialect of Bretagne has some resemblance both to the Irish and Welsh. But good night ; I must sleep. Tired nature will have it so." From Quimper he proceeded to L'Orient, where he immediately began to put his aftairs in train. i VOL. XIV. 13 194 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. M i fill! ;■'^lll,:!^;': , -mi- ml' ,!<>i:< .•Ji ,1.4: ■:3!?ijf:l '^v 'hm: 1 iil Y,r.i •ii > ;».! ■fi'ii •■'-'TiK?'' ...jlsii T. The letters he brought with him from re- spectable sources procured him a speedy ac- quaintance with gentlemen of the first char- acter in the place ; and his plan was received with so much approbation, that within twelve days he completed a negotiation with a com- pany of merchants, and a ship was selected for the intended voyage. Mutual engagements were entered into by the parties, and every- thing seemed to wear the most promising us- pect. So unaccustomed had he been to si.ch good fortune, that he could hardly realize at first the happy issue of events as they then stood. " I have been so much the sport of accident," said he, " that I am exceedingly suspicious. It is true that, in this L'Orient negotiation, I have guarded every avenue to future disappointment with all possible cau- tion ; yet this head I wear is so much a dupe to my heart, and at other times my heart is so bewildered by my head, that in matters of business I have not much confidence in either." He then speal^ of the point to which the negotiation had been brought, and adds, " But here comes a but. Ah, these huts 1 pray Heaven they may not but the modicum of brains out of my head, which Morris has left there. The but is this. I have arrived so late in the sea- son, that the merchants have procrastinated the JOHN LEDYARD. 195 equipment until next summer, and requested me to stay here till then, allowing me genteel- ly for that purpose. And were I but certain that no cruel misfortune would eventually hap- pen, I should be quite happy, for present ap- pearances could not be better. Upon any con- sideration, it is for my interest to wait the event ; and as I hourly perceive the folly of repining at a disappointed wish, or, indeed, of suffering what I may happen to call misfor- tune, whether present or anticipated, to meet any other reception from me, than the most undaunted which my experience can enable me to meet it with, I am determined to sit down, not despondingly, dejectedly, or supine- ly; what a vile row of adverbs! but contem- platively, cheerily, and industriously. It seems decreed by somewhat, that I shall be driven about the world in a most untraversable way ; but in whatever clime I may alight, my ardent desire is, that the friendship of my friends may greet me well. This done, I have drunk my cordial, and there is not a nicher in France ; and only in America one, which perfumed the air from M. to Amboy House." All things being thus arranged to his mind, and having nothing to regret but the procras- tination of his voyage, which he perceived to be unavoidable, he resolved to spend the win- l'IW' ^F I!:'' i 196 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ."I l'?.li'iii ■i.'teiji: ■J l'il ,: ' ■ il-i I ! "' 'fell m ma 'Ik! fff'f. l,?l|! ' i a I (Hi i '^ '^ iliiiiii public character, and from this circumstance insure a greater respect from any foreigners she might fall in with, as well as enable the owners to claim, in the name of the King of France, any islands or unknown regions, that might be actually discovered. A memorial, and other suitable papers, were sent to the King's ministers, applying for such a privilege, and for letters of recommendation to the European public agents residing in those parts of the world, at which the vessel would probably touch. On the 23d of February, 1785, Ledyard wrote to his brothers from L'Orient ; " My af- fairs in France are likely to prove of the greatest honor and advantage to me. I have a fine ship of four hundred tons, and in Au- gust next I expect to sail on another voyage round the world, at the end of which, if Heav- en is propitious to me, I hope to see you. In the mean time, may the God of nature spread his mantle over you all. If I never see you more, it shall be well ; if I do, it shall be well ; so be happy and of good cheer." From this tone of his feelings, it is evident that his heart was light, and his hopes high. Up to this point all things had proceeded according to his expectations and wishes ; he had passed an agreeable winter in a social ai^d refined circle JOHN LEDYARD. 199 u instance foreigners lable the King of ions, that orial, and le King's B, and for European ts of the probably- Led yard "My af- e of the I have d in Au- iv voyage if Heav- you. In ire spread see you be well ; rom this his heart p to this ording to passed an ed circle jf friends, and he began now to enjoy in an- ticipation the triumphs of his zeal and perse- verance. But, unfortunately, this flattering vision was soon to be dissipated, like the many others, by which he had been elated and deceived ; again was he to be made, in his own phrase, " the sport of accident ; " again was the bur- den of a cruel disappointment to weigh on his spirits, and disturb his repose. After the date of the above letter, we hear no more of the L'Orient negotiation, except that it failed. Whether this result, sd desolating to the hopes of our adventurer, was produced by the caprice of the merchants, who had united with him in the undertaking, or by any sudden change in their affairs, which took from them the ability of fulfilling their contract, or by the refusal of the government to grant such a com- mission as was expected, or by all these com- bined, is not known. It is enough that the voyage was entirely abandoned ; and Lcdyard was left with no other recompense for this new vexation, than his own mortified feelhigs, and the prospects of a future too gloomy even for him to contemplate unmoved. The slender stock of money, with which he landed in Europe, was completely exhausted ; I m !! 11 200 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. li ' !l! 1*1 1.1 1 f.5i,.fl,^ M''!-'"/ ■/. "ill!!":; *?'? 'IT' 1v'1 ^'*'.' ■; .■■H'ii'i::!'' '?:''^!ili|f|iil ■''! ;ii,'i I'fl >;;3i:, 1 he could expect no more from the L'Orient merchants, nor from any other quarter ; and, what afflicted him more severely than all the rest, the last resort for carrying into effect his darling plan of northwestern discovery and trade, had been tried in vain. No consolation remained for his baffled purposes and wasted zeal. Yet fifteen years' experience, in buflet- ing the rough and sometimes perilous current of life, had taught him other lessons than those of despondency, and nerved him for other deeds than a tame submission to the control of un- toward circumstances. HTis bewildering doubts, as to what course he should pursue, detained him a short time in L'Orient. He looked to Parjs as the theatre, on which he would be most likely to better his fortunes ; and after his concerns relative to the voyage were closed, he hastened to that capital. JOHN LEDVARD. 201 CHAPTER VII. Meets with Mr. Jefferson at Paris. — Project of a Voyage to the Nurthivest Coast with Paul Jones. — Jefferson and Lafayette. — Ledyjrd proposes a Journey through Russia and >Sibe- ria to Bering''s Strait. — Observations in Paris. — Proceeds to I^ondon. — Sir Joseph Banks and, other Gentlemen contribute Funds to aid him in his Travels. At this time Mr. Jefferson was minister from the United States at the court of France. That patriot, equally ardent in the love of sci- ence, and friendly to every enterprise which had for its object the improvement of his country, received Ledyard with great kindness, and approved most highly his design of au expedition to the* Northwest Coast of America. He perceived at once the advantages that would flow from such a voyage, not merely in its immediate mercantile results, but in its bearing on the future commerce and political interests of the United States. No part of that wide region had then been explored, nor any .formal possession taken of it, except the few points at which Cook's vessels had touched, I H 1 m IM 202 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ,,■4 mil '-m^^ <> '• ^:1!':^'?' , i, ' -» Jn 'f I'l'h I ill if I;:' i ■T' .'5, ' 'If 'I'l i ■■ ■ 4?* and others where the Russians possessed small establishments for the prosecution of'th^ fui trade with the Indians. These latter were also probably confined to the islands. To a statesman like Mr. Jefferson it was evident, that a large portion of that immense country, separated from the United States by no bar- rier of nature, vvould eventually be embraced in their territory. He was convinced of the propriety, therefore, of its being explored by a citizen of the United States, and regretted the failure of Ledyard's attempts in his own coun- try to engage in a voyage before the same thing had been meditated anywhere else. These views were deeply impressed on the mind of Mr. Jefferson, and in them originated the journey of Lewis and Clark over land to the Pacific Ocean, twenty years afterwards, which was projected by him, and prosecuted under his auspices. Ledyard had not been many days in Paris, before he became acquainted with Paul Jones, at that time acting under a commission from the Congress of the United States, to demand the amount of certain prizes, which he had taken during the war, and sent into French ports. This intrepid adventurer, being now un- employed in any military or public service, JOHN LEDYARD. 203 eagerly seized Ledyard's idea, and an arrange- ment was closed, by which they agreed to unite in an expedition, on a scale somewhat larger than Ledyard had before contemplated. Two vessels were to be fitted out, and, if pos- sible, commissioned by the King. Jones was to use his influence at court, to persuade the government to enlist in the enterprise, or at least to furnish the vessels and the requisite naval armament. If this could not be effected, it was resolved that the outfits' should be re- duced within the limits of Jones's private means, and the two partners would act wholly on their own responsibility and risk. If it should be found necessary to pursue the enterprise on their private account alone, the two vessels were to proceed in company to the Northwest Coast, and commerKie a fac- tory there under the American flag. The first six months were to be spent in collecting furs, and lookhig out for a suitable spot to establish a post, either on the main land, or on an island. A small stockade was then to be built, in which Ledyard was to be left with a surgeon, an assistant, and twenty soldiers ; one of the vessels was to be despatched, with its cargo of furs, under the command of Paul Jones, to China, while the other was to remain in order to facilitate the collecting of another cargo 204 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. .If ■#1 '''li'v'. I IT yi/if :> "=■': •■:, 'ill' ,i(.'3i,' •■';■ ■'■■i^i 1 a^' ■ ' " ' '■■/ ■ (Is t' i S'il W mm "yi ■! i.:is r >' f '"i :- \ph; %^ l';:| ^3 :■'*(;■ during his absence. Jones was to return with both the vessels to China, sell their cargoes of furs, load them with silks and teas, and con- tinue his voyage round the Cape of Good Hope to Europe, or the United States. ^ Ho was then to replenish his vessels with suitable articles for traffic with the Indians, and pro- ceed as expeditiously as possible round Cape Horn, to the point of his departure in the Northern Pacific. Meantime Ledyard and his party were to employ themselves in purchasing furs, cultivating a good understanding with the natives, and making such discoveries on the coast, as their situation would allow. Ledyard supposed he should be absent four or five •years, and perhaps six or seven,* Here was a scheme, that might give full scope to the imagination of the two heroes by whom it had ^een conceived, presenting at once the prospect of hazard, adventure, fame. * A voyage from C:;nton to the Northwest Coast, and back to that port, for purposes similar to thoSe meditated by Ledyard and Paul Jones, M'as performed fourteen years afterwards by Captain Richard J. Cleaveland. Whoever would understand the difficulties and dangers of such an enterpiise, at that time, will find them explained in a brief account of Captain Cleaveland's voyage, contained in the North American Review for October, 1827 ; and also, more fully, in his very interesting " Narrative of Voyages and Commercial Enterprises," since published. •II JOHN L E D Y A R D . 20 o w with joes of i con- Good 3. . He suitable id pro- id Cape in the and his rchasing kvith the on the Ledyard or five ;ive full eroes by iting at e, fame, Coast, and meditated :teen years Whoever if such an in a brief led in the and also, jf Voyagf.'S and profit. Tiiey dwelt upon it with com- placency, and so much was Jones taken with it, that he advanced money to Ledyard, with which to purchase a part of the cargo for the outfit, even before he had applied to the gov- ernment for aid, being determined to prosecute it at his own risk if he failed in that quarter. But at this moment, his affairs in regard to the prize-money assumed a crisis, which com- pelled him to go from Paris to L'Orient, where he was detained nearly three months ; and although he was ultimately successful, yet his zeal for this new scheme gradually cooled down, as he probably found that the government would do nothing in the matter, and that his private fortune was not adequate to so expensive an undertaking. At any rate, it fell through, and after four or five months of suspense', Ledyard had the renewed mortifi- cation of another disappointment, and of seeing his irdent wishes no nearer their accomplish- ment, than when he left L'Orient. The only advantage he had derived from his intercourse with the Chevaher, was an allowance of money sufficient for his maintenance, which Jones had stipulated at the commencement of the nego- tiation, and which he had promptly paid. Just at this time Mr. Lamb, the diplomatic agent appointed by the Congress of the United 206 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. i M^^ M-\ Mi ../ii|,, , ., m %4- iffci ft I ;'=Tt'^.;": ■■''' '■'#' '■lil'ii, li i i tilll? ill I .^,:s,i!^:::,:l 'I , ■'■■''". . r • '-■•.Ik','! States to treat with the Dey of Algiers, ar- rived in Paris. Ledyard met him occasionally at Mr. Jefferson's, took an interest in his mis- sion, and had serious thoughts of joining him and going to Africa, but for wliat specific pur- pose is not told. The hngering desire, how- ever, of still being able to conquer the fatality of circumstances, which had hitherto impeded his progress to glory, in the course his fancy had pictured to him, continued to sustain him with the hope of a better turn of fortune, and to urge him forward to untried expedients. In Paris he associated with several Ameri- cans, who approved and encouraged his ardor, and whose society afforded him consolation in the midst of his misfortunes, but who were not in a condition to promote his wishes, or remove his embarrassments. The question, what was to be done, which he had so often been compelled to ask himself, in cases of sim- ilar extremity, now recurred anew, and with as small a prospect as ever of its being answered in such a manner, as to lull his apprehensions, or relieve his anxiety. He determined to ad- venture one effort more, and submit the same proposition to a mercantile company in Paris, which he had done in L'Orient. Some prog- ress was made in an attempt to organize such a company, but it was never matured. It was JOHN LEDTARO. 207 his intention, after he had visited the coast, and procured a full cargo of furs, to despatch the vessel to China under proper officers, and return himself across the continent to ihe Uni- ted States, thus accomplishing the double ob- ject of a lucrative voyage, and a tour of dis- covery through an unexplored wilderness of four thousand miles in extent. Afterwards he would join the expedition in the company's service, either in France, or any other part of the world, as circumstances might dictate. Such was the compass of his desires ; yet he would have relinquished the idea of this ex- ploratory tour, and rejoiced to engage in a voy- age merely for commercial ends, if even that could have been effected. Several months were passed in unavailing efforts to conquer obstacles, which seemed to thicken as he advanced, and in vainly striving to enlighten ignorance and overcome prejudice, till his perseverance could hold out no longer, and he was forced to abandon the thought of a voyage by sea to the Northwest Coast, either for trade or discovery. He continued in Pars, but felt himself, as he really was, a wanderer without employment or motive. With Mr. Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette, Mr. Bar- clay, the American Consul, and other gentle- men of character and consequence, he was on terms of intimacy. Hi 208 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ^■^',■*flll '■■■■.■ %•' V. 4im ^ 'H'LlLjlf'l'l *i. In this society, and enjoying the amusemems afforded in the capital of France, his time passed away agreeably enough, and in some of his letters he speaks of his happiness ; yet he was far from being satisfied ; he suffered under the pressure of want and a corroding sense of dependence ; and occasionally his finances were at so low an ebb, that he was compelled, how- ever reluctantly, to be a pensioner on the boun- ty of his friends. So disinterested were his aims, however, and so entirely did he sacrifice every selfish consideration in prosecuting them, so benevolent was his disposition, and so en- larged his views of serving mankind, that no one considered favors of this sort in t?ie light of obligations conferred, nor so much acts of charity, as a ju«t tribute to the singleness of his heart, the generosity of his purposes, and the effective warmth of his zeal. A few miscellaneous extracts from his let- ters, written during the first months of his res- idence in Paris, may properly come in here. They will give some insight into his occupa- tions, as well as his habit of observing events and objects in the great world around him. " Paris is situated in an extended plain, rising on all sides into gradual elevations, and some little hills happily interspersed in the bor- ders of its horizon. Its extent, viewed from JOHN LEDYARD. 209 the tower of Notre Dame, appeared to me less than London, though it must be larger. The piibhc buildings are numerous, and some of them magnificent. Paris is the centre of France, and its centre is the Palais Royal, the resort of the greatest virtues and the greatest vices of such a kingdom. It is France in miniature, and no friend to France should ever see it. The ' Tuileries afford a consummate display of artificial elegance and grandeur ; the gardens of the Luxembourg are much inferior. The Boulevards were originally fortifications, and they now form a broad way that surrounds the city, separating it from the suburbs. It is well lined with fine umbrageous elms on each side, forming a beautiful course for coaches and horsemen ; but the farmers-general, to pre- vent illicit trade, are walling it in, at the ex- pense of a thousand lamentations of the Paris- ians, and several millions, of livres. I have been once at the King's Library. Papa Frank- lin, as the French here call him, is among a iHimber of statues that I ."^aw. The bust of Paul Jones is also there. Did you ever know, that Captain Jones was two or three nights successively crowned witli laurels, at the great Opera House in Paris, after the action between the Bon Homme Richard and the Scrapis 1 " I find at our minister's table between fif- VOL. XIV. 14 ^^m i ' ' 1 m -j-iiit^ m ' iWi' ' mk '■ ' . '^M !:< t'ii,. ^S .-';i-l^'fc!;*' m m'4'K' 210 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. teen and twenty Americans, inclusive of two or three ladies. It is very remarkable, that we are neither despised nor envied for our love of liberty^ but very often caressed. I was yes- terday at "Versailles. It was the feast of St. Louis; but I never feasted so ill in my life as at the hotel where I dined, and never paid so dear for a dinner. I was too late to see the procession of the King and dueen, but I was little disappointed on that account, as I had already seen those bawbles. The King I saw a fortnight before to very great advantage, being near to him while he was shooting par- tridges in the fields. He was dressed in com- mon mosquito trousers, a short linen frock, and an old laced hat without a cockade. He had an easy, gentlemanly appearance ; and had it not been for his few attendants, I should have taken him for the captain of a merchant ship, amus'ng himself in the field. The Pal- ace at Versailles, and its gardens, are an orna- ment to the face of the globe. It was dirty weather I wore boots, and consequently was prohibited from visiting the galleries. I was in company with our Mr. Barclay, Colonel Franks of the American army, a young Vir- ginian, and an English sea officer. Pranks was booted too ; but though honest Tom Barclay was not, he had no bag on, and they were ■ i .,- ''..[.'i'-n' «*•■ i 4 JOHN LEDYARD. 211 of two that we ur love as yes- of St. '■•life as paid so see the ; I was 5 I had ; I saw rantage, ng par- II com- frock, le. He iiid had should lerchant le Pal- n orna- is dirty tly was I was Colonel ng Vir- iks was Barclay y were dismissed also ; so that boots on, and bags off, are sad recommendations at the Court of Ver- sailles. "If the two Fitzhughs remain in town a week longer, you shall have a week's detail. They dine with me to-day in my chamber, together with our worthy Consul Barclay, and that lump of universality, Colonel Franks. But such a set of moneyless rascals have never appeared since the epoch of the happy villain Falstaff. I have but five French crowns in the world ; Franks has not a sol ; and the Fitzhughs cannot get their tobacco money. " Mr. Jefferson is an able minister, and our country may repose a confidence in him equal to their best wishes. Whether in public or private, he is in every word and every action the representative of a young, vigorous, and determined state. His only competitors here, even in political fame, are Vergennes and La- fayette. In other accomplishments he stands alone. The Marquis de Lafayette is one of the most growing characters in this kingdom. He has planted a tree in America, and sits under its shade at Versailles. He is now at the court of old Frederick. I am sure, that yon could not yourself have manifested more alacrity to serve me, than he has done. The Marquis is a warm friend to America. It will m *i| fl ■ -ii ' 212 AiMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. iff' .it: i.h;; 4ii II, 1*1 ' .^i' -Jill* rj||i: *, !' |i''' n.] be difficult for any subsequent plenipotentiary to have as much personal influence in France, as Dr. Franklin had; it will at least be so, till the causes, which created that venerable patri- ot's ascendency, shall become less recent in the minds of the people. I had the pleasure of being but once at his house, before his depart- ure, and although bent down with age and infirmities, the excellent old man exhibited all the good cheer of health, the gay philosopher, and the kindness of a friendly countryman." " It has been a holiday to-day ; the nativ- ity of the Virgin Mary. My friend, the Abbe d'Aubrey, tells me that they have but eighty- two holidays in the year, which are publicly regarded ; but this is a mistake ; they have more. We both agree, that tlxCy riave eighty- two less than they formerly had. There are certainly a hundred days in this city every yeai-, whereon all the shops are shut, and there is a general suspension of business ; for the good policy of which, let them look to it. You will hear in your papers of an aftair be- tween a certain Cardinal and the dueen of France. It has been the topic of conversation here for thirty days ; and forty fools, that have expressed themselves too freely in the matter tor the police, are already in the Bastile. We have, news to-day, that the King will have 1 JOHN L E D Y A R D . 213 him tried by the Parliament, and lias written to that dying meteor, the Pope, not to meddle in the business." " I was late home yesterday evening from the feast of St. Cloud, held at a little town of that name on the bank of the Seine. It is particularly remarkable for having the dueen's Gardens, in it, and a house for the Queen, called a Palace. The chief circumstance, which renders the village a place of curiosity to stran- gers, is the waterworks, which, after the labor of many years and vast expense, exhibit a sick- ly cascade, and three jtts d^eau, or fountains, that cast water into the air. The largest of these throws out a column as big as a man's arm, which rises about thirty yards. In the evening I entered a part of the gardens, where Evonie fireworks were played off. The tickets were twenty-four sols. The fireworks were very few, but good. This little rustic enter- tainment of the Queen's was, with great pro- priety, attended with very little parade about her person. It was a mere rural revel, and never before did I see majesty and tag-rag so philosophically blended ; a few country fiddlers scraping, and Kate of the mill tripping it with Dick of the vineyard. ^ " Thus you see how some few of my days pass away. I see a great deal, and think a k? :i "■« 214 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. i I i e ' m ml i' V' m [ .^; 2 rv Jim IIP' s-,:ij'i '■•X A.i i-'-A Ml! ■._ Hit,/ great deal, but derive little pleasure from either, because I am forced into both, and am alone in both." By these methods he endeavored to amuse himself, and forget his favorite scheme of trav- ersing the Western Continent, and ascertain- ing its physical character and commercial re- sources. But this was not possible ; it had taken too strong a hold of him to admit of being driven altogether from his mind. As fate seemed to throw difficulties insurmounta- ble in the way of a passage by sea, he be- thought himself of the only remaining expedi- ent, by which a part of his original design might be carried into execution ; and tliat was, to travel by land through the northern regions of Europe and Asia, cross over Bering's Strait to the American continent, and pursue his route thence down the coast, and to the inte- rior, in. such a manner as the exigencies of his condition might point ont to him when on the spot. The first object requiring attention, was to gain permission of the Empress of Russia to pass through her immense territories to Kamts- chatka. Mr. Jefferson, who heartily approved the project, interested himself in this prelimi- nary measure, and applied to M. de Simoulin, minister plenipotentiary from Russia at the JOHN LEDYARD. 215 court of France, and especially to the Baron de Grimm, minister from Saxe-Gotha at the same court. Grimm was a correspondent and private agent of the Empress, and would be likely to have as much influence with her in a matter of this sort, as her public minister. Both these gentlemen very readily acceded to Mr. Jefferson's request, and made in his name a direct application to the Empress, soliciting permission for Ledyard, in the character of an American citizen, to travel through her domin- ions. As haste is 'not a characteristic of trans- actions of this sort with crowned heads, the impatient traveller resolved to busy himself in the best manner he could, at least till a reason- able time sliould elapse for a reply. In the interim he retired to St. Germain, wiiere he afterwards commonly resided during his stay in France. The letter, which contains the fol- lowing passages, is dated at St. Germain, on the 8th of April, 1786. " If Congress should yet be at New York, this will be delivered to you by my friend, and almost every body's friend. Colonel Hum- phreys, whom you knew in days of yore. He is secretary to our legation at the court of France, has a good head and a good heart ; but his hobby is poetry, and as the English reviewers allow him merit therein, I may very m ' ■>■■ '^''^ft &i ■ I ■ 'i -"'I .■'■'* m m ll-! ^. '3, VI 216 A .M E R 1 C A N B 1 O G R A V tl Y , safely venture to do it. He is a friendly, good soul, a sincere Yankee, and &o affectionately fond of his country^ that to be in his society here is at least as good to me as a dream of being at home. I imagine he takes despatches, but as we are republicans a little more poi ished than on your side of the water, we never presume to ask impertinent questions. " You have doubtless by this time received my letters by Mr. Barrett. Your hearing from me so often by thosf; who intimately know my situation, and who are so mucii my friends, is a liappy circumstance ; but I would freely have relinquished the pleasur*^, which I take in writing this letter, to ha/e been where I supposed I should be when I wrote you last. But soon after the departure of Mr. Barrett, our minister, the Russian minister, and the Marquis de Lafayette, took it into their heads, that I should not go directly to Petersburg, but wait till I was sent for, which is the oc- casion of my being here to write you at this lime. You see that I have so many friends, that I cannot do just as I please. " I am very well in health. A gracious Providence, and the Indian corn diet of my childiiood, added to the robust scenes I have since passed through, have left me, at the same age at which my father died. ' healthy, active, ' JOHN LEDYARD. 217 vigorous, and strong.'* 1 am for a few weeks at the little town where my letter is dated, and as I live upon the skirt of a royal forest, I am every day in it, and it is usual for me to run two miles an end and return. 1 am like one of Swift's Houyhnhnms. Ask Hum- phreys if I did not walk into Paris last week, and return to dine with Madam Barclay the same morning, a distance equal, at least, to twenty-four of our miles. But this is not the work of Nature ; she made me a voluptuous, pensive animal, intended for the tranquil scenes of domestic life, for ease and contemplation, and a thousand other fine soft matters, that I have thought nothing about since I was in love with R. E. of Stonington. '• What fate intends further, I lea\e to fate ; but it is very certain, that there has ever been a great difference between the manner of life I have actually led, and that which I should have chosen ; and this is not to be attributed more, perhaps, to the irregular incidents that have alternately caressed and insulted me, than to the irregularity of my genius. Tom Bar- clay, our Gcnsnl, who knows mankind and me very well, tells me that he never saw such a medley "s in me. The Virginian gentlemen * A line from his father's tombstone; ho died at the age of thirty-five. il B^ I; k ill ... f Jl..',, .Si i: i^-'?i i ii '1 . 218 AMERICAN BIOGHAt'HT. here call me Oliver Cromwell, and say, that, like him, I shall be ' damned to fame ; ' but I have never dared to prophesy, however, that it would be by a Virginian poet. "I every hour expect my summons to Pe- tersburg from the Russian minister. I shall have a delightful season to pass through Ger- many, though it does not suit my tour well. I shall los3 a season by it. I am not certain about the result of this business, and shall not be perfecUy at ease, till I have been introduced to the Empress." From a remark above, it may be inferred, that Ledyard wished to begin his journey to Petersburg before any intelligence had been received by the Russian minister in reply to his application. His principal motive doubtless was, that he might take advantage of the sea- son, and reach Siberia so far in anticipation of the severest parts of the winter, as not to be blocked up for several months by the snows in that frigid region. His advisers considered such a step ill judged, inasmuch as a formal petition haa ueen sent to the Empress, and it would evince a want of pnper respect to set out on the journey before hur answer had been returned, however strong might be the probability that her consent would be granted. These points of etiquette were overlooked by JOHN LEDYARD. 219 the traveller, in his eagerness to be on the road ; and he moreover thought the business might as well be settled at the court of the Empress in Petersburg, as through her minis- ter in Paris. The event proved his impres- sions not to be ill founded. His forebodings were verified, for he was kept in daily expec- tation for more than five months, without re- ceiving an answer, or hearing anything on the subject either from M. de Simoulin, or the . liaron de Grimm. His last letter from France is a very long one, dated at St. Germain, the 8th of August, 1786. It touches on a great variety of topics, and was written at different times. " Since I wrote to you by Colonel Hum- phreys," says he to his friend, " I have been at St. Germain, waiting the issue of my affair at Pet-. discovery of the continent, and the honor of doing it would become a foreigner, but a na- tive only can feel the genuine pleasure of the achievement. It was necessary that a Eu- ropean should discover the existence of that continent, but, in the name of Amor Pntria, let a native explore its resources and bounda- ries. It is my wish to be the man. I will not yet resign that wish, nor my pretensions to that distinction. Farewell for the present. I have just received intelligence, which hur- ries me to London. What fate intends is al- ways a secret ; fortitude is the word. I leave this letter with my brother and my father, our minister. He will send it by the first convey- ance. Adieu." The intelligence here alluded to was from his eccentric friend. Sir James Hall, who had returned to London. In six days Ledyard was with him in the British capital. He there found an English ship in complete readiness to sail for the Pacific Ocean. Sir James Hall introduced him to the owners, who imrnedi- ately offered him a free passage in the vessel, with the promise, that he should be set on shore at any place on the Northwest Coast, which he might choose. The merchants, no doubt, hoped to profit somewhat by his knowl- edge and experience, and he could not object ^''lf4. .rOHN riKDYAllD. 227 to such an exchange, as these were his only possessions. One of Cook's officers was also going out in the same vessel. The day before he was to go on board, Led yard wrote to Mr. Jefferson in the following animated strain. " Sir James Hall presented me with twenty guineas pro bono publico. I bought two great dogs, an Indian pipe, and .a hatchet. My want of time, as well as of money, will prevent my going any otherwise than indifferently equipped for such an enterprise ; but it is certain, that I shall be more in want before I see Virginia. Why should I repine ? You know how much I owe the amiable Lafayette. Will you do me the honor to present my most grateful thanks to him ? If I find in my trav^els a mountain, as much elevated above other moun- tains, as he is above ordinary men, I will name it Lafayette. I beg the honor, also, of my compliments to Mr. Short, who has been my friend, and who, like the good widow in Scrip- ture, cast in not only his mite, but more than he was able, for my assistance." The equipment of two dogs, an Indian pipe, and a hatchet, it must be confessed, was very scanty for a journey across a continent ; but they were selected with an eye to their uses. The dogs would be his companions, and assist him in taking wild animals for food; the pipe A 228 AMEJllCAN lilOGKAPHY. V ■A ■.■■1,1! •I. 1 , f ■ ri'f '''*,■ ■■ ■ {■' '"' m ■■' A 'r,'w*ii ■:■{■ Pis, • • -. ■ '"'■ 4 ^^1.: was an emblem of peace to the Indians; and the hatchet vvonld serve many purposes of convenience and utility. His choice could not have fallen, perhaps, upon three more essential requisites for a solitary traveller among savages and wild beasts ; they would enable him to provide for his defence, and procure a friendly reception, covering, and sustenance. All these were necessary, and must be the first objects of his care. His plan was fully arranged before entering the ship. He determined to land at Nootka Sound, where he had passed some time with Cook's expedition, and thence strike directly into the interior, and pursue his course as for- tune should guide him to Virgin'a. By his calculation, the voyage and tour would take him about three years. He was much grati- fied with the reception he met in London, and particularly from Sir Joseph Banks, and some other gentlemen of science, who entered warm- ly into his designs. It was believed, that his discoveries would not fail to add valuable im- provements to geography and natural history ; and there was a romantic daring in the enter- prise itself, well suited to gain the applause of ardent and liberal minds. Thus encouraged, his enthusiasm rose higher than ever, and his impatience to embark increased every moment. JOirX M. DVAIID. 229 Wliile in Paris the preceding ycnr, lie had become ac(iuaintcd with Colonel Smith, sec- retary of legation to Mr. Adains, at that time American minister in London. Colonel Smith befriended him after his arrival in Eiigland, and, conceiving tiie journey he was ahoiit to undertake as promising to be highly important to America, he wrote an account of it to Mr. Jay, then secretary of foreign aflairs in the United States. After a (aw remarks relative to Ledyard's previous attempts and objects, Colonel Smith proceeds ; " In consequence of some allurements from '1 English nobleman at Paris, he came here with the intention of exploring the Northwest Coast and country ; and a vessel being on the point of sailing for that coast, after supplying himself with a few necessary articles for his voyage and march, he procured a passage, with a promise from the captain to land him on the western coast, from which he means to attempt a march through the Indian nations to the back parts of the Atlantic States, for the purpose of examining the country and its inhabitants ; and he expects to be able to make his way through, possessed of such information of the country and people, as will be of great advantage to ours. This remains to- be proved. It is a daring, wild attempt. Determined to Bit i 230 A M K Jl i C A N H 1 O G R A P H Y , mmiM pursue the object, he embarked the lar>t week, fi^e and independent of the v/orld, pursuing his plan unembarrassed by contract or obliga- tioii. If he succeeds, and in the course of two or three years should visit our country by this amazing circuit, he' may bring with him some interesting, information. If he fails, and is never heard of more, which I think most j)robable, there is no harm done. He dies in an unknown country, and if he composes him- self in his last moments with the reflection, that his project was great, and the undertaking what few men are capable of, it will to his mind soothe the passage. He is perfectly cal- culated for the atteript, robuf'l and healthy, and has an immense passion to make discov- eries, which will benefit society, and insure him, agreeably to his own expression, ^ a small degree of honest fame.' It may not be im- proper for your Excellency to be acquainted with these circumstances, and you are the best judge of the propriety of extending them furthei." The vessel went down the Thames from Deptford, and in a few days put to sea. Led- yard thought it the happiest moment of his life. But alas ! how uncertain are human ex- pectations ! Again was he doomed to suffer the agonies of a disappointment more severe JOHN LEDYARD, 231 thari any that had preceded, because never be- fore were his wishes so near their consninma- tion. He looked upon the great obstacles as overcome, and regarded himself as beyond the reach of fortune's caprice. This delusion soon vanished. The vessel was not out of sight of 'and, before it was brought back by an or- der from the government, and the voyage was finally broken off. He went back to London, as may be supposed, with a heavy heart. A month afterwards he v/rote to Dr. Ledyard ; " I am still the slave of fortune and the son of care. You will be surprised that I am yet in London, unless you will conclude with me, that, after what has happened, nothing can be surprising. I think my l' ■ ,;:■' :" I t ■«')■ troubled at this moment to write you as I ought 10 do. I will only add, that I am going in a few days to make the tour of the globe from London east on foot. I dare not write you more, nor intrcmee you to the real state of my affairs. Farewell. Fortitude ! Adieu." By this it will be seen that his Siberian project was again revived ; and, in fact, a sub- scription to aid him in this object had already been commenced in London, under the patron- age of Sir Joseph Banks, Dr. Hunter, Sir James Hall, and Colonel Smith. " I fear my subscription will be small," he says, in a letter to Mr. Jefferson ; " it adds to my anxiety to reach those dominions where I shall not want money. I do not mean the dominibns that may be beyond death. I shall never wish to die while you and the Marquis are alive. I am going across Siberia, as I before intended." The amount collected by his friends is not mentioned, but it was such as to induce him to set out upon the journey ; which, indeed, he probably would have done had he obtained no money at all. He had lived too long by expedients to be stopped in his career by an obstacle so trifling in his imagination as the want of money, and he was panting to get into a country where its iise was unknown, and where, of course, the want of it would not be felt. -1 JOHN LEDYARD. 233 CHAPTER VIIL hedyard proceeds to Hamburg ; thence to CopeU' hagen and Stockholm. — Journey round the Gulf of Bothnia. — Arrives at Petersburg. — Procures a Passport from the Empress. — Sets out for Siberia. — Crosses the Uralian Moun- tains. — Descriptions of the Country and the Inhabitants. — Arrives at Irkutsk. Leaving London in December, Ledyard went over to Hamburg, whence he immediately wrote to Colonel Smith. From the account of his finances contained in that letter, it would not seem that he was encumbered, at his departure from England, with a heavy purse. He makes no complaint, however : on the contrary, he expresses only joy, tha, he journey, which he had so long desired, was actually begun. "I am here," he says, "with ten guineas exactly, and in perfect health. One of my dogs is no more. I lost him on my passage up the River Elbe to Hamburg, in a snow storm. I was out in it forty hours in an open boat. My other faithful companion is under the table on which I write. 1 dined to-day with Madam Parish, lady of the gentleman T m mr 234 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. mil ;.dv-.,/'f;''^1 m ■'■ m . P ■ /, ^r ^K ■ ' , p -• i|ii 1 •: \ ] , ' 1 m^ ». ^ ' ■ ., i mentioned to you. It is a Scotch house of the first commercial distin tion here. The Scotch have by nature a dignity of sentiment, that rei?- ders them accompHshed. I could go to Heaver, with Madam Parish, but she Imd some people at her table, that I could not go to heav^in with. I cannot submit to a haughty eccen- tricity of manners. My fate has sent me to the tavern where Major Langborn was three weeks. He is now at Copenhagen, having left his baggage here to be sent on to him. By some mistake he has not received it, and has written to the master of the hotel on the subject. T shall write to him, and give him my address at Petersburg. I should wish to see him at all events , but to have him accom- pany me on my voyage would be a pleasure indeed." * This Major Langborn turns out to be an American officer, lately arrived in Hamburg from Newcastle, "a very good kind of a man, and an odd kind of a man," as the master of the hotel called him, one who had travelled much, and was fond of travelling in his own way. He had gone off to Copenhagen with- out his baggage, taking with him only one spare shirt, and very few other articles of cloth- ing. It does not appear, that Ledyard had over been acquainted with Langborn, or even ":i 'MM JOHN LEDYARD. 235 seen him ; but he had heard such a descrip- tion of him from Colonel Smith and others, that in fancy he had become enamored of the originality and romantic turn of his character, and particularly of his passion for travelling. Carried away with this whimsical preposses- sion, he had got it into his head that Lang- born was the fittest man in the world to be the companion of his travels. An imaginary resemblance between their pursuits, condition, and tho bent of their genius, created a sym pathy, that was not to be resisted. He more- over suspected, from hints which he saw in Langborn's letter, inquiring about his trunk, that he was in want of money. Here was another appeal to his generosity, and one which he could never suffer to be made in vain, when he had ten guhieas in his pocket. " I will fly to him with my little all, and some clothes, and lay them at his feet. At this moment I may be useful to him. He is my countryman, a gentleman, a traveller. He may go with me on my journey. If he does, I am blessed ; if not, I shall merit his attention, and shall not be much out of my way to Peters- burg." With this state of his feelings, it is not wonderful that we should next hear from him » at Copenhagen. He hastened on to that city, 11 m 236 AIMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. :M I '' \M !>■■'. 1 m ^1;', vi' :■ If m ■';■"■'; ;, ' k r 1 1 1 ■ -, ■ "■"!;-■ and arrived there about the 1st of January, 1787, although it was taking him far aside from his direct course, and exposing him to all the fatigues and perils of a long, tedious win- ter passage through Swe:3en and Finland. He found Langborn in a very awkward situation, without money or friends, and shut up in his room for the want of decent apparel to appear abroad in ; and, what was worse, incurring the suspicions of those around him, that he w[\s some vagabond, or desperate character, whose conduct had rendered it expedient for l:im to keep out of sight. Imagination only can paint the joy, that glowed in our traveller's counte- nance, when he saw the remains of his ten guineas slip from his fingers, to relieve the distresses of his new found friend. All that could now be said of them was, that their poverty was equalized ; the Major could walk abroad, and his benefactor had not means to carry him beyond the bounds of the city. The road -to Petersburg was many hundred miles long, through snows, and over ice, and present- ing obstacles enough at that season to appal the stoutest heart, even with all the facilities for travelling which gold could purchase. What, then, was the prospect for a moneyless pedestrian ? These reflections were not suffered to in- M:4^!^ JOHN L E D V A R 1) . 237 trade upon the pleasures of the moment. His money was gone, it was true ; but a worthy man, and a traveller, had been made happier by it. How he should advance further was a point to be thought of to-morrow ; yet the doubt never came into his mind, that anything could stop him when the time should arrive for him to move forward. Neither confidence nor fortitude ever forsook him. Two weeks were agreeably passed in the society of Lang- born ; but no inducements could prevail on him to undertake the Siberian tour, much less to hazard the dangerous experiment of intrusting himself among the wild barbarians of North America. His humor was not of this sort ; yet it was scarcely less peculiar than if it had been. " I see in him," says Ledyard to Colonel Smith, " the soldier, the countryman, and' the generous friend ; but he would hang me if he knew 1 had written a word about him; and so I will say no more, than just to inform you, that he means to wander this winter through Norway, Swedish Lapland, and Sweden ; and in the spring to visit Petersburg. 1 asked to attend him through this route to Petersburg ; ' No ; I estee.m you, but I can travel in the way I do with no man on earth.' " After this avowal, the Major certain- ly merits the praise of frankness, if not of com- m k ' IB] i 238 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. m Ik'.'- m ok ■ pliance ; and Led yard must have possessed a larger share of practical philosophy than falls to the lot of most men, to have been perfect- ly reconciled to this abrupt declaration, after coming so far out of his way, and spending much time and all his money in search of a companion, who he fondly hoped would parti- cipate in his adventures. When this visit of friendship was closed, and the hour of departure approached, the ne- cessity was pressed upon him of looking about for money. He drew a small bill on Colonel Smith, and good fortune put in his way a merchant, who consented to accept it, and pay him the amount. " Thompson's goodness to me," he writes to Colonel Smith, " in accept- ing the bill on you, relying on my honor, has saved me from perdition, and will enable me to reach Petersburg." A small sum, to meet such an exigency, had been left in Colonel Smith's hands, but not to the full amount of the draft. Ledyard apologizes for the addi- tion, and tells his friend that he must put it to the account of charity, for his necessities only had compelled him to overdraw. The draft was kindly accepted by Colonel Smith, when it came to hand. Thus replenished, our traveller parted from the eccentric Major. It lit, JOHN LEDiTARD. 239 crossed over into Sweden, and arrived in Stock- holm towards the end of January.* The common mode of travelling from Stock- holm to Petersburg in the summer season, -is to cross the Gulf of Bothnia to Abo in Fin- land by water, touching at the Isles of Aland on the passage. In winter the same route is * Langborn pursued his route, as he had proposed, wan- dering over Sweden, Norway, and Lapland. The summer following he arrived in Tornea, at the proper season for witnessing the sight which has drawn other travellers to that place. Tornea is but a few miles south of the Arc- tic Circle, and at the time of the summer solstice the sun appears above the horizon, as observed by Maupertuis, " fur several days together without setting." Travellers are then favored with what is called " a view of the sun at mid- night" Acerbi was there in 1799, and he mentions Lang- born. In the church of Jukasjeroi, a town at some dis- tance to the north of Tornea, and the Ultima Thule of travellers in that direction, there is a book in which are written the names of visitors, with such remarks as their humor prompted them to indite. These are copied into Acerbi's Travels, amounting to only seven in number. The first record was by Regnard, on the 18th of August, 1G81. The following is a literal transcript of another; "Justice bids me record thy hospitable fame, and testify it by my name. W. Langborn, United States. July 23d, 1787." This was six months after Ledyard left him in Copenha- gen. Acerbi says he was travelling on foot from Norway to Archangel. In a notice of the first edition of this work, in the "Southern Review," are the following remarks. " We chanced to know Major Langborn after he re- s I i: i P i Hi 240 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. I. 'i:i4».--i'f '!^:m * -Kt :'!:■]' pursued, when the sea is frozen so hard as to admit of sledges being drawn from one island to another on the ice. The greatest distance to be passed over in this manner, without touching land, is about thirty miles. Under the most favorable circumstances this passage is troublesome and dangerous. It is well de- scribed by Acerbi. " My astonishment was greatly increased," says he, "in proportion as we advanced from our starting post. The sea, at first smooth and even, became more and turned from his peregrinations, and have ofVen been amused with his account of his adventures and odd modrs of trav- elling. He possessed a competent estate in Virginia, liad been an officer of the revolution, and, soon atler the peace, having conceived an ardent clesire of seeing remote parts of the world, he determined to visit them in his own way, He commonly travelled on foot, and in the cheapest and obscurest style. When he arrived at any town at which he meant to stop, his appearance underwent an immediate metamorphosis, and he assumed his proper character. He was in Paris during the reign of terror, and was himself near falling a victim to the tyrannical proscriptions which then prevailed. "Major Langborn was certainly an eccentric man, but his oddity was not offensive, because it was not obtrusive, and was free from everything like affectation. It was not araonsr the least remarkable circumstances of his life, that, on returning to his native state, afler an absence of more than twenty years, he married the daughter of the lady whom he had addressed in his youth; and these, we are inclined to think, were the only attachments he ever formed." ES'i JOHN LEDVAKD 241 more rough and unequal. It assumed, as we proceeded, an undulating appearance, resembling the waves by which it had been agitated. At length we met with masses of ice heaped one upon the other, and some of them seeming as if they were suspended in the air, while oth- ers were raised in the form of pyramids. On the whole, they exhibited a picture of the wildest and most savage confusion, that sur- prised the eye by tlie novelty of its appear- ance. It was an immense chaos of icy ruins, presented to view under every possible form, and embellished by superb stalactites of a blue green color." Over this rough surface, and be- tween the broken waves of ice, the passengers are drawn in sledges, muffled up in wolf-skins and other furs. The chief danger consists in the sledges being repeatedly upset, and the horses sometimes taking fright, and running away like wild deer. Acerbi had a serious ad- venture of this sort, but he luckily escaped without harm, as he did from many other ad- ventures, which awaited him in his travels to the North Cape. This is the method of crossing the Gulf of Bothnia in common seasons, but there is occa- sioxially an open winter, when it is impassable, either .by water or on the ice; for, if the pas- sage does not freeze entirely over, the water VOL. XIV. 16 •i' 1 t5 ■''•■ I t J ; I M3 !ii'i";i.::! jii|ffb : contains so much floating ice, that no vessel can sail through it. When this happens, the only way of going to Petersburg is around the gulf, a distance of twelve hundred miles, over trackless snows, in regions thinly peopled, where the nights are long and the cold in- tense, and all this to gain no more than fifty miles. Such was unfortunately the condition of the ice, when Lcdyard arrived at the usual place of crossing. It had not been frozen solid from the beginning of the winter, and no traveller could pass. Of all his disappointments, none had afflicted him more severely than this. The only alternative was, either to stay in Stock- holm till the spring should open, or to go around the gulf into Lapland, and seek his way from the Arctic Circle to Petersburg, through the whole extent of Finland ; and in either case he foresaw, that he should arrive so late in Russia, that another season would be wasted in Siberia, before he could cross to the American continent. The single cir- cumstance, therefore, of the passage to Abo be- ing thus obstructed, was likely to keep him back a full year from the attainment of his grand object. But he did not deliberate long. He could not endure inactivity, and new diffi- culties nerved him with new strength to en- JOHN LEDYARD. 243 counter and subdue them. He set out for Tornea in tlie heart of winter, afoot and alone, without money or friends, on a road almost unfrequented at that frightful season, and with the gloomy certainty resting on his mind, that he must travel northward six hundred miles, before he could turn his steps towards a milder climate, ?nd then six or seven hundred more in descending to Petersburg, on the other side of the Gulf. When Maupertuis and his companions were about leaving Stockholm, on their journey to Tornea, for the purpose of measuring a degree of the meridian under the Polar Circle, the Kin'T of Sweden told them, that "it was not without sensible concern, that he saw them pursue so desperate an undertaking ; " yet they were prepared with every possible convenience for travelling, and protection against the rigors of a northern winter. A better idea of the de- gree and effects of cold, at the head of the Gulf, carniot be formed, perhaps, than from Mau})ertuis' description. " The town of Tornea, at our arrival on the 30th of December, had really a most frightful aspect. Its little houses were buried to the tops in snow, which, if there had been any daylight, must have effectually shut it out. But the snows continually falling, or ready to m Til i-J p iw< 1*1: 4 11: }■: K/- i^? 'if f :|i: Si . lite H ' I ; I ■■xh' ;,• I f^^,W^. I 11} 1 'I ' I ■•5 jr' 244 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. fall, for the most part hid the sun the few moments, that he might have shown himself at midday. In tlie month of January the cold was increased to that extremity, that Reaumur's mercurial thermometers, which in Paris, in the jreat frost of 1709, it was thought strange to see fall to fourteen degrees below the freezing point, were now down to tliirly- seven. The spirit of wine in the others was frozen. If we opened the door of a warm room, the external air instantly converted all the air in it into snow, whirling it round in white vortexes. If we v/ent abroad, we felt as if the air were tearing our breasts in pieces. And the cracking of the wood whereof th3 houses are built, as if the violence of the cold split it, continually alarmed us with an ap- proaching: increase of cold. The solitude c° the streets was no less than if the inhabitants had been all dead ; and in this country you may often see people that have been maime 1, and had an arm or a leg frozen off. The cold, which is always very great, increases sometimes by such violent and sudden fits, as are almost infallibly fatal to those that happen to be exposed to it. Sometimes there arise sudden tempests of snow, that are still more dangerous. The winds seem to blow from all quarters at once, and drive pbout the snow JOHN LEDYARD. 2*15 with such fury, that in a moment all the roads are lost. Unhappy he, who is seized by such a storm in the fields ! His arcquaintance with the country, or the ijiarks lie may hav^e taken by the trees, cannot avail him. He is blinded by the snow, and lost if he stirs but a step."* These were the scenes, that awaited our pedestrian in his winter excursion to the Polar Circle. How far they were realized by him must be now left to conjecture. No part ®f his journal during this tour has been preserved, nor is it known what course he took from Tornea to Petersburg. The common route is along the border of the Gulf to Abo, but in winter the road is much obstructed by ice, and is extremely bad. Linnasus passed it in September, when returning from his scientific tour to Lapland, and he estimates the distance from Tornea to Abo at upwards of six hun* tired English miles. From a remark in Led- yard's letter to Mr. Jefferson, which wil' be quoted below, it w^ould seem, that he took a different direction, and passed further into the interior of Russia?i Finland. This route, as lie intimates, must have been wholly unfre- ejuented by travellers, although the distance must be shorter, and at that season perhaps * See Maupertuis' Discourse before ilve Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris. November 13th, i737. 1 1 1 1 1 1 'jI- It i f4' ■^'^f- iS I'l li U- I ' '^46 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, ; '■ ' viii 'I'lji 11 »*'iiliiirill^ ' m ;i ; '.:i: . • ■^ . , t g y, Stj •■ the difficulties to be encountered were not greater, than down the Gulf. Be this as it may, he reached Petersburg before the 20th of March,, that is, within sevea weeks of the time of leaving Stockholm, mak- ing the average distance travelled about two hundred miles a week. It is evident, there- fore, that he met with no obstacles, which his resolution did not speedily overcome. His let- ter to Mr. Jefferson, dated Petersburg, March 19th, 1787, will acquaint us with the state of his feelings, and his prospects, at this stage of his travels. '' It will be one of the remaining pleasures of my life, to thank you for the many in- stances of your friendship, and, wherever I am, to pursue you with the tale of my gratitude. If Mr. Barclay should be at Paris, let him rank with you as my next friend. I hardly know how to estimate the goodness of the Marquis de Lafayette to me, but I think a French nobleman, of the first character in his country, never did more to serve an obscure citizen of another, than he has done for me ; and I am sure that it is impossible, without some kind of soul made expressly for the purpose, that an obscure citizen in such a situation can be more grateful than I am. May he be told so, with my compliments to his lady. JOHN LEDYARD. 247 " I cannot tell you by what means I came to Petersburg, and hardly know by what me^ns I shall quit it, in the furt'uer prosecution of my tour round the world by land. If I have any merit in the affair, it is perseverance, for most severely have I been buffeted ; and yet still am ev^en more obstinate than before : and Fate, as obstinate, continues her assaults. How the matter will terminate I know not. The most probable c njecture is, that I shall succeed, and be buffeted around the world, as I have hith- erto been from England through Denmark, through Sweden, Swedish T^apland, Swedish Finland, and the most unfrequented parts of Russian Finland, to this aurora borcalis of a city. I cannot give you a history of myself since I saw you, or since I wrote you last ; however abridged, it would be too long. Upon the whole, mankind have used me well ; and though I have as yet reached only the first stage of my journey, I feel myself much indebted for that urbanity, which I always thought more general than many think it to be ; and were it not for the mischievous laws and bad examples of some governments I have passed through, I am persuaded I should be able to give you a still better account of our fel'^w-creatures. "But I am hastening to countries, where I f MU '.I m ! M I- ) i ■;-i If < I ,11 248 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. goodness, if natural to the human heart, will appear independent of example, and furnish an illustration of the character of man, not un- worthy of him wlio wrote the Declaration of Independence. I did not hear of the death of M. de Vergennes until T arrived here. Per- mit me to express my regret at the loss of so great and so good a man. Permit me, also, to congratulate you, as the minister of my country, on account of the additional commer- cial privileges granted by France to America, and to express my ardent wishes, that the friendly spirit which dictated them may last forever. I was extremely pleased at reading the account ; and to heighten the satisfaction, I found the name of Lafayette there. "An equipment is now on foot here for the Sea of Kamtschatka, and it is first to visit the Northwest Coast of America. It is to consist of four ships. This, and the expedition that went from here twelve months since by land for Kamtschatka, are to cooperate in a design of some sort in the Northern Pacific Ocean ; the Lord knows what, nor does it matter what with me, nor indeed with you, nor any other minister, nor any potentate, south of fifty de- grees of latitude. I can only say, that you are in no danger of having the luxurious repose of your charming climates disturbed by -a sec- .JOHN LEDYARD. 249 ond incursion of either Goth, Vandal, Hun, or Scythian. " I dined to-day with Professor Pallas. He is an acco.mplished man, and my friend, and has travelled throughout European and Asiatic Rus- sia. I find the little French I have of infinite service to me. I could not do without it. It is a most extraordinary language. I believe wolves, rocks, woods, and snow understand it, for I have addressed them all in it, and they have all been very complaisant to me. We had a Scythian at table, who belongs to the Royal Society of Physicians here. The mo- ment he knew me and my designs, he became my friend ; and it will be by his generous as- sistance, joined with that of Professor Pallas, that I shall be able to procure a royal pass- port, without which I cannot stir. This must be done through an application to the French minister, there being no American minister here ; and to his secretary I shall apply with Dr. Pallas to-morrow, and shall take the lib- erty to make use of your name, and that of the Marquis de Lafayette, as to my character. As all my letters of recommendation were Eng- lish, and as I have hitherto been used by the English with the greatest kindness and respect, I first applied to the British minister, but with- out success. The apology was, that the pres- ;i ■,1! ' 250 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. p:,: '^:i;^:i 'O '^ 1 'H ent political condition between Russia and England would make it disagreeable for the British minister to ask any favor. The secre- tary of the French embassy will despatch my letter, and one of his accompanying it, to the Coi- * Segur to-morrow morning. I will en- deav ; to write you again before I leave Pe- tersburg, and give you some further accounts of myself. Meantime, I wish you health. I have written a short letter to the Marquis. Adieu." It will be remembered, that at this time the Empress was absent on her famous jaunt to Ker- son and the Krimea. She had left Petersburg in January, accompanied by Prince Potemkin, and many others of the courtiers, and of the Russian nobility. The Austrian and French ambassadors were also in her train. She passed through Smolensk, and was now at Kief, where she remained amidst a brilliant assem- blage of nobles from Poland and her Russian territories, till the spring was so far advanced, that she could proceed by water down the Dnieper, in the magnificent galleys prepared for the purpose. While the Empress and her retinue were at Kief, a round of splendid entertainments, cere- monies, and visits from eminent personages, occupied her time, and absorbed her thoughts, n JOHN L E D Y A 11 D , 251 in addition to the great political projects, which she is said to have been meditating in regiird to tlie conquest of Turkey. Had the French ambassador found an opportunity, there- fore, amidst these scenes of gayety and bustle, to present a petition to the Empress from an imknown individual, for a passport to travel through her dominions, it could not be thought strange, that she should have neglected to at- tend to it with the promptness, which more important affairs might require. Weeks passed away, and no answer was returned. Ledyard's patience was severely tried by this delay, and iie began to talk of going forward without any passport. On the 15th of May, after waiting nearly two months at Petersburg, he writes to Colonel Smith, " My heart is oppressed ; my designs are generous ; why is my fate other- wise ? The Count Segnr has not yet sent me my passport. But this shall not stop me , I shall surmount all things, and at least deserve success." About this time he became acquaint- ed with a Russian officer, who belonged to the family of the Grand Duke, and who took a lively interest in his concerns, and proffered his servic<^<5. Ledyard says, he was not only " poHte and friendly, but a thinking Russian." By the kind assistance of this gentleman he obtained his passport in fifteen days, and was prepared for his departure. \\ ■5 ' If; !^ III it' 'i H I 1' I « lili T'i*! •I' ^ m I 'i"H W')'->f. Mi <'■ ». '.>! l^■J .SI! 252 AMERICAN B 1 O C! R A P » V . It was fortunate, t?iat just at this time Mr. William Brown, a Scotch physician, was going to the Province of Kolyvan, in the employ- ment of the Empress. Ledyard joined him, and thus had a companion on his tour for more than three thousand miles. From . this arrangement he enjoyed an important advan- tage, for Brown travelled at ,the expense of the government, and as Ledyard went with him by permission of the proper authority, his trav- elling charges were probably defrayed in part at least from the public funds. And, indeed, witiiout this aid, it would have been impossi- ble for him to move a step, for his, own re- sources were completely exhausted. On his arrival in Petersburg his necessities were ex- treme, as his money was gone, and he was almost destitute of clothes. In this extremity he drew a bill for twenty guineas on Sir Jo- seph Banks, which he found some friend will- ing to accept, although he confessed that Sir Joseph had not authorized him to draw, and that the payment of the bill would depend on his generosity. It was immediately paid whea presented in London, much to the honor of that munificent patron of science and enter- prise. It is said that a quantity of stores was sent, under the care oi Dr. Brown, to be for- warded to Mr. Billings at Yakutsk, who was JOHN I.KDyARD, 253 nmployed in exploring those remote regions of Siberia and Kamtschatka, in the service of the Empress. The party left Petersburg on the 1st of June, and in six days arrived at Moscow. During the last day's ride they overtook the Grand Duke and his retinue, who were going to Moscow to meet the Empress on her return from her pompous journey to the Krimea. The two travellers remained but one day in Moscow. They hired a person to go with them to Kazan, a distance of five hundred and fifty miles, and drive their kibitka with three horses. " Kibitka travelling." says Ledyard in his journal, " is the remains of caravan travel- ling ; it is your only home ; it is like a ship at sea." In this vehicle they were hurried along with considerable speed towards Kazan, through Vladimir, Nishnei Novogorod, and other towns. Kazan stands on the right bank of the majestic Wolga, and is the capital of a province of the same name. It is ranked among the first cities in the empire, containing a university, churches, convents, and other pub lie buildings, some of which are magnificent, and finished with much architectural taste and elegance. Immense quantities of grain are pro-^ duced in this province, and also flax and leath- er for exportat'on. The soil is well cultivutod, ! i \ ". 254 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ^m. 4„ '•■■■'1 ffP'^v mmmh t'. • I'w - hi ' ; but low and unhealthy, and the inhabitants are a mixed population of Russians and Tar- tars. They stayed a week at Kazan, and then commenced their journey to Tobolsk, where they arrived on the 11th of July, having crossed the Ural Mountains, and passed the frontiers of Europe and Asia. The face of the country had hitherto been level, with hardly an emi- nence springing from the great plain, which spreads over the vast territory from Moscow to Tobolsk. The ascent of the Ural Moumains was so gradual as scarcely to form an exception to this general remark, and nothing could be more monotonous and dreary than the inter- minable wastes over which their route had led ;hem since leaving Kazan, with here and there a miserable village, and unproductive culture of the soil. " The wretched appearance of the inhabitants," says our journalist, " is such as may generally be observed, in a greater or less iegree, in those places which are so unhappy as to be the frontiers between nations ; like step-children are they." This is especially the condition of the people throughout the whole extent of the China frontiers, that border on Russia. It is the policy of the government to preserve this belt of desolation, as a barrier JOHN M:nY.vui>. 255 against the too easy access of foreigners, and as a means of preventing contraband trade. Tobolsk is a city of considerable interest, liaving been once the capital of all Siberia, and in early times the scene of a great battle between the renowned hero Yermak, and the Tartar prince Kontchnm Khan, hi which the former was victorious. The city stands at the junction of two large rivers, the Tobol and Irtish, which there unite and flow on together, till their waters are mingled with the Obe, and thence conveyed to the Northern Ocean. It consists of the upper and lower town, the latter situate on the margin of the river, and the former on a commanding eminence, which overlooks the lower town and much of the adjacent country. Captain Cochrane, who vis- ited this place a few years ago, was greatly pleased with its natural advantages and scenery, and the condition and comforts of the people. The town is well laid out into streets, con- tains handsome churches and other edifices, > well regulated market, and provisions of a! kinds in abundance, and exceedingly cheap. He was not less charmed with the society for although Tobolsk is the residence of ex iles, they are such as have been sent to Siberii for political reasons, and not malefactors, thes< latter being accommodated with a resideno V ...(J , ii 256 AMERICAN H 1 O (J U A T U Y . 'I'i'i-^' and employment mnch farther in the interior towards Kamtschatka. These political exiles are commonly persons of some culture and in- telligence, for, as this author justly remarks, no government banishes fools ; and the social cir- cles of the better sort indicate a refinement and happiness, which might be envied in more civilized parts of the globe. So much was this traveller pleased with the wild and beau- tiful scenery on the banks of the Irtish, that he followed up the stream to the borders of China, enraptured at every step ; nor was he satisfied, till he had contemplated by moon- light the deep solitudes and lofty granite moun- tains, that constitute the bulwark of this north- ern boundary of the Celestial Empire. But Captain Cochrane was an amateur trav- eller, wandering for amusement, and seeking odd adventures in the most promising theatre for them. Ledyard, on the contrary, was im- pelled, forward by a single motive, and he would gladly have annihilated space and time, if he could have set his foot the next moment on the American continent. He did not trav- erse the wild wastes of Siberia to make dis- coveries, gaze at mountains, trace rivers to their sources, nor even to examine the economy of society and the condition of the people. He had a soul to admire whatever was grand or !!. JOHN I. E D Y A R D . 257 beautiful in nature, and to be strongly affected with the various states of human existence, as his observations abundantly prove ; bnt he suf- fored these to make an incidental claim only on his attention, keeping them subordinate to his great design and absorbing purpose. Hence he stopped no longer in any plane than was necessary to prepare for a new dopartnre. Three days he and his companion stayed at Tobolsk, and then continued their journey to Barnaoul, the capital of the province of Koly- van. At this place he was to leave Dr. Brown and proceed alone. For this gentleman he had contracted a sincere esteem, and was prevailed upon to remain in Barnaoul a week, out of regard to the kindness and in compliance with the solicitation of his friend. In many respects Barnaoul is one of the most agreeable places of residence in Siberia. The province of which it is the capital is a rich mining district, and this brings together ill the town persons of science and respecta- lulity, who are employed as public officers to superintend the working of the mines. The surrounding country, moreover, is well suited to agriculture, abounding in good lands for pas- ture and grain, supporting vast herds of cattle, and producing vegetables in great profusion. VOL. XIV. 17 I II M hi Is I n ^i t<3 !^Hi 11^ ' ■■■' "^^ I %. I'-' ■I 258 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. Til consequence of these bounties cf nature, there is an overflowing and cheap market, an absence of want, and much positive happiness among the people. Ledyard v/as lodged, at Barnaoul, in the house of the treasurer, by whom he was treated with great hospitality. He dined twice with the Governor, and also with two old discharged officers of the army, who, at their own request, had quitted the service, and become judges and justices of the law. The armorial bearings of forty-iwo provinces in the empire were shown to him. The Governor told him, that the salt, produced by the salt lakes in the province of KolyvLin, yielded somewhat more to the reve- nue than the mines, and also that the aggre- gate amount of revenue from that province was greater than from any other. In respact to gold and rilver, this is no doubt the case at tfie present day, but in regard to the salt il is ur.certaiii. There are said to be salt lakes n Sibt'rja, so much saturated with saline matter, that the salt crystallizes of its own ac- cord, imd adheres in this state to pieces of wood .md other substances put into the water. Koly^an is near the middle point between Petersbuig and Okotsk, it being somewhat more than three thousand miles in opposite JOHN LEDYARD. 259 directions to each of those places.* Barnaoul stands on the bank of the River Obe, which is a broad and noble stream where it passes the town. It is in the fifty-third degree of north latitude, and in the^last week of July the mo'nings were exceedingly hot, the sky cloudless and serene, and the atmosp; -^re per- fectly calm. In the afternoon a gentle breeze Would spring up, increase by degrees till even- ing, and continue through the night. Rains are not frecpient in Kolyvan. The following extract is from that part of the journal which was written at Barnaoul, and contains remarks on what came under the writer's notice during his journey to that place. " The face of the country from Petersburg to Kolyvan is one continued plain. The soil V K * In his Journal, Ledyard enters the following distances, which he says were taken from a Russian Almanac. In the second column I have reduced the versts to English miles. Three versts are equal to two miles. Versts. Mil(;3 From Petersburg to Barnaoul, 4539 . . . 3026 " Barnaoul to Irkutsk, 1732 . . . I15.> « Irkutsk to Yakutsk, 22fJ6 . . . 15 ' 'J « Yakutsk to Okotsk, , . . . J>52 . . . G'j5 " Okotsk to Awateka in Kamtschatka, . . 1065 . . . 710 Whole distance from Petersburg to Kamt- ) ,q eg^ 70S«' schatka, ) V ,-(► ■"■■■m m '1^^;' ■iff I m hfr i|. AS 260 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, before arriving at Kazan is very well culti- vated ; afterwards cultivation gradually ceases. On the route to Kazan we saw large mounds of earth, often of twenty, thirty, and forty feet elevation, which I conjectured, and on inquiry found, to be ancient sepulchres. There is an analogy between these and our own graves, and the Egyptian pyramids; and an exact re- semblance between them, and those piles sup- posed to be of monumental earth, which are found among some of the tribes of North Amer- ica. We first saw Tartars before our arrival at Kazan ; and also a woman with her nails painted red, like the Cochin Chinese. '• Notwithstanding the modern introduction of linen into Russia, the garments of the peas- antry still retain not only the form, but the manner of ornamenting them, which was prac- tised when they wore skins. This resembles the Tartar mode of ornamenting, and is but a modification of the wampum ornament, which is still discernible westward from Rusf^ia to Denmark, among the Finlanders, Laplanders, and Swedes. The nice gradation by which I pass from civilization to incivilization af>- pears in everything ; in manners, dress, lan- guage ; and particulariy in that remarkable and important circumstance, color, which I am now fully convinced originates from f.atural cause*, JOHN L E 1) Y A R D 261 and is the effect of externa) and local circnm- stances. 1 think the same of feature. I see here the large mouth, the thick lip, the broad flat nose, as well as in Africa. I see also, in the same village, as great a difference of com- plexion ; from the fair hair, fair skin, and white eyes, to the olive, the black jetty hair and eyes ; and these all of the same language, same dress, and, I suppose, same tribe. " I have frequently observed in Russian vil- lages, obscure and dirty, mean and poor, that the women of the peasantry paint their faces, both red and white, I have had occasion from this and other circumstances to suppose, that the Russians are a people who have been early attached to luxury. They are everywhere fond of eclat. ' Sir,' said a Russian officer to me in Petersburg, * we j)ay no attention to anything but cclat.^ The "contour of their manners is Asiatic, and not European. The Tartars are universally neater than the Rus- sians, particularly in their houses. The Tar- tar, however situated, is a voluptuary ; and it is an original and striking trait in their char- acter, frorri the Grand Seignior to him who pitches his tent on the wild frontiers of Rus- sia and China, that they are more addicted to real sensual pleasure than any other people. The Emperor of Germany, the Kings of Eng- il-'*.1 \i r. :^ 5^^ m '■■f. r • 202 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. land and France, have pursuits that give an entirely different turn to their enjoyments ; and so have their respective subjects. Would a Tartar live on Vive le Roil Would he spend ten years in constructing a watch, or twenty in forming a telescope ? "In the United States of America, as in Russia, we have made an effort to convert our Tartars to think and act like us ; but to what effect ? Among us, Sampson Occum was pushed the farthest within the pale of civilization ; but just as the sanguine divine who brought him there was forming the highest expectations, he fled, and sought his own elysium in the bosom of his native forests. In Russia they have had none so distinguished ; here they are com- monly footmen, or lackeys of some other kind. The Marquis de Lafayette had a young Amer- ican Tartar, of tfte Onandaga tribe, who came to see him ; and the Marquis, at much expense, equipped him in rich Indian dresses. After staying some time, he did as Occum did. When I was at school at Mount Ida, [Dart- mouth College,] many Indians were there, most of whom gave some promise of being civilized, and some were sent forth to preach ; but us far as I observed myself, and have been since informed, they all retunud to the home and customs of *heir fathers, and followed the in- but JOHN L E D Y A R D 263 clinatioiis which nature had so deeply en- staraped on their character." To these remarks is here added part of a letter, written to Mr. Jefferson from Barnaoul, dated on the 29th of July, 1787. " How I have come thus far, and how I am to go still further, is an enigma that I must disclose to you on some happier occasion. 1 shall never be able, without seeing you in per- son, and perhaps not then, to inform you how universally and circumstantially the Tartars re- semble the Aborigines of America. They are the same people ; the most ancient and the most numerous of any other ; and had not a small sea divided them, they would all have been still known by the san.t^ name. The cloak of civilization sets as ill 'ipon them, as upon our American Tartars. They have been a long time Tartars, and it will be a long time before thny will be any other kind of people. " I shall send this letter to Petersburg, to the care of Professor Pallas. He will transmit it to you, together with one for the Marquis, in the m.ni of the Count Segur. My health is perfectly good ; but notwithstanding the vis'or of my body, my mind keeps the start of ras, and I anticipate my future fate with the most liv3^y ardor. Pity it is, that in such a n hi ill M I 'I if I ' t ' lj»f ,/Ja !,:;• r 264 AMERICAN B I G K A r H Y . career one should be subjected, liJce i horse, to the beggarly impediments of sleep and hunger. '' The banks of the large rivers in this coun- try everywhere abound with something curious in the fossil world. I have found the leg-bonu of a very large animal on the banks of the Obe, and have sent it to Dr. Pallas, requesting him to render me an account of it hereafter. It is either an elephant's or rhinoceros's bone. The latter aniihal has been in this country. There is a complete head of one in a state of high preservation at Petersburg. I am a cu.i- osity here myself. Those who have heard of America flock round to see me. Unforliniate- ly the marks on my hands* procure me and my countrymen the appellation of wild men. Among the better sort we are somewhat more known. The Governor and his family have got a peep at the history of our existence, through the medium of an antiquated pam- phlet of some kind. We have, however, two stars, that shine even in the galaxy of Bar- naoul, and the healths of Dr. Franklin and of General Washington have been drunk, in com- pliment to me, at the Governor's table. I am treated with the greatest hospitality here. The tattoo marks made on his hands at Otaheite. i JOHN LEDYARD. 265 Hitherto 1 have fared comfortably when 1 could make a port anywliere, but when totally ill the country I have been a i't^lb incom- moded. Hospitality, however, I have found as universal as the face of man. When you read this, perhaps two months before you do, if I do well, I shall be at Okotsk, where I will do myself the honor to trouble you again, and if possible will write more at large. My com- plimants wait on all my Parisian friends." After spending a week very agreeably in Barnaoul, he made preparations for recommen- cing his journey. From this place to Irkutsk, it was arranged that he should travel post, with the courier who had charge of the mail. All things being in readiness, he writes, " I waited on the Governor with my passport ; he was well pleased with it ; gave me a corporal to conduct the affairs of the mail ; said I had nothing to do but sit in the kabitka, and mus- tered up French enough to say, Monsieur, je vous souhaite un bon voyage. I took an affec- tionate farewell of the worthy Dr. Brown, and left Barnaoul." The next stopping place on the route was Tomsk, distant three hundred miles, which were passed over in two days and three nights. The River Tom, which flows near this town, is as large as the Irtish, where it is crossed by the main road above 1 1 1 j n i k t^( i 1 ** : i V' If ^ 1 I i VT '^'^■7^ 266 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. Mil 1$ ' Tobolsk, and was the first river met with by our traveller since leaving Petersburg, which had either a gravelly bottom or shore. On its banks were found little mounds of earth, which were ascertained to have been the habitations of the natives, who dwelt there before the conquest of the country by the Russians.* The nights, he remarked, were very cold, more so than he had known them in any country. * In Bell's Journey from Petersburf^ to Pekin, with tho Russian embassy, in the year 1720, the author gives a cu rious account of the mounds in the regions about Tomsk He considers them the tombs of ancient heroes, who fell in battle. "Many persons go from Tomsk," he observes, " and other parts, every summer, to these graves, which tliey dig up, and find among the ashes of the dead considera- ble quantities of gold, silver, brass, and some precious stones; but particularly hilts of swords and armor. They find, also, ornaments of saddles and bridles,>and other trap- pings for horses ; and even the bones of horses, and some- times those of elephants. Whence it appears that, when any general or person of distinction was interred, all his arms, his favorite horse, and servant were buried with hii,; in the same grave. This custom prevails to this day among the Kalmuks and other Tartars, and seems to be of great antiquity. It appears from the number of graves, that many thousands must have fallen on these plains, for t.ho people have continued to dig for such treasure many years, and still find it unexhausted. They a.e somethnes, indeed, interrupted and robbed of all their booty by par- ties of the Kalmuks, who abhor the disturbing the asbei oCthQ d«ii$L" YqU I. p. 95a im ■\ I JOHN LEDYARD. 267 where it was at the same time so hot by day. All the way from Barnaoul, and particularly in its neighborliood, were perceived the ruinous effects of the violent winds, that frequently produce great devastation in those parts of Siberia. Forest trees and fields of grain were indiscriminately blown down and destroyed. The hospitality of the inhabitants, however, was unabated. They could rarely be prevailed upon to take anything for provisions or accom- modation. On one occasion, for as much bar- ley soup, onions, qiiass* bread, and milk, as made a hearty meal for the traveller and his corporal, the good woman, who furnished them, consented to receive one kopeek, and nothing more.f They were detained two or three days at Tomsk, waiting for a mail, that was cfjinjiig by another route from Tobolsk ; but the Ooiil mandant was affable and generous, and did not allow the time to pass heavily. He was somB- what of a singularity, being a Frenchuj'tij, born in Paris, now seventy-three j/HUfB old, * The German translator of tlila wofh dtiflllftU flifrtW Ui be a beverage prepared from rye bread, or feriiie|j|d(| f|^ meal. t The value of the kopeek varies at diflffere|jl titiion, J|P^ yard states it to have been about one tenth nf n|i pttfi lish penny, when ho was in Siberia. In jlr f 'lurke's ^mv els it is put down as equal to af| |i}nglit^li |l'l|/)f!MIM^< I •ffl ii i (Ivi ll'I ■ f ■i} ^ • wi '\iS m 268 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. having resided twenty-five years in Siberia, and more than thirty in Russia. He spoke his native language imperfectly, and wrote it still worse. His favorite topic was the dignity of his birth, and the high rank of his family. But Ledyard wished to know more about Si- beria at that moment, than of the genealogy or rank of the families in France, and he vou- tured to ask the cM man if the town, or its environs, afforded anything valuable or curious in natural history. His answer was, that there were thieves, rogues, liars, and villains of every description. The conversation was pushed no further in the way of philosophical ine[uiry, for it was evident the Frenchman's thoughts had run very little in that channel. There was truth in liis remark, although uttered somewhat out of place. Tomsk ha*! long been the rendezvous of the worst class of exiles, who had been banished for their crimes, and could not be expected to exercise a very salutary influence on society, or to be- come pattern members of it themselves. Pov- erty and wretchedness, the accompaniments of vice, formed here some of the prominent ob- jects in the foreground of the picture, and beg- gars daily thronged the streets, as in the most populous regions of the civilized world. The charity and kind feelings of the better JOHN LEDVARD, 2G9 sort of inhabitants, however, afforded a plcas- nig contrast to this debasement and suff'eriiig. Ledyard observes, that tlie family with wlioui he lodged, were accustomed every morning to lay aside in the window ten or twelve farthing pieces for the charitable purposes of the day. Considering the extraordinary cheapness of food, this would afford relief to many persons. The beggars began their rounds at an early hour, and went regularly from house to house, and were very rarely sent away without some- thing. Those who did not give money gave bread. Some of the beggars were in irons. The peopjle asked no questions, but apfjeared to give cheerfully and without grudging. The demand v.as uniformly made pour P amour de DieUj " for which,'' says the journalist, " one may have more in this country, than hi any other I have seen." In ten clays from the tiiiiC of leaving Tomsk, the traveller and his corporal were safely ar- rived in Irkutsk, over a road* of which he speaks in no terms o. commendation. The River Yenissey was crossed at the towi; of Krasnojarsk, where the Commandant pressed him to stop long enough to dine, and cele- brated the ev'jiit of a stranger's arrival, with such free potations as to become intoxicated. From Tomsk to Yenissey the country exhib- I i 'A, v< ^^\^, 1.^,,%^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k A ^/ ^ <.^^. A '«. f/. y ^ ^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 I4£|2.8 2.5 1^ IIM 1.8 U i 1.6 V2 e /2 ^l. 4&. W ^ ^^ ^ %. "T ^'^ ■rf /A Photographic Sciences Corporation ri3 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY 14580 '71*) 87^4503 '«^ P^^WP =i!i.r ■!•.,:., 7.- f* .I'll 'SfK^# '■V, if 270 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. l%^i «■ c f!^: ited rather an agreeable aspect, and marks of c4iltivation. Ledyard observes that, in this re- gion, he " first finds the real craggy, peaked hill, or mountain," and from Krasuojarsk to Irkutsk was the first stony road which he had passed over in the Russian dominions. The streets of Tobolsk, and some of the other towns on his route, were paved with wood. "Passing on east from the Yenissey to Ir- kutsk, the country is thinly peopled. A very few, and those miserable houses are to be seen on the road, and none at all at a distance from it. The country is hilly, rough,- mountainous, and covered with thick forests. The rivers here, also, have all rocky beds, and are rapid in the degree of three to five miles an hour. The autumnal rains are begun, and they have set in severely. I am now in Irkutsk, and have stayed in my quarters all day to take a little rest, after a very fatiguing journey, ren- dered so by sundry very disagreeable circum- stances; going with the courier, and driving with wild Tartar horses, at a most rapid rate, over a wild and ragged country ; breaking and upsetting kibitkas ; bes warmed with mosqui- toes ; all the way hard rains ; and when I ar- rived at Irkutsk I was, and had been for the last forty-eight hours, wet through and through, and covered with one complete mass of mud." JOHN LEDYARD. 271 CHAPTER IX. Residence at Irkutsk. — Account of the Tartars. — Fur Trade on the American Coast. — Lake Baikal. — Leaves Irkutsk for the River Lena. — Scenery around the Baikal. — Estimate of the Number of Rivers in Siberia. — Pro- ceeds down the Lena in a Bateau. — Hospi- tality of the Inhabitants. — Ends his Voyage at Yakutsk. Ledyard stayed in Irkutsk about ten days, and his observations and general reflections during that time may be best understood by extracts from his journal, as they were written on the spot. They are rather in the nature of hints and first thoughts, than of a regular narrative; but they will show his inquisitive turn of mind, and his eagerness for acquiring such knowledge as accorded witli the general objects of his travels. " AuiTust 16th. I have not been out this morning, but I shrewdly suspect by what I see from my poor talc window, that I shall even here find the fashionable follies, the ridiculous extravagance, and ruinous eclat of Petersburg. I have been out, and my suspicions were well founded. Dined with a brigadier, a colonel, ... 'ii fl t N I J f i r^ii El; ,'•«', '■■■,'W i mm mm § m 272 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. and a major, a little out of town ; they are Germans. Had at the table a French exile, who had been an adjutant. Scarcely a day passes but an exile of some sort arrives. Most of the inhabitants of this remote part of Sibe- ria are convicts. The country here was fi i- merly inhabited by the Mongul or Kalmuk Tartars, who are, I conclude, the same people. Find no account of the Calumet.* The French exile had been at Quebec, and thiriKs the Tartars here much inferior to the American Indians, both in their understanding and per- sons. I observe the Tongusians have not the Mongul or Kalmuk faces, but moderately loiig, and considerably like the European face. These Tongusians form the second class of Tartars, so obviously distinguishable by their features from other Tartars,' and from Europeans. What I call the third class are the light eyed and fair complex ioned Tartars, which class, I be- lieve, includes the Cossacs. The Tchuktchi are the only northern Tartars that remain un- subjected to the government. " The town of Irkutsk is the residence of the Governor-General, Jacobi, and of a military commander, and luas in it two battalions of in- • A pipe adorned with feathers, and used as the symbol of peace by the Indiiins of North America. J O II V I. E D Y A R D . fautry. It has two thousand poor log liouses, and ten churches. Jacobi's authority extends from here to the Pacific Ocean, an immense territory. I waited this morning on the di- rector of the bank, Mr. Karamyscheff, who was a pupil of Linna3us. He is very assiduous to oblige me in everything, and sent for three Kalmuks in the dress of their country. Noth- ing particularly curious about them, but their pipes, which are coarsely made of copper by themselves ; the forrh altogether Chinese. Ka- ramyscheff informs me, that the Monguls and Kalmuks are the same people. Prom his house I went with the ConseiUer (VEtat, who intro- duced me to Jacobi, the Governor. He is an old, venerable man, and although I believe, with Pallas, that he is un homme de bois, yet he received me standing and uncovered. Our conversation was merely respecting my going with the post, which he granted me, and, be- sides, told me that I should be particularly well accommodated, wished me a successful voyage, and that my travels might be produc- tive of information to mankind. I conversed with him in French, through the interpretation of the ConseiUer. " This latter gentleman gave me the follow- ing information. ' The white Tartars you saw about Kazan are natives of that country, and VOL. XIV. 18 I i ■^ 1 f'f m I *3 ■1 ! 1 *,ts tA i% ■: 'ml :«^ '•T-.'feti'! mm 'K\ 274 A .M E 11 l.C A N BIOGRAPHY. we call them Kazan Tartars. Kazan was once a kingdom of theirs. From this place to Ya- kutsk you pass among the Kalmuks. At Ya- kutsk you will see the Yakuti, and also the Tongusians, who are more personable than the Kalmuks or Monguls, and more sensible ; but the Yakuti are more sensible than either. They are, indeed, a people of good natural parts and genius, and by experience are found capable of any kind of learriing. From Yakutsk you pass through the Tongusians, all the way to Okotsk. In the time of Jenghis Khan, the Thibet Tartars, that is, the Kalmuks, or Mon- guls, made incursions into this country. We have two hundred thousand Russians, and, as nearly as we can estimate, half that number of Indians of all descriptions in this province. Marriages in and near^the villages take place between the Russians and Tartars, but they are not frequent. I believe the extreme cold, and want of snow here during the winter, and the sudden change of weather in the summer, to be the reason why we can have no fruit here. We have often, in the months of May and June, ice three and four inches thick. Be- sides, this country, as you have observed, is subject to terrible gales of wind, which blow away both bud and blossom. We have never- theless a few little apples, which we eat at JOHN LEI) YARD. 275 our tables, and they are not without flavor.' Thus much the Conseiller. " The forest trees in this country are ahnost altogetlier birch ; they are generally rotten at the heart. Mr. Karamyscheff telhi me, that there are many bones of the rhinoceros in these parts of Siberia, and also the same large bones that are found on the banks of the Ohio, in America. It seems, that the places in which to find those bones, and other curious fossils, are at the mouths of the great Rivers Yenissey, Lena, Kolyma, and others, among the islands that are formed where they flow into the sea. Here they are all lodged, after having been washed from under ground by the rivers, in the diff'erent countries which they traverse. " August 17th. To-day, it seems, the jubilee is observed, on account of the Empress hav- ing reigned twenty-five years. In coming from Karamyscheff"s, 1 met the Governor-General and his suite of ofiicers, the brigadier I dined with yesterday, and other dignitaries, to the number of two hundred, all going to dine with the Governor, who keeps open house on the occasion. The Governor and other oificers sa- luted me as they passed ; those who did not know me wondering what could procure such attention to one so poorly and oddly attjreO, 1^ Nlllii 276 A M [: HI C A N BIOGRAPHY. I was pressed by some of the company to go and dine. Had my clothes been good, I would have gone. But I dined with KaramyschefF. It is a Tartar name, and he is of Tartarian extraction. Saw an apple tree in his garden. The fruit, as he described it, would be as large as a full sized pea in France or England. It is the genuine apple tree, and their naturalists distinguish it by the name of the pyrus baccata. These are the only apples in Siberia. " Karamyscheff says the Yakuti Tartars are the veritables Tartars, by which I understand, that they are a less mixed race than the oth- ers. Their language, he says, is the oldest lan- guage, and that other tribes understand it. Tlie Yakuti formerly possessed this country, but they were driven out by the Kalmuks, who made a succession of attacks upon them, and pursued them to the Lena, down which they fled, and settled at Yakutsk. Karamyscheff has in his house four children, descended from a Kalmuk father and Russian mother. The first resembles the father, and is entirely Kal- muk ; the second the mother, with fair hair and eyes ; one of the others is Kalmuk, and the other Russian. They are all healthy and well looking children. I saw three of them. Karamyscheff knows not among what people to rank the Kamtschadales. He acknowledges, JOHN L E D Y V R n 277 with me, that their faces are entirely Kahimk, but says they came from America. This con- troverts the common opinion, that America was peopled after Asia. Bnt he is carried away with the wild notions of the FrQnch natnral- ist ButFon. I find, universally, that the Tar- tars wear their beards. The ears of Kalmnk or Mongul Tartars project universally farther from the head, than those of Enrppeans. I measured the ears of the Kalmnks at Karamy- scheff's to-day, and on an average they pro- jected one and a half inch ; and they were by no means extraordinary examples. The ears of the Chinese are similar. " We have French and Spanish wines here, but so adulterated, that I was told of it before I knew it to be wine. Karamyscheff is fully sensible of the luxury and vanity I complain of in this country, which is but beginning to begin, as I told him to-day. He laments it, and declared frankly to me, that patriotism and the true solid virtues of a citizen are hardly known. The geographical termination of Russia, and the commencement of Siberia, is at the city of Perm. The natural boundary is the River Yenissey. I observe that the face of the country is very different on this side of the Yenissey, and Karamyscheff, who is a botanist, says the vegetable productions differ as much. \ \ 1 ii nJT t. I Wj 1 278 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. im mi i ,«■ ^^ August 18th. Went this morning to see some curiosities from different parts of Siberia. .Saw also a piece of Sandwich Island cloth, which was obtained from Captain Cook's ship at Kamtschatka, when he was there. In the collection was the skin of a Chinese goat, the hair of which was the whitest, longest, and most delicate that I ever saw ; also some ex- cellent sea-otter skins, the largest of which were valued at two hundred roubles ; likewise a bow, quiver, and all the military apparatus of a Kalmuk, which was very heavy. The Kalmuks and Monguls here receive the com- mon name of the Burttti. '• I went to the Archbishop's to see a young savage of the Tchuktchi. The good bishop had taken great pains to humanize him, (as Dr. Wheelock had done with Sampson Occum, whose story 1 related on this occasion ;) but he informed us that he had lately taken to drink, and died drunk ; or, in the bishop's own words, * somebody had one day given him half a rouble, and he went out with it, J)ut never returned, and was found dead by the side of a Kabak.' Dined with my friend Ka- ramyscheif again to-day, who presented me, in lieu of a domestic, a young lieutenant to go with me and buy a few things. 'But,' said he, * don't pu*, any money in his hands j he i JOHN LEDYARD. 279 will not return it.' We had at table the wife of a clerk to Mr. Karamyschelf, whose mother was a savage from the Tchuktchi regions, and her father a Russian. She is a fine creature, and her complexion a good middling color. It strengthens my opinion, that the difference of color in man is not the effect of any design in the Creator, but of causes simple in them- selves, which will perhaps soon be well ascer- tained. It is an extraordinary circumstance ; but I think I ought not on that account to conclude, that it is not the result of natural causes. " August 19th. For the second time I have observed, that in the wells, about twelve feet down, there is a great deal of ice adhering to the sides. I -vent this morning to see a mer- chant, who was the owner of a vessel, that had passed from Kamtschatka to different parts of the coast of America. He showed me some charts rudely descriptive of his voyages ; says there are, on different parts of the coast of America, two thousand Russians ; and that, as nearly as he can judge, the number of skins, procured by them in that country, amounts to twelve thousand. He has a vessel at Okotsk, which leaves that place for America next sum- mer, and he offers me a passage in her. "Dined to-day with a German colonel, and I I 1 m i>y,^:: 280 A M n R I C A N BIOGRAPHY, lit,, J I t; /J ■ i 1 ■ ":* H ^ - ■'•■4*. ' .■" ■J iT rt i il , ILT!\ ' rv ■ ^ti? •;'?>' 5"' 1 "iWSliKwSo 'pit 'mm ^ i^4 S\' after dinner set ont for the Lake Baikal, wliich, in the Kahnuk language, signifies the North Sea. The Kalmuks, or Mongnls, originally- lived on the south of this lake, towards China and Thibet. After a good and cheerful dimier with the colonel, we mounted his drosky, with post horses, and took our departure for the lake. After seven hours' ride over a miserable road, we arrived at the little hamlet of St. Nicholas, where formerly the Russian ambas- sadors resided, before they embarlvcd to cross the lake for China. This village has a church in it, dedicated to St. Nicholas, and all the sailors on the lake resort to it. We lodged here through the night, and early next morn- ing resumed our journey, and reached the bor- der of the lake. Here are six or seven houses, among which the largest was ordered to be built by the Empress for the accommodation of all strangers that pass this way ; and also a galiot, which plies as a packet in the sum- mer across the lake. "We hailed the galiot, which was at anchor in the lake. The captain came ashore, and we went off with him in a small boat, with line and lead to take soundings ; but having only fifty fathoms of line, and it raining very hard, we could not make much progress. At the distance of one hundred feet from the F wliicli, North ginally China dinner y, with or the ise ruble of St. ambas- cross cliurch all the lodged L morn- tlie bor- 1 houses, d to be nodation ind also le sum- it anchor ore, and ►at, with t having ing very ress. At rom the JOHN L F. D Y A R D . 281 shore, my wliclo length of line was taken up. We retired to the house, breakfasted, and waited an hour for the rain to abate; but, finding, it to continue, we re(|uesled the captain to send us in his boat to Irkutsk. He complied with our request, and made us a canopy of hides to defend us from the rain. We sent our drosky back by the postboy, and embarked wi b two sailors to row us. Wo passed along the mar- gin of the lake to the outlet, where the River Angara begins, and thence down the river to Irkutsk, a distance of about fortv-five miles. IMiis lake is seven hundred and sixty-nine versts (five hundred and thirteen miles) in its longest part, and sixty versts (for*/ miles) in its broadest. Its depth is said (o be unfath- omable. It has an annual ebb and flux; the one is caused by the autumnal rains, and the other by the dry season in spring. It has emptying into it one hundred and sixty-nine small streams, from twenty to eighty 3?ards wide, and three larger ones from a quarter to half a mile wide. It has but otie outlet, by which to dispose of the redundancy from all these influxes, and that is the River Angara, which is a Kalmuk name. It is no more than a quarter of a mile wide where it springs from the lake, is very shallow, and far from being rapid. '4» I If' I hit" i mm 282 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHT. m '- August 22d. The government of Irkutsk has four provinces, namely, Irkutsk, Yakutsk, Nartschintsk, and Okotsk. These are divided into several districts each. The governor sent me a surveyor, with the latest chart of the great territory embracing these provinces. By measurement I found its latitudinal extent, from its southern extremity to the Icy Ocean north, to be two thousand seven hundied versts, and its longitudinal extent, from its western boundary to Tchuktchi Nos, its east- ern extremity jit Bering's Strait, to be three thousand nine hundred versts. '' I am informed by the Governor, that the post will not be ready for three days. " August 23d. The commerce of Irkutsk is very small with Europe, and consequently at present at a very low ebb, since there is no open trade with the Chinese, its r.^arest neigh- bors of a commercial character. The frontiers, between this country and China, are principally defended by an army of Buretti, or Kalmuk Tartars. They are mostly horsemen, like the Cossacs in the western dominions, and amount to more than five thousand men. There are two convents near this town, one of men and the other of women, separated by a river. I observe in Siberia, tii.at in all the cities there is one great burying place, and that wherever JOHN LEDYARD. 283 this is (and it is commonly out of the town) there is likewise a churcli, and the best church of the place. This is but another kind of pyramid, a large mound, or a mound modified. •' August 25th. This morning I leave town. The land is well cultivated on the borders of the river, and is good. Among the -Buretti, or Kalmuks, I observe the American moccasin, the common moccasin, like the Finland moccasin. The houses of the Buretti have octagonal sides, covered with turf, with a fireplace in the centre, and an aperture for smoke ; the true American wigwam, and like the first Tartar house I saw in this country, which was near Kazan. Mr. Karamyscheff says, they have the wild horse on their Chinese frontiers. The Buretti here ride and work the horned cattle ; they perforate the cartilage of the nose, and put a cord through it to guide them by. This is to 'be wondered at, as the country is level, and they have vast droves of horses, ^^ August 26th. Hard white frost last night, and very cold. Run away with by these furi- ous unbroke Tartar horses, and saved myself e-^ch time by jumping out of the kibitka. Thank Heaven, ninety versts more will proba- bly put an end to my kibitka journeying for ever. >» Such are some of the brief notes entered in Ml \U^ i>'' ^'-^sti-M § ,-v, >!' ; ' ''■ mm 281 A M K R U; A N BIOGRAPHY, his journal, while he was at Irkutsk. He was detained on account of the delay of the post, and made the best use of his time in collect- ing such information, as he supjjosed would be serviceable to him in his future travels. The inquiries, of which he was peculiarly fond, re- specting the different races of men, their ori- gin, classification, and distinctions, were here pursued v/ith his customary diligence and dis- crimination. But it should always be borne in mind, that he did not intend his journal for anything more than a repository of loose hints, which might assist his recollection when the occasion for using them should occur. They were never afterwards revised or altered, but have been preserved in the original form, in which he recorded them on his journey. This fact should claim for them all the indulgence, which their incoherency, or want of maturity, may seem to require. The Lake Baikal, in some respects, is one of the most remarkable bodies of water on the globe. Other travellers have given its dimen- sions somewhat differently from Ledyard, va- rying from three hundred to six hvmdred miles in length, and from forty-five to sixty miles in width where it is the broadest. Ledyard prob ably measured it on the chart just mentioned. All travellers agree, however, that the scenery JOHN L E D y A 11 1) . 285 around this lake is the most picturesque, bold, and imposing imaginable. Tlie Angara bursts out from the lake, between immense battle- ments of perpendicular rocks, which, if we may judge from Bell's description of them, surpass in grandeur the famous passage of the Poto-* mac through the Blue Ridge at Harper's Fer- ry. For about a mile after leaving the lake, there is a continued rapid, extending across the whole breadth of the stream, and admitting of no boat communication, except by a narrow channel on the east side, up which boats are towed, and propelled with poles, from the vil- lage of St. Nicholas into the lake. Around the entire circumference of the lake, and particu- larly on the north, lofty and craggy mountains are seen piled one above another, in the wild- est confusion, and masses of rock rising like towers from the very margin of the water. Down the ravines and precipices thus formed, the numerous tributary streams pour themselves into this great reservoir. Pallas was inclined to believe, that the enormous gulf, which forms the basin of the Baikal, was caused by a vio- lent disruption of the earth, at some very re- mote period. The Selinga, a river which empties itself into this lake from the south, is larger at its mouth than the Angara where it issues from i !#■ '-K is 1 ^ I illili I '^ Bill € »?' 286 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. the lake. It has its source in the Chinese dominions, and is navigable for many miles into the interior. Another river, called the Eastern Angara, and probably larger than the Selinga, comes in from the north. To these must be added the contributions of more than a hundred and sixty other streams .of various sizes. It is difficult to imagine what becomes of the immense quantity of water thus poured into the lake, when it is considered that there is but a single outlet. The width of this out- let Ledyard states at a quarter of a mile, but Bell says it appeared to him a mile. In either case the water discharged by it would be in no proportion to the quantity which falls into the lake. In a warmer region, as in that where the Lake Tsad is situate, in Africa, the surplus might be easily disposed of by evaporation ; but iu so cold a climate as that of Irkutsk, this is hardly possible. The conjecture of an internal communication with the great ocean would seem to afford the only plausible solu- tion of the difficulty. Lake Superior contains a larger body of water, has a small outlet, and is in a climate perhaps as cold ; but it receives comparatively sleiider contributions from rivers. A similar remark ma) be made as to the Cas- pian Sea and the Sea of Aral. The water of m JOHN LEDYARD. 287 Chinese y miles led the mil the these >re than various Deconies poured It there his out- lile, but n either i be in ills into ere the surplus Dration ; Irkutsk, of an ; ocean le solu- contains let, and receives 1 rivers. he Cas- ater of the Baikal is fresh. No bottom has ever yet been reached by the sounding line. When Bell crossed it, a hundred years ago, with the Russian ambassador, on his way to Pekin, a line of more than nine hundred feet in length was let down, without touching the bottom. The report of Professor Pallas on this point is not so explicit, as might have been expected from a scientific traveller. He says, that a ball of packthread, weighing more than an ounces had been used as a sounding line, but no bottom was found.* What length he would assign to an ounce of packthread is not revealed to his readers. We have seen, that one hundred feet from the shore, Ledyard's line of three hun- dred feet met^ with no obstruction. On all sides the shore is bold and dangerous, with hardly an anchoring place, except at the mouths of the large rivers. If the water could be re- moved, there would probably be exposed a cavity, or fissure, equal to the present dimen- sions of the lake, and extending to a great depth into the earth. Professor Pallas thinks the ordinary level of the lake was- once higher, and that it flowed over the low country at * " Le Baikal a une ai grande profondeur dans le milieu, et sur les cotes septentrionales, qu'on a d6roul6 un peloton de. ficelle pesant plus d'une once, pour sonder, sans trouver de fond." Voyages du Professeur Pallas^ Tom. VI. p. 118. 1^1 I i mr 'si' wffi* m M V ''-5 .v*'*; ^ \if' 1 i****!^ Jit"^ 288 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. the mouth of the Selinga, which is now in- habited. No lava, or volcanic appearances, have been noticed in the regions about the lake. It is considered very remarkable, that the fish called chien de mer is found in the Baikal. This is mentioned by Pallas and Led yard. The natural element of this fish is the ocean, and it is very rarely known, as the Professor says, to enter rivers even for a small distance. How it should get intc the Baikal, a fresh water lake at least three thousand miles from the ocean, taking the windings of the river into the account, is deemed a problem of no easy solution, especially as this fish has never been known either in the Yenissey or Anga- ra, by which the waters of the lake pass into the Northern Sea.* He is not satisfied with this course of migration, and would look for a more extraordinary cause, but does not venture an opinion on the subject. The Baikal con- tains seals also, whose usual residence is in the salt water. Whether they came up the Yenissey and Angara, is another question to be settled. Bell thinks they did. Pallas is silent on the subject, and so is Ledyard. The skins of these seals are preferred to those of * The Angara falls into the Yenissey on its way to the ocean. JOHN LEDYARD. 289 0\V 111- arances, 3iU the [lat the Baikal, icdyard. I ocean, 'rofessor iistaiice. a fresh es from le river 1 of no s never r Anga- ass into 3d with >k for a venture :al con- le is in up the ;tioii to *allas is 3. The hose of ?ay to the salt water seals. The inhabitants have a treach- erous mode of taking these animals. In win- ter the seals are obliged occasionally to come up through holes in the ice for respiration; over these holes the seal-catcher spreads nets, in which the unwary animal is entangled, when he escapes from his nether element. In the part of the journal to which we have now come are contained some curious specu- lations respecting the number of rivers in Si- beria, and the quantity of water which is con- tinually disembogued by them into the Northern Ocean. On his route from Moscow to Irkutsk, Ledyard had crossed twenty-five large naviga- ble rivers, whose courses were north. The Yenissey, where he passed it, runs at the rate of about five miles an hour, and generally the rivers on the east of the Yenissey run two or three miles in an hour swifter than the west- ern ones, between the Yenissey and Moscow. He thinks these twenty-five rivers, taken to- gether, had an average width of half a mile where he crossed them. He also ascertained that there were twelve rivers of a similar de- scription between Irkutsk and Kamtschatka, making in all thirty-seven. Allowing these rivers to be twice as widd at their mouths as at these interior points, which is evidently a moderate estimate, we 1 "i ■ It I; i VOL. XIV. 19 i m 290 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. shall have a column of water thirty-seven miles wide, and of the average depth* of rivers a mile in width, constantly flowing into the Frozen Ocean, with a velocity of at least three or four miles an hour. His inference from the whole is, that such an immense body of fresh water incessantly discharged, at points so near each other and so near the pole, must have a sensible effect in creating and perpetuating the ice in those latitudes. Whatever may be thought of this theory, it is an unquestionable fact, that a much larger quantity of water is conveyed by rivers from Siberia into the Frozen Ocean, than runs into the sea in any other part of the globe, within the same compass. Whether these streams are mainly fed by native springs, or by the melting of snows, and whether the su- perabundance of these snows is produced by vapors wafted from warmer climes, are topics of inquiry that must be left to those who are inclined to pursue them. Snow cannot be formed without moisture, but where the sur- face of the earth is bound in frost six or eight months in a year, there can be little evapora- tion or moisture. If snow still continues to fall and accumulate, whence is it that the at- mosphere is surcharged with the vapors neces- sary for this operation? JOHN LEDYARD. 201 We left onr traveller with his kibitka, on his first day's journey from Irkutsk northward. It was now the 26th of August, and the forest trees had begun to drop their foliage, and put on the garb of autumn. The country in the environs of Irkutsk was well cultivated, con- taining fine fields of wheat, rye, barley, exten- sive pasture lands, and a good breed of cattle. The sheep were of the large-tailed kind, such as are found at the Cape of Good Hope, but the mutton was not well flavored. In company with Lieutenant Laxman. a Swedish officer, Ledyard embarked on the River Lena, at a point one hundred and fifty miles distant from Irkutsk, with the intention of floating down its current to Yakutsk. This river navigation was fourteen hundred miles. Where they entered their boat, the stream was no more than twenty yards broad, with here and there gentle rapids, and high, rugged moun- tains on each side. They were carried along from eighty to a hundred miles a day, the river gradually increasing in size, and the moun- tain scenery putting on an infinite variety of forms, alternately sublime and picturesque, bold and fantastic, with craggy rocks and jutting headlands, bearing on their brows the verdure of pines, firs, larches, and other evergreens, and Alpine shrubs. 4 « ti"tii ■3i !iftl 292 AMF.TllCAN BIOGRAPHY. ]^:^'^ t.ll,! iA :'d '14' f I j!a;S i ^5*fP : if : All the way to Yakutsk, the river was stud- ded with islands, recurring at short intervals, which added to the romantic effect of the scenery, and made a voyage down the licna, notwithstanding its many privations, by no means an unpleasant trip to a true lover of nature, and a hardy, veteran traveller. The weather was growing cold, and heavy fogs hung about the river till a late hour in the morning. They daily passed small towns and villages, where they went ashore for provisions, or refreshment, as occasion recjuired. "August 30th. We stopped at a village this morning to procure a few stores. They killed for us a sheep, gave us three quarts of milk, two loaves of bread, cakes with carrots and radishes baked in them, onions, one dozen of fresh and two dozen of salt fish, straw and bark to mend the covering of our boat ; and all for the value of about fourteen pence ster- ling. The poor creatures brought us the straw, to show us how their grain was blasted by the cruel frost, although it had been reaped before the 21st of August. The peasants say the mountains here are full of bears and wolves. We have seen a plenty of wild fowl, which we shoot as we please. In the river is the salmon-trout. The people fish with seines, and al>o with spears by torchlight. JOHN LEDYARD. 293 This latter custom is a very universal one ; they fish witli a torch at Otaheite. The double headed or Es(iuimaux paddle is used here. " September 2d. My rascal of a soldier stole our brandy, and got drunk, and was imperti- nent. [ was obliged to handle him roughly to preserve order. Fixed a little sail to our boat. ''September 4th. Arrived at the town of Keringa at daylight, and stayed with the Com- mandant till noon, and was treated very hos- pitably. Some merchants sent us stores. It is the custom here, if they hear of the arrival of a foreigner, to load him with their little services. It is almost impossible to pass a town of any kind, without being arrested by them. They have the earnestness of hospital- ity; they crowd their tables with everything they have to eat and drink, and, not content with that, they fill your wallet. I wish I could think them as honest as they m-e hos- pitable. The reason why the Commandant did not show his wife, was because he was jealous of her. I have observed this to be a prevail- ing passion here. The river on each side as we pass is bounded by vast rocky cliffs, the highest mass of rocks, I ever saw. ''September 15th. Snow squalls with fresh gales ; up all night at the helm myself. M\ ii?? :]! i 294 A M C U I C A N BIOGRAPHY. " September 17th. Ninety versts from Ya- kutsk. Passed yesterday a very odd arrange- ment of rocks, wliich line the margin of the river for sixty versts. They are of talc, and appear formerly to have been covered with earth, but are now entirely bare. They are all of a pyramidal form, and about one hun- dred and fifty feet in height ; detached at their bases, and disposed with extraordinary regular- ity. These rocky pyramids appear to termi- nate the long mountainous south and east banks of the Lena, which have uniformly con- tinued from Katchuga, where I first embarked on the river." On the 18th of September he arrived at ^"akutsk, after a fatiguing voyage of twenty- two days, in a small bateau on the Lena. During this period, he had passed from a sum- mer climate to one of rigorous cold. When he left Irkutsk, it was just in the midst of harvest^^time, and the reapers were in the fields; but when he entered Yakutsk, the snow was six inches deep, and the boys were whipping their tops on the ice. He debarked from his bateau two miles above the town, and there mounted a sledge, drawn by an ox, with a Ya- kuti Indian on his back, and guided by a cord passing through the cartilage of his nose. mw JOHN LED YARD. 295 m Ya- irrauge- of the ale, and d with ley are ic huii- at their regular- D ter mi- ld east nly con- nbarked rived at tweiity- e Lena. 1 a sum- When fiidst of le fields; low was shipping from his nd there ith a Ya- ly a cord ose. CHAPTER X. Interview ivith the Commandant of Yakutsk. Detained under false Pretences. — . The Yakuli Tartars. — Injluenct of Religion upon them. — Peculiaritits of Features in the Tartar Coun- tenance. — Difficulty of taking Vocabularies of unknown Languages. — Classification of the Tartars and North American Indians. — Causes of the Difference of Color in the Human Race. — Tartars and American Indians the same Peojjle. Ledyard immediately waited on the Com- mandant, delivered his letter from the Gov- ernor-General, and made known his situation and designs. It was his wish to press forward with as much expedition as possible to Okotsk, lest the winter should shut in before he could reacli that town, where he hoped to seize upon the first opportunity in the spring, to secure a passage to the American continent. The dis- tance from Yakutsk was between six and sev- en hundred miles. Lodgings were provided for him by order of the Commandant, with whom he had already dined, and who soon after came to see him. Imagine his dismay, when the Commandant assured him that the season was ■li; p^^^ ^? • B 296 AMERICAN D I O G R A P H y . already so far advanced as tf roiider a journey to Okotsk impossible. " What, alas! shall I do ? " exclaims he in his journal ; " for I am miserably prepared for this unlooked-for delay. By remaining here through the winter, I cannot expect to resume my march until May, which will be eight mouths. My funds ! I have but two long frozen stages more, and I shall be beyond the want or aid of money, until, emerging from the deep des- erts, I gain the American Atlantic States ; and then, thy glowing climates, Africa, explored, I will lay me down, and claim my little portion of the globe \ have viewed ; may it )iot be before. How many of the noble minded have been subsidiary to me, or to my enterprises ! yet that meagre demon Poverty has travelled with me hand in hand over half the globe, and witnessed what — the tale I will not unfold. " Ye children of wealth and idleness, what a profitable commerce might be made between us ! A little of my toil might better brace your bodies, give spring to mind and zest to enjoyment ; and a very little of that wealth, which you scatter around you, would put it beyoi^d the power of anything but death to oppose my kindred greetings with all on earth that bear the stamp of mnn. This is the third JOHN L E DY A Un, 297 time, that I have been overtaken and arrested by winter; and both the others, by giving time for my evil genius to rally his hosts about me, have defeated the enterprise. Fortune, thou hast humbled me at last, for I am this mo- ment the slave of cowardly solicitude, lest in the heart of this dread winter, there lurk the seeds of disappointment to my ardent desire of gaining the opposite continent. But I sub- mit." These melancholy forebodings were but too literally verified, as the issue will prove. In a letter to Colonel Smith, from Yakutsk, he speaks again of this disappointment in the fol- lowing manner. " The Commandant assnred me that he had orders from the Governor-General to render me all possible kindness and service ; ' But, Sir ' continued he, ' the first service I am bound to render you is, to beseech you not to at- tempt to reach Okotsk this winter.' He spoke to me ill French. I almost rudely insisted on being permitted to depart immediately, and ex- pressed surprise that a Yakuti Indian, and a Tartar horse, should be thought iticapable of followng a man, born and educated in the latitude of forty. He declared upon his, honor, that the journey was impracticable. The con- test lasted two or three days, in which inter- ,, '■■■■ >T,.*^ 1. 298 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. val, being still fixed in my opinion, I was pre- paring for the jonrney. The Commandant at length waited on me, and brought with him a trader, a very good, respectable looking man of about fifty, as a witness to the truth and propriety of his advice to me. This trader, for ten or twelve years, had passed and re- passed often from Yakutsk to Okotsk. I was obliged, however sev^erely I might lament the misfortune, to yield to two such advocates for my happiness. The trader held out to me all the horrors of the winter, and the severity of the journey at the best season; and the Com- mandant, the goodness of his house and the society here, all of which would be at my ser- vice. The difficulty of the journey I was aware of; but when I assented to its imprac- ticobiliti/, it was a compliment ; for I do not believe it is so, nor hardly anything else. " It is certainly bad in theory to suppose the seasons can triumph over the efforts of an honest man. The proffered hospitality of the Commandant I have no doubt was sincere, because in Russia generally, and particrdarly in Siberia, it i« the fashion to be hospitable. It is probable, also, that it is a natural princi- ple. I should, however, have said less to them about the matter, had I not been without clothes, and with only a guinea and one fourth JOHN LEDYARD. 299 m my purse, and in a place where the neces- saries of life are clearer than in Europe, and clothing still dearer by the same com])arison. And, besides, the people of all dcscrijniuns here, as far as they are able, live in all the excess of Asiatic luxiuy, joined with such Eu- ropean excesses, as have migrated hither. " Add to all these, that they are universally and extremely ignorant, and adverse to every species of intellectual enjoyment, and 1 will declare to you, that 1 was never before so totally at a loss how to accommodate myself to my situation. The only consolation I have, of the argumentative kind, is to reflect, that he who travels for information must be sup- posed to want it. By being here eight months, I shall be able to make my observations much more extensive, respecting the country and its inhabitants, than if I had passed directly through it ; and this also is a satisfaction." It bemg thus determined, against his opin- ion and wishes, that he should not proceed, he resolved to reconcile himself to his fate, and to make the best use of his time, which cir- cumstances would allow. He had entered the following memorandum in his journal, while coming down the Lena; "Yakutsk is the last place where I shall be able to make any in- quiries; therefore, let them be extensive." He I , 1^ 4\i •ii'.i » !> 1. -;..,., Iff,, :> 1 ;; ; 300 AMERICAN B I G R A P H V . now set himself earnestly *o the task of com- plying with this injunction, :md of collecting as much information as possible. The facts and reflections, which he thought worth pre- serving, are recorded in his diary without meth- od or connection. It was his manner, as we riave already seen, to write down only hints, to state facts briefly, and throw out his own remarks upon them in language concise and unstudied. These particulars, as heretofore, must be remembered in reading the free ex- tracts, which will be made from the part of his journal written at Yakutsk. There is some room for doubt, whether the Commandant was perfectly honest, in advisuig and persuading Ledyard to desist from his pur- pose of proceeding immediately to Okotsk. In the first place, it was certainly not an uncom- mon thing to perform that journey in the win- ter, and the Commandant's tender concern for the sufferings of the traveller, who knew what was before him, and was eager to grapple with (,'very hardship in the way, could scarcely be such as to induce him, from this motive alone, to urge his delay for eight months in Yakutsk. His bringing in the trader to strengthen his argument, on the same benevolent grounds, is moreover a suspicious circumstance. Ledyard yielded to their persuasions, against his will mmmm .r ir N LED Y V II D . 301 and his judgment, and was only surprised that he should meet two men in Siberia, entire strangers to him^ who should have his happi- ness so much at heart. Again, the original letter of recommendation from Jacobi, the Governor-General of Irkutsk, to the Commandant of Yakutsk, has been pre- served amongst Ledyard's papers. It is writ- ten in the Russian language and character.* After recommending the bearer in general terms, and stating that he wished to pass through to the American continent, with a view of acquiring a knowledge of that coun- try, Jacobi adds, " His object seems to be, that of joining a certain secret naval expedi- tion ; I earnestly request you, therefore, to re- ceive Mr. Ledyard most kindly, and to assist him every possit)le way in all his wishes, and to forward him without the least delay to the above mentioned expedition." The passage in this letter demanding par- ticular attention, is that in which the Governor- General enjoins it on the Commandant, with marked emphasis, to treat him kindly, and send him forward according to his wishes witliout * A translation of this letter was procured from the Russian Legation, throujrh the politeness of Mr. Poletica, while he was minister from tiie court of Petersburg to the United States ■J 1 m ^>i 302 A :M E n I c A N B I c II A r n r . V\ • I delay. Now, if he had given this order seri- ously, it would not have been done, unless it was intended to be obeyed, gind Jacobi knew very well whether the journey was practicable at the season when the letter would arrive ; and if it was in fact a serious and positive order, it is not likely that the Commandant would have hesitated to carry it instantly into effect. My inference is, that there were secret instructions sent at the same time to detain Ledyard in Yakutsk, and that the Command- ant for this purpose resorted to the artifice of a pretended concern for his health and com- fort, that all suspicions of any designed inter- ference might be lulled to sleep. It is remark- able, too, that the letter of recommendation was sent op^n, and was returned to Ledyard after having been read by tjie Commandant. This manoeuvre was artfully contrived to quiet his apprehensions, and cause him to believe, that the Governor-General had taken a lively interest in his success, and was disposed to ren- der him efficient aid. To this subject I shall have occasion to recur. • Meantime let us return to the occupations of the traveller, while he was thus uncon- sciously a prisoner at Yakutsk. He pursued with diligence his inquiries, and lost no oppor- tunity of seeking knowledge wherever he could JOHN LEDYARD 303 find it, particularly on those topics which he was fond of contemplating. In the letter to Colonel Smith, mentioned above, are contained some observations, besides those c.lready quoted, which are in harmony with the writer's usual turn of mind and mode of expressing his thonghts. " I cannot say, that my voyage on the Lena has furnished me with anything new ; and yet no traveller ever passed by scenes, that more constantly engage the heart and the imagina- tion. I suppose no two philosophers would think alike about them. A painter and a poe* would be much more likely to agree. There are some things, however, not unworthy of a philosophical inquiry. The Lena is very in- different for navigation, from this place towards Irkutsk. In some mountains near the river are large salt mines, which afford a supply to all the adjacent country. 'It is pure, solid, transparent, mineral salt, and found in veins. The pieces that I have seen, with the Com- mandant here, are six and nine inches square. When pulverized for the table, it is much the most delicate salt I ever saw, of a perfect white, and an agreeable taste, but I imagine not so strong by one third, as our West India salt. " There are also upon the banks of the % d'i \vVil ill is i' m 1^1 ![• ■' t>:, Ml m ,1 i^j-'" :^'!l B' 301 AMERICAN P I G R A P H y . Lena, and indeed all over this country, great qua!itities of elephants' bones. The Command- ant possesses some of the teeth of that ani- mal, larger than any I saw in the royal mu- seum at Petersburg, and they are as sound as they ever were. The hafts of knives, spoons, and a variety of other things are here made of them, and they equal any ivory I liave seen from Africa. If I can, I will send you a spe- cimen of this fine bone, and of the salt like- wise. Indeed, I want to send you many things, but it is an embarrassing circumstance, when one has correspondents in the antipodes. 4.nd though no man could show more kind- '^less, or render more service to a traveller, than Dr. Pallas has done to me, yet I am reserved in asking them upon all occasions. Brown and Porter, too ; I wonder their patience is not exhausted. It has been as thoroughly tried, as yours was while I was at Petersburg. " The fact is, I am a bankrupt to the world; but I hope it will consider well the occasion of nty being such. I believe it will. My Eng- lish creditors are tlie most numerous, and I have great consolation on that account, because they think and act with such heavenly pro- priety. In most parts of the world, and as much in Russia as anywhere, and in Siberia most of all, it is the custom not to think at JOHN LEOYARO. 305 ave seen all. In this case it is difficult to liquidate, rationally, a receipt and expenditure of three dinners and a bow. For the same reason, when I left France my accounts were not closed, and from that day to this I know not whether I owe France, or France owes me. But here at Yakutsk it will be infinitely worse ; and without any violence to the metaphor, or pedantic affectation, I declare to you that, to leave Yakutsk with respectability and reach Okotsk alive, will be to pass a Scylla and Charybdis, which I have never yet encoun- tered. Both you, myself, and my friends, had formed at London very erroneous opinions of the equipment necessary to joass through this country, and particularly as to the manner of travelling. It has been the source of all my troubles. They have been many, and I have done wrong to feel them so severely. I owe the world some services, which I shall make great efforts to perform. Make my best com- pliments to my friends, and tell them that I have a heart as big as St. Paul's 'Churcli in such service as theirs."' The mistake here alluded to, in regard to the mode of travelling, was the plan formed by himself and his friends in London, that he should walk, as being more economical. By experiment he proved this to have been an 'ii 1 4 VOL. XIV. 20 ■m 306 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ill advised scheme, for walking not only con- sumed a great deal more time, but the expenses in the aggregate were higher, than by the usual mode of travelling post through those countries. In a letter from Irkutsk he says, " It has been to this moment a source of mis- fortune to me, that 1 did not begin tt ride post from Hamburg. I have footed it at a great expense, besides the loss of my baggage, which I severely feel. Never did I adopt an idea so fatal to my happiness." The reason why he viewed this oversight in so serious an aspect was, that it would inevitably be the cause of keeping him back a full season from his passage across the sea to the American continent, and thus, in the end, a whole year would be lost. Add to this the innumerable accidents, that might intervene to defeat his purpose altogether. Whereas, had he proceeded by the shortest conveyance from Hamburg to the Russian capital, he might with great ease have reached Kamtschatka the same season. The origin of his disasters may chiefly be re- ferred, however, to his fit of romantic benevo- lence in seeking out Major Langborn ; wasting his precious time in Copenhagen, and sharing with his erratic countryman his scanty means, which, in their whole amount, were scarcely enough to keep himself alone from beggary. JOHN L E D Y A R D , 307 Mily con- I expenses 1 by the .igli those }ie says, ;e of mis- 1 tc ride [ it cii a baggage, adopt an le reason serious an y be the ison from American hole year numerable Jeleat his proceeded mburg to jreat ease le season, fly be re- c benevo- ; wasting d sharing ty means, 3 scarcely )cggary. I shall now bring together, in as connected a form as the nature of the particulars will admit, Ledyard's observations on various tribes of Tartars, with whom he became more or less acciuainted in Siberia. His researches were desultory, but pursued with inquisitive- ness; his statements are often curious, some- times important; they will afford amusement to the general reader, as well as information to the philosophical inquirer. " Of all the gradations of men, the savage is the most formal and ceremonious, notwith- standiiig his wants and occupations are few, and he can with hapj)y indifference endure privation. His heaven is peace and leisure. Ceremonials, like the uninterrupted tenor of his mind, may be supposed to be transmitted unchanged through many generations. . Hence many things, which marked the earliest period of history, and which have left.no vestige with civiHzed man, show themselves at this day among savages. Their luxuries, if such they may be called, are of that kind which nature suggests. Dress, which in hot climates is an inconvenience, does not become so much the object of attention and delight ; and here, there- fore, the savage is more nice iu the indulgence of his appetites. Oji the contrary, in cold cli- mates, bodily covering being all important, in- Ml 303 A M E II I C V N BIOGRAPHY, gemiity is directed to that point. A feeble kind of infant fancy grows out of tlie elforts of necessity, and displays its little arts in adorning the person with awkward and fantas- tic decorations. But here the appetites are less lively and distinguishing. " With respect to food, the vilest, and that totally unprepared, does not come amiss, and the most delicate is not seized with eagerness. Give a cake to a Swedish Laplander, Finland- er, or northern Tartar, and he eats it leisurely ; do the same to an Otaheitan, Italian peasant, or Spanish fisherman, and he will put the whole cake into his mouth if he can. The Empress has caused houses to be built in the Russian manner, at the expense of government, and ordered them to be offered to the Yakuti, upon the single condition of their dwelling in them ; but they have universally refused, pre- ferring their apparently more uncomfortable yourtes or wip^wams. " The Tongusians are a wandering people, living solely by the chase. They varely stop above two or three days in a place. They have tents or yourtes, made of bark, which they leave on the spot where they have en- camped. When they march, they tell their women that they are going to such a moun- tain, river, lake, or forest, and leave them to ^'-fT*a A feeble the eliorts le aits ill and fan tas- tes are less and that and amiss I eagerness, sr, Finland- it leisurely ; m peasant, II put the can. The )uilt in the ;overnment, he Yakut 1, Iwelling in if used, pre- comfortable ing people^ narely stop ce. They ark, which T have en- tell their h a moun- re them to JOHN LEDYARD. 309 bring the baggage. They are extremely active in the chase, and instances have occurred in which they were found dead, having pursued their game down some precipice. *' The Kalmuks, or Buretti, write their lan- guage in columns, like the Chinese ; the Ka- zan Tartars from right to left, like the He- brews.* The reason why the Buretti have the art of writing is, that they last migrated from the borders of Tliibet. There is not another Asiatic tribe in all Siberia, that write their lan- guage, or have -any remains of writing among them.f The sound of the Yakuti language very closely resembles that of the Chinese ; and the same, indeed, may be said of the lan- * Dr. Clarke mentions having procured at Taganrog, on the Sea of Azof, a specimen of writing from the Kalmuk priests. The characters were arranged in columns on scar- let linen, and read from the top to the bottom. After re- turning to England, he was informed, that diis writing was Sanscrit He adds, that the Kalmuks in that part of Asia had two modes of writing, one with the vulgar character, so called, and the other with the sacred. This latter is reud from left to right, like the European languages ; the former in columns, and would seem to be Sanscrit. Clarke's Travels, Vol. I. Ch. 15. f It must be observed, that Ledyard everywhere speaks of the Buretti as the same people with the Kalmuks, and both as direct descendants of the Mongul Tartars. What he says of either, therefore, may commonly be applied to the other. 310 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. mm fU fj f, m m- mm •*'e crown ; they have much stronger inducements to accept the offer than the Afri- can ; but they have not, and they will not, though no condition accompanies the offer. They will inhabit the yourte. "The yourte, or, as the American Tartars call it pretty generally, wigwam, is in this coun- try a substitute for a tent. In milder climates it is made either of skins or bark of trees, of II ■f ; 'M 'my %*!> 'it ''"'• li' '-^ :ii'f . , ^.■.- . ..w t 314 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. sedge^or some other kind of grass. It is al- ways of a conical form, not divided into apart- ments, having an aperture at the top, and the fire made on the ground under it. Around the sides of the yourte, if it is only temporary, are placed the baggage and furniture ; if it is ^^"^t temporary, seats for sitting and sleeping i; . are ranged around the sides. The yourtes in the neighborhood of Russian towns and set- tlements are made a little differently ; they are sunk two or three feet in the ground, square, and divided into apartments, the frame of wood, the sides plastered with mud, and a flat roof covered with earth. The fire is in the centre, with a slight little chimney. They have two or three little windows; in summer, of talc; in winter, of ice. One apartm nt of the yourte is for the cow, ox, or horse, if the owner should possess any. These yourtes resemble not a tent; but remote from towns all the Tartars have tents, either of skins, bark, or grass. '< The people in this country, that are born half Russ and half Tartar, are very different from the Tartars or Russ, and much superior to either of them. The European nations, that intermarry most with other nations, are the handsomest. How far may this cause be sup- posed to have made the Negro, and the Tar- tar, so different from the European ; or, which JOHN LEDYARD. 315 i is more probable, have made the European so diflereiit from the Tartar and Negro ? The Commandant showed me, recently, a man de- scended from a Yakuti father and Rnssian mother, and the son of this man. The color of tlie first descendant is as fair as the second, and both as fair as the Russian mother and grandmother. After the first descent, intermar- riage has a less perceptible effect on the color. This change of the color by intermarriage is generally from the darker to the lighter. The color of the hair and eyes also inclines to be light, but does not always accompany the change of color in the skin. " Upon the whole, as I have said before, with respect to difference of color with the Indian and European, they appear to me to be the eflect of natural causes. I have given much attention to the subject on this conti- nent. Its vast extent, and the variety of its inhabitants, afford the best field in the world in which to examine it. By the same gentle gradation, by which I passed from the height of civilization at Petersburg to incivilization in Siberia, I also passed from the fair European to the copper colored Tartar. I say the copper colored Tartar ; but there is the same variety of color among the Tartars in Siberia, as among the other nations of the earth. The ■ ''hi' ;' M^m' ..! mil III 316 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHT. journal of a Russian officer, which I have seen, informs me that the Samoiedes, among whom he lived two years, are fairer than the Yakuti, who are of a light olive, and fairer than the Tongusians, or the Buretti, who are copper col- ored. Yet the three last mentioned tribes are all Mongul Tartars. The greater part of man- kind, compared with European civilization, are uncivilized, and this part are all darker than the other. There are no white savages, and few barbarous people that are not brown or black. " The equally distinguishing characteristic of feature, in the Tartar face, invites me into a field of observation, which I am not able at pr'^sent to give bounds to. I must therefore resign it to those who have leisure and a taste for such inquiries, contenting myself with fur- nishing a few facts, and describing this strange dissimilarity in the human face, according to the observations I have made. This I should be able to do anatomically ; but I am not. The Tartar face, in the first impression it gives, approaches nearer to the African than the European ; and this impression is strength- ened, on a more deliberate examination of the individual features, and whole compages of the countenance. Yet it is very diiferent from an African face. The nose forms a strong feature J0 1Ix\ L£DYARD. 317 ,ve seen, g whom Yakuti, hau the pper col- ribes are of niaii- ition, are ker than m the liuman face. among the Kalmuks iges, and brown or ;eristic of le into a able at therefore nd a taste with fur- is strange ording to I should am not. ression it ican than strength- on of the ges of the It from an ng feature I have seen instancep where the nose between the eyes has been much flatter and broader, than I have ever witnessed in Negroes ; and some few instances where it has been as broad over the nostrils quite to the end ; but the nostrils in any case are much smaller than in Negroes. Where I have seen those noses, they were accompanied with a large mouth and thick lips ; and these people were genuine Kalmuk Tartars. The nose protuberates but little from the face, and is shorter than that of the Eu- ropean. " The eyes universally are at a great dis- tance from each other, and very small ; at each corner of the eye the skin projects over the ball ; the part appears swelled ; the eyelids go in nearly a straight line from corner to corner. When open, the eye appears as in a square frame. The mouth generally, however, is of a middling size, and the lips thin. The next remarkable features aie the cheek bones. These, like the eyes, are very remote from each other, high, broad, and withal project a little forward. The face is flat. When I look at a Tartar en profile, I can hardly see the nose between the eyes, and if he blow a coal of fire, I cannot see the nose at all. The face is then like an inflated bladder. The forehead is narrow and t5| '"WHMMU '(:m3 II. ■!'' Ml: v^i ' ^'!f; i^! !'ii M ,i V "I 318 AMERICAN B I G U A 1' H V . low. The face has a fresh color, and on tho cheek bones there is commonly a good ruddy hue. " The faces of Tartars have not a variety of expression. I think the predominating one is pride ; but whenever I have viewed them, they have seen a stranger. The intermixture by marriage does not operate so powerfully in producing a change of features, as of complex- ion, in favor of Europeans. I have seen the third in descent, and the Tartar prevailed over the European features. The Tartars from time immemorir-.l (I mean the Asiatic Tartars) have been a people of a wandering disposition. Their converse has been more among beasts of the forest than among men ; and when among men, it has only been those of their own nation. They have ever been savages, averse to civilization, and have never until very lately mingled with other nations, and now rarely. Whatever cause may have origin- ated their peculiarities of features, the reason why they still continue is their secluded way of life, which has preserved them from mixing v/ith other people. I am ignorant how far a constant society with beasts may operate in changing the featiu'es, but I am persuaded that this circumstance, together with an uncultivated state of mind, if we consider a long and un- JOHN L £ D Y A 11 D , CiO interrupted succession of ages, must account in some degree for tliis remarkal)le singuiaiity. " Mr. Jolm Hunter, of London, has made, or is making, some anatomical examinations of the head of a Negro, which is said, externally at least, to resemble that of a monkey. If I could do it, I would send him the head of a Tartar, who lives by the chase, and is con- stantly in the society of animals, which have high cheek bones ; and perhaps, on examining such a head, he would find an anatomical re- semblance to the fox, the wolf, tlie bear, or the dog. [ have thought that, even in Europe, mechanical employments, having been contin- ued for a long time among the same people, have had a considerable influence in giving a uniform character to their features. " 1 know of no people, among whom there is such a uniformity of features (except the Chinese, the Jews, and the Negroes) as among the Asiatic Tartars. They are distinguished, indeed, by dilfereiit tribes ; but this is only nominal. Nature has not acknowledged the distinction, but, on the contrary, marked them, wherever found, with the indisputable stamp of Tartars. Whether in Nova Zenibla, Mon- golia, Greenland, or on the banks of the Mis- sissippi, they are the same people, forming the most uumurous, and, if we must except the II If. 320 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY 111 ^^? IW, fi?>. JLi'.. ife i ■ -TO ><•■■ ''.'!■■■ Pi t'''^ I ,1 iSi* i '',■ l»'l Wi I u^ .1." im; ! •>!« 'I" • .:i?- '''Hi ^i^i iiHll Chinesg, the most ancient nation of the globe. But I, for myself, do not except the Chinese, because I have no doubt of their being of the same family. " The Tongusians, the Tchuktchi, the Ku- riles, and the Nova Zembleans are tattooed. The Mohegan tribe of Indians in America practised tattooing. I find as- yet nothing anal- ogous to the American cahunet, except in the use of it. The Tartars here, when they smoke the pipe, give it round to every one in the company. The form of the pipe is universal- ly the identical form of the Chinese pipe. 1 expect to find it in America, since the form of the pipe on the tomahock resembles it. This form intimates economy, and that the original custom of smoking the pipe was a mere luxury. It holds but a vfery little. The manner, in which the Tartars and Chinese use it, corroborates that idea. They make but one or two draughts from t^ie pipe, and those they swallow, or discharge ;hrough the nose, and then put the pipe by. They say that the smoke thus taken is exhilarating. As the Chinese pipe is found universally among the Siberian Tartars, I think it probable that the custom of smoking migrated with them to America, and thence by Sir Walter Raleigh made its way east to England. If so, the JOHN L E D Y A R D . 321 le globe. Chinese, g of the the Kii- tattooed. America ing arial- pt in the ey smoke le in the universal- pipe. 1 the form mbles it. that the )e was a tie. The inese use but one lose they :iosc, and that the As the long the that the I them to Raleigh so, the custom has travelled in a singular manner. Why did it not come frorn the Tartars west to England ? " The Asiatic Tartars never change their dress ; it is the same on all occasions ; in the field, in the house, on a visit, on a holiday. They never have but one dress, and that is as fine as they can make it. Those that live with the Russians in their villages are above mediocrity as to riches, but discover the same indifterence about accumulating more, and for the concerns of to-morrow, that a North Amer- ican Indian does. They stroll about the vil- lage, and, if they can, get drunk, smoke their pipe, or go to sleep. The gardens of the Russians are cultivated more or less ; but theirs lie undisturbed. The house of the Ruisian is a scene of busy occupation, filled with furni- ture, provisions, women, children, dirt, "and noise ; that of the Tartar is as silent and as clfan as a mosque. If the season admits, the residents are all abroad, unless perhaps an old woman or man. There is very little furniture, and that rolled up and bound in parcels in a corner of the house, and i o appearance of pro- visions. If it happen that they profess the Russian religion, they treat it with strange in- difference ; not think ingly, but because they do not think at all about it. VOL. XIV. 21 \ :''M 322 A M E U I C A N D I G U A P II Y . il' li :i.'|l! t ;•: til' " I have not as yet taken any vocabularies of the Tartar languages. If I take any, they will be very short ones. Nothing is more apt to deceive than vocabularies, when taken by an entire stranger. Men of scientific curiosity make nse of them in investigating qnestions of philosophy as well as history, and I think often witli too much confidence, since nothing is more difficult than to take a vocabulary, that shall answer any good ends for such a purpose. The different sounds of the same letters, and of the same combinations of letters, in the languages of Europe, present insur- mountable obstacle to making a Vov.^..jalary, which shall be of general use. The different manner, also, in which persons of the same langu^e would write the words of a new lan- guage, would be such, that a stranger might suppose them to be two languages. '• Most uncultivated languages are very diffi- cult to be orthographized in another language. They are generally guttural ; but when not so, the ear of a foreigner cannot .accommodate itself to the inflection of the speaker's voice, soon enough to catch the true sound. This must be done instantaneously ; and even in a language with which we are acquainted, we are not able to do it for several years. I seize, for instance, the accidental moment, when a JOHN LEDYAKD. 323 ibularics ly, tliey loi-e apt •ken by curiosity questions I tiiiiik nothing cabulary, c such a he same 3f letters, insur- ^^^..julary, diiferent the same new lan- er might rery diffi- [language. ^n not so, )mmodate sr's voice. Id. This jven in a [inted, we I seize, when a savage is iiicUned to give me the names of tilings. Tlie medium of this conversation is only signs. The savage may wisli to give me the word for head, and lays his hand on the top of his head. 1 am not certain whether lie means the head or the top of the head, or per- haps the hair of the head. He may wish to say leg, and puts liis hand to the cah*. 1 can- not tell whether he means the kg, or the calf, or Jlcsh, or the fesh. There are other difiicul- ties. The Island of Onalaska is on the coast of America opposite to Asia. There are a few Russian traders on it. Being there with Cap- tain Cook, 1 was walking one day on the shore in company with a native, who spoke the Rus- sian language. I did not understand it. I was writing the names of several things, and point- ed to the ship, supposing he would understand that I wanted the name of it. He answered me in a phrase, which in Russ meant, / know. I wrote down, « ship. 1 gave him some snuff, which he took, and held out his hand for more, making use of a word, which signified in Russ, a little. I wrote, more. " Tlie Asiatic Tartars have different meth- ods of hunting the moose, and such kind of game, but the most prevalent is like that of American Indians, by stratagem. So they catch ducks at the mouth of the River Kolyma; so 'A . ,11 .'I I! '''I ■ '.nil 'I.:!!: L.^> II 'III 324 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. the Otaheitans catch fish sometimes; and so the uncivilized parts of mankind war against each other. " I understand from Captain BiUings's Jour- nal, that the universal method among the Tchuktchi Indians, ii' the ceremony of mar- riage, is for the man to purchase the woman, or make presents to her parents. It is also customary for the young man to serve a stip- ulated time with the parents of the bride. In case of disunion afterwards, whicli happens without passion, the presents that have been made are returned. If either party dies, the other marries again as soon as convenient ; and the sooner the better, they say, because they ought not to lament what can be repaired. I suppose the love in this case below that which existed in the bosoms of Elojse and Abelard, and i suppose the philosopiiy as much above .heirs as the love is below.* " All the Asiatic Tartars, like the aborigines * The tbll'^wing description from Dr. Clarke's Travels, is applied to the Kalniuks where he travelled on the bor- ders of Persia, in the country of the Cossacs. "The cer- emony of iiiarriage," says he, '• among the iCalinuks, is per- formed on horseback. A girl is first mounted, who rides ofT in full speed. Her lover pursues ; if he overtakes her, she becomes his wife, and the marriage is consummated upon the spot After this, she returns with him to his tent. But it toin^umta happens, that tho woman doea not wish JOHN LE'^'YAUD, 325 ; and so f against ;s's Joiir- ong the of mar- ; woman ; t is also ire a stip- }ride. In liappens lave been dies, the r.veuieiit ; /-, because B repaired, elow that ilo-'se and y as much aborigines le's Travels, on tlie bor- " The cer- . inuks, is per- (1, who rides »vertakcs her, consummated m to his tent, oea not wish of America, entertain the same general notions of theology, namely, that there is one great and good God, and that he is so good that they have no occasion to address him for the bestowm.ent of any favors ; and, being good, he will certainly do theni no injury. But they suffer many calamities; so they say there is another being, the source of evil ; and that he Uiust be very powerful, because the evils in- flicted on them are numerous. To this mis- chievous deity, therefore, they sacrifice. From him they expect no favors, and do not ask any, but deprecate his wrath. Their Sliamants,- or priests, ha/j therefore nothing to do with the good God ; their business is solely with the other, whom they make free to parcel out into a guat variety of characters, assigning to each evil a presiding subordinate spirit. This affords the Shamant an opportunity of playing his tricks in an extraordinary manner. " Mr. Pennant observes, that the Scythians to marry the person by whom she 's pursued ; in this case she will not suffer him to overtako lier. We were assured, that no instance occurs of a Kalmuk girl being thus caught, unless she have a partiality for her pursuer, if she dis- likes him, she rides, to use the language of English sports- men, neck or nothing, until she has completely effected her escape, or until the pursuer's horse becomes ex!iauslef1< leaving her a* liberty to return, and to be atlerwarda chased by some more favored admirer." Vol. I. Ch. 15. \W m€4 •■J I m ■!i.i ''■'1 mm ,;:■ t'l;,,'! 'I; l?!;i 326 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. scalped their enemies. 1 have ever thought, since my voyage with Captain Cooic, that the same custom under ditferent forms exists throughout the islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is worthy of remark tliLc though the In- dians at Owhyhee brought a i)art of Captain Cook's head, yet they had cut all the hair oft', which they did not return to us. I have also frequently observed the islanders to wear great quantities of false human hair. All savage na- tions are fond of preserving some badge or testimonial of the victory over their enemies, of this kind. The ancient Scythians and North American Indians have preferred the scalp, and, among the South Sea Islanders, teeth and hair are in repute ; all of them giving preference to some part of the head. " The wampum, so universally in use among the Tartars apparently as an ornament, I can- not but suspect is used as a substitute for let- ters in representing their language, by a kind of hieroglyphic record. I intended to make this a subject of attention, and to have draw- ings taken of the Asiatic and American wam- pum, with the view of comparing them, but have not been able to do it. I have seen the initials of a Tartar's name worked in the wam- pum, on the borders of his garment. A people having such great respect for tlieir ancestors, Hi '"" thought. that the IS exists c Ocean. the Ill- Captain ! hair off, have also ear great avage na- badge or enemies, md North calp, and, and hair ference to se among It, I can- te for let- )y a kind to make ive draw- can wam- them, but ! seen the the wam- A people ancestors, JOHN L K D Y A R D 327 as the Tartars have, would naturally endeavor to preserve some memorials of them." Such are the observations of our traveller, on the aboriginal inhabitants of Siberian Asia. In considering the Kalmuks, Bnretti, Tongu- sians, and Yakuti, as descendants of the Mon- guls, he accords with other writers; but he advances a bold and novel opinion in classify- ing all these races with the North American Indians, Greenlanders, and the Chinese. It is true, the point seems never to have been established, how far the affinities between different tribes, or nations of men, must be car- ried, in order to bring them within the same ge'ieral class. Traditions, ceremonies, bodily form and features, habits, 'laws, religion, and resemblance of languagr must all be taken into the account. Wnert is a similarity in many of these particulars, it "ay be safely inferred, that the people among v horn th* y exist, although inhabiting regions remote from each other, have sprung from a common ori- gin ; but it does not follow with equal prob- ability, that where this similarity is least ob- servable, or perhaps unperceived, they are to be set down as radically distinct races of men. So innumerable are the causes of change, in all these respects, that no ruie of this sort can be assumed, as applicable to any individual V 328 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ■!5|! •H' ilvivf . ■■-^! "! case wbatever. Customs, laws, pursuits, dress, modes oi' life, vary .with the cHmate aud the productions of the soil. People who live by the chase and by fishing will have (ew of the habits of agriculturists. Approaches to civili- zation will gradually introduce a thousand new customs. Language has been thought the best crite- rion, by which to judge of the affinity between different races; and doubtless it is. That two nations should speak languages closely resem- bling each other, is hardly possible, unless they originated from the same stock. Yet it can by no means be inferred with as much certainty, that, because there is a wide dissimilarity in their languages, the sources whence they sprang were as widely dissimilar. The same causes which change the habits of men, under new circumstances, will change their language. New words, and new combinations of words, will be required to express ideas not known before. The intermhigling of migratory tribes, speaking different languages, must also introduce total confusion, out of which would most likely grow up a dialect, bearing little analogy to either of the primitive tongues. Let such a process be carried on for many generations, by a succession of interm xtures, and what clew would there be to guide the inquirer through JOHN LEDYARD. 329 this labyrinth of mutations back to the first fountain ? When it is considered, moreover, that all these tongues are unwritten and without any recognized principles, the perplexity is increased a hundred fold. According to recent discov- eries, the Tschukchi, the natives inhabiting the American side of Bering's Strait, the Eski- maux, and the Green landers, speak languages which have many marks of affinity. Their common origin is a very natural inference. Owing to a more recent separation, or fewer intermixtures, their language has been preserved with something of its primitive form. Had the same ftivorable circumstances attended the migrations of other tribes, we might perhaps now trace them to the same source, with as much appearance of probability. We might possibly detect similar resemblances between the Iroquois and the Yakuti, the Mohegan§ and the Kamtschadales, and even the Poly- nesians and the Kalmuks. In short, the state of the question is simply this ; where obvious analogies exist, we may afRrm a connection between the tribes in which they prevail, at some remote or proximate peri- od; but where they do not exist, we can say nothing on the subject. In the latter case, we have no warrant for deciding one way or the other. C. p li ■r I il ■ M-J' 'm m^ mm Nli x: ■! IK § LI: 330 AMERICAN BIOGRAPIiy. Taken in this view, no well founded ob- jection can be advanced against Ledyard's opinion, althongli il v/ould not be easy to es- tablish it by a consecutive series of proofs. It was the result of a long observation of general appearances, rather than of a minute and me- thodical research. It was not with him an idle speculation, indulged for the moment, and then dismissed. After his return from Siberia, he reiterated the same sentiments. In coiniection with a short account of his travels, he writes to a friend in these emphatic words. " You will please to accept these two ob- servations, as the result of extensive and assid- uous inquiry. They are with me well ascer- tained facts. The first is, that the difference of color in the human species (as the obser- vation applies to all but the Negroes, whom I have not visited) originates from natural causes. The second is, that all the Asiatic Indians, called Tartars, and all the Tartars who formed the later armies of Genghis Khan, together with the Chinese, are the same people, and that the American Tartar is also of the same family ; the most ancient and numerous people on earth, and the most uniformly alike.'' In this place may be inserted, also, his re- marks to Mr. Jefferson, in a letter written near- ly at the same time with the above. .4.fter JOHN L E D Y A R D . 331 ided ob- Led yard's sy to es- )roofs. It if general and mc- n an idle and then iberia, he onnection he writes 5 two ob- ind assid- ell asccr- difference he obser- , whom I ral causes. J Indians, ho formed together iople, and the same )us people 0, his re- it ten near- ^e. A.fter reiterating his opinion, in regard to the causes of the difference of color in the human race, he continues; " I am certain, that all the people you call red people on the continent of Amerioa, and on the continents of Europe and Asia, as far south as the southern parts of China, are all one people, by whatever names distinguished, and that the best general name would be Tar-r tar. I suspect that all red people are of the same family. I am satisfied, that America was peopled from Asia, and had some, if not all, its animuis from thence. "I am satisfied, that the great general anal- ogy in the customs of men can only be ac- counted for, by supposing them all to compose one family ; and, by extending the idea, and uniting customs, traditions, and history, I am satisfied, that this common origin was such, or nearly, as related by Moses, and commonly be- lieved among the nations of the earth. There is, also, a transposition of things on the globe, that must have been produced by some cause equal to the effect, which is vast and curious. Whether I repose on arguments drawn from facts observed by myself, or send imagination forth to find a cause, they both declare to me a general deluge." It will be perceived, that he uses the word 'i:,;;^'A H, mm', $ Mb k •fel'ib,- < ^> '■ I fill ;?l;ir!; il ' ill il i ■ '?i ■ f|ii SJ if [•;.■,■'( ! !S' W4 5^' ij 1*^1 ti ;"1 1 ' 111 ■ i| : ,ikNI I I* * ! ' I 330 AMERICAN BI0GHAPI17. daily. The images iu tlie Russian houses, which I should take for a kind of household gods, are very expensive. The principal ones have a great deal of silver lavished on them. To furnish out a house properly with these Dii Minores, would cost a large sum. When burnt out, as I have witnessed several times, the people have appeared more anxious for these than for anything else. The images form almost the whole decoration of the churches, and those melted in one of them just burnt down, are estimated to Ug-ve been worth at least thirty thousand roubles. The warm bath is used by the peasantry here early in life, from which it is common for them i^ plunge into the river, and if there happens to be new fallen snow, they come naked from the bath and wallow therein. Dances are ac- companied, or rather pjerformed, by the same odd twisting and writhing of the hips as at Otaheite. " Dogs are here esteemed nearly in the same degree that horses are in England ; for be- sides answering the same purpose in travel- ling, they aid the people in the chase, and, after toiling for them the whole day, become tlieir safeguard at night. Indeed, they com- mand the greatest atttMitioii. There are dosr farriers to attend them in sickness, who are JOHN LEDYARI^. 337 luiuses, lousehold ipal ones on them, ith these I. When •al times, xious for e images 1 of the of them ^ve heen les. The here early Dr them lo lappens to aked from ;es are ac- the same hips as at 1 the same d ; for be- in travel- chase, and, ay, become they com- ;re are dog IS, who are no des])icuble rivals in art, at least in preten- sion, to the horse doctors of civilized Europe. JDogs also command a high price. What they call a leading dog of prime character will sell for three or four hundred roubles. " Every body in Yakutsk has two kinds of v/indows, the one for summer, and the other for winter. Those for the latter season are of many different forms and materials ; but all are so covered with ice on the inside, that they are not transparent, and are so far use- less. You can sec nothing without, not even the body of the sun at noon. Ice is most commonly used for windows in winter, and talc in summer. These afford a gloomy kind of light within, that serves for ordinary pur- poses. " The Russ dress in this region is Asiatic ; long, loose, and of the mantle kind, covering almost every part of the body. It is a dress not originally calculated for the latitude they inhabit. Within doors the Russian is Asiatic ; without, European. The Empress gives three ranks to officers that come into Siberia, and serve six years ; two while out from Peters- burg, and one on their return. It has two important effects, one to civilize Siberia, and the other to prostitute rank. I have before my eyes the most consummate scoundrels iu VOL. XIV. 22 MFTjf mm m B !.- ,M > i** r M it' ' i- 4 1: -'■: ■ 'Mk\ ll' "' -fyi!:; !■;» Wwi' -Mi. MI! '11 1; I 338 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. the universe, of a rank that in any civilized country would be a signal of the best virtues of the heart and the head, or at least of com- mon honesty and common decency. The suc- cession of these characters is every six years. " So strong is the propensity of the Rus- sians to jealousy, that they are guilty of the lowest offences on that account. The obser- vation may appear trivial, but an ordinary Rus- sian will be displeased if one even endeavors to gain the good will of his dog. I affronted the Commandant of this town very highly, by permitting his dog to walk with me one af- ternoon. He expostulated with me very seri- ously about it. This is not the only instance. I live with a young Russian officer, with whom I came from Irkutsk. No circumstance nas ever interrupted the harmony between us, but his dogs. They have done it twice. A pretty little puppy he has, came to * me one day, and jumped upon my knee. I patted his head, and gave him some bread. The man flew at the dog in the utmost rage, and gave him a blow which broke his leg. The les- son I gave him on the occasion has almost cured him, for I bid him beware how he dis- turbed my peace a third time by this rascally passion. " I have obsc^i ved from Petersburg to this ^ . JOHN LEDYARD. 339 civilized t virtues of com- riie suc- ix years, he Rus- y of the le obser- lary Rus- Biideavors affronted lighly, by ; one af- very seri- T instance, cer, with ;umstance itween us, wice. A me one [patted his 'he man and gave The les- is almost he dis- |s rascally to this place, that the Russians in general have few moral virtues. The bulk of the people are almost without any. The laws of the coun- try are mostly penal laws ; but all laws of this kind are little else than negative instruc- tors. They inform the people what they shall not do, and affix the penalty to the transgres- sion ; but they do not inform people what they ought tQ do, and affix the reward to virtue. Untaught in the sublime of morality, the Rus- sian has not that glorious basis on which to exalt his nature. This, in some countries, is made the business of religion ; and, in others, of the civil laws. In this unfortunate coun- try, it is the business of neither civ'i nor ec- clesiastical concernment. A citizen bore fulfils his duty to the laws, if, like a base Asiatic, he licks the feet of his superior in rank ; and his duty to his God, if he nils his house with a set of ill looking brass and silver saints, and worships them. It is for these reasons, that the peasantry in particular are the most lui- principled in Christendom. I have looked for certain virtues of the heart, that are called natural. I find them not in the most obscure villages of the empire. On the contrary, I find the rankest vices to abound there, as much as in the capital itself." A few isolated facts will now be added, i <'^1'; il^ali B *'■■ ■'•'ill, m iJ'i' It il 'it 340 AK!3R1CAN BIOGRAPHY. which he collected chiefly from the informa- tion of others, but which he deemed worthy of a place in his journal. " The Tongusians are tattooed. The Sa- moiedes have the double headed paddle. They fish with nets under the ice. The Buretti have the Mahometan lock of hair. The Ku- . riles are tattooed. A journal of a Russian offi- cer says they are very hairy. They traffic with the Japanese in feathers and fish. The islands have little vege ation. The people are reserved in conversation ; they are comely ; have their materials for ,)oat and house build- ing from the continent, or from the Japanese. They are very wild, and receive strangers with the most threatening and formal appearance, but afterwards they are kind and hospitable. The coast of the Frozen Ocean is full of trees and driftwood for five versts out. It is remarked by the Russians, that since their knowledge of those regions, the land has in- creased towards the sea, and driven it north- wards, a circumstance attributable, perhaps, to the large rivers that empty themselves there, Informed that the custom of staining the nails of the fingers of a scarlet color, is common near the Caspian and Black Seas. I saw one , instance of it in the neighborhood of Kazan. It is likewise a custom among the Cochin informa- d worthy The Sa- e. They e Buretti The Ku". ssian offi.- ey traffic 5h. The people are comely ; use build- Japanese, igers with ppearance, lospitable. s full of ut. It is nee their id has in- it north- )erhaps, to ves there, r the nails ; common I saw one of Kazan, le Cochin JOHN LED YARD. 341 Chinese. I saw it at the Island of Perlo Con- dor. Tiie custom of calling 7ohn the son of John, Alexander the son of Alexander, prevails among the Russians." The preceding selections embrace nearly ail that is contained in the journal, under the dates of his residence at Yakutsk, except the cele- brated eulogy on women, which was likewise written at that place. This beautiful and touching tribute to the superiority of the fe- male character, is the more to be valued, as coming from one whose sphere of observation and experience had been such as to enable him to speak with confidence, and whose sin- cerity cannot be suspected. It is the simple effusion of a grateful heart, recorded in his private journal, not intended for the public eye, and obviously written, like the rest of the manuscript compositions left behind him, with- out any other design than to quicken his own recollections, or perhaps amuse his intimate friends in a vacant hour. This eulogy was first printed, shortly after the author's death, in the " Transactions of the Africar. Association," in which it was inserted by Mr. Beaufoy, secre- tary to that body, who then had the Siberian journal in his possession. It has often been reprinted, and universally admired, not more for the sentiments it contains, and the genuine AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. feeling that pervades it, than for its terse and appropriate language. The original has been altered in some of the transcripts. It is here introduced as found in the journal. "I have observed among all nations, that the women ornament themselves more than the men ; that, wherever found, they are the same kind, civil, obliging, humane, tender be- ings ; that they are ever inclined to be gay and cheerful, .Ximorous and modest. They do not hesitate, like man, to perform a hospitable or generous action ; not haughty, nor arrogant, nor supercilious but full of courtesy and fond of society ; industrious, economical, ingenuous ; more liable in general to err than man, but in general, also, more virtuous, and performing more good actions than he. I never addressed myself in the language of decency and friend- ship to a woman, whether civilized or savage, without receiving a decent and friendly answer. With man it has often been otherwise. In wandering over the barren plains of inhospita- ble Denmark, through honest Sweden, frozen Lapland, rude and churlish Finland, unprinci- pled Russia, and the wide spread regions of the wandering Tartar, if hungry, dry, cold, wet, or sick, woman has ever been friendly to me, and uniformly so ; and to add to this vir- tue, so worthy of the appellation of benevo- JOHN L E D y A II D . 343 erse and tias been t is here ons, that ore than are the jnder be- I be gay They do hospitable arrogant, and fond igenuous ; man, but lerforming addressed nd friend- Dr savage, ly answer, wise. In inhospita- en, frozen unprinci- egions of dry, cold, friendly to this vir- )f benevo- lence, these actions have been performed in so free and so kind a manner, that, if I was dry, I drank the sweet draught, and, if hungry, ate the coarse morsel, with a double relish." By these specimens of his journal, we may judge how the traveller employed himself at Yakutsk, during the weary days of his com- pulsory residence ^ •> < 1 AMERlCAiN BIOGUAPHY. .soil, ill this rude quarter of the world, who could speak his own language, and who had some recollections in common with himseir ; but, in other respects, the companionship was not sucli as to promote his advantage, or his enjoyment. Billings gave no proof that he was competent to the high trust reposed m him by the Russian government, or that he possessed qualities suited to win the esteem of his associates. A few remarks, relating to the purposes of the expedition just alluded to, may very well De introduced in this place, as in some of its parts it was more or less in unison with the designs of the American traveller. Russian enterprise had by no means been backward in pushing discoveries to the east and north, even at a- comparatively early period. About the middle of the seventeenth century, Deschiiolf and his comjianions passed down the Kolyma, sailed along the coast of the Tchuktchi coun- try, in the Icy Sea, and thence discovered a route by land from this coast to Anadir. Other adventures were undertaken, and dis- coveries made, at successive periods, by Stad- uchin, Markoff, Willegin, and AmossotF. But the journeys and voyages of these persons had extended only to the Tchuktchi territory, Anadir, Kamtschatka, the Kurile Islands, and JOHN LEDYAUD. 345 id, who ho had limsoU' ; [lip was , or his that lie )osed ill that he steeni of poses of ery well le of its with the Russian iward ill rth, even 30 ut the >eschiivjlf . Kolyma, li couii- overed a ir. and dis- Dy Stad- ff. But sons had territory, aids, and to the neighboring seas. Neither the strait which separates Asia from America, nor any })art of the American coast on the northwest, nor the Aleutian Islands, had been visited be- fore the year 1728, when Captain Bering made- his voyage of discovery. This voyage was planned by Peter the Great, who wrote out with his own iiand the instructions for the command«u\ He died before they were put in execution, but the Empress, who succeeded him, carried tlie original design into effect. Captain Bering was despatched to Kam- tschatka, with orders to construct two vessels there, and to sail in them for the purpose of examining the coast towards the east and north, and of ascertaining, if possible, whether Asia and Amer'ca were separated by the ocean. In the year above mentioned he made this voyage, and discovered the strait, to which his name has been given. He kept so close to I ho Asiatic shore, that he did not see the Amer- ican coast ; but he sailed northward, till, on doubling a cape, he saw an open sea before him, which presented a boundless horizon to the north and west, and convinced him that the two continents nowhere came in contact with each other. The season was far ad- vanced, and he returned to the River of Kam- tschatka, where he wintered. Wm^ip iV 11 3m: '>!l r> ills I ■ 'is '"t ■■i!i ' 346 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. The success of this voyage was such as to encourage the government to undertake others. A plan was formed for navigating the whole northern coast of Russia, from Archangel to Kamtschatka. Several expeditions were fitted out for this purpose from Archangel, the mouths of the Ob, Yenissey, Lena, and Kolyma; and after incredible sufferings by the officers and men engaged in them, and the loss of a great many lives in those terrific regions of cold and privation, all further attempts were abandoned. Some new portions of the coast were exam- ined, but much remained unexplored, and has continued so to this day. No passage has been effected entirely round the north coast of Asia, any more than round that of America. Twelve years after his first disct)very, Be- ring made another voyage, fell in with the Aleutian Islands, explored the American coast for a considerable distance, and discovered and named Mount Saint Elias. In returning to Kamtschatka at the beginning of winter, he was driven in distress upon an island near the Asiatic coast, where he and several of his men died. The island has since borne his name. The remnant of his crew arrived in the spring at Kamtschatka. From this period the Russians kept up an active fur trade, from Okotsk and Kamtschatka, .n»IIN Li; DVAHI). ^.[\ o 1/ ih as to 3 others. e whole in gel to ire fitted J mouths na ; and cers and f a great cold and andoned. re exam- and has !sage has rth coast America, very, Be- with the can coast vered and Liming to vinter, he 1 near the f his men his name, the spring ept up an mtschatka, with the natives of the Aleutian Islands, but voyages^ of discovery ceased for a long time. A tribute in furs was collected for the Rus- sian government from the natives, by the traders who went among them, and authentic accounts are related of barbarities practised by the latter against the former, in their exactions of labor in procuring furs, equalling in cruelty the servitude of the mitas, inflicted by the Spaniards in South America on the Indians, whom they compelled to work in the mines. The party of traders whom Ledyard visited at Onalaska, however, cannot be brought under this imputation in its full extent, for he de- scribes them as kind to the natives whom he saw with them. It is to be considered, never- theless, that the cruelties were principally suf- fered by those who were sent abroad to hunt and trap, and made to endure cold, and hun- ger, and all the severities of the climate. These suff'erers would not come under the traveller's observation, in the short time that he remained v%^ith the traders at Onalaska. Such was the state of the Russian fur trade on the American coast, from the date of Be- ring's last discoveries till that of Cook's voy- age to the northern polar seas, a period of about forty years. During that space the gov- ernment aopears to have paid no attention to ft' ti I 5,:;' ^■V, 348 AMEKICAN BiUOWAI'Hy. the subject, except to take care tliat its agents at Okotsk and Katntscliatka gatliered tribute from the islands. But when Cook's last voy- age began to make a noise in Europe, and his discoveries on the Northwest Coast of Amer- ica and in the adjoining seas to be known, the sagacious Catharine was quick to perceive that her interests were involved in the affair, and that it was time for her to look to these remote and hitherto neglected parts of her dominions. In short, an expedition was planned on a large and libn'al scale, and it was re- solved that, in pre^ aing for it, nothing should be spared which was necessary to combine in it all possible facilities for prosecuting discov- eries, both by land and by sea. Professor Pallas, who was a favorite with the Empress, and who had travelled in Sibe- ria under her patronage, was particularly instru- mental in suggesting and maturing this plan. The choice of a commander was an important consideration, and this was at last effected wholly through the interest of the professor. Mr. Billings, who had recently obtained a lieu- tenancy in the Russian service, had found means to insinuate himself into the favor of Pallas, and to impress him with a high opin- ion of his understanding and knov/ledge ; in which he discovered, however, after it was too JOHN LEDYAIID, 349 s agents tribute ist voy- and his Amei- known, perceive e affair, to these of her planned was re- 3 should o iibine in discov- •ite with in Sibe- ly iiistru- his plan, important effected oi'ofessor. ed a lieu- ad found favor of ligh opin- ledge ; in it was too late, that he was unfortunately niistalien. The circumstance of this lieutenant having been with Cook, in the regions that were to be ex- plored, filling a station which g;ive him some pretensions to a science, was thought to be a strong recommendation ; and so it wcr'd have been, if in more important ^esijects he had possessed the qualities of a C(jinmander, and a man of enterprise. In these he was singularly deficient ; as was fully demonstrated in the se- quel of the expedition. He was appointed to the command, and left Petersburg for Siberia, in October, 1785, about eighteen months be- fore Ledyard arrived in the Russian capital. The instructions to Billings were so well drawn up, that they deserve a passii.g notice. They were prepared on the basis of those which had been written by Peter the Great for Captain Bering. Every provision was made for the advancement of science and geo- graphical knowledge, as well as for extending the influence of the Russian government in remote and unknown parts. The great specific objects were, to determine the latitude and lon- gitude of lite mouth of the River Kolyma, and the line of coast from that point to the East Cape in Bering's Strait ; the construction of an exact chart of the Eastern Ocean, and the islands between Asia and America; and 1 M!i llif!. i! » ; i Lt 111' K«!.''ie!;:."ii ii? .' li ,1 §.^i .^ li?? Mm m W' '^ f 350 A M i: It I C A N B 1 O (i II A F M Y . ►f all ;h knowledge of th the attuiiiinen regions as might serve to illustrate the reign of her Im])erial Majesty, by improving the con- dition and promoting the ha])])iness of the na- tives inhabiting those distant lands, and by collecting and diffusing new truths of science, for the general benefit of mankind. The instructions for scientific researches were minute, persjiicuous, and explicit. Professor Pallas was much consulted in prefaring them. And, indeed, the separate articles for the nat- uralist, drawn up with admirable precision and method, were entirely from his pen, and issued with his signature. Observations in geography and meteorology, exact delineations of charts, and notes of electrical phenomena, variations of the needle, and of barometrical and ther- mometrical changes, were expressly required. The various departments of the animal, vege- table, and mineral kingdoms were ajso particu- larized, and the utmost care enjoined in col- lecting specimens, and forwarding them to Petersburg. Drawings were to be made of curious and extraordinary objects. The man- ners, disposition, and occupations of the natives were to be described, and also their modes of living, government, religions, their dresses, arms, and manufactures. Moreover, vocabularies of their languages were ordered to be made, ac- JOHN L U 1) Y A U O . 351 wording to a model previously fmnislied. The commander, the naturalist, and all the princi- pal officers, were directed to keep journals for the future inspection of the Admiralty. Another feature in these instructions deserves to be mentioned. In case any savage tribes should be discovered, who had not been ac- quainted with civilized ])C()])le, it was positive- ly ordered, that they should be treated with kindness, and that the best means should be used to conciliate their good opinion. They were never to be approached in a hostile way, unless such a step should appear absolutely necessary for self-defence. On this point the instructions are as full and definite as on oth- ers, and breathe a spirit of humanity which, if it had been uniformly felt and acted upon by discoverers, would have prevented innumer- able scenes of bloodshed and misery, which have marked the early intercourse between civ- ilized and savage men. Captain Billings was allowed to select his own officers and privates, and, as an encour- agement to all the persons engaged, much higher pay was granted than was usual in the regular service, with the promise of additional rewards. The officers were to be promoted as the enterprise advanced, and particularly at its conclusion. The Governor-General of Irkutsk I ,1-.' -It:;;"!' I 'if ' 352 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY was ordered to render all needful assistance, and unite his best efforts with those of the commander to execute the designs of the Em- press. No expedition was ever more liberally provided, and none ever commenced under bet- tor auspices. When Ledyard met Billings at Yakutsk, he had been more than two years absent from Petersburg, and had spent tiie preceding season at the mouth of the River Kolyma, attempt- ing to pass along the coast in boats construct- ed for the purpose. The ice threatened him, and he accomplished nothing, though his lieu- tenant was extremely desirous to push forward, at a time when, to all but the commander, there seemed a prospect of success. He had now returned, with the intention of going to If\ /'-ok, and there superintending the transpor- tation of various articles to Okotsk, where they were wanted for preparing the vessels, in which he expected to make a voyage to the Ameri- Gtm coast in the following summer. This was the opportunity, \vliich Ledyard hoped to embrace for securing his passage from one con- tinent to the other. JOHN LEDYARD. CHAPTER XII. 353 Ledyard returns to Irkutsk. — Is seized by Order of the Em_press, and hurried off in the Charge of two Guards. — Returns through Siberia to Kazan. — Further Observations on the Tartars. — Posses Moscoio, and arrive* in Poland. — Proceeds to Konigsberg, and thtnce to London. — inquiry into the Motives of the Empress. — Her Declaration to Count Segur. ~~ Lafayette'' s Remark on her Conduct. That we may not anticipate events, we will again take up our traveller at Yakutsk, where we left him with Captain Billings, then just returned from the Kolyma, near the end of November. Here they lived toget.ier about five .^eeks. Meantime Billmgs was making preparation for his journey to Irkutsk, and in- vited Ledyard to accompany him thither. This invitation he readily accepted, since it was impossible for him to proceed to Okotsk before spring ; nor indeed would any object be gained by such a journey, till C; ptain Billings himself should return to that place, and his vessels be got in readiness ; for no chance of a was passage ikely A-Ccordingly, he joined Captain Billings's party, P 1: hi*'! m m m m ffl w VOL. XIV. 23 ■t ■:.■■ 5 . :. '' '"^■■■' 'i:;'i m • I ! :!rl, '■;ill -I 354 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. which left Yakutsk on the 29th of December, and travelled in sledges up the River Lena on the ice. With such speed did they move for- ward by this mode of conveyance, that they reached Irkutsk in seventeen days, having passed over a distance of fifteen hundred miles. Ledyard's voyage down the river in a canoe had taken up twenty-two days. Nothing is found recorded in his journal, during this second visit to Irkutsk. In Sauer's account of Billings's expedition, the fate which overtook him there is made known to us, and the manner in which he submitted to it. " In the evening of the 24th of February," says Sauer, " while I was playing at cards with the brigadier and some company of his, a secretary belonging to one of the courts of justice came in, and told us, with gf^at oon- cern, that the Governor-General had received positive orders from the Empress, immediately to send one of the expedition, an Englishman, under guard to the private Inquisition at Mos- cow, but that he did not know the name of the person, and that Captain Billings was with a private party at the Governor-General's. Now, as Ledyard and I were th*r only Eng- lishmen here, I could not help smiling at the news, when two hussars came into the room, and told me, that the Commandant wished to speak to me immediately. The consternation JOHN LEDYARD. 3/J5 into which the visitors were thrown is not to be described. I awssiired them that it must be a mistake, and w^nt with the guards to ' the Commandant. " There I found Mr. licdyard under arrest. He told me that he had sent to Captain Bil- Hngs, but he would not come to him. Ho then began to explain his situation, and said he was taken up as a French spy, whereas Captain Billings could prove the contrary, but he supposed that he knew nothing of the mat- ter, and requested that I would inform him. I did so, but . the Captain assured me, that it was an absolute order from the Empress, and that he could not help him. He, however, sent him a few roubles, and gave hin" a pe- lisse ; and I procured him his linen quite wet from the wash-tub. Ledyard took a friendly leave of me, desired his remembrance to his friends, and with astonishing composure leaped into the kibitka, and drove off, with two guards, one on each side. I wished to travel with him a little way, but was not permitted. I therefore returned to my company, and ex- plained the matter to them ; but though this eased their minds with regard to my fate, it did not restore their harmony."* I ' v'-l ".ml ■4 * See Sauer's Jlccount of a Geographical and Jislro- romical Expedition to thf JVorthern Partr of Russia, &c. p. 100. IB 1^*' Kb'!. If; lAkf^ m »»•!' 1; 356 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ^•i %* •ill One word rliore only needs be added respect- ing Billings. He went to Okotsk in the sum- mer, made a voyage to the Aleutian Islands, and thence to Bering's Strait. From the Bay of St. Lawrence he passed across the Tchiik- Ichi country to the River Kolyma by land, whence he proceeded to Yakutsk, and at length returned to Petersburg, after an absence of seven or eight years. No evidence exists tlirit his labors were of any service to Russia r^- to the world, either in the field of discovery or the departments of science. Sauer's book has made his incompetency notorious. The mis- fortune was, that this should have been found out so late. Captain Burney, who was well acquainted with Billings while on Cook's voy- age, observes, in alluding to LedyarJ's arrest, " If the Empress had understood the charac- ters of the two men, the commander of tlie expedition would probably have been ordered to Moscow, and Ledyard, instead of being de- nied entertainment in her service, have been appointed to supply his place." * Being now a prisoner, Ledyard was under the entire control of his two guards, who conducted him, with all the spond with which horses and sledges could riuivey them, towards * Burney'8 (%'onoloa^u'nl History of the JVortheastu-n Voyage;! qf Discovery ^ p. 5i79. JOHN LEDYARD. 357 ■ospect- le sum- Islands, le Ba y rchuk- ( land, length lice of 5ts tliat a <' c to very or )ok lias ie nJs- 1 found as well i's voy- ! arrest, charac- of the ordered ing de- e been under is, who 1 which towards rtheastu-n Moscow, exposed to the extreme rigors of a Siberian winter. In such a situation, it cannot be presumed, that he would have either the heart or leisure to write in his journal. A few particulars only are recorded, and, to these a place will now be given. Dates are rarely noted. The following was apparently written soon after he let't Irkutsk. " My ardent hopes are once more blasted, the almost half accomplished wish. What se- cret machinations have been at work? What motive? But so it suits her royal Majesty of all the Russias, and she has nothing but her pleasure to consult ; she has no nation's re- sentment to apprehend, for I am the minister of no state, no monarch. I travel under the common flag of luimanity, commissioned by myself to serve the world at large ; and so the poor, the unprotected wanderer must go wuere sovereign will ordains ; if to death, why then my journeying will be over sooner, and rather ditfercntly from what I contemplated , if otherwise, why then the royal dame has taken me much out of my way. But I may pursue another route. The rest of the world lies uninterdicted. Though born in the freest of the civilized countries, yet, in the present state of privation, I have a more exquisite sense of the amiable, the immortal nature of fitl \ ■^^.■ ■ ■ ^! ^am ■^.i w '*&■* '^^'■ 358 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. liberty, than I ever had before. It would be excellently qualifying, if every man, who is called to preside over the liberties of a people, should once (it would be enough) actually be deprived 'of his liberty unjustly. He would be avaricious of it, more than of any other earthly possession. I could love a country and its inhabitants, if it were a country of freedom. There are two kinds of people I could anath- ematize, with a better weapon than St. Peter's ; those who dare deprive others of li)?ir liberty, and those who suffer others to dc it ' Again he writes, some days after the above, having escaped from Siberia, '' I am now at Kazan ; it is nine months since I left this place on my tour eastward, and I am nine times more fully satisfied, than I was before, of some circumstances mentioned in my diary in June last. As I was fond of the subjects I have been in pursuit of, I was apprehensive that I might have been rash and premature in some of my opinions ; but I cer- tainly have not been. I am now fully con- vinced, that the difference of color in man is solely the effect of natural causes, and that a mixture by intermarriage and habits would in time make the species in this respect uniform. I have never extended my opinion, and do not now, to the Negroes ; but should I live to visit JOHN LEDYARD. 359 them, I shall expect to find the same data, leading to the same conclusion, namely, that they are like the other two classes of man, which I call by the general terms of white people and Indians. Th.ere are many reasons, that rise naturally from the observations on my present voyage, which induce me to thhik so, yet I still wish to have better. I expect, however, the result will be, that I shall find the same causes existing in Africa to render the Negro blacker than the Indian, as in Asia to render the Indian darker than the Eu- ropean. " With respect to the national, or genealogi- cal connection, which the remarkable affinity of person and manners bespeaks between the Indians on this and on the American conti- nent, I declare my opinion to be, without the least scruple, and with the most absolute con- viction, that the Indians on the one and on the other are the same people. As to the origin and history of the great Tartar Nation, little has been essayed ; very little is known even of the extent of their country. Albu- gassi, himself a noble Tartar,' has said much the most and best of their origin, and some- thing of their extent; but very unsatisfactorily as to this latter, for in truth he knew but lit- tle about it. Like a soldier, he has written a m-i^ Hi,. V'l'J l-v'll m t. iK/y. M: 3 Sir:' If ' it;* I ^^mf ^ ■ IT iW; 360 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, kind of muster roll of his countrymen. I do not remember anything like philosophical re- search in his history, though I read him with avidity. " Among the voyagers in this country, even the most modern, I have, instead of more, still less information. A few vocabularies to lead astray those who would wish to find real knowledge, and an account of a few customs, without any remarks on them, constitute near- ly the amount of the whole. There is, indeed, very little of value said about this great peo- ple by any writers. The late contest about the contiguity, or junction, of Asia and Amer- ica, has accidentally struck • out a few obser- vations, and one now and then finds something philosophically said of them, but very unphilo- sophically placed among quadrupeds, fish, fowls, plants, minerals, and fossils. When the histo- ry of Asia, and I add of America, because there is an intimate connection between them, shall be as well known as that of Europe, it will be found, that those who have written the history of man have begun at the wrong end." What passed at the private Inquisition of Moscow, when Ledyard and his guards arrived in that city, there is no record to explain. Since nothing is said of the matter, it is prob- JOHX LED YARD 361 I do ical Fe- ll witli ■y, even )re, still to lead nd real uistoms, te near- indeed, Bat peo- st about 1 Amer- ,v obser- mething imphilo- h, fowls, le histo- jse there im, shall i, it will tten the wrong sition of Is arrived explain. t is prob- able, that, if he was taken at all before that body, no specific charges were established, or even preferred, as in truth none could exist. The idea of a French spy in Siberia was an absurdity too gross to be formally urged as a reason for his arrest, although this had been given -out at Irkutsk. What was there in Siberia, either for a Frenchman or a native of any other country, to spy ? Was the Em- press afraid, that the French were plotting a crusade into those frozen and sterile regions, to rescue her miserable exiles, who were suf- fering there the penalties of their crimes, or the effects of imperial indignation for their projects of ambition and aggrandizement in Petersburg ? It was not likely that France, or any other nation, would covet the control of such subjects, or t»f such a Uuid. This pre- tence of a French spy originated /i( Irlnilsjt, where it was convenient that some false l*^- port should l)o circulated resporting iho cmjBe of his arrest, as will shortly be niu<|ia IMWIllfPSl- Ledyard again writes, "I am now twfi hundred and tWtt/jfy Mftf^h from Moscow, on the road lit \ht\f{ii(] t'll^jlfr Heaven, petticoats appear, and the g(lllll||erh<|8 of other features. Women mv fhf^ sitre har- bingers of an alteraliof] hi inanne|-|i, ||| ap- proaching a country wJififG their hll) (^ilce is m lin hi: ft I 362 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHT. j|i; lis w felt. But wampum, or, if you will, beads, tas- sels, rings, fringes, and Eastern gewgaws, pre- vail as much here as in Siberia. " I am at the city of Neeshna, in a vile, dark, dirty, gloomy, damp room ; it is called quarters, but it is a miserable prison. The soldiers who guard me are doubly watchful over me when in a town, though at no time properly so, through their consummate indo- lence and ignorance. Every day I have it in my power to escape them ; but, though treated like a felon, I will not appear like one by flight. I was very ill yesterday ; I am ema- ciated. It is more than twenty days since 1 have eat anything that may be called food, and during that time have been dragged along, from day to day, in some wretched, open ki- bitka. Thus am I treated in all respects (ex- cept that I am obliged to support m ^elf with my own money) like a convict, and presented by my snuff-box of a sergeant as a raree-show, at every town through which we pass. " Were I charged, or chargeable, with any injury done or thought of, either to this or any other country, it might not make me con- tented, indeed, yet, I suppose, it would make me resigned. But to be arrested in my trav- els at the last stage but one, in those domin- ions where the severe laws of the climate un- JOHN LEDYARD, 363 Js, tas- 's, pre- a vile, called The ^atchful 10 time 3 indo- ire it in treated one by m ema- since 1 sd food, d along, pen ki- ds (ex- elf with iresented 3e-show, rith any this or me con- Id make ny trav- } domin- nate un- happily detained mc, which, however, I should have braved, had it not been for the restrain- ing courtesy of the Commandant at Yakutsk ; to be seized, imprisoned, and transported in this dark and silent maimer, without cause, or accusation, except what appears in the myste- rious wisdom depicted in the face of my ser- geant, and of course without even a guess as to my destination ; treated, in short, like a sub- ject of — this country; under such circum- stances, resignation would be a crime against my dear native land." Here the Siberian journal abruptly comes to a close, and little is known of what befell him on his way to England, from the frontiers of Poland. In a letter to a friend, written after his arrival in London,, he touches again upon the subject, and adds a few particulars, which may with pro, iety be inserted. '• I had penei ated," he says, " through Eu- rope and Asia, almost to the Pacific Ocean, butj in the midst of my career, was arrested a prisoner to th' Empress of Russia, by an ex- press sent after me for that purpose. I passed under a guard part of last winter and spring ; was banished the empire, and conveyed to the frontiers of Poland, six thousand v^ersts from the place where I was arrested, and this jour- ney waf performed in six weeks. Cruelties 1 I"- ■ l*a.:, "'I a m ma. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^ .p^" <^ /a 'm °% s ¥^^^y '/ 1.0 u m 12.2 Photographic Sciences Corporation 2'. WEST MAIN STREET W;BSTRK,N.Y. M580 1 '!6 'i72-;i:03 4%

^ I i'M-'^ 'it-i It! }W"!'.* „, Mi;.. SI 'h^H 'StUi ij" 364 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. and hardships are tales I leave untold. I was disappointed in the pursuit of an object on which my future fortune entirely depended. I know not how I passed through the kingdoms of Poland and Prussia, or from thence to Lon- don, where I arrived in the beginning of Mav-, disappointed, ragged, penniless ; and yet so ac- customed am I to snch things, that 1 declare my heart was whole. My health, for the first time, had suffered from my confinement, and the amazing rapidity with which I had been carried through the illimitable \^ilds of Tar- tary and Russia. But my liberty regained, and a few days' rest among the beautiful daughters of Israel in Poland, reestablished it, and I am now in as full bloom and vigor, as thirty-seven years will afford any man. Jarvis says I look much older than when he saw me three sum- mers ago at Paris, which 1 can readily believe. An American face does not wear well, like an American heart." When the soldiers who were his . guards had arrived with him in Poland, they gave hifci to understand that he might go where he pleased, but i^ he returned again to the do- minions of the Empress, he would certainly be hanged. Having no longer any motive for making such an experiment, he took the short- est route to Konigsberg. Here he was in a JOHN LEDYARD. 365 I was Bct on ded. I igdoms ;o Lon- .f Mav', so ac- declare he first nt, and d been )f Tar- led, and mghters d I am y-seven I look ec sum- believe. like an guards ;y gave here he the do- ertainly »tive for e short- as in a destitute situation, without friends or nieaus, his hopes blasted, and his health enfeebled. In this state of despondency and suffering, he be- thought himself again of the benevolence of Sir Joseph Banks, which had on more occa- sions than one administered relief to him, and served as a balm to his wounded spirit. He was lucky enough to dispose of a draft for five guineas on his old benefactor, and by this ex- pedient was enabled to pursue his journey to London, where he arrived after an absence of one year and five months, and where he was received with much coirdiality by Sir Joseph Banks and his other friends. It remains to inquire a little further into the reasons which induced the Empress to recall him by a mandate so positive, after she had given him a royal passport for proceeding un- molested to Kamtschatka. Various conjectures as to her motives have existed, but the tale of the French spy has been the one most gen- erally received, probably because it was credit- ed by Sauer, who was on the spot at the time he was seized. On that topic enough has been said. The avowed pretence of the Empress has been ascertained from the authority of Count Segur, who was then, as heretofore stated, am- bassador from France to the court of Peters- 366 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHT. k: ;»', 'Mi w&l^' ;k' I'M I Ill ill; burg, and was instrumental in procuring Led- yard's passport. In August, 1823, he wrote the following note to Lafayette, in reply to an inquiry on the subject. " I have no longer any letters in my posses- sion," says Count Segur, " relative to the cel- ebrated traveller, Mr. Ledyard. I remember only, that, in compliance with your request, I fu-rnished him with the best recommendations at the court of Russia. He was at first very well received, but the Empress, who spoke to me on the subject herself, observed that she would not render herself guilty of the death of this coura^^eous American, by furthering a journey so fraught with danger, as that he pro- posed to undertake alone, across the unknown and savage regions of Northwestern America. She consequently issued her prohibition. Pos- sibly this pretext of humanity, advanced by Catharine, only disguised her unwillingness to have the new possessions of Russia, on the western coast of America, seen by an enlight- ened citizen of the United States. The above, however, were the reasons she advanced to me. ?) Few will doubt, probably, that the closing conjecture of Count Segur is much more plau- sible than the alleged humanity of the Em- press. It is clothing this virtue in the royal JOHN LEDYARD. 367 g Led- wrote Y to an posses- he cel- nember [uest, I idations St very Doke to lat she ; death ering a he pro- iknown Lmerica. I. Pos- iced by ;iiess to on the enlight- 3 above, iced to closing re plau- le Ern- ie royal breast with an air a little too romantic, to suppose that she was prompted by such a motive to send an express four thousand miles, with an order to arrest and preserve from his own temerity and self-devotedness an individ- ual, in whose personal safety she could not possibly feel any other interest, than what the sovereign of all the Russias would naturally extend to the whole human family. And, moreover, this plea of humanity sounds strange- ly enough, when contrasted with the barbarous manner in which Ledyard was transported across the frightful deserts of her Imperial Majesty's domains. Such evidences of tender- heartedness he would very gladly have dis- pensed with, and taken in exchange for them any treatment he might receive from the sav- ages of Northwestern America, 'i'his pretence of humanity, therefore, has lio better founda- tion than the story of the French spy. Another explanation is aflbrded in Dr. Clarke's Travels in Russia, who had the account from Professor Pallas himself. After relating an an- ecdote, respecting the manner in which Bil- lings obtained his appointment, Dr. Clarke adds ; "That the expedition might have been con- fided to better hands, the public have been since informed by the Secretary Sauer. This, 'Mil }m m 368 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHT. SH I? tmy^ s: Mu% Professor Pallas lamented to have discovered, when it was too late. But the less sustained by any incapacity in the persons employed to conduct that expedition, is not equal to that which the public suffered by the sudden recall of the unfortunate Ledyard. This, it is said, would never have happened, but through the jealousy of his own countrymen, whom he chanced to encounter as he was upon the point of quitting the eastern continent for America, and who caused the information to be sent to Petersburg, which occasioned the order for his arrest."* , This account of the affair labors under one serious difficulty, which is, that Ledyard did not meet a single countryman of his own in Siberia. It could only be by a vague rumor, originally intended to deceive, that Professor Pallas was led into such a mistake. As Bil- lings and Sauer were Englishmen, and spoke the same language as Ledyard, these persons may have been alluded to ; yet no proof exists of their hostility to him, -or that they could have any reasons for thwarting his designs. Since all these explanations of the mattei are fallacious, we must look for other causes j and these, in my opinion, have been partly * Clarke's Travels in Russia, Ch. II. JOHN lEDYARD. 369 partly anticipated in the remarks already made an the conduct of the Commandant at Yakutsk. From all the circumstances, which have come to my lincwledge in the course of this investigation, i am convinced that a plan was concerted at Irkutsk to send him back, very soon after his arrival in that place. Irkutsk was the resi- dence of the Governor-General of all .the east- ern parts of Siberia, and of the principal per- sons engaged in the fur -trade at the Aleutian Islands. Two years before this period, the Russian American Company had been formed, for the express purpose of establishing a regu- lar commercial intercourse with the natives of' the islands, and of the American coast. Oper- ations were already commenced by occupying new posts, erecting factories, building fortifica- tions to protect them, and making other need- ful provisions to secure a complete monopoly of the trade. Now, the head-quarters of this company were at Irkutsk, and it could not have escaped the sagacity of its conductors, that a foreigner, vis- iting their stations at the islands, would make discoveries, which might be published to theic disadvantage, both in regard to the resources of traflSc, and to the cruel manner in which the fraders habitually treated the natives, in extorting from them the fruits of their severe VOL. XIV. 24 m "'*im\ III "ill I'; 1' m 370 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. and incessant labors. To obviate such a con- sequence, it was necessary to cut short the traveller's career, before he had penetrated to the eastern shores of Asia. In effecting this point, some management was necessary, as he had a passport from the^ Empress, with a pos- itive order to the Governor-General to aid him on his way. This order could not be coun- termanded, nor the passport of the Empress treated with disrespect, till intelligence could be sent to Petersburg, and influence there used with the Empress to procure the annulment of her grant of protection, and Led yard's im- mediate recall. Time was requisite to bring this scheme to an issue, and the first thing to be done, in the train of manoeuvres, was to throw obstacles in his path, and retard his progress. This was begun in good earnest at Irkutsk, where he was detained several days longer than he desired, waiting, as he was told, for the post. The manner in which he was received by the Commandant of Yakutsk has already been stated. The extraordinary concern which the Commandant professed to feel for his welfare, the arguments he used to dissuade him from going to Okotsk at that inclement season, and his returning Jacobi's letter open, are all' rea- sons for strong suspicions. And these reasons JOHN LEDYARD. 371 are confirmed, when it is known that the journey to Okotsk was frequently undertaken in the winter. More than a month after Led- yard arrived in Yakutsk, Captain Billings re- turned from the Kolyma, which was at least quite as difficult a 'journey ; and the next year, Billings passed from Okotsk to Yakutsk in October and November, precisely the same months in which Ledyard wished to perform the tour. These facts are enough to prove, that the Commandant's pretended concern for his health and comfort was only a cloak to cover other designs, and to render it more than probable that he had secret instructions to cause this delay. This point was gained, and the plot further matured by inducing him to go back to Irkutsk with Billings. Six months elapsed betv/een the date of his first leaving Irkutsk, on his voyage down the Lena, and that of his arrest. This afforded ample time to send to Petersburg, and receive returns, even through the common channel of the post, or mail, which then passed with tol- erable regularity and expedition from the Rus" sian capital to Irkutsk. Thus were all our traveller's hopes blasted, and all his noble designs for making new dis- coveries and benefiting mankind frustrated, by the jealousy and pitiful intrigues of a few fur Hi mm m m u t I? if s tl It};; m I il pi I I' •>' -i J. I r I" ' f; im ■■IP I I ''if ^A gi 372 AMERICAN BIOUIIAPIIV. dealers at Irkutsk. The Empress was duped by their representations, and she deserted, on this occasion, the judicious policy by which she was usually guided, in whatever pertained to the advancement of science or the encour- agement of enterprise. Well might Lafayette say, as he did, that " her conduct in this in- stance was very illiberal and narrow minded, and that her measures were particularly ungen- erous." The conclusion to which 1 have thus been led, in explaining an apparent enigma in Ledyard's Siberian adventures, is mainly found- ed, it is true, on circumstantial evidence ; but this evidence is so strong, that I know not how it can be resisted. CHAPTER XIII. ■ Interview with Sir Joseph Banks in London. — Engages to travel in Africa undt the Am- pices of the African Association. — Remark- able Instance of Decision of Character. — Let' ter to his Mother. — Visits Mr. Jefferson and Lafayette in Paris. — Sails from Marseilles to Alexandria in Egypt. — Arrives in Cairo. No sooner had he arrived in London, than he called on his worthy patron and friend, Sir JOHN F. K n Y A II D . 373 Joseph Banks, to express his gratitude for the' many substantial favors received from him. Sir Joseph, after questioning him with a lively- interest concerning his travels, and expressing sympathy for his past misfortunes, inipiirod what were his future intentions. Ledyard frankly confessed that he had nothing in pros- jiect ; that, after having struggled against a tide of difficulties to accomplish an object which he had much at heart, but in pursuing which he had been baffled in every attempt, he felt himself, at this moment, in a state of perfect luicertainty as to the step next to be taken ; time and circumstances would decide his for- tune. What followed will be best related in the language of Mr. Beaufoy, then secretary of the African Association. "Sir Jose^/Ii Banks, who knew his temper, told him that he believed he could recommend him to an adventure almost as perilous as the one from which he had returned ; and then communicated to him the wishes of the Asso- ciation for discovering the inland comitries of Africa. Ledyard replied, that he had always determined to traverse the continent of Africa as soon as he had explored the interior of North America ; and as Sir Joseph had offered him a letter of introduction, he came directly to the writer of these Memoirs. Before I had ft M It .■.v;,f,[ M 374 AiMCRlCAN UlOGIlAPlir. learned from tlie note the name and business of my visitor, I was struck with the manliness of his person, the breadth of his chest, the openness of his countenance, and the inqui- etude of his eye. I spread the map of Africa before him, and tracing a line from Cairo to Seiniaar, and from thence westward in the lat- itude and supposed direction of the Niger, I told him, that was the route, by which I was anxious that Africa might, if possible, be ex- j)lored. He said, he should think himself sin- gularly fortunate to be trusted with the adven- ture. I asked him when he would set out. ' To-morrow morning,' was his answer. I told him 1 was afraid that we should not be able, in so .short a time, to prepare his instructions, and to procure for him the letters that were requisite ; but that if the committee should approve of his proposal, all expedition should be used."* This interview affords one of the most ex- traordinary instances of decision of character, which is to be found on record. When we consider his recent bitter experience of the past, his labors and sufferings, which had been so intense and so long continued, that a pain- ful reality had more than checked the excesses ' — — ■ ■ ■ - — " * Proceedings of the African Association, Vol I. p. 18. m JOHN L C I> Y A 11 D 375 of romantic entlnisiasm, which miglit be kin- dled in a less disciplined imagination ; and when we witness the promptitnde, with which he is ready to encounter new perils in the heart of Africa, where hardships of the severest kind must inevitably be endured, and where death would stare him in the face at every stage, we cannot but admire the si periority of mind over the accidents of human l.fe, the rapidity of combination, quickness of d(!cision, and fearlessness of consequences, which Led- yard's reply indicates. It was the spontaneous triumph of an elevated spirit over the whole catalogue of selfish considerations, wavering motives, and half subduod doubts, .vhich would have contended for days in tht breast of most men, before they would have adopted a firm resolution to jeopard their lives in an under- taking so manifestly beset with dangers, and which, in its best aspect, threatened to be a scene of toils, privations, and endurance. It is needless to say, that the committee of the Association immediately closed an agree- ment with a man, who presented himself with such a temper, and with numerous other qual- ities, which fitted him in a peculiar manner for their service. Preparations for his depart- ure were commenced without delay. While these movements were going on, he '■•'in, ttH f''J ~ 'II f N n i-if .re AMFIICAN BIOGRAPHY. wrote a long letter to Dr. Ledyard. It was composed at different times, and is without date. A few extracts from it will give an in- sight into his pursuits, and exhibit some traits of his character in a favorable light. " I was last evening in company with Mr. Jarvis of New York, whom I accidentally met in the city, and invited to my lodgings. When I was in Paris in distress, he behaved very generonsly to me ; and, as I do not want money at present, I [ xd a double satisfaction in our meeting, being equally happy to see him, and to pay him one hundred livres, which I never expected to be able to do, and I suppose he did not think I should. If he goes to New York as soon as he mentioned, I shall trouble him with this letter to you, and with some others to your address for my otiic" friends. " I wrote you last from this place, nearly two> years ago, but I suppose you heard from me at Petersburg, by Mr. Franklin of New York. 1 promised* to write you from the re- mote parts of Siberia. I promise everything to those I love ; and so does Fortune to me sometimes, but we reciprocally prevent each other from fulfilling our engagements. She left me so poor in Siberia, that I could not write you, because I could not frank the let- ter. You are already acquainted with the in- JOHN LEDYARD. 377 tent of the voyage, which 1 have been two years engaged in. The history of it I cannot give you, nor indeed the world. Parts of it you would comprehend, approve, and, I believe, admire ; parfs are incomprehensible, because not to be described. I have seen and suffered a great deal, but I now have my health and spirits in perfection. " By my acquaintances in London my arrival was announced to a society of noblemen and gentlemen, who had for some time been fruit- lessly inquiring for some person to travel through the continent of Africa. I was asked, and consented to undertake the tour. The society have appropriated a sum of money to defray the expenses. I dine with them col- lectively this day week, finish the affair, and within the month shall be on the move. My route will be from here to Paris, thence to Marseilles, across the Mediterranean to Alexan- dria in Egypt, and then to Grand Cairo. Be- yond is unknown, and my discoveries beghi. Where they will terminate, and how, you -shall kncnv, if I survive. As we have now no min- ister from the United States in London, and as 1 know of no certain medium of convey- ance, 1 cannot certainly promise you letters from Africa. I can only say, that I will vvritjj you from Grand Cairo, if 1 can find an oppor- tunity. I '■'■■ ht\ m . ' '■■■I.. I m N ;;-t^ m Ml J^i.*:^ m h m 378 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. " Before I leave town, I intend to send you some Tartar curiosities, and, if possible, also, a transcript of the few rude remarks I made on my last tour. The hints I have given respect- ing the history of man, from circumstances and facts that have come within my personal knowledge, you will find new and interesting. They form data for investigation, but they are better in my hands' than in any others, be- cause HO other person has seen so much of Asia and America. They might amuse you in the happy retirement, which Mr. Jarvis tells me you enjoy on Long Island. My seeing this gentleman has been almost as good as a visit to New York. Nothing in his account of our family and friends has affected me so much, as the mercantile misfortunes of your worthy brother. Surely the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. Did the pyramids of Egypt, which I shall soon see, cover hearts as worthy as his, I should no more style them monuments of human imbe- cility ; I should worship before them. " Mr. Jarvis has not been able to give me an exact account of his situation. He only tells me, that he has failed in business and retired to Jersey, where I think he ought to stay, for the world is absolutely unworthy of him. I do not say this, because he is my SSfl JOHN LEDYARO. 379 cousin, and shared with you the earliest at- tachment of my heart. These are things that I feel, and that the world has nothing to do with, any more than it ought to have with him. They are compliments which his ene- mies would make him, if he had any. 1 never knew so much merit so unfortunate. I cannot reflect on his fate unimpassioned. He should retire ; if barely comfortable, it will be enough, for he cannot go from dignity. My heart is on your side of the Atlantic. I know the charms on Long Island, the additional ones of your residence there, and the sweet accordance of recubans sub tegmine fagi. Do not think, because I have seen much of the world, and must see more, that 1 have forgotten America. I could as soon forget you, myself, my God. " My travels have brought upon me a nu- merous correspondence, which, added to the employments of my new enterprise, leaves me little leisure. I am alone in everything, and in most things so, because nobody has been accustomed to think and act in travelling mat- ters as 1 do. I am sorry Mr. Jarvis will go so soon. To-day is Saturday, and he will call on Tuesday, to receive the things for you, and take leave of me. My time is wholly occupied, and it happens that just at this mo- ment I am the busiest with the African So- ciety. I it£1 wi i' "UliTi ' '' L'' -1 if. Flliii ! ii. 'MiS ,'.|J'**J *0. M'\ ,ti". 380 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ^/ ,^^^ " Among other things, I wish to send you a copy of my Swedish portrait at Somerset House. I have one by me, but it is a stupid thing. It was taken by a boy, wiio is as dumb and deaf as the portrait itself. He is, however, under the patronage of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the English Raphael. The boy was sent to me by a country squire, who ?»ccidentally got acquainted with me at an inn where I lodged in London, and who has taken a wonderful fancy to me, and begs to hang me up in his hall. This one is still unfinished, and so is the one for the squire. They are mere daub- ings. Jarvis says our Trumbull is clever, and advises me to get him to copy the Swedish drawing, which is not only a perfect likeness, but a good painting. If I do according to his advice, it cannot be soon ; and, indeed, I should not trouble you, or myself, about this shadow of your friend, were I sure of presenting him to you hereafter in substance.* I shall not have time to settle my affairs before Jarvis goes, if it is to-morrow, for to-morrow I must be with the African committee. " Jarvis is this moment going. Adieu, will not take the one hundred livres." He * Neither the portrait nor a copy was sent The ori- ginal was taken to Sweden by the artist, where it has been lost JOHN I.EDYARD, 3S1 He on- haa It may be well to add here, rather as a mat- ter of curiosity, than for any other purpose, his description of the Siberian articles of clothing, which he sent to Dr. Ledyard by Mr. Jarvis. He was now going to a climate where he would have no occasion for a dress suited to the winters of Siberia. " The dresses I send you," he writes, " are such as I have worn through many a scene, and was glad to get them. The surtout coat is made of reindeer skin, and edged with the dewlap of the moose. Perhaps you will wear this yourself in winter. It was made for a riding coat, and I have rode both horses and deer with it. The first cap is of the Siberian red fox ; it is a travelling cap, and the form is entirely Tartar. The second cap is Russian, consisting of white ermine, and bordered with blue fox skin ; it cost me at Yakutsk twenty- five roubles, which is four guineas and one rouble. The surtout coat cost seventy roubles ; the fox-skin cap six roubles. The gloves are made of the feet of the fox, and lined with the Tartar hare, and cost five roubles. The frock is in form and style truly Tartar. It was presented to me, and came from the bor- ders of the Frozen Ocean, at the mouth of the River Kolyma. It is made of a spotted reindeer calf; the edging is the same as that H 1 ": «M' ■f-m III yM f Hi' 4ii 382 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHT. on the surtout. You will see, on the inside of the skin, a number of spots ; these were occasioned by a small insect bred there from the eggs of a species of fly, which, together with the vast numbers of mosquitoes, obliges this charming animal to migrate annually north and .south, as the seasons change. " The boots are made also of reindeer skin, and ornamented with European cloth ; the form is Tartar ; they cost eight roubles. The socks for the boots are made of the skin of an old reindeer. They are worn on the inside of the boots, with the hair to the feet, with or without stockings. These were presented to me, and came from the borders of the Frozen Ocean. The cloak which they are wrapped up in was made in London. I trav- elled on foot with it in Denmark, Sweden, Lapland, Finland, and the Lord knows where. I have slept in it, eat in it, drank in it, fought in it, negotiated in it. Through every scene it has been my constant and hardy servant, from my departure till my return to London. And now, to give it an asylum, (for I have none,) I send it to you. Lay it up; as soon as I can, I will call and lay myself up with it. I have mentioned the prices of the above articles, to give you a notion how dear fur dresses are, even in the remotest parts of the JOHN LEDYARD. 383 vast dominions of Russia. These clothes were not ali that I wore last winter ; I wore many others, and froze my nose and ears after all. •Yon have no idea of the excessive cold in those regions." The Society in whose service Ledyard was now engaged had its origin with a few indi- viduals in London, but the number of its mem- bers soon increased to about two hundred, among whom were some of the most eminent men in the kingdom. Their immediate ob- ject was to promote discoveries in the interior of Africa, and a fund was raised by a subscrip- tion from each member, for the purpose of efiecting that object. The Society was de- nominated the " African Association," and was patronized by the King. A committee was to be annually chosen by ballot, whose duty it was to transact the affairs of the Society, by taking charge of the funds, employing persons to travel, collecting intelligence, and keeping up a correspondence with various parts of Africa. The first committee appointed, and that witlu which Ledyard made his arrangements, con- sisted of Lord Rawdon, the Bishop of Landaff, Sir Joseph Banks, Mr. Beaufoy, and Mr. Sten- art. Among the other members, who joined the Society at the beginning, were Mr. Ad- if I ft f j ut m '■fl Whi m \M 384 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. dington, the Earl of Bute, General Conwaj'. the Duke of Grafton, Edward Gibbon, John Hunter, Dr. Lettsom, the Earl of Moira, the Duke of Northumberland, Lord Sheffield, Ben- jamin Vaughan, and Mr. Wilberforce. An in- stitution, supported by names of such weight and respectabih'ty, would naturally attract pub- lic attention, and insure all the success of which the nature of its designs was suscep tib.3. For many ages the continent of Africa had been a neglected portion of the globe, of which the rest of the world had taken little account. The learning, and splendor, and prowess of Egypt were departed; Carthage, with all its glory, had sunk into the dust ; the j^roud mon- uments of Numidian greatness had been blotted from the face of the earth, and almost from the memory of man. The gloom of this scene was heightened, not more by the ravages of time in destroying what had been, than by the contrasts which succeeding changes had pro- duced. A semibarbarous population, gathered from the wrecks of fallen nations, enemies to the arts and to the best social interests of man, had gradually spread themselves over the whole northern borders of Africa, and presented a barrier to the hazards of enterprise, no less than to the inroads of civilization. Whatever JOHN LLDYAIID. 385 iui,^!il be tlic ardor for discovery and the dis- regard of danger, nobody cared to penetrate into these regions, where all was uncertainty, and whore the chance of success bore no pro- portion to the perils that must be encountered. There is no question, that the northern half of Africa was better known to the Romans at the time of Julius Caesar, than to the Eu- ropeans in the middle of the eighteenth cen- tury, A few scattered names of rivers, towns, and nations, occupied the map of the interior, traced there by a hesitating hand, on the dubi- ous authority of the Nubian geographer Edris- si, and the Spanish traveller Leo Africanus. The rhymes of Swift on this subject were not more witty than true. " Geographers, in Afric maps, With savage pictures fill their gaps, And o'er unhabitable downs Place elephants, for want of towns." At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Leo penetrated as far as Timbuctoo and the Niger ; but so imperfect were his descriptions even of what he saw, that very little geographical knowledge was communicated by them. He was on the banks. of the Niger; but it could not be ascertained from . his account, whether this river ran to the east or west, nor, indeed, whether it existed as a separate stream. VOL. XIV. 25 I If m tw ■'•'■•■ jK. !l iif y illi'i, I h 386 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. M In short, down to the time when the Afri- can Association was formed, almost the whole of this vast continent, its geography and phys- ical resources, its inhabitants, governments, lan- guages, were a desideratum in the history of nature and of man. It could not be doubted, that many millions of human beings inhabited these hidden regions. Nor were the character and condition of these people, their institutions and social advancement, mere matters of curi- osity ; they had a relation to the people of other parts of the globe, and, when discovered and understood, might be turned to the com- mon advantage of the great human family. There are no nations that may not profit by an intercourse between each other, either by an exchange of products peculiar to each, or by a reciprocal moral influence, or by both. On these broad and benevolent principles the Society for promoting discoveries in Africa was instituted, and the scheme was worthy of the enlightened philanthropists by Avhom it was devised. Ledyard's instructions were few, sim- ple, and direct. He was to repair first to Egypt, travel thence across the continent, make such observations as he could, and report the results to the Association. Everything was left to his discretion. His past experience, the extraordinary energy of his character, his disin- JOHN LEDYARD. 387 terestedness, and the enthusiasm with which he engaged in tlie present undertaking, were all sncli as to insure the confidence of his employers, and inspire them v/ith sanguine hopes. As for himself, at no period of his life had he reflected with so much satisfaction on his condition or his prospects. Heretofore he had always been alone, oppressed with poverty, and contending with an adverse fate. But now he was free from want, patronized by the first men in Great Britain, and engaged at their solicitation, and under their auspices, in an en- terprise, fraught, it is true, with many dangers, but promising the glory of which he had ever been ambitious, and opening to him a field of adventure, which his imagination had pictured to him as the first to be chosen, after he had discharged what he deemed a paramount duty, in exploring the unknown parts of the conti- nent to which he owed his birth. When he was departing from London for Egypt, he may be said to have been, for the first time in his life, at the summit of his wishes. All previous cares, defeats, and disasters appear 4o have been forgotten, or swallowed up in the deep interests of the present, and the cherished anticipations of the future. A letter written to his mother at this time indicates the tone of his spirits. fll I. . j,^' i uc "■■ft-;-;, ■If 'Wii' m H M III m i 388 AMERICAN BIOORAPHT. lit 1^ m m Jill It M III mm " Truly is it written, that the ways of God are past finding out, and his decrees unsearch- able. Is the Lord thus great? So also is he good. I am an instance of it. I have tram- pled the world under my feet, laughed at fear, and derided danger. Through millions of fierce savages, over parching deserts, the freez- ing north, the everlasting ice, and stormy seas, have I passed without harm. How good is ?iiy God ! What rich subjects have 1 for praise, love, and adoration ! " I am but just returned to England from my travels of two years, and am going away into Africa to examme that continent. I ex- pect to be absent three years. 1 shall be in Egypt as soon as I can get there, and after that go into unknown parts. I have full and perfect health. Remember me to my brothers and sisters. Desire them to remember me, for, if Heaven permits, I shall see them again. I pray God to bless and comfort you all. Farewell." At length the preparations for his departure were completed. He had become well ac- quainted with the views of the committee ; and a sufficient amount of money had been raised, by the subscriptions, to provide for the expenses of his journey to Egypt, and to pur- chase such articles of merchandise as might JOHN LEOYAKD. 389 be found necessary to enable him to assume the character of a trader in a* caravan to the interior, or for travelling in any other manner, wiiich he should deem most expedient when on the spot. The last letter he wrote to America was a short one, dated at London, on the 29th of June. " I suppose that my letter and curiosities, sent by Mr. Jar vis, are now half way over the Atlantic. Here you have a little portrait, which I leave to the care of his brother in town. Enclosed with it is a poor portrait of me, taken by the dumb boy mentioned in my other letter. If it were anything like paint- ing, I would desire you to keep it. As it is, I beg you will send it to my mother. She will be as fond of it, as if done by Guido. I would have sent it framed, if the opportunity would have permitted. To-morrow morning I set out for France. Adieu." Accordingly he left London on the 30th of June. Mr. Beaufoy speaks of the interview he had with him, just as he was setting off, and adds these affecting remarks, as given in Led- yard's own words. " ' 1 am accustomed,' said he, in our last conversation, ('twas on the morning of his de- parture for Africa,) '1 am accustomed to hard- ships. I have known both hunger and naked- i it: t-' .11 PW'. I ■r' It. V' ■ i: \ ' I . 'I- ; 'i ■■ ■"'''"•'11 ml m PiJI 396 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ing merits more the whole force of burlesque, than both the poetic and prosaic legends of this country. Sweet are the songs of Egypt on paper. Who is not ravished with gum?, balms, dates, figs, pomegranates, cassia, and sycamores, without recollecting that amidst these are dust, hot and fainting winds, bugs, mosquitos, spiders, flies, leprosy, fevers, and almost universal blindness ? I am in perfect health. Adieu for the present, and believe me to be, with all possible esteem and regard, your sincere friend." CHAPTER XIV. *^;'i«!i Interview u\lth the Aga. — Observations on the Customs of the Arabs. — Information respect- ing the Interior of Africa. — Visit to the Caravans and Slave Markets. — Rejlections on his Condition and Prospects. — His last Let- ter to Mr. Jefferson. — Joins a Caravan and prepares to depart for Sennnar. — Taken suddenhj ill. — Hi? Death. — His Person and Character. As he was furnished with letters of recom- mendation to the British Consul at Cairo, he fbund little difficulty in procuring such accom- JOHN I. E D Y A R D . 397 modations as he desired, and such information as enabled him to direct his attention imme- diately to the great object of his mission. His intention was to join a caravan bound to the interior, and to continne with it u the end of its rente. Beyond this he must be guided by circumstances, which could not be foreseen, and concerning which no calculation was to be made. He adopted a dress suited to the character he was to assume, and began in earn- est to study the manners of the people around him, and particularly of the traders in the car- avans, which were then at Cairo. Three months were passed in this occupation. He kept a journal of whatever he deemed most worthy of record, which was afterwards trans- mitted to the African Association. Such parts of the journal, as are contained in the Pro- ceedings of that body, will here be added. They bear the peculiar marks of the author's mind, his habits of observation, his boldness of thought and opinion, and his quick percep- tion of resemblance and contrast in the vari- ous races of men. ^^ August liih. I left Alexandria at mid- night, with a pleasant breeze north ; and was, at sinn'ise next morning, at the mouth of the Nile, which has a bar of sand across it, and soundings as irregular as the sea, which is I'm r-.4 1 m Pi m 398 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. pWi K| raised upon it by the contentions of counter currents and winds. " The" view in sailing up the Nile is very- con fined, unless from the top of the mast, or some other eminence, and then it is an un- bounded plain of excellent land, miserably cul- tivated, and yet interspersed with a great num- ber of villages, both on its banks and as far along the meadows as one can see in any di- rection. The riv'^er is also filled with boats passing and repassing ; boats all of one kind, and navigated in one manner ; nearly also of one size, the largest carrying ten or fifteen tons. On board of these boats are seen onions, watermelons, dates, sometimes a horse, a camel, (which lies down in the boat,) sheep, goats, dogs, men, and women. Towards evening and morning they have music. " Whenever we stopped at a village, 1 used to walk into it with my conductor, who, being a Mussulman, and a descendant from Mahomet, wore a green turban, and was therefore respect- ed, and I was sure of safety ; but, in truth, dressed as I was in a common Turkish habit, I believe I should have walked as safely with- out him, I saw no propensity among the in- habitants to incivility. The villages are most miserable assemblages of poor little mud huts, flung very close together without any kind of JOHN L E D Y A R D , 309 order, full of dust, lice, fleas, bugs, flits, aud all the curses of Moses ; people poorly clad, the youths naked ; in such res[)ects, they rank in- finitely below any savages 1 ever saw. " The common people wear nothing but a shirt and drawers, and they are always blue. Green is the royal, or holy color ; none but the descendants of Mahomet, if I am rightl)' informed, being permitted to wear it. ^^ August 19th. From the little town where we landed, the distance to Cairo is about a mile and a half, which we rode on asses; for the ass in this country is the Christian's horse, as he is allowed no other animal to ride upon. Indeed I find the situation of a Christian, or what they more commonly call here a Frank, to be very, very humiliating, ignominious, and distressing. No one, by a combination of any causes, can reason down to such eflfects as ex- perience teaches us do exist here ; it being impossible to conceive, that the enmity I have alluded to could exist between men ; or, in fact, that the same species of beings, from any causes whatever, should ever think and act so liifFerentl/ as the Egyptians and the Eng- lish do. " 1 arrived at Cairo early in the mormng, on the 19th of August, and went to the house of the Venetian Consul, Mr. Rosetti, charge ■.::!' I '4 ■m ■ m dm ^^B 400 AMERICAN B 1 O G R A IMI y . MM d^ affaires for tlie English Consul here. Aftei dinner, not being able to find any other lodg- ing, and receiving no very pressing invitation from Mr. Rosetti to lodge with him, I went to a convent. This convent consists of mission- aries, sent by the Pope to propagate the Chris- tian faith, or at least to give shelter to Chris- tians. The Christians here are principally from Damascus ; the convent is governed by the order of Recollets ; a number of English, as well as other European travellers, have lodged there. " August 26th. This day I was introduced by Rosetti to the Aga Mahommed, the confi- dential minister of Ismael, the most powerful of the four ruling Beys. He gave me his hand to kiss, and with it the promise of letters, protection, and support, through Turkish Nubia, and also to some chiefs far inland. In a sub- sequent conversation, he told me I should see in my travels a people who had power to transmute themselves into the forms of differ- ent animals. He asked me what I thought of the affair. 1 did not like to render the ignorance, simplicity, and credulity of the Turk apparent. I told him, that it formed a part of the character of all savages to be great necro- mancers; but that I had never before heard of any so great as those which he had done t Am '■ .! JOHN LEDYARD. 401 me the honor to describe ; that it had rendered me more anxious to be on my voyage, and, if I passed among them, I would, in the letter 1 promised to write to hinij give him a more particular account of them tiian he had hith- erto had. He asked me how I could travel without the language of the people where I should pass. I told him, with vocabularies. [ might as well have read to him a page of Newton's Principia. He returned to his fables again. Is it not curious, that the Egyptians (for I s])cak of the natives of the country, as well as of him, when I make the observation,) are still such dupes to the arts of sorcery ? Was it the same people who built the pyra- mids ? " I cannot understand that the Turks have a better opinion of our mental powers than we have of theirs ; but they say of us, that we are ' a pcojile who carry our minds on our fingers^ ends ; ' meaning, that we put them in exercise constantly, and render them subservient to all manner of purposes, and with celerity, despatch, and ease, do what we do. " I suspect the Copts to have been the ori- gin of the Negro race ; the nose and lips cor- respond with those of the Negro. The hair, whenever I can see it among the people here, (the Copts,) is curled ; not close like the Ne- VOL. xiv. 26 ki #■•■ J,,.. ) h^ s .1 ,» 402 AMERlCiLN BIOGRAPHY. 't >':'^ ml >. i»'i w* 1*1 groes, but like the Mulattoes. I observe a greater variety of color among the human spe- cies here, than in any other country ; and a greater variety of feature, than in any other country not possessing a greater degree of civ- ihzation. I have seen an Abyssinian woman, and a Bengal man ; the color is the same in both ; so are their features and persons. " I have seen a small mummy ; it has what 1 call wampum-work on it. It appears as com- mon here as among the Tartars. Tattooing is as prevalent among the Arabs of this place, as among the South Sea Islanders. It is a little curious, that the women here are more generally than in any other part of the world tattooed on the chin, with perpendicular lines descending from the under lip to the chin, like the women ou the Northwest Coast of America. It is also a custom here to stain the nails red, like the Coclihi Chinese, and the northern Tartars. The mask, or veil, that the women here wear, resembles exactly that worn by the priests at Otaheite, and those seen at the Sandwich Islands. " I have not yet seen the Arabs make use of a tool like our axe or hatchet ; but what they use for such purposes, as we do our hatchet and axe, is in the form of an adze, and is a form we found most agreeable to JOHN LEDYARD. 403 tho South Sea islanders. I see no instance of a tool formed designedly for the use of the right or left hand particularly, as the cotogon is among the Yakuti Tartars. " There is certainly a very remarkable affin- ity between the Russian and Greek dress. The fillet round the temples of the Greek and Russian women is a circumstance in dress, that perhaps would strike nobody as it does me ; and so of the wampum-work, too, which is also found among them both. They spin liere with the distaff and spindle only, like the French peasantry, and others in Europe ; and the common Arab loom is upon our principle, though rude. I saw to-day an Arab woman^ white, like the white Ind ans in the South Sea Islands, and at the Isthmus of Darien These kind of people all look alike. Among the Greek women here, I find the identical Archangel headdress. " Their music is instrumental, consisting of a drum and pipe, both which resemble those two instruments in the South Seas. The drum is exactly like the Otaheite drum ; the pipe is made of cane, and consists of a long and short tube joined ; the music resembles very much the bagpipe, and is pleasant. All their music is concluded, if not accompanied, by the clapping of hands. I think it singular, I' f]. SI) H '"i 404 AMERICAN BIOGUAPHY. !-%Cp5^ t m Rm2 E' l^fHi m4 M^J m: that tlie women here make a noise with theii mouths like frogs, and that this frog music is always made at weddings; and I believe on all other occasions of merriment, where there are women. ''It is remarkable, that the dogs here are of just the same species found among the Otaheitans. It is also remarkable, that in one village I saw exactly the same machines used for diversion as in Russia. I forget the Rus- sian name for it. It is a large kind of wheel, on the extremities of which there are sus- pended seats, in wluch people are whirled round over and under each other. " The women dress their hair behind, ex- actly in the same manner in which the women of the Kalmuk Tartars dress theirs. " In the history of the kingdom of Benin, in Guinea, the chiefs are called Aree Roee, or street kings. Among the islands in the South Seas, Otaheite and others, they call the chiefs Arces, and the great chiefs Arcc Ic Hoi I tliink this curious ; and so I do, that it is a custom of the Arabs to spread a blanket, when they would invite any one to eat or rest with them. The American Indians spread the bea- ver skins on such occasions. The Arabs of the dc:.crts, like the Tartars, have an invinci- ble attachment to liberty; no arts will rccon- MP JOHN L E D Y A R £) . 405 if [le, or OLlth ihiefs I is ;i heti Kvith bea- of linci- con* cile them to any olher life, or form of govern- ment, however modified. T'his is a character given me here of the Arabs. It is singular, that the Arah language has no word for lib' erty, although it has for slave. The Arabs, like the New Zealanders, engage with a long, strong spear. " I have made the best inquiries I have been able, since I have been here, of the na- ture of the country before me ; of Sennaar, Darfoor, Wangara, of Nubia, Abyssinia, of those named, or unknown by name. I should have been happy to have sent you better informa- tion of those places than I am yet able to do. It will appear very singular to you in England, that we in Egypt are so ignorant of countries which we annually visit. The Egyptians know as little of geography as the generality of the French ; and, like them, sing, dance, and traffic without it. " I have the best assurances of a certain and safe conduct, by the return of the caravan that is arrived from Sennaar ; and Mr. Rosetti tells me, that the letters I shall have from the Aga here will, insure me of being conveyed, from hand to hand, to my journey's end. The Mahometans in Africa are what the Russians are in Siberia, a trading, enterprising, supersti- tious, warlike set of vagabonds, and wherever '■If I I m r ^^ 406 MERICAN BIOGRAPHY, ^:'< wt-; ,, ihey are set upon going, they will and do go ; but they neither can nor do make voyages merely commercial, or merely religious, across Africa ; and where we do not find them iii commerce, we find them not at all. They cannot, however vehemently pushed on by re- ligion, afford to cross the continent without trading by the way. " October 14th. I went to-day to the m^i- ket-place, where they vend the black j " v that come from towards the interior parts of Africa. There were two hundred of them to- gether, dressed and ornamented as in their country. The appearance of a savage in every region is almost the same. There were very few men among them ; this indicates that they are prisoners of war. They have a great many beads, and other ornaments about -them, that are fom the East. I was told by one of them, that they came from the west of Sen- naar, fifty-five days' journey, which may he about four or five hundred miles. A Negro chief said the Nile had its source in his coun- Uj. In general they had their hair plaited in a great number Oi" small detached plaits, none exceeding in length six or eight inches ; the hair was filled with grease and dirt, purposely daubed on. " October 16th. I have renewed my visit J c JOHN LEDYARD 407 L-tsely visit { he egro oun- ;d in none the to-day, and passed it more agreeably than yes- terday ; for yesterday I was rudely treated- The Franks are prohibited to purchase slaves, and therefore the Turks do not like to see them in the market. Mr. Rosetti favored me with one of his running charge d'affaires to accompa.iy me ; but having observed yesterday among the ornaments of the Negroes a variety of beads, and wanting to know from what country they came, I requested Mr. Rosetti, previously to my second visit, to show me from his store samples of Venetian beads. He showed me samples of fifteen hundred differ- ent kinds ; after this I set out. " The name of the country these savages come from is Uarfoor, and is well known on account of the slave trade, as well as of that in gum and elephants' teeth. The appearance of these Negroes declares them to be a people in as savage a state as any people can be ; but not of so savage a temper, or of that spe- cies of countenance that indicates savage in- telligence. They appear a harmless wild peo- ple ; but they are mostly young women. ''The beads they are ornamented with are Venetian ; and they have some Venetian brass medals, which the Venetians make for trade. The beads are worked wampum-wise. I know not where they got the marine shells they d ■ ill I ts « ■M IB' 40S AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. m worked among their beads, nor how they could have seen white men. I asked them if they would use me well in their count) y, if I should visit it ? They said, Ye^ ; and added, that they should make a king of me, and treat me with all the delicacies of their country. Tiike the Egyptian women, and like most othe- t v;es, they stick on ornaments wherever they can, and wear, like them, a great ring in the nose, either from the cartilage or from the side ; they also rub on some black kind of paint round the eyes, like the Egyptian women. They are a sizeable, well formed people, quite black, with what I believe, we call the true Guinea face, and with curled short hair ; but not more curled or shorter than I have seen it among the Egyptians ; but, i" general, these savages plait it in tassels plastered with clay or paint. Among some of them the hair is a foot long, and curled, resembling exactly one of our mops. The prevailing color, where it can be seen, is a black and red mixed. I think it would make any hair curl, even Uncle Toby's wig, to be plaited and plastered as this is. This caravan, which I call the Darfoor caravan, is not very rich. The Sennaar is the rich caravan. ^^ October 19th. I went yesterday to see if more of the Darfoor caravan had arrived; but JOHN LEDYARD. 409 could f they , if I added, d treat aukitry. it othcr- er they in the e side ; f paint women, e, quite he true lir; but seen it 1, these th clay air is a one of it can think it Toby's this is. caravan, he rich t) see if ed; but they were not. I wonder why travellers to Cairo have n t visited these slave markets, and conversed with the Jelabs, or travelling mer- chants of these caravans ; both are certainly sources of great information. The eighth part of tlie money expended on other accounts might here answer some good, solid purpose. For my part, I have not expended a crown, and I have a better idea of the people of Af- rica, of its trade, of the position of places, the nature of the country, and manner of travel- ling, than ever I had by any other means ; and, I believe, better than any other means would afford me. ^* October 25th. I have been again to the slave market ; but neither the Jelabs (a name whicli in this country is given to all travel- ling merchants) nor the slaves are yet arrived in town ; they will be here to-morrow. I met two or three in the street, and one with a shield and spear. I have understood to-day, that the King of Sennaar is himself a mer- chant, and concerned in the Sennaar caravans. The merchant here, who contracts to convey me to Sennaar, is Procurer at Cairo to the King of Sennaar ; this is a good circumstance, and one I knew not of till to-day. Mr. Ro- setti informed me of it. He informed me also, that this year the importation of Negro slaves M I A ■•'I ■U ■' ii :in "'■fl ■9' .1 '■II 410 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. into Egypt will amount to twenty thousand. The caravans from the interior countries of Africa do not arrive here uniformly every year ; they are sometimes absent two or three years. " Among a dozen of Sennaar slaves, I saw three personable men, of a good bright olive color, of vivacious and intelligent countenances; but they had all three (which first attracted my notice) heads uncommonly formed ; the forehead was the narrowest, the longest, and most protuberant I ever saw. Many of these slaves speak a few words of the Arab lan- guage ; but whether they learned them before or since their captivity I cannot tell. "A caravan goes from here to Fezzan, which they call a journey of fifty days ; and from Fezzan to Tombuctou, which they call a journey of ninety days. The caravans travel about twenty miles a day, which makes the distance on the road from here to Fezzan one thoLj-^ind miles ; and from Fezzan to Tom- buctou, one thousand eight hundred miles. From here to Sennaar is reckoned six hun- dred miles. I have been waiting several days to have an interview with the Jelabs, who go from hence to Sennaar. I am told that they carry, in general, trinkets ; but among other things soap, antimony, red linen, razors, scis- sors, mirrors, beads j and, as far as I can yet JOHN L E D V A 11 D . dU jzzan, ; and call a ravel the ezzan Tom- miles. hun- days ho go they other scis- n yet learn, they bring from Sennaar elephants teeth, the gum called here gmn Sennaar, camels, os- trich leatliers, and slaves. '' VVangara is talked of here as a place pro- ducing much gold, and as a kingdora; all ac- counts, and there are many, agree in this. The King of Wangara (whom I hope to see in about lliree months after leaving this) is said to dispose of just what quantity lie pleases of his gold ; sometimes a great deal, and some- times little or none ; and this, it is said, he does to prevent -strangers knowing how rich he is, and that he may live in peace." In a letter to the Association are expressed his undiminished zeal in their cause, the high motives which impelled him onward, and his utter indifference to everything but the success of his undertaking. " Money! it is a vile slave ! 1 have at pres- ent an economy of a more exalted kind to observe. I have the eyes of some of the first men of the first kingdom on earth turned upon me. I am engaged, by those very men, ill the most important object that any private individual can be engaged in. I have their approbation to acquire or to lose ; and their esteem, also, which I prize beyond everything, except the independent idea of serving man- kind. Should rashness or desperation ca»-ry ! I ■4 ^iPi i Ml it m 412 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. 4 (I! (fi ^■. i: fife m me through, whatever fame the vain and inju- dicious might bestow, I should not accept of it ; it is the good and great I look to. Fame bestowed by them is altogether different, and is closely allied to a ' Well done ' from God. But rashness will not be likely to carry me through, any more than timid caution. To find the necessary medium of conduct, to vary and apply it to contingencies, is the economy I allude to ; and if I succeed by such means, men of sense in any succeeding epoch will not blush to follow me, and perfect those discov- eries which I have only abilities to trace out roughly, or a disposition to attempt. A Turk- ish sopha has no charms for me ; if it had, I could soon obtain one here. Believe me, a single ' Well done ' from your Association has more worth in it to me than all the trappings of the East ; and what is still more precious is, the pleasure I have in the justification of my own conduct at the tribunal of my own heart." On the 15th of November he again wrote to Mr. .Tsffersoi-v, as follows. " This is my third letter to you from Egypt. I should certainly write to the Marquis de La- fayette, if I knew where to find him. I speak of him often among the French at Cairo. But if ' our news here, with respect to the affairs JOHiN LED YARD. 413 gypt- La- speak But affairs of France, be authentic, he would hardly find time to read my letter, if his active spirit is employed in the conilict in ])roporlion to its powers. It is possible, however, that my com- pliments may reach him, and 1 desire it may be through your means. Tell liim that I love him, and that the French patriots in Cairo call on the name of Suffrein and Lafayette, the one for point-blank honesty, and the other as the soldier and the courtier. The old vet- eran in finance and civil economy, Mr. Necker, is welcome to the helm. '^ 1 liave now been in Cairo three months, and it is within a few days only that I have had any certainty of being able to proceed in the prosecution of my voyage. The difficul- ties that have attended me have occupied me day and night. I should otherwise not only have written to you oftener, but should have given you some little history of what 1 have lieard and seen. My excuse now is, that I am doing up my ])aggage for my journey, and most curious baggage it is. 1 shall leave Cairo in two or three days. " Perhaps 1 should not have pleased you, if I had written much in detail. I think I know your taste for ancient history ; it does not comport with what experience teaches me. The enthusiastic avidity with which you .ill Jf!, 414 AMERICAN BIOGKArHY search for treasures in Egypt, and I suppose all over the East, ought in justice to the world, and your own generous propensities, to he modified, corrected, and abated. I should have written you the truth. It is disagreeable to hear it, when habit has accustomed one to falsehood. You have the travels of Savary in this country. Burn them. Without entering into a discussion that would be too long for a letter, I cannot tell you why I think most iiistorians have written more to satisfy them- selves than to benefit others. I am certainly very angry with those, who have written of the countries where I have travelled, and of this particularly. They have all more or less deceived me. In some cases, perhaps, it is difficult to determine which does the most mischief, the self-love of the historian or the curiosity of the reader; but both together have led us into errors, that it is now too late to rectify. You will think iiy head is turned, to write you such a letter from Egypt ; but the reason is, I do not intend it shall be turned. '' I have passed my time disagreeably here. Religion does more mischief in Egypt than all other things, and here it has always done more than in most other places. The humiliating situation of a Frank would be insupportable to me, except for my voyage. It is a shame JOHN LEDYARD. 415 shame to the sons of Europe, that tliey should suffer such arrogance at tlie hands of a banditti of ignorant fanatics. I assure myself, that even your curiosity and love of antiquity would not detain you in Egypt three months. '• From Cairo I am to travel south^vost ab(»ut three hundred leagues to a black ki ig. Then my present conductors will leave me to my fate. Beyond, I suppose I shall go alone. 1 expect to cut the continent across between the parallels of twelve and twenty degrees of north latitude. If possible, I shall write you from the kingdom of this black gentleman. If not, do not forget me in the interval of time which niay pass during my voyage from thence to Europe, and as likely to France as any- where. I shall not forget you ; indeed, it will be a consolation to think of you in my last moments. Be happy." This is the last letter which Ledyard is known to have written, either to Mr. Jefferson or to any other person. He wrote to the sec- retary of the Association, probably by the same conveyance, stating that, aftar much vexatious delay, all things were at last ready for his de- parture, and that his next communication might be expected from Sennaar. The Aga had given him letters of recommendation, his pas- sage was engaged, the terms settled, and the i ill m m m : 416 AMERICAN LlOt. UAFIIY, day fixed, on wliich the caravan wai> to leave Cairo. He wrote in good spirits and apparent liealtli, and the confidence of tlie Association had never been more firm, nor tlieir hopes more saugnine, than at this junctnre. Tlieir extreme disappointment may well be imagined, therefore, when the next letters from Egypt brought the melancholy intelligence of his ieath. During his residence at Cairo, his pursuits liad made it necessary for him to be much ex- posed to the heat of the sun, and to r 'er deleterious influences of the climate, a o most unfavorable season of the year. The consequence was an attack of a bilious com- plaint, which he thought to remove by the common remedy of vitriolic acid. Whether this was admhiistered by himself, or by some other person, is not related ; but the quantity taken was so great as to produce violent and burning pains, that threatened to be fatal, un- less immediate relief could be procured. This was attempted by a powerful dose of tartar emetic. But all was in vain. The best med- ical skill in Cairo was called to his aid with- out effect t ; and he closed his life of vicissitude 1 toil. at the moment when he imagined his 1 severest ( cares were over, and the prospects be- | fore him were more tlaltering • than they had JOHN LEDYARD. 417 been at any former period. He was decently interred, and all suitable respect was paid to his obsequies by such friends as he had found among the European residents in the capital of Egypt. The precise day of his death is not known, but the event is supposed to have happened towards the end of November, 1788. He was then in the thirty-eighth year of his age. So much has been drawn from the travel- ler's own writings in the preceding narrative, that nothing can be added lo make the reader better acquainted with the constitution of his mind, the qualities of his heart, or the charac- teristics of his genius. Mr. Beaufoy's descrip- tion of him is short, but discriminating, and tne more worthy of regard as having been founded on personal knowledge. " To those who. have never seen Mr. Led- vard it may not, perhaps, be uninteresting to ivuow, that his person, though scarcely exceed- ing the middle size, was remarkably expressive of activity and strength ; and that his man- ners, though unpolished, were neither uncivil nor unpleasing. Little attentive to diiference of rank, he seemed to consider all men as his equals, and as such he respected them. His genius, though uncultivated and irregular, was original and comprehensive. Ardent in his VOL. XIV 27 i ii'.iif 418 AMERICAN PiOGKAPHY. wishes, yet calm iu his deliberations ; daring in his pufi^cses, but guarded in his measures ; impatient of control, yet capable of strong en- durance ; adventurous beyond the concppticu of ordinary men, yet wary and considerate, and attentive to all prec?5uticns, he appeared to be formed by Nature for achievements of hardi- hood and peril." Mr. Seymour, who knew .him intimately for many years, has described his person as follows ; " He was above the middle stature ; noi tall nor corpulont ; athletic, firm, and ro- bust ; V ith light eyes and hair, aquiline nose, broad shoulders, and full chest." His letters afford convincing proofs of his kind and amiable disposition, gratitude to his benefactors, humanity, and disinterestedness. This last virtue, indeed, he practised to au ex cess. No man ever acted .with less regard to s(}lf, or ou a broader scale of philanthropy and general good. That he finally accomplished little, compared with the magnitude of his de- signs, was his misfortune, but not his fault. Had he been less eccentric, however, in some of his peculiarities, more attentive to his im- mediate interests, more regardful of the force of circumstances, it is possible that his efforts would have been rewarded with better success. The acts of his life demand notice less on and JOHN LEDYaRD, 410 account of their results, than of the spirit with which they were performed, and the uncom- mon traits of character which prompted to their execution. Such instances of decision, energy, perseverance, fortitude, and enterprise, have rarely been witnessed in the same indi- vidual ; and, in the exercise of these high at- tributes of mind, his example cannot be too much adn ired or imitated. >y if his o his iiess. u ex ard to aud ished Ills de- fault, some is tni- force efforts uccess. ess on