^"^ ^^y.0. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) Mi >= 1.0 I.I US ui liii 12.2 Sf HA ■" I li£ 12.0 IL25 i 1.4 HI i 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/iCiyiH Collection de microfiches. Canadian institute for Historical Microraproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiquas ;V ^ Tachnical and Bibliographic Notas/Notas tachniquaa at bibliographiquaa TN to Tha Inatituta haa attamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availabia for filming. 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Las ditaiis da cat axamplaira qui sont paut-4tra uniquaa du point da vua bibliographiqua, qui pauvant modifiar una imaga raproduita, ou qui pauvant axigar una modification dans la mithoda normaia da filmaga aont indiquAa ci-daaaoua. □ Colourad pagaa/ Pagaa da coulaur D D D Pagaa damagad/ Pagaa andommagiaa Pagaa raatorad and/or laminatad/ Pagas raatauriaa at/ou pallicuiias Pagaa discolourad. stainad or foxad/ Pagaa dacolorias, uchatias ou piquies Pagaa datachad/ Pagaa ditachias Showthrough/ Tranaparanca Th po of filr Ori ba th( sio oti fira sio or nn Quality of print variaa/ Qualit* InAgala da I'impraasion Includaa supplamantary matarial/ Comprand du material aupplimantaira Only adition availabia/ Saula Mition disponibia Th( shi Tl^ wh Ma difl ant bai rig! raq ma Q Pagas wholly or partially obscurad by errata slips, tissuaa, ate, hava baan rafilmad to ansura tha bast possibia imaga/ Las pagaa totalamant ou partiallamant obscuroiaa par un fauillat d'arrata. una paiure. ate, ont 6t4 filmias A nouvaau da fapon A obtanir la maillaura imaga possibia. Additional comments:/ Commantairea supplAmantairas: Vsrtout psgingt. Wrinkled psgst may film (lightly out of focus. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film* au taux da reduction indiqui ci-daasous ■ loy i^v ^9X 22X nx 3uX y 12X 16X aox 24X 2IX 32X Th« copy filmad h«r« hat b««n r«produe«d thanks to tha ganarosity of: Saint John Ragional Library L'axamplaira film* f ut raproduH grAca A la gAnArosM da: Saint John Ragional Library Tha imagaa appaaring hara ara tha baat quality poaslbia conaldaring tha condition and laglblllty of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract spaciflcatlona. Original coplaa in printad papar covara ara fllmad baglnning with tha front covar and anding on tha last paga with a printad or lliuatratad impras- sion, or tha back covar whan appropriata. All othar original coplaa ara fllmad baglnning on tha first paga wKh a printad or illustratad Impras- sion, and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad impraasion. Tha last racordad frama on aach microficha shall contain tha symbol — ^> (moaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol Y (moaning "END"), whichavar appllas. Maps, platas, charts, ate, may ba fllmad at diffarant raduction ratios. Thosa too larga to ba antiraly included In ona axposura ara fllmad baglnning in tha uppar laft hand cornar, iaft to right and top to bottom, as many framas as raquirad. Tha following diagrams lllustrata tha method: ,j.as images suhrantas ont AtA raproduitea avac la plus grand soln, compta tenu de la condition at do la nattetA da I'exemplaira film A, et en conformitA avac las conditions du contrat de fllmege. Lea exemplalrea orlginaux dont la couvarture en pepier eat ImprimAa sont fiimAs en commen^ent par la premier plat et en terminent salt per le dernlAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impreaalon ou d'iiluatration, soit par le second plat, salon la caa. Toua iaeeutres exemplaires orlginaux sont filmAs an commenpant par la premlAra pege qui comporte une empreinte d'imprasslon ou d'iilustration at an terminant per la damlAra pege qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un dee symboiee suh#snts epperettra sur la dernlAre Imege de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: la aymbola -^> signifle "A SUIVRE", le symbols ▼ signifle "FIN". Les certes, pisnches, tsbleeux, etc., peuvent Atre filmAs A dee taux de rAductlon diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grend pour Atre raproduit en un soul ciichA, II est filmA A partir de I'angia supArieur geuche, de geuche A drolte, et de haut en bee. en prenent le nombre d'imeges nAcessaira. Les diegrammes solvents illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 4 5 6 i:rv5jiiV! d Ly A li WJt.r VluUd^ iHl E K utf '^ ii?.-, vi '; IH! > '■^ Ai / "!\, J j£.*^»jff*n rt »j--.-» . , PERSON, .4 L KEMOI Kt;siDEN(lE OF THIETY JTH TH« f\'DIA/N TRIBE >^''^ir^ha. >'i:3>"" OK TBI AiEp)AN FEOKTIEES: « •»«» ^ffiw '^ofK^. 1^ pm^mo EVENTS, ¥Mm. wm *mm)^_^> 4.1>. IS 12 TO A.D. 1842 "^^: ■.)■>':: J. lis*^ #■ p II LiPPlNCO rp.fi % 4lf no AND CO., 1861. ■"4* ^^4 ;i^f "."r-.S-*^" Wf ■■"•f^^w-™ '•*a^'^r.iM».M^-^*«*/- » I KT-TT- -.--*■ A- ^; ■ i ;? ' S I .^1 'iK ? '' PERSONAL MEMOIKS; N*l or A V RESIDENCE OF THIRTY YK ^\kfi Regiona/ &: WITH THE J!, No ..L(P-' V V-' tcR INDIAN TRIBE ON THE AMERICAN FRONTIEES: wnn BRIEF NOTICES OF PASSING EVENTS, FACTS, AND OPINIONS, .^\ A.D. 1812 TO A.D. 1842. BY HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT. PHLLlVC^niA: LIPPINCOTTT GKAMBO AND CO., SUCCESSORS TO GBIGO, ELLIOT AND CO. 1851. A^ij^i'il-'uy^'iU'i'.AiU. J ij4iiiitk.il. .'..5— ii.'.jtt.'^ii-jS-l'L^ftjifei *}«'*(. .J t ifo' ■> v: c \'h V * » >«>*,■ ..-, '*■ , ■•#■" PREFACE. Ten years ago I returned from the area of the Mississippi Valley to New York, my native State, after many years' residence and exploratory travels of that quarter of the Union. Having become extensively known, personally, and as an author, and my name having been associated with several distinguished actors in our western history, the wish has often been expressed to see some record of the events as they occurred. In yielding to this wish, it must not be supposed that the writer is about to submit an auto- biography of himself; nor yet a methodical record of his times — tasks which, were he ever so well qualified for, he does not at all aspire to, and which, indeed, he has not now the leisure, if he had the desire, to undertake. Still, his position on the frontiers, and especially in connection with the management of the Indian tribes, is believed to have been one of marked interest, and to have involved him in events and passages often of thrilling and general moment. And the recital of these, in the simple and unimposing forms of a diary, even in the instances where they may be thought to fail in awakening deep sympathy, or creatinis; high excitement, will be found, he thinks, to possess a living moral undertone. In the perpetual conflict between civilized and barbaric life, during the settlement of the West, the recital will often recall incidents of toil and peril, and frequently show the open or concealed murderer, with his uplifted knife, or deadly gun. As a record of opinion, it will not be too much to say, that the author's approvals are ever on the side of virtue, honor, and right ; that misconception is sometimes prevented by it, and truth always vindicated. If he has sometimes met bad men ; if he has experienced detraction, or injustice ; if even persons of good general repute have sometimes persecuted him, it is only surprising, on general grounds, that the evils of this kind have not VI PREPACK. f. boon greater or more frequent ; but it 18 conceived that the record of such injustice wouM neither render mankind wiser nor the author happier. The "crooked" car.not be made "straight," and ho who attempts it will often find that his inordinate toils only vex his own soul. Ho who docs the ill in society is alone responsible for it, and if he chances not to be rebuked for it on this imperfect theatre of human action, yet he cannot flatter himself at all that he shall pass through a future state "scot free." The author views man ever as an accountable being, who lives, in a providential sense, that ho may have an opportunity to bear record to the principles of truth, wherever he is, and this, it is perceived, can be us effectually done, 80 fcr as there are causes of action or reflection, in the recesses of the forest, as in the area of the drawing-room, or the purlieus of a court. It is believed that, in the present case, the printing of the diary could be more appropriately done, while most of those with whom the author has acted and corresponded, thought and felt, were still on the stage of life. The motives that, in a higher sphere, restrained a Wraxall and a Walpolo in withholding their remarks on passing events, do not operate here ; for if there bo no- thing intestiraonial or faulty uttered, the power of a stern, high- willed government cannot bo brought to boar, to crush independence of thought, or enslave the labors of intellect: for if there be a species of freedom in America more valuable than another, it is that of being pen-free It is Sismondi, I think, who says that "time prepares for a long flight, by relieving himself of every superfluous load, and by cast- ing away everything that ho possibly can.'' The author certainly would not ask him to carry an onerous weight. But, in the history of the settlement of such a country and such a population as this, there must be little, as well as great labors, before the result to be sent forward to posterity can be prepared by the dignified pen of polished history; and the writer seeks nothing more than to furnish some illustrative memoranda for that ultimate task, who- ever may perform it. He originally went to the west for the purpose of science. His mineralogical rambles soon carried him into wide and untrodden fields ; and the share he was called on to take in the exploration of the country, its geography, geology, and natural features, have thrown him in positions of excitement and peril, which furnish, it is PRBFAOI. Tii Bupposoil, an appropriate apology, if apology be necessary, for the publication of these memoirs. But whatever degree of interest and originality may have been connected with his early observations and discoveries in science, geography, or antiquities, the circumstances which directed his attention to the Indian tribes — their history, manners and customs, languages, and general ethnology, have been deemed to lay his strongest claim to public respect. The long period during which these observations have been continued to be made, his intimate relations with the tribes, the favorable circumstances of his position and studies, and the ardor and assiduity with which he has availed himself of them, have created expectations in his case which few persons, it is believed, in our history, have excited. It is under these circumstances that the following selections from his running journal are submitted. They form, as it were, a thread connecting acts through a long period, and are essen' •! to their true understanding and development. A word may be said respecting the manner of the record which is thus exhibited : — The time is fixed by quoting exactly the dates, and the names of persons are invariably given wherever they could, with propriety, be employed ; often, indeed, in connection with what may be deemed trivial occurrences ; but these were thought essential to the proper relief and understanding of more important matters. Indeed, a large part of the journal consists of extracts from the letters of the individuals referred to ; and in this way it is conceived that a good deal of the necessarily offensive character of the egotism of journalism is got rid of. No one will object to see li!d name in print while it is used to express a kind, just, or noble sentiment, or to advance the cause of truth ; and, if private names are ever employed for a contrary purpose, I have failed in a designed cau- tiousness in this particular. Much that required disapprobation has been omitted, which a ripening judgment and more enlarged Chris- tian and philosophic view has passed over ; and much more that invited condemnation was never committed to paper. Should circumstances favor it, the passages whioh are omitted, but ap- proved, to keep the work in a compact shape, will be hereafter added, with some pictorial illustrations of the scenery. The period referred to, is one of considerable interest. It is the thirty years that succeeded the declaration of war by the United via PREFACE. States, in 1812, against Great Britain, and embraces a large and important part of the time of the settlement of the Mississippi Valley, and the great lake basins. During this period ten States have been added to the Union. Many actors who now slumber in their graves are called up to bear witness. Some of the number were distinguished men ; others the reverse. Red and white men alike express their opinions. Anecdotes and incidents succeed each other without any attempt at method. The story these inci- dentally tell, is the story of a people's settling the wilderness. It is the Anglo-Saxon race occupying the sites of the Indian wig- wams. It is a field in which plumed sachems, farmers, legisla- tors, statesmen, speculators, professional and scientific men, and missionaries of the gospel, figure in their respective capacities. Nobody seems to have set down to compose an elaborate letter, and yet the result of the whole, viewed by the philosophic eye, is a broad field of elaboration. HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT. Philadelphia, Sept. 12th, 1851. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Brief reminiscences of scenes from 1809 to 1817 — ^Events preliminary to a knowledge of western life — Embarkation on the source of the Alleghany River — Descent to Pittsburgh — Valley of the Monongahela ; its coal and iron — Descent of the Ohio in an ark — Scenes and incidents by the way — Cincinnati — Some persontii incidents which happened there - - 17 CHAPTER II. Descent of the Ohio River from Cincinnati to its mouth — Ascent of the Mississippi, from the junction to Herculaneum — Its rapid and turbid character, and the difficulties of stemming its current by barges — Some incidents by the way 25 CHAPTER III. Reception at Herculaneum, and introduction to the founder of the first American colony in Texas, Mr. Austin — His character — Continuation of the journey on foot to St. Louis — Incidents by the way — Trip to the mines — Survey of the mine country — Expedition from Potosi into the Ozark Mountains, and return, after a winter's absence, to Potosi - - 32 CHAPTER IV. Sit down to write an account of the mines — Medical properties of the Mis- sissippi water — Expedition to the Yellow Stone — Resolve to visit Wash- ington with a plan of managing the mines — Descend the river from St. Genevieve to New Orleans — Incidents of the trip — Take passage in a ship for New York — Reception with my collection there — Publish my memoir on the mines, and proceed with it to Washington — Result of my plan — Appointed geologist and mineralogist on an expedition to the sources of the Mississippi --- 39 CHAPTER V. Set out on the expedition to the northwcst- WeeKS ai ixew York — Visit Niagara Falls, and reach Detroit in the first steamer — Prepa- X ; • CONTENTS. rations for a new style of traveling — Correspondents— General sketch of the route pursued by the expedition, and its results — Return to Albany, and publish my narrative — Journal of it — Preparation for a scientific account of the observations ---45 i CHAPTER VI. Reception by the cbuntry on my return — Reasons for publishing my narra- tive without my reports for a digested scientific account of the expedition — Delays interposed to this — Correspondents — Locality of strontian — Letter from Dr. Mitchell — Report on the copper mines of Lake Superior — Theo- retical geology — Indian symbols — Scientific subjects — Complete the publi- cation of my work — Its reception by the press and the public — Effects on my mind — Receive the appointment of Secretary to the Indian Commission at Chicago— Result of the expedition, as shown by a letter of Dr. Mitchell to General Cass 55 \ CHAPTER VII. Trip through the Miami of the lakes, and the Wabash Valley — Cross the grand prairie of Illinois — Revisit the mines — Ascend the Illinois — Fever^ Return through the great lakes — ^IVotice of the " Trio" — Letter from Profes- sor Silliman — Prospect of an appointment under government — Loss of the " Walk-in-the-Water" — Geology of Detroit — Murder of Dr. Madison by a Winnebago Indian ----67 ! CHAPTER VIII. i. New-Yearing — A prospect opened — Poem of Ontwa — Indian biography — Fossil tree — Letters from various persons — Notice of Ontwa — Professor Silliman — Gov. Clinton — Hon. J. Meigs — Colonel Benton — Mr. Dickenson — Professor Hall — Views of Ex-presidents Madison, Jefferson, and Adams on geology — Geological notices — Plan of a gazetteer — Opinions of my A'aira^iVe/oMmoZ by scientific gentlemen — The impostor John Dunn Hunter — Trip up the Potomac — Mosaical chronology — Visit to Mount Ver- non - - I 76 : CHAPTER IX. Appointed an agent of Indian affairs for the United States at Saint Mary's — Reasons for the; acceptance of the office — Journey to Detroit — Illness at that point — Arrival of a steamer with a battalion of infiintry to establish a new military post at the foot of Lake Superior — Incidents of the voyage to that point — Reach our destination, and reception by the residents and Indians — A European and man of honor fled to the wilderness - 87 CONTENTS. 4 CHAPTER X. Incidents of the summer during the establishment of the new post at St. Mary's — Life in a nut-shell — Scarcity of room — High prices of everything — State of the Indians — Their rich and picturesque costume — Council and its inci- dents — Fort site selected and occupied — The evil of ardent spirits amongst the Indians — Note from Governor De Witt Clinton — Mountain ash — Curious superstitions of the Odjibwas — Language — Manito poles — Copper — Super- stitious regard for Venus— Fine harbor in Lake Superior — Star family — A locality of necromancers — Ancient Chippewa capital — Eating of animals 94 CHAPTER XI. Murder of Soan-ga-ge-zhick, a Chippewa, at the head of the falls — Indian mode of interment — Indian prophetess — Topic of interpreters and interpreta- tion — Mode of studying the Indian language — The Johnston family — Visits — Katewabeda, chief of Sandy Lake — Indian mythology, and oral tales and legends — Literary opinion — Political opinion — Visit of the chief Little Pine — Visit of Wabishkepenais — A despairing Indian — Geography 104 CHAPTER XII. A pic-nic party at the foot of Lake Superior — Canoe — Scenery — Descent of St. Mary's Falls — Etymology of the Indian names of Sault Ste. Marie, and Lake Superior — The wild rice plant — Indian trade — American Fur Com- pany — Distribution of presents — Death of Sassaba — Epitaph — Indian capacity to count — Oral literature — Research — Self-reliance - - 112 CHAPTER XIII. My first winter at the foot of Lake Superior — Copper mines — White fish — A poetic name for a fish — Indian tale — Polygamy — A reminiscence — Tak- ing of Fort Niagara — Mythological and allegorical tales among the abo- rigines — Chippewa language — Indian vowels — A polite and a vulgar way of speaking the language — Public worship— Seclusion from the world 122 CHAPTER XIV. Amusements during the winter months, when the temperature is at the lowest point — Etymology of the word Chippewa — A meteor — The Indian " fire- proof" — Temperature and weather — Chippewa interchangeables — Indian names for the seasons — An incident in conjugating verbs — Visiting — Gos- sip — The fur trade — Todd, McGillvray, Sir Alexander Mackenzie — Wide dissimilarity of the English and Odjibwa syntax — Close of the year 129 'r-.'-^FTIfrj^-^*-!'. ]di CONTENTS. CHAPTER XV. New- Year's day among the deecendants of the Norman French — Anti-philo- sophic speculations of Brydone — Schlegel on language — A peculiar na- tive expression evincing delicacy — Graywacko in the basin of Lake Su- perior — Temperature — Snow shoes — Translation of Gen. i. 3 — Historical reminiscences — Morals of visiting — Odjibwa numerals — Harmon's travels — Mackenzie's vocabularies — Criticism — Mungo Park - - . 137 CHAPTER XVI. Novel reading — Greenough's " Geology" — The cariboo — Spiteful plunder of private property on a large scale — Marshall's Washington — St. Clair's " Narrative of his Campaign" — Etymology of the word totem — A trait of transpositive languages — Polynesian languages — A meteoric explosion at the maximum height of the winter's temperature — Spafford's "Gazetteer" — Holmes on the Prophecies — Foreign politics — Mythology — Gnomes — ^The Odjibwa based on monosyllables — No auxiliary verbs — Pronouns declined for tense — Esprella's letters — Valerius — Gospel of St. Luke — Chippewayan group of languages — Home politics — Prospect of being appointed super- intendent of the lead mines of Missouri 148 CHAPTER XVII. Close of the winter solstice, and introduction of a northern spring — News from the world — The Indian languages — Narrative Journal — Semi-civiliza- tion of the ancient Aztec tribes — Their arts and languages — Hill's ironical review of the " Transactions of the Royal Society" — A test of modern civili- zation — Sugar making — Trip to one of the camps — Geology of Manhattan Island — Ontwa, an Indian poem — Northern ornithology — Dreams — The Indian apowa — Printed queries of General Cass — Prospect of the mineral agency — Exploration of the St. Peter's — Information on that head 158 CHAPTER XVIII. Kapid advance of spring — Troops commence a stockade — Principles of the Chippewa tongue — Idea of a new language containing the native princi- ples of syntax, with a monosyllabic method — Indian standard of value — Archaeological evidences in growing trees — Mount Vernon — Signs of spring in the appearance of birds — Expedition to St. Peter's — Lake Superior open — A peculiarity in the orthography of Jefferson — True sounds of the conso- nants — Philology — Advent of the arrival of a vessel — Editors and editorials — Arrival from Fort William — A hope fled — Sudden completion of the spring, and ushering in of summer — Odjibwa language, and transmission of Inquiries -,--- 170 OONTBNTS. XIU CHAPTER XIX. Outlines of the incidents of the summer of 1823 — Glance at the geography of the lake country — Concretion of aluminous earth — General Wayne's body naturally embalmed by this property of the soil of Erie — Free and easy manners — Boundary Survey — An old friend — Western commerce — The Austins of Texas memory — Collision of civil and military power — Advantages of a visit to Europe - ^ - - . - - - 179 . CHAPTER XX. Incidents of the year 1824 — Indian researches — Diverse idioms of the Ottawa and Chippewa — Conflict of opinion between the civil and military authori- ties of the place — A winter of seclusion well spent — St. Paul's idea of languages — Examples in the Chippewa — The Chippewa a pure form of the Algonquin — Religion in the wilderness — Incidents — Congressional excite- ments — Commercial view of the copper mine question — Trip to Tackwy- menon Falls, in Lake Superior ....... lg6 ials the nof 170 CHAPTER XXI, Oral tales and legends of the Chippewas — First assemblage of a legislative coun- cil in Michigan — Mineralogy and geology — Disasters of the War of 1812 — Character of the new legislature — Laconic note — Narrative of a war party, and the disastrous murders committed at Lake Pepin in July 1824 — Speech of a friendly Indian chief from Lake Superior on the subject — Notices of mineralogy and geology in the west — Ohio and Erie Canal — Morals — Lafayette's progress — Hooking minerals— A philosophical work on the In- dians — Indian biography by Samuel S. Conant — Want of books on Ameri- can archaeology — Douglass's proposed work on the expedition of 1820 19G CHAPTER XXII. Parallelism of customs — Home scenes — Visit to Washington — Indian work respecting the Western Tribes — Indian biography — Professor Carter — Professor Silliman — Spiteful prosecution — Publication of Travels in the Mississippi Valley — A northern Pocahontas — Return to the Lakes — A new enterprise suggested — Impressions of turkeys' feet in rock — Surrender of the Chippewa war party, who committed the murders in 1824, at Lake Pepin — Their examination, and the commitment of the actual murderers 204 CHAPTER XXIII. Trip to Prairie du Chien on the Mississippi — Large assemblage of tribes — XIV CONTENTS. Their appearance and character — Sioux, Winnebagoes, Chippewas, &c. — Striking and extraordinary appearance of the Sacs and Foxes, and of the lowas — Keokuk — Mongazid's speech — Treaty of limits — Whisky ques- tion — A literary impostor — Journey through the valleys of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers — Incidents — Menomonies — A big nose — Wisconsin Por- tage 213 CHAPTER XXIV. Descent of Fox River — Blackbirds — Menomonies — Rice fields — Starving In- dians — Thunder storm — Dream — An Indian struck dead with lightning — Green Bay — Death of Colonel Haines — Incidents of the journey from Green Bay to Michilimackinack — Reminiscences of my early life and travels — Choiswa — Further reminiscences of my early life — Ruins of the first mis- sion of Father Marquette — Reach Michilimackinack ... 222 CHAPTER XXV. Journey from Mackinack to the Sault Ste. Marie — Outard Point — Head winds — Lake Huron in a rage — Desperate embarkation — St. Vital — Double the Detour — Return to St. Mary's — ^Letters — " Indian girl" — New volume of travels — Guess' Cherokee alphabet — New views of the Indian languages and their principles of construction — Georgia question — Po8tH)£Sce diffi- culties — Glimpses from the civilized world 231 CHAPTER XXVI. General aspects of the Indian cause — Public criticism on the state of Indian researches, and literary storm raised by the new views — Political rumor — Death of R. Pettibone, Esq. — Delegate election — Copper mines of Lake Superior — Instructions for a treaty in the North — Death of Mr. Pettit — Denial of post-office facilities — Arrival of commissioners to hold the Fond du Lac treaty — Trip to Fond du Lac through Lake Superior —Treaty — Return — Deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson ... 240 CHAPTER XXVII. * Epidemical condition of the atmosphere at Detroit — Death of Henry J. Hunt and A. G. Whitney, Esqrs. — Diary of the visits of Indians at St. Mary's Agency — Indian affairs on the frontier under the supervision of Col. Mo- Kenney — Criticisms on the state of Indian questions — Topic of Indian eloquence — State of American researches in natural science — Dr. Saml. L. Mitchell 247 CONTENTS. X7 I CHAPTER XXVIII. Mineralogy — Territorial affairs — ^Vindication of the American policy by its treatment of the Indians — New York spirit of improvement — Taste for cabinets of natural history — Fatalism in an Indian — Death of a first bom son — Flight from the house — Territorial matters — A literary topic — Pre- parations for another treaty — Consolations — Boundary in the North-west under the treaty of Qhent — Natural history — Trip to Qreen Bay — Treaty of Butte des Morts — Winnebago outbreak — Intrepid conduct of General Cass — Indian stabbing — Investment of the petticoat — ^Mohegan language 258 CHAPTER XXIX. Treaty of Butte des Morts — Rencontre of an Indian with grizzly bears — Agency site at Elmwood — Its picturesque and sylvaa character — Legis- lative council of the Territory — Character of its parties, as hang-backs and toe-the-marks — Critical Reviews — Christmas - - - - 268 i CHAPTER XXX. Retrospect — United States Exploring Expedition to the Soiith Sea — Humanity of an Indian — Trip to Detroit from the Icy Straits — Incidental action of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Historical Societies, and of the Montreal Natural History Society — United States Exploring Expedition — Climato- logy — Lake vessels ill found — Poetic view of the Indian — United States Exploring Expedition — Theory of the interior world — jNatural History — United States Exploring Expedition. — History of early legislation in Michi- gan—Return to St. Mary's— Death of Governor De Witi Clinton - 278 CHAPTER XXXI. Official journal of the Indian intercourse — Question of frieedmen, or persons not bonded for — Indian chiefs, Chacopee, Neenaby, Mukwakwut, Tema Convert, Shingabowossin, Guelle Plat, Grosse Guelle-fFurther notice of Wampum-hair — Red Devil — Biographical notice of Guelle Plat, or Flat Mouth — Brechet — Meeshug, a widow — lauwind — Mongazid, chief of Fond du Lac — Chianokwut — ^White Bird — Annamikens, the hero of a bear fight, &C.&C. - 287 CHAPTER XXXII. Natural history of the north-west — Northern zoology— Fox — Owl — Reindeer — A dastardly attempt at murder by a soldier — Lawless spread of the population of northern Illinois over the Winnebago ' land — New York Lyceum of Natural History — U. S. Ex. Ex. — Fiscal embarrassments in the XVI CONTENTS. Department — Medical cause of Indian depopulation — Remarks of Dr. Pitcher — Erroneous impressions of the Indian character — Reviews — Death of John Johnston, Esq. .---- 308 CHAPTER XXXIII. Treaty of St. Joseph — Tanner — Visits of the Indians in distress — Letters from the civilized world — Indian code projected — Cause of Indian suffering — The Indian cause — Estimation of the character of the late Mr. Johnston — Autobiography — Historical Society of Michigan — Fiscal embarrassments of the Indian Department .-.---.. 315 CHAPTER XXXIV. Political horizon — Ahmo Society — Incoming of Gen. Jackson's administration — Amusements of the winter — Peace policy among the Indians — Revival at Mackinaok — Money crisis — Idea of Lake tides — New Indian code — Anti-masonry — Missions among the Indians — Copper mines — The policy respecting them settled — Whisky among the Indians — Fur trade — Legislative council — Mackinack mission — Officers of Wayne's war — His- torical Society of Michigan — Improved diurnal press ... 321 CHAPTER XXXV. The new administration — Intellectual contest in the Senate — Sharp contest for mayoralty of Detroit — Things shaping at Washington — Perilous trip on the ice — Medical effects of this exposure — Legislative Council — Visit to Niagara Falls — A visitor of note — History — Character of the Chippewas — Ish-ko-da-wau-bo— Rotary sails — Hostilities between the Chippewas and Sioux — Friendship and badinage — Social intercourse — Sanillac — Gossip — Expedition to Lake Superior — Winter Session of the Council — Historical disclosure — Historical Society of Rhode Island — Domestic — French Revo- lution 331 CHAPTER XXXVI. Lecture before the Lyceum — Temperature in the North — Rum and taxes — A mild winter adverse to Indians — Death of a friend — Christian atonement — Threats of a Caliban, or an Indianized white man — Indian emporium — Bringing up children — ^Youth gone astray — Mount Hope Institution — Ex- pedition into the Indian country — ^Natural History of the United States — A reminiscence — ^Voyage inland 341 CONTENTS. ZTll CHAPTER XXXVII. Lake Superior — Its shores and character — Geology — Brigade of boats — Dog and porcupine — Burrowing birds — Otter — Keweena Point — Unfledged ducks — Minerals — Canadian resouros in a tempest of rain — Tramp in search of the picturesque — Search for native copper — Isle Royal descried — Indian precaution — Their ingenuity — Lake action — Nebungunowin River — Eagles — Indian tomb — Kaug Wudju 352 CHAPTER XXXVIII. Lake shores — Sub-Indian agency — Indian transactions — Old fort, site of a tragedy — Maskigo River; its rapids and character — Oreat Wunnegum Portage — Botany — Length of the Mauvais — Indian carriers — Lake Kage- nogumaug — Portage lakes — Namakagun River , its character, rapids, pine lands, &o. — Pukwa6wa village — A new species of native fruit — Incidents on the Namakagun ; its birds,- plants, &c. 361 CHAPTER XXXIX. Council with the Indians at Yellow Lake — Policy of the Treaty of Prairie du Chien of 1825 — Speech of Shaiwunegunaibee — Mounds of Yellow River — Indian manners and customs — Pictography — Natural history — Nude In- dians — Geology — Portage to Lac Courtdrielle — Lake of the Isles — Ottawa Lake — Council — ^War party — Mozojeed's speech — Tecumseh — Mozojeed's lodge — Indian movements — Trip to the Red Cedar Fork — Ca Ta — Lake Chetac — Indian manners 371 CHAPTER XL. Betula Lake — Larch Lake — A war party surprised — Indian manners — Rice Lake — Indian council — Red Cedar Lake — Speeches of Wabezhais and Neenaba — Equal division of goods — Orifice for treading out rice — A live beaver — Notices of natural history — Value of the Follavoine Valley — A medal of the third President — War dance — Ornithology — A prairie country, fertile and abounding in game — Saw mills — Chippewa River — Snake — La Garde Mountain — Descent of the Mississippi — Sioux village — General impression of the Mississippi — Arrival at Prairie du Chien 381 CHAPTER XLI. Death of Mr. Monroe — Affair of the massacre of the Menomonies by the Foxes — Descent to Galena — Trip in the lead mine country to Fort Win- nebago — Gratiot's Grove — Sac and Fox disturbances — ^Black Hawk — Irish Diggings — Willow Springs — ^Vanmater's lead-=An escape froiu falling into B XVIII CONTENTS. A pit — Mineral Point — AnBley's copper mine — Gen. Dodge's — Mr. Brig- ham's — Sugar Creek — Four Lakes — Seven Mile Prairie — 'A night in the woods — Reach Fort Winnebago— Return to the Sault — Political changes In the cabinet — Gov. Cass called to Washington — Religious changes — O. B. Porter appointed Governor — Natural history — Character of the new governor — Arrival of the Rev. Jereniiah Porter— Organization of a church 392 CHAPTER XLII. Revival of St. Mary's — Rejection of Mr. Van Buren as Minister to England — Botany and Natural History of the North-west — Project of a new ex- pedition to find the Sources of the Mississippi — Algio Society — Consolida- tion of the Agencies of St. Mary's and Michilimackinack — Good effects of the American Home Missionary Society — Organization of a new inland exploring expedition committed to me — Its objects and composition of the corps of observers 400 CHAPTER XLIII. Expedition to, and discovery of, Itasca Lake, the source of the Mississippi River — Brief notice of the journey to the point of former geographical dis- covery in the basin of Upper Red Cedar, or Cass Lake — Ascent and portage to Queen Anne's Luke — Lake Pemetascodiac — The Ten, or Metoswa Rapids — Pemidgegomag, or Cross-water Lake — Lake Irving — Lake Mar- quette—Lake La Salle — Lake Plantagenet — Ascent of the Plantagenian Pork — Naiwa, or Copper-snake River — Agate Rapids and portage — Assawa Lake — Portage over the Hauteur des Torres — Itasca Lake — Its picturesque character — Geographical and astronomical position — Historical data 409 CHAPTER XLIV. Descent of the Mississippi River, from Itasca Lake to Cass Lake — Traits of its bank — Kabika Falls — Upsetting of a canoe — River descends by steps, and through narrow rocky passes — Portage to the source of the Crow-Wing River — Moss Lake — Shiba Lake — Leech Lake — Warpool Lake — Long Lake Mountain portage — Kaginogomanug — Vermilion Lake — Ossawa Lake — Shell River — Leaf River — Long Prairie River — Kioskk, or Gull River — Ar- rival at its mouth — Descent to the Falls of St. Anthony, ond St. Peter's — Return to St. Mary's 416 CHAPTER XLV. Letter from a mother — Cholera— Indian war — Royal Geographical Society — Determine to leave the Sault — Death of Miss Cass — Death of Rev. Mr. Richard — Notice of the establishment of a Methodist Mission at the Sault CONTENTS. XIX — The Sault a religious place— Botany and Natural History — New York University organized — Algic Society — Canadian boat song — Chaplains in the army — Letter from a missionary — AfTiiirs at Mackinack — Hazards of lake commerce — Question of the temperance reform — Dr. D. Houghton — South Carolina resists — Qen. Jackson re-oleotod President • - 422 CHAPTER XLVI. An Indian woman builds a church— Conchology — South Carolina prepares to resist the revenue laws — Moral affairs —Geography — Botany — Chippewas and Sioux — A native evangelist in John Sunday — His letter in English ; its philological value — The plural pronoun we — An Indian battle — Politi- cal affairs — South Carolina affairs — Tariff compromise of Mr. Clay — Algic Society; it employs native evangelists — Plan of visiting Europe — Presi- dent's tour — History of Detroit — Fresh-water shells — Lake tides — Prairie — Country — Reminisconco 431 CHAPTER XLVII. Earliest point of French occupancy in the area of the Upper Lakes — Re- moval of my residence from the Sault St. Marie to the island of Michili- mackinack — Trip to New York — Its objects — American Philosophical So- ciety — Michilimackinack ; its etymology — The rage for investment in western lands begins — Traditions of Saganosh — Of Porlier — Of Perrault . —Of Captain Thorn— Of the cliief, Old Wing— Of Mudjekewis, of Thun- der Bay — Character of Indian tradition respecting the massacre at old Fort Mackinack in 1763 441 CHAPTER XLVIII. Anniversary of the Algic Society — Traditions of Chusco and Mukndapenais respecting Gen. Wayne's treaty — Saliferous column in American geology — Fact in lake commerce — Traditions of Mrs. Dousman and Mr. Abbott respecting the first occupation of the Island of Michilimackinack — Question of the substantive verb in the Chippewa language — Meteoric phenomena during the month of December — Historical fact — Minor incidents • 448 CHAPTER XLIX. Population of Michilimackinack — Notices of the weather — Indian name of the Wolverine — Harbor closed — Intensity of temperature which can be borne — Domestic incidents — State of the weather — Fort Mackinack unsuc- cessfully attacked in 1814 — Ossiganoc — Death of an Indian woman — Death of my sister — Harbor open — Indian name of the Sabbath day — Horticul- tural amusement — Tradition of the old church door — Turpid conduct of XT CONTENTS. V. ^;u• ut De- troit — Review of the state of society at Miohilimackinack, arising from ita being the great central power of the north-west fur trade — A letter from Dr. Greene — Prerequisites of the missionary function — Discouragements — X: '?tate of tie Mackinack Mission — Problem of employing native teachers and • ' ajTcMsts — Letter of Mr. Duponceau — Ethnological gossip — Trans- Ifcuo/ji ' * thi Bib', into Al^tonquin — Don M. Niy'era — Premium offered by CONTENTS. XZl the French Inntitute — IVntstent Sntnnic influence nmonp; the Indian tribea — Boundary dispute witli Ohio — Character of tlio State Convention 504 OHAPTEU LIV. Roquirementd of n missionary lalt(>r«r — Otwin — Amerk/in quadrupeds — Geological question — Taste of an Indian ohiof for horticuituro Hwiss missionaries to the Indians — Secretary of Wiir visits the island — Frivo- lous literary, diurnal, and periodical press — Letter of Dr. Ivor on thii topic — Lost boxes of minerals and fresh-wator HhoUs — Qeoloi^ical visit of Mr. Foatherstonehaugh and Lieut. Mather — Mr. Hastings — A theologi- cal graduate 512 CHAPTER LV. Rage for investment in western lands — Habits of the common deer — Question of the punishment of Indian murders committed in the Inii ian country — A chief calls to have his authority recognized on the dearh of a prede- cessor — Dr. Julius, of Prussia — Gen. Robert Patterson — Pn sure of emi- gration — Otwin — Dr. Gilman and Mr. Hoffman — Pioturosquc trip to Lake Superior — Indians desire to cede territory — G. \V. Featherst mehaugh — Sketch of his geological reconnoissance of the St. Peter's River — >r. Thomas 11. Webb — Question of inscriptions on American rocks — Antiqu ties — Em- bark for Washington, and come down the lakes in the groat tompc 4 of 1835 620 CHAPTER LVI. Florida war — Startling news of the Massacre of Dade — Peoria on the Illi- nois — Abanaki language — Oregon — Things shaping for a territorial claim — Responsibility of claim in an enemy's country — A true soldier — South- ern Literary Messenger — Missionary cause — Resources of Missour — In- dian portfolio of Lewis — Literary gossip — Sir Francis Head — The < rane and Addik totem — Treaty of March 28th, 1836, with the Ottawan and ( hip- pewas— Treaty with the Saginaws of May 20th — Treaty with the S ran Creek aud Black River Chippewas of May 9th — Return to Michilima ki- nack- Death of Charlotte, the daughter of Songageezhig - - ')28 CHAPTER LVII. Home matters — Massachusetts Historical Society — Question of tho U. S. Senate's action on certain treaties of the Lake Indians — Hugh L. White — Dr. Morton's Crania Americana — Letter from Mozojeod — State of the pilla- gers — Visitof Dr. Follen and Miss Martineau — Treaty movements — Young Lord Selkirk -Character and value of Upper Michigan — Hon. John Nor- TcU's letter — Literary items — Execution of the treaty of March 28th — xxu CONTENTS. Amount of money paid — Effects of the treaty — Baron de Behr — Ornitho* logy 537 CHAPTER LVIII. Value of the equivalent territory granted to Michigan, by Congress, for the disputed Ohio boundary — Rapid improvement of Michigan — Allegan — Indian legend — Baptism and death of Kagcosh, a very aged chief at St. Mary's — New system of writing Indian, proposed by Mr. Nash — Indian names xbr new towns — A Bishop's notion of the reason for applying to Government for education funds under Indian treaties — Mr. Gallatin's paper on the Indians — The temperance movement - - - - 547 CHAPTER LIX. Difficulties resulting from a false impression of the Indian character — Treaty with the Saginaws — Ottawas of Grand River establish themselves in a colony in Barry County — Payments to the Ottawas of Maumee, Ohio — Temperance — Assassination of young Aitkin by an Indian at Leech Lake — Mackinack mission abandoned — Wyandots complain of a trespass from a mill-dam — Mohegans of Green Bay apply for aid on their way to visit Stockbridge, Mass. — Mohegan traditions — Historical Society — Programme of a tour in the East — Parental disobedience — Indian treaties — Dr. War- ren's Collection of Crania — Hebrew language — Geology — " Goods offer" — Mrs. Jameson — Mastodon's tooth in Michigan — Captain Marryatt — The Icelandic language — Munsees — Speech of Little Bear Skin chief, or Mu- k6nsewy&n 552 CHAPTER LX. Notions of foreigners about America — Mrs. Jameson — Appraisements of In- dian property — Le Jeune's early publication on the Iroquois — Troops for Florida — A question of Indian genealogy — Annuity payments — Indians present a claim of salvage — Death of the Prophet Chusco — Indian suffer- ings — Gen. Dodge's treaty — Additional debt claims — Gazetteer of Michigan — Stone's Life of Brant — University of Michigan — Christian Keepsake — Indian etymology — Small-pox breaks out on the Missouri — Missionary operations in the north-west — Treaty of Flint River with the Saginaws 566 CHAPTER LXI. Tradition of Pontiac's conspiracy and death — Patriot war — Expedition of a body of 250 men to Boiablanc — Question of schools and missions among the Indians — Indian affixirs — Storm at Michilimackinack — Life of Brant — CONTENTS. ZXlll Interpreterships and Indian language — A Mohegan — Affair of the " Caro- line" — Makons — Plan of names for new towns — Indian legends — Florida war — Patriot war — Arrival of Gen. Scott on the frontiers — R6sum6 of the difficulties of the Florida war — Natural history and climate of Florida — Death of Dr. Lutner 580 CHAPTER LXII. Indians tampered with at Grand River — Small-pox in the Missouri Valley — Living history at home — Sunday schools — Agriculture — Indian names — Murder of the Glass family — Dr. Morton's inquiries respecting Indian crania — Necessity of one's writing his name plain — Michigan Gazetteer in preparation — Attempt to make the Indian a political pack-horse — Return to the Agency of Michilimackinack — Indian skulls phrenologically examined — J. Toulmin Smith — Cherokee question — Trip to Grand River — Treaty and annuity payments — The department accused of injustice to the Indians 589 CHAPTER LXIII. Missions — Hard times, consequent on over-speculation- -Question of the rise of the lakes — Scientific theory — Trip to Washington — Trip to Lake Supe- rior and the Straits of St. Mary — John Tanner — Indian improvements north of Michilimackinack — Great cave — Isle Nabiquon — Superstitious ideas of the Indians connected with females — Scotch royals — McKenzie — Climate of the United States — Foreign coins and natural history — Antique fort in Adams County, Ohio — Royal Society of Northern Anti- quaries — Statistics of lands purchased from ilie Indians — Sun's eclipse — Government payments 598 5G6 CHAPTER LXIV. Descendant of one spared at the massacre of St. Bartholomew's — Death of Gen. Clarke — Massacre of Peurifoy's family in Florida — Gen. Harrison's historical discourse — Death of an emigrant on board a steamboat — Murder of an Indian — History of Mackinack — Incidents of the treaty of 29th July, 1837 — Mr. Fleming's account of the missionaries leaving Georgia, and of the improvements of the Indians west — Death of Black Hawk — Incidents of his life and character — Dreadful cruelty of the Pawnees in burning a female captive — Cherokee emigration — Phrenology — Return to Detroit — University — Indian affairs — Cherokee removal — Indians shot at Fort Snel- ling 608 CHAPTER LXV. Embark for New York — A glimpse of Texan affairs — Tolteean Qionumcnts — Indian population of Texas — Horrible effects of drinking ardent spirits xzir \ CONTENTS. among the Indiai ^ — Mr. Gallatin — His opinions on Tnrions sabjects of "• philosophy and history — Visit to the South — Philadelphia — Washington — Indian aflfairs — Debt claim — Leave to visit Europe — Question of neutrality — Mr. Van Bnren — American imaginative literature — Knickerbocker — R6- 8rm6 of the Indian question of sovereignty ..... 619 ' CHAPTER LXVI. Sentiments of loyalty — Northern Antiquarian Society — Indian statistics — Rhode Island Historical Society — Gen. Macomb— Lines in the Odjibwa lan- guage by a mother on placing her children at school — Mehemet Ali — Mrs. Jameson's opinion on publishers and publishing — Her opinion of my Indian legends — False report of a new Indian language — Indian compound words — Delafield's Antiquities — American Fur Company — State of Indian dis- turbances in Texas and Florida — Causes of the failure of the war in Florida, by an officer — Death of an Indian chief — Mr. Bancroft's opinion on the Dighton Rock inscription — Skroellings not in New England — Mr. Gallatin's opinion on points of Esquimaux language, connected with our knowledge of ■our archseology - - -- - - - -- - 630 CHAPTER LXVII. Workings of unshackled mind — Comity of the American Addison — Lakti periodical fluctuations — American antiquities — Indian doings in Florida and Texas- -Wood's New England's Prospect — Philological and historical comments — Death of Ningwegon — Creeks — Brothertons made citizens — Charles Fenno Hoffman — Indian names for places on the Hudson — Christ- ian Indians — Etymology — Theodoric — Appraisements of Indian property — Algic researches — Plan and object - - 641 CHAPTER LXVIII. American antiquities — Michilimackinack a summer resort — Death of Ogimau Keegido — Brothertons — An Indian election — Cherokee murders — ^Board of Regents of the Michigan University — Archaeological facts and rumors — Woman of the Green Valley — A new variety of fish — Visits of the Austrian and Sardinian Ministers to the U. S. — Mr. Gallup — Sioux murders — A re- markable display of aurora borealis — Ottawas of Maumee — Extent of auroral phenomena — Potawattomie cruelty — Mineralogy — Death of Ondi- ako — Chippewa tradition — Fruit trees — Stone's preparation of the Life and Times of Sir William Johnson — Dialectic difference between the lan- guage of the Ottawas and the Chippewas — Philological remarks on the Indian languages — Mr. T. Ilulbert 657 CONTENTS. zxv CHAPTER LXIX. Popular error respecting the Indian character and history — Remarkable su- perstition — Theodoric — A missionary choosing a wild flower — Piety and money — A fiscal collapse in Michigan — ^Mission of Grand Traverse — Sim- plicity of the school-girl's hopes — Singular theory of the Indians respecting story-telling — Oldest allegory on record — Political aspects — Seneca treaty — Mineralogy — Farming and mission station on Lake Michigan - 674 CHAPTER LXX. Death of Col. Lawrence Schoolcraft — Perils of the revolutionary era — Otwin — Mr. Bancroft's history in the feature of its Indian relations — A tradition of a noted chief on Lake Michigan — The collection of information for a historical volume — Opinions of Mr. Paulding, Dr. Webster, Mr. Duer, John Quincy Adams — Holyon and Alholyon — Family monument — Mr. Steven- son, American Minister at London — Joanna Baillie — ^Wisconsin — Ireland — Detroit — Michilimaokinack 681 CHAPTER LXXI. Philology of the Indian tongues — Its difficulties — ^Belles lettres and money- Michigan and Georgia — Number of species in natural history — Etymology — Nebahquam's dream — Trait in Indian legends — Pictography — Numera- tion of the races of Polynesia and the Upper Lakes — Love of one's native tongue — Death of Gen. Harrison — Rush for office on his inauguration — Or- namental and shade trees — Historical collections — Mission of " Old Wing" 691 CHAPTER LXXII. Popular common school education — Iroquois name for Mackinack — Its scenio beauties poetically considered — Phenomenon of two currents of adverse wind meeting — Audubon's proposed work on American quadrupeds — Ada- rio — Geographical range of the mocking-bird — Removal from the West to the city of New York — An era accomplished — ^Visit to Europe - 699 ■ ', - ,..,■■.- . '" ' » ' ' ' ■ * ' > > 1 --■ - \*,v.: ' ■l ■ ' ■' • : ^ .• '•^;. .■ . ^ ■ • . V . ' .' - V' '' it J ( ■ •V- ■',y \: . ;-'^., -,.7 .■: . '. ,, r ■ / * - 1^ ' ' 1 ■ ■' • ' ; - , > f V ,; ■ • , f" ■ 1 • - : , ■ i • • . ■■ . • •:■ J . ■ 1 • 1 - s; i ^.';1 i;'"'-ie' . ':J-)..^.:. ...■ ■•: . ^ , . ' , ■■ '■...-' .1,' ■ si*&2r<*j*' :i&x^^%'ti >v ■ ^ ■'*^?#5« ^^■^^•'■'■'■U'.'--'^,'- i-^ V'-' ■" • ■■■■' '■ -■ '■ ;■;■, rr' ■.tj^ ;.•-:'■ •:. ; '■-■• •.: , ;. '*,.,'i ■• ' * ' - *'■ f i !• _\'.. I' ■>' ; ^.t ■■■• . . ^ ' " *■ ■' t- :' ■■■i ' ' :..--.^' . ' i: '■: ■. - '|.i ; .» .* SKETCHES or THE LIFE OF HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT. The early period at which Mr. Schoolcraft entered the field of observation in the United States as a naturalist ; the enterprise he has from the outset manifested in exploring the geography and geology of the Great West ; and his subsequent researches as an ethnologist, in investigating the Indian languages and history, are well known to the public, and may be appropriately referred to as the grounds of the present design, in furnishing some brief and connected sketches of his life, family, studies, and literary labors. He is an example of what early and continued zeal, talent, and diligence, united with energy of character and consistent moral habits, may accomplish in the cause of letters and science, by the force of solitary application, without the advantage of hereditary wealth, the impulse of patronage, or the prestige of early academic honors. Ardent in the pursuit of whatever engaged his attention, quick in the observation of natural phenomena, and assiduous in the accumulation of facts ; with an ever present sense of their practical and useful bearing — few men, in our modern history, have accomplished so much, in the lines of research he has chosen, to render science popular and letters honorable. To him we are indebted for our first accounts of the geological constitution, and the mineral wealth and resources of the great valley beyond the AUeghanies, and he is the discoverer of the actual source of the Mississippi River in Itasca Lake. For many years, beginning with 1817, he stirred up a zeal for natural history from one end of the land to the other, and, after his settlement in the West, ho XXVlll SEBTOHES OF THB was a point of approach for correspondents, as his personal me- moirs denote, not only on these topics, but for all that relates to the Indian tribes, in consequence of which he has been emphati- cally pronounced " The Red Man's Friend." Mr. Schoolcraft is a native of New York, and is the descendant in the third generation, by the paternal line, of an Englishman. James Calcraft had served with reputation in the armies of the Duke of Marlborough during the reign of Queen Anne, and was present in that general's celebrated triumphs on the continent, in one of which he lost an eye, from the premature explosion of the priming of a cannon. Owing to these military services he enjoyed and cherished a high reputation for bravery and loyalty. He was a descendant of a family of that name, who came to England with William the Conqueror — and settled under grants from the crown in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire — three sepa- rate branches of the family having received the honor of knight- hood for their military services. In the reign of George the Second, consequently after 1727, he embarked at Liverpool in a detachment of veteran troops, in- tended to act against Canada. He was present in the operations connected w.'th the building of Forts Anne and Edwards, on the North River, and Fort "William Henry on Lake George. At the conclusion of these campaigns he settled in Albany county, N. Y., which has continued to be the residence of the family for more than a century. Being a man of education, he at first devoted himself to the business of a land surveyor, in which capacity he was employed by Col. Vroman, to survey the bound- aries of his tract of land in the then frontier settlement of Scho- harie. At the latter place he married the only daughter and child of Christian Camerer, one of the Palatines — a body of de- termined Saxons who had emigrated from the Upper Rhine in 1712, under the assurance or expectation of a patent from Queen Anne.* By this marriage he had eight children — namely, James, Chris- tian, John, Margaret, Elizabeth, Lawrence, William, and Helen. For many years during his old age, he conducted a large school in this settlement, being the first English school that was taught iu that then frontier part of the country. This appears to be the * Simms' Schoharie. LIFE OF HENRT B. SOHOOLORAFT. XXIZ only tenable reason that has been assigned for the change of the family name from Calcraft to Schoolcraft.' When far advanced in life, he went to live with his son William, on the New York grants on Otter Creek, in the rich agricultural region south of Lake Ohamplain — which is now included in Ver- mont. Here he died at the great age of one hundred and two, having been universally esteemed for his loyalty to his king, his personal courage and energy, and the uprightness of his cha- racter. After the death of his father, when the revolutionary troubles commenced, William, his youngest son, removed into Lower Canada. The other children all remained in Albany County, except Christian, who, when the jangling land disputes and con- flicts of titles arose in Schoharie, followed Conrad Wiser, Esq. (a near relative), to the banks of the Susquehanna. He appears eventually to have pushed his way to Buchanan River, one of the sources of the Monongahela, in Lewis County, Virginia, where some of his descendants must still reside. It appears that they became deeply involved in the Indian wars which the Shawnees kept up on the frontiers of Virginia. In this struggle they took an active part, and were visited with the severest retribution by the marauding Indians. It is stated by Withers that, between 1770 and 1779, not less than fifteen of this family, men, women, ' and children, were killed or taken prisoners, and carried into captivity.* Of the other children of the original progenitor, James, the eldest son, died a bachelor. Lawrence was the ancestor of the persons of this name in Schoharie County. Elizabeth and Helen married, in that county, in the families of Rose and Haines, and Margaret, the eldest daughter, married Col. Green Brush, of the British army, at the house of Gen. Bradstreet, Albany. Her daughter. Miss Francis Brush, married the celebrated Col. Ethan Allen, after his return from the Tower of London. John, the third son, settled in Watervleit, in the valley of the Norman's Kill — or, as the Indians called it, Towasentha — Albany County. He served in a winter's campaign against Oswego, in Chronicles of the Border Warfare in North-western Virginia. By Alex. Withers, Clarksbary, v; irginia, 1831. 1 vul. 12mo. page 319. kxx 8KBT0BB8 OF THB IW 1767, and took part also in the successful siege and storming of Fort Niagara, under Gen. Prideaux* and Sir William Johnson, in the summer of 1769. He married a Miss Anna Barbara Boss, by whom he had three children, namely, Anne, Lawrence, and John. He had the local reputation of great intrepidity, strong muscular power, and unyielding decision of character. He died at the age of 64. Lawrence, his eldest son, had entered his seventeenth year when the American Revolution broke out. He embraced the patriotic sentiments of that era with great ardor, ond was in th§ first revolutionary procession that marched through and canvassed the settlement with martial music, and the Com- mittee of Safety at its head, to determine who was Whig or Tory. The military element had always commanded great respect in the family, and he did not wait to be older, but enrolled himself among the defenders of his country. He was present, in 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was read to the troops drawn up in hollow square at Ticonderoga. He marched under Gen. Schuyler to the relief of Montgomery, at Quebec, and continued to be an indomitable actor in various positions, civil and military, in the great drama of the Revolution during its entire continuance. ^ ' . - ' ■ \ ■ ' In 1777, the darkest and most hopeless period of our revolu- tionary contest, he led a reinforcement from Albany to Fort Stanwix, up the Mohawk Valley, then alive with hostile Indians and Tories, and escaped them all, and he was in this fort, under Col. Ganzevoort, during its long and close siege by Col. St. Leger and his infuriated Indian allies. The whole embodied militia of the Mohawk Valley marched to its relief, under the bold and patriotic Gen. Herkimer. They were met by the Mohawks, Onondagas, and Senecas, and British loyalists, lying in ambush on the banks of the Oriskany, eight miles from the fort. A dreadful battle ensued. Gen. Herkimer was soon wounded in the thigh, his leg broken, and his horse shot under him. With the coolness of a Blucher, he then directed his saddle to be placed on a small knoll, and, drawing out his tobacco-box, lit his pipe and calmly smoked while his brave and unconquerable men fought around him. * This officer was shot in the trenches, which devolved the command on Sir William, LIFE OF HENRT R. BOHOOLORAFT. xzxi eger a of and wks, ush A the the on land light on This was one of the most stoutly contested battles of .h^ .invo- lution. Campbell says : " This battle made orphans of half the inhabitants of the Mohawk Valley."* It was a desperate struggle between neighbors, who were ranged on opposite sides as Whig and Tory, and it was a triumph, Herkimer remaining master of the field. During the hottest of the battle, Col. Willett stepped on to the esplanade of the fort, where the troops were paraded, and requested all who were willing to fight for liberty and join a party for the relief of Herkimer, to step forward one pace. Schoolcraft was the first to advance. Two hundred and fifty men followed him. An immediate sally was made. They carried the camp of Sir John Johnson ; took all his baggage, military- chest, and papers ; drove him through the Mohawk iliver ; and then turned upon the howling Mohawks and swept and fired their camp. The results of this battle were brilliant. The plunder was immense. The lines of the besiegers, which had been thinned by the forces sent to Oriskany, were carried, and the noise of firing and rumors of a reinforcement, animated the hearts of the indomitable men of that day. After the victory, Herkimer was carried by his men, in a litter, thirty or forty miles to his own house, below the present town of Herkimer, where he died, from an unskillful amputation, having just concluded reading to his family the 38th Psalm. But the most dangerous enemy to the cause of freedom was not to be found in the field, but among neighbors who were lurking at midnight around the scenes of home. The districts of Albany and Schoharie was infested by Tories, and young Schoolcraft was ever on the qui vive to ferret out this most insidious and cruel of the enemy's power. On one occasion he detected a Tory, who had returned from Canada with a lieutenant's commission in his pocket. He immediately clapped spurs to his horse, and reported him to Gov. George Clinton, the Chairman of the Committee of Safety at Albany. Within three days the lieutenant was seized, tried, condemned and hanged. Indeed, a volume of anecdotes might be written of Lawrence Schoolcraft's revolutionary life; suffice it to say, that he was a devoted, enthusiastic, enterprizing soldier and patriot, and came out of the contest with an adjutant's commission and a high reputation for bravery. * Annals of Teyon County. XZXll SKBTOHBS or THE About the close of the Revolutionary war, he married Miss Mar- garet Anne Barbara Rowe, a native of Fishkill, Duchess County, New York, by whom he had thirteen children. His disciplinary knowledge and tact in the government of men, united to amenity of manners, led to his selection in 1802, by the Hon. Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, as director of his extensive glass works at Hamilton, near Albany, which he conducted with high reputation so many years, during which time he bore several im- portant civil and military trusts in tho county. The importance of this manufacture to the new settlements at that early day, was deeply felt, and his ability and skill in the management of these extensive works were widely known and appreciated. When the war of 1812 appeared inevitable, Gen. Ganzevoort, his old commanding officer at Fort Stanwix, who was now a^ the head of the U. S. army, placed him in command of the firbt regi- ment of uniformed volunteers, who were mustered into servics for that conflict. His celebrity in the manufacture of glass, led ca- pitalists in Western New York to offer him lavge inducements to remove there, where he first introduced this manufacture during the settlement of that new and sttractive part of the State, in which a mania for manufactories was then rife. In this new field the sphere of his activity and skill were greatly ;.i)larged, and he enjoyed the considertftion and respect of his townsmen for many years. He died at Vernon, Oneida County, in 1840, at the age of eighty-four, having lived long to enjoy the success of that inde- pendence for which he had ardently thirsted and fought. A hand- some monument on the banks of the Skenando bears the inscription "A patriot, a Christian, and an honest man." A man who was never governed by expediency but by right, and in all his expressions of opinion, original and fearless of conse- quences. These details of the life and character of Col. Lawrence Schoolcraft, appeared proper in proceeding to speak of one of his sons, who has for so considerable a period occupied the public at- tention as an actor in other fields, requiring not less energy, de- cision, enterprise and perseverance of character. Henry Rowe Schoolcraft was born in Albany County, on the 28th of March, 1793, during the second presidential term of Washington. His childhood and youth were spent in the village • w LIFE OF HENRY R. BOHOOLORAFT. xxxm was lUage of Hamilton, a place once renowned for its prosperous manufao- toriea, but which has long since verified the predictions of the bard — ■ ■ .■ , '■(,•' " That trade's proud empire hasteH to swift decay, As ooeaD sweeps the labored mole away." Its location is on one of the beautiful and sparkling affluents of the Towasentha or Norman's Kill, popularly called the Hongerkill, which he has in one of his occasional publications called the Idsco, from an aboriginal term. That picturesque and lofty arm of the Catskiils, which is called the Helderberg, bounds the landscape on the west and south, while the Pine Plains occupy the form of a crescent, between the Mohawk and the Hudson, bearing the cities of Albany and Schenectady respectively on its opposite edges. Across this crescent-like Plain of Pines, by a line of sixteen miles, was the ancient Iroquois war and trading path. The Towasentha lies on the south borders of this plain, and was, on the first settle- ment of the country, the seat of an Indian population. Here, during the official term of Gen. Hamilton, whose name the village bears, the capitalists of Albany planted a manufacturing village. The position is one \>here the arable forest and farming lands are bounded by the half arable waste of the pine plains of the Honi- croisa, whose deep gorges are still infested by the wolf and smaller animals. The whole valley of the Norman's Kill abounds in lovely and rural scenes, and quiet retreats and waterfalls, which are suited to nourish poetic tastes. In these he indulged from his thirteenth year, periodically writing, and as judgment ripened, destroying volumes of manuscripts, while at the same time he evinced uncom- mon diligence at his books and studies. The poetic talent was, indeed, strongly developed. His power of versification was early and well formed, and the pieces which were published anonymously at a maturer period, as "Geehale," and "The Iroquois," &c., have long been embodied without a name in our poetic literature. But this faculty, of which we have been permitted to see the ma- nuscript of some elaborate and vigorous trdins of thought, did not impede a decided intellectual progress in sterner studies in the sciences and arts. His mind was early imbued with a thirst of knowledge, and he made such proficiency as to attract the notice of persons of education and taste. There was developed, too, in xzxtv BKIT0BB8 OF THE him, an early bias for the philosophy of language. Mr. Van Kleeck, a townsman, in a recent letter to Dr. K. W. Griswold, says: — " I revert with great pleasure to the scenes of my residence, in the part of Albany County which was also the residence of Henry R. Schoolcraft. I went to reside at the village of Hamilton, in the town of Guilderland, in 1808. Col. Lawrence Schoolcraft, the father of Henry, had then the direction of the large manufactories of glass, for which that place was long noted. The standing of young Henry, I remember, at his school, for scholarship, was then very noted, and his reputation in the village most prominent. He was spoken of as a lad of great promise, and a very learned boy at twelve. Mr. Robert Buchanan, a Scotchman, and a man of learning, took much pride in his advances, and finally came to his father and told him that he had taught him all he knew. In Latin, I think he was taught by Cleanthus Felt. He was at this age very arduous and assiduous in the pursuit of knowledge. He discovered great mechanical ingenuity. He drew and painted in water colors, and attracted the notice of the Hon. Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, Lt. Governor of the State, who became so much interested in his ad- vancement, that he took the initial steps to have him placed with a master. At an early age he manifested a taste for mineralogy and natural science, which was then (I speak of about 1808) almost unknown in the country. He was generally to be found at home, at his studies, when other boys of his age were attending horse- races, cock-fights, and other vicious amusements for which the village was famous. "At this 'time he organized with persevering eflFort, a literary so- ciety, in which discussions took place by the intelligent inhabitants on subjects of popular and learned interests. At an early age, I think sixteen, he went to the west, and the first that was after- wards heard of him was his bringing to New York a splendid collection of the mineralogy and natural history of the west."* In a part of the country where books were scarce, it was not easy to supply this want. He purchased several editions of Eng- lish classics at the sale of the valuable library of Dirck Ten Broeck, Esq., of Albany, and his room in a short time showed the elements * Letter of L. L. Van Kleeok, Esq., to Dr. R, W. Griswold, June 4th, 1851. LIFE OF HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT. XXXV > of a library auJ a cabinet of mineraln, and drawings, which were arranged with the greatest care and neatness. Having finished his primary studies, with high reputation, ho prepared, under an improved instructor, to enter Union College. It was at the ago of fifteen thut f\o set on foot, as Mr. Van Kleeck mentions, an associ- ation fur mental improvement. These meetings drew together persons of literary tastes and acquirements in the vicinity. The late John V. Veedor, Wm. McKown, and L. L. Van Kleeck, Esqs., Mr. Robert Alsop, the late John Schoolcraft, Esq., O. Batterman, John Sloan, and other well-known gentlemen of the town, all of whom were his seniors in ago, attended these meetings. Mineralogy was at that time an almost unknown science in the United States. At first the heavy drift stratum of Albany County, as seen in the bed of Norman's Kill ; and its deep cuttings in the slate and other rocks, were his field of roineralogical inqui- ries. Afterwards, while living at Lake Dunmore, in Addison County, Vermont, he revised and systematized the study under the teaching of Professor Hall, of Middlebury College, to which he added chemistry, natural philosophy and medicine. Having now the means, ho erected a chemical furnace, and ordered books appa- ratus, and tests from the city of New York. By these means he per- fected the arts which were under his direction in the large way ; and he made investigations of the phenomena of the fusion of various bodies, which he prepared for the press under the name of Vitri- ology, an elaborate work of research. Amongst the facts brought to light, it is apprehended, were revealed the essential principles of an art which is said to have been discovered and lost in the days of Tiberius Caesar. He taught himself the Hebrew and German, with the aid only of grammars and lexicons ; and, with the assistance of instructors, the reading of French. His assiduity, his love of method, the great value he attached to time, and his perseverance in whatever study or research he undertook, were indeed indomitable, and serve to prove how far they will carry the mind, and how much surer tests they are of ultimate usefulness and attainment, than the most dazzling genius without these moral props. Self-depend- ent, self-acting, and self-taught, it is apprehended that few men, with so little means and few advantages, have been in so peculiar a sense the architect of their own fortunes. XXZVl SKETCHES OF THE He commenced writing for the newspapers and periodicals in 1808, in which year he also published a poetic tribute to a friend, which excited local notice, and was attributed to a person of lite- rary celebrity. For, notwithstanding the gravity of his studies and researches, he had indulged an early poetic taste for a series of years, by compositions of an imaginative character, and might, it should seem, have attained distinction in that way. His re- marks in the ^^ Literary and Philosophical Repertory,'' on the evolvement of hydrogen gas from the strata of Western New York, under the name of Burning Springs, evinced an early apti- tude for philosophical discussion. In a notice of some archaeo- logical discoveries made in Hamburgh, Erie County, which were published at Utica in 1817, he first denoted the necessity of dis- criminating between the antique French and European, and the aboriginal period in our antiquities ; for the want of which discrimination, casual observers and discoverers of articles in our tumuli are perpetually over-estimating the state of ancient art. About 1816 he issued proposals, and made arrangements to pub- lish his elaborated work on vitreology, which, so far as published, was favorably received. In 1817 he was attracted to go to the Valley of the Mississippi. A new world appeared to be opening for American enterprise there. Its extent and resources seemed to point it out as the future residence of millions ; and he determined to share in the exploration of its geography, geology, mineralogy and general ethnology, for in this latter respect also it ofifered, by its curious mounds and antiquities and existing Indian tribes, a field of pecu- liar and undeveloped interest. He approached this field of observation by descending the Alle- ghany River from Western New York to the Ohio. He made Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Louisville centres of observation. At the latter place he published in the papers an account of the dis- covery of a body of the black oxide of manganese, on the banks of the Great Sandy River of Kentucky, and watched the return papers from the old Atlantic States, to see whether notices of this kind would be copied and approved. Finding this test favorable, he felt encouraged in his mineralogical researches. Having de- scended the Ohio to its mouth one thousand miles, by its involu- tions below Pittsburgh, and entered the Miaaisaippi, he urged his LIFE OP HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT. XXXVU lis way up the strong and turbid channel of the latter, in barges, by slow stages of five or six miles a day, to St. Louis. This slow- ness of travel gave him an opportunity of exploring on foot the whole of the Missouri shore, so noted, from early Spanish and French days, for its mines. After visiting the mounds of Illinois, he recrossed the Mississippi into the mineral district of Missouri. Making Potosi the centre of his survey and the deposit of his col- lections, he executed a thorough examination of that district, where he found some seventy mines scattered over a large surface of the public domain, which yielded, at the utmost, by a very desultory process, about three millions of pounds of lead annually. Having explored this region very minutely, he wished to ascertain its geo- logical connection with the Ozark and other highland ranges, which spread at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and he planned an exploratory expedition into that region. This bold and hazard- ous journey he organized and commenced at Potosi early in the month of November, 1818, and prosecuted it under many disadvan- tages during that fall and the succeeding winter. Several expert and practiced woodsmen were to have been of this party, but when the time for sotting out came all but two failed, under various ex- cuses. One of these was finally obliged to turn back from Mine au Breton with a continued attack of fever and ague. Ardent in the plan, and with a strong desire to extend the dominions of science, he determined to push on with a single companion, and a single pack-horse, which bore the necessary camp conveniences, and was led alternately by each from day to day. A pocket com- pass guided their march by day, and they often slept in vast caverns in limestone clifi"s at night. Gigantic springs of the purest crystaline water frequently gushed up from the soil or rocks. This track laid across highlands, which divide the confluent waters of the Missouri from those of the Mississippi. Indians, wild beasts, starvation, thirst, were the dangers of the way. This journey, which led into the vast and desolate parts of Arkansas, was replete with incidents and adventures of the highest interest. While in Missouri, and after his return from this adventurous journey, he drew up a description of the mines, geology, and mineralogy of the country. Conceiving a plan for the better management of the lead mines as a part of the public domain, he determined to visit Washington, to submit it to the government. xxxviii SKETCHES OF THE Packing up his collections of mineralogy and geology, he ordered them to the nearest point of embarkation on the Mississippi, and, getting on board a steamer at St. Genevieve, proceeded to New Orleans. Thence he took shipping for New York, passing through the Straits of Florida, and reached his destination during the prevalence of the yellow fever in that city. He improved the time of his quarantine at Staten Island by exploring its mineralogy and geology, where he experienced a kind and appreciating reception from the health oflScer, Dr. De Witt. His reception also from scientific mien at New York was most favorable, and produced a strong sensation. Being the first person who had brought a collection of its scientific resources from the Mississippi Valley, its exhibition and diffusion in private cabinets gave an impulse to these studies in the country. Men of science and gentlemen of enlarged minds welcomed him. Drs. Mitchell and Hosack, who were then at the summit of their influence, and many other leading and professional characters ex- tended a hand of cordial encouragement and appreciation. Gov. De Witt Clinton was one of his earliest and most constant friends. The Lyceum of Natural History and the New York Historical Society admitted him to membership. Late in the autumn of 1819, he published his work on the mines and mineral resources of Missouri, and with this publication as an exponent of his views, he proceeded to Washington, where ho was favorably received by President Monroe, and by Mr. Calhoun and Mr. Crawford, members of his cabinet. At the request of the latter he drew up a memoir on the reorganization of the western mines, which was well received. Some legislation appeared neces- sary. Meantime Mr. Calhoun, who was struck by the earnestness of his views and scientific enterprise, ofi'ered him the situation of geologist and mineralogist to an exploring expedition, which the war department was about dispatching from Detroit to the sources of the Mississippi under the orders of Gen. Cass. This he immediately accepted, and, after spending a few weeks at the capital, returned in Feb., 1820, to New York, to await the opening of the interior navigation. As soon as the lakes opened he proceeded to Detroit, and in the course of two or three weeks embarked on this celebrated tour of exploration. The great lake basins were visited and explored, the reported copper mines on LIFE OF HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT. XXXIX Lake Superior examined, and the Upper Mississippi entered at Sandy Lake, and, after tracing it in its remote mazes to the high- est practical point, he descended its channel hy St. Anthony's Falls ito Prairie du Chien and the Du Buque lead mines. The original outward track north-westward was then regained, through the valleys of the Wisconsin and Fox Rivers, and the extended shores of Lake Michigan and Huron elaborately traced. In this he was accompanied by the late Professor David B. Douglass, who collected the materials for a correct map of the groat lakes and the sources of the Mississippi. It was late in the autumn when Mr. Schoolcraft returned to his residence at New York, when he was solicited to publish his " nar- rative journal." This he completed early in the spring of 1821. This work, which evinces accurate and original powers of observa- tion, established his reputation as a scientific and judicious traveler. Copies of it found their way to England, where it was praised by Sir Humphrey Da\y and the veteran geographer, Major Rennel. His report to the Secretary of War on the copper mines of Lake Superior, was published in advance by the American Journal of Science, and by order of the Senate of the United States, and gives the earliest scientific account of the mineral affluence of the basin of that lake. His geological report to the same department made subsequently, traces the formations of that part of the con- tinent, which gives origin to the Mississippi -River, and denotes the latitudes vv'here it is crossed by the primitiv^e and volcanic rocks. The ardor and enthusiasm which he evinced in the cause of science, and his personal enterprise in traversing vast regions, awakened a corresponding spirit; and the publication of his narratives had the effect to popularize the subject of mineralogy and geology throughout the country. In 1821, he executed a very extensive journey through the Miami of the Lakes and the River Wabash, tracing those streams minutely to the entrance of the latter into the Ohio River. He then proceeded to explore the Oshawanoe Mountains, near Cave- in-Rock, with their deposits of the fluate of lime, galena, and other mineral treasures. From this range he crossed over the grand prairies of the Illinois to St. Louis, revisited the mineral district of Potosi, and ascended the Illinois River and its north- west fori, the Bes Flaines, to Chicago, where a large body of ■j7^»Trr.\'*T>'^^vi»tF^«i] Xl SKETCHES OF THE Indians were congregated to confer on the cession of their lands. At these important conferences, he occupied the position of secre- tary. He published an account of the incidents of this explora- tory journey, under the title of Travels in the Central Portions of the Mississippi Valley. He found, in passing up the river Des Plaines, a remarkably well characterized specimen of a fossil tree, completely converted to stone, of which he prepared a de- scriptive memoir, which had the effect further to direct the public mind to geological phenomena. We are not prepai od to pursue minutely these first steps of his energetic course in the early investigation of our natural history and geography. In 1822, while the lead-mine problem was under advisement at Washington, he was appointed by Mr. Monroe to the semi -diplomatic position of Agent for Indian Affairs on the North-west Frontiers. This opened a new field of inquiry, and, while it opposed no bar to the pursuits of natural science, it pre- sented a broad area of historical and ethnological research. On this he entered with great ardor, and an event of generally con- trolling influence on human pursuits occurre<^ to enlarge these studies, in his marriage to Miss Jane Johnston, a highly cultivated young lady, who was equally well versed in the English and Algon- quin languages, being a descendant, by the mother's side, of Wa- bojeeg, a celebrated war sachem, and ruling cacique of his nation. Her father, Mr. John Johnston, was a gentleman of the highest connections, fortune, and standing, from the north of Ireland, who had emigrated to America during the presidency of Washington. He possessed great enthusiasm and romance of character, united with poetic tastes, and became deeply enamored of the beautiful daughter of Wabojeeg, married her, and had eight children. His eldest daughter, Jane, was sent, at nine years of age, to Europe to be thoroughly educated under the care of his relatives there, and, when she returned to America, was placed at the head of her father's household, where her refined dignified manners and accomplishments attracted the notice and admiration of numerous visitors to that seat of noble hospitality. Mr. Schoolcraft was among the first suitors for her hand, and married her in October, 1823. Mr. Johnston was a fine belles lettres scholar, and entered readily LIFE OV HENRT B. SOHOOLORAFT. xli into the discussions arising from the principles of the Indian lan- guages, and plana for their improvement. Mr. Schoolcraft's marriage into an aboriginal family gave no small stimulus to these inquiries, which were pursued under such singularly excellent advantages, and with untiring ardor in the seclusion of Elmwood and Michilimackinack, for a period of nearly twenty years, and, until his wife's lamented death, which happened during a visit to her sister, at Dundas, Canada West, in the year 1842, and while he himself was absent on a visit to England. Mr. Schoolcraft has not, at any period of his life, sought advance- ment in political life, but executed with energy and interest various civic offices, which were freely offered to him. From 1828 to 1832, he was an efficient member of the Territorial Legislature, where he introduced a system of township and county names, formed on the basis of the aboriginal vocabulary, and also pro- cured the incorporation of a historical society, and, besides managing the finances, as chairman of an appropriate committee, he introduced and secured the passage of several laws respecting the treatment of the native tribes. In 1828, the Navy Department offered him a prominent situa- tion in the scientific corps of the United States Exploring Expedi- tion to the South Seas. This was urged in several letters written to him at St. Mary's, by Mr. Reynolds, with the approbation of Mr. Southard, then Secretary of the Navy. However flattering such an offer was to his ambition, his domestic relations did not permit his acceptance of the place. He appeared to occupy his advanced position on the frontier solely to further the interests of natural history, American geography, and growing questions of philosophic moment. These particulars will enable the reader to appreciate the ad- vantages with which he commenced and pursued the study of the Indian languages, and American ethnolog 7. He made a complete lexicon of the Algonquin language, and reduced its grammar to a philosophical system. "It is really surprising, ' says Gen. Cass, in a letter, in 1824, in view of these researches, " that so little valu- able information has been given to the world on these subjects." Mr. Duponceau, President of the American Philosophical Soci- ety, translated two of Mr. Schoolcraft's lectures before the Algio Society, on the grammatical structure of the Indian language, into xlii 8KETCHBS OF THE French, for the National Institute of France, where the prize for the best e say on Algonquin language was awarded to him. He writes to Dr. James, in 1834, in reference to these lectures: "His description of the composition of words in the Chippewa language, is the most elegant I have yet seen. He is an able and most per- spicuous writer, and treats his subject philosophically.'' Approbation from these high sources had only the oflFect to lead him to renewed diligence and deeper exertions to further the in- terests of natural science, geography, and ethnology ; and, while engaged in the active duties of an important government oflSce, he maintained an extensive correspondence with men of science, learn- ing, and enterprise throughout the Union. The American Philosophical, Geological, and Antiquarian Socie- ties, with numerous state and local institutions, admitted him to membership. The Royal Gec■ ■ ■ PBR80NAL HBMOIRS. i!U "sweeps," a species of gigantic oars, which were occasionally resorted to in order to keep the unwieldy vessjl from running against islands or dangerous shores. We went on swimmingly, passing through the Seneca reserva* tion, where the picturesque costume of the Indians seen on shore served to give additional interest to scenes of the deepest and wildest character. Every night we tied our ark to a tree, and huilt a fire on shore. Sometimes we narrowly escaped going over falls, and once encountered a world of lahor and trouhle by getting into a wrong channel. I made myself as useful and agreeable as possible to all. I had learned to row a skiff with dexterity during my residence on Lake Dunmore, and turned this art to account by taking the ladies ashore, as we floated on with our ark, and picked up specimens while they culled shrubs and flowers. In this way, and by lending a ready hand at the ''sweeps" and at the oars whenever there was a pinch, I made myself agree- able. The worst thing we encountered was rain, against which our rude carpentry was but a poor defence. We landed at every- thing like a town, and bought milk, and eggs, and butter. Some- times the Seneca Indians were passed, coming up stream in their immensely long pine canoes. There was perpetual novelty and freshness in this mode of wayfaring. The scenery was most enchanting. The river ran high, with a strong spring current, and the hills frequently rose in most picturesque cliffs. • - ; 1818. I do not recollect the time consumed in this descent. We had gone about three hundred miles, when we reached Pitts- burgh. It was the 28th of March when we landed at this place, which I remember because it was my birthday. And I here bid adieu to the kind and excellent proprietor of the ark, L. Petti- borne, Esq., who refused to receive any compensation for ray pas- sage, saying, prettily, that he did not know how they could have got along without me. I stopped at one of the best hotels, kept by a Mrs. McCuUough, and, after visiting the manufactories and coal mines, hired a horse, and went up the Monongahela Valley, to explore its geology as high as Williamsport. The rich coal and iron beds of this part of the country interested me greatly ; I was impressed with their extent, and value, and the importance which they must eventually give to Pittsburgh. After returning from this trip^ I completed my visits PERSONAL UBHOIRS. 21 'etti- to the various workshops and foundries, and to the large glass- works of Bakewell and of O'Hara. m^f$P&»r' .:» v3S irm*?^ I was now at the head of the Ohio Biver, which is formed by the junction of the Alleghany and Monongahela. My next step was to descend this stream ; and, while in search of an ark on thr borders of the Monongahela, I fell in with a Mr. Brigham, a worthy person from Massachusetts, who had sallied out, with the same view. We took passage together on one of these floating houses, with the arrangements of which I had now become familiar. I was charmed with the Ohio ; with its scenery, which was every moment shifting to the eye ; and with the incidents of such a novel voyage. Off Wheeling we made fast to another ark, from the Monongahela, in charge of Capt. Hutchinson, an intelligent man. There were a number of passengers, who, together with this commander, added to our social circle, and made it more agreeable : among these, the chief person was Br. Selman, of Cincinnati, who had been a sur- geon in Wayne's army, and who had a fund of information of this «v My acquaintance with subjects of chemistry and mineralogy I r J Ivd me to make my conversation agreeable, which was after- wards of some advantage to me. ■ '^^^ > t; - ' - ^'»s fJ^i^m-'}i -l^ We came to at Grave Greek Fleets, and all went up to see i;he Great Mound, the apex of which had a depression, with a large tree growing in it having the names and dates of visit of several per- sons carved on its trunk. One of the dates was, I think, as early as 1730. We also stopped at Gallipolis — ^the site of a French colony of some notoriety. The river was constantly enlarging ; the spring was rapidly advancing, and making its borders more beautiful ; and the scenery could scarcely have been more interesting. There was often, it is true, a state of newness and rudeness in the towns, and villages, and farms, but it was ever accompanied with the most pleasing anticipations of improvement and progress. We had sel- dom to look at old things, save the Indian antiquities. The most striking works of this kind were at Marietta, at the junction of the Muskingum. This was, I belfeve, the earliest point of settlement of the State of Ohio. But to us, it had a far more interesting point of attraction in the very striking antique works named, for which it is known. We visited the elevated square and the mound. We gazed and wondered as others have done, and without fancying that we were wiser than our predecessors had been. ~ 22 PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. At Marietta, a third ark from the waters of the Muskingnm was added to our number, and making quite a flotilla. This turned out to be the property of He;. „. B. Thomas, of Illinois, a Senator in Congress, a gentleman of great urbanity of manners and intelli- gence. By this addition of deck, our promenade was now ample. And it w^nld be difiScult to imagine a journey embracing a greater number of pleasing incidents and prospects. When a little below Parke/sburgh, we passed Blennerhasset's Island, which recalled for a moment the name of Aaron Burr, and the eloquent language of Mr. Wirt on the treasonable schemes of that bold, talented, but unchastened politician. All was now ruin and devastation on the site of forsal^'sn gardens, into the shaded recesses of which a basilisk had once entered. Some stacks of chimneys were all that was left to tell the tale. It seemed re- markable that twelve short years should have worked so com- plete a desolaliou. It would appear as if half a century had inter- vened, so thorough had been the physical revolution of the island. One n:(ght we had lain with our flotilla on the Virginia coast. It was perceived, at early daylight, that the inner ark, which was Mr. Thomas's, and which was loaded with valuable machinery, was partly sunk, being pressed against the bank by the other arks, and the water was found to be flowing in above the caulked seams. A short time must have carried the whole down. After a good deal of ex- ertion to save the boat, it was cut loose and abandoned. It occurred to me that two men, rapidly bailing, would be able to throw out a larger quantity of water than flowed through the seams. Willing to make myself useful, I told my friend Brigham that I thought we could save tae boat, if he would join in the attempt. My theory proved correct. We succeeded, by a relief of hands, in the effort, and saved the whole machinery unwetted. This little affair proved gratifying to me from the share I had in it. Mr. Thomas was so pleased that he ordered a sumptuous breakfast at a neighboring house for all. We had an abundance of hot coffee, chickens, and toast, which to voyagers in an ark was quite a treat ; but it was still less gratifying than the opportunity we had felt of doinga good act. This little incident had a pleasing effect on the rest of the voyage, and made Thomas my friend. But the voyage itself was now drawing to a close. When we reached Cincinnati, the flotilla broke up. We w«. re now five hundred PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 28 in nn iBobftlow Pittsburgh, and the Valley of the Ohio was, if possible, every day becoming an object of more striking physical interest. By the advice of Dr. Sellman, who invited me to dine with a large company of gentlemen, I got a good boarding-house, and I spent several weeks very pleasantly in this city and its immediate envi- rons. Among the boarders were Dr. Moorhead (Dr. S.'s partner), and John 0. S. Harrison (the eldest son of Gen. Harrison), with several other young gentlemen, whose names are pleasingly asso- ciated in my memory. It was customary, after dinner, to pit on a wooden settle, or long bench, in front of the house, facing the open esplanade on the high banks of the river, at the foot of which boats and arks were momentarily arriving. One afternoon, while engaged in earnest conversation with Harrison, I observed a tall, gawky youth, with white hair, and a few stray patches just appear- ing on his chin, as precursors of a beard, approach furtively, and assume a listening attitude. He had evidently just landed, and had put on his best clothes, to go up and see the town. The moment he stopped to listen, I assumed a tone of earnest badinage. Harrison, instantly seeing our intrusive and raw guest, and humor- ing the joke, responded in a like style. In effect we had a high controversy, which could only be settled by a duel, in which our raw friend must act as second. He was strongly appealed to, and told that his position as a gentleman required it. So far all was well. We adjourned to an upper room ; the pistols were charged with powder, and shots were exchanged between Harrison and myself, while the eyeballs of young Jonathan seemed ready to start from their sockets. But no sooner were the shots fired than an undue advantage was instantly alleged, which involved the responsibility' of my antagonist's friend ; and thus the poor fellow, who had him- self been inveigled in a scrape, was peppered with powder, in a second exchange of shots, while all but himself were ready to die with smothered laughter ; and he was at last glad to escape from the house with his life, and made the best of his way back to his ark. This settle, in front of the door, was a capital point to perpe- trate tricks on the constantly arriving throngs from the East, wUo, with characteristic enterprise, often stopped to inquire for employ- ment. A few days after the sham duel, Harrison determined to play a trick ou another emigrant, a shrewd, tolerably well-informed PXRSONAL MBHOIBS. » young man, who had evinced a grent deal of self-complacency and immodest pertinacity. He told ue pertinacious emigrant, ▼ho inquired for a place, that he had not, himself, anything that could engage his attention, but that he had a friend (alluding to me) who was now in town, who was extensively engaged in milling and merchandizing on the Little Miami, and was in want of a com- petent, responsible clerk. He added that, if he would call in the evening, his friend would be in, and he would introduce him. Meantime, I was informed of the character I was to play in re- buking assumption. The man came, punctual to his appointment, in the evening, and was formally Introduced. I stated the duties and the peculiar requisites and responsibilities of the trust. These he found but little difficulty in meeting. Other difficulties were stated. T^ese, with a little thought, he also met. He had evi- dently scarcely any other quality than presumption. I told him at last that, from the inhabitants in the vicinity, it was necessary that he should speak Dutch. This seemed a poser, but, after some hesi- tancy and hemming, and the re-mustering of his cardinal presump- tion, he thought he could shortly render himself qualified to speak. I admired the very presumption of the theory, and finally told him to call the next day on my agent, Mr. Schenck, at such a number (Martin Baum's) in Maine Street, to whom, in the mean time, I transferred the hoax, and duly informing Schenck of the affair ; and I do not recollect, at this time, how he shuffled him off. •^ « ( •' P2BS0NAL MBM0IK8. 95 .^•,;:-in^>,. ;.. ,,. , --^XM^J^^.^; . ,, . ,.,1 ' - ;,/.■-■ CHAPTER II. -■;'\,-;..4a^,«r. Descent of the Ohio River from Cincinnati to its mouth — Ascent of the MisBissippi, from the junctici to Herculaneum — Its rapid and turbid character, and the difficulties of stemming its current by barges — Some ' incidents by the way. 1818. At Oincinnati, I visited a sort of gigantic chimney or trunk, constructed of wood, which had been continued from the plain, and carried up against the side of one of the Walnut Hills, in order to demonstrate the practicability of obtaining a mechani- cal power from rarefied atmospheric air. I was certain that this would prove a failure, although Captain Bliss, who had conducted the work under the auspices of General Ljtle, felt confident of success. When I was ready to proceed down the Ohio, I went to the shore, where I met a Mr. Willers, who had come there on the same errand as myself. Our object was to go to Louisville, at the fallr of the Ohio. We were pleased with a well-( onstructed skiff, which would conveniently hold our baggage, and, a Tter exami- nation, purchased it ,for the purpose of making this Tart of the descent. I was expert with a light oar, and we agrees in thinking that this would be a very picturesque, healthful, and economical mode of travel. It was warm weather, the beginning of May, X think, and the plan was to sleep ashore every night. We found this plan to answer expectation. The trip was, in every respect, delightful. Mr. Willers lent a ready hand at the oars and tiller by turns. He possessed a g-^od share ef urbanity, had seen much of the world, and was of an t^ge and temper to vent no violent opinions. He gave me information on some topics. We got along pleasantly. One day, a sleeping sawyor, as it is called, rose up in the river behind us in a part of the courr^e we had just passed, which, if it had risen two minutes earlier, would have pitched us in the air, and knocked our skiff in shivers. We stonned at Vevav. to PBR80NAL MEMOIRS. v taste the Trine c f the vintage of that place, which was then much talked of, and did not think it excellent. We were several days — I do not recollect how many — in reaching Louisville, in Kentucky. I found my fellow-voyager was a teacher of military science, late from Baltimore, Maryland; he soon had a class of militia officers, to whom he gave instructions, and exhibited diagrams of military evolutions. Louisville had all the elements of city life. I was much inte- rested in the place and its environs, and passed several weeko at that place. I found organic remains of several species in the limestone rocks of the falls, and published, anonymously, in the paper some notices of its mineralogy. When prepared to continue my descent of the river, I went to the beautiful natural mall, which exists between the mouth of the Beargrass Greek and the Ohio, where boats usually land, and took passage in a fine ark, which had just come down from the waters of the Monongahela. It was owned and freighted by two adven- turers from Maryland, of the names of Kemp and Keen. A fine road existed to the foot of the falls at Shippensport, a distance of two miles, which my new acquaintances pursued; but, when I understood that there was a pilot present, I preferred remaining on board, that I might witness the descent of the falls: we descended on the Indiana side. The danger was imminent at one part, where the entire current had a violent side action, but we wont safely and triumphantly down ; and, after taking our owners on board, who were unwilling to risk their lives with their property, we pursued our voyage. It was about this point, or a little above, that we first noticed the gay and noisy parroquet, flocks of which inhabited the forests. The mode of attaching vessels of this kind into flo- tillas was practiced on that part of the route, which brought us into acquaintance with many persons. At Shawneetown, where we lay a short time, I went out hunt- ing about the mouth of the Wabash with one Hanlon, a native of Kentucky, who was so expert in the use of the rifle that he brought down single pigeons and squirrels, aiming only at their heads or necks. After passing below the Wabash, the Ohio assumed a truly ma- jestic flow. Its ample volume, great expanse, and noble shores, eould not fail to be admired. As we neared the picturesque Gave- PBRflONAL MKHOIBS. in-Rook shore, I took the BmoU boat, and, with some othei s, landed to view this traveler's wonder. It recalled to me the dark robber era of the Ohio River, and the tales of blood and strife which I had read of. The cave itself is a striking object for its large and yawning mouth, but, to the geologist, presenta nothing novel. Its ample area appears to have been frequently encamped in by the buoa- neers of the Misdissippi. We were told of narrow and secret passages leading above into the rock, but did not find anything of much interest. The mouth of the cave was formerly concealed by trees, which favored the boat robbers ; but these had been mostly felled. As the scene of a talc of imaginative robber-life, it ap- peared to me to poss<)8S great attraction'^. Our conductor steered for Smithfield, I think it was c.;lled, at the mouth of the Cumberland River, Tennessee, which was th.ught a favorable place for transferring the cargo from an ark to « keel- boat, to prepare it for the ascent of the Mississippi River; for we were now drawing closely towards the mouth of the Ohio. Here ensued a delay of many days. During this time, I made several excmsions in thie part of Tennessee, and always with the rifle in hand, in the use of which I- had now become expert enough to kill small game without destroying it. While here, some of General Jackson's volunteers from his wars against the Creeks and Semi- noles returned, and related some of the incidents of their perilous campaign. At length a keel-boat, or barge, arrived, under the command of Captain Ensminger, of Saline, which discharged its cargo at this point, and took on board the freight of Kemp and Keen, bound to St. Louis, in Missouri. We pursued our way, under the force of oars, which soon brought us to the mouth of the Ohio, where the captain paused to prepare for stemming the Mississippi. It was now the first day of July, warm and balmy during the mornings and evenings, but of a torrid heat at noon. We were now one thoiisand miles below Pittsburgh — a distance which it is impossible for any man to realize from the mere reading of books. This splendid valley is one of the prominent creations of the universe. Its fertility and beauty are unequaled; and its capacities of sustaining a dense population cannot be overrated. Seven States border on its waters, and they are seven States which are destined to contribute no little nart to PIRSOITAL M1M0IB8. the cummeroe, wealth, and power of the Union. It is idle to talk of the well-cultivated and garden-like little riyers of Europe, of some two or three hundred miles in length, compared to the Ohio. There is nothing like it in all Europe for its great length, unin- terrupted fertility, and varied resources, and consequent power to support an immense population. Yet its banks consist not of a dead level, like the lower Nile and Volga, but of undulating plains and hills, which afford a lively flow to its waters, and supply an amount of hydraulic power which is amazing. The river itself is composed of some of the prime streams of the country. The Alleghany, the Monongahela, the Muskingum, the Miami, the Wabash, the Cumberland, and thf Tennessee, are rivers of the most noble proportions, and the congregated mass of water rolls forward, increasing in volume and magnificence, until the scene delights the eye by its displays of quiet, lovely, rural magnitude and physical grandeur. Yet all this is but an element in the vast system of western waters. It reaches the Mississippi, but to be swallowed up and engulfed by that turbid and rapid stream, which, like some gap- ing, gigantic monster, running wild from the Rocky Mountains and the Itasca summit, stands ready to gulp it down. The scene is truly magnificent, and the struggle not slight. For more than twenty miles, the transparent blue waters of the Ohio are crowded along tie Tennessee coast ; but the Mississippi, swollen by its sum- mer flood, as if disdainful of its rural and peace-like properties, gains the mastery before reaching Memphis, and carries its cha- racteristic of turbid geologic pow ar for a thousand miles more, until its final exit into the Mexican Gulf. ; ; ?t> s /f s v I had never seen such a sight. I had lost all my standards of comparison. Compared to it, my little home streams would not fill a pint cup ; and, like a man suddenly ushered into a new world, I was amazed at the scene before me. Mere amplitude of the most ordinary elements of water and alluvial land has done this. The onward rush of eternal waters was an idea vaguely floating in my mind. The Indians appeared to have embodied this idea in the word Mississippi. Ensminger was a stout manly fellow, of the characteristic traits of Anglo-Saxon daring ; but he thought ii; prudent not to plunge too hastily into this mad current, and we slept at the precise point of PBRSOMAii MBUOIRS. embouchure, where, I think, Cairo is now located. Early the next morning the oarsmen were paraded, like ao many militia, on the slatted gunwales of the barge, each armed with a long and stout setting pole, shod with iron. Ensminger himself took the helm, and the toil and struggle of pushing the barge up stream began. We were obliged to keep close to the shore, in order to find bottom for the poles, and whenever that gave out, the men instantly resorted to oars to gain some point on the opposite t.de, where bottom could be reached. It was a struggle requiring the utmost activity. The water was so turbid that we could not perceive objects an inch below the surface. The current rushed with a velocity that threat- ened to carry everything before it. The worst effect was its per- petual tendency to undermine its banks. Often heavy portions of the banks plunged into the river, endangering boats and men. The banks consisted of dark alluvion ten to fifteen feet above the water, bearing a dense growth of trees and shrubbery. The plunging of these banks into the stream often sounded like thunder. With every exertion, we advanced but five miles the first day, and it was a long July day. As evening came on, the mosquitos were in hordes. It was impossible to perform the offices of eating or drink- ing, without suffering the keenest torture from their stings. The second day we ascended six miles, the third day seven miles, the fourth day six miles, and the fifth eight miles, which brought us to the first settlement on the Missouri shore, called Tyawapaty Bottom. The banks in this distance became more elevated, and we appeared to be quitting the more nascent region. We noticed the wild turkey and gray squirrel ashore. The following day we went but three miles, when the severe labor caused some of the hands to give out. Ensminger was a man not easily dis- couraged. He lay by during the day, md the next morning found means to move ahead. At an early hour we reached the head of the settlement, and came to at a spot called the Little Chain of Bocks. The fast lands of the Missouri shore here jut into the river, and I examined, at this point, a remarkable bed of white clay, which is extensively employed by the local mechanics for chalk, but which is wholly destitute of carbonic acid. We ascended, this day, ten miles ; and the next day five miles, which carried us to Cape Girardeau — a town estimated to be fifty miles above the mouth of the Ohio. Here were about fifty houses, situated on a com- 'ft PBR80MAL MIM0IR8. manding eminence. Wo had been landed but a short time, when ' one of the principal merchants of the place sent me word that he had just received some drugs and medicines which ho wished me to examine. I went up directly to his store, when it turned out that he was no druggist at all, nor wished my skill in this way, but, having heard there was a doctor aboard, he had taken this facetious mode of inviting me to partake of some refreshments. I regret thftt I have forgotten his name. The next day we ascended seven miles, and next the same dis- tance, and stopped at the Moccason Spring, a basin of limpid wa- ter occupying a crevice in the limestone rock. The day following we ascended but five miles, and the next day seven miles, in which distance we passed the Grand Tower, a geological monument rising from the bed of the river, which stands to tell of gome great revolution in the ancient face of the country. T^ Mississippi River probably broke through one of its ancient barru rs at this place. We made three unsuccessful attempts to pass Garlic Point, where we encountered a very strong current, and finally dropped down and came to, for the night, below it, the men being much ex- hausted with these attempts. We renewed the effort with a cordeUe the next morning, with success, but not without exhausting the men so much that two of them refused to proceed, who were im- mediately paid off*, and furnished provisions to return. We suc- ceeded in going to the mouth of the Obrazo, about half a mile higher, when we lay by all day. This delay enabled Ensminger to recruit his crew, and during the three following days we as- cended respectively six, seven, and ten miles, which brought us to the commencement of Bois-brule bottom. This is a fertile, and was then a comparatively populous, settlement. We ascended along it about seven miles, the next day seven more, and the next eleven, which completed the ascent to the antique town of St. Genevieve. About three hundred houses were here clustered together, which, with their inhabitants, had the looks which we may fancy to belong to the times of Louis XIY. of France. It was the chief mart of the lead mines, situated in the interior. I observed heavy stacks of pig lead piled up about the warehouses. We remained here the next day, which was the 20th of July, and then went for- ward twelve miles, the next day thirteen, and the next five, which brought us, at noon, to the town of Herculaneum, con- PIR80NAL MIMOIKS. 81 taining some thirty or forty buildings, excluding three picturesqtie- looking shot towers on the top of the rocky cliffs of the rivor. This was another mart of the lead mines. >•> ^ I determined to land definitively at this point, purposing to visit the mines, after completing my ascent by land lo St. Louis. It was now the 28d of July, the whole of which, from the 1st, we had spent in a diligent ascent of the river, by setting polo and cordolle, from the junction of the Ohio — a distance of one hundred and seventy miles. We were still thirty miles above St. Louis. ..'' ■ ' I have detailed some of the incidents of the journey, in order to denote the diffoulties of the ascent with barges prior to the introduction of steam, and also the means which this :^ilow- nesB of motion gave me of becoming acquainted with the ph /sical character of this river and its shores. A large part of t^e west banks I had traveled on foot, and gleaned several facts in its mineralogy and geology which made it an initial point in my futiu u observations. The metalliferous formation is first noticed at the little chain of rocks. From the Grand Tower, the west( ra siores become precipitous, showing sections and piled-up pinnacies of the series of horizontal sandstones and limestones which characteriEe the imposing coast. Had I passed it in a steamer, downward bound, as at this day, in forty-eight hours, I should have had none but the vaguest and most general conceptions of its character. But I went to glean facts in its natural history, and I knew these required careful personal inspection of minute as well as general features. There may be a sort of horseback theory of geology ; but mineralogy, and the natural sciences generally, must be in- vestigated on foot, hammer or goniometer ir l^and. ; , '. Jf'-. ■-■ -,-■ 82 PBESONAL MEMOIRS. • . CHAPTER III. Reception at Herculaneum, and introduction to the founder of the first American colony in Texas, Mr. Austin — His character — Continuation of the journey on foot to St. Louis — Incidents by the way — Trip to the mines — Survey of the mine country — Expedition Trom Potosi into the Ozark Mountains, and return, after a winter's absence, to Potosi. 1818, The familiar conversation on shore of my friendly asso- ciates, speaking of a doctor on board who was inquiring into the natural history and value of the country at every point, procured me quite uaexpectedly a favorable reception at Herculaneum, as it had done at Cape Girardeau. I was introduced to Mr. Austin, the elder, who, on learning my intention of visiting the mines, offered every facility in his power to favor my views. Mr. Austin was a gentleman of general information, easy and polite manners, and enthusiastic character. He had, with his connections, the Bates, I believe, been the founder of Herculaneum, and was soli- citous to secure it a share of the lead trade, which had been so long and exclusively enjoyed by St. Genevieve. He was a man of very decided enterprise, inclined to the manners of the old school gentlemen, which had, I believe, narrowed his popularity, and ex- posed him to some strong feuds in the interior, where his estates lay. He was a diligent reader of the current things of the day, and watched closely the signs of the times. He had lived in the capital of Virginia, where he married. He had been engaged ex- tensively as a merchant and miner in Wyeth county, in the western part of that State. He had crossed the wilderness west of the Ohio River, at an early day, to St. Louis, then a Spanish interior capital. He had been received by the Spanish authorities with attentions, and awarded a large grant of the mining lands. He had remained under the French period of supremacy, and had been for about sixteen years a resident of the region when it was transferred by purchase to the United States. The family had FERSOXAL MEMOIRS. 83 been from an early day, the first in point of civilization in the country. And as his position seemed to wane, and clouds to hover over his estates, he seemed restless, and desirous to transfer his influence to another theatre of action. From my earliest conversa- tions with him, he had fixed his mind on Texas, and spoke with enthusiasm about it. I left my baggage, consisting of two well-filled trunks, in charge of Mr. Ellis, a worthy innkeeper of the town, and when I was ready to continue my way on foot for St. Louis, I was joined in this journey by Messrs. Kemp and Keen, my fellow- voyagers on the water from Louisville. We set out on thfi 26th of the month. The weather was hot and the atmosphere seemed to be lifeless and heavy. Our road lay over gentle hills, in a state of nature. The grass had but in few places been disturbed by the plough, or the trees by the axe. The red clay soil seemed fitter for the miner than the farmer. At the distance of seven miles, we came to a remarkable locality of springs strongly impregnated with sulphur, which bubbled up from the ground. They were remarkably clear and cold, and de- posited a light sediment of sulphur, along the little rills by which they found an outlet into a rapid stream, which was tributary to the Mississippi. .; Five miles beyond these springs, we reached the valley of the Merrimack, just at nightfall; and notwithstanding the threaten- ing atmosphere, and the commencement of rain, before we de- scended to the stream, we prevailed with the ferryman to go down and set us over, which we urged with the view of reaching a house within less than a mile of the other b«nk. He landed us at the right spot ; but the darkness had now become so intense that we could not keep the road, and groped oui way along an old wheel- track into the forest. It also camo on to rain hard. We at last stood still. We were lost in utter darkness, and exposed to a pelt- ing storm. After a while we heard a faint stroke of a cow bell. We listened attentively; it was repeated at long intervals, but faintly, as if the animal was housed. It gave us the direction, which was quite different from the course we had followed. No obstacle, though there were many, prevented us from reaching the house, where we arrived wet and hungry, and half dead with latigue. 8 84 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. The Merrimack, in whose valley we were thus entangled, is the prime outlet of the various streams of the mine country, where Re- nault, and Arnault, and other French explorers, expended their researches during the exciting era of the celehrated illusory Missis- sippi scheme. The next day we crossed an elevated arid tract for twelve miles to the village of Carondalet, without encountering a house, or an acre of land in cultivation. On this tract, which formed a sort of oak orchard, with high grass, and was a range for wild deer, Jef- ferson Barracks have since heen located. Six miles further brought us to the town of St. Louis, over an elevated brushy plain, in which the soil assumed a decidedly fertile aspect. We arrived about four o'clock in the afternoon, and had a pleasant evening to view its fine site, based as it is on solid limestone rock, where no encroachment of the headlong Mississippi can ever endanger its safety. I was delighted with the site, and its capacity for expan- sion, and cannot conceive of one in America, situated in the in- terior, which appears destined to rival it in population, wealth, power, and resom*ces. It is idle to talk of any city of Europe or Asia, situated as this is, twelve hundred miles from the sea, which can be named as its future equal. It was now the 27th of July, and the river, which had been swol- len by the Missouri flood, was rapidly falling, and alinoat diminished to its summer minimum. It left a heavy deposit of mud on its im- mediate shores, which, as it dried in the sun, cracked into fragments, which were often a foot thick. These cakes of dried sediment con- sisted chiefly of sand and sufficient aluminous matter to render the whole body of the deposit adhesive. 1 was kindly received by R. Pettibone, Esq., a townsman from New York, from whom I had parted at Pittsburgh. This gen- tleman had established himself in business with Col. Eastman, and as soon as he heard if my arrival, invited me to his house, where I remained until I was ready to proceed to the mines. I examined whatever seemed worth notice in the town and its environs. I then descended the Mississippi in a skiff about thirty miles to Herculaneum, and the next day set out, on foot, at an early hour, for the mines. I had an idea that every effective labor should be commenced right, and, as I purposed examining the mineralogy and geology of the mine tract, I did not think that could be more PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. 85 thoroughly accompliBhed than on foot. I ordered my baggage to follow me by the earliest returning lead teams. True it was sultry, and much of the first part of the way, I was informed, was very thinly settled. I went the first day, sixteen miles, and reached the head of Joachim Creek. In this distance, I did not, after quitting the environs of the tMra, pass a house. The country lay in its primitive state. For the purpose of obtaining a good road, an elevated arid ridge had been pursued much of the way. In crossing this, I suffered severely from heat and thirst, and the only place where I saw water was in a rut, which I frightened a wild turkey from partaking of, in order to stoop down to it myself. As soon as I reached the farm house, where I stopped at an early hour, I went down to the creek, and bathed in its refreshing current. This, with a night's repose, perfectly restored me. The next day I crossed Grand River, and went to the vicinity of Old mines, when a sudden storm compelled me to take shelter at the first house, where I passed ^y second night. In this distance I visited the mining station of John Smith T. at his place of Shibboleth. Smith was a bold and indomitable man, originally from Tennessee, who possessed a marked individuality of character, and being a great shot with pistol and rifle, had put the country in dread of him. After crossing Big or Grand River, I was fairly within the mine country, and new objects began to attract my attention on every hand. The third day, at an early hour, I reached Potosi, and took up my residence at Mr. W. Ficklin's, a most worthy and estimable Kentuckian, who had a fund of adventurous lore of forest life to tell, having, in early life, been a spy and a hunter " on the dark and bloody ground." With him I was soon at home, and to him I owe much of my early knowledge of wood-craft. The day after my arrival was the general election of the (then) Territory of Misi juri, and the district elected Mr. Stephen F. Austin to the local legisla- ture!* I was introduced to him, and also to the leading gentlemen of the county, on the day of the eleciion, which brought them to- gether. Mr. Austin, the elder, also arrived. This gathering v^as a propitious circumstance for my explorations ; no mineralogist had ever visited the country. Coming from the quarter I did, and with the object I had, there was a general interest excited on the subject, and each one appeared to feel a desire to show me attentions. Mr. Stephen F. Austin invited me to take rooms at the old 86 FEBSOITAL MEMOIBS. Austin mansion ; he requested me to make one of them a depot for my mineralogical collections, and he rode out with me to ex- amine several mines. He was a gentleman of an acute and cultivated mind, and great suavity of manners. He appreciated the object of my visit, and saw at once the advantage^that might result from the publication of a work on the subjec^ For Missouri, like the other portions of the Mississippi Valley, had come out of the Late War with exhaustion. The effects of a peace were to lower her staples, lead, and furs, and she also severely felt the reaction of the paper money system, which had created extensive derangement and de- pression. He possessed a cautious, penetrating mind, and was a man of elevated views. He had looked deeply into the problem of western settlement, and the progress of American arts, educa- tion, and modes of thinking and action over the whole western world, and was then meditating a movement on the Red River of Arkansas, and eventually Texas. He foresaw the extension in the Mississippi Valley of the American system of civilization, to the modification and exclusion of the old Spanish and French elements. Mr. Austin accompanied me in several of my explorations. On one of these excursions, while stopping at a plmter's who owned a mill, I saw several large masses of sienite, lying on the ground ; and on inquiry where this material could come from, in the midst of a limestone country, was informed that it was brought from the waters of the St. Francis, to serve the purpose of mill- stones. This furnished the hint for a visit to that stream, which resulted in the discovery of the primitive tract, embracing the sources of the St. Francis and Big Rivers. I found rising of forty principal mines scattered over a dis- trict of some twenty miles, running parallel to, and about thirty miles west of, the banks of the Mississippi. I spent about #iree months in these examinations, and as auxiliary means thereto, built a chemical furnace, for assays, in Mr. Austin's old smelting-house, and collected specimens of the various minerals of the country. Some of my excursions were made on foot, some on horseback, and some in a single wagon. I unwittingly killed a horse in these trips, in swimming a river, when the animal was over-heated; at least he was found dead next morninz in the stable. .%■ PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 87 In the mijnth of October I resolved to push my examinations vrest beyond the line of settlement, and to extend them into the Ozark Mountains. By this term is meant a wide range of hill coun- try running from the head of the Merrimack southerly through Mis- souri and Arkansas. In this enterprise several persons agreed to unite. I went to St. Louis, a^ interested a brother of my friend Pettibone in the plan. ' forma my old fellow-voyager, Brigham, on th? American bottom in Illinois, where he had cultivated some large fields of corn, and where he had contracted fever and ague. He agreed, however, to go, and reached the point of rendezvous, at Potosi ; but he had been so enfeebled as to be obliged to return from that point. The brother of Pettibone arrived. He had no tastes for natural history, but it was a season of leisure, and he was Drone for the advejiture. But the experienced woodsmen who had agreed to co, and who had talked largely of encountering bears and Osage Indians, and slaughtering buffalo, one by one gave out. I was resolved myself to proceed, whoever might flinch. I had purchased a horse, constructed a pack saddle with my own hands, and made every preparation that was deemed necessary. On the 6th of November I set out. Mr. Ficklin, my good host, accompanied me to the outskirts of the settlement. He was an old woodsman, and gave me proper directions about hobbling my horse at night, and imparted other precautions necessary to secure a man's life against wild animals and savages. My St. Louis auxiliary stood stoutly by me. If he had not much poetry in his composition, he was a reliable man in all weathe s, and might be counted upon to do his part willingly. This journey had, on reflection, much daring and adventure. It constitutes my initial point of travels ; but, as I have described it from my journal, in a separate form, it will not be k ecessary here to do more than S'lj that it was successfully accomplished. After spending the fall of 1818, and the winter of 1819, in a series of adventures in barren, wild, and mountainous scenes, we came out on the tributary waters of tK Arkansas, down which we descended in a log canoe. On the Strawberry River, r: " ankle, which I h.*"^ injured by leaping from a wall of rock while hunting in the Gretu Mountains four years before, inflamed, and caused me to lie by a few days ; which was the only injury I received in the route. 38 PSIL'^ONAL MEMOIRS. I returned to Potosi in February. The first man I met (Major HaT^Xin)!});. cii reaching the outer settlements, expressed surprise at seeing -<.&. d& he had heard from the hunters, who had been on my trail about eighty miles to the Saltpetre caves on the Cur- rents River, that I had beei* killed by the Indians. Every one was pleased to see me, and no one more so than my kiad clon- tucky host, who had been the last to bid me adiexr on tho verge the wilderness. 't PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 89 lajor se at sn on Cur- ' one aon- CHAPTER IV. Sit down to write an account of the mines — Medical properties of the Mis- sissippi water — Expedition to the Yellow Stone— Resolve to visit Wash- ington with a plan of managing the mines — Descend the river from St. Genevieve to New Orleans — Incidents of the trip — Take passage in a ship for New York — Reception with my collection there — Publish my memoir on the mines, and proceed with it to Washington — Result of my plan — Appointed geologist and mineralogist on an expedition to the sources of the Mississippi. 1819. I NOW sat down to draw up a description of the mine country and its various mineral resources. Having finished my expedition to the south, I felt a strong desire to extend my obser- vations up the Mississippi to St. Anthony's Falls, and into the copper-bearing regions of that latitude. Immediately I wrote to the Hon. J. B. Thomas, of Illinois, the only gentleman I knew at Washington, on the subject, giving him a brief description of my expedition into the Ozarks. I did not know that another move- ment, in a far distant region, was then on foot for exploring the same latitudes, with which it was my fortune eventually to be con- nected. I allude to the expedition from Detroit in 1820, under General Cass. I had, at ihis time, personally visited every mine or digging of consequence in the Missouri country, and had traced its geological relations into Arkansas. I was engaged on this paper assiduously. When it was finished, I read it to persons well acquainted with the region, and sought opportimities of personal criticism upon it. The montlis of February and March had now glided & ^'osc 1 confir.timent to my room, however, affected my health. 'i !ib great chang of life from camping out, and the rough scenes of the forest, could not fail to disturb the functional secretions. An obstruction of the liver 'ieveloped itself in a decided case of jaundice. After the usual remedies, I made a iournev from Po- mM^"^ 40 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. tosi to the Mississippi River, for the purpose of ascending that stream on a barge, in order that I might be compelled to drink its turbid, but healthy waters, and partake again of something like field fare. The experiment succeeded. The trip had the desired effect, and I returned in a short time from St. Louis to Mine au Breton in completely restored health. At Herculaneum,'! was introduced to Major Stephen H. Long, of the United States Topographical Engineers, who was now on his way, in the small steamer Western Pioneer, up the Missouri to the Yellow Stone. I went on board the boat and was also introduced to Mr. Say, the entomologist and conchologist, Mr. Jessup the geologist, and other gentlemen composing the scientific corps. This expedition was the first evidence to my mind of the United States Government turning attention, in connection with practical objects, to matters of science, and the effort was due I understand, to the enlightened mind of Mr. Calhoun, then Secretary of War. It occurred to me, after my return to Potosi, that the subject of the mines which I had been inquiring about, so far as relates to their management as a part of the public domain, was one that belonged properly to the United States Government; Missouri was but a ter- ritory having only inchoate rights. The whole mineral domain was held, in fee, by the General Government, and whatever irregularity had been seen about the collections of rents, &c., constituted a ques- tion which Congress could only solve. I determined to visit Wash- ington, and lay the subject before the President. As soon as I had made this determination, everything bowed to this idea. I made a rapid visit, on horseback, to St. Louis, with my manuscript, to consult a friend, who entirely concurred in this view. If the mines were ever to be put on a proper basis, and the public to derive a benefit from them, the government must do it. As soon as I returned to Potosi, I packed my collection of mine' ;y. &c. I ordered the boxes by the lead teams to St. Geni. , ,eve. I went to the same point myself, and, taking passage in the new steamer " St. Louis," descended the Mississippi to I*[ew Orleans. The trip o^icupied some days. I repassed the junction of the Ohio with deep interest. It is not only the importance of geographical events that impresses us. The nature of the pheno- mena is often of the highest moral moment. An interesting incident occurred as soon as I got on board the PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 41 steamer. The captain handed me a letter. I opened it, and found it to contain money from the secretary of a secret society. I was surprised at such an occurrence, but I confess not displeased. I had kept my pecuniary affairs to myself. My wardrobe and bag- gage were such as everywhere to make a respectable appearance. If I economized in travel and outlay, I possessed the dignity of keeping my own secret. Oue night, as I lay sleepless in a dark but double-bedded room, an old gentleman — a disbanded oflScer, I think, whose health disturbed his repose — began a conversation of a peculiar kind, and asked me whether I was not a Freemason. Darkness, and the distance I was from him, induced a studiedly cautious reply. But a denouem-^nt the next day followed. This incident was the only explanation the unwonted and wholly unex- pected remittance admitted. A strftnger, traveling to a southern and sickly city to embark for a distant State, perhaps never to re- turn — the act appeared to me one of pure benevolence, and it re- veals a trait which should wipe away many an error of judgment or feeling. The voyage down this stream was an exciting one, and replete with novel scenes and incidents. The portion of the river above the mouth of the Ohio, which it had taken me twenty days to ascend in a barge, we were not forty-eight hours in deseeding. Trees, points of land, islands, every physical object on shore, wp rushed by with a velocity that left but vague and indistinct ii : pressions. We seemed floating, as it were, on the waters oi chaos, where mud, trees, boats, were carried along swiftly by the current, without any additional impulse of a steam-engine, puflBng itself off at every stroke of the piston. The wh ^le voyage to New Or- leans had some analogy to the recollection of a gay dream, in which objects were recollected as a long line of loosely-connected panoramic fragments. At New Orleans, where I remained several days, I took \^" cje in the brig Arethusa, Captain H. Leslie, for New York. While at anchor at the Balize, we were one night under appre- hensions from pirates, but the night passed away without any attack. The mud and alluvial drift of the Mississippi extend many leagues into the gulf. It was evident that the whole delta had b n.'- formed by the deposits made in the course of ages. Buried tree-, d other forms of organic life, which have been disinterred 42 PERSONAL UBMOIRS. from the banks of the river, as high, not only as New Orleans and Natchez, but to the mouth of the Ohio, show this. It must be evident to every one who takes the trouble to examine the phe- nomena, that an arm of the gulf anciently extended to this point ; and that the Ohio, the A "laT^aa, Red River, and other tributaries of the present day. &o 'vt.l ty.' ilie main Mississippi, had at that epoch entered thi.^ . nci?rji ^ru of the gulf. Handed at the light- house at the Bpli^e. We had to walk on planks supported by stakes in the water. A sea of waving grass rose above the liquid plain, and extended as far as the eye could reach. About twelve or fourteen inclios depth of water spread ov; n '.'•' !and. A light-house of brick or stone, formerly built t n t|iis mud plain, east of the main pass, had partially sunk, and hung in a diagonal line to the hori- zon, re binding the spectator of the insecurity of all solid struc- tures or uch a nascent basis* The present light-house was of wood. It was « yident, however, that here were deposited millions of acres of tliC richest alluvion on the globe, and in future times another Holland may be expected to be resc< ed from the dominions of the ocean. As we passed out into the gulf, another evidence of the dan- ger of the chanuel met our view, in the wreck of a stranded vessel. The vast stain if mud and alluvial filth extended for leagues irto the gulf. As the vessel began to take the rise and swell ol lue sea, I traversed the deck diligently, and, by dint of perseverance in keeping the deck, escaped sea-sickness. I had never been at sea before. When ihe land had vanished at all points, and there was nothing in sight but deep blue water around us and a sky above, the scene was truly sublime ; there was a mental reaction, impressing a lesson of the insignificance of man, which I had never before felt. We passed the Gult of Florida, heavu.g in sight on one side, as we passed, of the Tortugas, and, on the other, of the Mora Castle of Havana, after which the e > .3 little to be noticed, bu: changes in the Gulf Stream, fishes, sea-birds, ships, and the constant mutatiocs from tempests to the deep blue waters (>^ '. calm, till we hovo in sight of the Neversinks, and entert ^ the noble bay of New York. It was the third of August w^t- I r^ xched the city, having stayed out my quarantine faithfiniy on fe iten Island, the mine- ralogy and geological structure of which I completely explored iuiing that period of municipal regimen — for it was the season of PBRSO t HBU OIRS. yollow fover, and there was i i igid quarantine. Dr. Dewitt, the health officer, who had known my father, received me very kindly^ and my time wore off imperceptibly, while I footed its serpentine vales and magnesian plains. On reaching the city, I fixed my lodgings at a point on the banks of the Hudson, or rather at its point of confluence with the noble bay (71 Courtland), where I could overlook its islands and busy water craft, ever in motion. I had now completed, by land and water, a circuit of the Union, having traveled some 6000 miles. My arrival was oppor- tune. No traveler of modern times had thrown himself upon the success of his scientific observations, and I was bailed, by the sci- entific public, as the first one who had ever brought a collection of the mineral productions of the Mississippi Valley. My collection, which was large and splendid, was the means of introducing me to men of science at Nevi York and elsewhere. Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell and Dr. D. Hosack, who were then in the zenith of their fame, cordially received me. The natural sciences were then chiefly in the hands of physicians, and there was scarcely a man of note in these departments of inquiry who was not soon num- bered among my acquaintances. Dr. John Torrey was then a yoii' "" Luan, who had just published his first botanical work. Dr. A. iV . Ives warmly interested himself in my behalf, and I had literary friends on every side. Among these Gov. De Witt Clin- ton was prominent. J had fixed my lodgings where the Hudson River, and the noble ba; f New York and its islands, were in full view from my window. Hero I opened my collection, and invited men of science to view it. I put to press my observations on the mines and physical geography of the West. I also wrote a letter on its resources, which was pub- lished by the Corresponding Association of Internal Improvements. The Lyceum of Natural History, and the HistorioaJ Society, each admitted me to membership. My work was publitogra- pher, by no means underrated tho subject, but deferred i i, by accepting < le Professorship of Mathematics at West Point, as- sumed a duty which made it literally impossible, though he did not see it immediately, that he should do justice to his own notes. I simply went forward because no one of the members of the expedi- tion offered to. I had kept a journal from the first to the last day, . which I believe no one else had. I had been diligent in the morn- ing and evening in observing every line of coast and river. I never allowed the sun to catch me asleep in my canoe or boat. I had kept the domestic, as well as the more grave a -id important events. I was importuned to give them to the public. I had written to Douglass about it, but he was dilatory in answer! g me, and when at last he did, and approved my suggestion for a joint work in which our obser\ ations should be digested, it was too late, so far as my narrative went, to withdraw it from my publishers. But I pledged to him at once my geological and mineralogical reports, and I promptly sent him my port "olio of sketches to em- bellish his map. This is simply the history of the publication of my narrative journal. My position ; as, lit this time, personally agreeable. My room was daily visited by literary and scientific men. I was invited to the mansions of dibtinguished men, who'spoke of my recent journey as one implying enterprise. Nothing, surely, when I threw myself into the current of western emigration, in 1817, was farther from my thoughts than my being an instrumental cause, to much extent, in stirring up and awakening a zeal for scientific explorations and researches. The diurnal press, however, gave this tone to the thing. The following is a. extract : — * "During the last year, an expedition was authorized by the Na- tional Government, which left Detroit some timet ia^ithe month of May, under the personal orders of Governor Cass, of the Michigan Territory, provided with the necessary means of making observa- tions upon the topography, natural history, and aborigines of the country. We have had an opportunity of conversing with one of * New York Stat.e8man, Jan. 18^1. PERSONAL HBMOntS. 67 the gentlemen who accompanied Governor Cass in the expedition, Mr. H. R. Schoolcraft, who has recently returned to this city, bringing a large collection of mineral and other substances, calcu- lated to illustrate the natural history of tho regions visited. We learn that the party passed through Lake Sup ior, and penetrated to the sources of the Mississippi, whicli have been, for the first time, satisfactorily ascortainnd. In returning, they passed down tlu '^e came across to Fox Rivers. Indian '.utry visited, by whom t tae Sault St. Marie, The (ibUntry was ^ii, climat^ productions, r iif the Mississippi to Prairite'dii Green Bay, by means of the Ouiscju. tribes were found in every part *" t" they were generally well receive^ where a hostile disposition was muui found to present a jgreat Variety in itt* and the character of the sTavages, and the information collected must prove highly interesting both to men of business and men of science. " It will be seen, by referring to an advertisement in our paper of to-day, that Mr. Schoolcraft contemplates publishing an account of the expedition, under the form of a personal narrative, embrac- ing notices of interesting scenery, the Indian tribes, topographical discoveries, the quadrupeds, mineral productions, and geology of the country, accompanied by an elegant map and a number of picturesque views. From an inspection of the manuscript map and views, we are persuaded that no analogou. performances, of equal merit, have ever been* submitted to the hands of the engraver in this country. We have always been surprised that, while we have had so many travelers through the Valley of the Ohio and Lower Mississippi, no one should have thought of filling up the chasm in our northwestern geography. The field is certainly a very ample one — we cannot but felicitate the public in having a person of the acknowledged talents, industry, and original views of Mr, S. to supply the deficiency." At length foofessor Douglass (Feb. 9th) responded to my propo- sition to club our wits in a general work. "Your propositions rela- tive to a joint publication, meet my views precisely, and of course I am inclined to believe we may make an interesting ' work.' In addition to the usual heads of topographical and geographical know- ledge, which I propose to treat of, in my memoir on that subject, I am promised by Dr. Torrey some of the valuable aid which it will be .:• ( IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 iii|2i IM US itt Uii 12.2 u Ui lU u b& 12.0 L25 mu II 1.6 •^ 0% /a .> .vy /A w 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. USSO (716)872-4503 68 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. in his power to render for the article ' Botany,' and our collections should furnish the materials of a description of the fresh water conchology." His proposition was based on giving a complete account of the animal and mberal constituents of the country, its hydrography and resources; the paper on the aboriginal tribes to be contributed by General Cass. . ■■! ' > . A difficulty is, however, denoted. " My duties here," he writes, " as they engross everything at present, will force me to delay a little, and I am in hopes, by so doing, to obtain some further data. I enter, in a few days, on the discharge of my professional duties, under considerable disadvantages, owing to the late introduction into our courses of some French works on the highest branches of mathematics, which it falls to my lot first to teach. Between French, therefore, and fluxions, and moreover, the French method of fluxions, which is somewhat peculiar, I have had my hands pretty full. I look forward to a respite in April." The professor had, in fact, to teach his class as he taught him- self, and just kept ahead of them-^a very hard task. : In the mean time, while this plan of an enlarged publication was kept in view, I pushed my narrative forward. While it was going through the press, almost every mail brought me something of interest respecting the progress of scientific discovery. A few items may be noticed. Discovery of Strontian on Lake Erie. — Mr. William A. Bird, of Troy, of the Boundary Survey, writes (Jan. 22d) : — " On our return down the lake, last fall, we were becalmed near the islands in Lake Erie. I took a boat, and, accompanied by Major Delafield, Mr. A. Stevenson, and Mr. De Russey (who was to be our guide), went in search of the strontian to the main shore, where Mr. De Russey says it was found in the summer of 1819. After an unsuccessful search of an hour, we gave it up, and deter- mined to return to our vessel. On our way we stopped at Moss Island, when, immediately on landing, we found the mineral in question. I wandered a little from the others, and found the large bed of which I spoke to you. We there procured large quantities, and some large crystals. " This strontian was on the south side of Moss Island, in a horizontal vein of three feet in thickness, and from forty to fifty PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 59 by feet in length. I had no means of judging its depth into the rock. The base of the island is wholly composed of limestone, in which shells scarcely, if ever, appear." ,^ . i.. ;. .> ., , . ..;.; Conchohgy — Mineralized Fungus, ^o. — Dr. Samuel L. Mit- chell, of New York, writes (Jan. 30th) : " I was glad to receive your letter and ^he accompanying articles, by the hand of Colonel Gardiner ; but I am sorry your business is such as to prevent your meditated visit to the city until spring. ''I had a solemn conference with Mr. Barnes, our distinguished conchologist, on the subject of your shells. We had Say's pub- lication on the land and fresh water moUuscas before us. We believed the univalves had been chiefly described by him ; one, or probably two of the species were not contained in his memoir. It would gratify me very much to possess a complete collection of those moUuscas. I gave Mr. Barnes, who is an indefatigable collector, such duplicates as I could spare. "I showed your sandy fungus to my class at the college yester- day. Our medical school was never so flourishing, there being nearly two hundred students. In the evening, I showed it to the lyceum. All the members regretted your determination to stay the residue of the winter in Albany. " The little tortoise is referred, with a new and singular bird, to a zoological committee for examination. The sulphate of stron- tian is elegant. "I am forming a parcel for Professor Schreibers, curator of the Austrian emperor's cabinet at Vienna ; the opportunity will be excellent to send a few." Report on the Copper of Lake Superior. — ^Professor Silliman, in announcing a notice of my work on the mines, for the next num- ber of the Journal of Science, Feb. 5th, says : " I have written to the Secretary of War, and he has given his consent to have your report appear in the JowrnaZ o/iSb/ewce." , <, Governor Cass, of Michigan (Feb. 20th), expresses his thanks for a manuscript copy of the MS. report. " I trust," he adds, " the report will be published by the government. It would bo no less useful and satisfactory to the public than honorable to yourself." 60 PBBSONAL HSHOIRS. I ' Geology of Western New York. — Mr. Andrew MoNabb, of Ge- neva (Feb. 26tb), sends me two separate memoirs on the mine- ralogy and geology of the country, to be employed as materials in my contemplated memoir. The zeal and intelligence of this gen- tleman have led him to outstrip every observer who has entered into this field of local knowledge. Its importance to the value of the lands, their mines, ores, resources, water power, and general character, has led him to take the most enlarged views of the subject. " Pursue,'' he says, " my dear sir, your caraer, for it is an honorable one. The world, bad as it is, has been much worse than now for authors ; and through the great reading public, there are many gjpnec^s eotdd, whose views are not confined to sordidness and self. May all your laudable exertions be crowned with ample success — with plisasure and profit to yourself and fellow-citizens !" Boulder of Copper.f-A large specimen of native copper from Lake Superior, procured by me, forwarded to Mr. Calhoun, by General Stephen Van Rensselaer, representative in Congress, was cut up by his directions, and presented to the foreign ministers and gentlemen from abroad ; and thus the resources of the coun- try made known. In a letter of Feb. 27th, Mr. Calhoun acknow- ledges the receipt of it. Theoretical Geology. — Mr. McNabb, in forwarding additional papers relative to western geology, observes : " Have you seen Greenough's JEaeays on Geology? The reviewers speak of it as well as critics usually do on such occasions. President Greenough has given a shock to the * Wernerian system;' his battery k pretty powerful, but he seems more intent on leveling than on building. The Wernerian system is very beautiful, ingenious, and plausible, and I would almost regret its demolition, unless it should be found to stand in the way of truth. " Without some system or order in the investigation of nature's works and nature's laws, the mind is puzzled and confounded, wandering, like Noah's dove, over the face of the deep, without finding a resting-place. What a pity that human knowledge and human powers are so limited !" - PERSONAL MEMOIRS. wP Indian SymhoUc Figures. — Professor Douglass (March 17th) \rrites, making some inquiries about certain symbolic figures on the Sioux bark letter, found above Sank River. . Expedition to the Yellow Stone. — I fancy those western expe- ditions intend to beat us all hollow, in tough yarn^ as the sailors have it ; for it seems the Indian affair has got into the form of a newspaper controversy already : vide Aurora and National Gazette. Mineralogy of Georgia. — J. T, Johnston, Esq., of New York, writes (March 23d) that he has made an arrangement for procur- ing minerals for me from this part of the Union. Scientific Subjects. — Mr. McNabb writes (March 27th): "I deeply regret that so little attention is bestowed by our legislatures (State and National) on objects of such importance as those which engage your thoughts, while so much time, breath, and treasure are wasted on frivolous subjects and party objects. How long must the patriot and philanthropist sigh for the termination of such driveling and delusion !" ; ' After a labor at my table of alout fourteen weeks, the manu- script was all delivered to my printers; and I returned to New York, and took up my abode in my old quarters at 71 Courtland. The work was brought out on the 20th of May, making an octavo volume of 419 pages, with six plates, a map, and engraved title- page. Marks of the haste with which it was run through the press were manifest, and not a few typographical errors. Nobody was more sensible of this than myself, and of the value that more time and attention would have imparted. But the public received it witli avidity, and the whole edition was disposed of in a short time. Approbatory notices appeared in the principal papers and journals. The New York Columbian says : — "The author has before given the public a valuable work upon the Lead Mines of Missouri, and, if we mistake not, a book of instructions upon the manufacture of glass. He is advantageously known as a man of science and literary research, and well quali- fied to turn to beneficial account the mass of information he must 62 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. have collected in his tour through that interesting part of the country, which has attracted universal attention, though our knowledge of it has hitherto been extremely limited. We think there is no fear that the just expectations of the public will be disappointed; but that the book will be found to furnish all the valuable and interesting information that the subject and acquire- ments of the writer promised, conveyed in a chaste and easy style appropriate for the journalist — occasionally enlivened by animat- ing descriptions of scenery. Tho author has not suffered his imagination to run wild from a foolish vanity to win applause as a fine writer, when the great object should be to give the reader a view of what he describes, as far as language will permit, in the same light in which he beheld it himself. He aims to give you a just and true account of what he has seen and heard, and his book will be referred to as a record of facts by the learned and scien- tific at home and abroad. It is a production honorable to the country, and, if we mistake not, will advance her reputation in the opinion of the fastidious reviewers of Scotland and Eneland, in spite of their deep-rooted prejudices." Mr. Walsh, of the National Cfazette, deems it a valuable addition to this class of literature. "Public attention," he remarks, " was much excited last year by the prospectus of the expedition, of which Mr. Schoolcraft formed a part as mineralogist, and whose journey he has now described. He remarks, in his introduction, with truth, that but little detailed information was before possessed of the extreme northwestern region of the Union — of the great chain of lakes — and of the sources of the Mississippi River, which continued to be a subject of dispute between geographical writers. In the autumn of 1819 Governor Cass, of Michigan Territory, projected an expedition for exploring what was so imperfectly known, and yet so worthy of being industriously surveyed. '.*'." , -^ c - " The Secretary of War — to whom Mr. Schoolcraft's book is appropriately dedicated, with a just testimony to the liberal and enlightened character of his oflScial administration — not only ad- mitted the plan of Governor Cass, but furnished him with the means of carrying it into full effect by providing an escort of sol- diers and directing the commandants of the frontier garrisons to PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 68 for of is and ad- the 80l- to furnish every aid, of whatever description, which the party might require. To the Governor, as chief of the expedition, he asso- ciated several gentlemen qualified to accomplish its ohjects; which were — a more correct knowledge of the names, numhers, customs, history, mode of subsistence, and dispositions of the Indian tribes — the collection of materials for an accurate map of the country — the investigation of the subject of the northwestern copper and lead mines, and gypsum quarries ; and the acquisition, from the Indians, of such tracts as might be necessary to secure the benefit of them to the United States. " In the course of last March, we published a letter of Governor Cass to the Secretary of War, describing in a happy manner some of the scenes and occurrences which fell within the observation or inquiry of the expedition. Mr. Schoolcraft states, at the end of his introductory remarks, that he does not profess to communicate all the topographical information collected, and that a special to- pographical report and map may be expected, together with other reports and the scientific observations of the expedition in gene- ral. We anticipate, therefore, an ample and valuable accession to our stock of knowledge respecting so important a portion of the American territory ; and such evidence of the utility of enterprises of the kind, as will inspire every branch of the government with a desire to see them repeated with equipments and facilities adapted to the most comprehensive research, and fitted to render them cre- ditable in their fruits to the national character abroad. " The present narrative does not exhibit the author in his capa- city of mineralogist alone. In this he appears indeed more distinct- ively, and to particular advantage ; but he writes also as a general describer and relator, and has furnished lively and ample accounts of the natural objects, and novel, magnificent scenery which he witnessed; and of the history, character, condition, and habits of the various Indian bands whom he encountered in his route, or who belong especially to our northwestern territories." I was deeply sensible of the exalted feelings and enlarged sen- timents with which these and other notices were written. The effect on my mind was a sense of literary humility, and a desire to prove myself in any future attempts of the kind in some mea- sure worthy of them. Literary candidates are not ever, perhaps, 64 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 80 much pleased or gratified by those who render them exact jus- tice, of which there is always some notion, as by warm, liberal, or high-minded thoughts and commendations, which are incentives to future labors. : , ^ r^ v,. ^..i.a^^ ..,. f u,«< .. .. ,..,.», r ^. . . .>.' May 22(f. — General Cass had, before leaving Detroit, offered me the situation of Secretary to the Commissioners appointed to confer with the Indians at Chicago in the summer of 1821, with a view, primarily, to the interesting and circuitous journey which it was his intention to make, in order to reach the place of meet- ing. This offer, as the time drew on, he now put in the shape of a letter, which I determined at once to accept, and made my arrangements to leave the city without loss of time. It was proposed to be at Detroit the Ist of July. The tour would lie through the valleys of the Miami of the lakes, and the Wabash, which interlock at the Fort Wayne summit ; then across the Grand Prairie of the Illinois to St. Louis, and up the Illinois River from its mouth to its source. This would give me a personal knowledge of three great valleys, which I had not before explored, and connect my former southern explorations in Arkan- sas and Missouri with those of the great lake basins and the upper Mississippi. I had been at the sources and the mouth of that great river, and I had now the opportunity to complete the knowledge of its central portions. It was with the utmost avidity, therefore, that I turned my face again towards the West. Mr. Calhoun, who was written to on the subject, concurred in this plan, and extended the time for the completion of my geolo- gical report. Joint Work on the Scientific BesuUs of the Expedition of 1820. — General Cass, who had been written to, thus expresses himself on this subject: — " Captain Douglass has informed me that you and he meditate a joint work, which shall comprise those objects, literary and scientific, which could not properly find a place in a diurnal narra- tive. At what time is this work to appear, and what are its plan and objects? My observations and inquiries respecting the Indians will lead me much further than I intended or expected. If I can prepare anything upon that subject prior to the appear- ance of the work, I shall be happy to do it." ,,, , ^^BBOMAL BdVMOIRS. §§ Cfeologioal Survey ■■■<. 'is<^^ *■ *, ^V. .^ *;«<•, ^if>:- ... . • J- ■ .■',<. v/'-'v %•.•.-■■■; I - •?■•„ ■■■! .\-^'> '»■;•■ ''■*'• 'J'"' ■ ■''■'> ■■■■■■, W(■^ ; I.; ' ■■',. ^v' -"I" Il ■ \ .>ir 1 . / ■ ■ '■^' ■.. .1' ..^ t,, . i^..:'. ; ,^';i. y ^ ' ■'( 1 ■ .^<;.'V i u. • 1 '- . ■.-..vv --..i.,.. -ir PERSONAL MKMOIRS. « fk^.^:'-' <\n ■..}•*> '■■T'y .■!'• ■!•.:.'■•■ '••(.'' ' ■/ "..•■ t".. -♦»»«>'/;* .ti »< »V» : i- «','' (' CHAPTER VII. -■■f^: Trip through the Miami of the lakes, and the Wabusb Valley— Cross th« grand prairie of Illinois — Revisit the mines — Ascend the Illinois — ^Fever- Return through the great lakes— Notice of the " Trio" — Letter from Profes* sor Silliman — Prospect of an appointment under government — Loss of the " Walk-in-the-Water"— Geology of Detroit— Murder of Dr. Madison by a Winnebago Indian. .r-. .■•.;>«'vH .^',.! 1821. I LEFT New York for Chicago on the 16th June— harried rapidly through the western part of that State— passed up Lake Erie from Buffalo, and reached Detroit just in season to emhark, on the 4th of July. General Cass was ready to proceed, with his canoe-elege in the water. We passed, the same day, down the Detroit River, and through the head of Lake Erie into the Maumee Bay to Port Lawrence, the present site, I believe, of the city of Toledo. This was a distance of seventy miles, a prodigious day's journey for a canoe. But we were shot along by a strong wind, which was fair when we started, but had insensibly increased to a gale in Lake Erie, when we found it impossible to turn to land without the danger of filling. The wind, though a gale, was still directly aft. On one occasion I thought we should have gone to the bottom, the waves breaking in a long series, above our heads, and rolling down our breasts into the c^u&e. I looked quietly at General Cass, who sat close on my right, but saw no alarm in his cotmtenance. "That was a fatherly one," was his calm expres- sion, and whatever was thought, little was said. We weathered and entered the bay silently, but with feelings such as a man may be supposed to have when there is but a step between him and death. ' .^^'^^ ' There was not a house from Peoria to John Craft's, four miles from Chicago. I searched for, and found, the fossil tree, reported to lie in the rooks in the bed of the river Dea Plaines. The sight of Lake Michigan, on nearing Chicago, was like the ocean. We found an immense number of In- dians assembled. The Potawattomies, in their gay dresses and on horseback, gave the scene an air of Eastern magnificence. Here we were joined by Judge Solomon Sibley, the other commissioner from Detroit, whence he had crossed the peninsula on horseback, an4 we remained in negotiation with the Indians during fifteen con- secutive days. A treaty was finally signed by them on the 24th of August, by which, for a valuable consideration in annuities and goods, they ceded to the United States about five millions of acres of choice land^. Before this negotiation was finished, I was seized with bilioua piiifioirAt MiiMbiiii. ilious fbver, and consequontly did not sign the treaty, tt was of the worst bilious type, and acute in its character. I did not, indeed, ever expect to make another entry in a human journal. But a tigorons constitution at length prevailed, and weeks after all the party had loft the ground, I was permitted to embark in a vessel called the Decatur on the 23d of September for Detroit. We reach- ed Michilimackinack the seventh day of our voyage, and returned to Detroit on the 6th of October. The incidents and observations of this journey have been given to the public under the title "Tra- vels in the Central Portions of the Mississippi Valley" (1 vol. pp. 469, 8vo.: New York). I still flelt the effects of my illness on reaching Detroit, where I remained a few days before setting out for New York. On reaching Oneida County, where I stopped to recruit my strength, I learned that some envious persons, who shielded themselveit under the name of " Trio," had attacked my Narrative Journal^ in one of the papers during my absence. The attack was not of a character to demand a very grave notice, and was happily ex- posed by Mr. Carter, in some remarks in the columns of the Statetman,^ which first called my attention to the subject. "A trio of writers," he observes, in his paper of 17th August, "in the Daily Advertiser of Wednesday, have commenced an attack on the Narrative Journal of Mr. Schoolcraft, lately pub- lished in this city. We should feel excessively mortified for the literary reputation of our country, if it took any three of our writers to produce such a specimen of criticism as the article alluded to; and 'for charity's sweet sake,' we will suppose that by a typographical error the signature is printed Trio instead of Tyro. At any rate, the essay, notwithstanding all its we» and ours, bears the marks of being the effort of one smatterer, rather than the joint production of three critics, as the name imports. "The Trio (if we admit there are triajuncta in uno, in this knot of savans) pretend to be governed by patriotic tnotives in attack- ing Mr. Schoolcraft. * In what we have said, our object has been to expose error, and to shield ourselves from the imputation which would justly be thrown upon ourselves.' The construction of this sentence reminds us of the exordium of Deacon Strong's speech at Stonington— * «Ae generality of mankind in general endeavor to try to take the disadvantage of the generality of mankind in TO PERSONAL MEMOIRS. general.' But not to indulge in levities on so grave a subject, we are happy in the belief that the reputation of our country does not demand the condemnation of Schoolcraft's Journal, as a proof of our taste, nor need such a shield as the trio have interposed, to protect it from the attacks of foreign reviewers : — ' Non tali auxilio, neo defensoribus istia Tempus eget.' It affords us great pleasure to relieve the anxiety of the Trio on the subject of shielding 'ourselves from the imputation which would be justly thrown upon ourselves,' by stating that one of the most scientific gentlemen in the United States wrote to the publishers of Schoolcraft's Journal, not a week since, for a copy of the work to send to Paris, adding to his request, the work 18 so valuable that I doubt not it would be honorably noticed. "We have not taken the trouble to examine the passages to which the Trio have referred ; for, admitting that a trifling error has been detected in an arithmetical calculation — that a few plants (or vege- tables, as this botanist calls them) have been described as new, which were before known — and that in the haste of composition some verbal errors may have escaped the author, yet these slight defects do not detract essentially from the merit of the work, or prove that it has improperly been denominated a scientific, valua- ble, and interesting volume. Our sage critics are not aware how many and whom they include in the denunciation of 'a few men who pretend to all the. knowledge, all the wisdom of the country;' if by a few they mean all who have spoken in the most favorable terms of Mr. Schoolcraft's book. " One word in respect to the 'candor' of the Trio, and we have done. It would seem to have been more candid, and the disavowal of 'an intention to injure' would have been more plausible, if the attack had been commenced when the author was present to de- fend himself, and not when he is in the depth of a wilderness, re- mote from his assailants and ignorant of their criticisms. But we trust he has left many friends behind who will promptly and cheerfully defend his reputation till his return." On reading the pieces, I found them to be based in a petty spirit of fault-finding, uncandid, illiberal, and without wit, science, or learning. It is said in a book, which my critics did not seem to PERSONAL HBMOIRS. n have vowal tf the de- ,re- ut we and have caught the spirit of — " Should not the multitude of words be answered, and should a man fall if talk be justified ? Should thy lies make men hold their peace, and when thou mockest shall no man make thee ashamed?" (Job zi. 2, 3.) My blood boiled. I could have accepted and approved candid and learned and scien- tific criticism. I replied in the papers, pointing out the gross illiberality of the attack, and tried to provoke a discovery of the authors. But they were still as death ; the mask that had been assumed to shield envy, hypercriticism, and falsehood, there was neither elevation of moral purpose, courage, nor honor, to lay aside. In the mean time, all my correspondents and friends sustained me. Men of the highest standing in science and letters wrote to me. A friend of high standing, in a note from Washington (Oct. 24th) congratulating me on my recovery from the fever at Chicago, makes the following allusion to thi<« concealed and spite- ful effort: "When in Albany I procured froi^: Mr. Webster copies of them (the pieces), with a view, to say something in the papers, had it been necessary. But, from their character and effect, this would have been wholly unnecessary. They have fallen still-born from the press." Mr. Carter (Oct. 28th) says : " G. C. was at my room, and spoke of the numbers with the utmost contempt, and thought they were not worth noticing. The same opinion is entertained by every one whom I have heard speak on the subject. Chancellor Kent told me that your book is the most interesting he has ever read, and that the attack on it amounts to nothing. Others have paid it the same compliment, and I think your fame is in no danger of being injured by the Trio." Mr. Baldwin, a legal gentleman of high worth and standing, made the following observations in one of the city papers, under the signature of "Albanian": — " True criticism is a liberal and humane art, and teaches no less to point out and admire what is deserving of applause, than to detect and expose blemishes and defects. If this be a correct definition of criticism, and ' Trio' were capable of filling the oflSce he has assumed, I am of opinion that a different judgment would have been pronounced upon Mr. Schoolcraft's book of travels ; and that they would have been justly eulogized, and held up for the perusal of every person at all anxious about acquiring an intimate n PERSONAL MBMOIRS. knowledge of the interesting country tfarough which he traveled, and which he so ably and beautifully described. It is certainly true, thftt we abound in sntirling critics, whose chief delight is in finding fault with works of native production ; and though it is not my business to tread upon their corns, I could wish they might ever receive that cadtigation and contempt which they merit from a liberal and enlightened public. In the first article which appeared in your useful paper, over the signature of * Trio,* I thought I discovered only the efiervescence of a pedantic and caviling dis- position ; but, when I find that writer making false and erroneous statements, and drawing deductions therefrom unfavorable to Mr. Schoolcraft, I deprecate the evil, and invite the public to a free titii candid investigation of the truth. Not satisfied with detract- ing from the merits of Mr. Schoolcraft's work, ' Trio' indulges in some bitter and illiberal remarks upon those gentlemen who com- posed the Yellow Stone River expedition ; and to show how little qualified he is for the subject, I will venture to declare him ignorant of the very first principles upon which that expedition was organ- ized." So much for the " Trio." No actusll discovery of the authors was made ; but from information subsequently obtained, it is be- lieved that their names are denoted under the anagram Lenictra. Other criticisms of a different stamp were, however, received from high sources, speaking well of the work, which may here be mentioned. Professor Silliman writes from New Haven, November 22d : "I perused your travels with great satisfaction ; they have imparted to me a great deal of information and pleasure. Could any scientific friend of yours (Captain Douglass, for instance) prepare a notice, or a review, I would cheerfully insert it. " In reading your travels, I marked with a pencil the scientific notices, and especially those on mineralogy and geology, thinking that I might at a future period embody them into an article for the journal. Would it not be consistent with your time and occupations to do this, and forward me the article ? I would be greatly pleased also to receive from you a notice of the fluor spar from Illinois ; of the fossil tree ; and, in short, any of your scientific or miscellaneous observations, which you may see fit to intrust to the pages of the journal, I shall be happy to receive, and trust they would not have a disadvantageous introduction to the world." PBRSO-^^ 7 MEMOIRS. ts How different is this in '* thoughts of the Trio ! spirit and temper from the flimsy spar ntific ust to trust ftrld." Literary Honors. — Dr. Alfred S. Monson, of New Haven, in- forms me (November 23d) of my election as a member of the American Geological Society. Mr. Austin Abbott communicates notice of my election as a member of the Hudson Lyceum of Natural History. Appointment under Government. — A friend in high confidence at Washington writes (November 4th) : " The proposition to remove from Sackett's Harbor to the Sault of St. Mary a battalion of the army, and to establish a military post at the latter place, has been submitted by Mr. Calhoun to the President. The pres- sure of other subjects has required an investigation and decision since his return ; so that he has not yet been able to examine this matter. Mr. Calhoun is himself decidedly in favor of the mea- sure, and I have no doubt but that such will be the result of the Presidential deliberation. The question is too plain, and the con- siderations connected with it too obvious and important, to allow any prominent difficulties to intrude themselves between the con- ception and the execution of the measure. If a post be established, it is almost certain that an Indian agency will be located there, and, in the event, it is quite certain that you will be appointed the agent." Lous of the " Wdlk-in-the-water." — This fine steamer was wrecked near the foot of Lake Erie, in November. A friend in Detroit writes (November 17th): "This accident maybe consider- ed as one of the greatest misfortunes which have ever befallen Michigan, for in addition to its having deprived us of all certain and speedy communication with the civilized world, I am fearful it will greatly chieck the progress of emigration and improvement. They speak of three new boats on Lake Erie next season ; I hope they may be erected, but such reports are always exaggerated." Geology of Detroit. — " No accurate measurement that I can find has ever been made of the height of the bank of the river at this place. As near as I can ascertain, however, from those who have endeavored to obtain correct information respecting it, and 74 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. from my own judgment, I should suppose the base of the pillars at the upper end of the market-house, which stand three hundred feet from the water's edge, to be thirty-three feet above the sur- face of the river. The bank is of a gentle descent towards the water, and gradually recedes from the river for one mile above the lower line of the city. ''In digging a well in the northeast part of the city, in the street near the Council House, the loam appeared to be about a foot and a half deep. The workmen then passed through a stratum of blue clay of eight or ten feet, when they struck a vein of coarse sand, eight inches in thickness, through which the water entered so fast, as to almost prevent them from going deeper. They, however, proceeded through another bed of blue clay, twenty or twenty-two feet, and came to a fine yellow sand, resem- bling quicksand, into which they dug three feet and stopped, having found sufficient water. The whole depth of the well was thirty- three feet. " The water is clear, and has no bad taste. No vegetable or other remains were found, and only a few small stones and pebbles, such as are on the shores of the river. A little coarse dark sand and gravel were found below the last bed of clay, on the top of the yellow sand." The boring for water in 1830 was extended, on the Fort Shelby plateau, 260 feet. After passing ten feet of alluvion, the auger passed through 115 feet of blue clay, with quicksand, then two of beach sand and pebbles, when the limestone rock was struck. It was geodiferous for sixty feet, then lies sixty-five, then a carbon- ate of lime eight feet, at which depth the effort was relinquished unsuccessfully. — Historical and Scientific Sketches of Michigan. ^^Bed of the Detroit River. — I am induced to believe the bed of the River Detroit is clay, from the fact that it affords good anchorage for vessels. Neither limestone nor any other rock has ever been discovered in it." Murder of Dr. Madison. — A gentleman at the West writes to me (Nov. 17) : " As to the murder of Dr. Madison, the facts were, that he started from Green Bayj with three soldiers, to go to Chicago, and from thence to his wife in Kentucky, who, during his absence, had added ' one' to the family. The Indian Ke-taw- ;es to facts go to uring -taw- PBBSONAL MBM0IB8. n kah had left the bay the day previous, had passed he Indian village on the Manatoowack River, on his way to Chebiogan on the west side of Lake Michigan, to see a relative, but had turned back. When the Doctor met him, he was standing by the side of a tree, apparently unemployed. The Indian, says the Doctor, addressed him, and said something, from which he understood they wanted them to guide him to Chicago. As he knew he should get something to eat from them, he concluded he would go with them as far as Chebiogan. Accordingly, he fell in with the party about 2 P. M., and walked on until they had passed the Manatoowack River, about three miles. " They came to a small rise of ground, over which two of the soldiers had passed, and the other was by the side of the Doctor's horse, and both were just on the top. The Indian was about two rods in the rear, and was at the foot of the hill, when a gun was fired in the rear, and Madison received the charge in his shoulders and in the back of his neck, and immediately fell from his horse. The Indian instantly disappeared. The Doctor exclaimed, ' Oh ! why has that Indian shot me? I never did him or any of them any injury. To kill me, too, when I was just returning to my wife and my little child, which I have never seen ! It is more painful than death.' His conversation was very pathetic, as related by the soldier, and all who heard him were greatly affected. "The Indian says he shot him without any cause or malice; that the thought came into his head, about two minutes before, that he would kill one of the four ; and when he saw the Doctor on the top of the hill, he concluded he would fire at him, to see how pretty he would fall off his horse." These things transpired late in the fall. I did not reach Albany till late in December, and immediately began to prepare my geological report. T6 PBR801TAL MEMOIBa CHAPTER VIII. New-Tearing — A prospect opened — Poem of Ontwa — Indian biography — Fossil tree — Letters from various persons — Notice of Ontwa — Professor Silliman — Gov. Clinton — Hon. J. Meigs — Colonel Benton — Mr. Dickenson — Professor Hall — ^Yiews of Ex-presidents Madison, Jefferson, and Adams on geology — Geological notices — Plan of a gazetteer — Opinions of my Narrative Journal by scientific gentlemen — The impostor John Dun Hunter — Trip up the Potomac — Mosaioal chronology — Visit to Mount Vernon. 1822. Jan. let. — I spent this day a New-Yearing. Albany is a dear place for the first of January ; not only the houses of every one, bnt the hearts of every one seem open on this day. It is no slight praise to say that one day out of the three hundred and sixty-five is consecrated to general hospitality and warm- hearted cordiality. If St. Nicholas was the author of this custom, he was a social saint ; and the custom seems to be as completely kept up on the banks of the Hudson as it ever could have been on the banks of the Rhine. Jan. 5th. — My experience is that he who would rise, in science or knowledge, must toil incessantly ; it is the price at which success sells her favors. During the last four years, I have passed not less than ten thousand miles, and in all this time I have scarcely lain down one night without a feeling that the next day's success must depend upon a fresh appeal to continued efi'ort. My pathway has certainly not lain over beds of gold, nor my pillow been composed of down. And yet my success has served to raise the envy and malignity of some minds. True, these have been small minds; while a just appreciation and approval have marked the course of the exalted and enlightened. A friend writes from Washington, this day, assuring me that I am not forgotten in high quarters. "The occupation," he says, "of the iSault has been decided on, and I have but little doubt of your appointment to the agency. Make your mind easy. I am certain the government will not for- PBESONAL MBMOIRS. n ency. t for- get you, and I never can. I shall not lose sight of your interest a moment." Thus, vrhile an envious little clique here has, in my absence, clandestinely thrown most uncandid censure upon me and my labors, a vista of honor is presented to my hopes from a higher source. While recovering from the prostrating effects of my Chicago fever, I had drawn up a memoir for the American Geological So- ciety, which had made me a member, on the fossil tree observed in the stratification of the Des Flaines, of the Illinois, and took the occasion of being detained here in making my report, to print it, and circulate copies. It appeared to be a good opportunity, while calling attention to the fact described, to connect it with the system of secondary rocks, as explained by geologists. In this way, the occurrence of perhaps a not absolutely unique phenome- non is made a vehicle of conveying geological information, which is now sought with avidity in the country. This step brought me many correspondents of note. Mr. Madison (Ex-President United States) writes (Jan. 22): " The present is a very inquisitive age, and its researches of late have been ardently directed to the primitive composition and structure of our globe, as far as it has been penetrated, and to the processes by which succeeding changes have been produced. The discoveries already made are encouraging; but vast room is left for the further industry and sagacity of geologists. This is sufficiently shown by the opposite theories which have been espoused ; one of them regarding water, the other fire, as the great agent employed by nature in her work. "It may well be expected that this hemisphere, which has been le^st explored, will yield its full proportion of materials towards a satisfactory system. Your zealous efforts to share in the contri-r butions do credit to your love of truth and devotion to the cause of science, and I wish they may be rewarded with the success they promise, and with all the personal gratifications to which they entitle you." Mr. Jefferson (£!x-Fresident United States) sends a note of thanks (Jan. 26th) in the following words : " It is a valuable ele- ment towards the knowledge we wish to obtain of the crust of the globe we inhabit ; and, as crust alone is immediately interesting 78 PBRSONAL MBMOIRS. to US, we are only to guard against drawing our oonolusions deeper than we dig. You are entitled to the thanks of the lorers of science for the preservation of this fact.'*^*"*«tt m^mn^ifMin' Mr. John Adams (Ex-President United States, Jan. 27th) says : " I thank you for your memoir on the fossil tree, which is very well written ; and the conjectures on the processes of nature in producing it are plausible and probable. " I once lay a week wind-bound in Portland road, in England, and went often ashore, and ascended the mountain from whence they get all the Portland stone that they employ in building. In a morning walk with some of the American passengers from the Lucretia, Captain Galehan, we passed by a handsome house, at the foot of the hill, with a handsomer front yard before it. Upon the top of one of the posts of this yard lay a fish, coiled up in a spiral figure, which caught my eye. ' I stopped and gazed at it with some curiosity. Presently a person, in the habit and appearance of a substantial and well-bred English gentleman, appeared at his door and addressed me. ' Sir, I perceive that your attention is fixed on my fish. That is a conger eel — a species that abounds in these seas; we see them repeatedly, at the depth of twelve feet water, lying exactly in that position. That stone, as it now appears, was dug up from the bowels of this mountain, at the depth of twenty feet below the surface, in the midst of the rocks. Now, sir,' said he, ' at the time of the deluge, these neighboring seas were thrown up uito that mountain, and this fish, lying at the bottom, was thrown up with the rest, and then petrified, in the very posture in which he lay.' "I was charmed with the eloquence of this profound philosopher, •8 well as with his civility, and said that I could not account for the phenomenon by any more plausible or probable hypothesis. " This is a lofty hill and very steep, and in the road up and down, there are flat and smooth rocks of considerable extent. The commerce in Portland stone frequently calls for huge masses, from ten to fifteen tons weight. These are loaded on very strong wheels, and drawn by ten or twelve pair of horses. When they come to one of those flat rocks on the side of the hill where the descent is steep, they take off six or eight pair of horses, and attach theni behind the wagon, and lash them up hill, while one or two pair PBB809AL MEMOIRS. W of horses in front have to drag the wagon and its load and six or eight pair of horses behind it, backwards. " I give you this history by way of comment on Dr. Franklin's famous argument against a mixed government. That great man ought not to have quoted this as a New England custom, because it was an English practice before New England existed, and is a happy illustration of the necessity of a balanced government. " And since I have mentioned Dr. Franklin, I will relate ano- ther fact which I had from his mouth. When he lived at Passy, a new quarry of stone was opened in the garden of Mr. Bay de Ohaumont, and, at the depth of twenty feet, was found among the rocks a shark's tooth, in perfect preservation, which I sup- pose my Portland friend would account for as he did for his conger eel, though the tooth was not petrified." Thus, my memoir was the cause of the expression of opinions and facts from distinguished individuals, which possess an interest distinct from the bearing of such opinions on geology. [ . ■■ r , y-! Mr. Carter, who has just transferred the publication of the Statesman from Albany to New York, writes (Jan. 10th) from the latter city, urging me to hasten my return to that city. Poem on the theme of the Aborigines. — " I have," he remarks, " read Ontwa, the Indian poem you spoke to me about last sum- mer. The notes by Governor Cass are extremely interesting, and written in a superior style. I shall notice the work in a few days." Afi*^ -"■"he:,! •:;«=; ik; :j v . (3-eology of New York Island. — " I wish you to give me an article on the mineralogy and geology of Manhattan Island, in the form of a letter purporting to be by a foreign traveler. (See Appendix, No. 2.) It is my intention to give a series of letters, partly by myself and partly by others, which shall take notice of everything in and about the city which may be deemed interesting. I wish to begin at the foundation by giving a geographical and geological sketch of the Island." -^r>'>c: •u.^ixii I Indian Biography. — '•' Colonel Haines also wishes you to unite «i: 9XRS0NAL MIX0U18. with him and myself, in writing a series of sketches of celebrated Indians." . .^^.J^s«^ ,»r ;>b/,i^--. ss-^tM^. '\"-'* "H^ Professor Silliman writes (Jan. 20th), acknowledging the receipt of a memoir on the fosail tree of the River Des Plaines, which was prepared for the American Geological Society. He requests me to furnish him a copy of my memoir on the geology of the re- gions visited by the recent expedition, or, if it be too long for the purposes of th^ J,merv!m Journal, ^n abstract, of it. Animal Imprettion* in LimeHone. — "I am much obliged to • you for your kind intention of furnishing me with a paper on the impressions in limestone, and I hope you will bear it in mind, and execute it accordingly. "I have observed the appointment which the newspapers state that you have received from the government, and regret that it carries you so far south,* into an unhealthy climate ; wishing you, however, health and leisure to pursue those studies which you have hitherto prosecuted so successfully." Professor Frederick Hall, of Middlebury College, addresses me (Jan. 14th*) on the same subject. He alludes to my treatise " Oa the Mines, Minerals, &c., of the western section of the United States ;" a work for which our country and the world are <}^eply indebted to your enlightened enterprise and unr^laxing zeaj. Before reading it, I had a very inadequate conception of the actual ' extent and riches of the lead mines of the West. It seems, ao; cording to your account, that these mines are an exhaustless source of wealth to the United States. I should feel glad to have them put under your superintendence ; and tQ. have you nurture up a race of expert mineralogists, and become a Werner among then)." Profeasor Silliman writes (Jan. 25th) : " When I wrote you last, 1 had not been able to procure your memoir on the fossil tree. I f ead it, j^owever, immediately after, and was so much pleased with it, t]jtat J ejifi^iraeted the most important parts in the American Joumai, giving predit, of co!ju:8e» tQ you and to the Geological Society." Jan. 29th. Chester Dewy, Professor, &c., in Williams College, * This is evidently an allusion to St. Mary's, in Georgia, instead of Michigan. PBBSONAL MBMOIKS. 81 Mass., writes a most kind and friendly letter, in which he pre- sents various subjects, in the great area of the West, visited by me. '.V ?' I .1. Chalk Formation. — " Mr. Jessup, of Philadelphia, told me that he believed you doubted respecting the chalk of Missouri, in which you found nodules of flints. I wish to ask if this be fact. From the situation, and characters and uses, you might easily be led into a mistake, for such a bed of any other earth would be far less to be expected, and be also a far greater curiosity." ^ , ;.. y , Petroailex, ^c. — " By the way, I received from Dr. Torrey a curious mixture of petroailex and prehnite in radiating crystals, which was sent him by you, and collected at the West. He did not tell me the name, but examination showed me what it was." , Tufa from We»tem New York. — " To day, a Quaker from Sempronius, New York, has shown me some fine tufa. I mention it, because you may, in your travels, be able to see it. He says it covers an acre or more to a great depth, is burned into excel- lent lime with great ease, and is very valuable, as no good lime- stone is found near them. Some of it is very soft, like agaric mineral, and would be so called, were it not associated with beau- tiful tufa of a harder kind." . Geology of America. — " You have explored in fine situations, to extend the knowledge of the geology of our country, and have made great discoveries. I congratulate you on what you have been able to do ; I hope you may be able, if you wish it, to add still more to our knowledge." > , , Jan. 29th. Mr. McNabb says : " I have just received a speci- men of excellent pit-coal from Tioga county, Pennsylvania, near the head of the south branch of the Tioga River, and about twenty miles south from Painted Post, in Steuben County. The quantity is said to be inexhaustible, and what renders it of still greater importance is, that arks and rafts descend from within four or five miles of the mines." 6 ^mamtUit mimoirs. •••*■ " Keto Uazeffper i^ «k^. ftrk. — Mr. CurUr writes (Feb. 6th) inauspiciousl^ . the count ..'«iWri "t Washington ns not favoring the «pirit of f^xploration. Il« propoHes, in tho ovon^ of my not receiving 'ontemplated ap[i(jintment, the plan of u Ciazetteer of New 1 x^ )n an enlarged and sci. ntific basis. " I have often expressed to ton my opinion of the Spafford Gazetteer of this State. It is wuuiiy jiworthy of public patronagi ind would not stand in the way of a gi'wd work of the kind ; and such a one, I have the vanity to believe, our joint efforts could produce. It would be a permanent work, with slight alterations, as the State might undergo changes. My plan would be for you to travel over the State, and make a complete mineralogical, and geological, and statistical survey of it, which would probably take you a year or more. In the mean time, I would devote all my leisure to the collection and arrangement of such other materials as we should need in the compilation of the work." Feb. ISth. Professor Dewy writes, vindicating my views of the Huttonian doctrines, respecting the formation of secondary rocks, which he had doubted, on the first perusal of my memoir of the fossil tree of Illinois. Feb. 20th. Caleb Atwater, Esq., of Circleville, Ohio, the author of the antiquarian papers in the first volume of Arch^^ih. Mr. McNabb communicates further facts and dis- coveries of the mineral wealth, resources, and prospects of Wesiem New York and PeLitsylvania. Narrative Journal. — Professor Silliman (March ^th) communi- cates an extract of a letter to him from Daniel Wadsworth, Esq., of Hartford, to whom he had loaned my Narrative. " I have been very much entertained with the tour to the west- ern lakes. I think Hr, Schoolcraft writes in a most agreeable manner ; there is such "> entire absence of affectation in all he says, as well as his mar ioi 7 u>jixi(r^ -t, that no one can help being PIR80NAL HKMOIKS. 88 exceedingly pleased, even if the book had nr>t in any other respect a great deal of merit. The whole seems sain r^al and such abso- lute) matter of fact, that I feel as if I hud performed the journey with the traveller. '» " s" * .'^'i'' ' • '- " All I regret about it is that it was not oonsietcnt with his plans to tell us more of what might be considered the domettic part of the expedition, the character and conduct of those who were of the party, their health, difficulties, opinions, and treat« ment of each dJ.. r, ko. ko. As his book was a sort of official work, I si'npoi^r ];,; tiioaght this would not do, and I wish he now would gi-,. his ti'iendi! (and let us be amongst them) a manuscript of t^o paillci iS that are not for the public. Mrs. W. has also bc"' : : much pleased as myself." I ader the date of March 22d, Sir Humphrey Davy, in a pri- vate letter to jDr. Hosack, says : — '' Mr. Schoolcraft's narrative is admirable, both for the facts it develops and for the simplicity and clearness of the details; he hns accomplished great things by such means, and offers a good model for a traveler in a new country. I lent his book to our veteran philosophical geographer, Major Rennel, who was highly pleased with it; copies of it would sell well in England." Dr. Silliman apprises me that Professor Douglass expects my geological report as part of hie work. Having now finished my geological report, I determined to take it to Washington. On reaching New York, I took lodgings at the Franklin House, then a private boarding-house, where my friends, Mr. Carter and Colonel Haines, had rooms. While here, I was introduced one day to a man who subsequently attracted a good deal of notice as a literary impostor. This was a person named Hunter. He said that he derived this name from his origin in the Indian country. He had a soft, compliant, half quizzical look, ant' — peared to know nothing precisely, but dealt in vague ac- counts and innuendoes. Having gone to London, the booksellers thought him, it appears, a good subject for a book, and some hack was employed to prepare it. It had a very slender basis in any observations which this man was capable of furnishing ; but abounded in misstatements and vituperation of the policy of this government respecting tho Ir^dians. This fellow is handled in the 84 PERSONAL UBM0IB8. Oct. No. of the North American Beview^ for 1825, in a manner which gives very little encouragement to literary adventurers and cheats. The very man, John Dunn, of Missouri, after whom he affected to have been named, denies that he ever heard of him. I had, thus far, seen but little of the Atlantic, except what could be observed in a trip from New Orleans to New York, and knew very little of its coasts by personal examination. I had never seen more of the Chesapeake than eould be shown from the head of that noble bay, and wished to explore the Valley of the Potomac. For this purpose, I took passage in a coasting vessel at New York, and had a voyage of a novel and agreeable kind, which supplied me with the desired information. At Old Point Comfort, I remained at the hotel while the vessel tarried. In ascending the Potomac one night, while anchored, a negro song was wafted in the stillness of the atmosphere. I could distinctly hear the following words: — Gentlemen, he come from de Maryland shore, I See how massa gray mare go. Go, gray, go. Go, gray, go ; See how massa gray mare go. I reached Washington late in March, and sent in my geological report on the 2d of April. Mr. Calhoun, who acknowledged it on the 6th, referred it to the Topographical Bureau. Some ques- tion, connected with the establishment of an agency in Florida, complicated my matter. Otherwise it appeared to be a mere question of time. The Secretary of War left me no room to doubt that his feelings were altogether friendly. Mr. Monroe was also friendly. Additional Judicial District in Michigan.-^J, D. Doty, Esq., wrote to me (April 8th) on this subject. So far as my judgment and observation went, they were favorable to this project. Besides, if I was to become an inhabitant of the district, as things now boded, it would be desirable to me to dwell in a country where the laws, in their higher aspects, were periodically administered. I had, therefore, every reason to favor it. rv PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 85 Skeptical Views of the Mbaaical Cfhronohgt/.-^B&^tiste Irvine, Esq., in referring to some criticism of his in relation to the dis- covery of fossils by a distinguished individual, brings this subject forward in a letter of April 19th. This individual had written to him, impugning his criticisms. " I regret," he observes, " the cause, and shall endeavor to give publicity to his (my friend's) observations ; though hardly necessary to him, they may yet awaken some ideas in the minds of the peo- ple on the wonders of physics I had almost said the slow miracles of creation. For if ever there was a time when matter existed not, it is pretty evident that millions of years were necessary to establish order on chaos, instead of six days. Let Cuvier, &c., temporize as they may. However, it is the humble allotment of the herd to believe or stare ; it is the glory of intelligent men to acquire and admire." " For the memoir I am very thankful, and I perceive it alters the case." April 22d. Mount Vernon. — In a pilgrimage to this spot, if political veneration may assume that name, I was accompanied by Honorable Albert H. Tracy, Mr. Buggies, and Mr. Alfred Conk- ling of the House of Representatives, all of New York. We took a carriage, and reached the hallowed place in good season, and were politely admitted to all the apartments and grounds, which give interest to every tread. I brought some pebbles of common quartz and bits of brown oxide of iron, from the top of the rude tomb, and we all broke branches of the cedars growing there. We gazed into the tomb, through an aperture over the door, where bricks had been removed, and thought, at last, that we could distinguish the coffin. Human Feet figured on Rock at St. Louis. — The Honorable Thomas H. Benton, in a letter of 29th April, expresses the opinion that these are antiquities, and not " prints," and that they are of the age of the mounds on the American bottom. Mineralogy. — J. D. Doty, Esq., transmits (May 6th) from the vicinity of Martinsburg, New York, specimens of the geological structure of that neighborhood. 86 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. Atutin's CoUny. — " What you h've said to me heretofore, con- cerning Mr. Austin's settlement in Texas, has rather turned my attention in that direction. Have you any means of communi- cating with your friend ? What are your views of that country ?" < \ PBBSONAL MEMOIRS. 87 t'; y ■•■Jit f'frS'. 4^;;' I ' c, ,. ... '■ .■ ''! ' - '■ -^ i; '-: • '^ ■^: ■ ,.-. t CHAPTER IX. Appointed an agent of Indian affairs for the United States at Saint Mary's — Reasons for the acceptance of the office — Journey to Detroit — Illness at that point — Arrival of a steamer with a battalion of infantry to establish a new military post at the foot of Lake Superior — Incidents of the voyage to that point — Reach our destination, and reception by the residents and Indians— A European and man of honor fled to the wilderness. 1822. At length Congress passed an act, which left Mr. Calhoun free to carry out his intentions respecting me, by the creation of a separate Indian agency for Florida. This enabled him to transfer one of the western agencies, namely, at Vincen- nes, Indiana, where the Indian business had ceased, to the foot of the basin of Lake Superior, at the ancient French village of Sault de Ste. Marie^ Michigan. Had not this act passed, it would have been necessary to transfer this agency to Florida, for which Mr. Gad Humphreys was the recognized appointee. Mr. Monroe immediately sent in my nomination for this old agency to the Senate, by whom it was favorably acted on the 8th of May. The gentleman (Mr. J. B. Thomas, Senator from Illinois) whose boat I had been instrumental in saving in my descent of the Ohio in the spring of 1818, I believe, moved its confirmation. It was from him, at any rate, that I the same day obtained the information of the Senate's action. I had now attained a fixed position; not such as I desired in the outset, and had striven for, but one that offered an interesting class of duties, in the performance of which there was a wide field for honorable exertion, and, if it was embraced, also of histori- cal inquiry and research < The taste for natural history might certainly be transferred to that point, where the opportunity for dis- covery was the greatest. At any rate, the trial of a residence on that remote frontier might readily be made, and I may say it was in fact made only as a temporary matter. It was an ancient agency PBMONAL MEMOIRS. in which General Harrison had long exercised his superior au- thority over the fierce and wild tribes of the West, which was an additional stimulus to exertion, after its removal to Lake Superior. I called the next day on Mr. Oalhoun, to express my obliga- tion, and to request instructions. For the latter object, he re- ferred me to General Cass, of Detroit, who was the superintendent of Indian affairs on the North- Western frontier, and to whom the policy of pushing an agency and a military post to that point is, I believe, due. I now turned my face to the North, made a brief stay in New York, hurried through the western part of that State to Buffalo, and ascended Lake Erie to Detroit. At this point I was attacked with fever and ague, which I supposed to have been contracted during a temporary landing at Sandusky. I directed my physi- cian to treat it with renewed doses of mercury, in quick succes- sion, which terminated the fever, but completely prostrated my strength, and induced, at first tic douloureux, and eventually a para- lysis of the left cheek. The troops destined for the new post arrived about the begin- ning of July. They consisted of a battalion of the 2d Regiment of Infantry, under Colonel Brady, from garrison duty at Sackett's Harbor, and they possessed every element of high discipline and the most efficient action, under active officers. Brady was himself an officer of Wayne's war against the Indians, and had looked dan- ger steadily in the face on the Niagara frontier, in the Late War. In this condition, I hastily snatched up my instructions, and embarked on board the new steamer "Superior," which was chartered by the government for the occasion. It was now the 2d of July. Before speaking of the voyage from this point, it may be well to refer to another matter. The probability of Professor Dou^ la&s publishing the joint results of our observations on the expedi- tion of 1820, appeared now unfavorable. Among the causes of this, I regarded my withdrbwal to a remote point as prominent but not decisive. Two years had already elapsed ; the professor was com- pletely absorbed in his new professorship, in which he was required to teach a new subject in a new language. Governor Cass, who had undertaken the Indian subject, had greatly enlarged the platform of his inquiries, which rendered it probable that there would be a delay. My memoir on the geology and mineralogy only was ready. PBR80NAL MEMOIBS. Dr. Barnes had the conchology nearly ready, and the botany, -which was in the hands of Dr. Torrey, was well advanced. But it required a degree of labor, zeal, and energy to push forward snch a work, that admits of no abatements, and which was snfficient to absorb all the attention of the highest mind ; and could not be expected from the professor, already overtasked. Among the papers which were put in my hands at Detroit, I found a printed copy of Governor Cass's Indian queries, based on his promise to Douglass, by which I was gratified to perceive that his mind was earnestly engaged in the subject, which he sought a body of original materials to illustrate. I determined to be a laborer in this new field. Our voyage up Lake Huron to Michilimackinack, and thence east to the entrance of the Straits of St. Mary's, at Detour, was one of pleasant excitement. We ascended the straits and river, through Muddy Lake and the narrow pass at Sailor's Encamp- ment, to the foot of the great Nibeesh* rapids. Here the steamer came to anchor from an apprehension that the bar of Lake Georgef could not be crossed in the existing state of the water. It was early in the morning of the 6th of July when this fact was announced. Colonel Brady determined to proceed with his staff in the ship's yawl, by the shorter passage of the boat chan- nel, and invited me to a seat. Captain Rogers, of the steamer, himself took the helm. After a voyage of about four or five hours, we landed at St. Mary's at ten o'clock in the morning. Men, "women, children, and dogs had collected to greet us at the old wharf opposite the Nolan House — the ancient '' chateau" of the North- West Company. And the Indians, whose costume lent an air of the picturesque to the scene, saluted us with ball, firing over our heads as we landed. The Chemoquemon had indeed come ! Thus the American flag was carried to this point, and it was soon hoisted on a tall staff in an open field east of Mr. Johnston's premises, where the troops, as they came up, marched with in- spiring music, and regularly encamped. The roll of the drum was now the law for getting up and lying down. It might be 168 * This name signifies strong water, meaning bad for navigation, from its strength. Here Nebeeah is the derogative form of Nebee, water. t The depth of water on this bar was then stated to be but six feet two iuohea. , PERSONAL MEMOIRS. or 170 years since the French first landed at this point. It was just 59 since the British power had supervened, and 89 since the American right had been acknowledged by the sagacity of Dr. Fr&nklin's treaty of 1783. But to the Indian, who stood in a contemplative and stoic attitude, wrapped in his fine blanket of broadcloth, viewing the spectacle, it must have been equally strik- ing, and indicative that his reign in the North- West, that old hivo of Indian hostility, was done. And, had he been a ifian of letters, he might have inscribed, with equal truth, as it was done for the ancient Persian monarch, ''mene, mene, tekel." To most persons on board, our voyage up these wide straits, after entering them at Point de Tour, had, in point of indefinite- ness, been something like searching after the locality of the north pole. We wound about among groups of islands and through passages which looked so perfectly in the state of nature that, but for a few ruinous stone chimneys on St. Joseph's, it could not be told that the foot of man had ever trod the shores. The whole voyage, from Buffalo and Detroit, had indeed been a novel and fairy scene. We were now some 350 miles north-west of the latter city. We had been a couple of days on board, in the area of the sea-like Huron, before ve entered the St. Mary's straits. The Superior, being the second steamer built on the Lakes,* had proved herself a staunch boat. The circumstances of this trip were peculiar, and the removal of a detachment of the army to so remote a point in a time of profound peace, had stimulated migratory enterprise. The mea- sure was, in truth, one of the results of the exploring expedition to the North- West in 1820, and designed to curb and control the large Indian population on this extreme frontier, and to give security to the expanding settlements south of this point. It was in this light that Mr. Oftlhoun, the present enlightened Secretary of War, viewed the matter, and it may be said to constitute a part of his plan for throwing a cordon of advanced posts in front of the wide area of our western settlements. From expressions heard on our route, the breaking up in part of the exceedingly well-quartered garrison of Madison barracks at Sackett's Harbor, * The first steamer built on the Lakes was called the " Walk-in-the-Water," after an Indian chief of that name ; it was launched at Black Rock, Niagara Biver, in 1818, and visited Michilimackinack in the summer of that year. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. N. Y., was not particularly pleasing to the officers of this detach- ment, most of whom were married gentlemen, having families, and all of whom were in snug quarters at that point, surrounded as it is by a rich, thriving, farming population, and commanding a good and cheap market of meats and vegetables. To be ordered off suddenly a thousand miles or more, over three of the great series of lakes, and pitched down here, on the verge of the civilized world, at the foot of Lake Superior, amid Indians and Indian traders, where butchers' meat is a thing only to be talked about, and garden vegetables far more rare than " blackberries," was not, certainly, an agreeable prospect for officers with wives and mothers with babies. It might, I am inclined to think from what I heard, be better justified on the grounds of national than of domestic policy. They determined, however, on the best possible course under the circumstances, and took their ladies and familieis along. This has given an air of gayety and liveliness to the trip, and, united with the calmness of the season, and the great novelty and beauty of the scenery, rendered the passage a very agreeable one. The smoothness of the lakes, the softness and purity of the air, the wild and picturesque character of the scenes, and the per- fect transparency of the waters, have been so many themes of perpetual remark and admiration. The occasional appearance of the feather-plumed Indian in his sylph-like canoe, or the flapping of a covey of wild-fowl, frightened by the rushing sound of a steamboat, with the quick pulsation of its paddle-strokes on the water, but served to heighten the interest, and to cast a kind of fairy spell over the prospect, particularly as, half shrouded in mist, we passed among the green islands and brown rocks, fringed with fir trees, which constituted a perfect panorama as we entered and ascended the Straits of the St. Mary's. We sat down to our Fourth-of-July dinner on board the Superior, a little above the Thunder Bay Islands, in Lake Huron, and as we neared the once sacred island of Michilimackinack, and saw its tall cliffs start up, as it were by magic, from the clear bosom of the pellucid lake, a true aboriginal, whose fancy had been well imbued with the poetic mythology of his nation, might have sup- posed he was now, indeed, approaching his fondly-cherished " Island of the Blest." Apart from its picturesque loveliness, we found it. however, a very flesh and blood and matter-of-fact sort pffiusdyAt iraJfoiRii. of place, and having taken a pilot on board, who knew the sintt- osities of the Saint Mary's channel, we veered around, the next day, and steered into the capes of that expanded and intricate strait, where we finally anchored on the morning denoted, and where the whole detachment was quickly put under orders to ascend the river the remainder of the distance, about fifteen miles, in boats, each company under its own officers, while the colonel pushed forward in the yawl. It was settled, at the same time, that the ladies and their " little ones" should remain on board, till matters had assumed some definite shape for their reception. We were received by the few residents favorably, as has been indicated. Prominent among the number of reeidents who came to greet us was Mr. John Johnston, a gentleman from the north of Ireland, of whose romantic settlement and adventures here we had heard at Detroit. He gave us a warm welcome, and freely offered every facility in his power to contribute to the personal comfort of the officers and their families, and the general objects of the government. Mr. J. is slightly lame, walking with a cane. He is of the medium stature, with blue eyes, fair complexion, hair which still bears traces of its original light brown, and possesses manners and conversation so entirely easy and polite as to im- press us all very favorably. Colonel Brady selected some large open fields, not susceptible of a surprise, for his encampment. To this spot, as boat aftet boat came up, in fine style, with its complement of men from the steamer, the several companies marched down, and before night- fall, the entire command was encamped in a square, with their tents handsomely pitched, and the whole covered by lines of sen- tinels, and under the exact government of troops in the field. The roll of the drum which had attracted but little attention on the steamer, assumed a deeper tone, as it was re-echoed from the ad- joining woods, and now distinctly announced, from time to time, the placing of sentinels, the hour for supper, and other offices of a clock, in civil life. The French population evinced, by their countenances and gestures, as they clustered round, a manifest satisfaction at the movement ; the groups of Indians had gazed in a sort of silent wonder at the pageant ; they seemed, by a cer- tain air of secrecy and suspicion, to think it boded some evil to their long supremacy in the land. Night imperceptibly threw her sen- The on the le ad- time, offices their inifest PKR80NAL MBMOIRS. ft dark mantle over the scene ; the gazers, group by group, went to their lodges, and finally the sharp roll of the tattoo bid every one within the camp to his tent. Captain Alexander R. Thompson, who had claimed the commandant as his guest, invited me also to spend the night in his tent. We could plainly hear the deep mur- mur of the falls, after we lay down to rest, and also the monotonous thump of the distant Indian wabeno dram. Yet at this remote point, so far from the outer verge of civilization, we found in Mr. Johnston a man of singular energy and independence of character, from one of the most refined circles of Europe ; who had pushed his way here to the foot of Lake Superior about the year 1798 ; had en- gaged in the fir trade, to repair the shattered fortunes of his house ; had married the daughter of the ruling Ogima or Forest King of the Ghippewas ; had raised and educated a large family, and was then living, in the only building in the place deserving the name of a comfortable residence, with the manners and con- versation of a perfect gentleman^ the sentiments of a man of honor, and the liberality of a lord. He had a library of the best English works ; spent most of his time in reading and conducting the i^airs of an extensive business ; was a man of social qualities, a practical philanthropist, a well-read historian, something of a poet, and talked of Europe and its connections as things from which he was probably forever separated, and looked back towards it only as the land of reminiscences. , v 04 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 1 ; < CHAPTER X. Incidents of the summer during the establishment of the new post at St, Mary's — Life in a nut-shell — Scarcity of room — High prices of everything — State of the Indians — Their rich and picturesque costume — Council and its inci- dents — Fort site selected and occupied — The eril of ardent spirits amongst the Indians — Note from Governor De Witt Clinton — Mountain ash — Curious superstitions of the Ocyib was— Language — Manito poles — Copper — Super- stitious regard for Venus — Fine harbor in Lake Superior — Star family — A locality of necromancers — Ancient Chippewa capital— E)ating of animals. 1822. July 1th. We left our pallets at the sound of the reveille, and partook of a rich cup of coffee, with cream, which smoked on the camp breakfast-hoard of our kind entertainer, Captain Thomp- son.* The ladies and children came up from the steamer, under due escorts, during the day, and were variously acoommodated with temporary quarters. Dr. Wheaton and lady. Captain Brant, quartermaster, and myself, were received eventually at the table of Mr. Johnston. Captain Brant and myself hired a small room hard by for an office to be used between us. This room was a small log tenement, which had been occupied by one of Mr. J.'s hands. It was about twelve by fourteen feet, with a small window in front and in rear, and a very rural fire-place in one corner. It is astonishing how much comfort can be enjoyed in a crowded and ill-fitted place on a pinch. We felicitated ourselves at even this. We really felt that we were quite fortunate in getting such a locality to hail from. Captain N. S. Clark got an adjoining tenement, of similar construction and use, but much larger, for his numerous family. Some of the ladies took shelter at the domicil of an intelligent American family (Mr. E. B. Allen's) who had preceded us a short time with an adventure of merchandise. One or two of the ladies abode temporarily in the tents of their * This officer fell at the battle of Ochechubby, in Florida, as colonel of the sixth infantry, gallantly leading his men to battle. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. i5 husbands. The unmarried oflBcers looked for nothing bettor than life in camp. I accepted an invitation at the mess-table of the officers. Besides this sudden influx of population, there were followers and hucksters of various hues who hoped to make their profits from the soldiery. There was not a nook in the scraggy-looking little antique village but what was sought for with avidity and thronged with occupants. Whoever has seen a flock of hungry pigeons, in the spring, alight on the leaf-covered ground, beneath a forest, and apply the busy powers of claw and beak to obtain a share of the hidden acorns that may be scratched up from beneath, may form some just notion of the pressing hurry and bustle that marked life in this place. The enhanced price that everything bore was one of the results of this sudden influx of consumers and occupants. Sth. I went to rest last night with the heavy murmuring sound of the falls in my ears, broken at short intervals by the busy thump-thump-thump of the Indian drum ; for it is to be added, to the otherwise crowded state of the place, that the open grounds and river-side greens of the village, which stretch along irregularly for a mile or two, are filled with the lodges of visiting Indian bands from the interior. The last month of tpring and the early sum- mer constitute, in fact, a kind of carnival for the natives. It is at this season that the traders, who have wintOiOd in the interior, come out with their furs to the frontier posts of St. Mary's, Drum- mond Island, and Michilimackinack, to renew their stocks uf goods. The Indians, who have done hunting at this season, as the furred animals are now changing their hair, and the pelt becomes bad, follow them to enjoy themselves along the open shores of the lakes, and share in the good things that may fall to their lot, either from the traders at theb places of outfit, from presents issued by the British or American governments at their chief posts, or from merchants in the towns, to whom a few concealed skins are still reserved to trade. An Indian's time appears to be worth but little to him at this season, if at any season. He lives most precariously on small things, such as he can pick up &s he travels loitering along the lake shores, or strolls, with easy foot- steps, about the forest precincts of his lodge. A single fish, or a bird or squirrel, now and then, serves to mitigate, if it does not satisfy, hunger. He hfts but little, I am told, at the best estate; 96 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. II but, to make amends for this, he is satisfied and even happy with little. This is certainly a philosophic way of taking life, but it is, if I do not mistake it, stoic philosophy, and has been learned, by painful lessons of want, from early youth and childhood. Where want is the common lot, the power of endurance which the race have must be a common attainment. 9th. This day I hired an interpreter for the government, to at- tend at the office daily, a burly-faced, large man of some five-and- forty, by the name of Yarns. He tells me that he was born at Fort Niagara, of Irish parentage, to which an originally fair skin, blue eyes, and sandy hair, bear testimony. He has spent life, it seems, knocking about trading posts, in the Indian country, being married, has metif children, and speaks the Chippewa tongue fluently — I do not know how accurately. The day which has closed has been a busy day, having been signalized as the date of my first public council with the Indians. It has ushered in my first diplomatic effort. For this purpose, all the bands present were invited to repair to camp, where Colonel Brady, at the appointed hour, ordered his men under arms, in full dress. They were formed in a hollow square in front of his marque. The American flag waved from a lofty staff. The day was bright and fine, and everything was well arranged to have the best effect upon the minds of the Indians. As the throng of both resident and foreign bands approached, headed by their chiefs, they were seated in the square. It was noticed that the chiefs were generally tall and striking-looking persons, of dignified man- ners, and well and even richly dressed. One of the chiefs of the home band, called Sassaba, who was generally known by the sobriquet of the Count, appeared in a scarlet uniform, with epau- lets and a sword. The other chiefs observed their native costume, which is, with this tribe, a toga of blue broad-cloth, folded and held by one hand on the breast, over a light-figured calico shirt, red cloth leggins and beaded moccasons, a belt or baldric about the waist, sustaining a knife-sheath and pouch, and a frontlet of skin or something of the sort, around the forehead, environed generally with eagles' feathers. When the whole were seated, the colonel informed them that I had been sent by their great father the President to reside among them, that respect was due me in that capacity, and that I would tt PIRflONAL MBM0IH8. ff now address them. I had directed * quantity of tobacco to be laid boforo them ; and olTored them the pipe with the customary ceremonies. Being a novicv in addresses of this kind, I had sat down early in the morning, in my crowded log hut, and written an address, couched in such a ntanner, and with enoh allusions and appeals, as I supposed would be most appropriate. I was not mistaken, if I could judge by the responses made at the close of each sentence, as it was interpreted. The whole address was evi- dently well received, and responded to in a friendly manner, by the ruling chief, a tall, majestic, and graceful person named Shin- gabawoBsin, or the Image Stone, and by all who spoke except the Count. He made use of some intemperate, or ill-timed expressions, which were not interpreted, but which brought out a strong rebuke from Mr. Johnston, who, being familiar with the Indian language, gave vent in their tongue to his quick and high*toned feelings of propriety on the occa«ion. Colonel Brady then made some re- marks to the chiefs, dictated by the position he occupied as being about to take post, permanently, in their country. He referred to the treaty of purchase made at these falls two years before by Governor Cass. He told the Indians that he should not occupy their ancient encamping and burial-ground on the hill, but would select the next best site for his troops. This announcement was received with great satisfaction, as denoted by a heavy response of approbation on the part of the Indians; and the council closed to the apparent mutual satisfaction of all. I augured well from all I heard respecting it, as coming from the Indians, and was resolved to follow it up zealously, by cultivating the best understanding with this powerful and hitherto hostile tribe, namely the Chippewas, or, as they call themselves, Od-jib-wa.* To this end, as well as for my amusement, I commenced a vocabulary, and resolved to study their language, manners, customs, &c. 10;^. On examining the topography and advantages of the ground, Colonel Brady determined to take possession of a lot en- closed and dwelling, originally the property of the North West Company, and known as the Nolin House, but now the property of Mr. C. 0. Ermatinger.f To this place the troops were * This word has its pluraling thus, Od-jib-w'dig. t For the property thus taken possession of, the United States Govern- 98 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. marched, soon after the close of the Indian council mentioned, and encamped within the area. This area was enclosed with cedar pickets. The dwelling-house, which occupied an eminence some eighth of a mile below the falls, was in old times regarded as a princely chateau of the once powerful lords of the North West Fur Trade, but is now in a decayed and ruinous state. It was nick-named ''Hotel Flanagan." Dilapidated as it was, there ^as a good deal of room under its roof, and it afforded quarters for most of the officers' families, who must otherwise have remain- ed in open tents. The enclosure had also one or two stone houses, which furnished accommodations to the quartermaster's and subsistence and medical departments. Every nerve was now directed to fit up the place, complete the enclosure, and furnish it with gates ; to build a temporary guard-house, and complete other military fixtures of the new cantonment. The edifice also un- derwent such repairs as served to fence out, as much as possi- ble, the winds and snows of a severe winter — a winter which every one dreads the approach of, and the severity of which was per- haps magnified in proportion as it was unknown. 11th. What my eyes have seen and my ears have heard, I must believe ; and what is their testimony respecting the condition of the Indian on the frontiers? He is not, like Falstaff's men, ''food for powder," but he is food for whisky. Whisky is the great means of drawing from him his furs and skins. To obtain it, he makes a beast of himself, and allows his family to go hungry and half naked. And how feeble is the force of law, where all are leagued in the golden bonds of interest to break it ! He is indeed " Like some neglected shrub at random cast That shades the steep and sighs at every blast." 12th. I received by to-day's mail a note from De Witt Clin- toji, .Governor of New York. America has produced few men who have united civic and literary tastes and talents of a high order more fully than he does. He early and ably investigated the history and antiquities of Western New York. He views with a comprehensive judgment the great area of the West, and knows that its fertility and resources must render it, at no distant day, ment, through the Quartermastei 's Department, paid the claimant the just and full amount awarded bj appraisers. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 09 t Clin- en who order ed the with a knows it day, the home of future millions. He was among the earliest to appre- ciate the mineralogical and geographical researches which I made in that field. He renewed the interest, which, as a New Yorker, he felt in my history and fortunes, after my return from the head of the Mississippi in 1820. He opened his library and house to me freely ; and I have to notice his continued interest since my coming here. In the letter which has just reached me, he encloses a favorable notice of my recent Narrative of the Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi^ from Sir Humphrey Davy. If there were nothing else, in such a notice from such a source but the stimulus it gives to exertion, that alone is worth to a man in my position "pearls and diamonds." Colonel Brady, who is active in daily perambulating the woods, to make himself acquainted with the environs, seeking, at the same time, the best places of finding wood and timber, for the pur- poses of his command, brought me a twig of the Sorbus Americana, a new species of tree to him, in the American forest, of which he asked me the name. This tree is found in occasional groups ex- tensively in the region of the upper Lake latitudes, where it is called the mountain ash. In the expedition to the sources of the Mississippi in 1820, it was observed on the southern shores of Lake Superior, which are on the. aver age a little north of latitude 36° 30'. This tree does not in th«se straits attain much size ; a trunk of six to eight inches diameter is large. Its leaves, flowers, and fruit all tend to make it a very attractive species for shade and ornament. It must have a rich soil, but, this requisite granted, it delights in wet moist lands, and will thrive >7ith its roots in springy groiinds. Ibth. One of the curious superstitions of the Chippewas, re- specting the location of spiritual existences, revealed itself to-day. There is quite an eminence nearly a mile back of the new canton- ment, which is called La Butte de Terre by the French, and Wudjuwong,* or Place of the Mountain, by the natives. Tnis eminence is covered with a fine growth of forest trees, and lies in the track of an ancient Indian hunting path. About half way between the brow of the hill and the cantonment, there formerly stood a large tree of this species, partly hollow, from the recesses the just WiidxJGo, a mouutaiu— ony deooies iooality. 100 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. of which, Indian tradition says, there issued, on a calm day, a sound like the voice of a spirit or monedo. It resembled the sounds of their own drum. It was therefore considered as the residence of some powerful spirit, and deemed sacred. To mark their regard for the place, they began to deposit at its foot bows and twigs of the same species of tree, as they passed it, from year to year, to and from their hunting-grounds. These offerings began long before the French came to the country, and were continued up to this time. Some years ago, the tree had become so much decayed that it blew down during a storm, but young shoots came up from its roots, and the natives continued to make these offerings of twigs, long after the original trunk had wholly decayed. A few days ago, Colonel Brady directed a road to be cut from the cantonment to the hill, sixty feet wide, in order to procure wood from the hill for the garrison. This road passed over the site of the sacred tree, and the men, without knowing it, removed the consecrated pile of offerings. It may serve to show a curious coincidence in the superstitions of nations, between whom, however, there is not the slightest proba- bility of national affiliation, or even intercourse, to remark that this sacred manito tree was a very large species of the Scottish rowan or mountain ash. 16th. I this day lett the mess-table of my kind friends, the officers of the second infantry, and went to the hospitable domicil of Mr. Johnston, who has the warm-hearted frankness of the Irish character, and offers the civilities of life with the air and manner of a prince. I flatter myself with the opportunity of profiting greatly while under his roof, in the polished circle of his house- hold, and in his ripe experience and knowledge of the Indian character, manners, and customs, and in the curious philosophical traits of the Indian language. It is refreshing to find a person who, in reference to this language, knows the difference between the conjugation of a verb and the declension of a noun. There is a prospect, at least, of getting at the grammatical principles, by which they conjoin and build up words. It has been intolerable to me to converse with Indian traders and interpreters here, who have, for half their lives, been using a language without being able to identify with precision person, mood, tense, or any of the first laws of grammatical utterance. 11th. It is oustomary with the Chippewas at this place, when PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 101 men, an inmate of the lodge is sick, to procure a thin sapling some twenty to thirty feet long, from which, after it has heen trimmed, the bark is peeled. Native paints are then smeared over it as caprice dictates. To the slender top are then tied bits of scarlet, blue cloth, beads, or some other objects which are deemed acceptable to the manito or spirit, who has, it is believed, sent sickness to the lodge as a mark of his displeasure. The pole is then raised in front of the lodge and firmly adjusted in the ground. The sight of these manito poles gives quite a peculiar air to an Indian en- campment. Not knowing, however, the value attached to them, one of the officers, a few days after our arrival, having occasion for tent poles, sent one of his men for one of these poles of sacri- fice ; but its loss was soon observed by the Indians, who promptly reclaimed it, and restored it to the exact position which it occupied before. There is, in fact, such a subtle and universal belief in the doctrine and agency of minor spirits of malign or benignant influence among the Indians who surround the cantonment, or visit the agency, and who are encamped at this season in great numbers in the open spaces of the village or its vicinity, that we are in constant danger of trespassing against some Indian custom, and of giving offence where it wai3 least intended. It is said that one cause of the preference which the Indians have ever mani- fested for the French, is the respect which they are accustomed to pay to all their religious or superstitious observances, whereas an Englishman or an American is apt, either to take no pains to conceal his disgust for their superstitions, or to speak out bluntly against them. when ISth. Sulphuret of Copper. — I received a specimen of this mineral, which is represented to have been obtained on the Island of Saint Joseph's, in these straits (Saint Mary's). It has the usual brass yellow color of the sulphurets of this metal, and fur- nishes a hint for seeking that hitherto undiscovered, but valuable species of the ore in this vicinity. Hitherto, we have found the metal chiefly in the native form, or in the condition of a carbonate, the first being a form of it which has not in Europe been found in large qunntities, and the second not containing a sufficient per centage to repay well the co?t of smelting. 102 PERSONAL MBUOIRS. 20th. Superstitious regard for Woman. — Some of the rites and notions of these northern barbarians are curious. The fol- lowing custom is stated to me to have been formerly prevalent among the Chippewas : After their corn-planting, a labor which falls to the share of the women, and as soon as the young blades began to shoot up from the hills, it was customary for the female head of the family to perform a circuit around the field in a state of nudity. For this purpose, she chose a dark evening, and after divesting herself of her machecota, held it in her hands dragging it behind her as she ran, and in this way compassed the field. This singular rite was believed to protect the corn from blight and the ravages of worms and vermin, and to insure a good crop. It was believed that neither worms nor vermin could cross the mystic or enchanted ring made by the nocturnal footsteps of the wife, nor any mildew or canker a£fect the growing stalks and ears. 21«^. Grand Island, in Lake Superior, lies transversely in the lake, just beyond the termination of the precipitous coast of the Pictured Rocks. Its southern end is crescent-shaped, and forms a singularly fine harbor for vessels, which will one day be appreciated. The Indian band occupying it was formerly nume- rous. There are many stories still current of their former prowess and traits of hospitality and generosity, and of the skill of their old seers, and divining-men, i, e. Jossakeeds. Its present Indian population is reduced to forty-six souls, of whom ten are men, sixteen women, and twenty children. Of the men, nine are married, one of whom has two wives, and there are two widows. Of this band the Star family, so called, have long possessed the chieftainship, and are remarkable on several accounts. There are eleven children of them now living, five of when are males, all by one mother, who is still living. Sabboo is the principal man. The South Bird, his elder, and the ruling chief, has removed to Bay de Nocquet. At this island, story says, formerly lived the noted warrior and meta, Sagima; and it was also, according to Indian mythology, the residence of Mishosha, who owned a magic canoe, that would shoot through the water by uttering a charmed word. 22d. I have heard much of the ancient Chippewa capital of La Pointe, as the French call it, or Checoimeeon. in Lake Superior, PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 103 the are ,all man. dto the situated near its west end, or head. The Chippewas and their friends, the old traders and Boisbrules, and Canadians, are never tired of telling of it. All their great men of old times are locat- ed there. 1^ was there that their Mudjekewis, king or chief ruler, lived, and, as some relate, that an eternal fire was kept up with a sort of rude temple service. At that place lived, in comparatively modern times, Wabojeeg and Andaigweos, and there still lives one of their descendants in Gitchee Waishkee, the Great First-born, or, as he is familiarly called, Pezhickee, or the Buffalo, a chief decorated with British insignia. His band is estimated at one hundred and eighteen souls, of whom thirty-four are adult males, forty-one females, and forty-three children. Mizi, the Catfish, one of the heads of families of this band, who has figured about here this summer, is not a chief, but a speaker, which gives him some Sclat. He is a sort of petty trader too, being credited with little adventures of goods by a dealer on the opposite, or British shores. 2Zd. There are few animals which the Indians reject as food. On this subject they literally fulfil the declaration of Paul, " that every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused ;" but I fear the poor creatures, in these straits, do anything but show the true spirit of thanksgiving in which the admonition is given. There is nothing apparently in the assertion respecting Indians distin- guishing between clean and unclean beasts ; I have heard, how- ever, that crows and vultures are not eaten, but, when they are pushed by hunger, whatever can sustain life is taken. The truth is, the calls of hunger are often so pressing to these northern Indians, that anything in the shape of animal fibre, that will keep soul and body together, is eaten in times of their greatest want. A striking instance of this kind has just occurred, in the case of a horse killed in the public service. The animal had, to use the teamster's phrase, been snagged, and was obliget to be shot. To prevent unpleasant effects in hot summer weather, the carcass was buried in the sand; but as soon as the numerous bands of Indians, who are encamped here, learned the fact, they dug up the animal, which was, however, nowise diseased, and took it to their camp for food. i\ of nor. 104 PERSONAL MBMOIBS, CHAPTER XI. Murder of Soan-ga-ge-zhick, a Chippewa, at the head of the falls — Indian mode of interment — Indian prophetess — Topic of interpreters and interpreta- tion — Mode of studying the Indian language — The Johnston family — Visits — Katewaheda, chief of Sandy Lake — Indian mythology, and oral tales and legends — Literary opinion — Political opinion — Visit of the chief Little Pine — Visit of Wabishkepenais — A despairing Indian — Geography. 1822. July 26be-da, or the Broken Tooth chief of Sandy Lake, on the Upper Missis* sippi, who is generally known by his French name of Breshieu, and at the close of the interview gave him a requisition on the commissary for some provisions to enable him to return to his home. The Indians must be led by a very plain path and a friendly hand. Feeling and preference are subsequent manifestations. I took this occasion to state to him the objects and policy of the government by the establishment at these falls of a post and agency, placing it upon its true basis, namely, the preservation of peace upon the frontiers, and the due observance, by all parties, of the laws respecting trade and intercourse with the tribes, and securing justice both to them and to our citizens, particularly by the act for the exclusion of ardent spirits from the Indian country. By the agency, a door was opened through which they could com- municate their wishes to the President, and he was also enabled to state his mind to them. All who opened their ears truly to the voice of their American father would be included among the re< cipients of his favors. He felt kindly to all, but those only who hearkened to his ccincil would be allowed, as he had been, to share in the usual privileges which the agency at this place secured to them. Having drawn his provisions, and duly reflected on what was said by me, he returned to-day to bid me adieu, on his setting out to go home, and to express his thanks for my kind- ness and advice. The old chief, who has long exercised his sway in the region of Sandy Lake, made a well-considered speech in reply to mine of yesterday, in which he took the ground of neutrality as between the United States and Great Britain, and averred that he had ever been the friend of the white race and of traders who came into the country, and declared himself the friend of pej .», \ At the conclusion of this interview, I gave him a" small sea-shell from my cabinet, as a mark of my respect, and a token which would remind him of my advice. I remembered that the Indians of the continent have always set a high value on wampum, which is made solely from sea-shells, and have attributed • kind of Bacredness for this class of productions. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 109 -shell Ivhich Idians Ivhich id of 81»<. Indian Mythology. — Nothing has surprised me more in the conversations ivhich I have had nvith persons acquainted with the Indian customs and character, than to find that the Cbippe* was amuse themselves with oral tales of a mythological or alle< gorical character. Some of these tales, which T have heard, are quite fanciful, and the wildest of them are very characteristic of their notions and customs. They often take the form of allegory, and in this shape appear designed to teach some truth or illustrate some maxim. The fact, indeed, of such a fund of fictitious legendary matter is quite a discovery, and speaks more for the intellect of the race than any trait I have heard. Who would have imagined that these wandering foresters should have pos- sessed such a resource? What have all the voyagers and re- markers from the days of Cabot and Raleigh been about, not to have discovered this curious trait, which lifts up indeed a curtain, as it were, upon the Indian mind, and exhibits it in an entirely new character ? August lit. Every day increases the interest which the ques- tion of the investigatiou of the Indian languages and customs assumes in my mind. My facilities for pursuing these inquiries and for the general transaction of the official business has been in- creased this day by my removing into a new and more convenient office, situated some ninety or a hundred yards west of my former position, but on a line with it, and fronting, like the former room, on an ancient green on the river's banks. The St. Mary's River is here about three-fourths of a mile wide, and the green in front of my office is covered with Indian lodges, and presents a noble expanse. I have now a building some thirty-six feet square, built of squared timber, jointed with mortar and whitewashed, so ab to give it a neat appearance. The interior is divided into a room some twenty feet by thirty-six, with two small ante-rooms. A large cast iron Montreal stove, which will take in three feet wood, occupies the centre. The walls are plastered, and the room mode- rately lighted. The rear of the lot has a blacksmith shop. The interpreter has quarters near by. The gate of the new canton- ment is some three hundred yards west of my door, and there is thus brought within a small compass the means of transacting the affairs of the agency during the approaching and expected 110 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. Bevero winter. These are the best arrangements that can bo made, better indeed than I had reason to expect on first landing here. Sd. I wrote to-day to Dr. Ilosack, expressing my thanks for the extract of a letter, which ho had enclosed mo from Sir Humphrey Davy, dated London, March 24th 1822, in which this eminent philosopher expresses his opinion on my Narrative Journal, a copy of which Dr. Hosack had sent him. " Schoolcraft's Narra- tive is admirable," observes Sir Humphrey Davy, "both for the facts it develops, and for the simplicity and clearness of the de- tails. Ho has accomplished great things by such means, and offers a good model for a traveler in a now country. I lent his book to our veteran philosophical geographer, Major Rennel, who was highly pleased with it. Copies of it would sell well in England." A friend sends me a prospectus for a paper under the title of " Washington Republican,'' which has just been established at the seat of government, earnestly advocating the election of John C. Calhoun for the presidency in 1824. Ath. A chief of a shrewd and grave countenance, and more than the ordinary cast of thought, visited me this morning, and gave me his hand, with the ordinary salutation of Nosa (my father). The interpreter introduced him by the name of Little Pine, or Shingwalkonee, and as a person of some consequence among the Indians, being a meta, a wabeno, a counselor, a war chief, and an orator or speaker. He had a tuft of beard on his chin, wore a hat, and had some other traits in his dress and gear which smacked of civil- ization. His residence is stated to be, for the most part, on the British side of the river, but he traces his lineage from the old Crane band here. I thought him to be a man of more than the ordinary Indian forecast. He appeared to be a person who, hav- ing seen all the military developments on these shores during the last month, thought he would cross over the channel with a retinue, to see what the Chemoquemon* was about. He had also, per- haps, a shrewd Indian inkling that some presents might be dis- tributed here during the season. 10th. A strange-looking Indian came in from the forest wearing an American silver medal. He looked haggard and forsaken. It will be recollected by those who have read my Narrative Journal * Chemoquemon, an American ; from Oitchee great, moquemon a knife. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. Ill of tho oxpodition of 1820, that Governor Casa became lost and entangled among the sharp mountainous passes of the River On* tonagon, in his attempts to reach tho party vrho had, at an early part of tho day, gone forward to the site of the Copper Rock ; and that he bestowed a medal on a young Chippewa, who had ren- dered his party and himself services during its stay on that river. This individual was among the earlier visitors who presented him- self at my office. Ho recognized mo as one of tho party on that occasion. He was introduced to me by the name of Wabish-ke-pe- nace, or the White Bird, and seemed to rouse up from a settled look of melancholy when referring to those events. It appears that his conduct as a guide on that occasion had made him unpopular with the band, who told him he had received an honor for that which should be condemned. That it was a crime to show the Americans their wealth, and the Great Spirit did not approve it. His dress had something wild and forlorn, as well as his countenance. 17>«', i A pic-nio party at the foot of Lake Saperior>->Canoe^Scenery — Descent of St. Mary's Falls— Etymology of the ladian names of Sault Ste. Marie, and Lake Superior — The wild rice plant — Indian trade— American Fur Com- pany — Distribution of presents — Death of Sassaba — Epitaph — Indian capacity to coQn1>-'-Oral literatare->BeBearoh— Self-reliance. v . •■ .^/i^r ;;-;■■••■■*■: -;;.!.■• ..:,' . . ' ■ -^^ '. .: -a 1822. August 20th. I went with a ptc-nic to Gross Cape, a romantic promontory at the foot of Lake Superior. This elevation stands on the north shore of the straits, and consequently in Canada. It overlooks a noble expanse of waters and islands, constituting one of the most magnificent series of views of American scenery. Imme- diately opposite stands the scarcely less elevated, and not less cele* brated promontory of Point Iroquois, the Na-do-wa-we-gon-ing, or Place of Iroquois Bones, of the Chippewas. These two promontories stand like the pillars of Helrcules which guard the entrance into the Mediterranean, and their office is to mark the foot of the mighty Superior, a lake which may not, inaptly, be deemed another Mediteiranean Sea. The morning chosen to visit this scene was fine; the means of conveyance chosen was the novel and fairy- like barque of the Chippewas, which they denominate Che-mauiif but which we, from a corruption of a Charib term as old as the days of Columbus, call Canoe. It is made of the rind of the betula papyracea, or white birch, sewed together with the fine fibrous roots of the cedaror sprue e, and is made water-tight by covering the seams with boiled pine rosin, the whole being dis- tended over and supported by very thin ribs and cross-bars of cedar, curiously carved and framed together. It is turned up, at either end, like a g adola, and the sides and gunwales fancifully painted. The whole structure is light, and was easily carried by two men on their shoulders ; yet will bear a weight of more than a ton on the water. It is moved with cedar paddles, and the Ca- tiadians who managed it, kept time in their strokes^ and regulated PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 113 them to the sonorous cadence of some of their simple boat songs. Our party consisted of several ladies and gentlemen. We carried the elements of a picnic. We moved rapidly. The views on all sides were novel and delightful. The water in which the men struck their paddles was pure as crystal. The air was perfectly exhilarating from its purity. The distance about three leagues. We landed a few moments at Point aux Pins, to range along the clean sandy shore, and sandy plains, now abounding in fine whor- tleberries. Directly on putting out from this, the broad view cf the entrance into the lake burst upon us. It is magnificent. A line of blue water stretched like a thread on the horizon, between cape and cape, say five miles. Beyond it is what the Chippewas call Bttb-eesh-ko-be, meaning the far off, indistinct prospect of a water scene, till the reality, in the feeble power of human vision, loses itself in the clouds and sky. The two prominences of Point Iroquois and Gross Cape are very different in character. The former is a bold eminence covered with trees, and having all the appearance of youth and verdure. The latter is but the end, so to say, of a towering ridge of dark primary rocks with a few stunted cedeurs. The first exhibits, on inspection, a formation of sandstone and reproduced rocks, piled stratum super stratum, and covered with boulder drifts and alluvion. The second is a massive mountain ridge of the northern sienite, abounding in black crys- taline hornblende, and flanked at lower altitudes, in front, in some places, by a sort of trachyte. We clambered up and over the bold undulations of the latt r, till we were fatigued. We stood on the highest pinnacle, and gazed on the " blue profound" of Su- perior, the great water or Gitchegomee of the Indians. We looked down far below at the clean ridges of pebbles, and the transparent water. After gazing, and looking, and reveling in the wild mag- nificence of views, we picked our way, crag by crag, to the shore, and sat down on the shining banks of black, white, and mottled pebbles, and did ample justice to the contents of our baskets of good things. This always restores one's spirits. We forget the toil in the present enjoyment. And having done this, and giving our last looks at what has been poetically called the Father of Lakes, we put out, with paddles and song, and every heart beating in unison with the scene, for our starting-point at Ba-wa-teeg, or Pa-wa>t8eg, alias Sault Ste. Marie. But the half of my story 8 114 vmaasAL ubmoirs. would not be told, if I did not add that, as vre gained the brink of the rapids, and began to feel the suction of the wide current that leaps, jump after jump, over that foaming bed, our inclinations and our courage rose together to go down the formidable pass ; and having full faith in the long-tried pilotage of (yir guide, Tom Shaw, down we went, rushing at times like a thunderbolt, then turned by a dab of the pole of our guide, on a rock, shooting off in eschelon, and then careering down another aehute or water bolt, till we thus dodged every rock, and came out below with a full roaring chorus of our Canadians, who, as they cleared the last danger, hoisted our starry flag at the same moment that they struck up one of their wild and joyous songs. 22d. I have questioned the Indians closely for the names of Sault Ste. Marie and Lake Superior. They are destined to hold an important rank in our future geography. But the result is not agreeable to preconceived poetic notions. When the French first came to these falls, they found the Ohippewas, the falls signi- fying, descriptively. Shallow water pitching over rocks, or by a prepositional form of the term, at ^e place of shallow water, pitching over rocks. Such is the meaning of the words Pa-wa-teeg and Pa-wa-ting. The terms cover more precisely the idea which we express by the word cascade. The French call a cascade a Leap or Sault ; but Sault alone would not be distinctive, as they had already applied the term to some striking passes on the St. Law- rence and other places. Thsy therefore, in conformity with their general usage, added the name of a patron saint to the term by call- ing it Sault de Ste. Marie, i- e. Leap of Saint Mary, to distinguish it from other Leaps, or Saults. Now as the word Sainte, as here used, is feminine, it must, in its abbreviated form, be written Ste. The preposition de (the) is usually dropped. Use has further now dropped the sound of the letter I from Sault. But as, in the reforms of the French dictionary, the ancient geographical names of places remain unaffected, the true phraseology is Sault Ste. MaEIB. ■.•-)^ ..; '.J' ..>■. .^^.,vs.^.. ,^ . _.'-^ ; ■:. Having named the falls a SauU^ they went a step further, and called the Odjibwa Indians who lived at it, Saulteurg, or People of the Sault. Hence this has ever remained the French name for Ghippewas. In the term Gitchegomce, the name for Superior^ we have a PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 116 specimen of their mode of making compounds. CUtche signifies something g^^at, or possessing the property of positive magnitude. Gomee is itself a compound phrase, denoting, when so conjoined, a large body of water. It is the objective member of their term for the sea ; but is governed by its antecedent, and may be used in describing other and minor, even the most minute liquid bodies, as we hear it, in the compound term muihkuagomee, i. e. strong drink. Urder the government of i^e term gitche^^ it appears to express simply the sense of great water, but conveys the idea, to the Indian mind, of sea-water. I have cast about, to find a sono- rous form of elision, in which it may come into popular use, but find nothing more eligible than I-go-mee, or Igoma. A more practical word, in the shape of a new compound, may be made in Algoma, a term in which the first syllable of the generic name of this tribe of the Algonquin stock, harmonizes very well with the Indian idea of goma (sea), giving us. Sea of the Algonquins. The term may be objeu! as the result of a grammatical abbrevia- tion, but if not ado; > - ' ^-i actically, it may do as a poetical synonym for this great lake. Such is, at least, the result of a full discus- sion of these names, with the ve.y best speakers of the language. a lad iaw- leir call- Ste. and e of for 30- plied to me. To me it seems that the whole old resident popula- tion of the frontiers, together with the new accessions to it, in the shape of petty dealers of all sorts, are determined to have the Indians' furs, at any rate, whether these poor red men live or die ; and many of the dealers who profess to obey the laws wish to get legally inland only that they may do as they please, law or no law, after they have passed the flag-staff of Sainte Marie's. There may be, and I trust there are, highci' motives in some persons, but they have not passed this way, to my knowledge, the present season. I detected one scamp, a fellow named Gaul- thier, who had carried by, and secreted above the portage, no less than five large kegs of whisky and high wines on a small invoice, but a few days after my arrival. It will require vigilance and firmness, and yet mildness, to secure anything like a faithful performance of the duties committed to me on a remote frontier, and with very little means of action beyond the precincts of the post, and this depends much on the moral inlluence on the Indian mind of the military element of power. 6th. First Distribution of Presents. — In fulfilment of a general declaration of friendly purposes, made on my opening speech to the Chippewas in July last, the entire home band of St. Mary's, men, women, and children, were assembled on the green in front of my office, this motning, to receive a small invoice of goods and merchandise, which were distributed amongst them as presents. T^ese goods were the best that could be purchased in the Detroit market, and were all of the best description ; and they were re- ceived with a lively satisfaction, which betokened well for my future influence. Prominent among the pleased recipients were the chiefs of the v''Jage, Shin-ga-ba-was-sin, the Image Stone, She-wa-be- ke-tone, thv Man of Jingling Metals, Kau-ga-osh, or the Bird in Eternal Flight, Way-ish-kee, or The First Born Son, and two or three others of minor note. Behind them were the warriors, and young men, the matrons and maids ; and peppered in, as it were. 118 PEBSOITAL MBMOIRS. the children of all ages. All were in their best attire, ^he cere- mony began by lighting the pipe, and having it passed by suitable o£Bcials to the chiefs and warriors in due order, and by placing a pile of tobacco before them, for general use, which the chiefs with great care divided and distributed, not forgetting the lowest claim- ant. I then stated the principles by which the agency would be guided in its intercourse with them, the benevolence and justice of the views entertained by their great father, the President, and his wishes to keep improper traders out of their country, to ex- clude ardent spirits, and to secure their peace anu happiness in every practicable way. Each sentence, as it was rendered into Indian, was received with the response of Hoh ! an exclamation of approbation, which is uttered feebly or loud, in proportion as the matter is warmly or coldly approved. The chiefs responded. All looked pleased ; the presents were divided, and the assembly broke up in harmony and good will. It does seem that, according to the oriental maxim,* a present is the readiest door to an Indian's heart. 25tA. The Indian mind appears to lack the mathematical ele- ment. It is doubtful how far they can compute numbers. The Chippewas count decimally, and after ten, add the names of the digits to the word ten, up to twenty ; then take the word for twenty, and add them as before, to thirty ; and so on to a hundred. They then add them to the term for a hundred, up to a thousand. They cannot be made to understand the value of an American dollar, without reducing it to the standard of skins. A striking instance of this kind happened among the Potowattomies at Chi- cago last year (1821). The commanding officer had oflFered a re- ward of thirty dollars for the apprehension of a deserter. The Potowattomies pursued and caught him, and received a certificate for the reward. The question with them now was, how much they had got. They wished to sell the certificate to a trader, and there were five claimants. They sat down and counted off" as many racoon skins. They then made thirty equal heaps, substituting symbols for skins. Taking the store price of a racoon at five skins to the dollar, they then found they had received the equiva- * « Let thy present go before thee." — Proverbs of Solomon. PBK80NAL MBHOIRS. 119 lent of one hundred and fifty racoons, and at this price they sold the order or certificate. five liva- 26th. Death of Sasmha,* or the Count. — This chief, who hi ^ from the day of our first landing here, rendered himself noted for his sentiments of opposition to the Americans, met witb. a melan- choly fate yesterday. He was in the habit of using ardent spirits, and frequently rose from a debauch of this kind of two or three days' continuance. Latterly he has exhibited a singular figure, walking through the village, being divested of every particle of clothing except a large gray wolfs skin, which he had drawn over his body in such a manner as to let its tail dangle down behind. It was in this unique costume that I last saw him, and as he was a tall man, with rather prominent features, the spectacle was the more striking. From this freak of dress he has been commonly called, for some time, My-een-gun, or the Wolf. He had been drinking at Point aux Pins, six miles above the rapids, with Odabit and some other boon companions, and in this predica- ment embarked in his canoe, to come to the head of the portage. Before reaching it, and while still in the strong tide or suck of the current, he rose in his canoe for some purpose connected with the sail, and tipped it over. Odabit succeeded in making land, but the Count, his wife and child, and Odabit's wife, went over the rapids, which was the last ever seen of them. Sassaba appeared to me to be a man of strong feelingi and an independent mind, not regard- ing consequences. He had taken a deep prejudice against the Americans, from his brother having been shot by his side in the battle under Tecumseh on the Thames. This appeared to be the burden of his complaints. He was fond of European dress, and articles of furniture. It was found that he had in his tent, which was of duck, a set of silver tea and tablespoons, knives, forks, cups and saucers, and a tea tray. Besides his military coat, sword, and epaulets, and sash, which were presented to him, he had some ruffled linen shirts, gloves, shoes and stockings, and an umbrella, all of which were kept, however, in the spirit of a virtuoso, and he took a pride in displaying these articles to visitors. Many a more worthless man than Sassaba has had bis epitaph, * The word laeaas fiserv. 120 PBRSONAL 'ZBMOIBS. or elegiac wreath, which may serve aa aa apology for the following lines :- ■ ' '4 ' '' ■■ " ^ .M '.••;'r i I' • ^'■*.>. The I t^Ila were thy grave, aa they leapt mad along, And ihe roar of their waters thy funeral eong: So wildly, 80 madly, thy people for aye, , Are rapidly, oeaseleBsly, passing away. * ' ' " They are seen but a moment, then fade and are past, Like a cloud in the sky, or a leaf in the blast ; i v The path thou hast trodden, thy nation shall tread» i r Chief, warrior, and kin, to the Land of the Dead ; .\ . And soon on the lake, or the shore, or the green, Not a war drum shall sound, not a smoke shall be seen. •V\ : I!' '■'''• I ' 27 -■. ' • ': --. ■'.■ ', Go, student, search, and if thou nothing find, lo search again ; success is in the mind. — Algok. '2&i ''■ '"-' 'IriH spirit, hwnhle yet manful. — A young man * I had written, announcing the word Od-jilhwa to be the true Indian pro- nunciation, and recommending its adoption. raRBONAL MIMOIRS. 121 of purpose and some talent, with considerable ambition, who is diligently seeking a place in the world, writes me from Detroit to- day, in this strain : '' True it is, I have deteiminbd to pass the winter either in New York or Washington, probably the latter place. But, my dear sir, my hope of doing anything for myself in this world is the faintest possible, and I begin to fatigue with the exer- tion. If I do not succeed this winter in obtaining something perma- nent,'" I shall probably settle down, either in this place or some- where in New York, a poor deviU-^fram all which, and many other 'hings, ' good Lord deliver us t' Farewell; my best wishes be with you this winter, to keep you warm. I shall expect next spring to see you an accomplished niehee"f [N^-j^, * He did succeed at W. i ' ' t A term signifying, in the Chippewa, my friend- \\xt popularly used ftt tht time to some extent at Detroit to denote an Indian. .( f / 122 PIB60NAL MBMOnia i'\- ■V . • •. -S CHAPTER XIII. ... ■■ -'.i-' >..„'. ^ ' , '■.''-.■■ My first winter at the foot of Lake Superior — Copper mines — White fish — A poetic name for a fish — Indian tale — Polygamy — A reminiscence — Tak- ing of Fort Niagara — Mythological and allegorical tales ^imong the abo- rigines — Chippewa language — Indian vowels — A polite and a vulgar way of speaking the language — Public worship — Seclusion from the world. 1822. Oct. 1st. Copper Mines of Lake Superior. — On the 8th of May last, the Senate of the United States passed a resolution in these words : — " Besolvedj that the President of the United States be requested to communicate to the Senate, at the commencement of the next session of Congress, any information which may be in the posses- sion of the government, derived from special agents or otherwise, showing the number, value, and position of the copper mines on the south shore of Lake Superior ; the names of the Indian tribes who claim them ; the practicability of extinguishing their title, and the probable advantage which may result to the Republic from the acquisition and working these mines." The resolution having been referred to me by tht^ Secretary of War, I, this day, completed and transmitted a report on the subject, embracing the principal facts known respecting them, insisting on their value and importance, and warmly recommending their fur- ther exploration and working.* 4iA. White Fish Fisheri/. — No place in America has been so highly celebrated as a locality for taking this really fine and deli- cious fish, as Saint Mary's Falls, or the Sault,1f as it is more gene- rally and appropriately called. This fish resorts here in vast * See Public Doc. No. 365, 2d Soss., 17th ConRi-ess. t This word is pronounced as if written so, not soo. through the French, from the Latin aaltus. It is a derivative, K^ PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 128 numbers, and is in season after the autumnal equinox, and con- tinues so till the ice begins to run. It is worthy the attention of ichthyologists. It is a remarkable, but not singular fact in its natural history, that it is perpetually found in the attitude of ascent at these falls. It is taken only in the swift water at the foot of the last leap or descent. Into this swift water the Indians push their canoes. It requires great skill and dexterity for this. The fishing canoe is of small size. It is steered by a man in the stern. The fisherman takes his stand in the bows, sometimes bestriding the light and frail vessel from gunwale to gunwale, having a scoop-net in his hands. This net has a long slender handle, ten feet or more in length. The net is made of strong twine, open at the top, like an entomologist's. When the canoe has been run into the uppermost rapids, and a school of fish is seen below or alongside, he dexterously puts down his net, and having swooped up a number of the fish, instantly reverses it in water, whips it up, and discharges its contents into the canoe. This he repeats till his canoe is loaded, when he shoots out of the tail of the rapids, and makes for shore. The fish will average three pounds, but individuals are sometimes two and three times that weight. It is shad-shaped, with well-developed scales, easily removed, but has the mouth of the sucker, very small. The flesh is perfectly white and firm, with very few bones. It is boiled by the Indians in pure water, in a peculiar manner, the kettle hung high above a small blaze ; and thus cooked, it is eaten with the liquid for a gravy, and is delicate and delicious. If boiled in the ordinary way, by a low hung pet and quick fire, it is soft and comparatively flabby. It is also broiled by the inhabitants, on a gridiron, after cutting it open on the back, and brought on the table slightly browned. This must be done, like a steak, quickly. It is the most delicious when immediately taken from the water, and connoisseurs will tell you, by its taste at the table, whether it is immediately from the water, or has lain any time before cooking. It is sometimes made into small ovate masses, dipped into batter, and fried in butter, and in this shape, it is called petite pdte. It is also chowdered or baked in a pie. It is the great resource of the Indians and the French, and of the poor generally at these falls, who eat it with potatoes, which are ab^ijidantly raised here. It is also a standing dish with ail. 124 PlRflOKAL MKM0IR8. A Poetic Name for a Fish. — Tho Chippowas, who aro ready to give every object in creation, whose existence they cannot otherwise account for, an allegorical origin, call the white fish attikumaig, a very cnrions or very fanciful name, for it appears to he compounded of attik, a reindeer, and the general compound gumee^ or guma, before noticed, as meaning water, or a liquid. To this tho addi- tion of the letter g ^ akes a plural in the animate form, so that the translation is deer of the water, an evident acknowledgment of its importance as an item in their means of subsistence. Who can say, alter this, that the Chippewas have not some imagination? Indian Tale. — They have a legend about the origin of the white fish, which is funded on the observation of a minute trait in its habits. This fish, when opened, is found to have in its stomach very small white particles which look like roe or particles of brain, but are, perhaps, microscopic shells. They say the fish itself sprang from the brain of a female, whose skull fell into these rapids, and was dashed out among the rocks. A tale of domestic infidelity is woven with this, and the denouement is made to turn on the premonition of a venerable crane, the leading Toteta of the band, who, having consented to carry the ghost of a female across the falls on his back, threw her into the boiling and foaming flood to accomplish the poetic justice of the tale. nth. Polygamy. — This practice appears to be less common among the Chippewas than the more westerly tribes. An in- stance of it came to my notice to-day, in a complaint made by an Indian named Me-ta-koos-se-ga, i. e. Smoking- Weed, or Pure Tobacco, who was living with two wives, a mother and her daughter. He complained that a young woman whom he had brought up had left his lodge, and taken shelter with the family of the widow of a Canadian. It appears that the old fellow had been making ad- vances to this girl to become his third wife, and that she had fled from his lodge to avoid his importunities. 18fA. Historical Reminiscences. — This day sixty-three years ago. General Wolf took Quebec, an event upon which hinged the fall of Canada. That was a great historical era, and it is from this date, 1759, that we may begin to date a change in the Indian policy of the country. Before that time, the French, who had PBR80NAL MBMOIRfl. 126 disoovered this region of country and establlshod trade and inter* course with the Indian tribes, were acknowledged supreme by the natives. Since this event, the English rule has been growing, and the allegiance of the tribes has been gradually strengthened and fixed. It is not a light task to change habits of political affiance, cemented by so many years. The object which is only sought so far as the tribes fall within the American lines, may, however, be attained by a mild, consistent, and persevering course of policy. Time is a slow but sure innovator. A few years will carry the more aged men, whose prejudices are strongest, to their graves. The young are more pliant, and will see their interests in 8trength> ening their intercourse with the Americans, who can do so much to advance them, and probably long before half another period of sixty-three years is repeated, the Indians of the region will be as firmly attached to us as they ever were to the French or the English. Never to doubt, and never to despair, Is to make acts what once but wishes were. Aloon. 26th. Allegorical and Mythological Tales. — "I shall be re- joiced," observed Governor C, in a letter of this day, in reply to my announcement of having detected fanciful traditionary stories among the Chippewas, "to receive any mythological stories to which you allude, even if they are enough to rival old Tooke in his Pantheon." He had put into my hands, at Detroit, a list of printed queries respecting the Indians, and calls me to remember them, during my winter seclusion here, with the knowledge of the advantages I possess in the well-informed circle of the Johns; oi' family. ad 25th. Chippewa Language. — There is clearly a polite and a vulgar way of speaking the language. Tradition says that great changes have taken place, and that those changes keep pace with the decline of the tribe from their ancient standard of forest morals and their departure from their ancient customs. How- ever this may be, their actual vocabulary is pretty full. Difficul- ties exist in writing it, from the want of an exact and uniform system of notation. The vowels assume their short and slender as well as broad sounds. The language appears to want entirely 126 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. the consonant sounds of f, 1, r, v, and x. In conjugating their verbs, the three primary tenses are well made out, but it is doubtful how much exactitude exists in the forms given for the oblique and conditional tenses. If it be true that the language is more corrupt now than at a former age, it is important to inquire in what this corruption consists, and how it came about. " To rescue it," I observe at the close of a letter now on my table to his Excellency Governor C, transmitting him a vocabulary of one hundred and fitty words, " To rescue it from that oblivion to which the tribe itself is rapidly hastening, while yet it may be attempted, with a prospect of success, will constitute a novel and pleasing species of amusement during the long evenings of that dreary cold winter of which we have already had a foretaste." 31«^ Public Worship. — As Colonel Brady is about to leave the post fo. the season, some conversation has been had about authorizing him to get a clergyman to come to the post. It is thought that if such a person would devote a part of his time as an instructor, a voluntary subscription could be got among the citizens to supply the sum requisite for his support. I drew up a paper with this view this morning, and after handing it round, found the sum of ninety-seven dollars subscribed — seventy-five dollars of which are by four persons. This is not half the stipend of " forty pounds a year" that poor Goldsmith's brother thought himself rich upon ; and it is apprehended the colonel will hardly find the inducement sufficient to elicit attention to so very remote a quarter. Nov. Ist. We have snow, cold, and chilly winds. On looking to the north, there are huge piles of clouds hanging over Lake Superior. We may say, with Burns, " The wintry wind is gathering fast." This is a holiday with the Canadian French — "All Saints. They appear as lively and thoughtless as if all the saints in the calen- der were to join them in a dance. Well may it be said of them, "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." 20th. Seclusion from the World realized. — We are now shut out from the world. The season of navigation hag closed, the last ■>T'-TfT| the Emperor of Japai. Such was public information, in Europe, twenty-two yean? iitov the di.nov* ry of tbo River Hudson, and the idttlement of Kew Engii^nd, i\~^'orries (June), the moon of berries (July), &c. Canoe and tomahawk are not terms belonging to the Chippewa language. From in!.■' ih'.' imperative mood. EjBiui, in situation"^- ;' o the present, ^oing isolated and shut up as it were from the . orld, requires to be guarded .':»ainst. The surest preventive of it is employment, and diversity iu employment. It has been determined to-day to get up a periodical sheet, or jeu d'esprit nev if aper, to be circulated from family to family, com- 184 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. mencing on the first of January. Mrs. Thompson asked me for a name. I suggested the "Northern Light." It was finally de- termined to put this into Latin, and call it Aurora Borealis. ' 2Sth. Visits make up a part of the winter's amusements. We owe this duty to society ; but, like other duties, which are largely connected with enjoyment, there is a constant danger that more time be given up to it than is profitable. Conversation is the true index of feeling. We read wise and grave books, but are not a whit better by them, than as they introduce and fix in our minds such principles as shall shine out in conversation or acts. Now were an ordinary social winter evening party tested by such prin- ciples, what would a candid spectator judge to have been the prin- cipal topics of reading or study ? I remember once, in my earlier years, to have passed an evening in a room where a number of my intimate friends were engaged in playing at cards. As I did not play, I took my seat at an office-table, and hastily sketched the conversation which I afterwards read for their amusement. But the whole was in reality a bitter satire on their "anguage and sen- timents, although it was not so designed by me, nor received by them. I several years afterwards saw the sketch of this conver- sation among my papers, and was forcibly struck with this reflec- tion. ' • - ; Let me revert to some of the topics of conversation introduced in the circles where I have visited this day, or in my own room. It is Goldsmith, I think, who says that our thoughts take their tinge from contiguous objects. A man standing near a volcano would naturally speak of burning mountains. A person traversing a field of snow would feel his thoughts occupied with polar scenes. Thus are we here thrown together. Ice, snow, winds, a high range of the thermometer, or a driving tempest, are the almost ever pre- sent topics of remar' id these came in for a due share of the conversation to-day. The probability of the ice in the river's breaking up the latter part of April, and the arrival of a vessel at the post earli/ in May ! — the dissolution of the seventeenth Con- gress, which must take place on the 4th of March, the character and administration of Governor Clinton (which were eulogized), were adverted to. In the evening I went, by invitation, to Mr. Siveright's at the North West House. The party was numerous, embracing most •«aB**^. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 186 of the officers of the American garrison, John Johnston, Esq., Mr. C. 0. Ermatinger, a resident who has accumulated a considerable property in trade, and others. Conversation turned, as might have been expected, upon the topic of the Fur- Trade, and the enter- prising men who established, or led to the establishment of, the North West Company. Todd, Mackenzie, and M'Gillvray were respectively described. Todd was a merchant of Montreal, an Irishman by birth, who possessed enterprise, courage, address, and general information. He paved the way for the establishment of the Company, and was one of the first partners, but died un- timely. He possessed great powers of memory. Hiu cousin, Don Andrew Todd, had the monopoly of the fur trade of Louisiana. M'Gillvray possessed equal capacity for the trade with Todd, united to engaging, gentlemanly manners. Ho introduced that feature in the Company which makes every clerk, at a certain time, a partner. This first enabled them successfully to combat the Hudson's Bay Company. His passions, however, carried him too far, and he was sometimes unjust. Sir Alexander Mackenzie was at variance with M'Gillvray, and they never spoke in each other's praise. Mackenzie commanded great respect from all classes, and possessed a dignity of rr;anners and firmness of purpose which fitted him for great undertakings. He established the X. Y. Company, in opposition to the North West. 29th. The days are still very short, the sun having but just passed the winter solstice. We do not dine till four ; Mr. Johnston, with whom I take my meals, observing this custom, and it is dars within the coming hour. I remained to family worship in the evening. 30f remark. We at^ourned to Mr. Johnston's. In the evening I went into my ofBco and wrote to Mr. Calhoun, the Secretary of War, recommending Captain H.'s son William, for the appointment of a cadet in the Military Academy."' dl«^ Devoted the day co ibe Indian language. ... oc&rculy seems possible that any two languages should be more unlike, or Lave fewer points of reser lolanco, than the English and Ojibwa. If an individual from one of the nomadic tribes of farther Asia were suddenly set down in London, he could hardly be more struck with the difference in b\>ilaiags, dress, manners, and customs, than with the utter discrepance in the sounds of words, and ^he gramma- tical structure of sentences. The Ojibwa has this ad'.antage, con- sidered as the material of future improvement ; it is entirely homo- geneous, and admits of philosophical principles being carried out, with very few, if any, of those exceptions which so disfigure En- glish grammar, and present such appalling obstacles to foreigners in learning the language. On going to dine at the usual hour, I found company invited, among whom were some gentlemen from Upper Canada. Con- versation rolled on smoothly, and embraced a wide range of topics. Some of the dark doings of the North West Compaq/, iis their strug- gle for exclusive power in the Indian country, were mentioned. Nobody appeared to utter a word in ma"\ e or i!! will. rk and bright traits of individual character and conduct floated along the stream of conversation, without being ruffled with a breeze. In the evening I attended a party at the quarters of one of the of- ficers in the fort. Dancing was introduced. The evening passed off agreeably till the hour of separation, which was a <*ew h utes before twelve. And thus closed the year eighteen ndrc I and twenty-two. The appointment was made. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 187 CHAPTER XV. New Year's day among the desoendants of the Norman French — Anti-philo- sophic speculations of Brydono — Schlogol on language — A peculiar na- tive expression evincing delicacy — Qraywacko in the basin of Lake Su- perior—Temperature — Snow shoes — Translation of Oon. i. 3 — Historical reminiscences— Morals of visiting — Ojibwa numerals — Harmon's travels — Mackenzie's vocabularies — Criticism — Mungo Park. January Ist. This is a day of hilarity here, as in Now York. Gayety and (»ood humor appear on every countenance. Visiting from house to houso is the order. The humblest individual is expected to make his appearance in the routine, and '' has his claims allowed." The French custom of salutation prevails. The Indian a not the last t remember the day. To them, it is a season of y vileges, n 1 ough, alas ! it is only the privilege to beg. Standing in n official relation to them, I was occupied in receiving their visits fr-^Ti^ oight o'clock till three. I read, however, at inter- vals, Dr. Joiiuaou's Lives of Rochester, Roscommon, Otway, Phillips, and Walsh. 2i. Brydone, the veler, says, on the authority of Recu- pero, a priest, that in sinking a pit rear laci in the region of Mount Etna, they pierced through seven distinct formations of lava, with parallel beds of earth interposed between each stratum. He esti- mates that two thousand years were required to decompose the lava and form it into soil, and consequently that fourteen thousand years were needed for the whole series of formations. A little further on, he however furnishes data, showing to every candid mind on what very vague estimates lie had before relied. He says the fertile district of Hybla was buddenly turned to barren- ness by an eruption of lava, and soon after restored to fertility by a shower of ashes. The change which he had required two thou- sand years to produce was here accomplished suddenly, and the whole argument by which he had arrayed himself against the 188 PBRSONAL MBMOIRS. Mosaical chronology overturned. Of such materials is a good deal of modern pseudo-philosophy constructed. I received, this morning, a number of mincralogical Bpccimcns from Mr. Johnston, which had been collected by him at various times in the vicinity. Among them were specimens of copper pyrites in quartz, sulphate of str ui' an, foliated gypsum, and nu- merous calcareous petrifactions. He also presented me a fine antler of the Caribo, or American reindeer, a species which is found to inhabit this region. This animal is called Addik by the Ojibwas. Ik is a termination in the Ojibwa denoting some hard substance. Zd. Forster, in his " History of Northern Voyages," mentions some facts which appear to be adverse to Mr. Hayden's theory of a north-western current. The height of islands observed by Fox, in the arctic regions, was found to be greatest on their eastern sides, and they were depressed towards the west. " This observation," he says, " seems to mo to prove that, when the sea burst impetu- ously into Hudson's Bay, and tore away these islands from the main land, it must have come rushing from the east and south-east, and have washed away the earth towards the west — a circumstance which has occasioned their present low position.'' 4tth. I read the review of Schlegel's " Treatise on the Sanscrit Language." How far the languages of America may furnish coin- cidences in their grammatical forms, is a deeply interesting inquiry. But thus insulated, as I am, a\ ithout books, the labor of compar- ison is, indeed, almost hopeless ! I must content myself, for the present, with furnishing examples for others. Th'j Indians still continue their New Year's visits. Fresh par- ties or families, who come in from the woods, and were not able to come on the day, consider themselves privileged to present their f^laims. It should not be an object of disappointment to find that the Indians do not, in their ordinary intercourse, evince those striking traits of exalted and disinterested character which we are naturally accustomed to expect from reading books. Books are, after all, but men's holiday opinions. It requires observation on real life to be able to set a true estimate upon things. The instances in which an Indian is enabled to give proofs of a noble or heroic spirit cannot be expected to occur frequently. In all the history of the sea-board tribes there was but one Pocahontas, PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 189 one Uncas, and one Philip. Whereas, everyday is calling for the exercise of less splendid, but more generally useful virtues. To spare the life of a prisoner, or to relievo a friend from imminent peril, may give applause, and carry a name down to posterity. But it is the constant practice of every day virtues and duties, domestic diligence, and common sense, that renders life comforta- ble, and society prosperous and happy. How much of this every-day stamina the Iildians possess, it would be presumptuous in me, with 80 short an opportunity of observation, to decide. But I am in- clined to the opinion that their defect of character lies here. Our express for Detroit, via Michilimackinack, set out at three o'clock this morning, carrying some few short of a hundred letters. This, with our actual numbers, is the best commentary on our in- sulated situation. We divert ourselves by writing, and cling with a death-grasp, as it were, to our friends and correspondents. ()th, Gitche ie nay gow ge ait che gah, "they have put the sand over him" is a common expression among the Indians to indi- cate that a man is dead and buried. Another mode, delicate and refined in its character, is to suffix the inflection for perfect past tense, bun, to a man's name. Thus Washington e bun would indicate that Washington is no more. I read the Life of Pope. It is strange that so great a poet should have been so great a lover of wealth ; mammon and the muses are not often conjointly worshiped. Pope did not excel in familiar conversation, and few sallies of wit, or pointed obser- vation, are preserved. The following is recorded : " When an objection raised against his inscription for Shakspeare was de- fended by the authority of Patrick, he replied, ' horresco referens,' that he would allow the publisher of a dictionary to know the meaning of a single word, but not of two words put together." In the evening I read a number of the " London Literary Gazette," a useful and interesting paper, which, in its plan, holds an intermediate rank between a newspaper and a review. It con- tains short condensed criticisms on new works, together with original brief essays and anecdotes, and literary advertisements, which latter must render it a valuable paper to booksellers. I think we have nothing on this plan, at present, in the United States. 6th. I received a specimen of slaty graywacke from Lake Supe- 140 PRRSONAL MEMOIRS. rior. The structure is tabular, and very well characterized. If there be no mistake respecting the locality, it is therefore certain that this rock is included among the Lake Superior group.* It was not noticed in the expedition of 1820. I also received a specimen of iron sand from Point aux Pins. The thermometer has stood at 26° below zero a few days during the season. It was noticed at 10° below, this morning. Notwithstanding the decidedly wintry character of the day, I re- ceived a visit from Mr. Siveright, a Canadian gentleman, who came across the expanse of ice on snow shoes. I loaned him Silliman's " Travels in England and Scotland," feeling a natural desire to set ofiF our countrymen, as authors and travelers, to the best advantage. Mr. S., who has spent several years at the north, mentioned that each of the Indian tribes has something peculiar in the fashion of their snow shoes. The Chippewas form theirs with acute points fore and aft, resembling two inverted sections of a circle. The Crees make a square point in front, tapering away gradually to the heel. The Chippewyans turn up the fore point, so that it may oflfer less resistance in walking. Females have their snoAV shoes constructed different from the men's. The difference consists in the shape and size of the bmYS. The netting is more nicely wrought and colored, and often ornamented, particularly in those worn by girls, with tassels of colored worsted. The word "shoe," as applied to this apparatus of the feet, is a complete misnomer. It consists of a net-work of laced skin, extended between light wooden bows tied to the feet, the whole object of which is to augment the spaco pressed upon, and thus bear up the individual on the sur- face of the snow. I devoted the leisure hours of the day to the grammatical structure of the Indian language. There is reason to suppose the word moneto not very ancient. It is, properly speaking, not the name for God, or Jehovah, but rather a generic term for spiritual agency in their mythology. The word seems to have been derived from the notion of the offerings left upon rocks and sacred placr^, being supernaturally taken away. In any comparative views of the language, not much stress should be laid upon the word, as * I found graywacke in sitO, at Iron River, in Lake Superior, in 1826, and subsequently at Presque Isle River, where it is slaty, and fine even grained, and apparently suitable for some economical uses. If' PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 141 marking a difference from other stocks. Maneton, in the Delaware, is the verb "to make." Ozheton is the same verb in Chippewa. *Jth. History teaches its lessons in small, as well as great things. Vessels from Albemarle, in Virginia, in 1586, first carried the potato to Ireland. Thomas Harriot says the natives called it open-awk. The Chippewas, at this place, call the potato open-eeg ; but the termination eeg is merely a form of the plural. Open (the e sounded like short i) is the singular form. Thomas Jeffer- son gives the word *' Wha-poos" as the name of the Powhatanic tribes for hare. The Chippewa term for this animal is Wa-bos, usually pronounced by white men Wa-poos. Lopginus remarks the sublimity of style of the third verse of Genesis i. I have, with competent aid, put it into Chippewa, and give the re-translation : — Appee dush and then Gezha Monedo Merciful Spirit Akeedood He said Tah Let Wassay-au, Light be, Appee dush And then Wassay-aug Light was. It is not to be expected that all parts of the language would ex- hibit equal capacities to bear out the original. Yet in this instance, if the translation be faithful, it is clearly, but not, to our apprehen- sion, elegantly done. I am apprehensive that the language generally has a strong tendency to repetition and redundancy of forms, and to clutter up, as it were, general ideas with particular meanings. At three o'clock I went to dine with Mr. Siveright, at the North West Company's House. The party was large, including the officers from the garrison. Conversation took a political turn. Colonel Lawrence defended the propriety of his recent toast, "The Senate of the United States, the guardians of a free people," by which a Boston paper said "more was meant than met the eye." The evening was passed with the ordinary sources of amusement. I have for some time felt that the time devoted to these amusements, in which I never made much advance, would be better given up to reading, or some inquiry from which I might hope to derive advantage. An incident this evening impressed 142 PERSONAL MBMOIRS. me with this truth, and I came home with a resolution that one source of them should no longer engross a moment of my time. Harris, the author of Hermes, says, '* It is certainly as easy to be a scholar as a gamester, or any other character equally illiberal and low. The same application, the same quantity of habit, will fit us for one as completely as for the other. And as to those who tell us, with an air of seeming wisdom, that it is men, and not books, that we must study to become knowing ; this I have always remarked, from repeated experience, to be the common consolation and language of dunces." Now although I have no purpose of aiming at extreme heights in knowledge, yet there are some points in which every man should have that precision of knowledge which is a concomitant of scholarship. And every man, by diligence, may add to the number of these points, without aiming at all to put on a character for extraordinary wisdom or profundity. 9th. Historical Reminiscences. — On the third of April, 1764, Sir William Johnson concluded preliminary articles of peace and friendship with eight deputies of the Seneca nation, which was the only one of the Iroquois who joined Pontiac. This was done at his residence at Johnson Hall, on the Mohawk. In August, 1764, Colonel Bradstreet granted "Terms of Peace" to certain deputies of the Delaware, Huron, and Shawnee tribes at Presque Isle, being then on his way to relieve Detroit, which was then closely invested by the Indians. These deputies gave in their adhesion to the English cause, and agreed to give up all the English prisoners. In October of the same year, Colonel Bouquet granted similar terms to another deputation of Shawnees, Delawares, &c., at Tuscarawas. The best account of the general transactions of the war of that era, which I have seen, is contained in a "History of the Late War in North America, and Islands of the West Indies. By Thomas Mante, Assistant Engineer, &c., and Major of a Brigade. London, 1772:" 1 vol. quarto, 552 pages. I am indebted to Go- vernor Clinton for my acquaintance with this work. lOfA. I have employed the last three days, including this, very diligently on my Indian vocabulary and inquiries, having read but PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 148 1 little. Too exclusive a devotion to this object is, however, an error. I have almost grudged the time I devoted to c- JUg and sleeping. And I should certainly be unwilling that my visitors should know what I thought ot' the interruptions created by their visits. It is true, however, that I have gained but little by these visits in the way of conversation. One of my visitors, a couple of days since, made me waste a whole morning in talking of trifling sr.bjects. Another, who is a gourmand, is only interested in subjects connected with the gratification of his palate. A third, w^o is a well-informed man, has such lounging habits that he icmained two hours and a half with me this morning. No wonder that men in ofiice must be guarded by the paraphernalia of ante-rooms and messengers, if a poor individual at this cold end of the world feels it an intrusion on his short winter days to have lounging visitors. I will try to recollect, when I go to see others, that although J may have leisure, perhaps they are engaged in somethiiig of consequence. ich lar at By xlth. History abounds in examples of excellence. — Xenophon says of Jason, "All who have served under Jason have learned this lesstm, that pleasure is the effect of toil ; though as to sensual plea- sures, I know no person in the world more temperate than Jason. They never break in upon his time ; they always leave him leisure to do what must be done." Of Diphridas, the same author observes, "No bodily indulgence ever gained the ascendant over him, but, on the contrary, he gave all his attertion to the business in hand." What admirable maxims for real life, whether that life be passed in courts or camps, or a humble sphere ! 12th. I finished reading Thiebault's "Anecdotes of Frederick the Great," which I had commenced in December. This is a pleasing and instructive work. Every person should read it who wishes to understand the history of Prussia, particularly the most interesting and important period of it. We here find Frederick I. and II., and William depicted to the life. We are made acquainted also with national traits of the Russian, English, German, and French cha- racter, which are nowhere else to be found. ISth. The ancient Thracians are thus described by Herodotis; " The most honorable life with them is a life of indolence ; the '£jl0m- 144 PERSONAL MBMOIRS. most contemptible that of a husbandman. Their supreme delight is war and plunder." Who, if the name and authority were con- cealed, but would suppose the remarks were made of some of the tribes of the North American Indians ? I divided the day between reading and writing. In the evening I went by invitation to a party at Lieutenant B.'s in the canton- ment. ■ l^th. The Chippewa names of the numerals, from one to ten, are — pazhik, neezh, niswee, newin, nanun, neen-goodwaswa, neezh- waswa, swaswa, shonguswa, metonna. Dined at Mr. Ermatinger's, a gentleman living on the Canada shore, who, from small beginnings, has accumulated a considerable property by the Indian trade, and has a numerous Anglo-Odjibwa family. 16th. Completed the perusal of Harmon's Travels, and extracted the notes contained in memorandum book N. Mr. Harmon was nineteen years in the service of the North West Company, and became a partner after the expiration of the first seven years. The volume contains interesting data respecting the topography, natural history (incidental), and Indian tribes of a remote and extensive region. The whole scope of tho journal is devoted to the »i'ea lying north of the territory of the United States. It will be found a valuable book of reference to those who are par- ticularly directing their attention to northern scenes. The journal was revised and published by a Mr. Haskell, who, it is said here, by persons acquainted with Mr. Harmon, has introduced into the text religious reflections, not believed to have been made by the author at the time. No exceptions can be taken to the reflections; but his companions and co-partners feel that they should have led the individual to exemplify them in his life and conversation while inland. Mr. Harmon says, of the Canadians — " All their chat is about horses, dogs, canoes, women, and strong men, who can fight a good battle." Traders and Indians are placed in a loose juxtaposition. "Their friendship," he states, "is little more than their fondness for our property, and our eagerness to obtain their furs." Euro- pean manufactures are essential to the natives. "The Indians in this quarter have been so long accustomed to European goodp that it would be with difficulty that they could now obtain a liveli- PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 146 hood without thom. Especially do they need firearms, axes, kettles, knives, &c. They have almost lost the use of bows and arrows, and they would find it nearly impossible to cut their fire wood with implements made of stone or bone." 16th. Examined Mackenzie'n Travels, to compare his vocabulary of Knisteneaux and Algonquin, with the Odjibwa, or Chippewa. There is so close an agreement, in sense and sound, between the two latter, as to make it manifest that the tribes could not have been separated at a remote period. This agreement is more close and striking than it appears to be by comparing the two written vocabularies. Mackenzie has adopted the French orthography, giving the vowels, and some of the consonants and diphthongs, sounds very different from their English powers. Were the words arranged on a common plan of alphabetical notation, they would generally be found to the eye, as they are to the ear, nearly identical. The discrepancies would be rendered less in cases in which they appear to be considerable, and the peculiarities of idiom, as they exist, would be made more striking and instructive. I have heard both idioms spoken by the natives, and therefore have more confidence in speaking of their nearness and affinity, than I could have had from mere book comparison. I am told that Mackenzie got \\m vocabulary from some of the priests in Lower Canada, who are versed in the Algonquin. It does not seem to me at all probable that an Englishman or a Scotchman should throw aside his natural sounds of the vowels and consonants, and adopt sounds which are, and must have been, from infancy, foreign. As I intend to put down things in the order of their occurrence, I wi)l add that I had a visitor to-day, a simple mechanic, who came to talk to me about nothing ; I could do no less than be civil to him. in consequence of which he pestered me with hems and haws about one hour. I think Job took no interest in philology. 17th. Devoted the day to the language. A friend had loaned me a file of Scottish papers called the Montrose Review, which I took occasion to run over. This paper is more neatly and cor- rectly printed than is common with our papers of this class from the country. The strain of remark is free, bold, and inquisitive, looking to the measures of government, and advocating principles of ratiunal liberty throughout the world. Col. Lawrence, Capt. Thompson, and Lieut. Griswold called in 10 146 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. the course of the day. I commenced reading Mungo Parke's posthumous volume. ISth. The mind, like the body, will get tired. Quintilian remarks, "Variety refreshes and renovates the mind." Com- position and reading by turns, wear away the weariness either may create ; and though we have done many things, we in some mea- sure find ourselves fresh and recruited at entering on a new thing. This* day has been almost entirely given up to society. Visitors seemed to come in, as if by concert. Col. Lawrence, Capts. Clarke and Beal, Lieuts. Smith and Griswold. Mr. S. B. Gris- wold, who was one of the American hostage oflBcers at Quebec, Dr. Foot, and Mr. Johnston came in to see me, at different times. I filled up the intervals in reading. 19th, tS ^hath. A party of Indians came to my door singing the beggli dance. These people do not respect the Sabbath.* The parties who o; me in, on New Year's day, still linger about the settlements, and appear to be satisfied to suffer hunger half the time, if their wants can be gratuitously relieved the other half. 20th. I continued to transcribe, from loose papers, into my Indian lexicon. A large proportion of the words are derivatives. All are, more or less, compounded in their oral forms, and they appear to be glued, as it were, to objects of sense. This is not, however, peculiar to this language. The author of " Hermes" says — " The first words of men, like their first ideas, had an im- mediate reference to sensible objects, and that in after days, when they began to discern with their intellect, they took those words which they found already made, and transferred them, by meta- phor, to intellectual conceptions." On going to dinner, I found a party of oflScers and their ladies. " Mine host," Mr. Johnston, with his fine and frank Belfast hospi- tality, does the honors of his table with grace and ease. Nothing appears to give him half so much delight as to see others happy around him. I read, in the evening, the lives of Akenside, Gray, * About eighteen months afterwards, I interdicted all visits of Indians on the Sabbath, and adopted it as an invariable rule, that I would not transact any business, or receive visits, from any Indian under the influence of liquor. I directed my interpreter to tell them that the President had sent me to speak to sober men only. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. m and Littleton. What a perfect crab old Dr. Johnson was ! But is there any sound criticism without sternness ? 2l8t. I finished the reading of Mungo Parke, the most enter- prising traveler of modern times. Ho appear? to me to have committed two errors in his last expedition, an 1 1 think his death is fairly attributable to impatience to reach the mouth of the Niger. He should not have attempted to pass from the Gambia to the Niger during the rainy season. By this, he lost thirty-five out of forty men. He should not have tried to force a passage through the kingdom of Houssa, without making presents to the local petty chiefs. By this, he lost his life. When will geographers cease to talk about the mouth of the Niger ? England ha» been as indefatigable in solving this problem as she has been in finding out the North West Passage, and, at present, as unsuccessful. We see no abate- ment, however, in her spirit of heroic enterprise. America has sent but one explorer to this field — Ledyard. '■■C V ■, -^^ 148 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. CHAPTER XVI. Novel reading — Greenough's " Geology" — The cariboo — Spiteful plunder of private property on a large scale — Marshall's Washington — St. Clair's " Narrative of his Campaign" — Etymology of the word totem — A trait of transpositive languages — Polynesian languages — A meteoric explosion at the maxim^im height of the winter's temperature — Spafford's "Gazetteer" — Holmes on the Prophecies— Foreign politics — Mythology — Gnomes — The Odjibwa based on monosyllables — No auxiliary verbs — Pronouns declined for tense — Esprella's letters — Valerius — Gospel of St. Luke — Chippowayan group of languages — Home politics — Prospect of being appointed super- intendent of the lead mines of Missouri. 9:m :«Nf' 1823. Jan. 22d. A pinching cold winter wears away slowly. The whole village seems to me like so many prescient beavers, in a vast snoAv-bank, who cut away the snow and make paths, every morning, from one lodge to another. In this reticulation of snow paths the drum is sounded and the flag raised. Most dignified bipeds we are. Hurrah for progress, and the extension of the Anglo-Saxon race ! I read the "Recluse," translated from D'Arlincourt's popular novel Le Solitaire, and think the commendations bestowed upon it, in the translator's preface, just in the main. It is precisely such a novel as I should suppose would be very popular in the highest circles of France, and consequently, owing to difference of character, would be less relished by the same circles in England. I suspect the author to be a great admirer of Chateaubriand's " Atala," whose death is brought to mind by the catastrophe of Elode's. Here, however, the similitude ends. There is nothing to be said respecting the comparative features of Charles the Bold and Chactas, except that the Indian possessed those qualities of the heart which most ennoble human nature. To the readers of Scott's novels, however (for he is certainly the " Great Unknown"), this pleasing poetical romance, with all its sparkling passages, will present one glaring defect — it is not sufli- PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 149 ciently descriptive. We rise from the perusal of it with no defi- nite ideas of the scenery of the valley of Underlach. We suppose it to be sublime and picturesque, and > frequently told so by the author; but he fails in the description : : particular scenes. Scott manages otherwise. When he sends Baillie NicoU Jarvie into the Highlands, he does not content himself with generalities, but also brings before the mind such groups and scenes as make one fear and tremble. To produce this excitement is literary power. 23c?. I devoted the time before breakfast, which, with us, hap- pens at a late hour, to the Edinburgh Review. I read the articles on Greenough's " First Principles of Geology," and a new edition of Demosthenes. When shall we hear the last panegyric of the Grecian orator, who, in the two characteristics of his eloquence which have been most praised, simplicity and nature, is every day equalled, or excelled, by our Indian chiefs ? Greenough's Essays are bold and original, and evince no weak powers of observation and reasoning. But he is rather a leveler than a builder. It seems better that we should have a poor house over our heads than none at all. The facts mentioned on the authority of a traveler in Spain, that the pebbles in the rivers of that country are not carried down streams by the force of the current, are contradicted by all my observations on the rivers of the United States. The very reverse is true. Those streams which originate in, or run through districts of granite, I'liestone, graywacke, &c., present pebbles of these respective rod i •abund- antly along their banks, at. points below the termination of the fixed strata. These pebbles, and even boulders, are found far below the termination of the rocky districts, and appear to owe their trans- portation to the force of existing currents. I have found the peculiar pebbles of the sources of the Mississippi as low down as St. Louis and St. Genevieve. I resumed the perusal of Marshall's "Life of Washington," which I had laid by in the fall. Lieutenants Barnum and Bicker and Mr. Johnston came to visit me. 24f7i. I made one of a party of sixteen, who dined wu'u Mr. Ermatinger. I here fir£;fc tasted the flesh of the cariboo^ whijh is a fine flavored venison. I do not recollect any wise or merry re- mark made dming dinner, which is worth recording. As toasts show the temper of the times, and bespeak the sentim-^nts of those 150 PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. who give them, a few of them may be mentioned. After several formal and national toasts, we bad Mr. ' : iltuun, Governor Cass, General Brown, Mr. Sibley, the representative of Michigan, Colonel Brady, and Major Th: yer, superintendent of the military academy. In coming home in the cariole, we all missed the balueHf and got completely upset and pitched into the snow. 25th. Mr. John Johnston returned me Silliman's Travels, and expressed himself highly pleased with them. Mr. Johnston evinces by his manners and conversation and liberal sentiments that ho has passed many of his years in polished and refined circles. He told me he came to America during the presidency of General Washington, whom he esteems it a privilege to have seen at New York, in 1793. Having letters to Lord Dorchester, he went into Canada, and through a series of vicissitudes, finally settled at these falls about thirty years ago. In 1814, his property was plundered by the Americans, through tho false representations of some low-minded persons, his neighbors and opponents in trade, with no more patriotism than he ; in consequence of which he returned to Europe, and sold his patrimonial estate at " Craic^e," in the north of Ireland, within a short distance of the Giant's Causeway, and thus repaired, in part, his losses. 26th. Devoted to redding — a sord iesr.urco in the wilderness. 2*lth. Finished the perusal oi ■ ittisiiall's Washington, and took the notes contained in memorandums W and R. The first volume of this work is intended as irtroductory, and contains the best recital of the political history of the colonies which I have read. The other four volumes embrace a wide mass of facts, but are rather diffuse and prolix, considered as biography. A good life of Washington, which shall comprise within a small compass all his prominent public and private acts, still remains a desideratum. 28th. Our express returned this morning, bringing me New York papers to the 11th of November. We are more than two months and a half behind the current news of the day. We have Wash- ington dates to the 9th of November, bu* of course they convey nothing of the proceedings of Congress. 29th. I read St. Clair's " Narrative of his Campaign" against the Indians in 1791, and extracted the notes contained in memorandum A. A. The causes of its failure are explained in a satisfactory PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 151 manner, and there is proof of Oen. St. Clair's vigilance and intre- pidity. Dissensions in his camp crippled the old general's power. 'S()t?i. I took up the subject of the Indian language, after an interval of eight or nine days, and continued to transcribe into my vocabulary until after the hour of midnight. It ccirnprises now rising of fifteen hundred words, including some synonyniS. 31«^ " Totem" is a word frequently heard in thi q" "er. In tracing its origin, it is found to be a corruptioi; of an ^'' dodaim," signifying family mark, or armorial b< rir h% word appears to be a derivative from odanah, a tov '*g«. Hence neen dodaim, my townsman, or kindred-marjv ity in families is thus kept up, as in the feudal system, and t )ti- tution seems to be of some importance to the several bands. They often appeal to their "totem," as if it were a surname. At three o'clock I went to dine at Col. Lawrence's. The party consisted of Capts. Thompson and Beal, Lieuts. Barnum, Smith, Waite, and Griswold, Mr. Johnston, Mr. Ermatinger and son. Dr. Foot and Mr. Siveright of the H. B. House. In the evening the party adjourned to Mr. Johnston's. February Ist. Transpositive languages, like the Indian, do not appear to be well adapted to convey familiar, easy, flowing conver- sation. There seems to be something cumbrous and stately in the utterance of their long polysyllabic words, as if they could not readily be brought down to the minute distinctions of every day family conversation. This may arise, however, from a principle adverted to by Dr. Johnson, in speaking of the ancient languages, in which ho says " nothing is familiar," and by the use of which " the writer conceals penury of thought and want of novelty, often from the reader, and often from himself." The Indian certainly has a very pompous way of expressing a common thought. He sets about it with an array of prefix and suffix, and polysyllabic strength, as if he were about to crush a cob-house with a crow- bar. 2d. The languages of New Zealand, Tonga, and Malay have no declension of nouns, nor conjugation of verbs. The purposes of declension are answered by particles and prepositions. The dis- tinctions of person, tense, and mode are expressed by adverbs, pronouns, and other parts of speech. This rigidity of the verb and noun is absolute, under every order of arrangement, in which A^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) •^ 11.25 ■ti|2£ 125 ■JO ^^" H^H ■lUu In I U 1 1.6 '/ FhotograjJiic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO (716) •72-4503 •%*■ \ Cv 162 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. their words can be placed, and their meaning is not helped out, by either prefixes or suffixes. I read Plutarch's " Life of Marcellus," to observe whether it bore the points of resemblance to Washington's military character, sug- gested by Marshall. . ' ; .. Bd. Abad signifies abode, in Persian. Ahid denotes where he is, or dwells, in Chippewa. I refused, on an invitation of Mr. Ermatinger, to alter the resolu- tion formed on the seventh ultimo, as to one mode of evening's amusement. 4:th. A loud meteoric report, as if from the explosion of some aerial body, was heard about noon this day. The sound seemed to proceed from the south-west. It was attended with a prolonged, or rumbling sound, and was generally heard. Popular surmise, which attempts to account for everything, has been very busy in assigning the cause of this phenomenon. A high degree of cold has recently been experienced. The thermometer stood at 28° below zero at one o'clock this morning. It had risen to 18° at day-break — being the greatest observed degree of cold during the season. It did not exceed 4° above zero during any part of the day. 5th. A year ago to-day, a literary friend wrote to me to join him in preparing a Gazetteer of the State of New York, to supplant Spafi"ord's. Of the latter, he expresses himself in the letter, which is now before me, in unreserved terms of disapprobation. " It is wholly unworthy," he says, " of public patronage, and would not stand in the way of a good work of the kind ; and such a one, I have the vanity to believe, our joint efibrts could produce. It would be a permanent work, with slight alterations, as the State might undergo changes. My plan would be for you to travel over the State, and make a complete geological, mineralogical, and sta- tistical survey of it, which would probably take you a year or more. In the mean time, I would devote all my leisure to the collection and arrangement of such other materials as we should need in the compilation of the work. I doubt not we could obtain the prompt assistance of the first men in the State, in furnishing all the in- formation required. Our State is rapidly increasing in wealth and population, and I am full in the faith that such a work would sell well in different parts of the country." '"T;"''- :";:•?:■' '>"•''"■■■ ":'W' PERSONAL HBHOIRS. 158 6th. I did nothing to-day, by which I mean that it was given up to visiting and talking. It is Dr. Johnson, I think, who draws a distinction between "talk and conversation." It is necessary, however, to assign a portion of time in this way. " A man that hath friends must show himself /n'mcZZy," is a Bible maxim. Ith. The garrison library was this morning removed from my office, where it had been placed in my chaige on the arrival of the troops in July, the state of preparations in the cantonment being now sufficiently advanced to admit its reception. A party of gentlemen from the British garrison on Drummond Island came up on a visit, on snow shoes. The distance is about 45 miles. Sth. I commenced reading Holmes on " The Fulfilment of the Revelation of St. John," a London work of 1819. The author says "that his explanation of the symbols is founded upon one fixed and universal rule — that the interpretation of a symbol is ever maintained ; that the chronological succession of the seals, trum- pets, and vials is strictly preserved ; and that the history contained under them is a uniform and homogeneous history of the Roman empire, at once comprehensive and complete." — ^Attended a dining- party at Mr. Johnston's. 9th. Continued the reading of Holmes, who is an energetic writer, and appears to have looked closely into his subject. The least pleasing trait in the work is a polemic spirit which is quite a clog to the inquiry, especially to those who, like myself, have never read the authors Faber, Cunningham, and Frere, whose interpretations he combats. For a clergyman , he certainly handles them without gloves. 10th. The principal Indian chief of the vicinity, Shingabawossin, sent to inquire of me the cause of the aerial explosion, heard on the 4th. At four I went to dine with Mr. Ermatinger on the British shore. 11th. I did something, although, from the round of visiting and gayety which, in consequence of our Drummond Isle visitors, has existed for a few days, but little, at my vocabulary. At half-past four, I went to dine with Lieutenants Morton and Folger in the cantonment. The party was nearly the same which has assembled for a few days, in honor of the foreign gentlemen with us. In the evening a large party, with dancing, at Mr. Johnston's. 12^^. I read Lord Erskine's Letter to Lord Liverpool on tho 164 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. policy to be pursued by Great Britain in relation to Greece and Turkey. The arguments and sentiments do equal credit to his head and heart, and evince no less his judgment as a statesman, than they do his taste and erudition as a scholar. This interesting and valuable letter breathes the true sentiments of rational liberty, such as must be felt by the great body of the English nation, and such as must, sooner or later, prevail among the enlightened na- tions of the earth. How painful to reflect that this able appeal will produce no favorable effect on the British ministry, whose decision, it is to be feared, is already made in favor of the "legi- timacy" of the Turkish government ! At four o'clock, I laid by my employments, and went to dine at the commanding officer's quarters, whence the party adjourned to a handsomely arranged supper table at Capt. Beal's. The necessity of complying with times and occasions, by accepting the current invitations of the day, is an impediment to any system of intellectual employment ; and whatever the world may think of it, the time devoted to public dinners and suppers, routs and parties, is liitle better than time thrown away. "And yet the fate of all extremes is such ; Books may be read, as well as men, too much." iSth. I re-perused Mackenzie's "History of the Fur Trade," to enable me more fully to comprehend the allu in a couple of volumes lately put into my hands, on the " Di^p^' es between Lord Selkirk and the North West Company," and the " Report of Trials" for certain murders perpetrated in the course of a strenuous contest for commercial mastery in the country by the Hudson's Bay Com- pany. Finding an opportunity of sending north, I recollected that the surveyors of our northern boundary were passing the winter at Fort William, on the north shore of Lake Superior; and wrote to one of the gentlemen, enclosing him some of our latest papers. 14th. The gentlemen from the neighboring British post left us this morning. I devoted the day to my Indian inquiries. 15th. I commenced a vocabulary of conversation, in the Od- jibwa. nth. Native Mythology. — According to Indian mythology, Weeng is the God of sleep. He has numerous emissaries, who PERBONAL MEMOIRS. 155 that iter rote [ers. ft us Od- yho are armed with war cluhs, of a tiny and unseen character. These fairy agents ascend the forehead, and knock the individual to sleep. Pope's creation of Gnomes, in the Rape of the Lock, is here pre- figured. iSth. It has been said that the Indian languages possess no monosyllables. This remark is not borne out with regard to the Chippewa. Marked as it is with polysyllables, there are a considerable number of exceptions. Koan is snow, ais a shell, mong a loon, kaug a porcupine, &c. The number of dissyllables is numerous, and of trisyllables still more so. The Chippewa has no auxiliary verbs. The Chippewa primitive pronouns are, Neen,' Keen, and Ween (I, Thou, He or She). They are rendered plural in wind and wau. They are also declined for tense, and thus, in the conjugation of verbs, take the place of our auxiliary verbs. .. . , , 19th. Resumed the perusal of Holmes on " Revelations." He establishes a dictionary of symbols, which are universally inter- preted. In this system, a day signifies a natural year ; a week seven years ; a month thirty years; a year a period of 360 years. The air means "church and state;" waters, "peoples, multitudes, tongues ;" sfven, the number of perfection ; twelve, totality or all ; hail storms, armies of northern invaders. If the work were di- vested of its controversial character, it would produce more effect. Agreeably to this author, the downfall of Popery will take place about the year 1866. 20th. I read "Esprella's Letters on England," a work attributed to Southey, whose object appears to have been to render English manners and customs familiar in Spain, at a time when the in- tercourse between the two countries had very much augmented, and their sympathies were drawn together by the common struggle against Napoleon Bonaparte. 2l8t. I commenced "Valerius, a Roman Story." In the evening the commanding officer (Col. L.) gave a party, in honor of Washington's birthday. That the time might not be wholly anticipated, dancing was introduced to give it wings, and con- tinued until two o'clock of the morning of (the actual birthday) the twenty-second. 22d. Finished "Valerius." This is an interesting novel on the Waverley plan, and must certainly be considered a successful at- 156 PERSONAL MBM0IR8. tempt to familiarize the class of novel-readers with Roman history and Roman domestic manners. The story turns on the persecu- tion of the Christians under Trajan. The expression "of a truth,'' which is so abundantly used in the narrative, is a Scripture phrase, and is very properly put into the mouth of a converted Roman. I cannot say as much for the word "alongst" used for along. There are also some false epithets, as "drop," for run or flow, and "guesses" for conjectures. The only defect in the plot, which occurs to me, is, that Valerius, after his escape with Athanasia from Ostium, should have been landed safely in Britain, and thus completed the happiness of a disconsolate and affectionate mother, whom he left there, and who is never afterwards mentioned. 2Zd. From the mention which is made of it in " Valerius," I this day read the Gospel of Luke, and truly am surprised to find it so very important a part of the New Testament. Indeed, were all the rest of the volume lost, this alone would be sufficient for the guidance of the Christian. Divines tell us that Luke was the most learned of the evangelists. He is called " the beloved physician," by St. Paul. His style is more descriptive than the other evan- gelists, and his narrative more clear, methodical, and precise, and abounds equally with sublime conceptions.* 24th. Mr. Harman, from a long residence in the Indian country, in high northern latitudes, was qualified by his opportunities of observation, to speak of the comparative character of the Indian language in that quarter. He considers them as radically differ- ent from those of the Algonquin stock. The group which may be formed from his remarks, will embrace the Chippewayans, Beaver Indians, Sicaunies, Tacullies, and Nateotetains. If we may judge of this family of dialects by Mackenzie's vocabulary of the Chip- * This opinion was thrown out from mere impulse, on a single perusal, and BO far as it may be regarded as a literary criticism, the only possible light in which it can be considered, is vaguely hazarded, for I had not, at that time, read the other Gospels with any degree of care or understanding, so as to be capable thereby of judging of their style or merits as compositions. Spirit- ually considered, I did not understand Luke, or any of the Evangelists, for I regarded the Gospels as mere human compositions, without the aid of inspira- tion. They were deemed to be a true history of events, interspersed with moral axioms, but derived no part of their value, or the admiration above expressed, as revealing the only way of salvation through Christ. PERSONAL* MEMOIRS. 167 ■'t pewayan, it is very remote from the Chippewa, and abounds in those consonantal sounds which the latter studiously avoids. Harman says, " The Sicaunies bury, while the Tacullies burn their dead." " Instances of suicide, by hanging, frequently occur among the women of all the tribes, with whom I have been ac- quainted ; but the men are seldom known to take away their own lives." These Indians entertain the same opinions respecting the dress of the dead, with the more southerly tribes. " Nothing," he says,, " pleases an Indian better than to see his deceased relative hand- somely attired, for he believes that they will arrive in the other world in the same dress with which they are clad, when they are consigned to the grave." 21th. Our second express arrived at dusk, this evening, bringing papers from the seaboard to the 14th of January, containing the President's message, proceedings of Congress, and foreign news, up to tha* date. A friend who is in Congress writes to me--" We go on slowly, but so far very harmoniously, in Congress. The Bed Jackets* are very quiet, and I believe are very much dis- posed to cease their warfare against Mr. Monroe, as they find the nation do not relish it.'' Another friend at Washington writes (15th Dec.) : " The mes- sage of the President you will have seen ere this reaches you. It is thought very well of here. He recommends the appointment of a Superintendent of the Western Lead Mines, skilled in mineral- ogy. If Congress should make provision for one, it is not to be doubted who will receive the situation. In fact, in a conversation a few days since with Mr. C, he told me he had you particularly in view' when he recommended it to the President." 28<^.' Wrote an application to the Postmaster General for the applbiii^tnent of S. B. Griswold as postmaster at this place.f I * Opponents of the then existing administration, who looked to Qen. Cocke, of Tennessee, as a leader, t Mr. G. was appointed. 158 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. CHAPTER XVII. Close of the winter solstioe, and introduction of a northern spring — News from the world — The Indian languages— Narrative Journal — Semi-civiliza- tion of the ancient Azteo tribes — Their arts and languages — Hill's ironical review of the " Transaotions of the Royal Society" — A test of modern civili- zation — Sugar making — Trip to one of the camps — Geology of Manhattan Island — Ontwa, an Indian poem — Northern ornithology — Dreams — The Indian apowa — ^Printed queries of General Cass — Prospect of the mineral agency — Exploration of tiie St. Peter's — Information on that head. 1823. March 1st. Mt reading hours, for the last few days, have been, in great part, devoted to the newspapers. So long an exclusion from the ordinary sources of information has the effect to increase the appetite for this kind of intellectual food, and the circumstance probably leads us to give up more time to it than we should were we not subject to these periodical exclusions. The great point of interest is the succession in the Presidential chair. Parties hinge upon this point. Economy and retrenchment are talismanic words, used to affect the populace, but used in reality only as means of affecting the balance of party power. Messrs. Calhoun, Crawford, and Adams are the prominent names which fill the papers. There is danger that newspapers in America will too much supersede and usurp the place of books, and lead to a superficial knowledge of things. Gleaning the papers in search of that which is really useful, candid, and fair seems too much like hunting for grains of wheat in a chaos of chaff. Zd. Our third express went off this morning, freighted with our letters, and, of course, with our reasons, our sentiments, our thanks, our disappointments, our hopes, and our fears. 6^^. I resumed the subject of the Indian language. Osdnimun is the word for vermilion. This word is compounded from unimun, or plant yielding a red dye, and asawa, yellow. The peculiar color of yellow-red is thus indicated. X^'ii'*' PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 159 I our links, ided llow. Beizha is the neuter verb "to come." This verb appears to remain rigid in its conjugation, the tenses being indicated exclu- sively by inflections of the pronoun. Thus nim beizha, I come ; ningee peizha, I came ; ninguh peizha, I will come. The pronoun alone is declined for past and future tense, namely gee and guh. There does not appear to be any definite article in the Chippewa language. Pazhik means one, or an. It may be doubtful whether the former sense is not the exclusive one. Ahow is this person in the animate form. Ihiw is the corresponding inanimate form. More care than I have devoted may, however, be required to de- termine this matter. Verbs, in the Chippewa, must agree in number and tense with the noun. They must also agree in gender, that is, verbs animate must have nouns animate. They must also have animate pronouns and animate adjectives. Vitality, or the want of vitality, seems to be the distinction which the inventors of the language, seized upon, to set up the great rules of its syntax. Verbs, in the Chippewa language, are converted into nouns by adding the particle win. Kegidoy to speak. Kegido-win, speech. This appears to be a general rule. The only doubt I have felt is, whether the noun formed is so purely elementary as not to partake of a participial character. There are two plurals to express the word "we," one of which includes, and the other excludes, the person addret^sed. Neither of these forms is a dual. Os signifies father ; nos is my father ; kos, thy father ; osun^ his or her father. The vowel in this word is sounded like the o, in note. The language has two relative pronouns, which are much used — awanan, who ; and wagonan, what. The vowel a, in these words, is the sound of a in fate. There are two classes of adjectives, one of which applies to ani- mate, the other to inanimate objects. The Chippewa word for Sabbath is animea geezhig, and indicates prayer-day. There is no evidence, from inquiry, that the Indians divided their days into weeks. A moon was the measure of a month, but it is questionable whether they had acquired sufficient exactitude in the computation of time to have numbered the days PERSONAL MEMOIRS. comprehended in each moon. The phases of the moon were accu- rately noted. Sth. Professor S., of Yale College, writes to me under this date, enclosing opinions respecting my ** Narrative Journal" of travels, contained in a familiar private letter from D. Wadsworth, Esq., of Hartford. They terminate with this remark : "All I regret about it (the work) is, that it was not consistent with his plans to tell us more of what might be considered the domestic part of the expe- dition — the character and conduct of those who were of the party, their health, difficulties, opinions, and treatment of each other, &c. As his book was a sort of official work, I suppose he thought it would not do, and I wish now, he would give his friends (and let us be amongst them) a manuscript of the particulars that are not for the public.'* l*Ith. Semi-civilization of the Mexican Tribes. — Nothing is more manifest, on reading the " Conquest of Mexico" by De Solis, than that the character and attainments of the ancient Mexicans are exalted far above the reality, to enhance the fame of Cortez, and give an air of splendor to the conquest. Superior as the Aztecs and some other tribes certainly were, in many things, to the most advanced of the North American tribes, they resemble the latter greatly, in their personal features, and mental traits, and in several of their arts. The first presents sent by Montezuma to Cortez were " cotton cloths, plumes, bows, arrows and targets of wood, collars and rings of gold, precious stones, ornaments of gold in the shape of ani- mals, and two round plates of the precious metals resembling the sun and moon." The men had " rings in their ears and lips, which, though they were of gold, were a deformity instead of an ornament." "Canoes and periogufi" of wood were their usual means of conveyance by water. The " books" mentioned at p. 100, were well-dressed skins, dressed like parchment, and, after receiving the paintings observed, were accurately folded up, in squares or paral- lelograms. The cacique of Zempoala, being the first dignitary who paid his respects personally to Cortez on his entry into the town, is describ- ed, in effect, as covered with a cotton blanket " flung over his naked *'-iSS^ PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 161 the Is of jere the Iral- his brib- Lked body, enriched with various jewels and pendants, which he also wore in his eara and lips." This chief sent 200 men to carry the bag- gage of Cortez. By the nearest route from St. Juan de Ulloa, the point of land- ing to Mexico, it was sixty leagues, or about 180 miles. This journey Montezuma's runners performed to and fro in seven days, being thirty-five to thirty-six miles per day. No great speed cer- tainly ; nothing to demand astonishment or excite incredulity. Distance the Mexicans reckoned, like our Indians, by time. " A sun" was a day's journey. De Solis says, " One of the points of his embassy (alluding to Cortez), and the principal motive which the king had to offer his friendship to Montezuma, was the obligation Christian princes lay under to oppose the errors of idolatry, and the desire he had to instruct him in the knowledge of the truth, and to help him to get rid of the slavery of the devil." The empire of Mexico, according to this author, stretched " on the north as far as Panuco, including that province, but was straitened considerably by the mountains or hilly countries pos- sessed by the Chichimecas and Ottomies, a barbarous people." I have thought, on reading this work, that there is room for a literary essay, with something like this title : " Strictures on the Hyperbolical Accounts of the Ancient Mexicans given by the Span- ish Historians," deduced from a comparison of the condition of those tribes with the Indians at the period of its settlement. Humboldt states that there are twenty languages at present in Mexico, fourteen of which have grammars and dictionaries tole- rably complete. They are, Mexican or Aztec, Otomite, Tarase, Zapatec, Mistec, Maye or Yucatan, Tatonac, Popolauc, Matlazing, Huastec, Mixed, Caquiquel, Tarauma, Tepehuan, Cara. 20th. When the wind blows high, and the fine snow drifts, as it does about the vernal equinox, in these latitudes, the Indians smilingly say, " Ah! now Pup-puk-e-wiss is gathering his harvest," or words to this effect. There is a mythological tale connected with it, which I have sketched. 21st. 1 have amused myself in reading a rare old volume, just presented to me, entitled " A Review of the Works of the Royal Society of London, &c., by John Hill, M. D., London, 1751." It evinces an acute mind, ready wit, and a general acquaintance with 11 «f 162 PERSONAL HRMOIM. the subjects of natural history, antiquities, and philosophical re- search, adverted to. It is a racy work, vrhich all modern natural- ists, and modern discoverers of secrets and inventions ought to read. I should think it must have made some of the contributors to the " Transactions" of the Royal Society wince in its day. . 22d. Knowledge of foreign nations has increased most wonder- fully in our day, and is one of the best tests of civilization. Josa- phat Barbaro traveled into the East in 1486. He says of the Georgians, *^ They have the most horrid manners, and the worst customs of any people I ever met with." Surely this is vague enough for even the clerk who kept the log-book of Henry Hudson. Such items as the following were deemed "food" for books of travels in those days : " The people of Cathay, in China, believe that they arc the only people in the world who have two eyes. To the Latins they allow one, and all the rest of the world none at all." Marco Polo gives an account of a substance called " Andanicum," which he states to be an ore of steel. In those days, when every- thing relating to metallurgy and medicine was considered a secret, the populace did not probably know that steel was an artificial production. Or the mineral may have been sparry iron ore, which is readily converted into steel. 26th. It is now the season of making sugar from the rock maple by the Indians and Canadians in this quarter. And it seems to be a business in which almost every one is more or less interested. Winter has shown some signs of relaxing its iron grasp, although the quantity of snow upon the ground is still very great, and the streams appear to be as fast locked in the embraces of frost ao if it were the slumber of ages. Sleighs and dog trains have been departing for the maple forests, in our neighborhood, since about the 10th instant, until but few, comparatively, of the resident inhabitants are left. Many buildings are entirely deserted and closed, and all are more or less thinned of their inhabitants. It is also the general season of sugar-making with the Indians. I joined a party in visiting one of the camps. We had several carioles in company, and went down the river about eight or nine miles to Mrs. Johnston's camp. The party consisted of several oflBcers and ladies from the fort. Captain Thompson* and lady. ♦ Killed in Florida, at the battle of Okcchobbee, as Lt. Col. of the Gth U. S. Infantry. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. ^eral mine ireral fady, lU.S. Lieutenant Bicker and lady and sister, the Miss Johnstons and Lieutenants Smith'" and Folger. Wo pursued the river on the ice the greater part of the way, and then proceeded inland about a mile. We found a large temporary building, surrounded with piles of ready split wood for keeping a fire under the kettles, and large ox hides arranged in such a manner as to serve as vats for col- lecting the sap. About twenty kettles were boiling over an elon- gated central fire. The whole air of the place resembled that of a manufactory. The custom on those occasions is to make up a pic-nic, in which each one contributes something in the way of cold viands or refreshments. The principal amusement consisted in pulling candy, and eating the sugar in every form. Having done this, and received the hos- pitalities of our hostess, we tackled up our teams, and pursued our way back to the fort, having narrowly escaped breaking lurough the river at one or two points. 21th. I received a letter of this date from G. W. Rodgcrs, a gentleman of Bradford county, Pennsylvania, in behalf of himself and associates, proposing a number of queries respecting the cop- per-yielding region of Lake Superior, and the requisites and pros- pects of an expedition for obtaining the metal from the Indians. Wrote to him adversely to the project at this time. Doubtless the plan is feasible, but the Indians are at present the solo owners and occupants of the metalliferous region. 2Sth. Biea natalia. — A friend editing a paper on I he seaboard writes (10 Jan. 1822) — " I wish you to give me an article on the geology and mineralogy of Manhattan Island, in the form of a Iptter purporting to be given by a foreign traveler. It is my in- tention to give a series of letters, partly by myself and partly by others, which shall take notice of everything in and about the city, which may be deemed interesting. I wish to begin at the founda- tion, by giving a geographical and geological sketch of the island, "f He continues : — " I have read Ontwa, the Indian poem you spoke of last summer. The notes by Gov. Cass are extremely interesting, and written in a superior style. I shall notice the work in a few days." * Died at Vera Cruz, Mexico, as Quarter-Master U. S. A. t Furnished the article, aa desired, under the signature of " Gcrmanicus," Vide "N. Y. Statesman." 164 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. " I inform you, in confidence, that M. E., of this city, is pre- paring a notice of your 'Journal" for the next number of the Be- pository, which will appear on the first of next month." 29f7i. Novelty has the greatest attraction for the human mind. There is such a charm in novelty, says Dr. John Mason Good, that it often leads us captive in spite of the most glaring errors, and intoxicates the judgment as fatally as the cup of Circe. But is not variety at hand to contest the palm ? " The great source of pleasure," observes Dr. Johnson, "is variety. Uniformity must tire at last, though it be uniformity of excellence." April l«f. The ice and snow begin to be burthensome to the eye. We were reconciled to winter, when it was the season of winter ; but now our longing eyes are cast to the south, and we are anxious for the time when we can say, " Lo, the winter is past, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." The Chippewas have quite a poetic allegory of winter and spring, personified by an old and a young man, who came from opposite points of the world, to pass a night together and boast of their re- spective powers. Winter blew his breath, and the streams were covered with ice. Spring blew his breath, and the land was covered with flowers. The old man is finally conquered, and vanishes into "thin air." 2d. We talked to-day of dreams. Dreams are often talked about, and have been often written about. But the subject is usually left where it was taken up. Herodotus says, " Dreams in general originate from those incidents which have most occupied the thoughts during the day." Locke betters the matter but little, by saying, " The dreams of sleeping men are all made up of waking men's ideas, though, for the most part, oddly put together." Solomon's idea of " the multitude of business" is embraced in this. Sacred dreams were something by themselves. God chose in ancient times to communicate with the prophets in dreams and visions. But there is a very strong and clear line of dis- tinction drawn on this subject in the 23d of Jeremiah, from the 25th to the 28th verses. " He that hath a dream, let him tell a ^^r. am. and lift that hath mv word Ifit him nne>ak mv wnr viation applied to nouns, &c. Chi, by; peen, in; kish, if, &c. ; li, of; ra, to; vi, is; af, at. leau is the verb to be. The auxiliary verbs, have, shall, will, &c., taken from the tensal particles, are ge, gu, gei, go, ga. Pa may stand for the definite article, being the first syllable of pazhik; and a comma for the indefinite article. le is matter. Ishi, heaven. 174 PBRSONAL MBM0IR8. Examples. NisaEo — IloveOod: Eo vi min —The Jjord is good. Nin 08 ge pa min in — My father was a good man. Ishiod (Isheod) — The heavens. Thus a new language might be formed. 24th. The standard of value with the Indians is various. At this place, a beaver skin is the standard of computation in accounts. When an Indian has made a purchase, he inquires, not how many dollars, but how many beaver skins he owes. Farther south, where racoon skins are plenty, thei/ become the standard. Some years ago, desertion became so frequent at Chicago and other posts, that the commanding officer offered the customary reward to the Indians of the post, if they would secure the deserters. Five persons went in pursuit, and brought in the men, for whic;i they received a certificate for the amount. They then divided the sum into five equal shares, and subdivided each share into its value in racoon skins. It was not until this division was completed, and the number of skins ascertained, that they could, by any fixed standard of comparison, determine the reward which each had received. 25th. It is stated in the newspapers that hacks of un axe were lately found in the central and solid parts of a large tree near Buffalo, which were supposed to have been made by La Salle's party. Other evidences of the early footsteps of Europeans on this continent have been mentioned. A trammel was found in the solid substance of a tree in Onondaga. A gun barrel in a simi- lar position in the Wabash Valley.* Growing wood soon closes over articles left upon it, in the wilderness, where they are long undisturbed. 2'Jth. Monedo is strictly a term belonging to the Indian mytho- logy and necromancy, and is constantly used to indicate a spirit. It has not the regular termination of the noun in win, and seems rather verbal in its aspect, and so far as we can decipher its meaning, mon is a syllable having a bad meaning generally, as in monaudud, &c. Udo may possibly be a derivation from ekedo, he speaks. 28th. It is a year ago to-day since I visited the tomb of Wash- ington, at Mount Vernon. There were three representatives in * Hon, R, W. Thompson. PIR80NAL MEMOIRS. 175 sh- in Congress, in company. We left the city of Washington in the morning, in a private carriage, and drove down in good season. I looked about the tomb narrowly for some memento to bring away, and found some mineralogical fragments on the small mound over the tomb, which would bear the application of their book names. On coming back through Alexandria, we dined at a public hotel, where, among other productions of the season, wo had cucumbers. What a contrast in climate to my present position ! Here, as the eyes search the fields, heaps of snow are still seen in shaded situa- tions, and the ice still disfigures the bays and indentations of the shore in some places, as if it were animated with a determination to hold out against the power of the sun to the utmost. Nature, however, indicates its great vernal throe. White fish were first taken during the season, this day, which is rare. 29th. A friend at Detroit writes under this date : '' I had ex- pected that before now, instructions would have reached here re- quiring you to repair to the St. Peter's. But as the season advances, and they do not arrive, I begin to fear that one of those mutations, to which of all governments upon this mundane sphere ours is the most exposed, has changed the intended disposition." Mai/ let. Winter still holds its grasp upon the ice in the lower part of the river and straits. The Claytonia Virginica observed in flower in favorable spots. The bay opposite the fort on the north-west shore cleared of ice on the 2d, being the first day that the river has exhibited the appearance of being completely clear, a strong north-west wind blowing. It is just four months and ten days from the period of its final closing on the 22d of December. The yellow sparrow, or boblinkin, appeared this day in the woods. Ath. The surface of the earth is undergoing a rapid transforma- tion, although we are, at the same time, led to observe, that "winter lingering chills the lap of May." Sudden changes of temperature are experienced, which are governed very much by the course and changes of the wind. Nature appears suddenly to have been awakened from her torpid state. All eyes are now directed to the east, not because the sun rises there, but it is the course from which, in our position, wo expect intelligence by vessels. We expect a deliverance from our winter's incarceration. PIR80KAL IIIMOIRS. tfffjk Lake Supiiior apf^'^ars to be entirely open. A gentleman attacbied to the Boundary Srirvey at Fort William writes to me, under thlH date, that the bay ut that place is free from ue, so as to permit tlh n to resume their operations. They had beuu wait- ing for this occurrence for two weeks previously. atfi. It is a year since • eceived from the President (Mr. Mon- jroe) a commission as agent for these tribes; and it is now more probable than it then was that my residence here may assume a character of permanency. I do not, however, cease to hope that Providence has a more eligible situation in reserve for me. 9th. "Little things," says Dr. Johnson, "are not valued, when they are done by those who cannot do greater." Thomas JrTer- 8on uniformly spelled knowledge without a Wy which might not bo mentioned, had he not written the Notes on Virginia, and the Declaration of Independence. 10th. A trader proceeded with a boat into Lake Superior, which gives assurance that this great inland sea is open for navigation. White fish appeared in the rapids, which it is said they never do while there is running ice. 11th. Steam sums up the points requisite for remembrance by posterity, in these four thinjr'^^ — " Plant a tree, write a book, build a house, and get a child." Watts has a deeper tone of morality when he says — "We should leave our names, our heirs. Old time and waning moons sweep all the rest awny." 12th. When last at Washington, Dr. Thornton, of the Patent Office, detained me some time talking of the powers of the letters of the English alphabet. He drew a strong line of distinction between the names and the sounds of the conso^iints. L, for in- stance, called el, was soundod le, &c. Philologyisoneof the keys of knowledge whi'^ii [ *ii,n. ...dmitsol its being said that, although it is rather rusty, tiie rust is, however, a proof of its antiquity. I am inclined to think that more true light is destined to be thrown on the history of the Indians by a study ... their languages than of their traditio.ns, or any other feature. ,. '.■■) ende- oy of modern inquiries into languages seems rather to hf», ? hfjm to multiply than to simplify. I do not believe we htive ivoro than thr?, ; mother stocks of languages in all the United States east of the Mississippi, embracing also large portions of PERSONAL MBM0IR8. 177 Ol territory west of it namoly, tlio Vlgonquin, Iroquoii, and what may bo called ApaHachian. Perhups a little Dakota. 15fA. Our first \ ^el for IIk cason arrived this day. If by a patient series of inquiries, during the winter ^e had calculated the appearance of a comet, and found our dai;i verified by its actual appearance, it could not bo a subject of deeper intcroit than the bringing ashore of the ship's mail. Had we not gone to so remote a position, wo could not possibly ever liave become aware how deeply we are indebted to the genius and discoveries of Cadmus and Faust, whose true worshippers are the corps editorial. Now for a carnival of letters. Reading, reading, reading, "Big and small, scraps and all." If editors of newspapers knew the avidity with which their articles are read by persons isolated as we are, I have the charity to believe they would devote a little more time, am^ exert a little more candor, in penning them. For, after all, how ,argo a portion of all that a newspaper contains is, at least to remote readers, "flat, stale, and unprofitable." The mind soon reacts . and asks if this bo valuable news. ^ I observed the Erythronium dens canis, and Panax tr\foUum appeared in flower on the 25th. 2Sth. The schooner " Recovery" arrived from Fort William on the north shore of Lake Superior, bringing letters and despatches, political and commercial. Mr. Siveright, the agent of t lo H. B. C, kindly sent over to me, for my perusal, a letter of intelligence from an American gentleman in the North. 29th. I have, for some time, relinquished tho expectation of being selected to conduct the exploring party, intended, to be orden d by government, into the region of the St. Peter's, ii least the present seasop. A letter of tliis date terminates the uncer- tainty. "Major Delafield,'' says a correspondent, "inforn. ; mo that an exploring party has been ordered under Major Loii ^, to make the tour which was intended for you. Why this arrange- ment has been made, and the original plan abandoned, I cannot conjecture, unless it resulted from the necessity of placing a n ili- tary officer at the head of the party. I presume this was the f;i.ct, for I am rortain that the change in the project did not arise frum any feeling in Mr. C.'s mind unfriendly, or even indifferent to you. Upon that subject I can speak definitely, and say to you, that you 10 178 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. have a hold upon his esteem, not to be shaken." Thus falls an- other cherished hope, namely, that of leading an expedition to the North. SOth. Minute particulars are often indicative of general changes. This is the first day that the mosquito has appeared. The weather for a few days has been warm. Vegetation suddenly put forth ; the wild cherry, &c., is now in bloom, and gardening has com- menced with fine prospects. Slst. Odjihwa language. — There are two generic words in the concrete forms of the Chippewa for water or a liquid, in addition to the common terra neebi. They are auho and gomee. Both are mani- festly compounds, but, in our present state of knowledge, they may be temporarily considered as elements of other compounds. Thus, if the letter n be prefixed to the former, and the sound of h suf- fixed, the result is the term for soup, nabob. If to the same ele- ment of aubo, the word for fire, iscoda, be prefixed, the result is their name for ardent spirits, iscodawabo, literally fire-water. In the latter case, the letter w is thrown in as a coalescent between the sound of a, as a in hate ; and the a, as a in fall. This is out of a mere regard to euphony. "If they (the Chippewas) say *A man loves me,' or 'I love a man,' is there any variation in the word man ?" They do not use the word man in either of these instances. The adjective white takes tilt animate pronoun form in iz zi, by which the object be- loved is indicated, waub-ishk-iz-ze Saugiau. "Does the object precede or follow the verb?" Generally, it precedes the verb. Fish, have you any ? not. Have you any fish ? The substantive preceded the verb in the organization of the language. Things were before the motion of things, or the acts or passions of men which led to motion and emotion. Hence, all substances are changed into and used as verbs. I this day completed and transmitted the results of my philo- logical inquiries, hoping they might prove acceptable to the dis- tinguished individual to whom they were addressed, and help to advance the subject. This subject is only laid aside by the call of business, and to be effectual must be again resumed with the re- currence of our long winter evenings. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 179 CHAPTER XIX. Outlines of the incidents of the summer of 1823— Glance at the gcogrnphy of the lake country — Concretion of aluminous earth — General Wayne's body naturally embalmed by this property of the soil of Erie — Free and easy manners — Boundary Survey — An old friend — Western commerce — The Austins of Texas memory — Collision of civil and military power — Advantages of a visit to Europe. 1823. June 10th. Mr. Thomas Tousey, of Virginia, writes from Philadelphia, after completing a tour to the West : "The reading of books and looking at maps make a fugitive impression on the mind, compared to the ocular view and examination of a country, which make it seem as though we cannot obtain valuable information, or money to serve a valuable purpose, without great personal labor, fa- tigue, and often danger. This was much verified to my satisfaction, from a view of the great western lakes ; the interesting position where you are — Mackinaw, Green Bay, the fine country between Green Bay and Chicago, and Chicago itself, and the whole country between the latter place and St. Louis. "Without seeing that country, supposed by many to be the re- gion of cold and sterility, I could not have believed there was in it such a store of blessings yet to be drawn forth by the labor and enterprise of man, for succeeding generations. As yet, there are too many objects to tempt and attract the avarice of man to more mild, but more dangerous climates. But the progress of popula- tion and improvement is certain in many parts of the country, and with them will be connected prosperity and happiness. " When it is considered what a small population of civilized beings inhabit that part of the world, it is not to be wondered at that so little knowledge about it exists. I went from Green B.iy, with the Express, where but few people ever travel, which was at- tended with fatigue and danger ; but the journey produced this con- viction on my mind, that the Michigan Territory has in it a great extent of fine country. 180 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. " I regard Green Bay, at the mouth of Fox River, and Chicago, as two very important positions, particularly the latter. For many years I have felt a most anxious desire to see the country between Chicago and the Illinois (River), where it has generally been, igno- rantly, supposed that only a small sum would be wanting to open a communication between them. By traveling on horseback through the country, and down the Illinois, I have conceived a different and more exalted opinion of this communication, and of the country, than I had before, while I am convinced that it will be attended with a much greater expense to open it than I had sup- posed.* " I, with my two companions, found your fossil tree, in the Des Plaines, with considerable labor and difficulty. This I anticipated, from the commonly reputed opinion of the uncommon height of the waters. With your memoir in my hand, we rode up and down the waters till the pursuit was abandoned by the others, while my own curiosity and zeal did not yield till it was discovered. The detached pieces were covered with twelve to twenty inches of water, and each of us broke from them as much as we could well bring away. I showed them to Col. Benton, the Senator in St. Louis ; to Major O'Fallon ; Col. Strother, and other gentlemen there ; to Mr. Birkbeck in Wanboro' ; to Mr. Rapp in Harmony ; and to a number of different people, through the countries I traveled, till my arrival in Virginia. " On my arrival here (Philadelphia), I handed the pieces to Mr. Solomon W. Conrad, who delivers lectures on mineralogy, which he made partly the subject of one of his lectures. Since that, I had a piece of it made into a hone, and I had marked on it, * Schoolcraft's Fossil Tree.' " Brooke's Gazetteer, improved by Darby, has been ready for delivery three or four months, and is allowed to be a most valuable book. He is, I am sorry to say, truly poor, while his labor is in- cessant. He set out, several weeks since, to deliver lectures in the country, where he will probably continue through the summer." IQth. J. D. Doty, Esq., writes from Detroit that a District Court has been established by Congress in the upper country — that he has been appointed to the judgeship, and will hold a court * The Illinois Canal now exists here. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 181 IS Hi- res in Imcr." listrict [try- court at MIcbilimackinack, on the third Monday in July. A beginning has thus been made in civil jurisdiction among us benighted dwell- ers on this far-off land of God's creation. He states, also, the passage of a law for claimants to lands, which have been occupied since 1812. Where law goes, civilization will soon follow. 2Sd. Giles Sanford, of Erie (Penn.), sends me some curious specimens of the concrete alum-slate of that vicinity — they are columnar, fan-shaped — and requests a description. It is well known that the presence of strong aluminous liquids in the soil of that area had a tendency to preserve the flesh on General Wayne's body, which was found undecayed when, after twenty years' burial, they removed it to Radnor church, in Philadelphia. 28th. Governor C. sends me a pamphlet of additional in- quiries, founded chiefly on my replies, respecting the Indian lan- guages. He says — "You see, I have given new scope to your inquiries, and added much to your labors. But it is impracticable, without such assistance as you can render me, to make any pro- gress. I find so few — so very few — who are competent to a rational investigation of the subject, that those who are so must be loaded with a double burden." Jult/ 6th. Mr. Harry Thompson, of Black Rock, N. Y., writes me that he duly forwarded, by a careful teamster, my three lost boxes of minerals, shells, &c., collected in the Wabash Valley, Mis- souri, and Illinois, in 1821, and that they were received by Mr. Meech of Geneva, and forwarded by him to E. B. Shearman & Co., Utica. The loss of these collections of 1821 seems to me very grievous. Idth. Judge Doty writes from Mackinac: " Believing the winds and fates to have been propitious, I trust you had a speedy safe, and pleasant passage to your home. A boat arrived this morning, but I heard nothing. Mr. Morrison leaves this evening, and I forward, by him, your dictionary, with many — wiany thanks for the use. We completed the copy of it last evening, making seventy-five pages of letter paper. I hope I shall be able to return you the favor, and give you soon some nice Sioux words." August Gth. Judge Doty, in a letter of thanks for a book, and some philological suggestions, transmits a list of inquiries on the legal code of the Indians — a rather hard subject — in which, quo- 182 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. / / tations must not be Coke upon Littleton, but the law of tomahawk upon craniuTM. "The Sioux," he says, "must be slippery fellows indeed, if I do not squeeze their language, and several other valuable things, out of them next winter. I expect to leave for the Mississippi this week, in a barge, with Mr. Rolette." Qth. Mr. D. H. Barnes, of the New York Lyceum of Na- tural History, reports that the shells sent to him from the mouth of the Columbia, and with which the Indians garnish their pouches, are a species of the Dentalium, particularly described in Jewett's " Narrative of the Loss of the Ship Boston at Nootka Sound." He transmits proof plates of the fresh water shells collected by Pro- fessor Douglass and myself on the late expedition to the sources of the Mississippi. Wih. The Adjutant-General of the Territory, General J. R. Williams, transmits me a commission as captain of an inde- pendent company of militia infantry, with a view, it is presumed, on the part of the executive, that it will tend to strengthen the capacity of resistance to an Indian combination on this frontier. I^th. Mr. Giles Sanford, of Erie, sends me a specimen of gypsum from Sandusky Bay, and a specimen of the strontian- yielding limestone of Put-in-Bay, Lake Erie. September lOfA. Judge Doty writes from Prairie du Chien, that he had a pleasant passage, with bis family, of fifteen days from Mackinaw ; that he is pleased with the place ; and that the delegate election went almost unanimously for Major Biddlc. A specimen of native copper, weighing four pounds, was found by Mr. Bolvin, at Pine River, a tributary from the north of the Wisconsin, agreeing in its characters with those in my cabinet from the basin of Lake Superior. 15f/i. Dr. John Bigsby, of Nottingham, England, writes from the North- West House, that he arrived yesterday from the Boundary Survey, and is desirous of exchanging some of his geological and conchological specimens for species in my possession. The doctor has a very bustling, clerk-like manner, which does not impress one with ';he quiet and repose of a philosopher. He evi- dently thinks we Americans, at this remote point, are mere barba- rians, and have some shrewd design of making a chowder, or a speculation out of our granites, and agateSj and native copper. Not PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 188 writes from 3f his fssion. 38 not le evi- t)arba- or a Not a look or word, however, of mine was permitted to disturb the gentleman in his stilted notions. 16th. Major Joseph Delafield, with his party, report the Boundary Survey as completed to the contemplated point on the Lake of the Woods, as called for by the Treaty of Ghent. The ease and repose of the major's manners contrast rather fa- vorably with the fussiness of the British subs. 26th. Mr. Felix Hinchman, of Mackinac, transmits returns of the recent delegate election, denoting the election of Major Biddle, by a rather close run, over the Catholic priest Richard. October 9th. Mr. W. H. Shearman of Vernon, New York, writes that my boxes of minerals and fresh water shells are irretrievably lost ; that Mr. Meech, of Geneva, remains mum on the subject ; and that they have not arrived at Utica. Hard fate thus to be despoiled of the fruits of my labor ! l^th. Mr. Ebenezer Brigham of Springfield, Illinois, an honest gentleman with whom I embarked at Pittsburgh, in the spring of 1818, for the great West and the land of fortune, writes a letter of friendly reminiscences and sympathies at my success, particularly in getting a healthy location. Brigham was to have been one of my adventurous party at Potosi, in the fall of 1818, but the fever and ague laid violent hands on him. He managed to reach Potosi, but only to bid me good-by, and a God-speed. " In this country," he says, "life is at least fifty per cent, below par in the months of August and September. I have often thought that I run as great a risk every season which I spend here, as I would in an ordinary battle. I really believe it seldom happens that a greater proportion of an army fall victims to the sword, during a campaign, than there was, of the inhabitants of Illinois, falling victims to disease during a season that I have been here." " I have little doubt but the trade of this part of the State of Illinois will pass through that channel (the northern lakes). Our produce is of a description that ought to find its way to a north- ern market, and that, too, without passing through a tropical cli- mate. Our pork and beef may arrive at Chicago with nearly the same case that it can at St. Louis ; and, if packed there and taken through the lakes, would be much more valuable than if taken the South; besides, the posts spoken of (Chicago, by way 184 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. Green Bay, &c.) may possibly be supplied cheaper from this than any other source." '' Moses Austin, I presume you have heard, is dead, and his son Stephen is acting a very conspicuous part in the province of Texas. Old Mr. Bates, and his son William, of Herculaneum, both died last summer." '' I should like to know if the same warlike disposition appears amongst the northern Indians that does amongst those of the west. Nearly, or quite every expedition to the west of the Mississippi in the fur trade, this season, has been attacked by different tribes, and some have been defeated and robbed, and a great many lives have been lost. Those in the neighborhood of this place, to wit, the Kickapoos and Potawattomies, are getting cross and trouble- some. I should not be surprised if a war with the Indians gene- rally should take place soon. The troops . at the Council Bluffs have found it necessary to chastise one tribe already (the Aurick- arees), which they have done pretty effectually, having killed a goodly number, and burnt their towns." 19th. Governor C. writes, in response to a letter detailing diflScultles which have arisen on this frontier between the military and citizens : " Military gentlemen, when stationed at remote posts, too often ' feel power and forget right,' and the his- tory of our army is replete with instances proving incontestably by how frail a tenure our liberties would be held, were it not for the paramount authority and redeeming spirit of our civil institu- tions." " I thank you," he observes, "for the specimens of copper you have sent me. I participate with you in your feelings upon the important discovery you have been the instrument of communicat- ing to the world, respecting the existence of that metal upon the long point of Lake Superior. This circumstance, in conjunction with others, will, I hope, lead to a congressional appropriation, at the next session, for exploring that country, and making such pur- chases of the Indians as may promise the valuable supplies." "My Indian materials are rapidly accumulating; but, unfortu- nately, they are more valuable for quantity than quality. It is almost impossible to rely upon the information which is communi- cated to me on the subject of the languages. There is a lamenta- ble obtusenesb of intellect manifested in both collector and con- PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 185 tributor ; and there is no systematic arrangement — no analytical process, and, in fact, no correctness of detail. I may safely say that what I received from you is more valuable than all my other stock. "It has recurred to me that you ought to visit Europe. Don't startle at the suggestion ! I have thought of it frequently. You might easily procure some person to execute your duties, &c., and I think there would be no difficulty in procuring permission from the government. I speak, however, without hook. Think of the matter. I see incalculable advantages which would result to you from it, and you would go under very favorable auspices, and with a rich harvest of literary fame." 28d. B. F. Stickney, Esq., writes on the occasion of not hav- ing earlier acknowledged my memoir on the Fossil Tree of the Des Plaines, in Illinois. " How little w^e know of the laws of nature," he observes, "of which we profess to know so much." I 186 PERSONAL HBHOIRS. CHAPTER XX. Incidents of the year 1824 — Indian researches — Diverse idioms of the Ottowa and Chippewa — Conflict of opinion between the civil and military authori- ties of the place — A winter of seclusion well spent — St. Paul's idea of languages — Examples in the Chippewa — The Chippewa a pure form of the Algonquin — Religion in the wilderness — Incidents — Congressional excite- ments — Commercial view of the copper mine question — Trip to Tackwy- menon Falls, in Lake Superior. 1824. Jan. l«^ As soon as the business season closed, I re- sumed my Indian researches. General C. writes : " The result of your inquiries into the Indian language is highly valuable and satisfactory. I return you my sincere thanks for the papers. I have examined them attentively. I should be happy to have you prosecute your in- quiries into the manners, customs, &c., of the Indians. You are favorably situated, and have withal such unconquerable persever- ance, that I must tax you more than other persons. My stock of materials, already ample, is rapidly increasing, and many ncAV and important facts have been disclosed. It is really surprising that so little valuable information has been given to the world on this subject." Mr. B. F. Stickncy, formerly an agent at Fort Wayne, Indiana, writes from Depot (now Toledo) : " I am pleased to see that your mind is engaged on the Chippewa language. It affords a field sufficiently extensive for the range of all the intellect and industry that the nation can bring into action. If the materials already collected should, after a scrutiny and arrangement, be thrown upon the literary world, it would excite so much interest as not to permit the inquiry thus to stop at the threshold. It is really an original inquiry concerning the operations of the human mind, Avhercin a portion of the human race, living apart from the rest, have independently devised means for the inter- PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 187 rand that this n tor- change of thoughts and ideas. Their grammatical rules are so widely diflferent from all our European forms that it forces the mind to a retrospective view of first principles. "I have observed the differences you mention between the Ottowa and Chippewa dialects. Notwithstanding I conceive them to be (as you observe) radically the same language, I think there is less difference between the band of Ottowas you men- tion, of L'Arbre Croche, than the Ottowas of this vicinity. It appears that their languages are subject to very rapid changes. From not being written, they have no standard to resort to, and I have observed it demonstrated in bands of the same tribe, residing at considerable distances from each other, and hav- ing but little intercourse for half a century; these have with diffi- culty been able to understand each other. " I am pleased to learn that you are still advancing the sciences of mineralogy and conchology. Your discovery of native silver imbedded in native copper is certainly a very extraordinary one." 2Sth. Major E. Cutler, commanding officer, applies to me, as a magistrate, to prosecute all citizens who have settled on the reserve at St. Mary's, and opened "shops for the sale of liquor." Not being a public prosecuting attorney, it does not appear how this can at all be done, without his designating the names of the offenders, and the offences for which they are to be tried. SOth. The same officer reports that his duties will not per- mit him to erect quarters for the Indian agent, which he is re- quired to put up, till another year. If this step is to be regarded, as it seems, as a retaliatory measure for my not issuing process, en masse, against the citizens, without he or his subordinates con- descending to name individuals, it manifests an utter ignorance of the first principles of law, and iff certainly a queer request to be made of a justice of the peace. Nor does it appear how the adop- tion of such whims or assumptions is compatible with a just official comity or an enlarged sense of public duty, on his part, and pointed instructions, to boot, in co-operating with the Indian department on a remote and exposed frontier. There seems to be a period, on the history of the frontiers, where conflicts between the military and civil authorities are almost in- evitable ; but there are, perhaps, few examples to be found where the former power has been more aggressively and offensively 188 PERSONAL KBMOIRS. exorcised than it has boon under the martinet who is now in command at this post. It is an ancient point of settlement by the French, who are generally a mild and obliging people, and disponed to submit to authorities. Some of these are descended from persons who settled here under Louis XIV. That a few Americans have followed the troops with more rigid views of private rights, and who cannot be easily trampled on, is true. And the mili- tary have, justly, no doubt, felt annoyances from a freedom of trade with the soldiery, who cannot be kept within their pickets by bayonets and commands. But he must be far gone in his sublimated notions of self-complacency and .temporary importance who sup- poses that a magistrate would surrender his sense of independence, and impartiality between man and man, by assuming nev and un- heard-of duties, at the beck of a military functionary who liappena to overrate his own, or misjudge another's position. March Z\%t. I have given no little part of the winter to a re- vision of my manuscript journal of travels through the Miami and Wabash Valleys in 1821. The season has been severe, and offered few inducements to go beyond tl: e pale of the usual walk to my oflSce, the cantonment, and to the village seated at the foot of the rapids. Variety, in this pursuit, has been sought, in tanning from the trans- cription of these records of a tourist to the discussion of the principles of the Indian languages — a labor, if literary amuse- ment can be deemed a labor, which was generally adjourned from my office, to be resumed in the domestic circle during the long winter evenings. A moral enjoyment has seldom yielded more of the fruits of pleasure. In truth, the winter has passed almost imperceptibly away. Tempests howled around us, without dimin- ishing our comforts. We often stood, in the clear winter evenings, to gaze at the splendid displays of the Aurora Borealis. The cari- ole was sometimes put in requisition. We sometim:.o tied on the augim, or snow-shoe, and ventured over drifts of snow, whose depth rendered them, impassable to the horse. We assembled twice a week, at a room, to listen to the chaste preaching of a man of deep-toned piety and sound judgment, whose life and manners resemble an apostle's. In looking back at the scenes and studies of such a season, there was little to regret, and much to excite in the mind pleasing vistas of hope and anticipation. The spring came with less PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 189 observation than had been devoted to the winter previous; and the usual harbingers of advancing warmth — the small singing birds and northern flowers — were present ere we were well aware of their welcome appearance. .. Hope is a flower that fills the sentient mind With sweets of rnpturous and of heavenly kind ; And those, who in her gardens love to tread, Alone can tell how soft tlie odors spread. Hetherwold. April 20 subject. Few men have seen more of the Indians in peace and war. Nobody has made the original collections which he has, and I know of no man possessing PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 208 the capacity of throwing around them so much literary attraction. It is only to bo hoped that his courage will not fail him when ho comes to the sticking point. It requires moro f^ourago on somo minds to write a book than to face a cannon. 14'^hen nearly a whole luouih had been consumed in these nego- PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 217 tiations, a treaty of limita was signed, which will long bo remem- bered in the Iiidian reminiscences. This was on the 19th of August (1826), vide Indian Treaties, p. 871. It was a pleasing sight to seo the explorer of the Columbia in 1806, and tho writer of the pro- clamation of the army that invaded Canada m 1812, uniting in a task boding so much good to tho tribes whoae passions and tres- passes on each other's lands keep them perpetually at war. 'Tis war alone thr.t gluts tho Indinn's mind, As Gating muats, inflames tbo tigor Icind. IIetii. At the close of the treaty, an experiment was made on tho moral sense of tho Indians, with regard to intoxicating liquors, which was evidently of too refined a character for their just appreciation. It had been said by the tribes that the true reason for tho Commissioners of the United States government speaking against the use of ardent spirits by tho Indians, and refusing to give them, was not a sense of its bad effects, so much, as the fear of tho expense. To show them that the government was above such a petty principle, the Commissioners had a long row of tin camp kettles, holding several gallons each, placed on tho grass, from one end of the council house to the other, and then, after some suitable remarks, each kettle was spilled out in their presence. Tho thing was evidently ill relished by the Indians. They loved the whisky better than the joke. Impostor. — Among the books which I purchased for General Cass, at New York, was tho narrative of one John Dunn Hunter. I remember being introduced to the man, at one of my visits to New York, by Mr. Carter. He appeared to be one of those ano- malous persons, of easy good nature, without much energy or will, and little or no moral sense, who might be made a tool of. It seems no one at New York was taken in by him, but having wandered over to London, the booksellers found him a good subject for a book, and some hack there, with considerable cleverness, made him a pack-horse for carrying a load of stuff about America's treatment of the Indians. It was called a " captivity," and he was made to play the part of an adventurer among the Indians — somewhat after the manner of John Tanner. C. reviewed the 218 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. book, on our route and at tlie Prairie, for the North Ameri- can, in an article which created quite a sensation, and will be remembered for its force and eloquence. He first read to me some of those glowing sentences, while on the portages of the Fox. It was continued, during the leisure hours of the conferences, and finally the critique was finished, after his visiting the place and the person, in Missouri, to which Hunter had alluded as his spon- sor in baptism. The man denied all knowledge of him. Hunter was utterly demolished, and his book shown to be as great a tissue of misrepresentation as that of Psalmanazar himself. August 21 «f. The party separates. I had determined to return to the Sault by way of Lake Superior, through Chippewa River. But, owing to the murder of Finley and li n un at its mouth in 1824, I found it impossible to engage men ai Prairie du Chien, to take that route. I determined therefore to go up the Wis- consin, and by the way of Green Bay. For this purpose, I pur- chased a light canoe, engaged men to paddle it, and laid in provi- sions and stores to last to Green Bay. Having done so, I embarked about 3 o'clock P. M., descending the majestic Mississippi, with spirits enlivened by the hope of soon rejoining friends far away. At the same time, Mr. HoUiday left for the same destination in a separate canoe. On reaching the mouth of the Wisconsin, we entered that broad tributary, and found the current strong. We passed the point of rocks called Petite Gre%y and encamped at Grand Gres. Several hours previous to leaving the prairie, a friend hand- ed me an enveloped packet, saying, "Read it when you get to the mouth of the Wisconsin." I had no conception what it re- lated to, but felt great anxiety to reach the place mentioned. I then opened it, and read as follows : " I cannot separate from you without expressing my grateful acknowledgments for the honor you have done me, by connecting my name with your Narrative of Travels in the Central Portions of the Mississippi Valley , J'c." Nothing could have been more gratifying or unexpected. 22d. A fog in the valley detained us till 5 o'clock A.M. After traveling about two hours, Mr. Holliday's canoe was crushed against a rock. While detained in repairing it, I ordered ray cook to prepare breakfast. It was now 9 o'clock, when we again PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 219 proceeded, till the heat of noon much affected the men. We pushed our canoes under some overhanging trees, where wo found fine clusters of ripe grapes. In going forward wo passed two canoes of Menomonies, going out on their fall hunt, on the Chippewa River. These poopl© have no hunting grounds of their own, and are obliged to the courtesy of neighboring nations for a subsistence. Thoy are the most erratic of all our tribes, and may be said to be almost nomadic. We had already passed the canoes, when Mr. Lewis, the portrait painter, called out stoutly behind us, from an islrnd in the river. "Oh ! ho ! I did not know but there was gome other breaking of the canoe, or worse disaster, and directed the men to put back. See, see," said he, "that fellow's nose! Did you ever see such a protuberance ?" It was one of the Menomonies from B ttte des MortSy with a globular irregular lump on the end of hi>> Jjose, half as big as a man's fist. Lewis'^ artistic risibles were ai, their height, and he set to work to draw him. I could tluiik of nothing appropriate, but Sterne and Strasbourg. 2^d. A heavy fog detained us at Caramani's village, till near 6 A. M. The fog, however, still continued, so thick as to conceal objects at twenty yards distance. We consequoi^itly went cau- tiously. Both this day and yesterday we have been constantly in sight of Indian canoes, on their return from the treaty. Wooden canoes arc exclusively used by the Winnebagoos. They are pushed along with poles. We passed a precipitous range of hills near Pine Creek, on one of which is a cave, called by our boatir-^n L'diable au Port. This superstition of peopling dens and other t my supper is ready to be brought in. IIow happy I should be if you could participate in my frugal meal of Burns — In the language *' Adieu a heart-warm fond adieu." 2SV/». I encamped last night, at the foot of the Winnebago Rapids, ono mile below Winnebago Lake. I found the rapids of Fox River, which begin here, more difficult to pass than on our ascent, the water being much lowor. We were necessarily detained many hours, and most of the men compelled to walk. About six o'clock, PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 225 »ck, P. M. wo reached the upper part of the Bcttlemont of Green Bay. I stopped a few moments at Judge Doty's, and also a little be! iw ut Major Brovoort's, the Indian agent of the post. Wo then proceeded to the lower settlements, and encamped near the fort at Arndt's. Dr. Whe^lon met mo on the beach, with several others. I suppe' and lodged at Arndt's, having declined Dr. Wheaton's polite invitation to sup, and take a bed with him. At tea I saw Mrs. Cotton, whom you will recollect as Miss Arndt, and was introduced to her husband, Lieutenant Cotton, U. S. A. I was also introduced to the Rev. Mr. Nash, a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal order, on missionary duty here. I went to my room, as soon as I could disentangle myself from these greet- ings, with a bundle of papers, to read up the news, and was truly pained to hear of the death of my early friend Colonel Charles G. Haines of New York, an account of which, with the funeral honors paid to him, I road in the papers. BOth. The repair of my canoe, and the purchase of provisions to recruit my supplies, consumed the morning, until twelve o'clock, when I cm1>arke(l, and called at the fort to pay my respects to Dr. Wheaton. I found the dinner-table set. He insisted on my stopping with Mr. II. to dinner, which, being an old friend and as one of my men had absconded, and I was, therefore, delayed, I assented to. The doctor and family evinced the greatest cordiality^ and he sent down to my canoe, after dinner, a quantity of melons, some cabbages, and a bag of new potatoes Before I could obtain another man and set out again, it was three o'clock. I was obliged to forego the return of some visits. We continued our voyage down the bay about 40 miles, and encamped at 8 o'clock, having run down with a fair wind. Zlst. Soon after quitting our camp this morning, a heavy wind arose. It was partly fair, so as to permit our hoisting sail for a fev; hours, but then shifted ahead, and drove us ashore. We landed on a small isl.n i called Vermilion, off the south cape of Sturgeon Bay. Here wo remained n' the remainder of tV. day and night. While there detained I read "China, its Arts, wanu- i'actures, &c.," a work translated from the French, and giving a lively, and apparently correct account of that singular people. About two o'clock, P. M., we cut some of the water and musk- melons presented by Dr. Wharton, and found them delicious, 16 m) PERSONAL MEMOIRS. About 6 o'clock, P. M., my cook informed me that he had pre- pared a supper, agreeably to my directions, and we found his skill in this vray by no rocans deapicable. Such are tac trifles wi>ich must fill up my joiiinal, for did I only write wLat wa.i ^5fc for gvav» divines, or t]ie scraiinizing eye of philosophy to i9iid, I fear I should have but a feM' meagre shet^ts to present soa o;ii xy re urn , and perhups not a single syllable 'vitty <.r wise. Sept. Ist. The wind abated during the night, and we were early on the waters, and went on until tioven o'clock, when we landed for breakfast. At twelve o'clock we Vient forward again. Viltl a fair wind. I read anotbe^ volume cf " Chira." " The Ohino.^e ladies," says the author, "live very rerireJ, wholly eii : '-^ed in thoir household affairs, Did how to pleaso their hutrtands. They are uof;,, hr »evor, ccMfined quite so closely as is commonly sup- posed. Tiii fciiiakb visit entirely amongst each other. There is no soflitty or circles in China to which the women are admitted. MarriagoB aio a mere matter of convenience, or, to speak with greater propriety, a k?nd of bargain settled between the parents and relatives.'' We came on very well, and encamped at the Little Detroit, or strait, so called, in the Grand Traverse. This traverse separates Oreen Bay from Lake Michigan. It is computed to be twenty miles over. A cluster of islands enables canoes to pass. There are some hieroglyphics on the rocks. Id. We embarked at three o'clock, A. M., and went on fery well, until ten, when we stopped on one of the islands for breakfast, having neatly completed the traverse. In the meantime the wind arose in our favor, and we went on along the north shore of Lake Michigan gayly. We passed the mouth of the Manistee River, which interlocks with the Tacquimenon of Lake Superior, where some of our St. Mary's Chippewas make their gardens. An aft wind and light spirits are inseparable, whether a man be in a tiigate or a canoe. There is something in the air exhilarating. I have been passing in retrospect, the various jV arneys I have made, but during none has my anxieties to return ! . ;ii so great as this. What a wonderful destiny it is that makes , ')9Xi a traveler and another a > et, a mathematician, &c, W* ^ear to be guided by some inn rinciple which has a pr •; u\ting force. No man was more unlikely to be a traveler thu,.i '-self. I always thought myself to be domestic in my feelings, fuxMi. ?, and inclinations, and PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 227 even in very early youth, proposed to live a life of domestic feli- city. I thought such a life inseparable from the married state, and resolved, therefore, to get married, as soon as prudence and inclination would permit. Notwithstanding this way of thinking my life has been a series of active employment and arduous jour- neyings. I may say my travels began even in childhood, for when only six or seven years old, I recollect to have wandered off a long distance into the pine plains of my native town, to view Honicroisa Hill, a noted object in that part of the country, to the great alarm of all the family, who sent out to search for me. My next journey was in my eleventh year, when I accompanied my father, in his chaise, he dressed out in his regimentals, to attend a general court- martial at Saratoga. I had not then read any history of our Revolution, but had heard its battles and hardships, told over by my father, which created a deep interest, and among the events was Bnrgoyne's surrender. My mind was filled with the subject as we proceeded on our way, and I expected to see a field covered with skulls, and guns, and broken swords. In my fifteenth year I accompanied my father, in his chaise, up the Valley of the Mohawk to Utica. This gave me some idea of the western country, and the rapid improvements going on there. I returned with some more knowledge of the world, and with my mind filled with enthusiastic notions of new settlements and for- tunes made in the woods. I was highly pleased with the frank and hospitable manners of the west. The next spring I was sent by a manufacturing company to Philadelphia, as an agent to pro- cure and select on the banks of the Dei iware, between Bristol and Borden town, a cargo of crucible clay. This journey and its incidents opened a new field to me, and greatly increased my knowledge of the world ; of the vastness of commerce ; and of the multifarious occupations of men. I acquitted myself well of my agency, having made a good selection of my cargo. I was a judge of th ' mineralogical properties of the article, but a novice in almost everything else. I supposed the world honest, and every man disposed to u,Gt properly and to do right. I now first witnessed a thejitre. It was at N. w York. When the tragedy was over, seeing many go out, I also took a check and went home, to be laughed at by the captain of the sloop, with whom I was a pas- senger. At Philadelphia I fell into the hands of a professed 228 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. sharper. He was a gentleman in dress, manners, and conversa- tion. He showed me the city, and was very useful in directing my inquiries. But he borrowed of me thirty dollars one day, to pay an unexpected demand, as he said, and that was the last I ever saw of my money. The lesson was not, however, lost upon me. I have never since lent a stranger or casual acquaintance money. Sd. I was compelled to break off my notes yesterday sud- denly. A storm came on which drove us forward with great swiftness, and put us in some peril. We made the land about three o'clock, after much exertion and very considerable wetting. After the storm had passed over, a calm succeeded, when we again put out, and kept the lake till eight o'clock. We had a very bad encampment — loose rough stones to lie on, and scarcely wood enough to make a fire. To finish our misery, it soon began to rain, but ceased before ten. At four o'clock this morning we arose, the weather being quite cold. At an early hour, after getting afloat, we re ched and passed a noted landing for canoes and boats, called Choishwa (Smooth-rock.) This shelter is formed by a ledge of rock running into the lake. On the inner, or per- pendicular face, hundreds of names are cut or scratched upon the rock. This cacoethea acribendi is the pest of every local curiosity or public watering-place. Even here, in the wilderness, it is developed. Wise men ne'er cut their names on doors or roct-heixds, But leave the task to scribblers and to blockb>'»ds ; Pert, trifling folks, who, bent on being witty. Scrawl on each post some fag-end of a ditty. Spinning, with spider's web, their shallow brains, O'er wainscots, borrowed books, or window panes. At one o'clock the wind became decidedly fair, and the men, relieved from their paddles, are nearly all asleep in the bottom of the canoe. While the wind drives us forward beautifully I em- brace the time to resume my narrative of early journey ings, dropt yesterday. In the year 1808, my father removed from Albany to Oneida County. I remained at the old homestead in Guilderland, in charge of his affairs, until the following year, when I also came to the west. The next spring I was offered handsovre inducements to go to the Genesee countrjj by a manufacturinw company, who PERSONAL UEMOIRS. 229 contemplated the saving of a heavy land transportation from Albany on the article of window-glass, if the rude materials em- ployed in it could be found in that area of country. I visited it with that view ; found its native resources ample, and was still more delighted with the flourishing appearance of this part of the Western country than I had been with Utica and its envir' ns. Auburn, Geneva, Canandaigua, and other incipient towns, seeuied to me the germs of a land " flowing with milk and honey." In 1811, I went on a second trip to Philadelphia, and executed the object of it with a s'lccess equal to my initial visit. On this trip I had letters to some gentlemen at Philadelphia, who re- ceived me in a most clever spirit, and I visited the Academy of Arts, Peale's Museum, the Water Works, Navy Yard, &c. I here received my first definite ideas of painting and sculpture. I re- turned with new stores of information and new ideas of the world, but I had lost little or nothing of my primitive simplicity of feeling or rustic notions of human perfection. And, as I began to see something of the iniquities of men, I clung more firmly to my native opinions. My personal knowledge of my native State, and ■■ f the States of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, was now superior to that o^ most men with whom I was in the habit of conversing, and I - .ose- quently made several little journeys and excursions that furthered me in the knowledge. As yet, I knew nothing by personal observation of New Eng- land. In the early part of 1813, having completed my nineteenth year, I went to Middlebury, in Vermont, on the banks of Otter Creek, where, I understand, my great-grandfather, who was an Englishman, to have died. Soon after I accompanied Mr. Ep. Jones, a man of decided enterprise, but some ec ""-*'' cities of character, on an extensive tour through the New E. ,^>jua States. We set out from Lake Dunmore, in Salisbury, in a chaise, and proceeding over the Green Mountains across the State of Ver- mont, to Bellows' Falls, on the Connecticut Eiver, there struck the State of New Hampshire, and went across it, and a part of !>Hssachusetts, to Boston. Thence, after a few days* stop, we atinued our route to Hartford, the seat of government of Con- necticut, and thence south to the valley of the Hudson at Rhine- beck. Here we crossed the Hudson to Kingston (the Esopus of Indian days), and proceeded inland, somewhat circuitously, to the II Pi 280 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. m Catskill Mountains ; after visiting which, we returned to the river, carae up its valley to Albany, and returned, hy way of Salera, to Salisbury. AV. t) s wat ^one with one horse, a compact small-boned animal, ",ho wkh a ;jOod oats-eater, and of whom wo took the very beat rare. I mdde this distich on him : — Feed me well with oats and hay, And I'll carry you forty miles a-day. fhis long and circuitous ioui gdvc m" a general idea of this portion of the Union, and enabled ine to institute many compari- sons between the manners and customs and advantages of New York and New England. I am again compelled to lay my pencil aside by the quantity of water thrown into the canoe by the paddles of the men, Avho have been roused up by the in'^reasing waves. 4:th. We vent on unde. a press of sail last evening until eight o'clock, when we encamped in a wide sandy bay in the Straits of Michigan, having come a computed distance of 80 miles. On looking about, we found in the sand the stumps of ' dar pickets, forming an antique enclosure, which, I judged, must have been the first site of the Mission of St. Ignace, founded by Pierre Marquette, upwards of a hundred and eighty years ago. Not a lisp of such a ruin had been heard by me previously. French and Indian tradition says nothing of it. The inference is, however, inevitable. Point Si. Ignace draws its name from it. It was after- wards removed and fixed at tUe blunt peninsula, or headland, which the Indian r-all P.^kwutin^ the old Mackinac of the French. • Leaving this spot at an early hour, we went to Point St. Ignace to breakfast, and made the traverse to the Island of Michilimack- inac by eleven o'clock. Wc -sxere greeted by a number of persons on the beach ; among them aus Mr. Agnew, o^ the Sault, who re- ported friends all well. Thio as a great relief to my mind, as I had been for a numbev days ander the impression that some one near and dear to me ill. It was Sunday morning; many of the inhabitants were at churci., and appearances indicated more respect for the day than I recollect to have noticed before. The good effect of the mission established in the island, under the auspices of the Rev. Mr. Ferry, are clearly visible. Mr. Robert Stuart invited me to take a room at the comuanv's house, which I declined, but dined and supped there. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. S81 CHAPTER XXV. Journey from Mackinac to the Sault Ste. Marie — Outard Point — Head winds — Lake Huron in a rage — Desperate embarkation — St. Vital — Double the Detour — Return to St. Mary's — Letters — " Indian girl" — New volume of travels — Guess' Cherokee alphabet — New views of the Indian languages and their principles of construction — Georgia question — Post-office diffi- culties — Glimp^os from the civilized world. 1825. Sept. 5th. I AROSE at seven, and we had breakfast at half-past seven. I then went to the Company's store and ordered an invoice of goods for the Indian department. This occupied the time till dinner was announced. I then went to my camp and ordered the tent to be struck and the canoe to be put into the water ; but found two of my men so ill with the fever and ague that they could not go, and three others were much intoxicated. The atmosphere was very cloudy and threatening, and to attempt the traverse to Goose Island, under such circumstances, was deemed improper. Mr. Robert and David Stuart, men noted in the Astoria enterprise ; Mr. Agnew, Capt. Knapp, Mr. Conner, Mr. Abbott, Mr. Currey, &c., had kindly accompanied me to the beach, but all were very urgent in their opinion that I should defer the starting. I ordered the men to be ready at two o'clock in the morning should the weather not prove tempestuous. 6th. I arose at three o'clock, but found a heavy fog envelop- ing the whole island, and concealing objtcts at a short distance. It was not till half-past six that I could embark, when the fog began to disperse, but the clearing away of the fog introduced a light head wind. I reached Goose Island, a distance of ten miles, after a march of three hours, and afterwards went to Outard Point, but could go no further from the increased violence of the wind. Outard Point, 8 o'clock P. M. Here have I been encamped since noon, with a headwind, a dense damp atmosphere, and the lake in a foam. I expected the wind would fall with the sun, but, 282 PERSONAL MRMOIRa. alas! it blows stronger than over. I fondly hoped on quilting Muckiiiac this morning, that I should sco homo to-morrow, but that is now impossible. How confidently do wo hope and expect in this life, and how little do wo know what is to befall us for oven a few hours beyond tho present moment. It has pleased the All- wise Being to give me an adverse wind, and I must submit to it. I, doubtless, exulted too soon and too much. On reaching Mack- inac, I said to myself: " My journey is accomplished; my route to the Sault is nothing ; I can go there in a day and a half, wind or no wind." This vanity and presumption is now punished, and, I acknowledge, justly. I should have loft it to Providence. Wise are the ways of the Almighty, and salutary all Ilis dispensations to man. Wore wo not continually put in mind of an overruling Providence by reverses of this kind, the human heart, exalted with its own consequence, would soon cease to implore protection from on high. I feel solitary. The loud dashing of the waves on shore, and the darkness and dreariness of all without my tent, conspire to give a saddened train to my reflections. I endeavored to divert myself, soon after landinr^, by a stroll along the shore. I sought in vain among the loose fragments of rock for some specimens worthy of preservation. I gleaned the evidences of crystallization and the traces of organic forms among the cast-up fragments of limestone and sandstone. I amused myself with the reflection that I should, perhaps, meet you coming from an opposite direc- tion on the beach, and I half fancied that, perhaps, it would actually take place. Vain sport of the mind ! It served to cheat away a tedious hour, and I returned to my tent fatigued and half sick. I am in hopes a cup of tea and a night's rest will restore my equipoise of mind and body. Thus " Every pang that rends the heart, Bids expectation rise." 1th. Still detained on this bleak and desolate Point. A heavy rain and very strong gale continued all night. The rain was driven with such violence as to penetrate through the texture of my tent, and fall copiously upon me. Daybreak brought with it no abatement of the storm, but presented to my view a wide vista of white foaming surge as far as the eye c uld reach. In conse- PBR80NAL IfBMOIRS. 288 ^ quonco of the increasing violence of the storm, I was compelled to order my baggage and canoo to be removed, and my tont to bo pitched back among the trees. How long I am to remain hero I cannot conjecture. It is a real oquinoxiul storm. My ears are stunned with the incessant roaring of the water and the loud mur- muring of the wind among the foliage. Thick murky clouds obscure the sky, and a chill damp air compels me to sit in my tent with my cloak on. I may exclaim, in the language of the Chippewas, Tyau, gitche iunnahgud (oh, how hard is my fate.) At two o'clock I made another excursion to view the broad lake and see if somo favorable sign could not bo drawn, but re- turned with nothing to cast a gleam on the angry vista. It scorned as if the lake was convulsed to its bottom. OuTARD Point. What narrowed pleasures swell the bosom bore, A shore most sterile, and a olime severe, Whoro every shrub seems stinted in its size, " Where genius sickens and where fancy dies." If to the lake I cast my longing view, The curling waves their noisy way pursue ; That noise reminds mo of my prison-strnnd. Those waves I most admire, but cannot stand. If to the shore I oast my anxious eye, There broken rocks and sand commingled lie, Mixed with the wrecks of shells and weeds and wood, Crushed by the storm and driven by the flood. E'en fishes there, high oast upon the shore. Yet pant with life and stain the rocks with gore. Would here the curious eye expect to meet Aught precious in the sands beneath his feet, Ores, gems, or crystals, fitting for the case, No spot afibrds so poor, so drear a place. Rough rounded stones, the sport of every wind, Is all th' inquirer shall with caution find. A beach unvaried spreads before the eye ; Drear is the land and stormy is the sky. Would the fixed eye, that dotes on sylvan scenes. Draw pleasure from these dark funereal greens. Those stunted cedars and low scraggy pines, Where nature stagnates and the soil repines — 231 PERSONAL MEMOIR& Alafl ! the source is small — small every blisa, That e'er can dwell on such a place as this. Bleak, barren, sandy, dreary, and confined. Bathed by the waves and chilled by every wind ; Without a 3ower to beautify the scene. Without a cultured shore — a shady green- Without a harbor on a dangerous shore. Without a friend to joy with or deplore, lie who can feci one lonely ray of bliss In such a thought-appalling spot as this, His mind in fogs and mists must ever roll. Without a heart, and torpid all his soul. About three o'clock P. M. there was a transient gleam of sun- shine, and, for a few moments, a slight abatement of wind. I ordered my canoe and baggage taken inland to another narrow little bay, having issue into the lake, where the water was calm enough to permit its being loaded; but before this was accom- plished, a most portentous cloud gathered in the west, and the wind arose more fierce than before. Huron, like an offended and capricious mistress, seemed to be determined, at last, on fury, and threw herself into the most extravagant attitudes. I again had my tent pitched, and sat down quietly to wait till the tempest should subside ; but up to a late hour at night the ele- mental war continued, and, committing myself to the Divine mercy, I put out my candle and retired to my pallet. 8th. The frowning mistress. Lake Huron, still has the pouts. About seven o'clock I walked, or scrambled my way through close- matted spruce and brambles to get a view of the open lake. The force of the waves was not, perhaps, much different from the day before, but they were directly from the west, and blowing directly down the lake. Could I get out from '/ne nook of a bay where I was encamped, and get directly before them, it appeared possible, with a close-reefed sail, to go on my way. My engagees thought it too hazardous to try, but their habitual sense of obedience to a bourgeoise led them to put the canoe in the water, and at 10 o'clock we left our encampment on Outard Point, got out into the lake, not without imminent hazard, and began our career " like a race- horbe" for the Capes of the St. Mary's. The wind blew as if " 'twad blawn its last." We had reefed our sail to less than four feet, and I put an extra man with the str/'^>maa. We literally I PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 235 went "on the wings of the wind." I do not think niyself ever to have run such hazards. I was tossed up and down the waves like Sancho Panza on the blanket. Three hours and twenty mi- nutes brought me to Isle St. Vital, behind which we got shelter. The good saint who presides over the island of gravel and sand permitted me to take a glass of cordial from my basket, and to refresh myself with a slice of cold tongue and a biscuit. Who this St. Vital may have been, I know not, having been brought up a Protestant ; but I suppose the Catholic calendar would tell. If his saintship was as fond of good living as some of his friends are said to be, I make no doubt but he will freely forgive this trespass upon his territory. Taking courage by this refreshment, we again put out before the gale, and got in to the De Tour, and by seven o'clock, P. M., were safely encamped on an island in St. Mary's Straits, opposite St. Joseph's. The wind was here ahead. On entering the straits, I found a vessel at anchor. On coming alongside it proved to be the schooner Harriet, Capt. Allen, of Mont Clemens, on her way from the Sault. A passenger on board says that he was at Mr. Johnston's house two days ago, and all are well. He says the Chippewa chiefs arrived yesterday. Re- gret that I bad not forwarded by them the letter which I had prepared at the Prairie to transmit by Mr. Holliday, when I sup- posed I should return by way of Chippewa River and Lake Superior. I procured from the Harriet a whitefish, of which I have just partaken a supper. This delicious fish is always a treat to me, but was never more so than on the present occasion. I landed here fatigued, wet, and cold, but, from the effects of a cheerful fire, good news from home, and bright anticipations for to-morrow, I feel quite re-invigorated. " Tired nature's sweet restorer" must complete what tea and whitefish have so successfully begun. 9th. My journal has no entry for this day, but it brought me safely (some 40 miles) to my own domicil at " Elrawood." The excitement of getting back and finding all well drove away almost all other thoughts. The impressions made on society by our visit to New York, and the circles in which we moved, are given in a letter from Mr. Saml. C. Conant, of the 19th July, which I found among those awaiting my arrival. To introduce a descendant of one of the 286 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. native race into society, as had been done in my clioico, was not an ordinary event, and did not presuppose, it seems, ordinary independence of character. Her grandfather, by the maternal side, had been a distinguished chief of his nation at the ancient council- fire, or seat of its government at Chegoimegon and Lapointe. By her father, a native of Antrim, in tho north of Ireland, she was connected with a class of clergy and gentry of high respecta- bility, including tho Bishop of Dromoro and Mr. Saurin, tho Attorney-General of Ireland. Two very diverse sources of prido of ancestry met in her father's family — that of the noble and f. oe sons of the forest, and that of ancestral origin founded on tho notice of British aristocracy. With me, the former was of tho highest honor, when I beheld it, as it was in her case, united to manners and education in a marked degree gentle, polished, re- tiring, and refined. No two such diverse races and states of society, uniting to produce such a result, had ever come to my notice, and I was, of course, gratified when any persons of intfl- lect and refinement concurred in the wisdom of my choice. Fiich was Mr. Conant and his family, a group ever to bo remembered with kindness and respect. Having passed some weeks in his family, with her infant boy and nurse, during my absence So 'IIj, his opportunities for judging were of the best kind. " If you will suflfer me to indulge the expression of both my own and Mrs. Conant's feelings, lam sure that you cannot but be pleased that the frankness and generosity of one, and the virtues and gentleness of the other of you, have made so lively an impression on our hearts, and rendered your acquaintance to us a matter of very sweet and grateful reflection. Truly modest and worthy persons often exhibit virtues and possieas attainments so much allied to their nature as to bo themselves unconscious of the treasures. It does not hurt such ones to bo informed of their good qualities. " "When I first visited Mr. Schoolcraft, I looked about for his Indian girl. I carried such a report to my wife that we were determined to seek her acquaintance, and were not less surprised than recompensed to find such gentleness, urbanity, aff"cction, and intelligence, under circumstances so illy calculated, as might bo supposed, to produce such amiable virtues. But all have learned to estimate human nature more correctly, and to determine that PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 287 naturo herself, not leas than the culture of skillful hands, has much to do with the refinement and p' lish of the mind. "Mr. S.'s book (* Truv. Cent. Ports. Miss. Valley') has also received several generous and laudatory notices ; one from the U. S. Literary Gazette, printed at Boston. I saw Gov. Clinton, also, who spoke very highly both of the book and the author. He thought that Mr. W.'s ill-natured critique would not do any in- jury either hero or in Europe." Oct. 23tZ. C. C. Trowbridge, Esq., sends mo a copy of " Guess' Cherokee Alphabet.'' It is, with a few exceptions, syllabic. Eighty-four chax'acters express the whole language, but will ex- press no other Indian language. Maj. John Biddlc communicates the result of the delegate elec- tion. By throwing out the vote of Sault Ste. Mario, the election was awarded by the canvassers to Mr. Wing. New views of Indian philology. " You know," says a literary friend, " I began with a design to refute the calumnies of the Quartitrly respecting our treatment of the Indians, and our con- duct during the recent war. This is precisely what I have not done. My stock of materials for this purpose was most ample, and the most of the labor performed. But I found the whole could not be inserted in one number, and no other part but this could bo omitted without breaking the continuity of the discussion. I concluded, therefore, it would bo bettor to save it for another article, and hereafter remodel it. ' 28^/(. Mr. C. writes that he ha'; completed his review, and transmits, for my perusal, some ot the new parts of it. " I also transmit my rough draft of thos** parts of the review which relate to Hunter, to Adelang's survey, and to — — . These may amuse an idle hour. The remarks on are, as you will perceive, materially altered. The alteration was rendered necessary by an examination of the work. The * survey' is a new item, and, I think, you will consider the occasion of it, with me, a precious specimen of Dutch impudence and ignorance. Bad as it is, it is bepraised and bedaubed by that (|uack D. as though it were written with the judgment of a Charlevoix." This article utters a species of criticis' i in America which we have long wanted. — the ground of independent 288 PERSOXAL MEMOIRS. philosophical thought and inquiry. Truth to tell, we have known very little on the philosophy of the Indian languages, and that little has been the re-echo of foreign continental opinions. It has been written without a knowledge of the Indian character and history. Its allusions have mixed up the tribes in double confu- sion. Mere synonyms have been taken for different tribes, and their history and language has been criss-crossed as if the facta had been heaped together with a pitchfork. Mr. C. has made a bold stroke to lay the foundation of a better and truer philo- logical basis, which must at last prevail. It is true the prestige of respected names will rise up to oppose the new views, which, I confess, to be sustained in their main features by my own views and researches here on the ground and in the midst of the Indians, and men will rise to sustain the old views — the original literary mummery and philological hocus-pocus based on the papers and lel*^ovs and blunders of Heckewelder. There was a great predispo- sition to admire and overrate everything relative to Indian history and language, as detailed by this good and sincere missionary in his retirement at Bethlehem. He was appealed to as an oracle. This I found by an acquaintance which I formed, in 1810, with the late dmiable Dr. V/^istar, while rusticating at Bristol, on the banks of the Delaware. The confused letters which the missionary wrote many y^ars later, were mainly due to Dr. Wistar's philosophical in- terest in the subject. They were rewritten and thoroughly revised and systematized by the learned Mr. Duponceau, in 1816, and thus the philological system laid, vvhich was published by the Penn. Hist. Soc. in 1819. During the six years that has elapsed, no- body has had the facts to examine the system. It has been uow done, and I shall be widely mistaken if this does not prove a new era in our Indian philology. Whatever the review does on this head, however, and admit- ting that it pushes some positions to an ultra point, it will blow the impostor Hunter sky high. His book is an utter fabrication, in which there is scarcely a grain of truth hid in a bushel of chaff. Nov. Ath. Difficulties have arisen, at this remote post, between the citizens and the military, the latter of whom have shown a disposition to feel power and forget right, by excluding, except with onerous humiliations, some citizens from free access to the post-office. In a letter of this date, the Postmaster-General (Mr. PBRSONAL MEMOIBS. 239 McLean) declines to order the oflSce to be kept out of the fort, and thus, in effect, decides against the citizens. How very unimportant a citizen is 1000 miles from the seat of government ! The national eegi-: *9 not big enough to reach so far. The bed is too long for the covering. A man cannot wrap himself in it. It is to be hoped that the Postmaster-General will live long enough to find out that he has been deceived in this matter. 29th. Mr. Conant, of New York, writes : " I hope you will not fail to prosecute your Indian inquiries this winter, getting out of them all the stories and all the Indian you can. I conclude you hear an echo now and then from the big world, notwithstanding your seclusion. The Creek Delegation is at Washington, un- friendly to the late treaty, and I expect some changes not a little interesting to the aboriginal cause. Mr. Adams looks at his ' red children' with a friendly eye, and, I trust, ' the men of his house,' as the Indian orator called Congress, will prove themselves so. I have been charmed with the quietude and coolness manifested in Congress in reference to the Georgia business." And with these last words from the civilized world, we are pre- pared to plunge into another winter, with all its dreary accompani- ments of ice and snow and tempest s, and with the consoling reflection that when our poor and long-looked-for monthly express arrives, we can get our letters and papers from the ofiice after duly per- forming our genuflections to a petty military chief, with the obse- quiousness of a Hindoo to the image of Juggernaut. \";- 240 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. CHAPTER XXVI. Gonoral aspects of the Indian cause— Public criticism on the state of Indian researches, and literary storm raised by the new views — Political rumor — Death of R. Pettibone, Esq.— Delegate election — •Copper mines of Lake Superior— Instructions for a treaty in the Nwrth — Death of Mr. Petti t — Denial of post-office facilities — Arrival of commissioners to hold the Fond du Lac treaty — Trip to Fond du Lac through Lake Superior— Treaty- Return — Deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. 1826. Feb. lit. The year opens with unfavorable symptoms for the Indian cause. The administration is strong in Congress, and the President favorable to the Indjan view of their right to the soil they occupy east of the Mississippi until it is acquired by free cession. Bat the doctrine of state sovereignty contended for by Georgia, seems to be an element which all the States will, in the end, unite in contending for. And the Creeks may settle their accounts with the fact that they must finally go to the West. This is a practical view of the subject — a sort of political necessity which seems to outride everything else. Poetry and sympathy are rode over roughshod in the contest for the race. We feel nothing of this here at present, but it is only, perhaps, because we are too remote and unimportant to waste a thought about. Happy insignificance ! As one of the little means of supporting existence in so remote a spot, and keeping alive, at the same time, the spark of literary excitement, I began, in December, a manuscript jeu d esprit newspaper, to be put in covers and sent from house to house, with the perhaps too ambitious cognomen of " The Literary Voyager." 6th. The author of a leading and pungent critique for the North American Review^ writes in fine spirits from Washington, and in his usual literary tone and temper about his review : " Dr. Sparks' letter will show you his opinion. He altered the manu- script in some places, and makes me say of what I do PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. 241 not think and what I would not have said. But let that pass. I gave him carte blanche, so I have no right to find fault with his exercise of his discretion. W. is in a terrible passion. He says that the article is written with ability, and that he always entertained the opinion expressed in the review of Heckewelder'g v.ork. But he is provoked at the comments on 's work, and, above all, at the compliment to you. Douglass, who is here, says this is merely Philadelphia versus New York, and that it is a principle with the former to puif all that is printed there, and to decry all that is not." This appears to have been knowji to Gov. Clinton, and is the ground of the opinion he expressed of W. to Mr. Conant. March 6th. Col. De Garmo Jones writes from Detroit that it is rumored that McLean is to leave the General Post-office Depart- ment, and to be appointed one of the United States Judges. Mr. L. Pettibono, of Missouri, my companion in exploring the Ozark Mountains in 1818 and 1819, writes from that quarter that his brother, Bufus Pettibone, Esq., of St. Louis, died on the 31st July last. He was a man of noble, correct, and generous senti- ments, who had practiced law with reputation in Western New York. I accompanied him and his family on going to the Western country, on his way from Olean to Pittsburgh. His generous and manly character and fair talents, make his death a loss to the community, and to the growing and enterprising population of the West. He was one of the men who cheered me in my early ex- plorations in the West, and ever met me with a smile. 7th. My sister Maria writes, posting me up in the local news of Detroit. 9th. Mr. Trowbridge informs me that Congress settled the con- tested delegate question by casting aside the Sault votes. We are so unimportant that even our votes are considered as worthless. However that may be, nothing could be a greater misrepresenta^ tion than that "Indians from their lodges were allowed to vote." l^th. Col. Thomas H. Benton, of the Senate, writes that an appropriation of $10,000 has been granted for carrying out a clause in the Prairie du Chien treaty, and that a convocation of the Indians in Lake Superior will take place, "so that the copper- mine business is arranged." nth. Maj. Joseph Delafield, of New York, says that Baron 16 242 PERSONAL HEMOIBS. Lederer is desirous of entering into an arrangement for the ex- change of my large mass of Lake Superior copper, for minoral- ogical specimens for the Imperial Cabinet of Vienna. Ajml 16t?i. A letter from the Department contains incipient directions for convening the Indians to meet in council at the head of Lake Superior, and committing the general arrangements for that purpose to my hands, and, indeed, my hands are already full. Boats, canoes, supplies, transportation for all who are to go, and a thousand minor questions, call for attention. A treaty at Fond du Lac, 500 miles distant, and the throwing of a commissariat department through the lake, is no light task. 27^/i. A moral question of much interest is presented to me in a communication from the Rev. Alvan Coe. Of the disinterented nature and character of this man's benevolence for the Indian race, no man knowing him ever doubted. He has literally been going about doing good among them since our first arrival here in 1822. In his zeal to shield them from the arts of petty traders, he has often gone so far as to incur the ill-will and provoko the slanderous tongues of some few people. That he should deem it necessary to address me a letter to counteract such rumors, is the only thing remarkable. Wiser, in some senses, and more prudent people in their worldly affairs, probably exist ; but no man of a purer, simpler, and more exalted faith. No one whom I ever knew lives less for "the rewards that perish." Even Mr. Laird, whose name is mentioned in these records, although he w^ent far beyond him in talents, gifts, and acquirements of every sort, had not a purer faith, yet he will, like that holy man, receive his re- wards from the same "Master." May 2d. Mr. Trowbridge writes me of the death of Wm. W. Pettit, Esq., of Detroit, a man respected and admired. He loaned me a haversack, suitable for a loose mineral bag, on my expedition in 1820. Sth. Difficulties between the military and citizens continue. The Postmaster-General declined, on a renewed memorial of the citizens, to remove the post-office without the garrison. He sa^^s the officers have evinced " much sensibility" on the subject, and denied that "any restraints or embarrassments" have been im- posed, when every man and woman in the settlement knows that the only way to the poat-office lies through the guard-house, which PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. 248 is open and shut by tap of drum. Restraints, indeed! Where has the worthy Postmaster-General picked up his military information ? June 6'^ Definite information is received that the appropria- tion for th^ jake Superior treaty has passed Congress. 10th. Mr. John Agnew, designated a special agent for pre- liminaries at Fond du Lac, writes of his prompt arrival at that place and good progress. Gov. C. writes : " We must remove thf» copper-rock, and, there- fore, you will have to provide such ropes and blocks as may be necessary." 22d. The citizens on this frontier, early in the season, petitioned the Legislative Council for the erection of a new county, embrac- ing the Straits of St. Mary's and the Basin of Lake Superior, proposing to call it Chippewa, in allusion to the tribe occupying it. Maj. Robert A. Forsyth, of Detroit, M. C, writes of the suc- cess of the contemplated measure. July 4ide trees in the valley on th' this eifort to melt it iui from the river on whose bnm ..(,,H "he trucks and ropes taken They then piled up the dry i apf. thorn on fire. They found fhey then poured on water ys. This cracked off some of the adhering rock. And this uuempt to mutilate and falsify the noblest specimen of native copper on the globe was the result of this effort. The whole expedition re-embarked on the 9th of August, and being now relieved of its heavy supplies and favored with winds, returned to the Sault St. Marie on the 18th of that month. No sooner were we arrived at St. Mary's than we were informed of the remarkable coincident deaths, on the 4th July, 1826, of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the second and third Pre- sidents of the United States. Among the letters accumulated during my absence, was one of Aug. 2d, from Gov. Clinton, requesting some wild rice for foreign distribution. Another one was from my excellent friend Conant, of N. Y., who, with a fine sensitive mind, just appreciation of facts, and no ordi- nary capacity, appears to be literally breaking down in health and spirits, although still a young man. In a joint letter to Mrs. S. and myself, he says : "It appears you do not escape afflictions and visitations to teach you ' how frail you are,' how liable at any moment to render up to Him who gave them, your spirit and your life. Mr. S.," he adds, in evident allusion to my excess of " hope," "firm in body and ambitious in his pursuits, does not, I suppose, give over yet, and can scarcely understand how anybody should tire of life, and look at its pursuits with disgust." Among my unread letters was one, Aug. 28th, from a Mr. Myer and Mr. Cocke, of Washington, District of Columbia, who propose to establish a periodical to be called " The Potomac Magazine," and solicit contributions. These abortive attempts to ■> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ^IM 125 US ^ lii 12.2 S? Lfi 12.0 in • '■ , .'"", ■ ' ■ ■:-.■■ ' mv'^ ^ 6" ^ '/ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation i\ # •^ '^ V 23 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) S72-4S03 246 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. establish periodicals by unknown men are becoming more frequent as population increases in the land. It is felt truly that the num- ber of readers must increase, but it is a mistake to suppose that they will read anything but the very best matter from the first sources, European and American. It is, at any rate, a mistake to suppose that a man who has attained reputation in any branch of science, literature, or general knowledge, should not seek the highest medium of communicating it, or that he would throw away his time and efforts in writing for these mere idealities of maga- zines without the strong inducements of either fame, money, or, at least, personal friendship. E. A. Brush, Esq., of Detroit, writes (Aug. 28th) from Mack- inac, that honors were performed that day by the military authori- ties on the island, in commemoration of the deaths of Adams and Jefferson. " The obsequies have this morning commenced here ; but at this moment it is rather difficult to select the report of a cannon, at intervals of half an h|0ur, from the claps of thunder at those of half a minute." . > " . . > Aug. 20^A. Mr. Robert Stuart, agent of the A. M. Fur Co., writes a letter of congratulations on the good policy to result from placing a sub-agent at La Pointe, in Lake Superior, a location where the interior tricks of the trade may be reported for the no- tice of the government. The selection of the sub-agent appointed by Commissioner McKenney is gall and wormwood to him. He strives to conceal the deep chagrin he feels at the selection of Mr. George Johnston as the incumbent. t - i ; : . I', f .">:'.'. ; ; : ' ,KJ ^_;' PBB60NAL MEMOIRS. .^uiH ^i?: Fi*' ,,J „. N^V;W!^^:S CHAPTER XXVII. 'A>^W'^^*,J Edmund A. Brush, Esq., writes (Sept. 17th): "Our unhappy mortality prevails." On the 23d, he says : " Mr. Whitney has been lying at the point of death for the last ten or twelve days. We hope he begins to improve." These hopes were delusive. He died. Mr. Whitney had been abroad ; he was an assiduous and talented advocate — a native of Hudson, N. Y. — was on the high road to political distinction — a moral man and a public loss. I amused myself this fall by keeping notes of the official visits of my Indian neighbors. They may denote the kind of daily wants against which this people struggle. Oct. 2d. Monetogeezhig complained that he had not been able 248 PERBONAL MEB^OIRS. to take any fish for several days, and solicited some food for him- self and family, being five persons. The dress and general appearance of himself and wife and the children, nearly naked, bore evidence to the truth of his repeated expressions, that they were "poor, very poor, and hungry." He also presenied.a kettle and an axe to be repaired. I gave him a ticket on the Agency blacksmith, and caused sixteen rations of flour and pork to be issued to him. Sd. The petty chief, Cheegud, with his wife and two children, arrived from Lake Superior, and reported that since leaving the Taquimenon he had killed nothing. While inland, he had broken his axe and trap. This young chief is son-in-law of Shingauba W'ossin, principal chief of the Chippewas. He is one of the homo band, has been intimate at the agency from its establishment, and is very much attached to the government. He attended the treaty of Prairie du Ohien, in 1825, and the treaty of Fond du Lac, in 1826, and received at the latter a medal of the third size. He has always properly appreciated the presents given him, and by his temperate, consistent, and respectable course of life, merited attention. Directed a ticket on the shop and twenty rations. 6th. An Indian woman, wife of Sirdeland, a resident Canadian, iu very low circumstances, and living in the Indian mode, requc;;ted a kettle to be mended. My rule, in cases of this sort, er '^n Indian females who are under the protection of Oanadii j« bands from a participation in the presents distributed at the office. But it is proper to make exceptions, in some instances, where repairs of ironwork are solicited. Directed a ticket on the black- smith. 13^^. Issued to Waykwauking and family twelve rations. . 16th. Shingwaukoance, The Little Pine (17th July, 1822, first visit), accompanied by twenty persons, visited the office. This is one of the signers of the Treaty of St. Mary of 1820, where his mark is prefixed to his French name, Augustin Bart. He told me he had come to visit me, attended with all his young men, and re- quested I would listen to what he had to say. He made a speech at great length, in which he recapitulated his good offices and exertions towards the Americans, from the time of Gov. Cass's arrival in 1820. He stated that a plot had then been formed to cut oS the Gov.'s party, and that he and Mr. G. Johnston had PBRSOHAL KIBMOIRS. 249 been instrumental in thwarting the design. He was glad to see the fire I had lighted np here in 1822 was kept burning, that the Indians might come and warm themselves by it. He had now determined to come and live permanently on the American side of the river, and put himself under my protection. He repeated his friendship, and gave a "parole" of blue wam- pum to confirm his words. One of his party then lighted a pipe and handed it to me to smoke in the usual manner. Caused tobacco and sixty rations of food to be distributed among his band. 20th. Oshawano solicited food, declaring that his boys had not been able to take any fish from the rapids for several days. This is an old man, and a chief resident at St. Mary's. I told him that it was not my practice, which he knew, to issue provision to the families of fishermen during the fishing season, and that I expected his children to supply him; that, besides, he was one of the per- sons who had visited the B. Post at D. Isd. during the last summer, and that he knew I made no presents of any kind to Indians who received presents there ; that if he went to his B. father in the summer, when it was pleasant weather, he must also go in the fall and winter, when the weather was bad ; that if they gave him presents of goods, they must also give him food. He looked very grave, and, after a short silence, said that he had got little or nothing at D. I. He said his home was here, and he was very poor, &c. Knowing, from personal observation, that he was suf- fering for food, I ordered twenty-six rations. 2i 8t. Cheegud came to say that he was about to go to his winter- ing grounds, and wished some provisions to commence the journey. This young chief has been welcomed at the agency, and is friendly to the American government. He attended the treaties of P. D. C. and F. du Lac; at the latter he received a medal. He has always appreciated attentions, and by his sober, consist- ent, and respectful course of life, merits the notice of the office. I gave him some necessary ironwork, a knife, tobacco, ammunition, provisions (18). , , 23d. Visited by Shingauwosh (4 p.) 24■-■'■. i".r rttht 'j.f :;/iiK^ SOth. Seienee in America. — I received a friendly letter from Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell, N. Y. There are, of recent years, more purely scientific men in the land, no doubt, than the venerable doctor. But could this have been said truly even ten years ago? He is now, perhaps, the best ichthyologist in the Union. He is a PBR80NAL MEMOIRS. 267 from more arable ago? [e is a woll-rciul KoologlHt, an intoUigont botanist and a general physiolo- giflt, nnil has been for a long soriea of years tho focus of the diffusion of knowledge on a great variety of subjects. Gov. Clinton has well called him tho ^* Delphic Oracle" in ono of his Letters of Ilibernicus, because everyone who has a scientific que8> tion to ask comes to him. '* Tho Lyceum of Natural History," he writes, " is going on prosperously in the collection of articles and in the publication of intelligence. The museum is enlarging and the annals progress- ing. The intercourse of New York city with almost numberless parts of the globe, aided by the enterprise and generosity of our navigating citizens, is productive of an almost constant supply of natural productions, some familiar, some known to naturalists, but not before seen by us, and others new to the whole class of observers." Dec. lat. Much leisure during the four years I have been at this agency, added to an early developed distaste for the ordinary modes of killing time, has enabled me to give no little of my leisure to literary pursuits. The interesting phenomena of the Indian grammar have come in for a large share of my attention. This has caused me to revise and extend my early studies, and to rummage such books on general grammar and philology as I could lay my hands on. Every winter, beginning as soon as tho rmvigation closes and the world is fairly shut out, has thus constituted a season of studies. My attention has been perpetually divided between books and living interpreters. This may be said to be my fourth year's course with the Johnstons on the languages. I have also resumed, as an alternate amusement, " The Literary Voyager." I wrote this year " The Man of Bronze," an essay on the Indian character, which has contributed to my own amusement, nor have I determined to show it to a human eye. Let others write what others deftly may, I aim with thought to fill my wintry day. 17 258 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. CHAPTER XXVIII. Mineralogy — Toiritorial affairs — Vindication of the American policy by its treatment of the Indians — New York spirit of improvement — Taste for cabinets of natural history — Fatalism in an Indian — Death of a first born son — Fliglit from the house — Territorial matters — A literary topic — Pre- parations for another treaty — Consolations — Boundary in the Northwest under the treaty of Ghent — Natural history — Trip to Green Bay — Treaty of Butte des Morts — Winnebago outbreak — Intrepid conduct of General Cass — Indian stabbing — Investment of the petticoat — Mohegan language. 1827. January/ 10th. — Mineralogy became a popular study in the United States, I believe, about 1817 or thereabouts, when Professor Cleveland published the first edition of his Elements of 3Iincralogy, and Silliman began his Journal of Science. It is true Bruce had published his Mineralogieal, Journal in 1814, but the science can, by no means, be said to have attracted much, or gene- ral attention for several years. It was not till 1819 that Cleve- land's work first carae into my hands. The professor writes me un- der this date, that he is about preparing a new edition of the work, and he solicits the communication of new localities. This work has been about ten years before the public. It was the first work on that subject produced on this side of the Atlantic, and has acquired a;reat popularity as a text-book to classes and amateurs. It adopts a classification on chemical principles ; but recognizes the Wernerian system of erecting species by external characters ; and also Ilany's system of crystallography, so far as it extends, as being coincident, in the respective proofs which these systems afford to the chemical mode of pure analysis. As such it com- mends itself to the common sense of observers. 20f A. Territorial affairs now began more particularly to attract my attention. Robert Irwin, Jr., Esq., M. C. of Detroit, writes on territorial affairs, growing out of the organization of a new county, on the St. Mary's, and in the basin of Lake Superior. I had furnished him the choice of three names, Allegan, Algonac, and Chippewa. •D XI;. A X' VI £3 y til. AT J.TX. DOi V O lUfl'JJ. MMWIy county bill passed on the la^t of December (1826). It is contem- PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 259 attract writes a new perior. gonac, plated to tender to you the appointment of first judge of the new county. We have selected the name of ' Chippewa.' " ■ Mr. C. C. Trowbridge writes (25th) that " it is proposed in Con- gress to lay off a new territory, embracing all MichigMi, west of the lake. This territory, at first proposed to be called Huron, was eventually named Wisconsin." 25t7i. Mr. Cass has examined, in an able article in the North American Review, the policy of the American government in its treatment of the Indians, in contrast with that of Great Britain. In this article, th- charges of the London Quarterly are contro- verted, and a full vindication made of our policy and treatment of these tribes, which must be gratifying to every lover of our institu- tions, and our public sense of justice. As between government and government, this paper is a powerful and triumphant one. As a legal question it is not less so. The question of political sove- reignty is clear. Did our English Elizabeths, James', and Charles', ever doubt their full right of sovereignty ? The pub- lic sense of justice and benevolence, the Republic, if not the parent monarchy, fully recognized, by tracing to these tribes the fee of the soil, and by punctually paying its value, as established by public treaties, at all times. 2Qth. Mr. T. G. Anderson, of Drummond Island, transmits a translation of the Lord's Prayer, in Odjibwa, which he requests to be examined. Feb. 5th. No State seems comparable, for its enterprise and rapid improvements, to New York. Mr. E. B. Allen, who recently removed from this remote village to Ogdensburgh, New York, ex- presses his agreeable surprise, after seven years' absence in the West, at the vast improvements that have been made in that State. " There is a spirit of enterprise and energy, that is deeply interesting to men of business and also men of science." March let. Dr. Marty n Paine, of New York, proposes a system of philosophic exchanges. The large and fine collection of mine- ralogical and geological specimens which I brought from Missouri and other parts of the Mississippi valley in 1819, appears to have had an effect on the prevalent taste for these subjects, and at least, it has fixed the eyes of naturalists on my position on the frontiers. Cabinets of minerals have been in vogue for about nine or ten years. Mr. Maclure, of Philadelphia, Colonel Gibbs, of New Haven, and Drs. De Witt, Bruce and Mitchill, of New PERSONAL MEMOIRS. York, and above Profs. Silliman and Cleveland, may be said to have originated the taste. Before their day, minerals were regard- ed as mere "stones." Now, it is rare to find a college or academy without, at least, the nucleus of a cabinet. By transferring my collection here, I have increased very much my own means of intel- lectual enjoyment and resistance to the power of solitariness, if it has not been the means of promoting discovery in others. 4th. Fatalism. — An Indian, called Wabishkipenace, The White Bird, brings an express mail from the sub-agency of La Pointe, in Lake Superior. This proved to be the individual who, in 1820, acted as one of the guides of the exploring expedition to the Copper Rock, on the Ontonagon River. Trifles light as air arouse an Indian's suspicions, and the circumstance of his being thus employed by the government agents, was made use of by his fellows to his prejudice. They told him that this act was displeas- ing to the Great Spirit, who had visited him with his displeasure. Whatever influence this idea had on others, on Wabishkipenace it seemed to tell. He looked the image of despair. He wore his hair long, and was nearly naked. He had a countenance of the most melancholy cast. Poverty itself could not be poorer. Now, he appears to have taken courage, and is willing once more to enter into the conflicts of life. But, alas ! what are these conflicts with an Indian ? A mere struggle for meat and bread enough to live. IZth. This is a day long to be remembered in my domestic annals, as it carried to the tomb the gem of a once happy circle, the cherished darling of it, in the person of a beloved, beautiful, intellectually promising, and only son. William Henry had not yet quite completed his third year, and yet such had been the impression created by his manly precocity, his decision of cha- racter, perpeiual liveliness of temper and manners, and sweet and classic lineaments, and attachable traits, that he appeared to have lived a long time. The word time is, indeed, a relative term, and ever means much or little^ as much or little has been enjoyed or suffered. Our enjoyment of him, and communion with him, was intimate. From the earliest day of his existence, his intelligence and quick expressive eye was remarkable, and all his waking hours were full of pleasing innocent action and affectionate appreciation. We took him to the city of New York during the winter of 1824-25, where he made many &ienda and had many ad- PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 261 mirers. He was always remembered by the youthful name of Willy and Penaci, or the bird — a term that was playfully bestowed by the Chippewas while he was still in his cradle. He was, in- deed, a bird in our circle, for the agility of his motions, the liveli- ness of his voice, and the diamond sparkle of his full hazle eyes, reminded one of nothing so much. The month of March was more than usually changeable in its temperature, with disagreeable rains and much humidity, which nearly carried away the heavy amount of snow on the ground. A cold and croup rapidly developed themselves, and no efforts of skill or kindness had power to arrest its fatal progress. He sank under it about eleven o'clock at night. Such was the rapidity of this fatal disease, that his silver playful voice still seemed to ring through the house when he lay a placid corpse. Several poetic tributes to his memory were made, but none more touching than some lines from his own mother, which are fit to be preserved as a specimen of native composition.* , * Who was it nestled on my breast, And on my cheek sweet kisses prest, And in whose smile I felt so blest ? Sweet Willy. Who hail'd my form as home I stept, And in my arms so eager leapt, And to my bosom joyous crept? My Willy. Who was it wiped my tearful eye, And kiss'd away the coming sigh. And smiling, bid me say, "good boy?" Sweet Willy. Who was it, looked divinely fair. Whilst lisping sweet the evening pray'r. Guileless and free from earthly care ? My Willy. Where is that voice attuned to love. That bid me say " my darling dove ?" But, oh ! that soul has flown above. Sweet Willy. Whither has fled the rose's hue ? The lily's whiteness blending grew Upon thy cheek — so fair to view, My Willy. '■> ^^ci*»-^ 262 h PERSONAL MEMOIRS. Vlth. This being St. Patrick's day, we dined with our excellent, warm-hearted, and truly sympathizing friend, Mr. Johnston, in a private way. He is the soul of hospitality, honor, friendship, and love, and no one can be in his company an hour without loving and admiring a man who gave up everything at home to raise up a family of most interesting children in the heart of the American wilderness. No man's motives have been more mistaken, no one has been more wronged, in public and private, by opposing traders and misjudging governments, than he, and no one I have ever known has a more forgiving and truly gentle and high-minded spirit. ■■■■'■ ^ - ' "^' ■"••■• ^-i'- 28th. I began housekeeping, first on my return from the visit to New York, in the spring of 1825, in the so-called Allen House, on the eminence west of the fort, having purchased my furniture at Bufialo, and made it a pretty and attractive residence. But after the death of my son, the place became insupportable from the vivid associations which it presented with the scenes of his daily amusements. < , Oft have I gaz'd with rapt delight, Upon those eyes that sparkled bright, Emitting beams of joy and light ! Sweet Willy. Oft have I kiss'd that forehead high, Xiike polished marble to the eye, And blessing, breathed an anxious sigh, X' t- For Willy. My son I thy coral lips are pale Can I believe the heart-sick tale, That I thy loss must ever wail ? My Willy. The clouds in darkness seemed to low'r. The storm has past with awful pow'r. And nipt my tender, beauteous flow'r I , Sweet Willy. But soon my spirit will be free, And I my lovely son shall see, For Qod, I know did this decree ! My Willy. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 268 I determined this day to close the house, and, leaving the fur- niture standing, we took refuge at Mr. Johnston's. Idolatry such as ours for a child, was fit to be rebuked, and the severity of the blow led me to take a retrospect of life, such as it is too common to defer, but, doubtless, wise to entertain. Why Providence should have a controversy with us for placing our affections too deeply on a sublunary object, is less easy at all times to reconcile to our limited perceptions than it is to recognize in holy writ the existence of the great moral fact. "I will be honored," says Jehovah, " and my glory will I not give to another." It is clear that there is a mental assent in our attachments, in which the very principle of idolatry is involved. If so, why not give up the point, and submit to the dispensations of an inevitable and far- seeing moral government, of affairs of every sort, with entire resignation and oneness of purpose ? How often has death drawn his dart fatally since Adam fell before it, and how few of the millions on millions that have followed him have precisely known why, or been entirely prepared for the blow ! To me it seems that it has been the temper of my mind to fasten itself too strongly on life and all its objects ; to hope too deeply and fully under all circumstances; to grapple, as it were, in its issues with as "hooks of steel," and never to give up, never to despair; and this blow, this bereavement, appears to me the first link that is broken to loosen my hold on this sublunary trust. My thoughts, three years ago, were turned strongly, and with a mysterious power, to this point, namely, my excessive ardor of earthly pursuits, of men's approbation. Here, then, if these reflections be rightly taken, is the second admonition. Such, at least, has been the current of my thoughts since the 13th of the present month, and they were deeply felt when I took my Bible, the first I ever owned or had bought with my own money, and requested that it might be placed as the basis of the little pillow that supported the head of the life- less child in his coffin. April SOth. A progress in territorial affairs, in the upper lakes, seems to have commenced ; but it is slow. Emigrants are carried further south and west. Slow as it is, however, we flatter ourselves it is of a good and healthy character. The lower peninsula is filling np. My letters, during this spring, denote this. Our county or- ganization is complete. Colonel McKenney, on the 10th, apprises 264 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. me that he is coming north, to complete the settlement of the Indian boundary, began in 1825, at Prairie du Chien, and that his sketches of his tour of last year is just issued from the press. He adds, *'It is rather a ladies' book. I prefer the sex and their opinions. They are worth ten times as much as we, in all that is enlightened,^ and amiable, and blissful." Undoubtedly so! This is gallant. I conclude it is a gossiping tour ; and, if so, it will please the sex for whom it is mainly intended. But will not the graver male sex look for more ? Ought not an author to put himself out a little to make his work as high, in all departments, as he can? Governor C. informs me (April 10th) that he will proceed to Green Bay, to attend the contemplated treaty on the Fox Biver, and that I am expected to be there with a delegation of the Ghip- pewas from the midlands, on the sources of the Ontonagon, Wis- consin, Chippewa, and Menominie rivers. Business and science, politics and literature, curiously mingle, as usual, in my correspondei^ce. Mr. M. Dousman (April 10) writes that a knave has worried him, dogged his heels away from home, and sued him, at unawares. Mr. Stuart (April 15) writes about the election of members of council. Dr. Paine, of New York, writes respecting minerals. May IQth. An eminent citizen of Detroit thus alludes to my recent bereavement : " We sympathize with you most sincerely, in the loss you have sustained. We can do it with the deeper interest;, for we have preceded you in this heaviest of all calamities. Time will soothe you something, but the solace of even time will yet leave too much for the memory and affections to brood over." Another correspondent, in expressing his sympathies on the occa- sion, says ; " The lines composed by Mrs. Schoolcraft struck me with such peculiar force, as well in regard to the pathos of style, as the singular felicity of expression, that I have taken the liberty to submit them for perusal to one or two mutual friends. The G has advised me to publish them." 14tth. National boundary, as established by the treaty of Ghent. Major Delafield, the agent, writes : " Our contemplated expedition, however, is relinquished, by reason of instructions from the British government to their commissioners. It had been agreed to determine the par. of lat. N. 49°, where it intersects the Lake of the Woods and the Red River. But the British government, for ^.-_,^'.;.-,^--.^_. PERSONAL MBMOIRS. 266 reasons unknown to us, now decline any further boundary opera- tions than those provided for under the Ghent treaty. " We have been prevented closing the 7th article of that treaty, on account of some extraordinary claims of the British party. They claim Sugar, or St. George's Island, and inland, by the St. Louis, or Fond du Lac. Both claims are unsupported by either reason, evidence, or anything but their desire to gain something. We, of course, claim Sugar Island, and will not relinquish it under any circumstances. We also claim inland by the Kamanistiquia, and have sustained this claim by much evidence. The Pigeon River by the Grand Portage will be the boundary, if om commissioners can come to any reasonable decision. If not, I have no doubt, upon a reference, we shall gain the Kamanistiquia, if properly managed ; the whole of the evidence being in favor of it." est, of ited rom eed ake for Ornithology. — An Indian boy brought me lately, the stuffed skin of a new species of bird, which appeared early in the spring at one of the sugar camps near St. Mary's. "We are desirous," he adds, "to see the Fringilla, about which you wrote me some time ago." Native Copper. — " The copper mass is safe, and the object of admiration in my collection. Baron Lederer is shortly expected from Austria, when he will, no doubt, make some proposition con- cerning it, which I will communicate." 2dth. Many letters have been received since the 13th of March, offering condolence in our bitter loss ; but none of them, from a more sincere, or more welcome source, than one of this date from the Conants, of New York. June Bd. Mr. Carter (N. H.) observes, in a letter of this date : " If there be any real pleasure arising from the acquisition of repu- tation, it consists chiefly in the satisfaction of proving ourselves worthy of the confidence reposed in our talents and characters, and in the strengthening of those ties of friendship which we are anxious to preserve." 8th. Mr. Robert Stuart says, in relation to our recent afllic- tion : " Once parents, we must make up our minds to submit to such grievous dispensations, for, although hard, it may be for the best.'' I embarked for Green Bay, to attend the treaty of Butte des 266 PERSONAL MBMOIRS. Morts early in June, taking Mrs. S. on a visit to Green Bay, as a means of diverting her mind from the scene of our recent calamity. At Mackinac, we met the steamboat Henry Clay, chartered to take the commissioners to the bay, with Governor Cass, Colonel Mc- Kenney, and General Scott on board, with a large company of visitors, travelers and strangers, among them, many ladies. We joined the group, and had a pleasant passage till getting into the bay, where an obstinate head wind tossed us up and down like a cork on the sea. Sea-sickness, in a crowded boat, and the retching of the waves, soon turned everything and every one topsy-turvy ; every being, in fine, bearing a stomach which had not been seasoned to such tossings among anchors and halyards, was pros- trate. At last the steamer itself, as we came nearer the head of the bay, was pitched out of the right channel and driven a-muck. She stuck fast on the mud, and we were all glad to escape and go up to the town of Navarino in boats. After spending some days here in an agreeable manner, most of the party, indeed nearly all who were not connected with the commission, returned in the boat, Mrs. S. in the number, and the commissioners soon proceeded up the Fox River to Butte dea Morts. Hero temporary buildings of logs, a mess house, &c., were constructed, and a very large number of Indians were collected. We found the Menomonies assembled in mass, with full delegations of the midland Chippewas, and the removed bands of Iroquois and Stockbridges, some Pottowattomies from the west shores of Lake Michigan, and one band of the Win- nebagoos. Circumstances had prepared this latter tribe for hosti- lities against the United States. The replies of the leading chief, Four-Legs, were evasive and contradictory ; in the meantime, re- ports from the Wisconsin and the Mississippi rivers denoted this tribe ripe for a blow. They had fired into a boat descending the Mississippi, at Prairie du Chien, and committed other outrages. General Cass was not slow to perceive or provide the only remedy for this state of things, and, leaving the camp under the charge of Colonel McKenney and the agents, he took a strongly manned light canoe, and passed over to the Mississippi, and, pushing night and day, reached St. Louis, and ordered up troops from Jefierson Barracks, for the protection of the settlement. In this trip, he passed through the centre of the tribe, and incurred some extraor- dinary risks. He then returned up the Illinois, and through Lake PERSONAL MKH0IR8. 267 take Michigan, and reached the Butte dea Marts in an incredibly short space of time. Within a few days, the Mississippi settlements were covered; the Winnebagoes were overawed, and the business of the treaty was resumed, and successfully concluded on the 11th of August. During the long assemblage of the Indians on these grounds, I was sitting one afternoon, in the Governor's log shanty, with the doors open, when a sharp cry of murder suddenly fell on our ears. I sprang impulsively to the spot, with Major Forsyth, who was pre- sent. Within fifty yards, directly in front of the house, stood two Indians, who were, apparently, the murderers, and a middle aged female, near them, bleeding profusely. I seized one of them by his long black hair, and, giving him a sudden wrench, brought him to his back in an instant, and, placing my knees firmly on his breast, held him there, my hand clenched in his hair. The Major had done something similar with the other fellow. Inquiry proved one of these men to be the perpetrator of the deed. He had drawn his knife to stab his mother-in-law, she quickly placed her arms over her breast and chest and received the wounds, two strokes, in them, and thus saved her life. It was determined, as her life was saved, though the wounds were ghastly, to degrade the man in a public assemblage of all the Indians, the next day, by investing him with a petticoat, for so unmanly an act. The thing was, accordingly, done with great ceremony. The man then sneaked away in this imposed mateheota, in a stolid manner, slow^ly, all the Indians look- ing stedfastly, but uttering no sound approvingly or disapprovingly. I embraced the opportunity of the delay created by the Winne- bago outbreak, and the presence of the Stockbridges on the treaty ground, to obtain from them some outlines of their history and lan- guage. Every day, the chiefs and old men came to my quarters, and spent some time with me. Metoxon gave me the words for a vocabulary of the language, and, together with Quinney, entered so far into its principles, and furnished such examples, as led me, at once, to perceive that it was of the Algonquin type, near akin, in- deed, to the Chippewa, and the conclusion followed, that all the New England dialects, which were cognate with this, were of the same type. The history of this people clears up, with such disclo- sures, and the fact shows us how little we can know of their his- tory without the languages. 268 PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. ■V- I , f!'. -,♦ lowed Joseph. At night the hunters from each party met, and they found the two parties had traveled the same distance. On hearing this Francis sent a despatch in the morning to his brother, but they found he had departed, and, the country being a grassy plain, thoy could not exactly tell their course. Meantime Joseph and his party had reached a point of woods, being the first woods seen since leaving Pembina, at about nine o'clock in the morning. Here they encamped at this early hour. He caught two wild geese, and told his wife to cook them. His followers all dispersed to hunt buifalo, as they were plenty about. He then put a new flint in his gun, and stripped himself all but bis breechcloth, and went out to explor' the route he should pass on the next day. He came into a ravine, and discovered three white bears' lairs fresh, saw several carcasses of buffaloes lying round, more or less eaten and decayed, and smelt quite a stench from them. One particularly was fresh killed, and partly eaten by the bears. He passed on across a brook, and after looking farther returned to the hi"8. On returning to the brook he found several sticks in the v/ay of his passage for the carts on the following day, which he commenced removing, having set his gun against a tre* O.ie stick being larger than the rest, som exertion was nec*>?sir ;v i -> displace it, and while in the act of doing this he heard :.o< c ut some animal, and saw at a distance what he took to be a buffalo, as these animals were plenty, and running in all directions. He then took T' his gun and went on, when the sounds were repeated close behiiic 'v'm, and looking over his shoulder he saw three white bears in lnY jr \iuifc of am. . . : ;, . . ^ ■ ■ •-• ',/. . .• - He turn' d, cc kid Uis gun, ard took deliberate aim at the head of the foreoior^, vhioh proved io be the dam, and his gun missed PKRSONA. MEMOIRS. 271 He to in lich iie fire. lie re-cookod his piece an ^ i?ain sntqiped. At this moment the bear was so near that the muzzle nearly timched it. Ho knows not exactly how the bcii • struck In^ i, hut at the next mo- ment his gun flow in one direction ai^ he was cn-M, about ten feet in another. Ho lit on hia feet. Tl o bear then raised (>ii her paws and took his head in her mouth, closing her jaws, not with force, but just sufficient to make the tusks enter the t'^p of his sh llld^ rs. He at this moment, with the impulse of fear, put up iU\ i ai '« and seized the bear by her head, and, making a violent rxortioii, threw her from her balance to one side; in the act of Ti'ling she let go his head. At this time one of the cubs struck his right leg, being covered with metasaeg of their leather, and drew him down upon the ^'round, and he fell upon his right side, partly on his right urm. The right arm, which was extended in falling, was now dr^^vn under his body by another blow from one of the cubs, and his hand was by this motion brought into contact with the handle >f his knife (a large couteau used for cutting up buffalo-meat), an I this bringing the knife to his recollection, he drew it, and struck a back-handed blow into the right side of the dam, whom he still held by the hair with his left. The knife went in to the hilt. On withdrawing it, one of the cubs struck his right hand, her nails piercing right through it in several places. He then let go of the dam and took the knife in his left hand, and made a pass at the cub, and struck it about half its length, the knife going into it, it being very bloody. The stroke was impeded, and the knife partly slipped. The left arm was then struck by one of the cubs, and the knife dropped from his grasp. He was now left with his naked hand to make sui h resistance as he could. The dam now struck him upon the abdomen with a force that deprived him for awhile of breath, and tore it open, so that when he rose his bowels fell upon his knees. He at first supposed that it was his powder-horn that had fallen upon his knees, but looking down, saw his entrails. The dam then repeated her blow, striking him upon the left cheek, the forenail entering just below the left eye, and tore out the cheek-bone, a part of the jaw, including three teeth, maimed his tongue, and tor^ down the flesh so that it hung upon his left shoulder. He now fell back exhausted with the loss of blood, and being 272 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. conquered, the bears ceased to molest him. But consciousness was not gone ; he heard them walk off. He lay some time. He opened and shut his hands, and found he had not lost the use of them. He moved his neck, and found it had its natural motion. He then raised himself up into a sitting posture, and gathering up some grass, put it first to his left eye and cheek to wipe off the blood, but found that it struck the bone. He then passed it to his right cheek, wiped down the blood, and opening his eye, found he could see clearly. He saw his gun, powder-horn, and knife scattered about. He then got up, having bound his wounds. He had at this time no clothing upon his body but the moccasin upon his left foot. He took his gun, re-primed it, and while in the act of priming, heard the peculiar noise this animal utters, and turning, saw the old bear close upon him. He put the muzzle into her mouth, and again missed fire. All hope now was lost, and all idea of resistance. They pawed and tore him at will, he knows not how long. At one time they seized him by the neck and dragged him some distance. They then once more left him. After they left him, he lay some time. He then bethought himself that possibly he might still be able to rise and return to his camp, which was not distant. After some exertion and pre- paration, he got up, and again took his gun and powder-horn and knife. He picked the flint, addressing his gun, saying, " that the bears could not i • U it, and that he hoped the gun would have more courage," &c., and putting it on his shoulder, commenced his way to his camp. He had not proceeded far when the snorting of the old dam before him reminded him of his danger. He found his limbs stiff and swollen, and that he could not bring up the gun to his shoul- der to take aim. He held it before him, and when the dam, still in front, advanced near him, fired at her head, and the ball entered just behind the shoulder. She fell dead. He saw the smoke issue from the wound. One of the yearlings now rose on his hind paws and growled. He raise(i his knife (which was in his left hand, upon which the gun rested on firing), and made a pass at the bear, which the latter avoided by throwing himself to one side. The third bear now rose up before him. but at a greater distance than the second, and PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. 273 way wled. the latter now ,and he made a pass at him, but found him out of reach. Yet the bear threw himself to one side, as the former had done. Having them now on the run, he followed a short distance, but soon felt very faint. A darkness seemed before his eyes, and he sank down. In this act the blood gushed from his body. This appeared to relieve him. After sitting some time, he rose and proceeded homeward. He saw no more of the two year- ling bears. Before reaching the lodge, he was met by a party who had been seeking him. As he walked along, he felt some- thing striking the calf of his right' leg, and found it to be a piece of flesh from his thigh behind. There were six open holes in his body through which air escaped, one in each side, one in his . breast, abdomen, and stomach, besides the torn cheek. He found, on reaching home, he could not speak, but, after being bandaged, his utterance revived. On the next day the physician from the forks of Red River arrived and attended him. 20th, Annamikens resumed his narrative : — " On the next day, I have said, the doctor arrived, but not hav- ing medicine sufiScient to dress all my wounds, he put what he had on the principal wounds. On the same day my brother and the party who had separated on the council-ground also arrived. They remained that and the next day, and on the third day all moved for Pembina. To carry me they constructed a litter, carried by four persons; but I found the motion too great to endure. They then formed a bier by fastening two poles to a horse's sides, and placing such fixtures upon them, behind the horse, as to permit my being carried. I found this motion easier to endure. The Chippewas accompanied me, and were resolved, if I died, to go immediately to war against the Sioux. My condition was, at this moment, such that they hourly expected my death. I was pre- pared for it, and directed that I should be buried at the spot where I might die. On the third day we reached* Pembina. For nine days I resisted food, feigning that I could not eat, but wishing to starve myself, as I was so disfigured and in- jured that I had no wish to survive, and would have been ashamed to show myself in such a state. On the ninth day ray hunger was so great that I called for a piece of fish, and swal- lowed it ; in about two hours after I called for another piece of fish, and also ate it. Six days after my arrival, Mr. Plavier, and 18 274 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. another priest from Red Biver, arrived to baptize me. I resisted, saying that if there was no hope of living I would consent, bat not otherwise. After fifteen days, I was so much recovered that the priest returned, as I had every appearance of recovery. I would neither permit white nor Indian doctors to attend me after my arri- val ; but had myself regularly washed in cold water, my wounds kept clean, and the bandages properly attended to. In about one month from the time I coultl walk ; but it was two years before the wounds were closed." I requested Dr. Z. Pitcher, the Post surgeon, to examine Annamikens, with a view to test the narrative, and to determine on the capacity of the human frame to survive such wounds. He found portions of the cheek-bones gone, and cicatrices of fearful extent upon that and other parts of the body, which gave the narrative the appearance of truthfulness. On returning from Green Bay, I gave my attention, with re- newed interest, to the means of expediting the completion of the Agency buildings, and occupying the lot and grounds. I have alluded to the success of my reference of this subject to the Secre- tary of War, in 1825. A site was selected on a handsomely elevated bank of the river, covered with elms, about half a mil© east of the fort, where the foundation of a spacious building and office were laid in the autumn of 1826, and the frame raised as early in the ensuing spring as the snow left the ground. Few sites command a more varied or magnificient view. The broad and limpid St. Mary, nearly a mile wide, runs in front of the grounds. The Falls, whose murmuring sound falls pleasantly on the ear, are in plain view. The wide vista of waters is per- petually filled by canoes and boats passing across to the opposite settlement on the British shore. The picturesque Indian costume gives an oriental cast to the moving panorama. The azure moun- tains of Lake Superior rise in the distance. Sailing vessels and steamboats from Detroit, Cleaveland, and Buffalo, occasionally glide by, and to this wide and magnificent view, as 8e<::n by daylight, by sunset, and by moonlight, the frequent displays of aurora borealis give an attraction of no ordinary force. In selecting this spot, I had left standing a large part of the fine elms, maples, mountain ash, and other native forest trees, and the building was, in fact, embowered by tall clumps of the richest Yl'" PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 275 the and r>Koat foliage. I indulged an early taste in horticulture, and planting trees to add to the natural attractions of the spot, which, from the chief trees upon it, was named "Elmwood," and every flowering plant and fruit that would thrive in the climate, was tried. Part of the grounds were laid down in grass. Portions of them on the water's edge that were low and quaggy, were sowed with the redtop, which will thrive in very moist soil, and gives it firmness. The huilding was ample, containing fifteen rooms, including the office, and was executed, in all respects, in the best modern style. In addition to these arrangements for insuring domestic com- fort and official respect, my agency abroad among the tribes was now well established, to the utmost sources of the Mississippi. The name and power of " Chimoqemon" (American) among the northern tribes, was no longer a term of derision, or uncertainty of character. The military post established at these ancient falls, where the power of France was first revealed as early as 1652; the numerous journeys I had made into the interior, often in com- pany with the highest civil and military functionaries; the pre- sents annually issued ; the firm basis of a commissariat for all visiting and indigent Indians ; the mechanics employed for their benefit ; the control exercised over the fur traders, and the gene- ral effects of American opinions and manners; had placed the agency in the very highest point of view. It was a frontier agency, in immediate juxtaposition with Canada and Hudson's Bay, fifteen hundred miles of whose boundary closed upon them, separated only by the chain of lakes and rivers. Questions of national policy frequently came up, and tended much to augment the interest, which grew out of the national intercourse. I had now attained that position of repose and quiet which were so congenial to my mind. The influence I exercised ; the respect I enjoyed, both as an officer and as a scientific and literary man ; every circumstance, in fact, that can add to the enjoyment of a mah of moderate desires, seeking to run no political race, was calculated to insure my happiness. And I was happy. No part of my life had so completely all the elements of entire con- tentment, as my residence at the wild and picturesque homestead of Elmwood. I removed my family to this spot in October, hav- ing now a little daughter to enlarge my family circle, and take 276 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. away, in a measure, the solitariness effected by t^e loss of my ion> William Henry. tj. la Sig2*r»sj>a7*?«. i ».*«.' • iPi^a . I resumed my Indian researches with twofold interest. The public duties of an agent for Indian affairs, if an industrious man, leave him a good deal of leisure on his hands, and, in a position so remote as this, if a man have no inclination for studies or belles lettres, he must often be puzzled to employ his leisure. I amused myself by passing from one literary study to another, and this is ever refreshing to the mind, which tires of one thing. Thus, such amusements as the Appeal of Pontiac, Ri»e of the Weat, and the Man of Bronze^ found place among graver matters. In this manner, a man without literary society may amuse and instruot himself. I . .,..«;., ..Kr- 1. . '•':...■;..,_■....;/,''' ,'s „. • ','... .; ■, ..'.' Nov. lit. I have been elected a member of the Legislative Council of the territory — an oflSce not solicited, and which is not declined. Party spirith as not yet reached and distracted this territory. So far as I know^ political divisions of a general cha- racter, have not entered into society. The chief magistrate is an eminently conservative man, and by his moderation of tone and suavity of manners, has been instrumental in keep- ing political society in a state of tranquillity. All our parties have been founded on personal preference. If there has been any more general principles developed in the legislature, it has been a promptly debt paying, and a not promptly debt paying party — a non divorce, and a divorce party, I have been ever of the former class of thinkers ; and shall let my votes tell for the right and good old way — i. e. ]^&y your debts and keep your wife. Dec. 22d. My study of the Indian language and history has not only enlarged my own sources of intellectual gratification, but it has, without my seeking it, procured me a number of highly intellectual philosophic correspondents, whose letters operate as an aliment to further exertion. My natural assiduity is thus continually stimulated, and I find myself begrudging a single hour, spent in gossiping hum-drum society — for even here there is society, or an apology for society. The editor of the North American Review, inviting me to write for its pages, says (Sept. Ist): "Your knowledge and experience will enable you to say much concerning the western country, and its aboriginal inhabitants, which will be interesting to the commu- PERSONAL UBM0IR8. 277 hity of readers.. You cannot be too full in your facts and reflec- tions on^ Indians and Indian character." Judge H. Ohipman, of Detroit, says (Oct. 21st): "If it were just cause of offence, that men should estimate differently the merits of opposing candidates, popular elections would be the greatest curse that could be inflicted upon a people." Mr. Everett (Hon. E.) says: "I beg leave to unite with Mr. Sparks in expressing the hope that you will become a contributor to its pages {North American Review), as often as your leisure, the seasonableness of topics, and the appearance of works to be noticed, may admit." ' -- t. .. ; -. ,...., ■• r, : ,> . 24fA. This day brought one of Mr. Johnston's warm-hearted notes, to take a Christmas dinner with him to-morrow. " I anti- cipate," he says, "great pleasure in seeing many dear relatives about me, on one of the greatest festivals the world has ever witnessed." It was the last festival of that kind he ever enjoyed, though nothing could be further from our imaginations then ; for before its recurrence in 1828, we were called to follow his body to the grave. .■;7».i^> 278 ■I 'T •:■,■'/ -!' '.y. PBRSONAL MBHOIRS. ■*"' '.'■''■< ' ■ .'(r* I f' t ■V;..r-ir/ ■•■ -J^; J'T CHAPTER XXX. Retrospect — United States Exploring Expedition to the South Sea — Hamanity . of on Indian — Trip to Detroit from the Icy Straits — Incidental action of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Historical Societies, and of the Montreal , Natural History Society— United States Exploring Expedition — Climato- logy — La ke yessels ill found — Poetic view of the Indian — United States " Exploring Expedition — Theory of the interior world — Natural History — United States Exploring Expedition. — History of early legiulation in Michigan — Return to St. Mary's — Death of Governor De Witt Clinton. 1828. January \%t. — During ten years, omitting 1823, I had now performed, each year, a journey or expedition of more or less peril and adventure in the great American wilderness, west of the Alleghanies. I had now attained a point, ardently sought, for many years, where I was likely to be permitted to sit down quietly at home, and leave traveling to others. I had, in fact, just re- moved into a quiet home, a retired, convenient, tasteful, and even elegant seat, which filled every wish of retired intellectual enjoy- ment, where I was encompassed by books, studies, cabinets, and domestic affections. At this moment, when there appeared nothing in the prospect to call me to new fields of observation, I was elected a member of the legislative council, which opened a civic and quite different scene of duties. This step, I found, pleased my friends. The executive of the territory writes from Detroit, February 22d : " We have understood that you have been elected a member of the legislative council, and there is a prevalent wish that this report may prove true. I mention the subject now, to inform you that the council will probably be convened about the beginning of May, in order that you may make the necessary preparations for visiting this place at that time." Feh. K>th. An exploring expedition for discoveries in the South Sea, has, for some time, been under consideration in the Senate of the United States, to be organized in the navy, and to go out under PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 279 the patronage of the Secretary, Mr. Southard. Mr. G. N. Rey- nolds invites me to take a position in the scientific corps, to ac- company it, under an official sanction. A friend from Washington writes me (Feb. 6th), on the same topic : " Whether matrimony has stripped you of your erratic notions and habits, ' and brought you within narrower limits,' or whether the geography of the earth is no longer of interest to you, I cannot, of course, pretend to say. But considering you, as I do, a devotee to science, I had thought it possible that you might feel a desire to engage in her cause to the South, by occupying some eminent sta- tion in the expedition." The reasons which I have mentioned, at the opening of the year, have inclined me to seek repose from further travel. Besides which, my position as a married man, and the peculiar relations I have thereby assumed, impress me, very deeply, with the opinion that my sphere of duty, whatever may be my ambition, lies nearer at home than the proposed and very attractive field of discovery. I therefore wrote declining the ofiFer. April 7th. A Domestic Curtain Lifted. — My sister Helen Margaret writes, from New York : "This afternoon, as I was sitting by the fire, having become the prey of ill health, a thought struck my mind to write a few lines to you, not, however, to give you much news, but merely to acquaint you that we are still in the land of the living, and that, though our friends are far removed, we still live among them in imagination. Yes, dear brother, believe me, my imagination has often wandered, and passed hours with you — hours, during the silence of the night, which should have been sacred to sleep. " I have been out of health about five weeks; the complaint under which I labor is chronic inflammation of the liver, but I have, under the pain of sickness, forced my mind to forget its troubles. Most of my time, last winter, has been spent with Debby ; while at home, my time has been devoted to reading, mapping, and the study of philosophy. " Probably James has acquainted you of the illness of Margaret. She is now very low, and is, to all human appearance, soon to leave this world for a better, ' where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest.' Her sufferings are great; she has not been able to sit up. more than nine minutes at one time, for two 280 PERSONAL UBM0IR8. montha. Hor mind is calm. She is ready and willing to leave this vain Trorld, whenever it is the will of God to take her. " Mother's health is poor, and has been during all last winter ; yet notwithstanding her daily sufferings, in her harassed body, she vigorously wrestles with ill luok. As it pains mo to write, I must olose with a few words. I have frequently thought, should I be bereft of my mother, what other friend, like her, would watch over the uneasy hours of sickness ? What other friend would bear its petulance, and smooth its feverish pillow?" This proved to be her last earthly message to me. She died on the 12th of April, 1829, aged twenty-three. ISth. I, "this day, had an official visit from Magisaunikwa (Wampum-hair), a Chippewa Indian, who, recently, rescued the Inspector of Customs of the place, John Agnew, Esq., from drown- ing. This gentleman was returning from Mackinac, on the ice, with a train de glity drawn by dogs. Having ascended the straits to the rapids of the South Nebishe channel, he found the ice faulty and rotten, and, after some exertions to avoid the bad places, fell in, with train and dogs. The struggle to get out only involved him worse, and, overcome by fatigue and false footings, he at length gave over the strife, and, but as a last resort, uttered a yell. It chanced that Magisaunikwa was encamped in the woods, at a distance, and, with the ever ready ear of the aborigines, caught the sounds and came to his relief. By this time he had relinquished the struggle, and resigned himself to his fate. By arts known to a people who are familiar with such dangers, he rescued him from the water, but in an insensible state. He then put the body on a sled and drew it to his lodge, where ho disrobed it, and, placing it before the fire, succeeded in restoring him. I invested him with a silver medal for the act, and gave him a chiefs flag, with goods and cutlery, &c. to the value of above fifty dollars. My attention was now turned to Detroit : " You are elected," says a friend, " a member of the council. It is essential you should be here as speedily as possible. Leave everything to Audrain, and come down. You can return before the busy season." 27th. I left the Sault this day, for Detroit, to attend the Legislative Council. Patches of snow still lined the banks of the St. Mary's, and fields of ice were yet in Muddy Lake. It was not PERSONAL MBHOIRB. 2' until entering the St. Clair, and passing dxcite among civilized people, and in the further hope that it might prove a stimulus to the lukewarm benevolence of others, if, indeed, any of the natives can be justly accused of lukewarmness in this respect. On visiting Fort Brady, Lt. C. F. Morton, of N Y., presented him a sword- knot, belt, &c. Some other presents were, I believe, mac'e him, in addition to those given him by Mr. Agnew himself. 18th. Miscomonetoes (the Red Insect, or Red Devil; the term may mean both), and family and followers, twelve persons in all, visited the office. His personal appearance, and that of his family, bespoke wretchedness, and appeared to give force to his strong complaints against the traders who visit Ottowa Lake and the headwaters of Chippewa River of the Mississippi. He observed that the prices they are compelled to pay are extortionate, that their lands are quite destitute of the larger animals, and that the beaver is nearly destroyed. He also complained of white and half-breed hunters intruding on their grounds, whose means for trapping and killing animals are superior to those of the Indians. According to his statement, as high as four plu^ (about $20) have been paid for a fathom of strouds, and the same for a two-and-a-half point blanket, two plus for a pair of scarlet leggins, &c. IStk. Ten separate parties of Indians, numbering ninety-four souls, presented themselves at the office this day, in addition to the above, from various parts of the interior, and were heard on the subject of their wants and wishes. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 293 19th. Quelle Plat repeated his visit with his followers, and made a speech, in which he took a v'ew of his intercourse with the English and Americans. He had passed his youth in the plains west of Red River, and was first drawn into an intercourse with the British agents at Fort William (L. S.), where he received a medal from the late Wm. McGilvray. This medal was taken by Lieut. Pike, on visiting Leech Lake, in 1806. He has visited the agency at St. Peter's, but complains that his path to that post has been marked with blood. He was present during the attack made upon the Chippewa camp »■ 7 the Sioux, near Fort Snelling, in the summer of 1827. Is not satisfied with the adjustment of this affair, but is inclined to peace, and has recommended it to his young men. They can never, however, he says, count upon the good-will of the enemy, and are obliged to live in a constant state of preparation for war. They go out to hunt as if they were going on a war party. They often meet the Sioux and smoke with them, but they cannot confide in them. Speaking of the authority exercised over their country for the purpose of trade, he said : " The Americans are not our masters ; the English are not our masters ; the country is ours." He wished that traders should be allowed to visit them who would sell their goods cheaper, and said that more than one trader at each trading post was desired by him and his people. He modestly disclaimed authority over his band ; said he was no chief. The Indians sometimes followed his advice ; but they oftener followed their own will. He said Indians were fond of change, and were always in hopes of finding things better in another place. He believed it would be better if they would not rove so much. He had ever acted on this principle, and recom- mended it. He had never visited this place before, but now that he had come this far, it was his wish to go to Michilimackinac, of which he had heard much, and desired to see it. He was in hopes his journey would prove of some service to him, &c. He solicited a rifle and a hat. The Breche, alias Catawabeta (Broken Tooth), entered the ofiiee with one or two followers, in company with the preceding. Seeing the office crowded, he said he would defer speaking till anotler day. This venerable chief is the patriarch of the region around Sandy Lake, on the Upper Mississippi. He made his first visit 294 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. to mo a few days after tho landing of the troops at this post, in 1822. In turning to some minutes of that date, I find he pro- nounced himself "the friend and advocate of peace," and he referred to facts to prove that his practice had been in accordance with his professions. He discountenanced the idea of the Indians taking part in our wars. He said he was a small boy at the taking of old Mackinac (1763). The French wished him to take up the war-club, but ho refused. The English afterwards thanked him for this, and requested him to raise the tomahawk in their favor, but he refused. The Americans afterwards thanked him for this refusal, but they did not ask him to go to war. " They all talked of peace," he said, "but still, though they talk of peace, the Sioux continue to make war upon us. Very lately they killed three people." The neutral policy which this chief so early unfolded, I have found quite characteristic of his oratory, though his political feelings are known to be decidedly favorable to the British government. Omeeshug, widow of Ningotook, of Leech Lake, presented a memor«adum given by me to her late husband, during my attendance at the treaty of PrJrie du Chien, in 1825, claiming a medal for her infant son, in exchange for a British medal which had been given up. On inquiry, the medal surrendered originally belonged to Waukimmenas, a prior husband, by whom she also had a son named Tinnegans {Shoulder Blade), now a man grown, and an active and promising Indian. I decided the latter to be the rightful heir, and intrusted a new medal of the second size to Mr. Roussain, to be delivered to him on his arrival at Leech Lake, with the customary formalities. lauwind announced himself as having arrived yesterday, with twenty-eight followers belonging to the band of Fond du Lac. He had, it appeared, visited Drummond Island, and took occa- sion in his speech to intimate that he had not been very favor- ably received. Before closing, he ran very nearly through the catalogue of Indian wants, and trusted his " American father" would supply them. He concluded by presenting a pipe. I in- formed him that he had not visited Drummond's in ignorance of my wishes on the subject, and that if he did not receive the pre- sents he expected from me, he could not mistake the cause of their being withheld. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 295 The Red Devil came to take leave, as he had sent his canoe to the head of the rapids, and v " ready to embark. He made a very earnest and vehement speech, in which he onoe more de- picted the misery of his condition, and begged earnestly that I would consider the forlorn and impoverished situation of himself and his young men. He presented a pipe. I told him it was contrary to the commands of his great father, the President, that presents should be given to any of his red children who disregarded his wishes so much as to continue their visits to foreign agencies. That such visits were very injurious to them both in a moral and economical point of view. That they thereby neglected their hunting and gardens, contracted diseases, and never failed to indulge in the most im- moderate use of strong drink. That to procure the latter, they would sell their presents, pawn their ornaments, &c., and, I verily believed, were their hands and feet loose, they would pawn them, BO as to be forever after incapable of doing anything towards their own subsistence. I told him that if, under such circumstances, I should give him, or any other Indian, provisions to carry them home, they must not construe it into any approbation of their late conduct, but must ascribe it wholly to feelings of pity and com- miseration for their situation, &c. Mongazid (the Loon's Foot), a noted speaker, and Jossa- keed, or Seer of Fond du Lac, arrived in the afternoon, attended by eleven persons. He had scarcely exchanged salutations with me when he said that his followers and himself were in a starving condition, having had very little food for several days. Oshogay (the Osprey), solicited provisions to return home. This young man had been sent down to deliver a speech from his father, Kabamappa, of the river St. Croix, in which he re- gretted his inability to come in person. The father had first attracted my notice at the treaty of Prairie du Chien, and after- wards received a small medal, by my recommendation, from the Commissioners at Fond du Lac. He appeared to consider him- self under obligations to renew the assurance of his friendship, and this, with the hope of receiving some presents, appeared to constitute the object of his son's mission, who conducted himself with more modesty and timidity before me than prudence after- wards ; for, by extending his visit to Drummond Island, where 296 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. both he and his father were unknown, he got nothing, and forfeited the right to claim anything for himself on his return here. I sent, however, in his charge, a present of goods of small amount, to be delivered to his father, who has not countenanced his foreign visit. Thirteen separate parties, amounting to one hundred and eighty- three souls, visited the office and received issues of provisions this day. 21at. Mikkeingwum, of Ottoway Lake, made complaint that his canoe had been stolen, and he was left with his family on tho beach, without the means of returning. On inquiring into the facts, and finding them as stated, I purchased and presented him a canoe of a capacity suitable to convey his family home. Chianokwut (Lowering Cloud), called Terns Convert by the French, principal war chief of Leech Lake, addressed me in a speech of some length, and presented a garnished war-club, which he requested might be hung up in the office. He said that it was not presented as a hostile symbol. He had done using it, and he wished to put it aside. He had followed the war path much in his youth, but he was now getting old, and he desired peace. He had attended the treaty of Prairie du Chien, to assist in fixing the lines of their lands. He recollected the good counsel given to him at that place. He should respect the treaty, and his ears were open to the good advice of his great American father, the President, to whose words he had listened for the last ten years. He referred to the treachery of the Sioux, their frequent violation of treaties, &c. He hoped they should hear no bad new» (alluding to the Sioux) on their return home, &c. Wabishke Penais (the White Bird) solicited food. This young chief had volunteered to carry an express from the Sub-agency of La Pointe in the spring, and now called to announce his in- tention of returning to the upper part of Lake Superior. His attachment to the American government, his having received a small medal from his excellency Governor Cass, on his visit to the Ontonagon River, in 1826, added to the circumstance of his Laving served as a guide to the party who visited the mass of nutive copper in that quarter in 1820, had rendered him quite un- popular with his band, and led to his mxgration farther west. He appears, however, recently to have reassumed himself of success, PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. 297 and is as anxious as ever to recommend himself to notice. This anxiety is, however, carried to a fault, being unsupported by an equal degree of good sense. Annamikens (Little Thunder), a Chippewa of mixed blood, from Red River, expressed a wish to speak, preparatory to his re- turn, and drew a vivid outline of his various journeys on the fron- tier, and his intercourse with the Hudson's Bay and Canadian governments. This man had rendered himself noted upon the frontier by a successful encounter with three grizzly bears, and the hairbreadth escape he had made from their clutches. He made, however, no allusion to this feat, in his speech, but referred in general terms to the Indians present for testimonies of his cha- racter as a warrior and hunter. He said he had now taken the American government fast by the hand, and offered to carry any counsel I might wish to send to the Indians on Red River, Red Lake, &c., and to use his influence in causing it to bo re- spected. His appeal to the Indians, was subsequently responded to by the chief, ]'em3 Couvert, who fully confirmed his statements, &c. Dugah Beshue (Spotted Lynx), of Pelican Lake, requested another trader to be sent to that place. Complains of the high prices of goods, the scarcity of animals, and the great poverty to vhich they are reduced. Says the traders are very rigorous in their dealings ; that they take their furs from their lodges without ceremony, and that ammunition, in particular, is so high they cannot get skins enough to purchase a supply. Visited by nine parties, comprising ninety-one souls. 22d, Received visits from, and issued provisions to eighty-one persons. 2Sd. Wayoond applied for food for his family, consisting of six persons, saying that they had been destitute for some time. I found, on inquiry, that he had been drinking for several days previous, and his haggard looks sufficiently bespoke the excesses he had indulged in. On the following day, being in a state of partial delirium, he ran into the river, and was so far exhausted before ho could be got out, that he died in the course of the night. It is my custom to bury all Indians who die at the post, at the public expense. A plain coffin, a new blanket, and shirt, and 298 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. digging a grave, generally comprisea this expense, which is paid out of the contingent fund allowed the office. Mizyc (the Catfish) called on me, being on hia return voyage from Drummond Island, begging that I would give him some food to enable him to reach his home at La Pointo. This Indian has the character of being very turbulent, and active in the propaga- tion of stories calculated to keep up a British feeling amongst the Indians of Lapointe. The reprimands he has received, would probably have led him to shun the office, were ho not prompted by hunger, and the hope of relief. Whole number of visitors one hundred and thirty-five. 24th. Mongazid entered the office with hia ornamented pipe, and pipe-bearer, and expressed his wish to apeak. He went at some length into the details of his own life, and the history of the Fond du Lac band, with which he appears to bo very well ac- quainted. Referred to the proofs he had given of attachment to government, in his conduct at the treaties of Prairie du Chien and Fond du Lac; and to his services as a speaker for the Fond du Lac band, which had been acknowledged by the Chippewaa generally, and procured him many followers. Said the influence of the old chief at Fond du Lac (Sappa) had declined, as his own had extended, &c. He complained in general terms of the conduct of the traders of that post, but did not specify any acts. Said he had advised his young men to assent to their father's request re- specting the copper lands on Lake Superior, &c. Having alluded in his speech to the strength of the band, and the amount of their hunt, I asked him, after he had seated him- self, what was the population of Fond du Lac post. He replied, with readiness, two hundred and twenty, of whom sixty-six were males grown, and fifty-four hunters. He said that these fifty-four hunters had killed during the last year (1828) nine hundred and ninety-four bears — that thirty -nine packs of furs were made at the post, and ninety packs in the whole department. Grosse Guelle made a formal speech, the drift of which was to show his influence among the Indians, the numerous places in which he had acted in an official capacity for them, and the proofs of attachment he had given to the American government. He rested his merits upon these points. He said he and his people had visited the agency on account of what had been promised at PERSONAL MBMOIRS. 299 Fonil du Lac. Several of his people had, however, gone home, fearing sickness ; others had gone to Drummond Island for their presents. For himself, ho said, he should remain content to take vrhat his American father should see fit to offer him. I inquired of him, if his influence with his people and attach- ment to the American government were such as he had represented, how it came, that so many of the Sandy Lake Indians, of whom he was the chief, had gone to Drummond Island? Shingabowossin requested that another Chippewa interpreter might bo employed, in which he was seconded by Kagayosh (A Bird in Everlasting Flight), Wayishkee, and Shewabekaton, chiefs of the homo band. They did not wish me to put the present interpreter out of his place, but hoped I would be able to employ another one, whom they could better understand, and who could understand them better. They pointed out a person whom they would be pleased with. But his qualifications extended only to a knowledge of the Chippewa and French languages. He was deficient in moral cha- racter and trustworthiness ; and it was sufficiently apparent that the person thus recommended bad solicited them to make this novel application. 2Sth. The wife of Metakoossega (Pure Tobacco) applied for food for her husband, whom she represented as being sick at his lodge, and unable to m j hirnself. The peculiar features and defective Chippewa piouunciution of this woman indicated her foreign origin. She \i n Sioux by birth, having been taken cap- tive by the Chipp*was when quite young. A residence of proba- bly thirty year* has not been sufficient to give her a correct knowledge of the principles or pronunciation of the language. She often applies animate verbs and adjectives to inanimate nouns, &c., a proof, perhaps, that no such distinctions are known in her native tongue. Cliacopa, a chief of Snake River, intimated his wish to be heard. He said he had visited the agency in the hope that some respect* w^uld be shown the medal he carried. The govern- ment had thought him worthy of this honor; the traders had also thought him deserving of it; and many of the young men of * This term was not meant to apply to personal rt-spoct, but to presents of goods. 300 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. Snake River looked up to him to speak for them. "But what," he asked, "can I say? My father knows how we live, and what we want. We are always needy. My young men are expecting something. I do not speak for myself; but I must ask my father to take compassion on those who have followed me, &c. We ex- pect, from what our gvoat father said to us at the treaty of Fond du Lac, that they would all be clothed yearly." Ahkakanongwa presented a note from Mr. Johnston, Sub- agent at La Pointe, recommending him as " a peaceable and obedi- ent Indian." He requested permission to be allowed to take a keg of whisky inland on his return, and to have a permit for it in writing. I asked him the name of the trader who had sold him the liquor, and who had sent him to ask this permit. Wayoond's widow requested provisions to enable her to return to her country. Granted. 30,K '..V 820 PrarSONAL MEMOIRS. ! peii^ct ill cordance with the plan of such a continuation, you would embou V" UiUch valuable detail in relation to the history and condi- tion of this section of the country for the last thirty your-!. You must, doubtless, have ac(oss to all the existing matt;;;jl£, raid to many sources of authentu information, which could, very a/>pro- priatolj?, be given to the public in such a form." 15 Fort Gratiot, ut tho foot of Lake Huron, proposes .'he embiivcin^' of natural hi.?torj aviiong its Ptndiea. Ho finds his position, at tb')t point, to be sU.t unfavombk in some .\.-pects, and not much, if anything, suT.erior to what it '■■■.vs fit ^"t. !M.ary';>, 27i/?. FiscAJ, 'Vinpi^EXiTiES of the Department, — These were alluded to befoj a. No improvement appears, but we are all destined to suiier. A friend, who is veised in the subject, writes from Wash- ington : "• The fiict is, that nothing could be worse managed than the fiscal concerns of the department. Not the slightest regard has been paid to the apportionment made, and there is now due to our super- intenden-^y more than the sum of ^40,000. You can well conceive how this happens, and I have neither time nor patience to enter into the details ; suffice it to say, that I am promised by the Secre- tary that the moment the appropriation law passes, which will pro- bably be early in January, every dollar of arrearages shall be paid off. This is all the consolation I can furnish you, and, I suppose I need not say that I have left no stone unturned to effect a more desirable result. It is manifest, however, that the whole depart- ment will be exceedingly pressed for funds next year, as a consi- derable part of the appropriation must be assigned to the payment of arrearages, which have been suffered to accumulate ; and it is not considered expedient, in the present state of affairs, to ask for a specific appropriation. It will require at least two y( ars to bring our fiscal concerns to a healthy state." In fact, to meet these embarrassments, many retr ; > nents be- came necessary; scr t sub-agencies were drawv* in f i the Indian country, mechanic. . I interpreters were dismi :■ id things put on the very lowest scale of expenditure. PBR60XAL MEMOIRS. 821 CHAPTER XXXIV* Political horizon — Ahmo Society — Incoming of Gen. Jackson's administration — Amusements of the winter — Pieace policy among the Indians — Revival at Mackinac-^Money crisis — Idea of Lake tides — New Indian code — Anti-maeonry — Missions among the Indians — Copper mines — The policy respecting them settled — Whisky among the Indians — Fur trade— ^ Legislative council — Mackinac mission — Officers of Wayne's war — His- torical Society of Michigan — Improved diurnal press. 1829. Jan. \9,U The administration of John Quincy Adama now draws to a close, and that of Gren. Jackson is anticipated to commence. Political things shape themselves for these events. The close of the old year and the opening of the new one have been remarkable for heralding many rumors of change which precede the incoming of the new administration. Many of these relate to the probable composition of Gen. Jackson's cabinet. Among the persons named in my letters is Gov. Cass, who haa attracted a good deal of exterior notoriety during the last year. Within the territory, his superiority of talents and energy have never been questioned. Michigan would have much to lament by such a transference, for it is to be feared that party rancor, which he has admirably kept down, would break forth in all its accustomed violence. . Vlth, Ahmo Society. — Under this aboriginal term, which signifies a bee, the ladles of the fort and village have organized themselvea into a ge'dng society for benevolent purposes. I find myaolf ' :i!Or( with a letter of thanks from them by their secretary, Mrs. E. 3. Russell. T . dy, the example of Dorcas was not mentioned iii yain in the Scriptures, for its r ffecii; is to excite the benevolent and charitable everywhere to ds likewise. Every such little influence helps to make society better, and aids its sources of pleasing "nd self-sustaining reflection. 21 ..tML^ , 822 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. February \2t1i. A letter from the editor of the North American Review acknowledges the receipt of a paper to appear in its columns. March 4th. The administration of the government this day passes into the hands of a man of extraordinary individuality of character, indomitable will, high purpose, and decided moral cou- rage. He was fighting the Creeks and Seminoles when I first went to the West, and they told the most striking anecdotes of him, illus- trating each of these traits of character. Ten or eleven years have carried him into the presidential chair. Such is the popular feeling with respect to military achievements and strong individuality of character. Men like to follow one who shows a capacity to lead. Zlst. The winter has passed with less effect from the intensity of its cold and external dreariness, from the fact of my being en- Bconsed in a new house, with double window-Sashes, fine storm- houses, plenty of maple fuel, books, and studies. Besides the fruitful theme of the Indian language, I amused myself, in the early part of the season, by writing a review for one of the periodicals, and with keeping up, throughout the season, an extensive corre- spondence with friends and men of letters in various parts of the Union. I revised and refreshed myself in some of my early studies. I continued to read whatever I could lay my hands on respecting the philosophy of language. Appearances of spring — the more deepened sound of the falls, the floating of large cakes of ice from the great northern depository, Lake Superior, and the return of some early species of ducks and other birds — presented themselves as harbingers of spring almost unawares, it is still wintry cold during the nights and mornings, but there is a degree of solar heat at noon which betokens the speedy decline of the reign of frosts and snows. '" Indians, to whom the rising of the sap in its capillary ves S6.d in the rock-maple is the sign of a sort of carnival, are now in the midst of their season of sugar-making. It is one of their old customs to move, men, women, children, and dogs, to their accus- tomed sugar-forests about the 20th of March. Besides the quan- tity of maple-sugar that all eat, which bears no small proportion to all that is made, some of them sell a quantity to the mer- chants. Their name for this species of tree is In-in-au-tig, which means man-tree. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 328 April 5th. Peace Policy. — The agent from La Pointe, in Lake Superior, writes: "My express-man from the Fond du Lac arrived on the 31st of last month, by whom I learned that the Leech Lake Indians were unsuccessful in their war excursion last fall, not having met with their enemies, the Sioux, and I trust my communication with Mr. Aitkin will be in time to check parties that may be forming in the spring. " The state of the Indians throughout the country is generally in a critical way of starvation, the wild-rice crops and bear-hunts having completely failed last fall." 2Ut. Revival of Religion at Mackinac. — My brother James, who crossed the country on snow-shoes, writes : " Mr. Stuart, Satterlee, Mitchell, Miss N. Dousman, Aitken, and some twenty others, have joined Ferry's church." This may be considered as the crowning point of the Reverend Mr. Ferry's labors at that point. This gentleman, if I mistake not, came up in the same steamer with me seven years ago. It is seed — seed literally sown in the wilderness, and reaped in the wilderness. 2dth. Money Crisis. — "The fact is,' says a person high in power, " the fiscal concerns of the department have come to a dead stand, and nothing remains but to ascertain the arrearages, and pay them up. You well know how all this has happened (by diversions and misappropriations of the funds at Washington). Such management you can form no conception of. There will be, during the year, a thorough change. "I was glad to see your article. It is an able, and tempe- rate, and practical view of the subject (i\r. A. B., Ap. 1829), grossly exaggerated, and grossly misunderstood." May l^th. Idea of Lake Tides. — Maj. W. writes : " If you see Sillman'a Journal, you will observe an article on the subject of the Lake Tides, as Gen. Dearborn calls them, in which he has inserted some hasty letters I wrote to him on this subject, without, however, ever expecting to see them in such a respectable guise. The Gover- nor mad' ; ''- more extended observations at Green Bay. If you can give ai ything more definite in relation to the changes of Lake Superior, pray let me have a letter, and we will try to spread be- r^m- 824 PERSONAL MBM0IR8. foro Mr. SilHman a better view of tho case. I have no iJou that luiything in tho shape of a tide exists. Tho Governor ia of tho samo opinion." To those opinioi'1 Y • m m -ely add, Amen. It requires moro exactitude of o' i.i vvt'" ♦! iin falls to tho lot of casual observers, to upset the ounolusiuns of known laws and phenomena. 2(jth. Nrw Indian Code. — Mr. Wing, the delegate in Congress, forwards to me a printed copy of tho renort of laws proposed for the Indian department. It dom ,,0 uiuuu i.^bor en tho part of the two gentlemen who have had it in hand, and will bo productive of impi ovomont. I should have likod a bolder cou'-se, and not so care- ful a respect all along, for what has previously been done. Con- grcsi' re(iuire8, sometimes, to be instructed, or informed, and not to bo copied in its attempts to manago Indian affairs. Every paper brinjjs accounts of removals and appointments under tho new administration ; but nothing, so fur as I can judge, that promises mui^h, in this way, of material benefit to Indian affairs. Tho department at head-quarters h,\s been, so far as respects fiscal questions, wretchedly managed, and in over head and ears ' debt, and the result of all this mal-adrainistration is visited on the fron- tiers, in the bitter want of means for the ag(>nts, sub-agents, and mechanics, and interpreters, who are obliged to be either suspended, or put on short allowance. Doubtless, Gen. Jackson, who is a man of high purpose, would remedy this thing, if tho facts were Itid before him. SOth. Masonr\ -It Ims recently been discovered, that there is a hidden danger in this ancient fraternity, and that society has been all the while ^^iting, as it were, on tb" top of a volcano, liable, at any moment, to burst. S u h, at least, appear to be the views of some politicians, who have seized upon tho foolish and apparently criminal acts of so 10 la-^.-wits in western New York, to make it a new political elem '"or d magogues to ride. Already it has reached these hitherto q^..ec reg ms, and zealots are now busy by conventions, and anxious in hurrying candidates up to the point. "Anti-masonic" is the word, a kind of "shibboleth" for those who are to cross the political " fords" of the new Jordan. PBRSONAi. MEMOIRS. 825 June \»t. MlssiONAKY Ladors among the Indians.— Thoro are evidently Homo defects in the systoin. There is too much expoiidod for costly buildingH, and the formation of u kind of literary insti- tutes of much too high a grade, where some few of the Indians are withdrawn and very expensively supported, and undergo a sort of incarceration for a time, and are then sent buck to the bosom of the tribes, with the elements of the knowledge of letters and his- tory, which their parents and friends are utterly unable to appre- ciate, and which they, in fact, ridicule. The instructed youth is soon discouraged, and they most commonly fall back into habits worse than before, and end their course by inebriety, while the body of the tribe is nowise bettered. Whatever the defects are, there are certainly some things to amend in our measures and general policy. Mr. Stevens and Mr. Coc, both missionaries, have recently been appointed to visit the Indian country, with the object of observing whether some less expensive and more general effort to instruct and benefit the body of the tribes, cannot be made. The latter has a commentatory letter to this end, from Gen. Jackson, dated the 19th of Man li. which denotes an interest on this topic that argues favor- ably c; I shall expect you will be here in the last ves- sel, to attc i^ the meeting of the council, and Mr. Brush speaks with certaiiitj upon the subject. As Mr. Irwin has resigned, and there is no pro , ision for ordering a new election, your district will be wholly unrepresented unless you attend. In the mean time I have received the sum allowed for this service, which you can draw for whenever you please. There is no doubt but the matter will go on. After you arrive here, and we have conversed together, I will restate the project of a more extended expedition, agreeably to your suggestions, and submit it to the department. I agree with you fully, that the thing should be enlarged, to em- brace the persons and objects you suggest. It would be an im- portant expedition, and not a little honorable to ycu, to have the direction of it, as it will be the first authorized by the administra- tion." Winter Session op the Council. — On the 16th of November, I embarked in a large boat at St. Mary's with a view of reaching Mackinack in season to take the last vessel returning down the PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 889 lakes. The weather was hazy, warm, and calm, and we could not descry objects at any considerable distance. If we were not in " Sleepy Hollow" while descending the broad valley and stretched out waters of the St. Mary's, we were, at leas' in such a hazy atmosphere, that our eyes might almost na well have been shut. It seemed an interlude in the weather, Li tween the boisterous winds of autumn and the severe c Ad < '' ^ecem' f^r. In this maze I came down the river safely, an(. pr . o iMackinack, where I remained several days before I foi essel. These were days of pleasing moral intercours< tssi >n. I do not re- collect how many days the voyage i.iMU t it was late in the evening of a day in December, dark ai... uy muddy, when the schooner dropped anchor off the city, and I plodded my way from the shore to the Old Stone Mansion House in Detroit. Historical Discourse. — Mr. Madison, the Ex-president, trans-' mits a very neat and terse note of acknowledgment for a copy of my address, in the following words, which are quite a compensa- tion for the time devoted to its composition : — *' J. Madison, with his respects to Mr. Schoolcraft, thanks him for the copy of his valuable discourse before * the Historical So- ciety of Michigan.' To the seasonable exhortation it gives to others, it adds an example which may be advanta 'eously followed. ((?..,,.- ,, t: ... French Revolution. — This political revolution has come like an avalanche, and the citizens have determined to celebrate it, and have a public address, for which Major Whiting has been desig- nated. Thirty-seven years ago the French cut off the head of the reigning Bourbon, Louis XVI., and now they have called another branch of the same house, of whom Bonaparte said : *' They never learn anything, and they never forget anything." As the French please, however. We are all joy and rejoicing at the event. It seems the consummation of a long struggle. Mr. Ward (Ed. Jour.) writes 25th Dec. : " Will you send me, by the bearer, the lines you showed me in Brush's office. They will be quite apropos next week. Should like to close our form this evening." PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 341 .1 -v f- : • < , .'r.'.--: »^;.'-('>i'',i; , ,' v'.' '; s CHAPTER XXXVI. ' Lecture before the Lyceum — Temperature in the North — Rum and taxes — A mild winter adverse to Indians — Death of a friend — Ghristiau atonement — Threats of a Caliban, or an Indianized white man — Indian emporium — Bringing up children — Youth gone astray — Mount Hope Institution — Ex- pedition into the Indian country — Natural History of the United States — A reminiscence — Voyage inland. 1831. Lecture before the Lyceum. — The executive commit- tee of this popular institution asks me bj a note (Jan. 14th), to lecture before them a short time ahead. Public duty is an ex- cuse, which on such occasions is very generally made by men in office, who in nine cases out of ten seek to conceal the onerous- ness of literary labor under that ample cloak. To me there is no duty more important than that which diverts a town from idle gratifications, and fixes its attention on moral or intellectual themes. Although the notice was short, I determined to sit up a few nights and comply with it. I selected the natural history of Michigan, as a subject very tangible, and one about which a good deal of in- terest could be thrown. I had devoted much interest to it for years — understood it, perhaps, better than any one in the terri- tory, and could lecture upon it eon amove. When the appointed evening arrived, I fotiud a highly respect- able and very crowded audience, in the upper chamber of the old Indian council house. It was certainly a better use of the build- ing than paying the price of blood for white men's and women's scalps, during the fierce seven years' struggle of the American Revolution, and the succeeding Indian wars. My lights were badly placed for reading, and I got on indifferently in that re- spect, for I could not see well, but my facts and matter altogether were well and approvingly received ; and the address was imme- diately published. Temperature at the foot of Lake Superior. — Mr. F. Au- drain writes to me from St. Mary's (Jan. 26th) : " The weather 842 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. has been very mild indeed, here, until within a few days : there \ has not been sufficient snow, as yet, to cover the stubble in the fields. The severe weather commenced on the 28d instant. The thermometer stood as follows : — On the 23d, at 9 o'clock A. M., 11 degrees below zero. 24th, " " 18 " " 25th, " « 2 " " . 26th, « « 1 « . M Rum and Taxes. — A trader at St. Mary's writes (26th Jan.) as follows : " It is the wish of several individuals, who keep stores in the village, to be informed whether the sutler in Fort Brady is not obliged to pay taxes as well as we. For he has al- most the exclusive trade of the Canadians. It is tempting to purchase liquor at 2«. Qd. per gallon, when they have to pay 4«. in the village. The temperance society is of no use, when any of its members can dispose of liquor at so low a rate." I put the last words in italics. > , A Mild Winter adverse to the Indians. — Mr. George John- ston observes (8th March) : " The weather on Lake Superior has been uncommonly mild the whole winter. The southern shore of the lake from White Fish Point to Ance Kewywenon presents a scene of open lake, not any ice forming to f Me the poor In- dians to spear fish." Death op a Friend. — Mrs. Schoolcraft snys (Feb. 3d) : " Mrs. Bingham passed the day with me a short time since, and brought me some Vermont religious papers, which I read yesterday, and found an account of the death of our poor friend Mr. Conant, which took place in November last in Brandon, Vermont, leaving his disconsolate widow and five children. He suffered greatly for five years, but I am happy to find he was resigned in sufiering to the will of the Almighty with patience ; and I trust he is now a happy member of the souls made perfect in the precious blood of the Lamb." Thus ended the career of a man of high moral worth, mental vigor, and exalted benevolence of feeling and purpose. This is the man, and the family, who showed us such marked kindness and attentions in the city of New York, in the winter of 1825 — ^kindness and attentions never to be forgotten. PBB80NAL MBMOIRS. 848 Feb. *lth. This day is very memorable in my private history, for my having assumed, after long delay, the moral intrepidity to acknowledge, publioltf, a truth which has never been lost sight of since my intercourse with the Rev. Mr. Laird, in the, to me, memorable winter of 1824 — when it first flashed, as it wore, on my mind. That truth was the divine atonement for human sin made by the long foretold, the rejected, the persecuted, the cruci- fied Messiah. Threat of an Indianized white man. — A friend at St. Mary's writes : "Tanner has again made bold threats, agreeably to Jack Hotley's statement, and in Doctor James' presence, saying, that had you still been here, he would have killed you ; and as the Johnstons were acting in concert with you, he kept himself con- stantly armed." This being, in his strange manners and opinions, at least, appears to offer a realization of Shakspeare's idea of Caliban. ■'■-■ ' ' • ■ - ■ . ■ ■ ' '' <) " f-" ' ' ■-.'■■ " Indian Emporium. — Col. T. McKenney, who has been super- seded in the Indian Bureau at Washington, announces, by a cir- cular, that he is about to establish a commercial house, or agency, on a general plan, for supplying articles designed for the Indian trade and the sale of furs and peltries. This appears to me a striking mistake of judgment. The colonel, of all things, is not suited for a merchant. .. - Bringing up of Children. — Mrs. Schoolcraft writes : " I find the time passes more swiftly than I thought it would ; indeed, my friends have been unwearied in striving to make my solitary situation as pleasant as possible, and they have favored me with their company often. I strive to be as friendly as I possibly can to every one, and I find I am no loser by so doing. I wish it was in your power to bring along with you a good little girl who can speak English, for I do not see how I can manage during the summer (if my life is spared) without some assistance in the care of the children. I feel anxious, more particularly on Jane's account, for she is now at that age when children are apt to be biased by the habits of those they associate with, and as I cannot be with her all the time, the greater will be the necessity of the 844 PBR80NAL MEMOIRS. person to whom she is entrusted (let it be ever so short a time) to be one who has been brought up by pious, and, of course, con- scientious parents, where no bad example can be apprehended. I feel daily the importance of bringing up children, not merely to pass with advantage through the world, but with advantage to their souls to all eternity. " I find great pleasure in sister Anna Maria's company. She is to stay with me till you return. Little Janee improves rapidly under her tuition. Janee (she was now three and a half years of age) has commenced saying by heart two pieces out of the little book you sent her. One is ' My Mother,' and the other is ' How doth the little busy Bee.' It is pleasant to see her smooth down her apron and hear her say, " So I shall stand by my father, and say my lessons, and he will call me his dear little Tee-gee, and say I am a good girl. She will do this with so much gravity, and then skip about in an instant after and repeat., half singing, '' My father will come home again in the spring, when the birds sing and the grass and flowers come out of the ground ; he will call me his wild Irish girl. " Janee has just come into the room, and insists on my telling you that she can spell her name very prettily, * Schoolcraft and all.' She seems anxious to gain your approbation for her acquire- ments, and I encourage the feeling in order to excite attention to her lessons, as she is so full of life and spirits that it is hard to get her to keep still long enough to recite them properly. John- ston has improved more than you can imagine, and has such endearing ways that one cannot help loving the dear child. Oh, that they would both grow up wise unto salvation, and I should be happy." . - . Youthful Blood. — James * ♦ * ^as a young man of pro- mise — bright mentally and physically, lively and witty, and of a figure and manners pleasing to all. In a moment of passion he dirked a man at a French ball. The victim of this scene of revelry lingered a few months and recovered. This recovery is announced in a letter of Mrs. Schoolcraft's (Feb. 16th), in which she says : — "Dr. James sent a certificate of the young man's returning health by the last express, and an Indian was also sent to accom- pany James back to this place ; but how great was our astonish- PBRSONAL MBHOIBS. 845 ment at the arrival of the Indian alone, on the 3d ultimo, and bringing news of James' escape from Mackinack. We felt a good deal alarmed for his safety on the way, and an Indian was sent down the river in quest of him ; but we were relieved of our fears by the arrival of James himself on the following day, very much exhausted. I immediately sent to Dechaume to ask how he did, and learnt that his fatigue, &o., had not in the least abated his natural vivacity and gayety. " Three days after his arrival (being Sunday) I was at dinner at my mother's, when he came in, and could not refrain from tears. He seemed much affected at what I said, and I felt encouraged to hope some little change in his conduct. The next day, on mature reflection, I thought no time was to be lost in striving by all human means to reclaim him, and my promise to co-operate with you all I could for that desirable object, induced me to write a note inviting him to come and spend a quiet social evening with sister Anna Maria and myself, and I sent the sleigh to bring him down, so that he could have no excuse to decline coming, and I was pleased that he came without hesitation. " I conversed a long time with him, pointing out, in the most gentle and affectionate manner I could, where he had erred, and in what way he might have become not only respected and es- teemed, but independent, whereas his excesses had brought him to embarrassment and disgrace ; and conjured him, as he valued his temporal and spiritual welfare, to abandon some, at least (to begin with) of his evil courses, and to strive with all his might to avert the wrath of that Holy Being whom ho had hitherto so despised, and whose just laws he had, in more than one instance, violated, and a great deal more that I cannot now mention. I got him at last to promise to strive to become better. " We passed the rest of the evening in a rational and pleasant manner by reading chiefly in the Literary Voyager, thinking it might help to call forth former occupations, which were com- paratively innocent, and reading some of his own pieces, renew a taste of what was virtuous and praiseworthy. I inwardly prayed that by such means, feeble as they were, they might tend to draw him off insensibly from his former haunts and habits. I have been enabled to pursue this course of conduct towards him ever since that evening, and I am pleased to find that he comes oftener to 846 PBR80NAL MIM0IR8. Elmwood than I at first expected ; but I perceive that there is some other attraction besides my tage diacour»e» that draws him 80 often to the now leafless shades of Elmwood. And he may fancy that either a ro$e or a lily has taken shelter within its walls. Be that as it may, I shall not say a word ; most of my thoughts are more occupied with the best method I can take to do him good to all eternity, and I do not forget to ask aid of Onb that never errs. " Some evenings since, Mr. Agnew and some of the officers gave a ball at one of the French houses, and not doubting but that James was invited to join in the amusement, I instantly addressed a long letter to him, encouraging him in his recent resolution of amendment, and told him now was the time to put those wise resolves to the test by practice, and that he ought to know, by sad experience, that attending such low scenes of dissipation was the source of almost all the iniquity in the place. I had after- wards the satisfaction to find that he did not attend ; but my fears for him are still very great, and will be justly so as long as he is 80 taken up by that disgraceful connection where he spends a great deal of his precious time. My ambition is not only to civilize him (if I may be allowed that expression, which is not out of the way, after all, as he has despised the forms and restraints of refined society), but my ardent wish is to Christianize him in every sense of the word — he is, at present, skeptical. But let us only do our duty as Christians, and leave the rest in the hands of the Almighty." Mount Hopb, Baltimore. — My old instructor and friend. Prof. Frederick Hall, sends me a programme of his collegiate institution, at this place, and writes me (April 6th) a most friendly letter, re- newing old acquaintanceship and scientific reminiscences. Death makes such heavy inroads on our friends, that we ought to cherish the more those that are left. Legislation proceeded quietly while these events occurred, and the winter wore away almost imperceptibly till the session closed. I em- braced the first opportunity of ascending the Lakes to the entrance of the St. Mary's, and from thence up the river, and reached home about the 25th of April, making altogether about five months ao- sence. But at home I am not destined long to remain, as the ex- PBR80NAL MIM0IR8. S4T pedition into the Lake, for which I was designated in August, was only deferred till spring. I had now served four years in the legislature ; but, understand- ing that the President had expressed an opinion that official officers should not engage in the business of legislation, I declined a re- election by a public notice to the electors of my district. .i-y^ , EXPBDITION TO THB RsaiON OF THE St. GrOIX AND ChIPPBWA Rivers. — The Executive of the territory writes from Washington (April 19th) : " I arrived here day before yesterday, and this morn- ing talked with Gen. Eaton. You will go into Lake Superior, and I am to submit a project to-day. I shall have it properly arranged. In a day or two, I trust, I shall have the official papers off. I write in a hurry now to apprise you of the fact. The letter, you received from Mr. Hamilton, was written before I arrived." The same person, three days later, says : '' The official instructions are preparing for your expedition, and will, I hope, be off to-day." They were written on the 8d of May, and are as follows : — " Your letter of Feb. 18th has been received, and its general views are approved. The Secretary of War deems it important that you should proceed to the country upon the head of the Mis- sissippi, and visit as many of the Indians in that and the interme- diate region, as circumstances will permit. " Reports have reached this department from various quarters, that the Indians upon our frontiers are in an unquiet state,* and that there is a prospect of extensive hostilities an: : .v themselves. It is no less the dictate of humanity, than of policy, tc repress this feeling and to establish permanent peace among these tribes. It is also important to inspect the condition of the trade in that remote country, and the conduct of the traders. To ascertain whether the regulations and the laws are complied with, and to suggest such alterations as may be required. And finally, to inquire into the numbers, standing, disposition, and prospects of the Indians, and to report all the statistical facts you can procure, and which will be useful to the government in its operations, or to the community in the investigation of these subjects. " In addition to these objects, you will direct your attention to * The Sauc war under Blaokhawk broke out within the year. 848 PERSONAL HBHOIRS. the vaccination of the Indians. An act for that purpose has passed Congress, and you are authorized to take a surgeon mih you^i Vac- cine matter prepared and put up by the Surgeon General, is here- with transmitted to you, and you will, upon your whole route, ex- plain to the Indians the advantages of vaccination, and endeavor to persuade them to submit to the process. You will keep and report an account of the number, ages, sex{ tribe, and local situa- tion of the Indians who may be vaccinated, and also of the preva- lence, from time to time, of the small-pox among them, and of its effects as far as these can be ascertained." ; /' : While preparations for this expedition were being made, some things that transpired deserve notice. x a Natural History in the United States. — On the 26th of May, Mr. G. W. Featherstonhaugh, of Philadelphia, sends me a printed copy of a prospectus for a '' Monthly American Journal of Natural Science," with the following note: "As the annexed prospectus will explain itself, I shall only say, that I shall be most happy to receive any paper from you for insertion, on subjects connected with Natural HUtory. Your minute acquaintance with the North- western Territory must have placed many materials in your posses- sion, and I trust you may be induced to transfer some of them to the periodical about to be issued. " We consider Mr. Eaton's geological notions and nomenclature as very empirical here, as they are considered in France and Eng- land, and his day has passed by." The prospectus says: "Amidst these general contributions to science, it is painful to perceive what conspicuous blanks are yet left for America to fill up, and especially in those important branches, American geology and American organic remains. This feeling is greatly increased by the occasional taunts and sneers we see directed against us in foreign scientific works. They are aimed, it is true, against individuals insignificant enough to elude them, and therefore the larger body, the nation, is hit and wounded by them. Neither is there any defence open to us. We send abroad gigantic stories of huge antediluvian lizards, * larger than the largest size,' and we ourselves are kept upon the stare at our own wonders from Georgia to Maine, until we find out we have been exulting over the stranded remains of a common spermaceti whale. PBR80NAL MEMOIRS. 849 At this present moment, a huge animal dug out of the Big Bone Lick, sixty feet long, and twenty-five feet high, is parading through the columns of the European newspapers, after making its progress through our own. This is, what every naturalist supposed it he, also a great imposition. Within these few days, drums and trumpets have been sounded for other monsters. A piece of one of our common coal plants is conjured into a petrified rattlesnake, and one of the most familiar fossils solemnly announced all the ^ay from Canada, under a name exploded, and long forgotten by naturalists. All these gibes and reproaches we ought to have been spared. There ought to have been the ready means amongst us, together with the inde- pendence and intelligence, to put down these impostures and pue- rilities as they arose." . i ! ,' < ;• .'■ j/ This is well said, and if it be intended to refer to the popular class, who have not made science a study ; to men who make wheelbarrows or sell cotton and sugar — to the same classes of men, in fact, who in England, are busied in the daily pursuits by which they earn their bread, leaving science to scientific men, but . respecting its truths, cannot tell " a hawk from a handsaw" — it is all true enough. But if it be applied to the power and determi- nation of American mind, professedly, or as in a private capacity, devoted to the various classes of natural history spoken of, it is not only unjust in a high degree, but an evidence of overween- ing self-complaisance, imprecision of thought, or arrogance. No trait of the American scientific character has been more uni- formly and highly approbated, by the foreign journals of England, France, and Germany, than its capacity to accumulate, discrimi- nate, and describe faclr;. For fourteen years past SilUman'a Jour- nal of Science, though not exclusively devoted to natural sciences, has kept both the scientific and the popular intelligent mind of the public well and accurately advised of the state of natural science the world over. Before it, Bruce' s Mineralogical Journal, though continued but for a few years, was eminently scientific, Oleaveland'i Mineralogy has had the effect to diffuse scientific knowledge not only among men of science, but other classes of readers. In ornithology, in conchology, and especially in botany, geology and mineralogy, American mind has proved itself emi- nently fitted for the highest tasks. I V 850 PIMONAL MIMOIRB. A RsMtNiflOBMOl. — When I returned from the West to the city of New York in 1819, Mr. John Griscomb wm a popular lecturer on chemistry in the old almshouse. He apprised me that the peculiar friable white clay, which I had labeled chalk from its external characters, contained no carbonic acid. It was a chemical fact that impressed me. I was reminded of this fact, and of his friendly countenance, ever after, on receiving a letter of introduction from him by a Mr. William R. Smith, with three volumes of his writings (28th May). I am satisfied that we store up the memory of a kind or friendly act, however small (if it be done in a crisis of our affairs), as long as, and more tenaciously than, an unkind one. YoTAGB Inland. — At length, all things being ready, I embarked at the head of the portage of the St. Mary's, and proceeded to the small suidy plain at the foot of Point Iroquois, at the entrance into Lake Superior, where I encauiped. To this point I was ac* companied by Mrs. Schoolcraft and the children, and Lt. Allen and the Miss Johnstons, the day being calm and delightful, and the views on every hand the most enchanting and magnificent. . While at Detroit during the winter, I had invited Dr. Douglass Houghton to accompany me to vaccinate the Indians. He was a man of pleasing manners and deportment, small of stature, and of a compact make, and apparently well soited to withstand the fatigues incidental to such a journey. He was a good botanist and geologist-'objects of interest to me at all times ; but espe- cially so now, for I should have considered it inexcusable to con- duct an expedition into the Indian country, without collecting data over and above the public duties, to understand its natural history. I charged myself, on this occasion, more particularly with the Indian subject-^their manners and customs, conditions, languages, and history, and the policy best suited to advance them in the scale of thinking beings, responsible for their acts^ moral and po- litical. Lt. Robt. E. Clary, 2d U. S. Infantry, commanded a small de- tachment of troops, which was ordered to accompany me through the Indian country. I had invited Mr. Melanothon Woolsey, a printer of Detroit, a young man of pleasing manners and morals, to accompany me as an aid in procuring statistical information. I had an excellent crew of experienced men, guides and interpret- PBR80NAL MIMOIR0. 851 ers, and full supplies of everything suited to insure respect among the tribes, and to accomplish, not only the government business, but to igive a good account of the natural history of the country to be explored. It was the first public expedition, authorized by the new administration at Washington, and bespoke a lively inte- rest on the subject of Indian Affairs, and the topics incidentally connected with it. I was now to enter, after crossing Lake Supe- rior, the country of the Indian murderers, mentioned 22d June, 1825, and to visit their most remote villages and hiding places. It was the 27th of June when we left that point — the exploring party to pursue its way in the lake, and the ladies^ in charge of Lt. Allen, to return to St. Mary's. ' ;" , ' [ •i . 852 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. CHAPTER XXXVII. Lake Superior — Its shores and character — Geology — Brigade of boats— Dog and porcupine — Burrowing birds— Otter — Keweena Point — Unfledged ducks— Minerals— Canadian resource in a tempest of rain — Tramp in search of the picturesque — Search for native copper — Isle Royal descried —Indian precaution — Their ingenuity — Lake action — Nebungunowin River — Eagles — Indian tomb — Kaug Wudju. 1831. Lake Superior lay before us. He who, for the first time, lifts his eyes upon this expanse, is amazed and delighted at its magnitude. Vastness is the term by which it is, more than any other, described. Clouds robed in sunshine, hanging in fleecy or nebular masses above — a bright, pure illimitable plain of water — blue mountains, or dim islands in the distance — a shore of green foliage on the one hand — a waste of waters on the other. These are the prominent objects on which the eye rests. We are diverted by the flight of birds, as on the ocean. A tiny sail in the distance reveals the locality of an Indian canoe. Sometimes there is a smoke on the shore. Sometimes an Indian trader returns with the avails of his winter's traffic. A gathering storm or threatening wind arises. All at once the voyageurB burst out into one of their simple and melodious boat-songs, and the gazing at vastness is relieved and sympathy at once awakened in gayety. Such are the scenes that attend the navigation of this mighty but solitary body of water. That nature has cre- ated such a scene of magnificence merely to look at, is con- trary to her usual economy. The sources of a busy future com- merce lie concealed, and but half concealed, in its rocks. Its depths abound in fish, which will be eagerly sought, and even its forests are not without timber to swell the objects of a future commerce. If the plough is destined to add but little to its wealth, it must be recollected that the labors of the plough are most valu- able where the area suitable for its dominion is the smallest. But PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 858 even the prairies of the West are destined to waft their superabund- ance here. We passed the lengthened shores which give outline to Taqui- menon Bay. We turned the Icng and bleak peninsula of White Fish Point, and went on to the sandy margin of Vermilion Bay. Here we encamped at three o'clock in the afternoon, and waited all the next day for the arrival of Lieut. Robert Clary and his detachment of men, from Fort Brady, who were to form a part of the expedition. With him was expected a canoe, under the charge of James L. Schoolcraft, with some supplies left behind, and an express mail. They both arrived near evening on the 28th, and thus the whole expedition was formed and completed, and we were prepared to set out with the latest mail. Mr. Holliday came in from his wintering groun'^s about the same time, and we left Ver- milion Bay at four o'cloci: on the morning of the 29th, J. L. S. in his light canoe, and chanting Canadians for Sault St. Marie, and we for the theatre of our destination. We went about forty miles along a shore exclusively sandy, and encamped at five o'clock in the evening at Grand Marais. This is a striking inlet in the coast, which has much enlarged itself within late years, owing to the force of the north-west storms. It exhibits a striking proof of lake action. The next day we passed the naked and high dunes called Grand Sable, and the storm- beaten and impressive horizontal coat of the Pictured Rocks, and encamped at Grand Island, a distance of about 130 miles. I found masses of gypsum and small veins of calcareous spar im- bedded in the sandstone rock of the point of Grand Sable. Iron- sand exists in consolidated layers at the cliff called Doric Rock. The men and boats were now in good traveling trim, and we went on finely but leisurely, examining such features in the natural history as Dr. Houghton, who had not been here before, was anxious to see. On the 1st of July, we encamped at Dead River, from whence I sent forward a canoe with a message, and wampum, and tobacco, to Gitchee lauba, the head chief of Ance- kewywenon, requesting him to send a canoe and four men to sup- ply the place of an equal number from the Sault St. Marie, sent back, and to accompany me in my voyage as far as La Pointe. 23 854 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. Geology. — We spent the next day in examining the magnesian and calcareous rubblestone which appears to constitute strata rest- ing against and upon the serpentine rock of Presque Isle. This rock is highly charged with what appears to be chromate of iron. We examined the bay behind this peninsula, which appears to be a harbor capable of admitting large vessels. We ascended a conical hill rising from the bay, which the Indians call Totcfsh, or Breast Mountain. Having been the first to ascend its apex, the party named it Schoolcraft's Mountain. Near and west of it, is a lower saddle-shaped mountain, called by the natives The Cradle Top. Granite Point exhibits trap dykes in syenite. The hori- zontal red sandstone, which forms the peninsula connecting this point with the main, rests against and upon portions of the granite, showing its subsidence from water at a period subsequent to the upheaval of the syenite and trap. This entire coast, reaching from Chocolate River to Huron Bay — a distance of some seventy miles — consists of granite hills, which, viewed from the top of the Totbsh, has the rolling appearance of the sea in violent motion. Its chief value must result from its minerals, of which iron ap- pears to constitute an important item. We reached Huron River on the 4th of July about three o'clock in the afternoon, having come on with a fine wind. At this place we met Mr. Aitkin's brigade of boats, seven in number, with the year's hunts of the Fond du Lac department. I landed and wrote ofBcial notes to the Sault St. Marie and to Washington, acquaint- ing the government with my progress, and giving intelligence of the state of the Indians. Traders' Boats. — Mr. Aitkin reports that a great number of the Indians died of starvation, at his distant posts, during the winter, owing to the failure of the wild rice. That he collected for his own use but eight bushels, instead of about as many hun- dreds. That he had visited Gov. Simpson at Pembina, and found the latter unwilling to make any arrangements on the subject of discontinuing the sale of whisky to the Indians. That I was ex- pected by the Indians on the Upper Mississippi, in consequence of the messages sent in, last fall. That efforts continue to be made by the agent at St. Peters, to draw the Chippewas to that post, notwithstanding the bloodshed and evils resulting from such visits. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 355 it, ;s. That a hard opposition in trade has been manifested by the Hud- son's Bay Company. That they have given out medals to strengthen and increase their influence with our Indians. And that liquor is required to oppose them at Pembina, War Road, Rainy Lake, Vermilion Lake and Grand Portage. Doa AND Porcupine. — While at Huron River, we saw a lost dog left ashore, who had been goaded by hunger to attack a por- cupine. The quills of the latter were stuck thickly into the sides of the nose and head of the dog. Inflammation had taken place, rendering the poor beast an object of pity and disgust. Burrowinq Birds. — At Point Aux Beignes (Pancake Point) one of the men caught a kingfisher by clapping his hand over an orifice in the bank. He also took from its nest six eggs. The bank was perforated by numbers of these orifices. At this point we observed the provisions of our advance came, put in caches to lighten it for the trip down the bay. Leaving Mr. Gr. Johnston and Mr. Melancthon Woolsey at this point to await the return of the canoe, I proceeded to Cascade, or, as it is generally called. Little Montreal River. Johnston and Woolsey came up during the night. Next morning an Indian came from a lodge, leading a young otter by a string. The animal played about gracefully, but we had no temptation to purchase him with our faces set to the wilderness. At the latter place, which is on a part of the Sandy- bay of Graybeast River, the trap formation, which is the copper- bearing rock, is first seen. This rock, which forms the great peninsula of Kewywenon, rises into cliffs on this bay, which at the elevation called Mammels by the French, deserve the name of mountains. Portions of this rock, viewed in extenso, are over- laid by amygdaloid and rubblestone — the latter of which forms a remarkable edging to the formation, in some places, on the north- west shore, that makes a canal, as at the Little Marrias. Kewebna Peninsula. — We were six days in coasting around this peninsula, which is highly metalliferous. At some points we employed the blast, to ascertain the true character and contents of the soil. At others we went inland, and devoted the time in ex- ploring its range and extent. We examined the outstanding isolated 856 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. vein of carbonate of copper, called Roche Vert by the French. In seeking for its connection on the main shore, I discovered the black oxide in the same vein. In the range of the greenstone about two leagues south of this point, a vein of native copper, with ores[ and veinstones, was observed, and specimens taken. The N. W. coast of the peninsula is greatly serrated and broken, abounding in little bays and inlets, and giving proofs of the terrible action of the storms on this rugged shore. ' : Notes of these examinations and of a trip inland were made, which cannot here be referred to more particularly. IJNFLBDaED DucKS. — The men had rare and very exciting sport, in coasting around the peninsula, in catching the young of the onzig — which is the sawbill. In the early pai^t of the month of July, the wings of the young are not sufficiently developed to enable thetn to fly. They will run on the water, flapping their unfledged wings, with great speed, but the gay Frenchmen, shouting at t:he top of their lungs, would propel their canoes so as to overtake them whenever the little fugitives could not find some nook in the rock to hide in. They chased down one day thirteen in this way, which were found a most tender and delicate dish. The excitement in these chases was extreme. At the Grand Mar- riaa (now near Fort Wilkins) we obtained from the shore of the inner bay, agates, stilbite, and smoky quartz, &;c. SiNGULA|i Vivacity. — In going from this bay through a rock- bound strait, the rain fell literally in sheets. There was no es- cape, and our only philosophy was to sit still and bear it. The shower was so great that it obscured objects at a short distance. All at once the men struck up a cheerful boat song, which they continued, paddling with renewed energy, till the shower abated. I believe no other people under the sun would have thought of such a resource. Tramp in Search op the Picturesque. — The wind rising ahead, we took shelter in an inlet through the trap range, which we called Houghton's Cove. After taking a lunch and drying our things, it was proposed to visit a little lake, said to give origin to the stream falling into its head. The journey proved a toilsome one: PERSONAL MEMOIRS. m but, after passing through woods and defiles, we at length stood on a cliflf which overlooked the object sought for — a pond covered with aquatic plants. Wherever we might have gone in search of the picturesque, this seemed the last place to find itt On again reaching the lake the wind was found less fierce, and we went on to Pine River, where we encamped on coarse, loose gravel. Search for Native Copper. — The next day the wind blew fiercely, and we could not travel. In consequence of reports from the Indians of a large mass of copper inland, I manned a light canoe, and, leaving the baggage and camp in charge of Lesart, went back to a small bay called Mushkeeg, and went inland under their guidance. We wandered many miles, always on the point of making the discovery, but never making it ; and returned with our fatigue for our pains. It was seven o'clock in the evening before we returned to our camp — at eight the wind abated, and we em- barked, and, after traveling diligently all night, reached the west- ern terminus of the Keweena portage at two o'clock next morning — having advanced in this time about twenty-four miles. Next day, July 10, the wind rose again violently ahead. Isle Royal Descried. — In coming down the coast of the Ke- weena Peninsula, we descried the peaks of this island seen dimly in the distance, which it is not probable could haVe been done if the distance were over sixty miles. Indian Precaution, their Ingenuity. — We found several Chippewa Indians encamped. They brought a trout, the large lake trout, and were, as usual, very friendly. We saw a fresh beaver's skin stretched on the drying hoop, at the Buffalo's son's lodge. But the women had secreted themselves and children in the woods, with the dried skins, supposing that a trader's canoe had landed, as we had landed in the night. This may give some idea of the demands of trade that are usually made, and the cau- tion that is observed by them when a trader lands. We here saw the claws of two owls, with the skin and leg feathers adhering, sewed together so closely and skilfully, by the Indian women, as to resemble a uondescript with eight claws. It was only hj a close inspection that we could discover the joinings. 858 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. Lake Action. — The geological action of the lake against the high banks of diluvion, at this spot, is very striking. It has torn away nearly all the ancient encamping ground, including the Indian burials. Human bones were found scat|;ered along the declivity of fallen earth. An entire skull was picked up, with the bark wrap- pings of the body, tibia, &c. At seven in the evening the tempest ceased so as to enable us to embark. We kept close in shore, as the wind was off land, a com- mon occurrence on these lakes at night. On turning the point of red sandstone rock, which the Indians call Pug-ge-do-wau (Port- age), the Porcupine Mountains rose to our view, directly west, pre- senting an azure outline of very striking lineaments — an animal couchant. As night drew on, the water became constantly smoother ; it was nine before daylight could be said to leave us. We passed, in rapid succession, the Mauzhe-ma-gwooa or Trout, Graverod's, Unnehiah, or Elm, and Pug-ge-do-wa, or Misery River, in Fishing Bay. Here we overtook Jiieut. Clary, and encamped at one o'clock A. M. (11th). We were on the lake again at five o'clock. We turned point a la Peehe, and stopped at River Nehau-gum-o-win for breakfast. While thus engaged, the wind rose and shifted ahead. This confined us to the spot. Nebauqumowin River. — Mr. Johnston, Dr. Houghton, and Mr. Woolsey, made an excursion in a canoe up the river. They went about three or four miles — found the water deep, and the banks high and dry on the right side (going up), and covered with maple, ash, birch, &c. At that distance the stream was obstructed by logs, but the depth of water continued. Dr. H. added to his botanical collection. Altogether appearances are represented more favorable than would be inferred from the sandy and swampy character of the land about its discharge into the lake. - Eagles. — While at the Mauzhe-ma-gwoo» River, Lieut. Clary captured a couple of young eagles, by letting his men cut down a large pine. One of the birds had a wing broken in falling. They were of the bald-headed kind, to which the Chippewas apply the term Meghziy or barker. He also got a young mink from an In- dian called Waheno. The men also caught some trout in that river, for which it is remarkable. At two o'clock the wind had somewhat abated, so as to allow us to PBRSONAL HBHOIRS. i# take the lake, and we reached and entered the Ontonagon River at half past four o'clock. Mr. Johnston with the store canoe, and Lieut. Clary with his boat, came in successively with colors fly- ing. Kon-te-kaj the chief, and his band saluted us with several rounds of musketry from the opposite shore. Afterwards they crossed to our camp, and the usual exchange of ceremonies and civilities took place. In a speech from the chief he complained much of hunger, and presented his band as objects of charitable notice. I explained to him the pacific object of my journey, and the route to be pursued, and requested the efficient co-operation of him- self and his band in putting a stop to war parties, referring parti- cularly to that by Kewaynokwut in 1824, which, although raised against the Sioux, had murdered Finley and his men at Lake Pepin. This party was raised on the sources of the Ontonagon and Chip- pewa. I told him how impossible it was that his Great Father should ever see their faces in peace while they countenance or connive at such dastardly war parties, who went in quest of a foe, and not find- ing him, fell upon a friend. He said he had not forgotten this. Even now, I continued, a chief of the Sauks was trying to enlist the In- diana in a scheme of extreme hostilities. It was a delusion. They had no British allies to rally on as in former wars. The time was past — past forever for such plans. We are in profound peace. And their Great Father, the President, would, if the scheme was pursued by that chief, order his whole army to crush him. I re- quested him to inform me of any messages, or tobacco, or wam- pum they might receive, on the subject of that chiefs movement, or any other government matter. And to send no answer to any such message without giving me notice. At three o'clock on the morning of the next day (12th July), Dr. Houghton, Mr. Johnston, Lieut. Clary, and Mr. Woolsey, with nine Canadians and one soldier, set out in my canoe to visit the copper rock. Konteka sent me a fine carp in the morning. Af- terwards he and the other chief come over to visit me. The chief said that his child, who had been very ill, was better, and asked me for some white rice (waube monomin) for it, which I gave. I also directed a dish of flour and other provisions to enable him to have a feast. Indian Tomb.—Oqc of the Indians had ovAi lAivvvAicu at icif ■ yxS^ \ I PBR80NAL MBMOIRS. days before onr arrival ; the graye was neatly picketed in. On the west side of the river is a grave or tomb above ground, resem- bling a lodge, containing the co£Sn of a chief, who desired to be thus buried, as he believed his spirit would go directly up. Konteka has a countenance indicative of sense and benevolence. I asked him the number of his band. He replied sixty-four men and boys, women and girls. Sixteen were hunters, of whom thir- teen were men grown. ,,,^ ^^.„ ,^ ,^ , ,„ ,. ^„„ , , ;, ,. _ , Kauqwudju.^— The Porcupine Mountains, which first loomed up after passing Puggedawa Point, were very plainly pictured be- fore us in the landscape. I asked Konteka their Indian name. He replied Kaug Wudju. I asked him why they were so called. He said from a resemblance to a couching porcupine. I put several questions to him to ascertain the best place o'f ascent. He said that the mountain properly faced the south, in a very high perpendicular cliff, having a lake at its bottom. The latter was on a level with Lake Superior. To see this lake it was necessary to go round towards the south. It was a day's journey from the lake to the top of the cliff. To the first elevation it was as far as to the Red Rocks — say three miles, but through a cedar thicket, and bad walking. Visit to the Copper Rock. — The party returned ifrom this place on the 13th, late in the afternoon, bringing specimens of the native copper. They were nine hours in getting to the forks, and continued the rest of the day in getting to the rack, where they encamped. They had been four hours in descending what required nine in going up. The doctor brought several fine and large liiasses of the pure metal. , > PBR80NAL HSMOIRS. 861 ■ ,- . - ■ ■ --■;.*, -;■•■ -. ' «• • .1 ' ■ .■ -^j^-,u >," j-> C^ . CHAPTER XXXVIII. r , r^s- ACCOUNT OF THE HIGHLANDS BETWEEN LAKE SUPERIOR AND THB .,.. MISSISSIPPI. Lake shores — Sub-Indian agency — Indian transactions — Old fort, site of a tragedy — Maskigo River; its rapids and character — Great Wunnegum Portage — Botany — Length of the Mauvais — Indian carriers — Lake Kage- nogumaug — Portage lakes — Namakagun River, its character, rapids, pine lands, &o. — Pukwa6wa village — A new species of native fruit — Incidents on the Namakagun ; its birds, plants, &c. .^ y^ - - , ; . ,. 1881. Lake Shores. — I had a final conference vrith the In- dians of the Ontanagon on the morning of the 14th July, and at its conclusion distributed presents to all. I sent Germain with a canoe and men for St. Mary's with dispatches, and em- barked for La Pointe at half past eight, A. M. After keeping the lake for two hours, we were compelled by adverse winds to put ashore near Iron River ; we were detained here the rest of the day. After botanizing at this spot. Dr. Houghton remarks, that since arriving at the Ontanagon, he finds plants which belong to a more southerly climate. * . . » i^p The next morning (15th) we embarked at th^ee o'clock and went on finely — stopped for breakfast at Carp River, under the Porcu- pine Mountains — the Pesabic of the Indians. On coming out into the lake again the wind was fair, and increased to blow freshly. We went on to Montreal River, where it became a side wind, and prevented our keeping the lake. I took this occasion to walk in- land eleven pauses on the old "portage path to Fountain Hill, for the purpose of enjoying the fine view of the lake, which is pre- sented from that elevation. The rocks are puddingstone and sandstone, and belong to the Porcupine Mountain development. Returned from this excursion at seven o'clock — took a cup of tea, and finding the wind abated, re-embarked. By ten o'clock 862 PBRSONAL MBM0IR8. at night we reached and entered the Mauvalse or Masklgo River, where we found Lieut. Clary encamped. After drying our clothes, we went on to La Pointe, which we reached at one o'clock in the morning (16th), and immediately went to Mr. Johnston's build- ings. SuB-AQENCT. — ^Mr. George Johnston was appointed Sub-agent of Indian Affairs at this point in 1826, after the visit of that year of Gen. Cass and Col. McKenney to this remote section of the country. It has proved a useful office for acquiring information of the state and views of the interior Indians, and as supervising the Indian trade. We were made very comfortable in his quar- ters. • '. '• • ■' ..,■-■•■•-.■: - • •■'••■• .-..■■ Indian Transactions. — Pezhike, with the secondary chief, Tagwaugig and his band, visited me. Conferred with them on the state of the Indians on the St. Croix and Chippewa Rivers at Lac Courtorielle, &c., the best route for entering the region interme- diate between Lake Superior and the Mississippi. * Pezhike thought my canoes too large to pass the small bends on the route of the Lac du Flambeau : he said the waters of the Broule, or Misakoda River, were too low at this time to ascend that stream. He said that Mozojeed, the chief of Lac Courtorielle, had been here awaiting me, but, concluding I would not come, had returned. His return had been hastened by a report that the Sioux had formed a league with the Winnebagoes and Menomonies to attack his village. Pezhike gave in his population at eighty souls, of which number eighteen were men, twenty-six women, and the remainder children. He made a speech responding to the sentiments uttered by me, and promising the aid of his band in the pacification of the coun- try. As an evidence of his sincerity he presented a peace-pipe. I concluded the interview by distributing presents of ammunition and iron works to each man, agreeably to his count. I then sent Indian runners with messages to Bwoinace at Yellow River, on the St. Croix, to be forwarded by hand to Chacopee, on Snake River, to meet me at Yellow River in twelve days. Sent a message to the same chief, to be forwarded to Mozojeed at Lae Courtorielle^ to meet me at that place with his band on the 1st August, and another message to be forwarded by him to Lac du Flambeau, at PSRSONAL MSMOIRS. 868 the head of the Chippewa River, with directions for the Indians to meet me at their principal village, as soon after the Ist August as I can get there, of which they will be the best judges. I de- termined to enter the country myself, by the Mauvais or Maskigo River, notwithstanding the numerous rafts of trees that embarrass the navigation — the water being abundant. ■..■*- Old Fort, site op a Teaoedy. — The military barge, Lieut. Clary, started for the Maskigo, with a fair wind, on the 18th. A soldier had previously deserted. I sent to the chief, Pezhike, to dispatch his young men to catch him, and they immediately went. After setting out, the wind was found too strong to resist with pad- dles, and I turned into the sheltered bay of the old French fort. The site and ground lines are only left. It was a square with bastions. The site is overgrown with red haw and sumac. The site of a blacksmith shop was also pointed out. This is an evidence of early French and Missionary enter- prise, and dates about 1660. There is a tale of a tragedy con- nected with a female, at its abandonment. The guns, it is said, were thrown in the bay. The wind having abated, we again put out at eight o'clock in the evening, and went safely into the Mas- kigo and encamped. Maskigo River. — We began the ascent of this stream on the 19th, at half-past four A. M. ; landed at seven for breakfast, at the old Indian gardens ; at eight went on ; at ten reached the first portage, passed it in an hour ; went on till one o'clock ; afterwards passed two other portages of about three hundred yards each ; and went on to the great raft of flood wood, being the fourth portage, where we encamped at three o'clock, at its head. Mosquitoes very annoying. Estimate our distance at thirty miles. On the next morning (20th) we embarked in good deep water at eight o'clock. We reached rapids at eleven o'clock. Passed a portage of tyro pauses, and took dinner at the terminus. Sandstone forms the bed of the river at the rapids here. It inclined E. S. E. about 76°. A continual rapid, called the Galley, being over a brown sandstone rock, succeeds, in which rapids follow rapids at short intervals. We encamped at the Raft rapids. The men toiled like dogs, but willingly and without grumbling. Next day (2l8t) wo were early on the water, and passed the crossing of the Indian PBR80NAL MBMOIRS. |ii "^nifi^ p»th from Bt. rharloB Bay, at La Pointe, to the Falls of St. Anthony. We folluweif -i wide bend of the river, around the four ji/iuse portage. This wrh a continued rapid. The ^non tolled incessantly being constantly in the water. The bark of the canoes beoauio so saturated wi^h water that they were limber, and bent undf^r the weight of cam ^ 'ng them on the portages. We encamped, very much tired, but the men soon rallied, and never complained. It was admirable to see such fidelity and buoyancy of character. We were now daily toiling up the ascent of the summit which separates the basin of Lake Superior from the valley of the upper Mississippi. The exertion was incredible. I expected every day some of the men to give out, but their pride to conquer haril9hi|t!> was, with them, the point of honor. They gloried in feats uaUer which ordinary men would have fainted. To carry a houe load over a portage path which a horse could not walk, ie an exploit which none but a Canadian voyageur would sigh for the accom- plishment of. On the 22d, we came to a short portage, after going about six miles, during a violent rain storm. Then three portages of short extent, say fifty to three hundred yards each, in quick succession. After the last, some com par actively slight rapids. Finally, smooth water and a sylvan counuy, level and grassy. We were evidently near the summit. Suon came to the forks, and took the left hand. Came afterwards to three branches, and took the south. Followed a distance through alder bushes bending from each side ; this required skill in dodging, for the bushes were covered with caterpillars. We formed an encampment on this narrow stream by cutting away bushes, and beating down high grass and nettles. Here was good soil capable of profitable agriculture. Great WuNNEGUM Pot^tagb. — The next mo m ^ ^ t .^ oeginning of the Gitchy Wun-ne-gum portage at nine ociock A. M. This was the last great struggle in the ascent. We spent about three hours in drying baggage, corn, tents, beds, &c. Then went on four V'z^u'es over the portage and encamped in sight of a pond. The t- day e accomplished ten pauses, a hard day's work. We t» wfrid near a boulder of granite of the drift stratum, which ♦joii.ained brilliaTv, plates of mica. Water scarce and bad. Our PlRSONAL IflMOIKi. 866 tea was made of a brown poudy 1i<[uid, which looked like water in a tanner's vat. We passed, and stoi ned to exaiuine, Indian symbols on the Mazej side of a tree, which told a story to our auxiliary Indians of a moose having been killed by c^^rtain men, whoso frnnily name, or mark, was denoted, &c. We hud previously passed several uf these hunting inscriptions in our ascent of the Mauvais, and one in par- ticular at the eastern end of the four pause portage. We were tistonished to perceive that these figures were read as easy as per- iect gazettes by our Indian guides. Wo were also pleased, notwithstanding the severe labor of the apecun, to observe the three auxiliary Chippewas, with us, playing in the evening at the game of the bowl, an amusement in which some of the men participated. %, . '»v . On the 25th we went three paittet to breakfast, in a hollow or ravine, and pushing on, crossed the last ridge, and a one o'clock reached the foot of Lake Ka-ge-no-gum-aug, a bnautif il and elon- gated sheet of water, which is the source of this braich of the Maskigo River. Thus a point was gained. An hour after, the baggage arrived, and by six o'clock in the evening, the <-anoes all arrived. This lake is about nine miles long. , Botany. — In the ascent of this stream. Dr. Houghton bas col- lected about two hundred plants. The forest trees are eltn, pine, spruce, maple, iron wood, linden, cherry, oak, and beach. Loather- wood is a shrub common on the portage. : i. ' . The length of this river, from the mouth of the river to the point at which we left it, we compute at one hundred and four mih s. The three young Indians, sent from La Pointe, by Pezhik e, to help ut» on the portages, having faithfully attended us all the ^* > < -. * 1 , .' ,s Terr MSEH. — I snatched this piece of history. During the late war Tecumsoh's messages reached this place, and produced their usual effect. The Indians seized the post, took the goods, and burnt the building occupied as a place of trade. Mr. Corban, having notice from friendly Indians, escaped with his men to St. Mary's. This post stood opposite the outlet, being on the present site of Mozojeed's village. , Mozojeed's Lodge — This fabric is quite remarkable, and yields more comforts and conveniences than usual. It haa also the mys- terious insignia of a prophet. The faces of four men or gods are carved at the four cardinal points. A hole with a carved image of a bird is in front. Three drums hang on the walls, and many rattles. At his official lodge men are painted joining hands. A bundle of red sticks lies in one corner. Indian Movements. — I was informed by M. and W. that the Lac du Flambeau Indians wer^ not on Chippewa River, and that the message from Yellow Lake had not reached them. That many of the Chippewas were at Rice Lake on the Red Cedar Fork. That they had received a message from Mr. Street, Indian Agent at Prairie du Chien, and vere in alarm on account of the Meno- monies. Trip to the Red Cedar Fork. — We embarked at four o'clock in the afternoon in four canoes, one canoe of Indians to aid on the portages, and two canoes of the military — Lieut. Clary's com- mand. Mr. B. Cadotte acted as guide as far as Rice Lake, the whole making quite a formidable " brigade," to use a trader's term. Our course lay down the Little Chippewa River. The water was very good and deep as far as the fish dam. There our troubles began. Our canoes had to be led along, as if they had been baskets of eggs, in channels made by the Indians, who had carefully picked out the big stones. We met a son of old Misco's, having a fawn and three muskrats recently killed. I gave him a full reward of corn and tobacco for the former, which was an ac- 880 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. ceptable addition to our traveling cuisine. It was observed that he had nothing besides in his canoe but a gun and war club, a lit- tie boy being in the boat. We descended the stream some seven or eight miles, and encamped on the right bank. It rained hard during the night. Next morning (6th) wo were in motion at six o'clock, which was as early as the atmosphere would permit. An hour's travel brought us to the mouth of a creek, which led us in the required direction. It was a narrow and deep stream, very tortuous, and making bends so short that we with difficulty forced our canoes through. In two hours we came to the portage to the Ca Ta — a pond at the distance of 191(5 yards, which we crossed at two jpauaea. Lake Ciietac. — Before the canoes and baggage came up, I crossed over to Lake Chetac. There is a portage road around the pond. After passing the first poze from it, the canoes may be put in a brook and poled down two pozes — then they must be taken out and carried IGOO yards to Lake Chetac. The whole portage is 5600 yards. It was seven o'clock in the evening before we could embark on the lake. We went down it four miles to an island and encamped. The lake is six miles long, shallom marshy, with some wild rice and bad water. Bud as it was, wo had to make tea of it. Indian Manners. — We found but a single lodge on the island, which was occupied by a Chippewa woman and a dog. I heard her say to one of our men, in the Chippewa tongue, that there was no man in the lodge — that her husband had gone out fishing. She appeared in alarm, and soon after I saw her paddle away in a small canoe, leaving her lodge with a fire burning. On awaking in the morning, I heard the sound of talking in the lodge, and, be- fore we embarked, the man, his wife, and two children, and an old woman came out. Four lodges of Indians, say about twenty souls, usually make their homes at this lake, which yields them fish and wild rice. But at present the whole tendency of the Indian population is to Rice Lake. The war party mustering at that point absorbs all attention. PERSONAL MBMOIBS. 881 ♦ CHAPTER XL. EXPLORATION OF THB RED CEDAR OR FOLLAVOINE VALLEY OF THE CHIPPEWA RIVER. Botula Lake — Larch Lake — A war party surprised — Indian manners — Rice Lake — Indian council — Red Cedar Lake — Speeches of Wabezhais and Neenaba — Equal division of goods — Orifice for treading out rice — A live beaver — Notices of natural history — Value of the Follavoine Valley — A medal of the third President — War dance — Ornithology — A prairie country, fertile and abounding in game — Saw mills — Chippewa River — Snake — La Qarde Mountain — Descent of the Mississippi — Sioux village — General impression of the Mississippi — Arrival at Prairie du Chion. 1831. Bbtula Lake. Larch Lake. — The 7th of August, ■which dawned upon us in Lake Chetac, proved foggy and cool. The thermometer at 4, 7 and 8 A. M., stood respectively at 50°, 52° and 56°. We found the outlet very shallow, so much so, that the canoes could with difficulty be got out while we walked. It led us by a short portage into a small lake called Betula, or Birch Lake, a sylvan little body of water having three islands, which we were just twenty-five minutes in crossing by free strokes of the paddles. Its outlet was still too shallow for any other purpose than to enable the men to lead down the empty canoes. We made a portage of twelve hundred and ninety-five yards into another lake, called Larch or Sapin Lake — which is about double the size of the former lake. We were half an hour in crossing it with an ani- mated and free stroke of the paddle — the men's spirits rising as they find themselves getting out of these harassing defiles and portages. A WAR PARTY SURPRISED. — ^We took breakfast on the beach while the canoes were for the last time being led down the outlet. We had nearly finished it on the last morsel of the fawn, and were glancing all the while over the placid and bright expanse, with its 882 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. dark foliage, when suddenly a small Indian canoe, very light, and succeasively seven others, with a warrior in the bow and stern of each, glided from a side channel, being the outlet into its other extremity. As soon as our position was revealed, they stopped in utter amazement, and lighting their pipes began to smoke ; and we, nearly as much amazed, immediately put up our flag, and Lt. Clary paraded his men. We were more than two to one on the basis of a fight. A few moments revealed our respective relations. It was the Lac Courtorielle detachment of the Rico Lake war party, and gave us the first intimation of its return. It was now evident that the man on the Little Chippewa from whom we purchased the fawn was but an advanced member of the same party. As soon as they perceived our national character, they fired a salute and cautiously advanced. It proved to be the brother of Mozojeed and two of his sons, with thirteen other warriors, on their return. Each had a gun, a shot-bag and powder, horn, a scalping knife and a war club, and was painted with vermilion lines on the face. The men were nearly naked, having little but the auzeaun and moccasons and the leather baldric that confines the knife and necessary warlike ap- pendages and their head gear. They had absolutely no baggage in the canoe. When the warrior leaped out, it was seen to be a mere elongated and ribbed dish of the white birch bark, and a man with one hand could easily lift it. Such a display of the Indian manners and customs on a war party, it is not one in a thousand even of those on the frontiers is ever so fortunate as to see. They still landed under some trepidation, but I took each per- sonally by the hand as they came up to my flag, and the ceremony was united in by Lieut. Clary, and continued by them until every gentleman of my party had been taken by the hand. The Indians understood this ceremony as a committal of friendship. I directed tobacco to be distributed to them, and immediately gathered them in council. They stated that the war party had encountered signs of Sioux outnumbering them on the lower part of the Chippewa River, and footsteps of strange persons coming. This inroad of an apparently new combination against them had alarmed the moose, which had fled before them ; and that six of the party had been sent in advance while the main body lay back to await the news. From whatever cause the party had retreated, it was evi- PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 883 dently broken up for the season ; and, tho object of my ofGcial visit and advice accomplished, I turned this to advantage in the inter- view, and left them, I trust, better prepared to understand their true duties and policy hereafter, and we crossed the lake with spirits more elevated. Red Cedar Lake. — A short outlet conducted us into Red Cedar Lake, a handsome body of water which we were an hour in passing through, say four or five miles. The men raised their songs, which had not been heard for some time. It presents some islands, which add to its picturesqueness. Formerly there stood a single red cedar on one of these, which gave the name to the lake, but no other tree of this species is known in the region. Half a mile south of its banks the Indians procure a kind of red pipe stone, similar to that brought from the Coteau dea Prairies, but of a duller red color. We met four Indians in a canoe in passing it, who saluted us. The outlet is filled with long flowing grass and aquatic plants. Two Indian women in a canoe who were met here guided us down its somewhat intricate channel. We observed the spiralis or eel weed and the rattlesnake leaf (scrofula weed or goodyeara) ashore. The tulip tree and butternut were noticed along the banks. Indian Manners. — In passing down the outlet of the Red Cedar Lake we, soon after leaving our guides, met three canoes at short distances apart, two of which had a little boy in each end, and the third an old woman and child. We next met a Chippewa with his wife and child on the banks. They had landed from a canoe, evi- dently in fear, but, learning our character, embarked and followed us to Rice Lake. The woman had her hair hanging loose about her head, and not clubbed up in the usual fashion. I asked, and understood in reply, that this was a fashion peculiar to a band of Chippewas who live north of Rice Lake. On coming into Rice Lake we found the whole area of it, except a channel, covered with wild rice not yet ripe. We here met a number of boys and girls in a canoe, who, on seeing us, put ashore and fled in the utmost trepida- tion into the tall grasses and hid themselves. Rue Lake, or Monominekaning. — As we came in sight of the village, every canoe was put in the best trim for display. The 884 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. flags were hoisted ; the military canoes paid all possible devotion to Mars. There were five canoes. I led the advance, the men strik- ing up one of their liveliest songs — which by the way was some rural ditty of love and adventure of the age of Louis XIV. — and we landed in front of the village with a flourish of air (purely a matter of ceremony) as if the Grand Mogul were coming, and they would be swallowed up. I immediately sent to the chiefs, to point uut the best place for encamping, which they did. Council at Rice Lake. — As soon as my tent was pitched, Neenaba, Wabezhais, and their followers, to the number of twenty- two persons, visited me, were received with a shake of the hand and a "bon-jour," and presented with tobacco. Notice was imme- diately given that I would meet them in council at the firing of signal guns by the military. They attended accordingly. This council was preliminary, as I intended to halt here for a couple of days, in order to put new bottoms to my canoes. I wished, also, some geographical and other information from them, prior to my final council. Neenaba agreed to draw a map of the lower part of the river, &c., denoting the lines drawn by the treaty of Prairie du Chien, and the sites of the saw-mills erected, without leave, by squatters. Native Speeches. — Next day (8th) the final council was held, at the usual signal. Wabezhais and Neenaba were the principal speakers. They both disclaimed setting themselves up against the authority or wishes "of the United States. They knew the lines, and meant to keep them. But they were on the frontiers. The Sioux came out against them. They came up the river. They had last year killed a man and his two sons in a canoe, on the op- posite banks of Rice Lake, where they lay concealed. Left to protect themselves, they had no choice. They must strike, or die. Their fathers had left them councils, which, although young and foolish, they must respect. They did not disregard the voice of the President. They were glad to listen to it. They were pleased that he had honored them with this visit, and this advice. This is the substance of both speeches. Neenaba complained that the lumbermen had built mills on their land, and cut pine logs, without right. That the Indians got no- PERSONAL MBHOIRS. 885 thing but civil treatment, when they went to the mills, and tobacco. This young chief appears to have drawn a temporary notoriety upon himself by his position in the late war party, which is, to some ex- tent, fallacious. His modesty is, however, a recommendation. I proposed to have invested him with a second class medal and flag; but he brought them to me again, laying them down, and saying that he perceived that it would produce dissatisfaction and discord in his tribe ; and that they were not necessary to insure his good influence and friendship for the United States. On consulta- tion with the band, these marks of authority were finally awarded to Wabezhais. Presents, including the last of my dry goods, were then distributed. Among them, was a small piece of fine scarlet cloth, but too little to make a present to each. The divider of the goods, which were given in camp, who was Indian, when he came to this tore it into small strips, so as to make a head-band or bal- dric for each. The utmost exactness of division was observed in everything. Orifices for Treading out Rice. — I saw artificial orifices in the ground near our encampment. On inquiry, I learned that these were used for treading out the wild rice. A skin is put in these holes which are filled with ears. A man then treads out the grain. This appears to be the only part of rice making that is performed by the men. The women gather, dry, and winnow it. A Live Beaver. — The Indians brought into camp one morning, while I was at Rice Lake, a young beaver ; an animal more com- pletely amphibious, it would be difficult to find. The head and front part of the body resemble the muskrat. The fore legf> are short, and have five toes. The hind legs are long, stout, and web- footed. The spine projects back in a thick mass, and terminates in a spatula-shaped tail, naked and scale-form. The animal is young, and was taken about ten days ago. Previously to being brought in, it had been tajcen out in a canoe into the lake, and immersed. It appeared to be cold, and shivered slightly. Its hair was saturated with water, and it made use of its fore paws in attempts to express the water, sometimes like a cat, and at others, like a squirr<^l. It sat up, like the latter, on its hind legs, and ate bread in the manner of a squirrel. In this position 25 S8d PERSONAL MBMOIRS. it gave some idea of the kangaroo. Its color was a black body, brownish on the cheeks ' and under the body. The eye small and not very brilliant. Its cry is not unlike that of a young child. The owner said, it would eat rice and fish. It was perfectly tamed in this short time, and would run to its owner. NoiiCES OP Natural History. — I took out of the bed of the river, in the descent below Red Cedar Lake, a greenish substance attached to stone, having an animal organization resembling the sponge. In our descent, the men caught, and killed with their poles, a proteus. The wild rice, which fills this part of the river, is monoecious. The river abounds in muscles, among which the spe- cies of unios is common, but not of large size, so far as we observed. The forest growth improves about this point, and denotes a better soil and climate. Fine species are still present, but have become more mixed with hard wood, and what the French ca >oe-men de- nominate "Bois Franc." Value of the Folleavoine Fork. — The name by which this tributary of the Chippewa is called, on the Lake Superior side, namely, Red Cedar, is quite inappropriate. Above Rice Lake it is characterized by the wild rice plant, and the name of Folleavoine, which we found in use on the Mississippi border, better expresses its character. The lower part of the stream appears to be not only more plenteous in the class of resources on which an Indian popula- lation rely, but far better adapted to the purposes of agriculture, grazing, and hydraulics. Medal of the thipd President. — During the assemblages at Rice Lake, I observed a lad called Ogeima Geezhick, or Chief Day, having a Jefferson medal around his neck. I called him and his father, and, while inquiring its history, put a new ribbon to it. It was probably given by the late Col. Bolvin, Indian agent at Prairie du Chien, to the chief called Peesh-a-Peevely, of Ottawa Lake. The latter died at his village, an old man, last winter. He gave it to a young man who was killed by the Sioux. His brother having a boy mimed after him, namely, Ogeima Geezhick, gave it to him. War-Dance. — This ceremony, together with what is called strik- PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. 887 ink- ing the post, was performed during our stay. The warriors, arrayed for war, danced in a circ' a to the music of their drum and rattles. After making a fixed number of revolutions, they stopped simulta- neously and uttered the sharp war yell. A man then stepped out; and, raising his club and striking a pole in the centre, related a per- sonal exploit in war. The dance was then resumed, and terminated in like manner by yells, when another warrior related his exploits. This was repeated as long as there were exploits to tell. One of the warriors had seven feathers in his head, denoting that he had marched seven ; Imes against the enemy. Another had two. One of the young men asked for Lieut. Clary's sword, and danced with it in the circle. An old woman, sitting in a ring of women on the left, when the dancing and drumming had reached its height, could not restrain her feelings. She rose up, and, seizing a war-club which one of the young men gallantly offered, joined the dance. As soon as they paused, and gave the war-whoop, she stepped forward and shook her club towards the Sioux lines, and related that a war party of Chippewas had gone to the Warwater River, and killed a Sioux, and when they returned they threw the scalp at her feet. A very old, deaf, and gray-headed man, tottering with age, also stepped out to tell the exploits of his youth, on the war path. Among the dancers, I noticed a man with a British medal. It was the medal of the late Chief Peesh-a-Peevely, and had probably been given him while the British held the supremacy in the country. I explained to him that it was a symbol of nationality, which it was now improper to display as such. That I would recognize the per- sonal authority of it, by exchanging for it an American silver medal of equal size. Ornithology.— While at Rice Lake, I heard, for the first time, the meadow-lark, and should judge it a favorite place for birds obtaining their food. The thirteen striped squirrel is also common. A quantity of the fresh-water shells of the lake were, at my request, brought in by the Indian girls. There was very little variety. Most of them were unios of a small size. I found the entire population to be one hundred and forty-two souls, of whom eleven were absent. One of the last acts of Neenaba was to present a pipe and speech, 888 PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. to be forwarded to the President, to request him to use his power to prevent the Sioux from crossing the lines. Having now finished repairing my canoes, I embarked on the ninth, at three o'clock in the afternoon, and went down the river four hours and a half, pro- bably about eighteen miles, and encamped. Encountered four Indians, from whom we obtained some pieces of venison. During the night wolves set up their howls near our camp, a sure sign that we were in a deer country. A Prairie Country. — The next morning (10th Aug.) we em- barked at five, and remained in our canoes till ten A. M., when we landed for breakfast. We had now entered a prairie country, of a pleasing and picturesque aspect. We observed a red deer during the morning; we passed many hunting encampments of the Indiana, and the horns and bones of slaughtered deers, and other evidences of our being in a valuable game country. These signs continued and increased after breakfast. The river had now increased in volume, so as to allow a free navigation, and the men could venture to put out their strenr^thin following down a current, always strong, and often rapid. We were passing a country of sylvan attractions, of great fertility, and abounding in deer, elk, and other animals. We also saw a mink, and a flock of brant. Mr. Clary shot a tur- key-buzzard, the first intimation that we had reached within the range of that bird. As evening approached we saw a raccoon on a fallen bank. We came at nightfall to the K&kabika Falls, carried our baggage across the portage, and encamped at the western end, ready to embark in the morning, having descended the river, by estimation, seventy miles. These falls are over sandstone, a rock which has shown itself at all the rapids below Rice Lake. Saw Mills. — The next morning (11th) we embarked at six o'clock, and, after descending strong and rapid waters for a distance of about fifteen mile», reached the site of a saw mill. A Mr. Wal- lace, who with ten men was in charge of it, and was engaged in re- constructing a dam that had been carried oflE" by the last spring freshet, represented Messrs. Rolette and Lockwood of Prairie du Chien. Another mill, he said, was constructed on a creek just below, and out of sight. I asked Mr. Wai .ce where the lines between the Sioux and PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 889 Chippewis crossed. He said above. He had no doubt, however, but that the land bel" ^ed to the Chippewas. He said that no Sioux had been here for seven years. At that time a mill was built here, and Sioux came and encamped at it, but they were attacked by the Chippewas and several killed, since which they have not appeared. He told us that this stream is called the Folleavoine. The country near the mills is not, in fact, occupied by either Chippewa or Sioux, in consequence of which game is abundant on it. We saw a wolf, on turning a dense point of woods, in the morning. The animal stood a moment, and then turned and fled into the forest. After passing the mills we saw groups of two, five and four deer, and of two wolves at separate points. Mr. Johnston shot at a flight of brant, and brought down one. The exclamations, indeed, of " un hup! un chevreuiir' were continu- ally in the men*s mouths. Chippewa River. — At twelve o'clock precisely we came to the coiffiueice of this fork with the main stream. The Chippewa is a noble mass of water, flowing with a wide sweeping majesty to the Mississippi. It excites the idea of magnitude. Wide plains, and the most sylvan and picturesque hills bound the view. We abandoned our smallest canoe at this point, and, pushing into the central channel of the grand current, pursued for six hours our way to its mouth, where we encamped on a long spit of naked sand, which marked its entrance into the Mississippi. Snake. — The only thing that opposed our passage was a large serpent in the centre of the channel, whose liberty being impinged, coiled himself up, and raised his head in defiance. Its colors were greenish-yellow and brownish. It appeared to be of the thick- ness at the maximum of a man's wrist. The bowsman struck it with a pole, not without some trepidation at his proximity to the reptile, but it made off*, apparently unhurt, or not disabled. Mont Le Garde. — The picturesque and grass-clad elevation called Le Garde by the canoe-men, attracted our notice. It is a high hill, the top of which commands a view of the whole length of Lake Pepin, where Chippewa war parties look out for their enemies. It was from this elevation that Kewaynokwut's party 890 PBRBONAL HEMOIR& spied poor Finley and his men in 1824, and there could have been no reason whatever for mistaking their character, for he had a linen tent and other unmistakeable insignia of a trader. The Chippewa enters the Mississippi by several channels, which at this stage of the water, are formed by long sand bars, which are but a few inches above the water. The tracks of deer and elk were abundant on these bars. We had found something of this kind on a bar of the Folle&vpine below the mills, where we landed to dry the doctor's herbarium and press, which had been knocked overboard in a rapid. The tracks of elk at that spot were as numerous as those of cattle in a barn yard. There are high hills on the west banks of the Mississippi opposite the entrance, and an enchanting view is had of the foot of Lake Pepin and its beautiful shores. Deer appear to come on to these sand bars 'at night, to avoid the mosquitoes. Wolves follow them. We estimate our distance at forty miles, inclusive of the stop at the mill. We had the brant roasted on a stick for supper. Descent op the Mississippi. — We embarked on our descent at four o'clock A. M. We passed three canoes of Sioux men with their families. The canoes were wooden. We stopped alongside, and gave them tobacco. The women club their hair like the Chip- pewas, and wear short gowns of cloth. Soon afterwards we over- took four Sioux of Wabashaw's band, in a canoe. We stopped for breakfast at nine o'clock, under a high shore on the west bank. Found fine unios of a large size, very abundant on a little sandy bay. I found the unto alatu%, overtus, rugoaua and gibhoaus, also some anadontas. The Sioux came up, and gave us to understand that a murder had been committed by the Menomonies in the mine country. Some of my voyageurs laughed outright to hear the Sioux language spoken, the sound of its frequent palatals falling very flat on men's ears accustomed only to the Algonquin. Sioux Village. — About two o'clock, having taken a right- hand fork of the river, we unexpectedly came, to a Sioux village, consisting of a part of Wabashaw's band, under Wah-koo-ta. Landed and found a Sioux who could speak Chippewa, and serve as interpreter. I informed them of my route and the object of my visit, and of my having communicated a message with warn- PIRSONAL MBM0!R8. 891 pum and tobacco to Wabashaw. Thov lold us that the Monomo- nies had killed twenty-five Foxes at Prairie du Chien a few days ago, having first made them drunk, and then cut their throats and Bcalped them. We encamped, at seven o'clock in the evening, under high cliiTs on the west shore, having been fifteen hours in our canoes. Found mint among the high grass, where our tent poles wore put. On the next morning we set off at half-past four o'clock, and went until ten to breakfast. At a low point of land of the shore, we had a view of a red fox, who scampered away gayly. Ho had been probably gleaning among the shell-fish along shore. At a subsequent point we met a boat laden with Indian goods, bound to St. Peters, and manned by Canadians. The person in charge of it informed us that it was Menomonies and not Foxes who had, to the number of twenty-six, been recently murdered. General Impression op the Mississippi. — The engrossing idea, in passing down the Mississippi, is the powex* of its waters during the spring flood. Trees carried from above are piled on the heads of islands, and also lie, like vast stranded rocks, on its sand bars and lower shores. Generally the butt ends and roots are elevated in the air, and remain like gibbeted men by the road- side, to tell the traveler of the power once exerted there. We traveled till near ten o'clock (13th) in the morning, when we reached and encamped at Prairie du Chien. 892 PIRSONAL MBMOIRS. CHAPTER XLI. Death of Mr. Monroe — Affair of the mnsBaore of the Menomonies by the Foxes — Descent to Qaleno — Trip in the lead mine country to Fort Win- nebago — Gratiot's Grove — Sao and Fox disturbances — Black Hawk — Irish Diggings — Willow Springs — Yanmator's lead — An escape from falling into a pit — Mineral Point — Ansley's copper mine — Gen. Dodge's — Mr. Brig- ham'a — Sugar Creek — Four Lakes — Seven Mile Prairie — A night in the woods — Reach Fort Winnebago — Return to the Sault — Political changes in the cabinet — Gov. Cass called to Washington — Religious changes^}. B. Porter appointed Governor — Natural history — Character of the new governor — Arrival of the Rev. Jeremiah Porter — Organization of a church. 1831, Aug. lAth. One of the first things we heard, on reach- ing Prairie du Chien, was the death of ex-President Monroe, which happened on the 4th of July, at the City of New York. The de- mise of three ex-Presidents of the revolutionary era (Jefferson, Adams, and Monroe), on this political jubilee of the republic, is certainly extraordinary, and appears, so far as human judgment goes, to lend a providential sanction to the bold act of confederated resistance to taxation and oppression, made in 1776. The affray between the Foxes and Menomonies turns out thus. The Foxes had killed a young Menomonie hunter, near the mouth of the Wisconsin, and cut off his head. The Menomonies had re- taliated by killing Foxes. The Foxes then made a war party against the Menomonies, and went up the Mississippi in search of them. They did not find them, till their return, when they dis- covered a Menomonie encampment on the upper part of the Prairie. They instantly attacked them, and killed seven men, five women, and thirteen children. The act was perfectly dastardly, for the Menomonies were some domestic lodges of persons living, as non- combatants, under the guns of the fort and the civil institutions of the town. The Menomonies complained to me. I told them to go to their Agent, and have a proper statement of the massacre drawn up by him, and transmitted to Washington. PBRBONAL MEMOIRS. 898 I called on the commanding officer, Captain Loomis, and accept- ed hia invitation to dine. He introduced me to Mr. Struct, the Indian Agent. At four o'clock in the evening, I embarked for Galena, and, after descending the MisBissippi as long as daylight lasted, encamped on a sand bar. The next morning (15th), we were again in motion before 5 o'clock. We passed Cassville and Dubuque at successive points, and, entering the river of Galena, reached the town about half-past eight o'clock, in the evening, and encamped on the banks of the river. On the following day (16th) I dispatched my canoe back to the Wisconsin in charge of Mr. Johnston, accompanied by Dr. D. Houghton, and Mr. Melancthon Woolsey, with directions to meet me at the portage. I then hired a light wagon to visit the mine country, taking letters from Captain Legate, U. S. A., and Mr. C. Hemstead. Mr. Bennet, the landlord, went with me to bring back the team. We left Galena about ten o'clock in the morning (17th), and, passing over an open, rolling country, reached Gratiot's Gi'ove, at a distance of fifteen miles. The Messrs. Gratiot received me kindly, and showed me the various ores, and their mode of preparing and smelting them, which are, in all respects, similar to the method pursued in Missouri, with which I was familiar. Mr. Henry Gratiot was the sub-Indian agent for ;he Winneba- goes, andw j, resent at the late disturbances at the head of Rock Island. Uis band is the Winnebagoes living on Rock River, which is the resideuce of their prophet. He says the latter is a half Sauk, and a very shrewd, cunning man. They are peaceable now, and disclaim all connection with Black Hawk, for war purposes. Mr. G. assured me that he places no confidence in these declarations, nor in the stability of the Sacs and Foxes. He deems the latter treacherous, as usual, and related to me several acts of their former villainy — all in accordance with their late attack and murder of the Menomonies at Prairie du Chien. This murder was com- mitted by a part of Black Hawk's band, who had been driven from their villages on the Mississippi below the rapids. They ascended the river to Dubuque — from thence the party set out, and fell on the unsuspicious and defenceless Menomonies. Having examined whatever was deemed >v orthy of attention here, I drove on about fifteen miles to Willow Springs. In this drive we had the Platte Mounds, a prominent object, all the afternoon on 894 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. our left. We stopped at Irish Diggings, and I took specimens of the various spars, ores, and rocks. Lead ore is found here in fis- sures in the rock. An extraordinary mass of galena was recently discovered, in this geological position, by two men named Doyle and Hanley. It is stated to have been twenty-two feet wide by one hundred feet in length, and weighed many tons. It was of the kind of formation called sheet mineral, which occupies what ap- pears to have once been an open fissure. T^e face of the country is exceedingly beautiful, the soil fertile, and bearing oaks and shagbark hickory. Grass and fiowers cover the prairies as far as the eye can reach. The hills are moderately elevated, and the roads excellent, except for short distances where streams are crossed. We passed the night at Willow Springs, where we were well accommodated by Mr. Ray. On the 18th it rained in the morning. We stopped at Rocky Branch Diggings, and I obtained here some interesting specimens. We also stopped at Bracken's Furnace, where I procured some organic remains. I Examined Yanmater's lead; it runs east and west nearly nine miles. There was so much certainty in tracing the course of this lead, that it was sought out with a compass. The top strata are thirty-six to forty feet — then the mineral clay and galena occur. While examining some large specimens which had been thrown out of an old pit forty feet deep, whose edges were concealed by bushes, I had nearly fallen in backwards, by which I should have been inevitably killed. The fate that I escaped fell to the lot of Bonnet's dog. The poor fellow jumped over the cluster of bushes without seeing the pit beyond. By looking down we could see that he was still living. Mr. Vanmater promised to erect a wind- lass over the pit and get him out before Mr. Bennet returned. We reached Mineral Point about eleven o'clock. I immediately called on Mr. Ansley, to whom I had a letter, and went with him to visit his copper ore discovery. On the way he lost his mule, and, after some exertions to catch the animal, being under the eiFects of a fever and ague, he went back. A Mr. Black went with me to the diggings. Green and blue carbonates of copper were found in rolled lumps in the clay soil, much like that kind of lead ore which is called, from its abraded form, gravel ore. Taking specimens of each kind of ore, I went back to the town to dinner, and then PERSONAL MKMOIBS. 895 drove on two or three miles to General Dodge's. The General received me with great urbanity. I was introduced to his son Augustus, a young gentleman of striking and agreeable manners. Mrs. Dodge had prepared in a few moments a cup of coffee, which formed a very acceptable appendage to my late dinner. We then continued our way, passing through Dodgeville to Porter's Grove, where we stopped for the night, and were made very comfortable at Morrison's. ' On the 19th we drove to breakfast at Brigham's at the Blue Mounds. I here found in my host my old friend with whom I had set out from Pittsburgh for the western world some thirteen or fourteen years before, and whom I last saw, I believe, fighting with the crows on the Illinois bottoms for the produce of a fine field of corn. I went on to the mound with him to view the extraordinary growth of the same grain at this place. The stalks were so high that it really required a tall man to reach up and pull off the ears. Ten miles beyond Brigham's we came to Sugar Creek and a tree marked by Mr. Lyon. From this point we found the trail mea- sured and mile stakes driven by Mr. Lyon's party, but the Indians have removed several. From Sugar Creek it is ten miles to the head of the Four Lakes. We then crossed the Seven Mile Prairie. To the left as we passed there rose a high point of rocks, on the top of which the Indians had placed image stones. Night overtook us soon after crossing this prairie. We took the horse out of the shafts and tied him to the wagon. My friend Bennet, though au fait on these trips, failed to strike a fire. We ate something, and made shift to pass the night. Next morning we drove twelve miles to a house (Hasting's), where we got breakfast. We drove through Duck Creek with some ado, the skies threatening rain, and came in to Fort Winnebago by one o'clock, during a pouring rain. The canoes sent from Galena had not yet arrived. I spent the next day at the Winne- bago agency, Mr. John H. Kinzie's, where I was received with great kindness. The canoe with Dr. Houghton and his companions did not arrive till the 23d, and I embarked the same day on my return to St. Mary's. It will not be necessary to describe this route. We wore three days in descending the Fox Kiver and its portages to Green Bay. It required eight days to traverse tho 896 PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. shores and bays to Mackinack, and three more to reach St. Mary's, vhere I arrived on the 4th of September. ■ %.* ?,; *f ..^a^^ ij- .»A,.i»i During my absence on this expedition, there were some things in my correspondence that require notice. Gen. Cass had been transferred to the War 0£Sce at Washington. He writes to me from Detroit (July 22d): "Very much to my surprise I have found myself .'*' " Mr. Cooper now devotes himself to shells and birds. If yon have anything rare cr new in these departments, we should be ^reatly obliged to you for such specimens as you can spare. " Dr. Dekay went to Russia with his father, Mr. Eokford, last summer." - .Vtir M*riiTr'«>t ^;'*A?^4t'J*rft'-fe>£rr?rfil?^^^ ^: 23i. A friend and shrewd observer from Detroit, writes : " You ask how we like our new Governor. Very well. He is a well-informed plain man, unassuming in his manners and conciliat- ory, always ready for busii.e8s, and accustomed to do everything en ordre. His wife is a fine-looking agreeable woman, with seve- ral pretty well-behaved children." r^* ':^fU(hy.a- ^^'^■'■•^ :fi v! = ■i Another correspondent says : " Mr. Porter is very much such a man as A. E. Wing, and will, no doubt, generally suit the citizens of the territory." ZOth. W. Ward, Esq., says : " I remove hence to Washington, with no certain prospects, only hopes. I cannot go without thanking you for much enjoyment in the hours passed with you, and for the manifestations of interest and friendship. " ' ^^ Nov. 12th. Rev. W. S. Boutwell says : " I am happy to hear that my friend and olastimate. Porter, is at Mackinack, on his way to this people. The Lord speed him on his way." 22d. Dr. Houghton writes from Fredonia, communicating the results of his analyses of the Lake Superior copper-ores. : Dee. Zlst. The person named in a prior letter from the Home Missionary Society, prefers a more southerly location, in conse- quence of which a new selection has been made by Dr. Peters, in the person of Rev. Jeremiah Porter, a graduate of Princeton and Andover, and a lineal descendant, I understand, by the mother's side, of the great Dr. Edwards. We have b«en favorably im- pressed by the manner and deportment, and not less so by the piety and learning of the man. I felt happy, the moment of his landing, in offering him a furnished chamber, bed and plate, at Elmwood, while residing on this frontier. He has taken steps to organize a church. He preaches in an animated and persuasive style, and has commenced a syster? of moral instruction in detail, which, in ovif local history, constiti tes an era. It has been writ- ten that "where vice abounds, gracs shall much more abound," PKISONAL MBHOntS. 899 and St. Mary's may now be well included in the list of favorable examples. The lordly "wassail" of the fur-trader, the long-con- tinued dance of the gay French ^' habitant,'' the roll of the billiard- ball, the shuffle of the card, and the frequent potations of wine "when it is red in the cup," will now, at least, no longer retain their places in the customs of this spot on the frontier without the hope of having their immoral tendencies pointed out. Some of the soldiers have also shown a disposition to attend the several meetings for instruction. The claims of temperance have likewise led to an organized effort, and if the pious and gentle Mr. Laird were permitted once again to visit the place, after a lapse of seven years, he might fervently exclaim, in the language of the Gospe', " What, hath Gpd wrought ?': a*:>'M>«r <.--t;*i' ^'"i. V -;V3/:yw ■uS:, it;ri? ^i -. '. ; -vsfiv iti ^ij I- ;; i:A\^ ■y.i.. VfA ^^ I K . i'^- 400 PERSONAL MBHOIAS. '■'.'■ -r*7li**, ifi * ;.■>';.' '!"/ * •ir;' .. .: -..u s;;^ t,,.; ,;i .vtr:^^ "x^K^.Mr t-'-.'v.w ■>.•? fi ','.».' .!:;\ .^'.u»i Mi* I/- ..,-iy? ^!i-.',-^V yll t! ,1 , ■li , 1/13-'-'"^ *^»' ^•■»»'*- ■''•!• **' ,-A '?•'!;>■)■!:',■ Av! ^-,.ii4i*vl:. -;.^.-.j>--^t CHAPTER XLII. ,^ :-r. -";■.:... .. Revival of St Mary's — Rejection of Mr. Van Buren as Minister to England — ^Botany and Naturat History of the North-weet — Project of a new ex- pedition to find tlie Soarces of tlie Mississippi — Algio Society — Consolida- tion of the Agencies of St. Mary's and Michilimackinack — Good effects of the American Home Missionary Society — Organization of a new inland exploring expedition committed to me — Its objects and composition of the corps of observers. 1882, Jan. Slat. I was now to spend a winter to aid a preacher in promoting the diffusion and understanding of the detailed facts, which all go to establish a great truth — a truth which was first brought to the world's notice eighteen hundred and thirty-two years before, namely, that God, who was incarnate in the Messiah, under the name of Jesus Christ, offered himself a public sacrifice for human sins, amidst the most striking and imposing circum- stances of a Roman execution — a fact which, in an age of extra- ordinary moral stolidity and ecclesiastical delusion, was regarded as the behest of a mere human tribunal. For this work the circumstances of our position and exclusion from society was very favorable. The world, with all its political and commercial care, was, in fact, shut out with the closing of the river. Three hundred miles of a waste, howling wilderness sepa- rated us south-easterly from the settlements at Detroit. Ninety miles in a south-westerly direction lay the island and little settle- ment and mission of Mackinack. In addition to the exertions of Mr. Porter, who was our pastor, the winter had enclosed, at that point, a zealous missionary of the American Board, destined for a more northerly position, in the person of Mr. Boutwell, who with the person, Mr. Bingham, in charge of the Indian mission at the same point, maintained by the Baptist Convention, constituted a moral force that was not likely to be without its results. They derived mutual aid from PBR80NAL MEMOIRS. 401 each other in various ways, and directed their entire efforts npon a limited community, wholly excluded from open contact with the busy world, and having, by their very isolation, much leisure. The result was an awakened attentio 'o the truth, to which I have adverted, not as a mere historical event, but one personally interesting and important to evory person, without regard at all to their circumstances or position. Severity of climate, deep snows, the temperature often below zero, and frequently but little above, blinding sno^y storms, and every inconvenience of the place or places of meeting, appeared only to have the effect to give greater efficacy to the inquiry, as the workings of unshackled mind and will. Early in the season, a comparatively large number of persons of every class deemed it their duty to profess a personal interest in the atonement, the great truth dwelt on, and made eventually a profession of faith by uniting with, and recording their names as members of some branch of the church. Among these were several natives. Mrs. Johnston, known to her people by the name of the Sha-go-wash-co-da-wa-qua, being the most noted. Also four of her daughters, and one of her sons, one or two Catholic soldiers, several officers of Fort Brady, citizens, &c., &c. This statement will tend to render many of the allusions in my journal of this winter's transactions intelligible. Indeed some of them would not be at all understood without it. Historically con- sidered, there was deep instruction " hid" in th's event. It was now precisely 222 years since the Puritans, wit a the principles of the Scriptures for their guidance, in fleeing to lay the foundation of a new government in the West, had landed at Plymouth. It had required this time, leaving events to develop themselves, for the circle of civilization to reach the foot of Lake Superior. Ten years after the first landirg at this remote spot in 1822, had been sufficient to warm these ancient principles into life. John Elioc, and the band of eminent saiuts who began the labor with him in 1632, had been centuries in thtir tombs, but the great principles which they upheld and enforced were invested with the sacred vitality which they possessed at that day. Two truths are re- vealed by this reminiscencv\ 1. That the Scriptures will be pro- mulgated by human means. 2. That time, in the Divine mind, is to be measured in a more enlarged sense ; but the propagation of 26 » 408 PERSONAL MBM01R8. '«Jt, J jg^lg trnth goes on, as obstacle after obstacle is withdrawn, surely, steadily, unalterably, and that its spread over the entire globe is a mere question of time. Jan. 81«f. Mr. Wing, delegate in Congress, writes from Wash- ington, that the nomination of Mr. Van Buren as minister to Eng- land has been reject(^d by the Senate, by a majbrity of one — and that one the casting vote of the Vice-President. A letter from Albany, Feb. 1, says : "Albany (and the State ge':erally) is con- siderably excited this morning in consequence of the rejection of Mr. Van Buren. Nothing could have more promoted the interest of Mr. Van Buren than this step of the Senate. New York city has resolved to receive him. on his return from England, with all the 'pomp and magnificence in its power, and to show that he ' " favorite son" shall be sustained.' I heard this read in public from a letter received by a person in this city." " A report reached this a few days ago, stating that the ' cho- lera' had been brought to New Orleans in a Spanish vessel." " Mr. Woolsey, the young gentleman of your tour last summer, died at New York a short time since." In a letter which he wrote to me (Sept. 27th), on the eve of his leaving Detro't, he says : " Permit me now, sir, in closing this note, again to express my gratitude for the opportunity you have afforded mo of visiting a very interesting portion of our country, and for the uniform kind- ness that I have experienced at your hands, and for the friendly wishes, that prosperity may crown my exertions in life." Dr. Houghton says (Feb. 8) respectmg this moral young man : " The tears of regret might flow freely for the loss of such true unsophisticated worth, even with those who knew him imperfectly, but to me, who felt as a brother, the loss is doubly great. We have, however, when reflecting upon his untimely death, the sweet consolation that he died as he lived, a Christian.'* Teh. 4f A. Dr. Torrey expresses his interest in the botany and natural history, generally, of the country visited by me last summer. ** Your kind offer to place in my hands the botanical rarities which, from time to time, you may acquire, in your interesting journeys, I fully appreciate. It will give me great pleasure to examine the collections made by Dr. Houghton during your last expedition. " My friend Mr. William Cooper, of the Lyceum, will be happy to lend you all the assistance in his power in determining the shells PERSONAL MBM0IR8. 408 surely, Bjlobe is 1 Wash- to Eng- ae — and er from ) is con- ction of interest ork city with all that he ' n public he *cho- Bl." summer, irhich he jtrr't, he I) express irisiting a rm kind- friendly ng man: ich true erfectly, lat. We he sweet tany and summer. BS which, ourneys, mine the ition. )e happy he shells you have collected. He is decidedly our best conchologist in New York, and I would rather trust him than most men — for he is by no means afflicted yfku the mania of desiring to multiply new species, which is, at present, the bane of natural history. " You speak of having disco 7ered some interesting minerals, es- pecially some good native copper. Above all the specimens which you obtained, I should like to see the native magnesia which you found in serpentine. I am desirous of analyzing the mineral, to ascertain whether its composition agrees with that of Hoboken and Unst (the only recorded localities in our mineralogical works)." ISth. Submitted, in % letter to the department at Washington, A PROJECT of an expedition to th j North-west, during the ensuing season, in order to carry out the views expressed in .ae instructions of last year, to preserve peace on the western frontiers, inclosiitg the necessary estimates, &c. IQth. Mr. W. H. Sherman, of Vernon, N. Y., communicates intelligem;e of the death of my mother, which took place about ten o'clock on the morning of this day. She was seventy-five years of age, and a Christian — and died as she had lived, in a full hope. 1 had ret^d the letters before breakfast, and while the family were assembling for pra/ers. I had announced the fact with great composure, and afterward proceeded to read in course the 42d Psalm, and went on well, until I came to tho verse — "Why art thou cast down, my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." The emotions of this painful event, which I had striven to con- ceal, swelled up in all their reality, my utterance was suddenly choked, and I was obliged to close the book, and wait for calmness to go on. 2Sth. The initial steps were taken for forming an association of persons interested in the cause of the reclamation of the Indians, to be known under the name of the Algic Society. Connected with this, one of its objects was to collect and disseminate practical information respecting their language, history, traditions, customs, and character; their numbers and condition; the geographical features of the country they inhabit ; and its natural history and productions. It proposes some definite means of action for furthering their 404 It PBRSONAL MBMOIRS. moral instruction, and reclamation from the evils of intemperance and the principles of war, and to subserve the general purposes of a so- ciety of moral inquiry. The place was deemed favorable both for the collection of original information, and for offering a helping hand to missionaries and teachers who should visit the frontiers in car- rying forward the great moral question of the exaltation of the tribes from barbarism to civilization and Christianity. 2Hth. Instructions are issued at Washington, consolidating the agencies of St. Mary's and Michilimackinack — and placing the joint agency under my charge. By this arrangement, Col. Boyd, the agent at the latter point, is transfeiTcd to Green Bay, and I am left at liberty to reside at St. Mary's or Michilimackinack, placing a sub-agent at the point where T do not reside. >■•■-.''■ •. ■ This measure is announced to me in a private letter of this day, f rom the Secretary of ,War, who says : " I think the time has arrived when a just economy requires such a measure." By it the entire expenses of one full agency are dispensed with — the duties of nfrhich are devolved upon me, in addition to those I before had. By being allowed the choice of selection, two hundred dollars are added to my salary. Here is opened a new field, and certainly a very ample one, for exertions. April Sth. The object contemplated by invoking the aid of the Home Missionary Society, in the establishment of a church at this remote point on the frontiers — in connection with the means already possessed, and the aid providentially present, have, it will have beer seen, had the effect to work quite a moral revolution. The evils of a lax society have been rebuked in vari- ous ways. Intemperance and disorder have been made to stand out as such, and already a spirit of rendering the use, or rather misuse of time, subservient to the general purposes of social dissi- pation, has been shown to be unwise and immoral in every view. More than all, the Sabbath-day has been vindicated as a part of time set apart as holy. The claims and obligations of the deca- logue have been enforced ; and the great truths of the Gospel thus prominently brought forward. The result has been every way pro- pitious. The Rev. Wm. M. Ferry, of Mackinack, writes (Feb. 21): "The intelligenco Vsj have received by your letters, Mr. Boutwell, &c.. of the Lord's doings among you, as a people, at the Sault, har, re- K^ PERSONAL MEMOIRB. 405 re- joiced our hearts much. Surely it is with you a time of the right hand of tho Most High." " AH of us," writes Mr. Robert Stuart (March 29) " who love the Lord, were much pleased at the indica- tions of God's goodness and presence among you." . The Rev. J. Porter, in subsequently referring to the results of these additions to the church, observes that they embraced five officers and four ladies of the garrison ; two gentlemen and seven ladies of the settlement, and thirty soldiers and four women of Fort Brady, numbering fifty-two in all. Of these, twenty-six were adults added by baptism. At Detroit a similar result was experienced. Mr. Trowbridge writes (April -Sth), that about seventy persons united themselves a few days previous to Mr. Wells* church, to which the influence has been principally, but not wholly confined. Among these were many who had, unaffectedly, listened to the Gospel if not all their lives, certainly no small part of it. May Sc2. Public instructions are issued for my organizing and taking command of an expedition to tho country upon the sources of the Mississippi River, to effect a pacification bet^i^en the Indian tribes, in order to carry out, with increased means, the efforts made in 1881. Those efforts were confined to tribes living in latitudes south of St. Anthony's Falls. It was now proposed to extend them to the Indian population living north of that point, reaching to the sources of that river. This opened the prospect of settling a long contested point in the geography of that stream, namely, its actual source — a question in which I had long felt the deepest interest. The outbreak of Indian hostHity, under Black Hawk, which characterized the summer of 1832, was apprehended, and it became the policy of the Indian Bureau, in the actual state of its information, to prevent the northern tribes from joining in the Sac and Fox league under that influential leader. I forwarded to the Superin- tendent and Governor of the territory, a report of a message and war-club sent to the Chippewas to join in the war, for which I was indebted to the chief, Chingwauk, or Little Pine. " Reports from various quarters of the Indian country," says the Secretary of War, in a private letter' so early as March 28th, " lead to the belief that the Indians are in an unsettled state, and 406 PSRSOWAL MIMOIRS. prndenco requires that we should advise and restrain them. I think one more tour would be very useful in this respect, and would com- plete our knowledge of the geography of that region." " There is a prospect," says the oflSoial instructions (May 8d), " of cxtensivo hostilities among themselves. It is no less the dic- tate of humauity than of policy to repress this feeling, and to esta- blish permanent peace among the tribe. " It is also important to inspect the condition of the trade, and the conduct of the traders. To ascertain whether the regulations and the laws are complied with, and to suggest such alterations as may be required. And, finally, to inquire into the number, stand- ing, disposition, and prospect of the Indians, and to report all the statistical facts you can procure, and ^lich will be useful to the government in its operations, or to the community in the investi- gation of these subjects." Congress, during the session, passed an act for vaccinating the In- dians. This constituted a separate duty, and enabled me to take along a physician and surgeon. I offered the situation to Dr. Douglass Houghton, of Predonia, who, in the discharge of it, was prepared to take cognizance of the subjects of botany, geology, and mineralogy. I offered to the American Board of Missions, at Boston, to tako a missionary agent, to observe the condition and prospects of the Indian tribes in the north-west, as presenting a field for their opera- tions, and named the Rev. W. T. Boutwell, then at Michilimacki- nack, for the post, which the Board confirmed, with a formal vote of thanks. Lieut. James Allen, 5th U. S. Infantry, who was assigned to the command of the detachment of troops, assumed the duties of topograpHer and draughtsman. Mr. George Johnston, of St. Mary's, was appointed interpreter and baggage-master. I retain- ed myself the topics of Indian history, archaeology, and language. The party numbered about thirty souls. All this appeared strictly compatible with the practical objects to be attained — keeping the expenses within the sum appropriated for the object. Some few weeks were required completely to organize the expe- dition, to prepare the necessary supplies, and to permit the several persons to reach the place of rendezvous. Meantime I visited Michilimackinack to receive the, agency from Col. Boyd; after which it was left temporarily in charge of a sub-agent and inter- PBR80NAL MIM0I18. 407 preter, with the Buperviaion of the oommanding officer of Fort Mackinack. 4th. The Secretary of War writes a private letter : " We have allowed all it was possible, and you must on no account exceed the sum, as the pressure upon our funds is very groat." Maj. W. writes from Detroit (May 7th): "I am glad to hear that you are about going on another expedition, and that Mr. Houghton is to accompany you. X hope you will find time to send us some specimens collected on your former tour before you start." Dr. Houghton writes from Fredonia (May 12th) : '* I phuU leave here immediately after the twenty-fourth, and liope to see you as early as the second or third of June. I have heard from Torrey, and have sent him a suit of plants." The Secretary of War again writes (May 22d; : ** It 1 is been impossible before now, to make you a remittance of fund ^ ; nd they cannot yet all be sent for your expedition. Our annual appropria- tion has not yet passed, and when it will I am c:iu i I cannot tell. So you must get along as well as you can. I wrust, however, the amount now sent will be sufficient to enable you to start upon your expedition. The residue promised to you, as well as the funds for your ordinary expenditures, shall be sent as soon as the appro- priation is made." The sub-agent, in charge of the agency at Mackinack, writes (May 22d) : " Gen. Brook arrived yesterday from Green Bay, and has concluded to make this post his head-quarters. I was up, yes- terday, in the garrison, and Capt. McCabe introduced me to him. I found him a very pleasant, plair unassuming man. Col. Boyd has handed me a list of articles v*' ■;' you will find inclosed, &c." "The committee," says the Rev. David Green, Boston, "wish me to express to you the satisfaction they have in learning that your views respecting the importance of making known the great truths of the Gospel to the Indians, as the basis on which to build their improvement, in all respects accords so perfectly with their own. It is our earnest desire that our missionaries should act wisely in all their labors for the benefit of the Indians, and that all the measures which may be adopted by them, or by others who seek to promote the present or future welfare of this unhappy and long-abused people, may be under the Divine guidance, and crowned with crreat success/* 408 PERSONAL MBHOIRS. These triple claims, which have now been mentioned, of busi- ness, of science, and of religion, on my attention created not the least distraction on my mind, but, on the contrary, appeared to have propitious and harmonizing influences. v-^ PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 409 CHAPTER XLIII. Expedition to, and discovery of, Itasca Lake, the source of the Mississippi River — Brief notice of the journey to the point of former geographical dis- covery in the basin of Upper Red Cedar, or Cass Lake — Ascent and portage to Queen Anne's Lake — Lake Pemetascodiac — The Ten, or Metoswa Rapids — Pemidgegomag, or Cross-water Lake — Lake Irving — Lake Mar- quette—Lake La Salle — Lake Plantagenet — Ascent' of the Plantagenian Fork — Naiwa, or Copper-snake River — Agate Rapids and portage — Assawa Lake — Portage over the Hauteur des Torres — Itasca Lake — Its picturesque character — Geographical and astronomical position — Historical data. 1832. June 7th. It was not until this day that the expedition "was ready to embark at the head of the portage at St. Mary's. I had organized it strictly on temperance principles, observation having convinced me, during frequent expeditions in the wilder- ness, that not only is there no situation, unless administered from the medicine-chest, where men are advantaged by its use, but in nearly every instance of fatigue or exhaustion their powers are enfeebled by it, while, in a moral and intellectual sense, they are rendered incapable, neglectful, or disobedient. This exclusion constituted a special clause h every verbal agreement with the men, who were Canadians, which I thought necessary to make, in order that they might have no r^acon to complain while inland of its exclusion. They were promised, instead of it, abundance of good wholesome food at all times. The effects of this were appa- rent even at the start. They all presented smiling faces, and took hold of their paddles with a conscious feeling of satisfaction in the wisdom of their agreement. The military and their supplies occupied a largo Mackinack boat ; my heavy stores filled another. I traveled in a canoe-elege, as being better adapted to speed and the celerity of landing. Each carried a national flag. We slept the first night at Point Iroquois, which commands a full view of the magnificent entrance into the lake. We were fifteen days in traversing the lake, being my fifth 410 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. trip through this inland sea. We passed up the St. Louis River by its numerous portages and falls to the Sandy Lake summit, and reached the banks of the Mississippi on the third of July, and ascertained its width above the junction of the Sandy Lake outlet to be 331 feet. We were six days in ascending it to the central island in Cass Lake. This being the point at which geographical discovery rests, I decided to encamp the men, deposit my heavy baggage, and fitted out a light party in hunting canoes to trace the stream to its source. The Indians supplied me with five canoes of two fathoms each, and requiring but two men to manage each, which would allow one canoe to each of the gentlemen of my party. I took three Indians ard seven white men as the joint crew, making, with the sitters, fifteen persons. We were pro- visioned for a few days, carried a flag, mess-basket, tent, and other necessary apparatus. We left the island early the next morning, and reached the influx of the Mississippi into the Lake at an early hour. To avoid a very circuitous bay, which I called Allen's Bay, we made a short portage through open pine woods. Fifty yards' walk brought us and our canoe and baggage to the banks of Queen Anne's Lake, a small sylvan lake through which the whole channel of the Mississippi passed. A few miles above its termination we entered another lake of limited size, which the Indians called Pemetascodiac. The river winds about in this portion of it — through savannas, Itordered by sandhills, and pines in the distance — for about fifteen miles. At this distance, rapids com- mence, and the bed of the river exhibited greenstone and gneissoid boulders. We counted ten of these rapids, which our guide called the Metoswa, or Ten Rapids. They extend about twenty miles, during which there is a gradual ascent of about forty feet. The men got out at each of these rapids, and lifted or drew the canoes up by their gunwales. We ascended slowly and with toil. At the computed distance of forty-five miles, we entered a very handsome sheet of water, lying transverse to our course, which the Indians called Pamidjegumag, which means crosswater, and which the French call Lac Traverse. It is about twelve miles long from east to west, and five or six wide. It is surrounded with hard- wood forest, presenting a picturesque appearance. We stopped a few moments to observe a rude idol on its shores ; it consisted of a granitic boulder, of an extraordinary shape, with PERSONAL HBMOIRS. 411 Lth some rings and spots of paint, designed to give it a resemblance to a human statue. We observed the passenger-pigeon and some small fresh-water shells of the species of unios and anadontas. A short channel, with a strong current, connects this lake with another of less than a third of its dimensions, to which I gave the name of Washington Irving. Not more than three or four miles above the latter, the Mississippi exhibits the junction of its ulti- mate forks. The right hand, or Itasca branch, was represented as by far the longest, the most circuitous, and most difficult of ascent. It brings down much the largest volume of water. I availed myself of the geographical knowledge of my Indian guide by taking the left hand, or what I had occasion soon to call the Plantagenian branch. It expanded, in the course of a few miles, into a lake, which I called Marquette, and, a little further, into another, which I named La Salle. About four miles above the latter, we entered into a uiore considerable sheet of water, which I named Plantage- net, being the site of an old Indian encampment called Kubba- kunna, or the Rest in the Path. We encamped a short distance above the upper end of this lake at the close of the day, on a point of low land covered with a small growth of gray pine, fringed with alder, tamarisk, spruce, and willow. A bed of moss covered the soil, into which the foot sank at every step. Long moss hung from every branch. Every- thing indicated a cold frigid soil. In the act of encamping, it commenced raining, which gave a double gloom to the place. Several species of duck were brought from the different canoes as the result of the day's hunt. Early the next morning we resumed the ascer';. The river became narrow and tortuous. Clumps of willow and alder lined the shore. Wherever larger species were seen they were gray pines or tamarack. One of the Indians killed a deer, of the species G. Virginea, during the morning. Ducks were frequently dis- turbed as we pushed up the winding channel. The shores were often too sedgy and wet to permit our landing, and we went on till twelve o'clock before finding a suitable spot to breakfast. About five o'clock we came to a high diluvial ridge of gravel and sand, mixed with boulders of syenite, trap-rock, quartz, and sandstone. Ozawandib, our guide, said we were near the junction of the Naiwa, or Copper-snake River, the principal tributary of 412 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. this branch of the Mississippi, and that it was necessary to make a passage over this ridge to avoid a formidable series of rapids. Our track lay across a peninsula. This occupied the remainder of the day, and we encamped on the banks of the stream above the rapids and pitched our tent, before daylight had finally departed. The position of the sun, in this latitude, it must be recollected, is protracted, very perceptibly, above the horizon. We ascended to the summit in a series of geological steps or plateaux. There is but little perceptible rise from the Cross-water level to this point — called Agate Rapids and Portage, from the occurrence of this mineral in the drift. The descent of water at this place cannot be less than seventy feet. On resuming the journey the next morn- ing (13th) we found the water above these rapids had almost the appearance of a dead level. The current is very gentle ; and, by its diminished volume, denotes clearly the absence of the contribu- tions from the Naiwa. About seven miles above the Agate Portage we entered Lake Assawa, which our Indian guide informed us was the source of this branch. We were precisely twenty minutes in passing through it, with the full force of paddles. It receives two small inlets, the most southerly of which we entered, and the canoes soon stuck fast, amidst aquatic plants, r>n a boggy shore. I did not know, for a moment, the cause of our having grounded, till Ozawandib exclaimed, '* 0-um-a, mikun-na!" here is the portage! We were at the Southern flanks of the diluvial hills, called Hau- teur DES Terres — a geological formation of drift materials, which form one of the continental water-sheds, dividing the streams tri- butary to the Gulf of Mexico, from those of Hudson's Bay. He de- scribed the portage as consisting oi tyfehe pug-gi-de-nun, or rest- ing places, where the men are temporarily eased of their burdens. This was indefinite, depending on the measure of a man's strength to carry. Not only our baggage, but the canoes were to be carried. After taking breakfast, on the nearest dry ground, the different back-loads for the men were prepared. Ozawandib threw my canoe over his shoulders and led the way. The rest followed, with their appointed loads. I charged myself with a spy-glass, strapped, and portfolio. Dr. Houghton carried a plant press. Each one had something, and the men toiled with five canoes, our provisions, beds, tent, &c. The path was one of the most intricate and tan- gled that I ever knew. Tornadoes appeared to have cast down the und( The first PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 418 the trees in every direction. A soft spongy mass, that gave way under the tread, covered the interstices between the fallen tinker. The toil and fatigue were incessant. At length we ascended the first height. It was an arid eminence of the pebble and erratic block era, bearing small grwy pines and shrubbery. This constituted our first pause, z: paggidenun. On descending it, we were again plunged among bramble. Path, there was none, or trail that any mortal eye, but an Indian's, could trace. We ascended another eminence. We descended it, and entered a thicket of bramble, every twig of which seemed placed there to bear some token of our wardrobe, as we passed. To avoid this, the guide passed through a lengthened shallow pond, beyond which the walking was easier. Hill succeeded hill. It was a hot day in July, and the sun shone out brightly. Although we were evidently passing an alpine height, where a long winter reigned, and the vegetation bore every indica- tion of being imperfectly developed. We observed the passenger pigeon, and one or two species of the falco family. There were indications of the common deer. Moss hung abundantly from the trees. The gray pine predominated in the forest growth. At length, the glittering of water appeared, at a distance below, as viewed from the summit of one of these eminences. It was declared by our Indian guide to be Itasca Lake — the source of the main, or South fork of the Mississippi. I passed him, as we de- scended a long winding slope, and was the first man to reach its banks. A little grassy opening served as the terminus of our trail, and proved that the Indians had been in the practice of crossing this eminence in their hunts. As one after another of the party came, we exulted in the accomplishment of our search. A fire was quickly kindled, and the canoes gummed, preparatory to em- barkation. We had struck within a mile of the southern extremity of the lake, and could plainly see its terminus from the place of our embarking. The view was quite <. r.ohanting. The waters were of the most limpid character. The shores were >. crhung with hard - ; 1 fo- liage, mixed with species of spruce, larch, and aspen. Wt j" Jged it to be about seven miles in length, by an average of one to two broad. A bay, near its eastern end, gave it somewhat the shape of the letter y. We observed a deer standing in the water. Wild fowl appeared to be abundant. We landed at the only island it 414 PERSONAL MBMOIRS. fjontains — a beautiful spot for encampment, covered with the olm, cherry, larch, maple, and birch, and giving evidence, by the re- mains of old camp fires, and scattered bone;; of apccieh killed in tho chase, of ili having been much resorted to by the ibiri^i/ies. This pictmfsque island the party honovod i^u^ by calling ai'ter my nam? — in which they have been sanctionofi by Kicollot .\..\\ other geographtirs. I caused some ":rees i-> bo i'«jii«id; piichtu viy tent, and raised the America i flag on a L'^^h staff, the Indians firing a salute as it rose. This flag, as tho CTidence oi the government having extended its jurisdiction to this quarter, I left iiying, r:i quitting the Iceland — and presume the bain^ of Oza'Wfiudib, at Oass Lakft, afterwardb ap- propoiatel it to themselves. QiiestioitJ of geography and astronomy may dcL^^erve a moment's i&tt'.»nti T If Tve assume the discovery of the mouth of the Missis- sippi to La'ebeen made by Narvaez in 1627 — a doubtful point! — a perioJ of SO.'J years has elapsed before its actual source has been fixe*L If ths date of De Soto's journey (1541) be taken, which is undisputed, this period is reduced to 290 years. Hennepin saw it as high as the mou:h of the river St. Francis in 1680. Lt. Pike, under the administration of Mr. Jefferson, ascended it by water in 1805, near to the entrance of Elk River, south of the Crow Wing Fork, and being overtaken at this spot by frosts and snow, and winter setting in strongly, he afterwards ascended its banks, on snow shoes, his men carrying his baggage on hand sleds, to Sandy Lake, then a post of the North-west Company. From this point he was carried f 3rward, under their auspices, by the Canadian train de-glis, drawn by dogs to Lee^h Lake ; and eventually, by vhe same conveyance, to what is now denominiated Cass Lake, or upper Lao Cedre Rogue. This he reached in January, 1806, and it formed the terminus of his journey. In 1820, Gen. Cass visited Sandy Lake, by the way of Lake Superior, with a strong party, and exploratory outfit, under the authority of the government. He encamped the bulk of his party at Sandy Lake, depositing all his heavy su,j idles, and fitted out a light party in two canoes, to trace up the • to its source. After ascending to the point of land at the entr <. . feet apart. Its ^M^:- PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 41T depth is about four feet, and velocity perfectly filrious. It is not impossible to descend it, as there is no abrupt pitch, but such a trial would seem next to madness. We made a portage with oar canoes of about a quarter of a mile across a peninsula, and embarked again at the foot of the falls, where the stream again expands to more than double its.formcr width, and the scenery assumes a riilder aspect. It is another plateau. Daylight had departed when we encamped on a high sandy bank on the left shore. We were perfectly exhausted with labor, and the thrilling excitement of the day. It seemed, while flying through its furious passes, as if this stream was impatient for its develop- ment, and, like an unrestrained youth, was bent on overthrowing every obstacle, on the instant, that opposed its advance and expan- sion. A war horse could not have been more impatient to rush on to his destiny. We were in motion again in our canoes at five o'clock the next morning. At an early hour my Indian guide landed to fire at some deer. He could not, however, get close enough to make an effec- tual shot. Before the animals were, however, out of range, he loaded, without wadding, and fired again, but also A.Uhout effect. After passing a third plateau through which the river winds, with grassy borders, we found it once more to contract for anr de- scent, which we made without leaving our canoes, not, however, without imminent peril and loss. Lieut. Allen had halted to make some observations, when his men incautiously failed for a moment to keep his canoe direct in the current. The moment it assumed a transverse position, which tney attempted to fix by grasp- ing some bushes on the opposite bank, the water dashed over the gunwales, and swept all to the bottom. He succeeded in gaining his feet, though the current was waist high, and recovered his fowling piece, but irretrievably lost his canoe-compass, a nau . l alanced instrument, and everything besides. Fortunately I had a fiue small land-compass, which Gen. Macomb had presented to the late John Johnston, Esq., of St. Mary's, many years before, and thus I mea- surably repaired his loss. On descending this channel, the river a.^ain displayed itself in savannas, aiid assumed a width which it r.i rwards maintained, and lost its savage ferocity of current, though still strong. On this plateau, the river receiving on its left the War River, or 27 jatiM. 418 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. Piniddiwin (the term has relation to the mangled flesh of those slain in battle), a considerable stream, at the mouth of which the Indian reed first shows itself. We had, the day previous, noticed the Chemaun, '. ,,.> , ^Mver, tributary from the right bank. Minor tributi- ' ;3 were no noticed. The volume of water was manifestly increase*! from various sources. At a spot where we landed, as evening came on, we observed a species of striped lizard, which our guide called Okautekinabic, which signifies legged-snake. Various species of the duck and other water fowl were almost continually in sight. We reached i' j jui.cuoK of t^ " Plantagenet Fork about one o'clock at night (15th), and rapidly passing the Irving and Cross-water Lakes, descended to Cass Lake, reaching our encamp- ment at nine o'clock in the morning. A day's rest restored the party from its fatigues, and we set out at ten o'clock the following day (16th) for Leech Lake, by the over- land route. Two hours rowing brought us to a fine saady beach at the head of a bay, whi ,a was named Pike's Bay, from Lieut. Pike having approached from this direction in the winter of 1806. Here the baggage and canoes were prepared for a portage. A walk of nine hundred and fifty yards, through open pine fo»- :5t, brought u to the banks of Moss Lake, which we passed in canoes. A portage of about two miles and a-half was now made to the banks of a small lake, which, as I heard no name for it, was called Shiba, from the initials of the names of the five gentlemen of the party.* This lake has an outlet into a large stream, which the Pillager Chippewas call Kapuka Sag'Lawag. It was nearly dark when we embarked on this stream, which soon led, by a very narrow and winding chan- nel, into tJe mai*^ river. ushing on, we reached and crossed an arm of the lake to the principal Indian village of Guelle Plat, Leech Lake, which we reached at ten o'clock at night. The next day (17th) was passed in council with them, till late in the afternoon, when I embarked, and went a, couple of leagues to encamp, in order to rid m^ i if fully of the village throng, and be ready for an early Btu in tic morning. It was my determination to pass inland south- ^r1 by an Indian trail, so as to strike the source of the Crow W'ag or De Corbeau River, one of the great tributaries of the Mississippi which remained une}<;plored. We found the entrance to this portage early the next morning * Schoolcraft, Houghton, JohnBton, ]^outwel], Allen. PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. 419 Ig (18th). After following the trail about three-fourths of a mile M'e reached and crossed a small lake called Warpool. A small and intricate outlet led successively to Little Long Lake, the Two Lakes, and the Lake of the Mountain. Here commenced a high- land portage of over 900 yards to the Lake of the Island — ano- ther portage of some 2000 yards was then made to Midlake, and finally another of one puggidenun, partly through a bog, but ter- minating on elevated grounds at the head of a considerable and handsome body of water called Kaginogamaug, or The Long Water. This is the source of the De Corbeau River, and here we encamped for the night. We had now crossed the summit be- tween Leech Lake and the source of the Crow Wing River. Wo commenced the descent on the morning of the 19th, and passed successively thr igh eleven lakes, connected by a series of short channels. The names of these in their order, are Kaginogamaug, Little Vermilion, Birch, Pie, Assawa, Vieu Desert, Summit, Longrice, Allen's, Johnston's, and Kaitchibo Sagitawa. Two tributary streams enter the river in this distance, the principal of which is Shell River; the stream assumes an ample size, and there is no further apprehension of shallows. Next day (20th) we passed the influx of six rivers, the largest of which is Leaf River, coming in from the West. The channel has now attained a bold and sweeping force. It required part of another day to reach its mouth, in the course of which it is joined by the Long Prairie River from the right, and the Kioshk or Gall River from the left. An alluvial island, with a heavy forest, exists at the point of its confluence with the Mississippi River. We encamped at the Pierced Prairie, eighteen miles below the junction, and were less than two days in a high state of lite water, in reaching St. Anthony's falls. 24 '• !\i Point auxPinSy at the foot of Lake Superior. But th- liseabe did not spread in PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 423 that latitude. "We have heard," says a correspondent (25th July), " from Chicago, that the ravages of the cholera are tenfold worse than the scalping-knife of the Black Hawk and his party. A great many soldiers died, while on their way to Chicago, on board the steamers." 27th. The agent of the dead-letter post-office, at Washington, transmits me a diploma of membership of the Royal Geographical Society of London, which appears to have been originally mis- directed and gone astray to St. Mary's, Georgia. The envelope had on it the general direction of " United States, America" — a wide place to find a man in. Sept. 11th. A letter, of this date, from the head of the Depart- ment, at Washington, leaves it optional with me, under the consolidation of agencies, to choose my place of residence. " You can make your own choice of residence between the Sault and Mackinack, and arrange your subordinate offices as you think proper." I determined to remove the seat of the agency to Mackinack next spring, and to make this my last winter at the Sault. I have now been ten year's a resident of this place. The most, serious inroad upon my circle of friends, made by death during my absence, was the sudden death, at Detroit, of the eldest daughter of the Secretary of War. Miss Elizabeth Selden Cass was a young lady of bright mental qualities, and easy, cultivated manners and deportment, and her sudden removal, though prepared by her moral experience for the change, must leave a blank in social circles which will be long felt and deplored. Her father writes, upon this irreparable loss : " A breach has been made in our domestic circle which can never be repaired. I can yet hardly realize the change. It has almost prostrated me, and I should abandon office without hesitation were it not that a change of climate seems indispensable to Mrs. C, and I trust she will avoid in Washington those severe attacks to which she has been subject for the last five winters." 12th. Mr. Trowbridge writes : " Mr. Richard is dead. He was attacked by a diarrhoea, and neglected it too long." Mr. R. was the Catholic priest at Detroit, and as such has been a prominent man in the territory for many years. He was elected Delegate to Congress in 1824, I think, and served two years in that capa- 424 PERSOXAL MEMOIRS. city. I once heard him preach nearly two hours on the real presence. He finally said, " that if this doctrine was not true, Jesus Christ must be a fool." These, I think, were the precise woras. When attending, by rotation, as one of the chaplains for the Legislative Council while I was a member, he used to pray very shrewdly "that the legislators might make laws for the people and not for themselves." He spoke English in a broken manner and with a false accent, which often gave interest to what he said when the matter was not otherwise remarkable. 22d. Rev. John Clark, of Northville, Montgomery Co., N. Y., of the Methodist Connection, writes : " Should it please Divine Providence, I hope to be at your place in May or June next, for the purpose of opening a permanent mission and school among the Chippewas at such place, and as early as may be advisable." 21th. Rev. W. T. Boutwell, of the A. B. Commissioners for Fo- reign Missions, now at La Pointe, Lake Superior, writes : " I could not, to a degree, help entering into all your anxieties about the cho- lera, which reports were calculated to beget, but rejoice, not less thu,a yourself, that the Lord has spared those who are dear to us 1 oth. My fears, I rejoice to say, have not been realised, in relation to my friends at Mackinack and the Sault, when I heard of the dis- ease actually existing at Mackinack. Were it not that the L :d is righteous and knoweth them that are his, the righteous even might fear and tremble when judgments are abroad in the land. " I was happy indeed to learn that you remain at the Sault, the present winter. Happy for brother Porter's sake, and for the sake of those whose hands you may and will strengthen, and hearts encourage. I never think of the Sault but I wish myself there. ' It is now a happy spot — a place favored of heaven,' said one of my Mackinack friends to me once in conversation ; ' I once felt as though I could never see that place, as I always associated with it everything wicked, but now I should love to go there — the Lord is there.' " Oct. 5th. Dr. Torrey writes from N. Y. : "I rejoice to learn that you have returned in safety from your fatiguing and perilous journey to the north-west. Dr. Houghton wrote me a letter which I received a few days ago, dated Sault de St. Marie, stating the general results of the expedition, but I have read, with great satis- faction, the account which was published in the Detroit Journal of jffurrr ■ PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 425 Sept. 26th. A kind Providence has preserved you during another absence, and I hope He will .ause the results of your labors to prove a blessing to our Ked brethren, as well as the United States at large." " Dr. Houghton sent me some of the more interesting plants which he brought with him last year, but he said the best part of your collections were destroyed by getting wot. " By all means send Mr. Cooper your shells. He knows more about fresh water shells than any naturalist in New York. By the way, have you seen Mr. Lea's splendid monograph (with co- lored plates) of Unios, in the Transactions of the American Philo- sophical Society .^" " Are we to have a narrative of the two expeditions in print ? I hope you consent to publish, and let us have an appendix con- taining descriptions of the objects in natural history. " You have heard, perhaps, something about the University of the City of New York, which was planned about two years ago. It went into operation a few days ago, under the most favorable prospects. The council nave given me a place in it (Prof. Chem. Bot. and Mineralogy), the duties of which I can discharge in ad- dition to those which I attend to in the medical college, as the lat- ter occupies only four months in the year." About the middle of September I embarked at the Sault for Detroit, for the purpose chiefly of meeting, the Secretary of War — taking with me thus far, my Uttle sister Anna Maria, on her way to school at Hadley, in Massachusetts. While at Detroit, several meetings of benevolent individuals were held, and the constitution of the Algic Society was signed by many gentlemen of standing and note, and an election of officers made. Having been honored with the presidency, I delivered a brief address at one of these meetings. This, together "ith the following resolutions, which were passed at the same time, indicate the contemplated mode of action.* It was not intended to be exclusively a missionary or educational * Besolved, That t':o ibanks of the- society be presented to ilenry R. Schoolcraft, Esq., for the valuable introductory remarks offered by him, and that ho be requested to furnish a copy of the saiue for publication. liesohed, That the Domestic Secretary be diroc .d to prepare and submit for the approbation of the Official Board, a Ci.cular, to be addressed to such persons as have been elected members of this society, and others, setting forth 426 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. society, but also, to collect scientific and statistical information essen- tial to both objects, and to offer facilities to laborers on the frontiers, and answer inquiries made by agents authorized by the General Boards from the old States. The effort was appreciated and warmly approved by the friends of missions and humanity ; but it required great and continual personal efforts to enlist a sufficient number of persons in the true objects, and to keep their minds alive in the work. It demanded, in fact, a kind of literary research, which it is always difficult to command on the frontiers. To act, and not to ! its objects, its organization, constitution, and initial proceedings, which cir- cular, when 80 prepared, shall be printed for the purpose of distribution. Sesolved, That the Official Board be directed to prepare a succinct Tempe- rance and Peace Circular, suited to the wants and situation of the North- western Tribes, to be addressed, through the intervention of the Hon. the Secretary of War, to the Agents of the Government and Officers command- ing posts on the frontiers, and also to persons engaged in the fur trade ; to travelers, and to gentlemen residing in the country, requesting their aid in spreading its influence. Resolved, That it is expedient for this society to procure an exact statistical account of the names, numbers and location of the different bands of Indians, of the Algonquin stock, now living within the limits of the United States : — also, the number of missionaries who are now amongst them, and the extent of tlie field of labor which they present. Jtesolved, That this society will aid in sending ,x winter express to the mis- sionaries who are now stationed near cho western extremity of Lake Supe- rior. Resolved, That the members of this society residing at Sault St. Marie and at Michilimackinack, shall constitute a standing committee of this society, during the ensuing year, with power to meet for the transaction of business, and shall report from time to time, such measures as they may have adopted to promote the objects of this institution : which proceedings shall he submitted to the society at any stated or special meeting of the same, and if approved by them, shall be entered on the records of the society. Resolved, That the President of this society be requested to deliver, at such time as shall bo convenient to himself, a course of Lectures on the Gramma- tical construction of the Algonquin language, as spoken by the Ncrth-West- ern Tribes, and to procure, from living and authentic sources, a full and com- plete Lexicon of that language, for the use of the society. Resolved, That the K(!v. Bcriah Green, of tlie Western Reserve College, be requested to deliver an address before the society at its next annual mooting: and, that Henry R. Schoolcraft, Esq., be requested to deliver a poem on the Indian Character, at the same meeting. Resolved, That the tirst anniversary of this society be held at Detroit, on the second Thursday of October, A. D. 1833. ! PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 42T pursue the quiet paths of study, is the tendency of the frontier mind. I returned to St. Mary's about the middle of October. It was a proof of the care and precision with which my friends looked out for me, that I was met by my " canoe-eUge" with a French crew and flag flying at the Detour, before the vessel had dropped anchor, so that I went up the river with the accustomed gayety of a song. These French songs have been often alluded to. One of them, the measure of which is adapted, by its music, to the short stroke of the paddle, is given below.* 15th. Dr. Peters, Secretary of Home Missions, writes to me, from on board a steamboat on Lake Erie, proposing a plan for bringing the subject of chaplaincies in the army to the notice of the Secretary of War. A letter from a missionary (Boutwell) at La Pointe, L. S., says : " I endeavor daily to do something at the language. But imagine for one moment, what you could do with a boy (his interpreter) who knows neither English, French nor Indian, and yet is in the habit of mangling all. Still I am satisfied he is the best Brother F. could send, though but one remove from none. Of one thing I am determined, that if I cannot teach him English I can to cut bushes. However, I find, by daily visiting the lodges, that I may retain, and probably add a little now and then. I find there is a trifling diff'erence between the language here, and as spoken at the Sault. The difierence consists principally in the accent. I find the interchangeables, if possible, more irregular here than there. '* The old chief (Pezhiki) is very pleasant and kind. I find him a very good standard for testing accents. His enunciation is very distinct." 25th. The sub-agent in charge at Mackinack writes : " The schooner ' White Pigeon' came in this afternoon from Green Bay, having on board Major Fowle's Company. She is to sail early to-morrow morning for the Sault. " The Indians appear satisfied with their treatment at this of- fice, and it has been observed by them, that more work has been done for them since my arrival here than Colonel B. did for them in one year." ::il * Omitted. 428 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. His TSxcoUoncy, Gov. Porter, called here (on his way to Green Bay) and examined the buildings and rooms of the agency. Cast- ing a hasty look, he observed that the building would bring an in- come of four or five hundred dollars annually, were it at Detroit, for rent. He was of opinion that the outer steps required repairs, &c. " Gen. Brook sailed on board the ' Black Hawk* for Green Bay on Sabbath last, accompanied by Lieut. Stockton, and Messrs. Dousman, Abbott, and King. Major Thomson (who relieves him) arrived on Monday last, with the whole of his troops and the officers under his command. Captain Cobbs, Lieut. Gallagher, and Lieut. Patten. "Lieut. Gallagher joined us at our evening social prayer meet- ing last night, and it was really cheering and reviving to hear him pray. He is gifted with talent and abilities, and withal meekness and humility." Nov. \st. The same agent writes : " I forward to you the chief Shaubowayway's map of that section of the country lying be- tween the Detour and Point St. Ignace, including all the islands on that coast. I am now waiting for the chief to proceed to Chenos as a guide, to enable us to strike in a straight line from thence to Muddy Lake River. Messrs. David Stuart and Mitchell will accompany me." 19 ,jf-.. 480 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. ing visited Fredonia, I determined to engage in the practice of my profession, in this place, at least until spring. It is only these three days since I arrived here and I am not yet com- pletely settled, but probably will be in a few days." [Here are the initial motives of a man who became a permanent and noted citizen of the territory, and engaged with great ardor in exploring its physical geography and resources. For two years, he was intimately associated with me ; and I saw him under va- rious circumstances of fatigue and trial in the wilderness, but always preserving his equanimity and cheerfulness. He was a zealous botanist, and a discriminating geologist. Assiduous and temperate, an accurate observer of phenomena, he accumulated facts in the physical history of the country which continually increased the knowledge of its features and character. He was the means of connecting geological observations with the linear surveys of the General Land Office, and had been several years engaged on the geological survey of Michigan, when the melancholy event of his death, in 1846, in a storm on Lake Superior, was announced.] 12«A. E. A. Brush, Esq., of Detroit, writes : "Everybody — not here only, but through the Union — seems to think with just foreboding of the result of the measures taken by South Carolina. Their convention have determined to resist, after the first day of (I think) February. " Gov. Cass's family are well, but he has not been heard from personally since he left here. He is too much occupied, I sup- pose, with the affairs of his department, at the opening of the session. Of course, you know that General Jackson and Van Buren are in." PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 481 CHAPTER XLVI. An Indian woman builds a church — Conchology —South Carolina prepares to resist the rerenue laws — Moral affairs —Geography — Botany — Chippewas and Sionx — A native evangelist in John Sunday — His letter in English ; its philological value — The plural pronoun we — An Indian battle — Politi- cal affairs — South Carolinn, affairs — Tariff compromise of Mr. Clay — Algic Society; it employs native evangelists — Plan of visiting Europe — Presi- dent's tour — History of Detroit — Fresh-water shells — Lake tides — Prairie —Country — Reminiscence. 1833. Jan. \»t. A remarkable thing recently transpired. Mrs. Susan Johnston, a widow — an Indian woman by father and mother — built a church for the Presbyterian congregation at this place. The building, which is neat and plain, without a steeple, was finished early in the fall, and has been occupied this season for preaching, lectures, &c. Certainly, on the assumption of theories, there is nothing predicted against the descendants of Shem ministering in good things to those of Japhet ; but it is an instance, the like of which T doubt whether there has happened since the Discovery. The tr slation of the Indian name of this female is Woman of the Green v alley ; or, according to the poly- syllabical system of her people, O-sh^-wush-ko-da-wd-qua. 2d. Mr. John M. Earle, of Worcester, Mass., solicits contri- butions to his collection of fresh- water shells. " I have a higher object in view," he remarks, 'than the mere making of a collec- tion—viz., doing what I can to ascertain what new species remain undescribed, and what ones of those already described may be only varieties of others ; and, in fine, by a careful examination of a large number of shells, brought together from various localities, to fix, more accurately than 1 has heretofore been done, the nomenclature of the several gener" and species, and so particularly to define their specific characteristics as to leave little doubt on the subject. The graat variety of our fresh-water shells, exceed- ing that of any other country, seems to require something of this 482 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. kinJ, in addition to the valuable labors of Say, Barnes, Lea, and others, >wio, although they have done mup^ have yet left much to be done by others, and have made some akes which require rectifyip";." lith. Mr. Trowbridge writes from Detroit: " The period inter- vening since your last visit to this place has been an eventful one to the nation. South Carolina, driven on by n few infatuated men, has made a bold effort to shake off the bonds of Union and Federal Law, and, to the minds of some in whom you and I repose the utmost confidence, a happy government seems to lotter on the brink of dissolution. It is a long story, and the papers w ill tell you all. God grant that the impeudirig evil may be averted, and that the moral and religious improvement of this government may not be retarded by civil war." It is though that this event, and the course taken by the President, will produce a great reaction in his favor, and that he will be supported by his old political oppo- nents. The governor is much occupied. It is supposed the pro- clamation is from his pen." ISth. M. Merrill announces the opening of an infant school, in ■which he is to be assiste I by Mrs. Merrill, on Monday next. "2,1 9t. Rev. J. Porter, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, reports to (ho /Llgic Society, that there is but little in the present state of religiou here that is propitious. " Of the little church gathered here during the last year, ten persons are absent, scattered wildly through our land. There now remain twenty-six or twenty-eight communicants. These seem, in a measure, discouraged by the present indifference. The recent apparent conversion of three or four soldiers, and the increasing interest in their prayer-meetings and Bible class, give us some promise. The Sabbath School, taught entirely by members of the church, is now in a state of pleasing prosperity. And the infant school, latelj'^ organized under the direction of an admirably qualified teacher, promises to gratify the hearts of parents." 22d. The geography of the line of country between Sault St. Marie and the shores of Lake Huron, opposite to the island of Mackinack, is a perfect terra incognita. It has been passed in the winter only on snow shoes. The distance in a direct line from N. E. to S. W. is about forty or forty-five miles. It is about double that distance by the St. Mary's River and Lake Huron — ^which is and PERSONAL HBMOIRS. 488 has been the ordinary route, from the earliest French days, and for uncounted centurieH before. Mr. G. Johnston, who has just passed it, with Indian guides on nnow shoes, writes : " I reached this place at half-past twelve thi» (' y, after experiencing great fatigue, caused by a heavy fall of snuw and the river rising. I inclose herein a rough sketched Uiap of the region through which I passed, that is, from ^ ak aperio to Lake Huron in u direct southerly line. " The banks of the Pc :e- vated and pretty uniforn growth of cedar, on eithi birch, and a few scattered ma ^ e, which we ascended, are ele- its iiouth to the first fork, is a termixed with hemlock, pine, Thence to the third fork, de- noted on the map, the growth is exclusively pine and fir. This river is sluggish and deep, and is navigable for boats of ten to fif- teen tons burden, without any obstruction to the third forks. Its width is uniform, about sixty to seventy feet wide. " From this point to Pine River of Lake Huron, is invariably level, gently rising to a maple ridge, and susceptible of a road, to be cut with facility. " The banks of Pine River are very high; The river we found open in many places, indicating rapids. It is obstructed in many places with drift wood. The pine ridge, on either bank, indicates a vigorous growth of the handsomest pine trees I ever beheld. The water marks are high — say ten to twelve feet, owing to the spring freshets. " I reached the mouth of the river on the Sabbath, and en- camped, which gave the Methodist Indian an opportunity of re- vealing God's Holy Word to Cacogish's band, consisting of thirty souls. We were very kindly received, and supplied with an abund- ance of food — hares, partridges, trout, pork, corn and flour. We had clean and new mats to sleep on." Feb. Ath. The American Lyceum at New York invite me, by a letter from their Secretary, to prepare an essay on the subject of educating in the West. Qth. Dr. John Torrey, of N. Y., writes on the eve of his em- barkation for Europe : " I shall take with me all very rare and doubtful plants, for examination and comparison with the cele- brated herbaria of Europe. " Your boxes and packages of specimens must have been de- 28 '^^nO. Av*^ ,^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) V, ^^^.M, ^ J^ 1.0 I.I 125 ■^£■2.8 u^l&i |22 £? |4£ 12.0 u M |L25|U,,^ St < 6" ► w V Phok)gra{iiic Sciences Corporation 23 WBT MAIN STRUT WiSSTER.N.Y. 145S0 (716)t72-4S03 ■<> ^ 484 PERSONAL MBMOIRS. tained on the way by the closing of the (N. Y.) canal, as I have as yet received nothing from you. The plan of yonr proposed narrative I like much, and I hope the work will be given to the public as early as possible. Dr. Houghton did not come to New York, but has settled himself (as you doubtless know) at Detroit." 10th. Lyman M. Warren writes from Lake Superior : " Our country at present is in a very unsettled state, caused by the un- happy wars between the Sioux and Chippewas. The latter have been defeated on Rum River — six men and one woman killed. All our Chippewas are looking to you for protection, as they consider themselves wronged by the Sioux, the latter being, and constantly hunting within the Chippewa territory. I am afraid t.*^at a very extensive .rar will commence the ensuing summer, through this region, and the whole upper country, if some effectual method is not adopted to stop it." This war has all the bitterness of a war of races — ^it is the great Algonquin family against the wide-spread Dacota stock — ^the one powerful in the east, the other equally so in the west. And the measures to be adopted to restrain it, and to curb the young warriors on both sides, who pant for fame and scalps, must ever remain, to a great extent, ineffective and temporary, so long as they are not backed up by strong lines of military posts. Mr. Calhoun was right in his policy of 1820. '.nh^'tpA^.;.:<:u-i.^ <\^fl'm^■^m■.y:,^ r The Rev. Mr. Boutwell writes from the same region : " We re- joice that you enter so fully into our views and feelings relative to the intellectual and moral improvement of the Indians, and rest assured we can most heartily unite with you in bidding God speed, to such as are willing to go and do them good." 14fA. John Sunday, a Chippewa evangelist from Upper Canada among the Chippewas of Lake Superior, writes from the Bay of Keweena, where he is stationed during -the winter : — "I received your kind letter. I undersand you — ^you want here the Indians from this place. I will tell you what to the In- dians doing. They worshiped Idol God. They make God their own. I undersand Mr. D., he told all Indians not going to hear the word of God. So the Indians he believed him. He tell the Indians do worship your own way. Your will get heaven quick is us. So the Indians they do not care to hear the word of God. " But some willing to hear preaching. One family they love to PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 485 come the meeting. That Indian, by and by, ho got ligion. He is happy now in his heart. After he got ligion that Indian say, Indian ligion not good. I have been worship Idol god many years. He never make happy. Now I know Jesus. His ligion is good, because I feel it in my heart. I say white people ligion very good. That Indian he can say all in Lord's prayer and ten command- ments, and apostle creed by heart. Perhaps you know him. His name is Shah- wau-ne-noo-tin. ^j* %. .tw,* ^^ " I never forget your kindness to me. I thing I shall stay here till the May. I want it to do what the Lord say." Aside from his teaching among the Chippewas, which was unan- swerably effective, this letter is of the highest consequence to philology, as its variations from the rules of English syntax and orthography, denote some of the leading principles of aboriginal construction, as they have been revealed to me by the study of the Indian language. In truth he uses the Indian language to a considerable extent, according to the principles of the Chippewa syntax. Thus it is perceived from the letter, which is printed verbatim — 1. That the letter t is not uttered when standing between a consonant and vowel, as in " understand." * ^v - «/ « 2. The want and misuse of the prepositions of, from, and to. 3. The use of the participial form of the verb for the indica- tive. 4. The use of pronouns immediately after nouns to which they refer. im<':i:* ^v-y^ '-''f^^ --;i^.?!';u-;i^ *:"w^r-! *,li_ ,.a,^s-' 6. The interchange of d for t, and g for k, as in do for to, and ** thing" for think. ^ 6. The suppression of the sound of r altogether, as heard in re, and religion, &c. 7. Confounding the perfect past with the present tense. "-'■' ' 8. The misuse of the indefinite article, which is wanting in the Indian. /vy/? ;*:ifJfwr ,.:r\' - -' ?- ^-^u ¥/i? n} .pn^v^^n v-^iv^ u^: j 9. The habitual non-use of the imperative mood. * I * j « < ^\ 10. The transitive character of verbs requiring objective in- flections, for the nominative, &c. 11. The absence of simple possessives. ' ''"'" y^ 'r-"* 12. The want of the auxiliary verbs have, are, is, &c. ' ^-^ John Sunday came to St. Mary's in the autumn of 1832. His 486 PflRSONAL UKMOIRS. prayers and exhortatory teaching completely non-plassed the Chip- pewas. They heard him refute all their arguments in their own language. He had, but a short time before, been one like them- selves — a Manito worshiper, an idler, a drunkard. He produced a great sensation among them, and overthrew the loose fabric of their theology and mythology with a strong hand. I had never before heard the Chippewa language applied to religion, and listened with great interest to catch his phrases. I was anxious to hear how he would get along in the use of the dual pronoun «&e, as ap- plied to inclusive and exclusive persons. He spoke at once of the affections as they exist between a father and his children, and ad- dressed the Deity at all times as Nosa, which is the term for my father. He thus made God the inclusive head of every family, and brushed away the whole cobweb system of imaginary spirits, of the native Jossakeed, Medas, and Wabanos. March 1th. " My heart was made glad,'' writes Mr. Boutwell from Lake Superior, " that Providence directed you to Detroit at a season so timely, bringing you into contact with the great and the good — ^giving you an opportunity of laying before them facts relative to the condition of the Indians, which eventuated in so much good. We do indeed rejoice in the formation of the ' Algic Society,' which is, I trust, the harbinger of great and extensive blessings to this poor and dying people." Sth. Mr. L. M. Warrer ^rts from La Pointe, at the head of Lake Superior : " Since )\ .t, Mr. Ayer has arrived from Sandy Lake. He reports that there have been two war parties sent out against the Sioux, by the Sandy Lake Band, thirty or forty men each, without accomplishing anything. Afterwards a third party of sixty men Assembled and went out under the command of Son- gegomik — a young chief of distinguished character of the Sandy Lake Band. They discovered a Sioux camp of nineteen lodges, and succeeded in approaching them before daylight undiscovered, until they reached, in the form of a circle, within ten yards. They then opened a tremendous fire, and, as fast as the Sioux attempted to come from their lodges, they were shot dead. The yelling of Indians, screaming of women, and crying of children were dis- tressing. One Sioux escaped unhurt, and notified a neighboring camp. Their approach to the assistance of their friends was as- certained by a distant firing of guns. The Ghippewas, who by PERSONAL MBHOIBS. 48T this time had exhausted their ammunition, began, and effected a retreat, leaving nineteen of their enem j dead, and forty wounded. This victory was achieved without the loss of a man on the part of the Ghippewas. ■ ■"'' •'> ■ • ■■•' ■■■ ;:■ " '■■-'■•'■'■*-. ■' 'i"- •■ - "■'■•-'■ '»•"■'■ *■ ■• " Since that battle was fought, a body of one hundred Sioux have attacked a fortified camp of the Mille Lac and Snake River band, and killed nine men and one woman." ISth. Mr. Trowbridge writes from Detroit : " We have just heard of the adjournment of Congress ; a new tariff has been passed, together with a law empowering the President to enforce the collection of duties by calling in aid the force of the Union. These bills are accompanied by Mr. Clay's Law of Compromise, providing for the gradual reduction of duties to a revenue stand- ard. So that the dreaded Carolina question will, it is supposed, blow over, leaving the Union as it was. The great men, too, who have been on opposite sides of this question, have shaken hands at parting, and this is looked upon as another auspicious sign. '' The release of the missionaries in Georgia, having settled that disagreeable and disgraceful affair to the State, although not done with that magnanimity which ought to have characterized the pro- ceeding, leaves no general question at issue, but the Indian ques- tion ; and from the prudent measures of government in that re- gard, it is to be hoped that that also will be, at length, amicably arranged. " I mention these facts because I am told that no newspapers will be sent to the upper country.** ISth. Lieut. J. Allen, U. S. A., way topographer on the recent expedition, sends me maps of Leech Lake, Cass Lake, and Itasca Lake, to be used in my narrative of the journey to the source of the Mississippi River. Correspondents appear solicitous for a published account of this expedition, and frequently allude to it, and to the opportunity it gave for extending our knowledge of the geology and natural history of the country. April Sth. Dr. J. B. Crawe, of Waterton, N. Y., proposes an interchange of specimens* in several departments of science. Hon. Micah Sterling, of the same place, commends to my notice Dr. Richard Clark, who is ordered on this frontier, as a "young man of merit and respectability." My correspondence with naturalists, in all parts of the Union, and my list of exchanges, had, indeed, 488 PBRSONAL MBMOIRS. for some years been large and active, and was by no means dimin- ished since my last two expeditions. But new sympathies have been awakened, particularly during the last two years, with philanthro- pists and Christians, which added greatly to the number of my correspondents, without taking from its gratifications. *^12th. Rev. Ansel B. Clark of Hudson, Ohio, an agent of the Education Society, writes on the importance of that cause, on the state and prospects of American society, the spread of vital morals in neighborhoods on the great line of the frontiers, Indian civiliza" tion, &c. In connection with the last topic, he acknowledges the receipt of the proceedings published by the Algic Society, and expresses his interest in its objects, ^x^ ^ .;.:.. ...^^.^ ' n 4 .;;,;« This society, by its standing committee here, received Elder John Sunday in the autumn, furnished him with lodgings while at the place, and an outfit for his missions to the Indians at Keweena Bay in Lake Superior. It also furnished John Cabeach and John Otanchey — all converted Chippewas from the vicinity of Toronto, U. C, with the means of practical teaching and traveling among various bands of the Northern Chippewas. It sent an express in the month of January to La Pointe, L. S., to communicate with the mission family there, with their papers, letters, &c. Regular monthly meetings of the St. Mary's committee were held, and the proceedings denote the collection of much information of high interest to the cause of the red man. 15th. 1 was anxious now to extend the sphere of my observa- tion to Europe. I had been engaged twelve consecutive years out of a period of fifteen (omitting 1823, 1828, 1829 and 1880) in journeys chiefly in the great Valley of the Mississippi, the vast flanks of the Rocky Mountains, the Upper Lakes, and the north- western frontiers. And I began to sigh for a prospect of older coun- tries and institutions. The time seemed favorable, in my mind, for such a movement, and I wrote to a friend high in influence at Washiugton, on the subject. In a reply of this date, he throws, with adroitness, cold water on the subject. He weighs matters in scales which will only keep their equipoise at the place of the seat of government ; and, if I may say so, require their equipoise to be kept up by casting on the golden weights of political expe- diency. Like those seemingly mysterious charms which produce ■ ; PBRSONAL UBMOIRSi 489 the variations in the compass, the effects are always instantly visible, we see the dip and intensity of the needle, while the causes are in great measure out of sight. ,1449^ A correspondent at Washington writes — " The President" talks of a tour to the East. He will probably leave here about the last of May. He will go to Portland, then through New Hampshire and Vermont to Lake Ghamplain, and thence through the western part of New York to Buffalo." This was originally the programme of Gen. Jackson's tour to New England in 1833. IQth. Charles Oleland, Esq., of Detroit, writes : " My partner, Franklin Sawyer, Jr., has, for some months past, been collecting materials to enable him to publish a history of Detroit, and he has this moment requested me to solicit your friendly aid. You might have in your possession many interesting facts, and much informa- tion which might give great value to the work." «<-;**( 1 ;^,;sU2 The true history of Detroit lies scattered abroad in the public archives of Paris and London, and in the Catholic College of Quebec. It is inseparable in a measure, not only from the history of Michigan, but New France. VJth. George L. Whitney, of Detroit, writes me respecting the printing of the narrative of my expedition to Itasca Lake. rr 19th. Rev. John Clark writes from New York, that the Me- thodist Society have determined to establish a mission among the Chippewas at Sault St. Marie — that he is pleased to hear the " native speakers" (Sunday, Cabeach and Tanchay) have wintered in the county, and that he expects to reach St. Mavy's by the 10th of June. -, ;■ ' .:, u ' . 20th. Dr. D. Houghton transmits from Detroit, a map necessary to illustrate my narrative of the expedition to Itasca Lake. May 9th. Wm. Cooper, of New York, undertakes to describe the collection of fresh-water shells made on the recent expedition. "You are not, perhaps, aware," he adds, "that Dr. Torrey is gone to Europe. He sailed rather unexpectedly in February, and will be absent until next October. I hope this will not be too great a delay for you, as it would be difficult to find another botanist equally capable of describing your plants. " Dr. Dekay is in New York at present, and I have no doubt will contribute his assistance in the examination foi your collec- tion." 440 PBRBONAL MIM0IR8. . I Major H. Whiting remarks : " The lake here is about two feet lower than it was at this time the last year. How is the level with you ? I have the cause fixed on record this time. Mem.— Not much snow during the winter, and a dry, a very dry spring — only one brief rain during the months of March and April. We must watch over these things and fix data, which will show that the theorising of the past, has sprung mostly from the barrenness of observation. « " Emigration is settling again this Way, as if the East were in love with i^he West. I am not surprised at it. An admirer of the picturesque might like the hills of the former, but a farmer would prefer to see them lie down on one of our prairies — such as Prairie Rond. I found out all their fascination when lately on a visit to the St. Joseph's country." **^" 20th. I had now performed my last labor at St. Mary's — which was the preparation of my narrative of the expedition to Itasca Lake. I looked, in parting, with fond regret at the trees I had planted, the house I had built, the walks I had constructed, the garden I had cul- tivated, the meadow lands I had reclaimed from the tangled forest, and the wide and noble prospects which surrounded Elmwood. All was to be left — and I only waited for a suitable vessel to embark, bag and baggage, for the sacred island whose formal polysyllables had formed the dread of my spelling days at school — Michilimacki- naok. ■^'W(y^'X^:tyy^ ,;a 'fy'i-'i's'j. 'i?..! ■:■-:, • ■ ■ * ■' ' I', r,^v >r-^>:'.',._-i;-.Vv:, t; ■ . . > •■ . PBBSONAL IIBMOIRS. 441 CHAPTER XLVII. Earliest point of French oooupanoy in the area of the Upper Lakes — Re- moval of my residence from the Sault St. Marie to the island of Miohili- - maokinaok — ^Trip to New York — Its objects — American Philosophical So- ciety — Miohilimackinack ; its etymology — The rage for investment in western lands begins — Traditions of Saganosh — Of Porlier — Of PerrauU —Of Captain Thorn— Of the chief, Old Wing— Of Mut^ekewis, of Thun- der Bay — Character of Indian tradition respecting the massacre^t old Fort Maokinack in 1768. 1883. June lat. The cascades, or rapids of Sault de Ste. Mariej which occur at the point of the sinking of the water level between Lakes Superior and Huron, were, it seems, first visited, under the French government, by Charles Baumbault, in 1641. It appears to have been one of the earliest points occupied. In 1668, Claude D' Ablon and James Marquette established there the mission of St. Mary — since which, the place and the rapids have borne that name. ■ vriA'IjI'r'* JiSVH ->.ryVl>'i;'H'l''.'f«'>,"'f--'^"''.-.-'' .!iw;-":'eif»-55.- I had been a member of the first exploring expedition which the U. S. Government sent into that region in 1820. Troops landed here to occupy it in 1822, c T>\ich occasion I was entrusted by the President, with the managiment of Indian affairs. I had now lived almost eleven years at this ancient and remote point of set- tlement, which is at the foot of the geological basin of Lake Su- perior — a period which, aside from official duties, was, in truth, devoted to the study of the history, customs, and languages of the Indians. These years are consecrated in my memory as a period of intellectual enjoyment, and of profound and pleasing seclusion from the world. It was not without deep regret that I quitted long cherished scenes, abounding in the wild magnificence of nature, and went back one step ini;o the area of the noisy world, for it was impressed on my mind, that I should never find a theatre of equal repose, and one so well adapted to my simple and domestic tastes and habits. For I left here in the precincts of Elmwood, a 442 K PIRSOITAL MIMOIS0. beautiful seat, which I had adorned with trees of my own planting, which abounded in every convenience and comfort, and commanded one of the most magnificent proipects in the world. The change seemed, however, to flow naturally from the de- velopment of events. The decision onue made, I only waited the entrance into the straits of a first class schooner, which could be chartered to take my collections in natural history, books, and fur- niture — all which were embarked, with my family, on board the schooner " Mariner" the last week in May. Captain Fowle (who met a melancholy fate many years afterwards, while a Lieutenant- Colonel on board the steamer "Moselle" on the Ohio) had been relieved, as commanding officer of the post, at the same time, and embarked on board the same vessel with his family. We had a pleasant passage out of the river and up the lake, until reaching the harbor of Mackinack, which we entered early on the morning of the 27th of May. Coming in with an easterly wind, which blows directly into it, the vessel pitched badly at anchor, causing sea-sickness, and the rain falling at the same time. As soon as it could be done, I took Mrs. S. and the children and servants in the ship's yawl, and we soon stood on terra firma, and found our- selves at ease in the rural and picturesque grounds and domicil of the U. S. Agency, overhung, as it is, by impending clifis, and com- manding one of the most pleasing and captivating views of lake scenery. Here the great whirl of lake commerce from Buffalo to Chicago, continually passed. The picturesque canoe of the In- dian was constantly gliding, and the footsteps of visitors were frequently seen to tread in haste the " sacred island," rendering it a point of continual contact with the busy world. Emigrants of every class, agog for new El Dorados in the West, eager mer- chants prudently looking to their interests in the great area of migration, domestic and foreign visitors, with note-book in hand, and some valetudinarians, hoping in the benefits of a pure air and " white fish" — these constantly filled the harbor, and consti- tuted the ever-moving panorama of our enlarged landscape. The necessary repairs to the buildings were not yet completed, when I embarked about the 10th ox June for New York, in order to fall in with the President's cortege to the East. About seven weeks were devoted to this excursion, during which I made an ar- ^•■' ir.n'/.- ■m PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 448 rangomont with tho Harpers to publish my narrative of the ex- pedition to Itasca Lake, tho printing to be done at Detroit. July Ydth. The American Philosophical Society at Philadelphia informs mo of my election as a member. 28M. I returned to Michilimackinaok from my excursion to New York, and began to inquire of aged persons, white and red, as they visited the office, into the local traditions of the place. There is a hiatus in the history of the island, extending from 1768, the date of the massacre of the British garrison on the main- land, to about 1780, tho probable date of the removal of the post from the apex of the peninsula (Peekwutinong of the Indians) to the island. The name of the place is pronounced Mish-i-nim-auk-in-ong, by the Indians. Tho term mUhi, as heard in nmhipiihiu, pan- ther, and miahigenahik, a gigantic serpent of fabled notoriety, signifies great ; nim^ appears to be derived from nt'mt, to dance, and auk from autig, tree or standing object ; ong is the common termination for locality, the vowels i (second and fifth syllable) being brought into the compound word as connectives. In a lan- guage which separates all matter, the whole creation, in fact, into two classes of nouns — deemed animates and inanimates — the distinc- tions of gender are lost, so far as the laws of syntax are involved. It is necessary only to speak of objects as possessing and wanting vitality, to communicate to them the property named, whether it in reality possesses it in nature or not. For this purpose words which lack it in their penultimate syllables, take the consonant n to make their plurals for inanimates, and g for animates. By this simple method, the whole inanimate creation — woods, trees, rocks, clouds, waters, &c. — is clothed at will with life, or the oppo- site class of objects are shorn of it, which enables the speaker, whose mind is imbued vrith his peculiar mythology and necro- mancy, to create a spiritual world around him. In this creation it is known to all who have investigated the subject, that the Indian mind has exercised its ingenuity, by creating classes and species of spirits, of all imaginable kinds, which, to his fancied eye, fill all surrounding space. If he be skilled in the magic rites of the sacred meda, or jesukewin, it is but to call on these spirits, and his necromantic behest is at its highest point of energy. In reference to this spiritual creation, the word miih signifies 444 PBRSONAL MBMOIRS. great, or rather big, bat as adjectives are, like substantives, tHn- sitive, the term requires a transitive objective sign, to mark the thing or person that is big, hence the term michi signifies big spirit, or "fairy'' — for it is a kind of pukwudjininnef unA not of monetoei that are described. The terms nim and auk, dance and tree, and the local ong, are introduced to describe the particular locality and circumstances of the mythologic dances. The true meaning of the phrase, therefore, appears to be. Place of the Dancing Spirits. The popular etymology that derives the word from Big Turtle, is still farther back in the chain of etymology, and is founded on the fact that the michi are turtle spirits. This is the result of my inquiries with the best inter- preters of the language. The French, to whom we owe the ori- ginal orthography, used ch for «A, interchanged n for I in the third syllable, and modified the syllables auk and ong into the sounds of ack — which ar«>, I believe, general rules founded on the organs of utterance, in their adoption by that nation of Indian words. Hence Michilimackinack. The word has, in Indian, a plural in- flective in oag, which the French threw away. The Iroquois, who extended their incursions here, called it Ti-o-don-de-ro-ga. Aug. Itt. While at Detroit (July 24th) Mr. Arthur Bronsoh, the money capitalist, and Mr. Charles Butler, from New York, came to that place with a large sum for investment in lands. This appeared to be the first unmistakeable sign in this quarter, of that rage for investment in western lands, which the country experienced for several years, and which, acting universally, pro- duced in 1886 a surplus revenue to the U. S. treasury of fifty mil- lions of dollars. 15th. Saganosh, an Ottawa chief of St. Martin's Island, visited the office with eleven followers. I asked him if any of the rela- tives of Gitche Naigow, of whom tradition spoke, yet lived. He pointed to his wife, and said she was a daughter of Gitche Naigow. I asked her her age. She did not know (probably fifty-five to sixty). She said her father died and was buried at the Manistee River (North), that he was very old, and died of old age — pro- bably ninety. She said he was so old and feeble, that the last spring before his death, when they came out from their sugar camp to the open lake shore, she carried him on her back. He had not, she said, been at the massacre of old Mackinack PBR80NAL MBVOIRS. 446 (doBoribed by Henry), being then at L' Arbre Oroehe, but be came to the spot soon afterwards. She had heard him speak of it. Says she was a little girl when the British, in removing the post from the main land, first brought over their cattle, and began to take pos- session of the present island of Mackinaok. The old fort on the peninsula was called Bik-wut-in-ong by the Indians, but the island always had the name of Mi»h-in-e-mauk- in-ong. Her father used to encamp where the village of Maoki- nack is now built. Her name is Na-do-toa-kway Iroquois woman. Thus far the wife of Saganosh. The man added that he lived on the island of Boisblanc, where he had a garden, when the English vessel arrived to take possession of Mackinaok. He then went to the largest of the St. Martin's islands, where he has continued to reside to this day, with intervals of absence. He does not know his age, he may be seventy. Neither of them recollect to have heard of '*Wawetum," or "MentjUwehwa," mentioned by Alexander Henry.* IQth. Mr. Forlier, of Green Bay, remarks that he is now in the sixty-ninth year of his age. Fifty years ago, he says, he first came to Michilimackinack, and the post had then been removed from the main land about three years. This would place the date of the removal about 1780. On turning to the MSS. of John Baptiste Perrault, in my pos- session, he says that he arrived at Mackinaok on the 28th of June, 1783. That the merchants had not then completed all their build- ings consequent on the removal. That the removal had taken place recently under Gov. Sinclair, a commanding officer, so called by the French, who had been relieved the preceding year by Captain Robinson. And that the 15th of July was kept as the anniversary of the removal. It is probable, therefore^ that the post had been tronsferred in 1780 or '81. -' . ^ . ,-.:.. The transfer from old to new Mackinaok seems to have been gradual with the inhabitants. Among the reasons for it, I was told, was the fear of disturbance from the American war. The main reason doubtless was the superiority of the island as a strong mili- tary j^osition against Indian attacks. Captain Thorn told me that he had sailed to old Mackinaok lack * Henry's Travels. 446 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. %even years after the massacre. The inhabitants did not go all at onoe. They dismantled their houses, and took away the windows, doors, &C. r?Ut:'''Hi«ii 'M^n^,i; ai v^i>'>'-;.iA'3?^'-!.-..^'i' ^ v:&-^«i,'*^,,'- ii.i/. ,.;-„■ Aug. 19fh. Ningwegon (or the Wing) visited, with his band, consisting (by the bundles of sticks) of ten men, twelve women, and six children. Asked him where he was when the British took possession of this island in 1812. He said at Detroit ; that he had gone there previous to the taking of the fort by the party from St. Joseph's ; that he remained at Detroit during the war ; formed an acquaint- ance with Gov. Cass, who was then commanding officer at that post, and had promised that his services should be remembered.* He said his father was a native of Detroit, having lived a little above the present site of the city. He was an Ottawa. He emi- grated, with his father and grandmother, to Waganukizzi (L'Arbre Oroche), when young, and he had since lived there. His father died, not many years since, a very old man, at Maskigon River. He is himself seventy-six years of age, and gray headed — the little hair he has (his head being shaved after the Indian fashion). His eyesight fails in relation to near objects, but is good in viewing distant ones. He bears his age well, looks firm, and is erect of body, face full, and voice unimpaired. He is a man above six feet in height, and well proportioned. In speaking of the Seneca nation, he called them As-sig-un-aigs, a term by which they are distinguished from the general Algon- quin term of Na-do-wa, or Iroquis. Of the establishment of the present military post of Mackinack, he said that, when young, he had come over from the main with his father, along with the party of British officers who came to reconnoitre the place for the purpose of establishing a post on it. The party dined under the trees (pointing to some large sugar- maples then standing in the military garden, under the cliffs). The British officer, who had led the party, then asked the Indians' consent to occupy it. This was not immediately given ; they took time to consider, and the removal of the fort was next year. Presented him a nest of kettles (twelve), two pieces of factory * This chief received an annuity under the treaty of 28th March, 1836. PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. 447 cloth, two guns, five pounds of net-thread, and two hoes, together with a requisition for provisions. . 24v. Sinclair in 1780 ; the next is a grant of land in 1781. Stating these facts afterwards to Mr. Mitchell (William), he ob- served that his father, who was the post surgeon, remarked that the removal of the troops from old Mackinack was the year after the massacre, which would be 1764. This is astounding. Yet Carver's Mackinack, in 1766, appears to have been "old Macki- nack." 19th. Thanksgiving day for the territory. A practical discourse from Mr. Ferry. Lieut, and Mrs. K., &c., to dinner. The Indian Kwewis returns to St. Mary's, accompanied by Mr. Cameron. y 20th. Mr. Mitchell passed the evening. <• . . -^ ' ,,. 21»t. Visited Mr. Ferry in the afternoon. Conversation on various religious topics. Coming home, found company; Lieut, and Mrs. P., Miss D., and Miss H., who remained to tea, and spent the evening. 22d. S. visited the infant-school in the village, and made some remarks. ., < / 2ith. Visited Mr. Barber, who directed conversation to various theological points, and the state of religion on the island. 25th. Christmas. The Catholics have had the usual services, and have gone to the usual extremes of a pa|}tomimic ceremony at midnight, &c. As a question of time, we cannot say that this is the exact day of the anniversary of the Saviour's birth; but the computation and adjustment of dates were made, I believe, on the best astronomical data, and before the Romish Church assumed political power. 26th. Wind N. W. Depression of temperature; freezes all day. Mr. F. visited me, and directed my attention to the Mosaical geology, or account of the creation, which he thinks the pride of science has sadly misunderstood. 21 th. Snow. No ice; not the slightest hordage yet in the har- bor. Lieut. P., Mrs. P., Mrs. K., and Dr. Turner visit. In the afternoon, the Maternal Association, at Mrs. Schoolcraft's invitation, assemble. I wrote to Prof. Olmstead a notice of the falling stars of Nov. 18th, as described by the Indians. 2^th. Wind from the westward and southward; moderate for the season. , • PBR80KAL IfBMOISf . 407 29th. Wind veers to the east. 80tA. A blow on the lake, creating a perfect tempest. Before noon, the wind veers south>easterly, and snow melts on the roofs. Ackuckojeesh and band, from the north shore, visit the office. He presents me a small mukuk of maple sugar, made during the month, as a proof of the mildness of the weather. Continue my biblical readings, with a view of noticing the coin- cidence of passages referred to by clergymen who have visited me. Quite satisfied that "day," in Oen. i, 5, means, in that place, a natural day of twenty-four hours. The context cannot be read without it. Mr. M. and Mr. Stuart pass the evening. 81«^ No thawing to-day. There has been quite a blow on the lake. Began some sketches of biblioal geology. ... ... .. , , , ' ^ - -■ ■ , .-1, 468 PmSOVAL MIMOTllS. • .,' • .11 • ,<■■ CHAPTER XLIX. Population of Miohiliinaokinaok — Notices of the weather— T,.M,v< ia?i f« of the Wolverine — Harbor cloaed — Intensity of tempera* lae i^i>icli • > be borne — Domestic incidents— State of the weather — Foil •laokmack uubuo- cessfully attacked in 1814 — Ossiganoc — Death of ai Indiua v i un — Death of my sister — Harbor open — Indian name >f th>' > iiibath day — Horticul- tural amusement — Tradition of the old ohui^ii Lur — Turpid conduct of Thomas Shepard, and his fate — Wind, tempests, sleet, bUvW — A vessel beached in the harbor — Attempt of the American Fur Company to force ardent spirita into the country, against the authority of the Agent. 1884. Jan. Ist. My journal for this winter will be almost purely domestic. It is intended to exhibit a picture of men and things, immediately surrounding a person isolated from the world, on an island in the wide area of Lake Huron, at the point ^^here the currcni, driven by the winds, rushes furiously through the straits connected with Lake Michigan. Where the ice in the winter freezes and breaks up continually, where the temperature fluc- tuates greatly with every wind, and where the tempests of snow, rain and hail create a perpetual scene of changing phenomena. Society here is scarcely less a subject of remark. It is based on the old French element of the fur trade — that is, a common- alty who are the descendants of French or Canadian boatmen, and clerks and interpreters who have invariably married Indian women. The English, who succerl»:;d to rower after the fall of Quebec, chiefl} withdrew, but have i'hc t ft anoth( 'ement in the mix- ture of Anglo-Saxons, ' !• .a ji- Celts, and Gauls, founded also upon intermarriages with the natives. Under the American rule, the society received an accession of a few females of various European or American lineage, from educated and refined circles. In the modern accession, since about 1800, are included the chief factors of the fur trade, and the persons charged by benevolent societies with the duties of education and of missionaries ; and, PIR80NAL MBMOIRS. 469 more than all, with the families of the officers of the militarj and civil service of th<' covernraeut. In sue 1 1 I mass of diverse elements the French language, the Algonquin, in several dialects, and tlio English, are employed. And ar^ong the uneducate^l, no small luixture of ivll are brought into vogue in the existing vocabulary, lofouchet, ai ' to hemaif were here quite common expressions. The continued mildness of i lo weather enabled tlu Indians from the surrounding shore to approach the island, not k.s l\an fifty-four of whom, in different parties, visited the ( ffice d ing the day. This day is a sort of carnival to these peopl< who are ever on the qui vive for occasions " to ask an alms." had pre- pared for this. To each person a loaf of bread. To adult males a plug of t obacco. No drink of any kind, bu . water, to a soul. Snow fell during the day, i jndering it unpleasant. Jan. 2d. Shabowdwa, a Cluipewa chief, and part of kb ^nip with the remainder of the Poiii St. Ignace band, got acrrw the Traverse this morning. The wl de number who visited the *fice during the day was thirty. ShubowAwa said we might sooa jc- pect cold weather. Sd. Visits from a number of Indians (about twenty], who hfli not before called, to offer the bon j'ur of the season. Among thofli were several widows and disabled (Id people, to whom presents ii clothing were given. The atmosphere has been severely cold. A hard frost last night. I killed an ox for winter bee ", and packed it, when cut into pieces, in snow. There has been floating ice, for the first time, in the harbor. The severe weather prev ^nted the St. Ignace Indians from returning. One of the St. Ignace Indians, ref rring to the meteoric phe- nomenon of the morning of the 13th )f November, said that the stars shot over in the form of a bow, and seemed to drop into the lake. Such a display, he added, was never before seen. Ho says that the Chippewa Indians called the Wolverine " Gween-guh- auga," which means underground drumm er. This animal is a great digger or burrower. 4th. Stormy and cold. 5th. S. Cold. Mr. Barber preached on the character and trials 460 PERSONAL MBH0IR8. of Noah. The old N. E. divines loved to preach from texts in the Old Testament. ' •: 6th. A change of wind from N. to S.' W. created a very per- ceptible increase of temperature. Indians, who had been detained by floating ice since New Year's day, got over to Point St. Ignace. The postmaster sends me word that the second express will start to-morrow, without awaiting the return of the first. ^ On visiting the monthly concert in the evening, I was reminded that this day had been set apart by various churches for imploring a special blessing on the Word of God, in the conversion of the world. 7th. Yesterday afternoon the harbor filled with floating ice. This morning it is frozen over into a solid body, completely closing up the harbor. But the passage between it and Round Island is open, and the lake in other directions. Wind northerly and west- wardly ; thermometer as on the 8d, 4th, and 5th ; but the air does not feel to be as cold as those days. This is the effect of its having remained about a week of nearly the same temperature. It is, in truth, the range of the thermometer between given points, and not the absolute degree of it, that creates the sensation of intense change. And herein must be sought the secret of people's standing a great degree of cold in the north, without being duly sensible of the extreme degree of it. This remark ought, perhaps, to be limited to such severe degree of cold (say 40° below zero), as a man can withstand or live in. The ice, being only glued together, separated about 2 o'clock, and left the harbor free again before night. The express from St. Mary's came in, about two hours after our Detroit express left. By letters brought by it, I learn that letters of recall have recently passed the Sault for Capt. Back. It is stated that Capt. Ross has unexpectedly returned to England, after an absence of four years, great part of which time he had passed among the Esquimaux, or in an open boat on the sea. That he had made observations to fix the magnetic meridian, and had dis- covered a large island, almost the size of Great Britain, which he named Boothea. Mr. Ferry, Lieut. Kingsbury, and Mr. P. passed the evening with us. PER80I7AL MBH0IR8. 46t Fires were seen on the main land, which are supposed to be signals from our express men. 8th. Snow — blustering — cold. Our first express to Detroit has so far overstayed its time, that it is impossible to say when it may now be expected. Fires again seen on the main land, and an un- successful attempt made to reach them, the floating ice preventing. 9th. Maternal Association meets at my house, which, Mrs. S. reports, is well attended. In the evening, Mr. H., Mr. J., Miss McF., and Miss S. Floating ice in the straits, and no crossing. 11th. Snowing — blustering. Expecting the mail soon, I pre- pared my letters, and, being Saturday, sent them to the po3t-office, lest the mail should arrive and depart on Sunday. ISth. Deep snow drifts, stormy — cold. Very difficult, in conse- quence of the drifts, to reach the teacher's concert, in the evening, which met at the Court House. Meeting between Mr. D. and Mr. Ferry at my houso, to try the effects of conciliation. l^th. High wind died away last night : the sun rose, this morn- ing, clear and pleasant, but the air still cold. Ice completely fills the channel between Boisblanc and the main harbor ; the outer channel is still open. Mrs. Kingsbury passed the day with us. The church session on examination accepts her, and Mr. D. Stuart, the gentleman named in Irving's Astoria. 15th. The express from Detroit arrives, having crossed from the main to Boisblanc on the ice, and from thence in a boat. By this mail we have a week's later dates than were brought by the " Warren." No political intelligence of importance. I received a number of printed sheets of the appendix to the narrative of my tour to Itasca Lake. Heard also from LeConte, the engraver, at New York. IQth. Took Mr. D. in my cariole to Mr. Ferry's, to further the object of a reconciliation of the matters in difference between them. It commenced raining, soon after we got there, and continued steadily all evening. Got a complete wetting in coming home, and in driving to the fort Mrs. Kingsbury, whom I found there. VJth. Yesterday's rain has much diminished the quantity of snow; bare ground is to be seen in some spots. Atmosphere 462 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. murky, and surcharged with moisture, rendering it disagreeable to be out of doors. The soldiery of the garrison invite Mr. F. to hold a meeting in the garrison every Sabbath afternoon, showing an awakened moral sense among them. 18th. Depression of the atmospheric temperature. Frost renders the walking slippery, and the snow crusted and hard. This con- dition of 'things, in the forest, is fatal to wild hoofed animals, which at every step are subject to break through, and cut their ankles. In this way the Indians successfully pursue and take the moose and I'eindeer of our region. 19th. Mr. David S. and Mrs. K. are admitted to the commu- nion, on a profession of faith, and Mr. Seymour, Miss Owen, and Miss Leverett, by letter. The Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Barber were also, for the first time, present. Snow fell upon the previous glare surface, and, being attended with wind, rendered the day very blustering and boisterous. The wind being from the west, was very strong — so strong as to blow some persons down. The temperature at the same time was quite cold. 20th. Coldness continued; the thermometer stood at only 2° above zero at 8 o'clock in the morning ; the west wind continuing. The air, in consequence of this depression, became colder than the water of the lake, producing an interchange of temperature, and the striking phenomenon of rising vapor. The open lake waters gave out their latent heat, like a boiling pot, till the equilibrium was restored. This singular phenomenon I had seen before in the North, and it is to be observed, in the basin of the upper lakes, some days every winter. I received a visit from Mr. Barber. Conversation on the state of religious knowledge. Do geology and the natural sciences a£ford external evidence of the truth of God's word ? 21«<. Atmospheric temperature still low; the thermometer at 8 o'clock A. M. standing at 9° above zero. The harbor and straits, between the island and Point St. Ignace, frozen over ; but the channel, in which there is a strong current, between the outer edge of the harbor and Round Island, still open. Along this edge very deep water is immediately found, and these waters, under the pressure of lake causes, rush with the force of a mill-race. PERSONAL MBM0IB8. 468 3Ut Iter 22(2. The air is slightly warmer, the thermometer standing at 8 o'clock, A. M., at 16° above zero. The soldiery further request of Mr. F. to hold a Bible class in the fort. , r 2Sd. The temperature still rises a few degrees, the thermometer standing at 21° at 8 o'clock, A. M. The express from the Sault arrives. Prepared my mail matter and dispatched it to the office. 2^th. The thermometer falls five degrees, standing at 16° at 8 o'clock A. M.; but in consequence of the cessation of winds at night, and accumulation of floating ice, the open districts of the lake were entirely frozen over. Kebec, the Sault expressman, went off on his way to Detroit, at a very early hour, walking on the ice from about abreast of the Old Still House, direct to the main. The thermometer in the fort was observed to be, at one time during the night, at 5° below zero, denoting more intense cold than my 8 o'clock observation indicates. This is, therefore, so far, the maximum cold for January. 25th. A strong easterly wind broke up the ice, which was solid, as far as the Light-House, about ten miles, and again exposed the limpid bosom of the lake in that direction ; but it did not disturb the straits west. My son John began, this day, to pronounce words having the sound of r, for which, agreeably to a natural organic law recognized by philologists, he has heretofore substituted the sound of I. 26th. S. A sermon on the inefficacy of the prayer of faith with- out submission to God's better wisdom. I was this day set apart as an elder. 21th. The temperature, which has risen since the 24th, still rises, creating a perceptible change in feelings. Visited Mr. Agnew, who reached the island from the Sault yesterday. 2fith. The harbor breaks up with a south-east wind, but the ice remains firm between the island and the main, and in the direction to Pt. St. Ignace. This wind is attended with a farther moderation of the temperature. I fell in descending the steep hill, which is exposed to the south, in coming back from a visit to Lieut. Pen- rose, in the fort. This fort is what engineers call a talus, being, as I suppose, the exact area, very nearly, of the top of a cliff overlooking the town. It was very effective for controlling the Indians, but was found in 1812 to be commanded by a still higher t-,-int:>-. . :57 ' 464 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. point within cannon range, which was seized and fortified by the British. This apex they made the site of Fort George; the Americans changed the name to Fort Holmes, after a gallant officer, a Ken< tuokian, who fell in the unsuccessful attempt of Col. Croghan to retake the island in 1814. 'v - .•; 29th. The temperature still rises, and is mild for the season. Gave each of my children a new copy of the Scriptures. If these truths are important, as is acknowledged, they cannot too early know them. I visited Mr. Mitchell. 80^^. The temperature continues to moderate. Drove to the mission, accompanied by Mr. D., to converse, at his request, with Mr. Barber, on the unhappy topics of difference between him and Mr. F. Mr. and Mrs. Abbott called at my house, in the interval, and were received by Mrs. S. In the evening I attended the social prayer meeting at Mr. Dousman's. 81«^ The sun shone clear; no snow, no high winds, but a serene and pleasant atmosphere. Visits were received from Maj. Whistler and Lieut. Kingsbury. Conversation on the probable reception of the President's Message, &c., by our next express. This being Mrs. Schoolcraft's birth-day, I presented her a Bible. Feb. 1«^ The mildness and pleasantness of the weather con- tinued. Drove out to Mr. Davenport's with Mrs. Schoolcraft and the children. Davenport is a Virginian. He was one of the residents driven off the island by the events of the late war, and was on board of Commodore St. Clair's squadron, sailing around the island, and in sight of his own home, during the expedition to recapture the island, in 1814. For his sufferings and losses he ought to have been remunerated by the Government, whom he faithfully served. Our second express from Detroit arrived, bringing us the ex- pected newspaper intelligence, and letters from friends. Heard of the alarming illness of my sister, in Oneida County, N. Y. 2d. S. A sermon on the often-handled subjects of election and free grace — how God elects, and how man is free to come himself. Sd. Devoted to newspaper reading. In the evening attended the monthly concert. 4th. A small party at dinner, namely, Major Whistler, Lieut. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 465 Kingsbury, Mr. Agnew, Mr. Stuart the elder, Mr. Abbott, Mr. Dousman, and Mr. Johnston. The weather continues mild, clear, and calm. In the evening I prepared my mail matter for the Sault, intending to dispatch it by a private express to-morrow. 5th. Finished and dispatched my mail for St. Mary's by two Indians, who set out at ten o'clock A. M. I received an official visit from Ossiganao, and seven men from the village of L'Arbre Oroche. He stated it to be the wish of the Ottawas, to visit Washington. The reasons for such a visit arose from a desire to see the President, on the subject of their lands. Many of these lands were denuded of game. Drummond Island had been aban- doned. They thought themselves entitled to compensation for it. They were poor and indebted to the traders. The settlements would soon intrude on their territories. Wood was now cut for the use of steamboats and not paid for. They had various topics to confer about. This was, in fact, the first move of the Lake Indians, leading in the sequel to the important treaty of March 28th, 1836. 6th. The thermometer is again depressed, and a recurrence of easterly winds. 1th. The depression of temperature creates the sensation of coldness after the late mild weather, although the thermometer, examined at 8 o'clock, has not fallen below 26°, but six degrees below the freezing point. I embodied Ossiganac's remarks in a letter to the Department, and also requesting the survey of the old grants under Wayne's Treaty of 1793. I likewise proposed the establishment of an Indian Academy at Michilimackinack for the Indian tribes of the upper lakes. Mackinack had peculiar facilities of access in the open months for a large circle of cognate tribes ; and, in view of a future cession of the country, these tribes will possess ample means. I wrote to my sister Catharine, in the prospect of her dying of consumption; directing her mind to the great moral remedy in the intercession of Christ. Sth. Our third express for Detroit left this morning. The day was clear and calm, with the thermometer at 30° at 8 o'clock. I began sketching some remarks, to be transmitted to the American Lyceum, on the best mode of educating the Indians. vih. a. Mild. An Indian woipan was buried to-day, who has 30 466 PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. borne the character of a Christian. As her end drew near she said she did not fear to " pass through the valley of death." She appear- ed to be prepared to die, and had the testimony of Christians in her behalf, many of whom attended her funeral. As a general fact, the Christian Indians whom I have known, seize with great sim- plicity of faith on an Intercessor and his promises. 10th. Mild. In consequence of the protracted mildness of the weather, Indians from Thunder Bay visited the oflSce. They spoke of the meteoric phenomenon of November. I asked the leader of the party what he thought of it. He replied that it be- tokened evil to the Indian race — that sickness would visit them calamitously. In the evening the wind veered from a favorable quarter sud- denly to the north, producing a strong sensation of cold. 12th. Dine with Kingsbury. ISth. Dine with Mitchell. In the afternoon Mr. F. and Mr. D. met by appointment at my house, to endeavor to close their ac- counts and terminate their difficulties. l^th. Yesterday's effort to compromise matters between F. and D. was continued and brought to a close, so far as respected items of account ; but this left unhealed the wounds caused by mutual hard thoughts, of a moral character, and for which there has seemed, to Christians, in Mr. D., a cause of disciplinary inquiry. I felt friendly to Mr. D., and thought that he was a man whose pride and temper, and partly Christian ignorance, had induced to stand unwittingly in error. But he took counsel of those who do not appear to have been actuated by the most conciliatory views. He stood upon his weakest points with an iron brow and " sinews of brass." 15th. Visited Mr. Barber. Meeting in the evening at Mr. Mitchell's. 16th. Snow. ' 17th. The temperature fell several degrees, and lake closed, as seen at a distance. I finished my remarks for the American Ly- ceum. .. 18^^. . Engaged in pursuing Mr. F.'s lectures, delivered at a prior time, on the character and differences between the Protestant and Romish Churches. 19th. The weather assumes a milder turn, and gives us rain. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 467 as |Ly. ^t a tant lain. Messrs. F. and D., having called on Mr. Mitchell, renew their meeting at my house. 20th. Rain and thunder. 2l8t. Temperate; sinks and turns cold in the evening. 22c?. Cold, with some snow. . 2Bd. Thermometer continues to sink, and the ice is reported as having hecome strong everywhere. 24fA. The third express from Detroit came in at an early honr, and my letters and papers were brought in before breakfast. During breakfast I opened a letter, announcing the death of my sister Catharine, on the 9th of January, at Vernon, N. Y. Mr. Agnew and Mr. Chapman, who have been guests on the island, set out for the Sault. The lake is now finally and strongly closed by a covering of solid ice. Trains cross to-day, for the first time, to Point St. Ignace. 25th. Mr. Levake, another guest on the island, called at eight o'clock for my letters, with a view of overtaking the party who left yesterday. 26th. Wind west, and so strong as to drive the ice out between the harbor and the light-house, but did not afiect the harbor itself, nor the straits. 27th. Snow and rain. Richardson May, a discharged soldier, and Manito Geezhig (Spirit-sky), a Chippewa Indian, arrived with the express mail for Saginaw. 2Sth. The weather is mild again. An express from the Hud- son's Bay Company departed for Saginaw, at seven o'clock A. M. The adverb "fiducially" first brought to my notice, as the sy- nonym of confidently, steadily. Finished the perusal of Mr. F.'s manuscript lectures on the Romish Church. Think them an off- hand practical appeal to truth, clear in method, forcible in illus- tration. Learning and research, such as are to be drawn from books other than the Bible, have not been evidently relied on. They might not do to print without revision. The New Testament does not, as an example, declare that Peter e^er was at Rome, and yet that fact, got from other sources, is much relied on by that Church. March let. The change in temperature continues. It is so mild and warm that the snow melts. 2d. S. Mild, and Sabbath exercise as usual. 468 \\ PBRSONAL M1H0IR8. Bd. The temperature falls, and it becomes sensibly cold and wintry. The sky and lonrer atmosphere, however, remain dear. Gadotte, an expressman from La Pointe, Lake Superior, arrived in the course of the afternoon, with letters from Mr. Warren. Miss W., Miss D. and Mr. J., pass the evening. 4f A. Weather mild ; snow soft and sloppy. Receive visits from Mr. Abbott, Mr. Ferry, and Mr. Mitchell. 6th. Snow has melted so much, in consequence of the change of temperature, that I am compelled to stop my team from draw- ing wood. The ice is so bad that it is dangerous to cross. The lake has been open from the point of the village to the light-honse, since the tempest of the 26th ultimo. The broad lake below the latter point has been open all winter. The lake west has been, in fact, fast and solidly frozen, so as to be crossed with trains, but twelve days ! .■ . , . Mr. Warren's express set out for Lake Superior this morning. Our fourth express from Detroit came in during the evening, bringing New York dates to the 4th of February. 6th. The evidences of the approach of spring continue. The sun shines with a clear power, unobstructed by clouds. Snow and ice melt rapidly. Visited the Mission's house in the evening. 1th. Clouds intercept the sun's rays. An east wind broke up the ice in the harbor, and drives much floating ice up the lake. Sth. The wind drives away the broken and floating ice from the harbor, and leaves all clear between it and Round Island. It be- came cold and freezing in the afternoon. Conference and prayer meetings at my house. ' ' 9th. Very slippery, and bad walking, and icy roads. Freezes. 10th. In consequence of the increase of cold, and the preva- lence of a calm during the night, there was formed a complete coating of ice over the bay, extending to Round Island. This ice was two inches thick. Mrs. Schoolcraft spent the evening at Mrs. Dousman's. On coming home, about nine o'clock, we found the ice suddenly and completely broken up by a south wind, and heaped up along shore. 11th. Harbor and channel quite clear ; the weather has assumed a mildness, although the sky is overcast, and snow drifted in the roads during the morning. Miss Jones, Mr. D. Stuart, Dr. Tur- ner, and Mr. Johnston spent the evening with me. Si i.-lji'^f^k'iliMitiSiA. . .iJ^e^iiji'jt PBR80KAL MBMOIRS. 469 12th. Filled my ice-house Mi. ice of a granular and indifferent quality, none other to be had. IBth. Mild, thawing, spring-like weather. Visits by Captain and Mrs. Barnum. ■^'■■'."■■y: v---.. .• ^-^-^ ,..■>:.......■-.>«,,._ ,. 14th. About eight o'clock this morning, a vessel from Detroit dropped anchor in the harbor, causing all hearts to be gay at the termination of our wintry exclusion from the world. It proved to be the " Commodore Lawrence," of Huron, Ohio, on a trip to Green Bay. Our last vessel left the harbor on the 18th of De- cember, making the period of our incarceration just eighty-five days, or but two and a half months. Visited by Lieut, and Mrs. Lavenworth. 15th, Mild and pleasant. Plucked the seed of the mountain ash in front of the agency dwelling, and planted it on the face of the cliff behind the house. Mr. Chapman arrived with express news from the ^Mft. • • v .,; - - -^i!^ 16th. S. Anni-me-au-gee-zhick-udf as the Indians term it, and a far more appropriate term it is than the unmeaning Saxon phrase of Sunday. 11th, Very mild and pleasant day. The snow is rapidly disap- pearing under the influence of the sun. Mackinack stands on a horse-shoe bay, on a narrow southern slope of land, having cliffs and high lands immediately back of it, some three hundred feet maximum height. It is, therefore, exposed to the earliest influ- ences of spring, and they develop themselves rapidly. Mr. Hul- bert arrived from the SauU in the morning, bringing letters from Rev. Mr. Clark, Mr. Audrain, my sub-agent at that point,. &c. 18^^. Wind southerly. This drives the ice from the peninsula into the harbor, it then shifts west, and drives it down the lake. A lowering sky ends with a sprinkling of rain in the forenoon ; it then clear«( up, and the sun appears in the afternoon. Dr. Turner visits me at the office. Conversation turns on my translations into the Indian, and the principles of the language. An Indian has a term for man and for white ; but, when he wishes to express the sense of white man, he employs neither. He then compounds the term wa-bish-kiz-zi — that is, white person. 19th. The weather is quite spring-like. Prune cherry trees and currant bushes. Transplant plum tree sprouts. Messrs. Biddle and Drew finish preparing their vessel, and anchor her out. 470 P1R80MAL MIMOIRS. 20th. The thermometer sinks to 18° at eight o'clock A. M. Snows, and is boisterous all daj, the wind being north-east. 2l«t. The snow, which has continued falling all night, is twelve to fourteen inches deep in the morning; being the heaviest fall of snow, at one time, all winter. Some ice is formed. ' 22d. The body of snow on the ground, and the continuance of cold, give quite a wintery aspect to the landscape. In the course of the day, Mr. Ferry, Mr. Mitchell, and Mr. Stuart call. 234. £. Cold. 2Ath. Wintery feeling and aspect. 25th. The temperature still sinks. Visits from Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Ferry, and Mr. Stuart. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, Mr. Hulbert, Mr. Chapman, and Mr. JohnstOii spend the evening. 26th. Drove, with Mr. Ferr,', to Mr. Boyd's, and thence to Mr. Davenport's. 27th. Ice still lingers in the harbor, but the day is clear and sunshiny, and the snow melts rapidly. Visit the mission, and in- quire into the eff&cts of its government and discipline on the cha- racter of the boys, one or two of whom have been recently the subject of some scandals. Accompanied in this visit by Mr. Hul- bert, Mr. Stuart, nni Mr. Mitchell. Thomas Shepard, a mission boy, calls on me ai ^n early hour, and states his contrition for his agency in any reports referred to. 2Sth. Weather mild; snow melts; wind S. W. ; some rain. *'••.".'■ • With thia evening'H letting nan, ■,:■>::■ k Yean I number forty-one. Visited the officers in the fort. Rode out in my carriage in the evening, with Mrs. Schoolcraft, to see Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, and Mr. and Mrs. Ferry. Satan's emissaries appear to be busy in circulating scandal respecting our pastor, Mr. F., a person of high moral worth and prcMfcy. To put these down effectively, it appears necessary to probe them to the bottom, and ascertain their length and breadth. This was a duty of the eldership, and it could be thoroughly performed without fear, respecting a man of Mr. F.'s character. It was neces- sary, I found, to unmask all the actors. The scandal appears to be one originating with certain Metif boys of the Mission school. One of these, it was averred, had looked through the key-hole of the PKRSONAL MEMOIRS. 171 common parlor door of the Mission house, ftn^^ «hti\^ tVi Rey. Mr. F. sitting near a Miss S., one of the assistuut miaaiouaries of the establishment. The door was locked. The hair of the young lady was dishevelled ; hor comb had fallen on the floor. It was early in the morning. Another boy was called to look ; no change of position was observed — nothing that was not respectful and proper. This story was detailed, a night or two afterwards, by Thomas Shepard, one of the boys, at a drinking conclave in the village, where bon vivanU, and some persons inimical to Mr. F. were pre- sent, and created high merriment. From that den it was spread. It appeared that Miss S. had, for some time, had doubts un the subject of her conversion, and sought a conversation with her pas- tor to resolve them. , 2Qth. Moderate temperature continues. A meeting of some of the leading persona of the place, citizens and officers, at which statements, embracing the above narrative, were made, which were quite satisfactory in regard to the reports above mentioned. The reports are traced to a knot of free livers, free drinkers, and in- fidels, who meet a-nights, in the village, to be merry, and who drew some of the mission boys into their revelries. A case of discipline in the church, which led, finally, to the excommunica- tion of one of the leading persons of the place, has raised enemies to the Rev. Mr. F., who were present at these orgies, and helped to spread the report. ZQth. Service as usual, but more than usually interesting. 31«^ Mild weather continues ; clear and sunny ; snow melts. The remaining ice is completely broken up by an easterly wind. Visit Mr. Stuart's child, which is very low. April lit. A dark drizzly morning terminates before ten o'clock in rain. It cleared away at noon ; the broken ice of the day and night previous, is mostly driven down the lake by westerly winds. Satisfied of the excellency of the mission school, I sent my children to it this morning. The Rev. Mr. Ferry, Rev. Mr. Bar- ber, Mr. Mitch3ll, Mr. D. Stuart, and Mr. Chapman dine with me. In the evening, Capt. and Mrs. Barnum, and Lieut. Kings- bury make a visit. 2(i. The harbor is now entirely clear of ice, with a west wind. Wrote to Rev. D, Greene, Missionary Rooms, Boston, giving my 472 PIR80NAL MKBIOIRfl. opinion respecting the estabMshment of a mission among the OcyibTras at Fond du Lac, Lake Superior. M. Pleasant, mild, clear. Winter has now clearly relaxed his hold. Indians who came in to-day from L'Arbre Croche, report that the ice is, however, still firm at Point Wa-gosh-ains (Little Fox Point), on the straits above. This point forms the bight of the straits, some twenty miles off, at their entrance into Lake Michigan. Attended the funeral of William Dolly, a Metif boy, of Indian extraction. 4th. The season is visibly advancing in its warmth and mildness. Began to prepare hot-beds. Set boxes for flowers and tubs for roots. 5th. The mission schooner *' Supply" leaves the harbor on her first trip to Detroit, with a fine west wind, carrying our recent guests from St. Mary's. Transplant flowering shrubs. Miss McFarland passes the day with Mrs. Schoolcraft at the agency. Tth. Cloudy but mild. Adjusting fixtures for gooseberry bushes, &c. Sth. Superintending the construction of a small ornamental mound and side wall to the piazza, for shrubbery and flowers. Books are now thrown by for the excitement of horticulture. Some Indians visit the office. It is remarkable what straits and Buffer- ing these people undergo every winter for a bare existence. They struggle against cold and hunger, and are very grateful for the least relief. Kitte-mau-giz-ze Sho-wain-e-min, is their common expression to an agent — I am poor, show me pity, (or rather) charity me ; for they use their substantives for verbs. 9th. The schooner "White Pigeon," (the name of an Indian chief,) enters the harbor, with a mail from Detroit. ''A mail! a mail !" is the cry. Old Saganosh and five Indian families come in. The Indians start up from their wintering places, as if from a ceme- tery. They seem almost as lean and hungry as their dogs — for an Indian always has dogs— and, if they fare poor, the dogs fare poorer. Resumed my preparations at the garden hot-beds. The mail brought me letters from Washington, speaking of po- litical excitements. The project for an Indian academy is bluffed off, by saying it should come through the Delegate. Major Whit- PIR80NAL MIMOIRS. 478 the ing writes that he is aathoriied to have a road sarreyed from Saginaw to Maokinack. "' - - ^ w . 10th. Engaged at my horticultural mound. The weather con< tinues mild. 11th. Transplanting cherry trees. ; ' " - •' 12th. Complete hot-bed, and sow it in part. lith. The calmness and mildness of the last few days are con- tinued. Spring advances rapidly. <* • . •">' ■ 15th. Mild, strong wind from the west, but falls at evening. Write to Washington respecting an Indian academy. Walking with the Rev. Wm. M. Ferry through the second street of the village (M.), leading south, as we came near the comer, turning to Ottawa Point, he pointed out to me, on the right hand, half of a large door, painted red, arched and filled with nails, which tradition asserts was the half of the door of the Romr.n Catholic church at old Mackinack. The fixtures of the church, as of other buildings, were removed and set up on this spot. I afterwards saw the other half of the door standing against an ad- joining house. IQth. Wind westerly. Begin to enlarge piazza to the agency. A party of Beaver Island Indians come in, and report tho water of the Straits as clear of ice, and the navigation for some days open. The schooner "President," from Detroit, dropped anchor in the evening. nth. The schooners "Lawrence," "White Pigeon," and "Pre- sident," left the harbor this morning, on their way to various ports on Lake Michigan, and we are once more united to the commercial world, on the great chain of lakes above and below us. Tho "Lawrence," it will be remembered, entered the harbor on the 14th of March, and has waited thirty-two days for the Straits to open. 18th. Wind N. E., chilly. It began to rain after twelve o'clock A. M., which was much wanted by the gardens, as we have had no rain for nearly a month. All this while the sun has poured down its rays on our narrow pebbly plain under the cliffs, and made it quite dry. I was present this morning at the Mission, at the examination of the Metif boy Thomas Shepard, and was surprised at the reck- 474 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. lessness and turpidity of his moral course, as disclosed by himself, and, at the announcement of the names of his abettors. The fate of this boy was singular. He set out alone to return to Sault Ste. Marie, where his relations lived, across the wilderness. After striking the main land, his companions returned. All that was ever heard of him afterwards, was the report of Indians whom I sent to follow his trail, as the season opened, who found a spot where he had attempted, unsuccessfully, to strike a fire and encamp. From obscure Indian reports from the channels called Ohenos, the Indians there had been alarmed by news of the inroads of Na-do- was (Iroquois), and seeing some one on the shore, in a questionable plight, they fired and killed him. This is supposed to have been Thomas Shepard. 19th. Wind westerly — chilly — cloudy — dark. 20th. The "Austerlitz," and "Prince Eugene," two of Mr. Newbery's vessels, arrived during the afternoon. Bain fell in the evening. 2l8t. The schooner " Nancy Dousman" arrived in the morning from below. A change of weather supervened. Wind N. E., with snow. The ground is covered with it to the depth of one or two inches. Water frozen, giving a sad check to vegetation. 22d. This morning develops a north-east storm, during which the "Nancy Dousman" is wrecked, but all the cargo saved : a proof that the harbor is no refuge from a north-easter. The wind abates in the evening. 23d. Wind west, cloudy, rainy, and some sleet. About mid- night the schooner " Oregon" came in, having rode out the tempest under Point St. Ignace. 2'ith. Still cold and backward, the air not having recovered its equilibrium since the late storm. 25th. Cloudy and cold — flurries of snow during the day. 26th. The weather recovers its warm tone, giving a calm sky and clear sunshine. The snow of the 21st rapidly disappears, and by noon is quite gone, and the weather is quite pleasant. The vessels in the harbor continue their voyages. 21th. S. A boat reaches us from the Sault, showing the Straits and River St. Mary to be open. It brought the Rev. Mr. Clark, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who occupies Mr. F.'s position, before the soldiery, in the evening. PBR80KAL MEMOIRS. 475 2Sth. The atmosphere is still overcast, although the thermometer ranges high. Levake, a trader for the Indian country, went off about two o'clock P. M. On granting him his license, I directed him to take no ardent spirits. He therefore ordered a barrel of whisky to be taken back to the American Fur Company's store, where he had purchased it. Mr. Abbot, the agent, sent it back to him. Mr. Levake finally remanded it. Mr. Abbot said, " Why ! Mr. School- craft has no authority to prevent your taking it!" The moment, in fact, the boats leave the island they enter the Indian country, where the act provides that this article shall not be taken on any pretence. This was an open triumph of the Agent of the United States against the Fur Company. I wrote to the Rev. Mr. Bout- well, at Leech Lake, by this opportunity. 29th. The atmosphere has regained its equilibrium fully. It is mild throughout the day. Indians begin to come in freely from the adjacent shores. Sow radishes and other early seeds. dOth. The schooner "Napoleon," and the "Eliaa," from Lake Ontario, come in. The Indian world, also, seems to have awaked from its winter's repose. Pabaumitabi visits the office with a large retinue of Ottawas. Shabowawa with his band appear from the Chenoes. Vessels and canoea now again cross each other's track in the harbor. 476 PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. CHAPTER L. Tisit to Isle Bond — Site of an ancient Indian village — Ossuarie — Indian pro* phet — Traditions of Chusco and Yon respecting the ancient village and bone deposit — Indian speech — Tradition of Mrs. La Fromboise respecting Chicago — Etymology of the name — Origin of the Bonga family among the Chippewas — Traditions of Viancour — Of Nolan — Of the chief Aishqna- gonaibe, and of Sagitondowa — Evidences of antique cultivation on the Is- land of Mackinack — View of affairs at Washington — The Senate an area of intellectual excitement — A road directed to be cut through the wilder- ness from Saginaw — Traditions of Ossaganac and of Little Bear Skin re- specting the Lake Tribes. 1884. May 1st. At last " the winter is gone and past," and the voice of the robin, if not of the "turtle," begins to be heard in the land. The whole day is mild, clear, and pleasant, notwith- standing a moderate wind from the east. The schooner "Huron" comes in without a mail — a sad disappointment, as we have been a long time without one. I strolled up over the cliflEs with my children, after their return from school at noon, to gather wild flowers, it being May-day. We came in with the spring beauty, called miscodeed by the In- dians, the adder's tongue, and some wild violets. The day being fine and the lake calm, I visited the Isle Bond — the locality of an old and long abandoned village. On landing on the south side, discovered the site of an ancient Indian town — an open area of several acres, with graves and boulder grave stones. Deep paths had been worn to the water. The graves had in- closures, more or less decayed, of cedar and birch bark, and the whole had the appearance of having been last occupied about seventy years ago. Yet the graves were, as usual, east and west. I dis- covered near this site remains of more ancient occupancy, in a deposit of human bones laid in a trench north and south. This had all the appearance of one of the antique ossuaries, constructed by an elder race, who collected the bones of their dead periodi- / I PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 477 / i cally. The Indians call this island Min-nta-ais, Little Island. Speaking of it, the local termination ing is added. During the day the old Indian prophet Chusco came in, having passed the winter at Chingossamo's village on the Cheboigan River, accompanied by an Indian of that village, vrho calls himself Yon, which is probably a corruption of John, for he says that his father was an Englishman, and his mothei' a Chippewa of St. Mary's. Chusco and Yon concur in statmg that the old town on Bound Island was Chi Naigow's where he and Aishquonaibee's'*' father ruled. It was a large village, occupied still while the British held old Mackinack, and not finally abandoned until after the occu- pancy of the island-post. It consisted of Chippewas. Chi Naigow afterwards went to a bay of Boisblanc, where the public wharf now is, where he cultivated land and died.f These Indians also state, that at the existence of the town oa Bound Island, a large Indian village was seated around the pre- sent harbor of Mackinack, and the Indians cultivated gardens there. Yon says, that at that time there was a stratum of black earth over the gravel, and that it was not bare gravel as it is now.t (He is speaking of the shores of the harbor.) Yon says that a man, called Sagitondowa, is now living at Chingassamo's village, who oncelived in Chi Naigow's village at Minnissais — and that he is about his age. Yon was about seventy. He further says that the traverse to Old Mackinack was made directly from the old town on Bound Island, and that it was from thence they went over to get rum. Chusco made the following speech : " Nosa, when I first spoke to you it was at the camp of the Strong Wind (Gen. Wayne). You then told me that I should not be troubled with the smoke, (meaning intrusion from settlement.) It was said to me that a place should be provided by our Great Father for us. My home was then at Waganukizzi, the place of the crotched tree (L' Arbre Croche). " About twenty men had the courage to go, and united in the * A Chief of Grand Traverse. t His daughter, who was most likely to know, says he died at Manista. X At Mackinack, they, in some places, riuse potatoes in cloo^n gravel. 478 PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. « treaty. Chemokoman was one of them. The old chief Nis- kauzhininna did not go. He was afraid of the Americans. I carried my ancient implements, which you know I have forever laid aside. (He was the Seer.) " The English did not come up to their promises. The land was lost. The posts were lost. They were all given up, and we only were the sufferers. Hard is our fate. " Strong Wind said to the chiefs that there should he a place for the old arid disabled, where they should have food. We were ab- sent at this treaty all summer. We came back late in the fall. Forty winters have past. I am poor and old, and cannot go about any more. Look at me. I want a house and a shelter. Tell me, shall I have it ?"* 2d. Having, on the 19th of April, called the attention of Mrs. La Fromboise, an aged Metif lady, to the former state of things here, she says that the post of Chicago was first established under English rule, by a negro man named Pointe aux Sables, who was a respectable man. The etymology of Chicago appears to be this : — Ghi-oag, Ghi-cag-o-wunz, Chi-ca-go, Animal of the Leek or Wild Onion. The Wild Leek or Pole-cat Plant. Place of the Wild Leek. She also says that Captain Robinson, while commanding at Mackinack, discharged a negro servant named Bonga, who after- wards, with his wife, purchased the house and lot in which Mr. Wendell now lives (the old red house next Dousman's, south), where he kept a tavern, and maintained a respectable character. He afterwards sold out and went to Detroit, and lived with Mr. IJeldrum. She adds: <' The son of this Bonga was the late Bonga, who died as a comme at Lake Winnepec, of the Fond du Lac Depart- ment. The present Stephen Bonga of FoUeavoine, a trustworthy trader, is the grandson of this Bonga — Robinson's freed slave. His connections are Chippewas, and all speak the Chippewa lan- guage fluently. * In the treaty of 28th March, 1836, a dormitory was provided for the Indians visiting the post of Mackinack. coin. Chusco was granted an annuity in PBRSONAL MBHOIRS. 479 Having seen and known this Bonga, the grandson, I was led to remark that climate and intermarriage have had little or no ap- preciable effect on the color of the skin. The traditions of Mr. Viancourt, one of the oldest French resi- dents of Point St. Ignace, who visited the oflSce (24th April), relate that he was born the year Montreal was taken, 1769. That Mackinack (the island) was first occupied four years after. He further says that Gov. Sinclair built a small fort on Black River, and that he gave his name to that part of the straits which have since been called St. Clair.'*' Says he has been on the island forty-seven years, consequently came in 1788. The late Mr. J. B. Nolin, of Sault St. Marie, remarked to John Johnson, Esq., that Governor Sinclair came up with troops the year after the massacre at old Mackinack ; and that he landed with a broad belt of wampum in his hands. Aishkwagon-ai-bee, or the feather of honor, first chief of the Chippewas of Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, says that the Nadowas (Iroquois) formerly lived at Point St. Ignace — that they fell out with the Chippewas and Ottawas on a certain day, at a ball-playing, when a Chippewa was killed. Hereupon, the Chip- pewas and Ottawas united their strength and drove them away, destroying their village. The Chippewas and Ottawas then divided the land by natural boundaries. Grand Traverse Bay fell to the Chippewas. Another Indian tradition respecting the old village on Isle Rond, was gleaned : — Sagitondowa visits the oflSce : he says he lacks one year of fifty. His earliest recollections are of the old village on Round Island. It was then (say 1783, the close of the American Revolutionary War) a large village, and nearly half the island in cultivation. It was not finiUy abandoned until lately. Having his attention called to the deposit of old bones exposed by the action of the lake, he finally said he knew not how they came there, that they must be of ancient date, and were probably of the same era with the bones in the caves of the island of Macki- nack. He said when he was young there was no village on that * Consult Charlevoix's Journal. Is not so, so far as the origin of the name is concerned. 480 PBRSONAL HEMOIR& part of the bay of Mackinack situated between the old Govern- ment house, and the present Catholic church. This was formerly a cedar swamp. There was a village near Porkman's (Mr. Edward Biddle's], and another near the Presbyterian Church. Sd. Seed ^he borders around thv garden lots with clover and timothy, united with oats. Continue to plant in hot-beds, and in the ornamental mound. The "Huron" departs up the lake, the "Austerlitz returns." Drove out in my carriage with Mrs. Schoolcraft and children, round the island. I found no traces of snow or ice. 5th. A gale from the east, which began to show itself yesterday. The schooner " Lady of the Lake" comes in, without a mail. During the afternoon, the wind also brings in the "Marengo," with a iTiail, and in the night, the " Supply." 6th. Wind from the S. W. and W. Rain, chilly, cloudy. 7th. A complete counterpart o*" the weather of yesterday. Sth. The same weather in every respect, with light snow flurries. The last four or five days have been most disheartening weather for this season, and retarded gardening. The leaves of the pie plant have been partially nipped by the frost. 9th. Clear and pleasant — wind west. Drove out with Mrs. Schoolcraft and children to see the arched rock, the sugar-loaf rock, Henry's cave, and other prominent curiosities of the island. There are extensive old fields on the eastern part of the island, to which the French apply the term of Cfrandn Jardina. No resi- dent pretends to know their origin. Whether due to the labors of the Hurons or the Wyandots, who are known to have been driven by the Jroquois to this island from the St. Lawrence valley, early in the 17th century ; or to a still earlier period, when the ancient bones were deposited in the caves, is not known. It is certain that the extent of the fields evince an agricultural industry which is not characteristic of the present Algonquin race. The stones have been carefully gathered into heaps, as in the little valley near the arched rock, to facilitate cultivation. These heaps of stones, in various places might be mistaken for Celtic cairns.. 10th. The schooner "Mariner," our old friend, comes into port with forty emigrants for Chicago. During the evening the " Com- merce" and " America" join her. 11th. S. Cold north-west wind, gloomy and cloudy. PBRSONAL MEM0IE8. 481 12tk. A report is received that the President has oommunioated a protest to the Senate on the expression of their views respecting he removal of the deposits. I told a party of Ottawas, who applied for food, that their Great Father was not pleased that his bounties should be misused by their employing them merely to further their journeys to foreign agencies, where the counsels they got were such as he could not approve. That hereafter such bounties must not be expected ; that the poor and suffering would always find the agency doors open, but I should be compelled to close them to such as turned a deaf ear to his advice, if their practices in visiting these foreign assem-^ blies were persisted in. ISth. A slight snow covers the ground in the morning, it melts soon, but the day is ungenial, with S. W. wind, and cloudy atmo- sphere. lith. A powder of snow covers the ground in the north, the wind in the N. W. It varies from N. W. to S. W., and by ten o'clock, A. M., it is pleasant and clear. Plant garden corn, an early species cultivated by the Ottawas. 15th. Cold and clear most of the day. 16th. Young Robert Gravereat first came to the office in the capacity of interpreter. It is a calm and mild day; the sun shines out. The thermometer stands at 50° at 8 o'clock, A. M., and the weather appears to be settled for the season. Miss Louisa Johnston comes to pass the summer. 15^^. Ploughed potato land, the backward state of the season having rendered it useless earlier. Even now th^ soil is cold, and requires to lay some time after being ploughed up. , ' The steamer " Oliver Newberry'' arrives in the afternoon, bring- ing Detroit dates of May 5th, and Washington dates a week later. The new brig "John Kinzie" enters the harbor on the 19th, bringing up Gov. D. II. Porter, of Pennsylvania, and suit, with forty passengers. 20th, I may now advert to what the busy world has been about, while we have been watching fields of floating ice, and battling it with the elements through an entire season. A letter from E. A. Brush, Esq., Washington, March 13th, says: "Nothing is talked about here, as I may well presume you know trom the papers, but the de- posits and their removal, and their restoration; and that frightful 81 482 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. mother of all mischief, the money maker (TJ. S. Bank). Erery morning (the morning hegins here at twelve, meridian) the Senate chamber is thronged with ladies and feathei s, and their obsequious satellites, to hear the sparring. Every morning a speech is made upon presentation of some petition representing that the country is overwhelmed with ruin and disasters, and that the fact is notorious and palpable; or, that the country is highly prosperous and flourish- ing, and that everybody knows it. One, that its only safety lies in the continuance of the Bank; and the other, that our liberties will be prostrated if it is re-chartered. Of course, the well in which poor truth has taken refuge, in this exigency, is very deep. '■'■ But the Senate is, at this moment, an extraordinary constellation of talent. There is Mr. Webster, and Mr. Clay, and Mr. Calhoun, and a no-way inferior, Mr. Preston, the famous debater in the South Carolina troubles, and Mr. Benj. Watkins Leigh, the equally cele- brated ambassador near the government of South Carolina. All are ranged on one side, and it is a phalanx as formidable, in point of moral force, as the twenty-four can produce. Mr. Forsyth is tie atlas upon whose shoulders are made to rest all the sins of thd r.dministration. Every shaft flies at him, or rather is intended for others through him ; and his Ajax shield of seven bull hides is more than once pierced, in the course of the frequent encounters to which he is invited, and from which they will not permit him to secede. But it is all talk. They will do nothing. A constitutional majority in the Senate (two-thirds) is very doubtful, and a bare one in the House, still more problematical. Of course, you are aware that the executive has expressed its unyielding determination! not to sign a bill for the re-charter, or to permit a restoration of tho deposits. .''Houses are cracking in tho cities, as if in the midst of an earth- quake, and there is hardly a man engaged in mercantile operations (I might say not one) who will not feel the ' pressure.'" Major W. Whiting writes from Detroit, March 28th r "I spoke of the project of a road to Mackinack, which you wished me to bear in mind. The Secretary approved the project, and the Quarter- Master General said it might be done without a special appropria- tion. I was authorized to have the survey made as soon as the season will permit, and an oflScer has reported to me for that pur- pose. He will start from Saginaw some time in the next month, PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 483 to make a reconnoisance of the country, and will appear at the .oad of the peninsula when perhaps you little expect such a visitor. " As soon as the survey shall be completed, the cutting out will be put under contract. When this road shall be completed, you will feel more neighborly to us. The express will be able to perform the journey in half the time, and, of course, the tripe can be mul- tiplied." June 4f A. Reuben Smith, a Mission scholar of the Algonquin lineage, determines to leave his temporary employment at the agency, and complete his education at the eaf«tward. hih. Ossiganac, an Ottawa, who was formerly interpreter at the British post at Drummond Island, says that Ottawa tradition points back to the Manitouline Islands, as the place of their origin. They call those islands Ottawa Islands, and Lake Huron Ottawa Lake. They call Lake Superior Chippewa Lake. All the Ottawas, he says, of L'Arbre Croche, Grand River, &c., came from the Ottawa or Manitouline Islands. The French first found them there.* They migrated down Lake Michigan, and lived with the Pota- wattomies. After awhile, the Potawattomies growing uneasy of their presence, accused them of using bad medicine, which was the cause of their people dying. The Ottawas replied, that if they were jealous of them, they would retire and they accordingly with- drew up the peninsula. While in the course of withdrawing, one of their number was killed by the Potawaitomies. 6m as the French is in the courts of Europe. The object of this letter, sir, is to be informed whether the remainder of the work is to be published. If government will not do it, some of our learned societies might. At any rate, sir, if my services can be of use to you for this object, I shall be happy to do everything in my power to aid it." This testimony, from the first and most learned philologist in America, gratified and agreeably surprised me. I had studied the Chippewa language alone in the forest, without the aid of learned men, or bools to aid me. I addressed myself to it with ardor, it is true, and with the very bet *^ oral helps, precisely as I would to investigate any moral or physical truth. I found that nouns and verbs had a ground form, or root; that thid root carried its general and primary meaning into all words or phvases of which it was a compound ; and that every syllable or sound of a letter, put before or behind it, conveyed a new and distinct meaning. By keeping the purposes of a strict philological analysis before me, and by preserving a record of my work, the language soon revealed its principles. When I had attained a clear idea of these principles myself, and had verified them by reference to, and discussion with, the best native speakers, I could as clearly state them to another. This is what Mr. Duponceau means by the term " most philosophi> cal." The philosophy of the syntax I did not in an^ respect over- state, but merely recognized or discovered. In one respect it seemed to me a far more simple language than this eminent writer had represented the Indian languages generally. And this was in this very philosophy of its syntax. By synthesis I understand the opposite of analysis — the one resolving into its elements what the other compounds. If so, the synthesis of the Chippewa language is clearly, to my mind, homogeneous and of a piece — a perfect unity, in fact- It seems to be, all along, the result of one kind of reasoning, or thinking, or philosophizing. If, therefore, by the term "poly synthetic," which Mr. Duponceau, in 1819, introduced for the class of Indian languages, it be meant that its grammar consists of many syntheses, or plans of thought, it did not appear to me that the Chippewa was polysynthetic. But this I could not state to a man of his learning and standing with on K^ 498 PIRBOVAL MKM0IR8. the literary publioi without inoturring the imputation of rashness or assumption. Ibth. P. de Tchehaohoff, the Russian gentleman before named, writes to me in the idiom of a foreigner, from Peoria, en his pro- gress through the western country. " I am anxious,'' he remarks, '' to take advantage of the first opportunity of writing to you from this remote western world, where since seven days I did not meet with any other beings but wolves and money-getting Yankees. I must acknowledge that one must have a large lot of curiosity to visit these one-fourth civilized regions (that are by far worse than any real wilderness), for, although they are getting settled at an incredible speed, they don't offer to the mere lover of the beauties of natnre, or improvement of human civilization, any great charm. Here nature is rich, but, farmerly or hu%ine»ily speaking, killingly prosaic — no romance — no Lake Superior water — no scenery — no- thing, finally, that could captivate a poetical glance. " I am now writing these poor lines under a regular storm of smoke-clouds, and chewing tobacco expectorations. I never ex- perienced so much the benefit of being brought up as a warlike soldier, to stand all that. However, my courage is sinking down, and, therefore, I shoot ahead to-morrow at daybreak, as fast as possible, either by water or by land. The coaches here are rather comfortable, but extremely slow. " As I intend to make but a very short stay in St. Louis and Ohio, I'll not be able to have the pleasure of writing to you again before reaching New York or Havana ; but, if you continue al- ways to be, for me, as kind as formerly, I hope you'll grant me the particular favor of writing to me once in a while. Thia will be an impudent theft, on my part, of time so usefully consecrated to scientific pursuits. Still I flatter myself you'll pardon it, conse- quently founded on that (perhaps gratuitous) supposition. I'll ask you to direct your letter to Charleston, South Carolina (until called for), towards the middle of the next month, and, if possible, answer me on the following queries: 1. What are the inducements to imagine that any volcanic action exists in the Porcupine Moun- tains, and mentioning, approximately, their distance from the Ontonagon River ; and their probable influence on the difiusion of the copper ores and copper boulders on i^s shores ? 2. What are K^ PERSONAL MBMOIRS. 499 the most accurate or probable limits (bj degrees) of the primitive region of North America ; and whether it forms any chain, or has any probable communication with all its different branches, or the main ridges of the Cordilleras or Andes ? 8. Is there any re- markable evaporation, or any other hygrometric phenomenon, or influence of currents that sustains the level of Lakes Superior and Michigan, so diametrically opposite in their geographical situa- tion ? 4. What constitutes, mainly, the predominating geognostic features of Lake Superior, the Upper Mississippi, and the Mis- souri ? I shall be extremely happy to see these problems solved." nth. This day terminated, at St. Mary's, the melancholy fate of poor Leslie Duncan. Insanity is dreadful in all its phases. This man wrote to me early in the spring for some favor, which I granted. He was a dealer in merchandise, in a small way, at St. Mary's, where he was knowrv as a reputable, modest, and tem- perate man, who had been honorably discharged, with some small means, from the army. He visited Detroit in May to renew his stock. Symptoms of aberration there showed themselves, which became very decided after his return. Utter madness supervened. It was necessary to confine him in a separate building, and to chain him to a post, where he passed five months as an appalling spectacle of a human being, without memory, affection, or judgment, and perpetually goaded by the most raving passion. It appeared that the piles — a disease under which he had suffered for many years — had been cured by exsection or scarifying, which healed the issue, but threw the blood upon his brain. 2Zd. A functionary of the general government at Washington writes me, to bespeak my favorable interest for the wayward son of a friend. Arwin, for I will call him by this name, was the son of a kind, intelligent, and indulgent father, dwelling in the Dis- trict of Columbia, who had spared nothing to fit him for a useful and honorable life. The young man also possessed a handsome person, and agreeable and engaging manners and accomplishments. But his love for the coarser amusements of the world and its dis- sipations, absorbed faculties that were suited for higher objects. As a last resort, he was commended to some adventurous gentle- man engaged in the fur trade on the higher Missouri ; where, it was hoped, the stern realities of life would arrest his mind, and fix 600 PBRSONAL M1M0TR8. it on nobler pnrsuits. But a winter or two in those latitudes ap« poared to have wrought little change. He came to Mackinack, on his way back to civilized life, late in the fall of 1884, exhausted in means, poor and shabby in his wardrobe, and evidently not a pilgrim from the " land of steady habits." I invited him to my house, in the hope of winning him over to the side of morals, gave him a bed and plate, and treated him with courteous and respectful attention. He was placed under restraint by these attentions, but it was found to be restraint only. He was secretly engaged in dissipations, which finally became so low, that I was compelled to leave him to pursue his course, and thus to witness another example of the application of that striking remark of Dr. Johnson, " that negligence and irregularity, if long continued, will r< ler knowledge useless, wit ridiculous, and genius contemptible." 'A * Nov. 29fA. The rough scenes required by a missionary life on the sources of the Mississippi, are depicted in a letter from the Rev. W. S. Boutwell, who has just planted himself among the Pillagers at Leech Lake. This is the same gentleman who accom- panied me to Itasca Lake in 1882. *' Your favors," he says, '' of April 28th and July 26th, are before me ; and would that I could command time to compensate you for at least half ! But look at a man whose head and hands are full of cares and duties. The only time I get to write is stolen, if I may so say, from the hours of repose. October the ninth I arrived here. There was not a sack of corn nor rice to be bought or sold. I had but two men, and with these a house must be built and a winter's stock of fish laid up. What must be done ? I will briefly tell you what I did. Four days after my arrival I sent my fisherman to Pelican Island, and pulled off my coat and shouldered my axe, and led the other into the bush to make a house. In about ten days, with the help of one man, I had the timber cut and on the spot for a log-cottage twenty-two by twenty-four. Some part of this I not only cut, but assisted in carrying on my own back. But for every inch of over-exertion I got my pay at night, when I was sure to bo * double and twisted' with the rheumatism. I have located about two miles east of the old fort, where you counseled with the Indians at this place. As you cross the point of land upon which the old I PERSONAL MBM01R8. 601 fort is built, you fall on a beautiful bay, a mile and a half broad, on the east side of which I have located, in the midst of a delight- ful grove of maples. South-west, three-fourths of a mile, is the present trading house. " When I arrived I had not sufficient oorn to feed my men three days. There was also at that timo a great scarcity of fish. But the God of Elijah did not forsake us. We soon were in the midst of plenty. On the 11th of the present instant my fisherman re- turned, having been absent not quite four weeks, and with but four nets, yet I had nearly 6000 tulibees (this is a small species of whitciish) on my scaffold. My house, in the meantime, was going forward, though rather tirdily, with but one man. In two days more I hope to quit my hark lodge for my log and mud- walled cottage, though it has neit'^er chair nor three-legged stool, table nor bedstead. But all this does not frighten me. No, it is good for a man sometimes to stand I . leed, that he may the better know how to feel for his fellow-mau. " You mention the rece pt v f a letter from Mr. Greene, relative to the field at Fond du Lac. I am happy to hear so full an ex- pression of your views in relation to that post. As the Board were unable to supply a teacher, Mr. Hall, on visiting them in September, with myself and Mr. Ely — we were all of the same opinion, that it must be occupied — and finally, with the advice of Mr. Aitkin, concluded that it was best for Mr. Ely to pass thje winter there. Mr. Cotfe was also very desirous of a school being opened. Sandy Lake, of course, is without a teacher this winter. I was not a little disappointed, after the repeated assurances and encourageme-*'? of the Board to expect aid, and after the provision I had made f "^ '' fit fo). a office requiring judg- ment, good c nomon lionse, and energy ot character. Still we do not tliink thai this ouglit to deter us from attempts to raise up native ??r chore anu evangelists. Most of the work of converting the heathen nations mus'i unquestionably be performed by them. If the 0|> nere is a species of moral heroism required for the true missionary, such as i^rainerd and Henry Martin felt. These feelings result from a letter of this date, written by a reverend gentlr nan of Phillipsburg, N. Y., whose mind has been directed to the Mackinack field. He puts too many questions respecting the phenomena of temperature, the liability to colds, and I .0 general diseases of the country, for one who has fearlessly put »n th3 whole armor of God," to invade the heathen wilder- uess. The truth is, in relation to this position, the climate is generally dry, and has no causes of disease in it. The air is a perfect restorative to invalids, and never fails to provoke appetite and health. It is already a partial resort for persons out of health, and cannot fail to be appreciated as a watering place in the sum- I PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 618 luer montha as the country increases in population. To Chicago, St. Louis, Natchez, and New Orleans, as well as Detroit, Cleve* land, Cincinnati, and Buffalo, I should suppose it to be a perfect Montpelier in the summer season. May Qth, In the scenes of domestic and social and moral sig- nificancy, which have rendered the island a place of delight to many persons during the seclusion of the winter, no one has en- tered with a more pleasing zeal into the area than a young man whose birth, I think, was not far from the Rock of Plymouth. I shall call him Otwin. I invited him to pass the winter as a guest in my house, where hin conversation, manners, and deep enthusi- astic and poetic feeling, and just discrimination of the moral obligation in men, rendered him an agreeable inmate. He had a saying and a text for almost everybody, but uttered all he said in such a pleasing spirit as to give offence to none. He was ever in the midst of those who came together to sing and pray, and was quite a favorite with the soldiers of the garrison. He wrote dur- ing the season some poetic sketches of Bible scenes, which he sent by a friend to New York in the hope that they might merit pub- lication. Dr. Ives, of N. Y., to whom I wrote in relation to them, put the manuscript into the hands of the Sabbath School Pub- lishing Committee, which appeared to be a judicious disposition. It was, probably, thought to require something more than moral didactic dialogues to justify the experiment of printing them. Otwin himself went into the missionary field of Lake Superior. Idth. The Indians have brought me at various times the skins of a white deer, of an Arctic fox, of a wolverine, and some other species which have either past out of their usual latitudes or assumed some new trait. Elks' and deers' horns, the foot, horns, and skin of the cariboo, which is tlie C Sylveatris, are deposited in my cabinet, and are mementos of thelj- gifts from the forest. One of the ques- tions hardest for the Chvistian geologist to solve is — how the animals of our forests got to America. For there is every evidence, both from the Sacred Record and from the examination of the strata, that the ancient disruption was universal, and destroyed the species and genera which could not exist in water. One of two conditions of the globe seems necessary, on the basis of the Pen- tateuch, to account for their migration — either that a continental connection existed, or that the seas in northern latitudes were 00 614 ?I rSOlVAL MBM0IR8. frozen over. But, in tho latter cnso, how did the tropical animali) tubsitt and exut ? The Polar l>oar, the Arctic fox, and the musk ox would do well enough ; but how was tho armadillo, the cougar, the lama, and even the bison to fare ? This question is fur more difficult to solve than that of tho mi- gration of the aborigines, for they could cross in various ways ; but quadrupeds could not come in boats. Birds could ily from island to island, snakes and dogs might swim, but how came tho sloth and the other quadrupeds of the torrid zone ? Who can assert that there has not been a powerful disruptive geological action in the now peaceable Pacific ? It i» replete with volcanic powers. 15th. Chabowawa, an Indian chief, a Ohippewa, called to get some slips of the currant-bush from my garden, to take to his vil- lage. Although the bnds were too near the point of expansion, in the open and sunny parts of the garden, some slips were found near the fences more backward, and he was thus supplied. 25th. I hav6 long deliberated what I should do with my mate- rials, denoting a kind of oral literature among the Chippewas and other tribes, in the shape of legends and wild tales of the imagina- tion . The narrations themselves are often so inoongmous, grotesque, and fragmentary, as to require some band better than mine, to put them in shape. And yet, I feel that nearly all their value, as indices of Indian imagination, must depend on preserving their original form. Some little time since, I wrote to Washmgton Irving on the subject. In a response of this date, ho observes : — " The little I have seen of our Indian tribes has awakened an earnest anxiety to know more concerning them, and, if possible, to embody some of their fast-fading characteristics and traditions in our popular literature. My own personal opportunities of observ- ing them must, necessarily, be few and casual; but I would gladly avail myself of any information derived from others who have been enabled to mingle among them, and capacitated to perceive and appreciate their habits, customs, and moral qualities. I know of no one to whom I would look with more confidence, in these respects, than to yourself; and, I assure you, I should receive as high and unexpected favors any communication of the kind you suggest, that would aid me in furnishing biographies, tales or sketches, PERSONAL MBM0IR8. 616 illustrative of Indian life, Indian character, and Indi m i;.ythology and superstitions." • » : I had never regarded these manuscripts, gleaned from the lodges with no little pains-taking, as mere materials to be worked up by the literary loom, although the work should be done by one of the most popular and fascinating American pens. I feared that the rough- ness, which gave them their characteristic originality and Doric truthfulness, would be smoothed and polished off to assume the shape of a sort of Indo-Amcrican series of tales ; a cross between the Anglo-Saxon and the Algonquin. 28th. Switzerland enters the missionary field of America for the purpose of improving the condition of the aborigines. This im- pressed me as well. We leave the red man sitting in every want, at our doors, and rush to India. It is true, that field counts its millions, where we can thousands. But an appeal to the missionary record shows, if I am not greatly mistaken, that the proportionate number of converts from an Indian tribe is greater than that of the tribes of Asia, and that an infinitely greater sum is expended by our churches for every convert to Christianity made among the heathen of Asia than of America. The Rev. Henry Olivier, from the Evangelical Society in Switzerland, visited me, this day, with a companion in his labors. He detailed to me his plans. It is his design to select the Dacotah tribe, on the Upper Mississippi, as the object of his exertions. June 2d. Commenced setting new pickets in front of the agency lot, and removing the old ones of white cedar, which, tradition says, have stood near half a century. Wth. The editors of the Knickerbocker Magazine (Clark and Edson) solicit contributions to its pages. This periodical has always maintained a respectable rank, and appears destined to hold on its course. I am too far out of the world to judge well. The conflict of periodicals appears to increase ; but I do not think that the num- ber of sound readers, who seek useful knowledge, keeps pace with it. I think not. We seem to be on the eve of a light and trifling kind of literature, which is hashed up with condiments for weak stomachs. July 2d. The weather, for the entire month of June, was most delightful and charming. On one of the latter days of the month -■;^T7--"T 516 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. the fine and large steamer "Michigan" came into the harbor, with a brilliant throng of visitors, among the number the Secretary of War (Gen. Cass) and his daughter. The arrival put joy and ani- mation into every countenance. The Secretary reviewed the troops, and visited the Agency, and the workshops for the benefit of the Indians. He, and the gay and brilliant throng, visited whatever was curious and interesting, and embarked on their return to De- troit, after receiving the warm congratulations of the citizens. I took the occasion to accompany the party to Detroit. 4tth. The debasing character of the light and popular literature which is coming into vogue, is happily alluded to in a casual letter from Dr. A. W. Ives, of New York. "I regret," he says, "that the well directed labors of the excellent Otwin cannot be made available, but the truth is, there is such an unspeakable mass of matter written for the press at the present day, that all of it cannot be printed, much less be read. I think it one of the great toils of the age. Indolence is a natural attribute of man, and he dislikes intellectual even more than physical toil. Most men read, therefore, only such things as require no thought, and con- sequently there is a bounty offered for the most frivolous literary productions. * * * "Your isolated position prevents your realizing, to its greatest extent, the evil of this superfluity of books; but if you were con- stantly receiving from thirty to forty daily, weekly, and monthly periodicals, besides one or more ponderous volumes, every week, I cannot but think that, with all your ambition and thirst for knowledge, you would wish rather for an Alexandrian conflagra- tion than a' increase of books. "Every man who thinks he has a new thought, or striking thought, thinks himself justified in writing a volume. Of this I would not complain if he would have the ingenuousness to inform the reader, in a nota bene, on what page the new idea could be found, so that, if he paid for the book, he should be spared the trouble of hunting for the kernel in the bushel of compiled and often incongruous chaff, in whicli the author has dexterously hid it. "But the labor and expense of new publications are the least of their evils. You cannot imagine what an influence is exerted, in this city, at the present time, by 'penny newspapers.' There are from fifteen to twenty, I believe, published daily, and not less .v-" "■"t'v iV'^f,""'?^"*^*-.'': PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 617 on an average, I presume, thnn 5000 copies of each. A number of them strike off from 10,000 to 20,000 every day. They have no regular subscribers, or at least, they do not depend upon .sub- scribers for a support. They are hawked about the streets, the steamboats and taverns by boys, and are, for the most part, ex- travagant stories, caricature djscriptions, police reports, infidel vulgarity and profanity, and, in short, of just such matter as un- principled, selfish, and bad mea know to be best fitted to pamper the appetites and passions of the populace, and so uproot and destroy all that is valuable and sacred in our literary, civil, and religious institutions. "A spirit of ultraism seems to pervade the whole community. The language of Milton's archdevil ' Evil, be thou my good,' is the creed of modern reformers, or, in other words — anything for a change. What is to come of all this, I have not wisdom even to guess. It is an tfge of transition, and whether you and I live to see the elements of the moral and political world at rest, is, I think, extremely doubtful. But our consolation should be that the Lord reigns — that he loves good order and truth better than we do — and, blessed be his name, he is able to establish and mair- tain them. "This is the anniversary of our national independence, and ought to be celebrated with thanksgiving and praise to God. Alas! how it is perverted." 22d. Mr. Green, of the Missionary Rooms, Boston, again writes about the Mackinack Mission. " I believe that my views accord very nearly with your own, as to what it would be desirable to do, provided the suitable persons could be procured to perform the work. There is a great deficiency in well qualified laborers. We can generally obtain persons who will answer our purpose, if we will wait long enough, but it often happens, in the mean time, that the circumstances so change that the proposed plan becomes of doubtful expediency. We have been continually on the lookout, since Mr. Ferry left Mackinack, for some one to fill his place, but as yet have found no one, and have no ore in view." 2Sth. Mr. W. Fred. Williams, of Butfalo, communicates informa- tion respecting three boxes of Specimens of natural history, which I lost in the fall of 1821. "My conversation with you having made me acquainted with the fact that you once lost two boxes of 618 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. minerals and one of shells, I have been rather on the lookout for information respecting them, and am now able to inform you as to vrhat became of them, and to correct the statement •which I made (as I said) on supposition of the manner in which Edgerton became possessed of them. _ , "In the spring of 1832, a stranger from Troy or Albany came to Mr. Edgerton, at Utica, and told him that he had two boxes of minerals which he had received from Mr. Schoolcraft, and that if he (E.) would label them, he (E.) might take what he wished to retain for his trouble. He said, also, thst ho was about to establish a school at Lockport, but, knowing nothing of mineralogy, he wished to get the specimens labeled. Mr. Edgerton unpackedthe boxes, took a few for himself, labeled and repacked the rest, and re- turned them to the stranger. "The box of shells was left at the tavern of Levi Cozzens, in Utica, where they remained two years, waiting lFor some one to claim them; about this time Mr. C, closing vr. his concern, opened the box and gave the shells to his children for playthings, and sent the mocock of sugar (which had your name on or about it) to his mother. If the person who had the minerals still remains at Lockport, perhaps they may be recovered, but the shells are all destroyed." The minerals referred to consisted of choice and large specimens of the colored and crystaline fluates of lime from Illinois, and the attractive species and varieties of sulphates of barytes, sul- phurets of lead, radiated quartz, &c. &c., from Missouri, which I had revisited in 1821. They were fine cabinet specimens, but con- tained no new species or varieties. Not so with the fresh-water shells. They embraced all the species of the Wabash River, whose entire length I had traversed that year, from its primary forks lo its entrance into the Ohio. Among them were some new things, which would, at that time, have proved a treat to my conchological friends. Sth. Mukonsewyan, or the Little Bear Skin, visited the office, with a retinue. He asked whether any Indians from the Fond du Lac, or Upper Mississippi, had visited the office this season. I stated to him the renewal of hostilities between the Sioux and Chippewas, as a probable reason why they had not. He entered freely into conversation on the history of the Sioux, and spoke of their per- ?'AT?^^"yr«*wff*.i PERSONAL MEMOIRS. fidy to the Chippewas. I asked him if they were as treacherous to the ...mericans as they had been to the British — several of whose traders they had in former days killed. He said he had seen the Sioux offenders of that day, encamped at Mackinack, while the British held it, under the guns of the ^'ort, and all the Indians expected that they would have been seized. But they were suf- fered to retire unmolested. l^th. I went to Round Island with Mr. Featherstonehaugh and Lieut. Mather. Examined the ancient ossuaries and the scenery on that island. Mr. F. is on his way to the Upper Mississippi as a geologist in the service of the Topographical Bureau. He took a good deal of interest in examining my cabinet, and proposed I should exchange the Lake Superior minerals for the gold ores of Virginia, &c. He showed me his idea of the geological column, and drew it out. I accompanied him around the island, to view its re- ticulated and agaric filled limestone cliffs ; but derived no certain information from him of the position in the geological scale of this very striking stratum. It is, manifestly, the magnesian limestone of Conybeare and Phillips, or muschelkalk of the Germans. Lieut. Mather brought me a letter from Major Whiting, from which I learn that he has been professor of mineralogy in the Mili- tary Academy at West Point. I found him to be animated with a zeal for scientific discovery, united with accurate and discriminating powers of observation. Among my visitors about this time, none impressed me more pleasingly than a young gentleman from Cincinnati — a graduate of Lane Seminary — a Mr. Hastings, who brought me a letter from a ft-iend s.t Detroit. He appeared to be imbued with the true spiri , of piety, to be learned in his vocation without ostentation, auii discriminating without ultraism. And he left me, after a brief stay, with an impression that he was destined to enter the field of moral instruction usefully to his foUow-men, believing that it is far better to undertake to persuade than to drive men by assault, as with cannon, from their strongholds of opinion. - . . , . , - - . . .'T-' 520 1 . ■ PERSONAL MBMOIRS. t I. ■ .\ ■ \ - " ' CHAPTER LV. Rage for inveBtment in western lands — Habits of the common deer — Question of the punishment of Indian murders committed in the Indian country — A chief calls to hare his authority recognized on the death of a prede> cessor — Dr. Julius, of Prussia— Gen. Robert Patterson — Pressure of emi- gration — Otwin — Dr. Gilman and Mr. Hoffman — Picturesque trip to Like Superior — Indians desire to cede territory — G. W. Featherstonehaugh — Sketch of his geological reconnoisance of the St. Peter's River — Dr. Thomas H. Webb — Question of inscriptions on American rocks — ^Anjbiquities — Em- bark for Washington, and come down the lakes in the great tempest of 1835. 1835. Auguit. The rage for investment in lands was now manifest in every visitor that came from the East to the West. Everybody, more or .'ess, yielded to it. I saw that friends, in whose prudence and judgment I had confided for years, were en- gaged in it. I doubted the soundness of the ultra predictions which were based on every sort of investment of this kind, whe- ther of town property or farming land, and held quite conservative opinions on the subject, but yielded partially, and in a moderate way, to the general impulse, by making some investments in Wis- consin. Among other plans, an opinion arose that Michilimacki- nack must become a favorite watering place, or refuge for the opulent and invalids during the summer ; and lots were eagerly bought up from Detroit and Chicago. llth. I embarked in a steamer for Gieen Bay — where I at- tended the first land sales, and made several purchases. While there, I remarked the curious fluctuations in the level of the waters at the mouth of Fox River. The lake (Michigan) and the bay appear to hold the relation of separate parts of a syphon. It was now fourteen years since I had first noticed this phenomenon, as a member of the expedition to the sources of tlie Mississippi. While at Green Bay I procured a young fawn, and carried it to be a tenant of my garden and grounds. This animal grew to its PERSONAL MEMOIRS. £9t full size, and revealed many interesting traits. Its motions were most graceful. It was perfectly tame. It would walk into the hall and dining-room, when the door was open, and was once ohserved to step up, gracefully, and take bread from the table. It peram- bulated the garden walks. It would, when the back-gate was shut, jump over a six feet picket fence, witli the ease and lightness of a bird. Some of its instincts were remarkable. At night it would choose its place of lying down invariably to the leeward of an object which sheltered it from the prevailing wind. One of its most remarkable instincts was developed with respect to ladies. On one occasion, while an unattended lady was walking up the aveu'je from my frout gate to the door, through the garden grounds, the animal ap- proached from behind, in the gentlest manner possible, and placed his fore feet on her shoulders. This happened more than once. Its propensity to eat plum leaves at last banished it from the garden. It was then allowed to visit distant parts of the island, and, at length, some vicious person broke one of its legs, from its propensity to browss on the young leaves of fruit trees. This was fatal to it, and I was induced to allow its being shot, after it had been an inmate of my grounr's for about three years, where it was familiarly known to all by the name of Nimmi. Poor Nimmi, some are hanged for being thieves, But thou, poor beast ! wast killed for eating leaves. 2ith. I received instructione) from Washington respecting recent murders of Chippewas by the Sioux. This is a constantly recur- ring topic for the action of an Indian agent. Unfortunately, his powers in the matter are only advisory. The intercourse act does not declare it a crime for one Indian nation to make reprisals, club in hand, on another Indian nation, on the area in which their sovereignty is acknowledg*»d. It only makes it a criminal offence to kill a white man in such a position, for which his nation can be invaded, and the murderer seized and delivered up to justice. 28tk. Ottawance, chief of the Beaver Islands, died last summer (1834). Kin-wa-be-kiz-ze, or Man of the Long Stone (noun in- animate), called to day. and announced himself as the successor, and asked for the usual present of tobacco, &c. By this recognitioa of the ofiBce, his authority was sought to be confirmed. 622 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 29th. Dr. Julius, of Prussia, visited me, being on his return from Chicago. He evinced a deep interest in the history of the Indian race. He remarked the strong resemblance they bore in features and manners to the Asiatics. He had remarked that the Potawattomies seem like dogs, which he observed was also the custom of the Tartars ; but thut the eyes of the latter were set diagonally, whereas the American Indians had theirs parallel. In other respects, he saw great resemblances. He expressed himself as greatly interested in the discovery of an oral literature among the Indians, in the form of imaginative legends. Gen. Robert Patterson, of Philadelphia, with his daughter and niece, make a bi ief visit, on their w^ay from Chicago and the West, and view the curiosities of the island. These visits of gentlemen of wealth, to the great 3 vcja of the upper lakes, may be noticed as commencing with this year. People seem to have suddenly waked up in the East, and are just becoming aware that there is a West — to which they liie, in a measure, as one who hunts for a pleasant land fancied in dreams. But the great Mississippi Valley is a waking reality. Fifty years will tell her story on the population and re- sources of the world. Sept. 12th. Received instructions from the Department, to ascertain whether the Indians north of Grand River would sell their lands, and on what terms. The letter to which this was a reply was the first oflBcial step in the causes which led to the treaty of March 28th, 1836. A leading step in the policy of the Depart- ment respecting the tribes of the Upper Lakes. 15th. The great lakes can no longer be regarded as solitary seas, where the Indian war-whoop has alone for so many uncounted centu- ries startled its echoes. The Eastern World seems to be alive, and roused up to the value of the West. Every vessel, every steam- boat, brings up persons of all classes, whose countenances the desire of acquisition, or some other motive, has rendered sharp, or im- parted a fresh glow of hope to their eyes. More persons, of some note or distinction, natives or foreigners, have visited me, and brought me letters of introduction this season, than during years before. Sitting on my piazza, in front of which the great stream of ships and commerce passes, it is a spectacle at once novel, and calculated to inspire high anticipations of the future glory of the Mississippi Valley. I ■•*:-"'""'""t; , ■■■-7ftifp--i^^-^-^'!!.y PBRSONiL MEMOIRS. 528 Oct 6th. Washington Irving responds, in the kindest terms, to hiy letter transmitting some manuscript materials relative to the Indian history. 12th. Mr. Green, of Boston, wrote me on the 8th instant unfavor- ably to the stability of the Christian character of my friend Otwin, whom I had recommended to the Board for employment in the mis- sionary field in Lake Superior, in connection with the missionary family at La Pointe. Mr. S. Hall, the head of that Mission, writes (Oct. 12th) : " I am glad that the providence of God directed (him) this way, and trust his coming into this region will be for the interest of Zion's Kingdom here. He appears to be a man of faith and prayer. I trust he will be the means of stirring up to more dili- gence in the service of our Master." What greater aid could be given to a lone far off Indian mission, than " a man of faith and prayer." When an observer in the vast panorama of the West and North has seen a poor missionary and his family, living five- hundred miles from the nearest verge of civilization, solitary and desolate, surrounded with heathen red men, and worse than hea- then white men, with none out of his little circle to honor God or appreciate his word, it is presumable to him that any reinforce- ment of help must be hailed as cold water to a parched tongue. Not that there is any supposed difierence of opinion on the main question, between the Head and the forest hands, so to say, of the Board, but it is difficult, at Boston, to appreciate the disheartening circumstances surrounding the missionary in the field. And any youthful instability, or eccentricity of means in the way of advancing the Gospel, should be forgiven, for the cause, after years of experience, and not written against " a man of faith and prayer," as it appears to have been by the pastor of Middleburgh, as with a pen of iron. 14th. Pendonwa, son of Wahazo, a brother of the Ottawa chief, Wing, reports himself as electing to become " an American," and says he had so declared himself to Col. Boyd, the former Indian agent. 2'7th. Dr. C. R. Oilman, of New York, having, with Major M. Hoffman, of Wall Street, paid me a visit and made a picturesque "trip to the Pictured Rocks of Lake Superior," writes me after his safe return to the city, piquing himself on that adventure, after having exchanged congratulations with his less enterprising city- 524 PERSONAL MBMOIRS. loving friends. It was certainly an event to be booked, that two civilians so soldered down to the habits of city life in different lines as the Doctor and the Major, should have extended their summer excursion as far as Michilimackinack. But it was a farther evi- dence of enterprise, and the love of the picturesque, that they should have taken an Indian canoe, and a crew of engagees, at that point, and ventured to visit the Pictured Rocks in Lake Superior. ♦' Life on the Lakes" (the title of Dr. G.'s book) was certainly a widely dif- ferent affair to " Life in New York." 31«^ Circumstances had now inclined the Chippewa and Ottawa tribes of Indians to cede to the United States a portion of their extensive territory. Game had failed in the greater part of it, and they had no other method of raising funds to pay their large'out- standing credits to the class of traders, and to provide for an interval of transition, which must indeed happen, in view of their future improvement, between the hunter and agricultural state. The Drummon,d Island band had, for a year or two, advocated a sale. The Ottawas of the peninsula determined to send a dele- gation to Washington on the subject. I could not hesitate as to the course which duty prescribed to me, under these important cir- cumstances, and determined to proceed to Washington, although the Secretary and acting Governor of the Territory, Mr. Horner, on being consulted by letter, refused his assent to this step. His want of proper information on the subject, being but recently come to the territory, did not appear to be such as to justify me in re- maining on the island, while the question had been carried by the Indians themselves to, and was, probably, to be decided at Washing- ton before another season. I determined, therefore, to proceed to Washington, taking one of the latest vessels for the season, on their return from the ports on Lake Michigan. Nov. 2d. Mr. Featherstonehaugh writes to me from Galena, on his return from his geological reconnoisance in the north-west, sketching some of the leading events of his progress '■ — " Desirous of giving you a passing notice o^ ^j progress, I make time, a few moments' leisure, to say tb::.i, when I had entered the Terre Bleu River, which you remember is that tributa:'y of the St. Peter's I was anxious to visit, I found I could not penHrate to the Coteau do Prairie from that quarter, and no resjurce was left to me but to return, or go about three hundred miles higher up, where PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 525 I was aware I should meet a pretty insolent sot of fellows amongst the Yanktons and Tetons. The Sioux, who had committed pretty bad Indian murders amongst the Chippewas, were in great numbers about Lac qui Parle, and there was no avoiding them. However, it was in the line of the duty I had undertaken, and I was willing to run some risks to see them. They were a precious set when I got to them, but by prudence and presents I got along with them, and, having began to sputter a little Sioux, I took courage, left my canoe and men there, auu took a guide and interpreter and pushed on to Lac Traverse, and from thence to Coteau de Prairie, the head waters of the St. Peter's, and to within four days' march of the Mandan Village. Here I wheeled about back, afraid of winter. Indeed, on my arrival at Lac Traverse, the weather was bitterly cold, and wood and water were sometimes found with great diflSculty, in the intermediate prairies. The day I left Fort Snelling, the ther- mometer was very low, the snow six or eight inches deep on the ground ; in fact it was quite winter, and all were of opinion, at the fort, that ice would form and drive in a few days. * " I found Mr. Keating's account of the Mississippi, and especially of the St. Peter's, most surprisingly erroneous, and old Jona- than Carver's book, which he is constantly denouncing, very accu- rate. " I ascertained, to my perfect satisfaction, the termination of the horizontal beds of sandstone of carboniferous limestone formation, and ci.i.:8 upon the outcrop of the adjacent granite, just where I expecLvJi- +0 find the primary rocks." "You will greatly oblige me by communicating to me your opinion, approximatively, of the course held by the primary rocks south of Lake Superior, as far as you are acquainted with it, or with the edges of the secondary rocks, which have a junction line with, or near them. I found no primary rocks on my way from Green Bay to Prairie du Chien. The rocks in place at Fort Win- nebago, are secondary sandstone of the carboniferous series." 2d. The question of " inscriptions" on rocks by the aborigines has recently attracted some attention. Dr. Thomas H. Webb, of Providence, Rhode Island, in a letter of this date, notifying me of my election as an honorary member of the Rhode Island Historical Society, calls my attention to this subject. " In your last work," he remarks, " you allude to some hieroglyphics on a tree. Have 626 PBRSONAL MEM< J n. you particularly oxaniinod any on rocks ; anl if so, were they more paintings, or wcro they inscribed thcroon? If the latter, in what manner do tb appear to have been done — pecked in with a pointed instrumer , ^.. chizzled out? Aro they simply representa- tions of men and animali), 'vithout method in their arrangement, or combinations of these, with other characters bearing evidence of greater design ? Will! you be kind enough to furnish mo with the locations of those with which you are acquainted ? Is it pos'jiblo for me to procure drawingn of them ? Do you know any one living near such rocks, whom I could hire to take copies of them, and upon the accuracy of whuso work reliance can be placed? " I do not wish finished views — correct drawings of the charac- ters with a pea will be amply sufficient for my purposes; although I should not object to outlines of the rocks themselves. I would also ask if some of uie 'relics of things that have passed away,' which are found so abundantly in the west, e. g., articles of pottery, iron and wopper implemcn!;s, &c., can be procured by purchase, or m the way of exchange for minerals, or in some other way ?" Imprimis — no "iron" implements have ever been found. Se- conc.ly, no observations not made by an antiquarian can be relied on. 9th. I embarked for Detroit, on board a schooner under command of an experienced navigator (Capt. Ward), just on the eve, un- known to us, of a great tempest, which rendered that season memorable in the history of wrecks on the great lakes. We had scarcely well cleared the light^house, when the wind increased to a gale. We soon went on furiously. Sails were reefed, and every preparation made to keep on our way, but the wind did not admit of it. The captain made every e£fort to hug the shore, and finally came to anchor in great peril, under the highlands of Sauble. Here we pitched teiTibly, and were momently in peril of being cast on shore. In the effort to work the ship, one of the men fell from the bowsprit, and passed under the vessel, and was lost. It was thought that ou:* poor little craft must go to the bottom; it seemed like a chip on the ocean contending against the powers of the Almighty. It seemed as if, agreeably to Indian fable, Ishkwon- dameka himself was raising a tempest mountain high for some sinister purposes of his own. But, owing to the skill of the old lake mariner, we eventnally triumphed. He never faltered in the PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 627 darkest exigency. For a day and night be struggled against the elements, and finally entered the straits at Fort Gratiot, and ho brought us safely into the port of our destination. On reaching Detroit, the latoncKS of the season admonished me to lose no time a making my way over the stormy Erie to Buffalo, wbeiu <» i ^iiirsued my journey to New York. I reached the latter city the day prior to the great fire, in December. I took lodgings at tl ^lantic Hotel, which is near the foot of Bro ^ vay, and immed vest of the groat scene of conflagratir u 'l'iit> oold ¥•<* " Sth. Mr. Thomas L. Winthrop, of Boston, transmits me " the first volume of a new series of the Transactions of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This volume, amongst other valuable matter, contains a Dictionary of the Abinaki Language of North America, by Father Sebastian Basles." 10th. I addressed a memoir to the Secretary of War on the state of Indian affairs in Oregon. My position at St. Mary's being on the great line of communication between Montreal and the prin- cipal posts at Vancouver, &c., north of the Columbia, has afforded me opportunities of becoming familiar with the leading policy of the Hudson's Bay factors in relation to that region. The means pursued are such as must influence all the Indian tribes in that quarter strongly in favor of the political power wielded by that company, and as strongly against the government of the United States, which has not a shadow of a. power of any kind on the Pacific. Silently, but surely, a vast influence is being built up on those coasts, adverse to our claims to the territory, and it caniiot be long till those intrepid factors, sustained by the government at home, will assert it in a manner not easy to be resisted. I em- bodied these ideas strongly in my paper. The Secretary was ar- rested by the justice of my conclusions, and seemed disposed to do something, but the subject was, apparently, weighed down and forgotten in the press of other matters. IZth. Hon. E. Whittlesey, Chairman of the Committee on Claims, House of Representatives, remarks in effect, in a letter of this date, that to creato a just claim against the United States, it must be shown that property and provisions taken by the troops, when operating in an enemy's country, were applied to the sub- 34 580 PBRSOBTAL MBMOIBS. siBtenoe or clothing of the army or navy, although it was private property, and the orders of the commandant were, in all oases, to respect "private property." Consequently, that the disrespect of such orders might make the commander or his troops personally Jiahle to amercement; but the government is not justly liable. Certainly, that officer is to be pitied whose sovereign will not stand by him in the execution of written orders 1 Nor do I see how the strict legality and morality of the question is to be got along with. May the government turn pirate with impunity? Does it war against women and children, and the ordinary private and domestic rights guaranteed to the citizen by the original rights of society defined in Blackstone ? lUh. A soldier, in garrison at Fort Mackinack, writes to me, wishing, on the expiration of his term of enlistment, to become "a soldier of Christ," and to enter the missionary field. That is a good thought, Sergeant Humphrey Snow! Better to fight against human sins than to shoot down sinners. . ! ; .^ "' • < 18th. Dr. C. B. Oilman inquires, "Is the rock at Gros Cap granite? Can you give me particulars about the Indian fairies?" 2*Ith. I am requested, from a high quarter, to furnish an arti- cle for the Southern Literary Messenger. "You are in for a scrape," says a gay note on the subject. " ! have told Mr. White all about it. I am greatly obliged to you for relieving kie." Truth is, I have uever regarded the employment of literar' ^e as thrown away. The discipline of the mind, induced by o- sition, is something, and it, is surprising what may be done by a person who carefully "redeems" all his time. It does not, in the least, incapacitate him for business* It rather quickeuB his intel- lect for it. Feb. Xst. My former agreeable guest at Mackinack (Rev. Geo. H. Hastings) writes me from Walnut Hills, Ohio: "There is a missionary spirit in our institution (Lane Seminary) that responds to the wants of the world. The faculty have pressed upon the minds of us all the duty of examining early the question, 'Ought I to be a missionary?' " IQth. My brother James writes from St. Mary's, foot of Lake Superior : " The month has been remarkably cold, the thermome- ter having ranged from 13°.23 to 38° below zero. Snow we have had in great abundance." PERSONAL MBMOntS. 581 VJth, Hon. Lewis F. Linn, U. S. Senator, writes respecting the scientific character and resources of Missouri, in view of a project, matured by him, for establishing a western armory: "Your inti- mate knowledge of the Ozark Mountains, its streams descending north and south, and those passing through to the east, with its unequaled mineral resources, would be, to me, of infinite service, to accomplish the purpose I have in view, should you be so kind as to communicate them, in reference to this particular measure, and by so doing you would confer a lasting obligation." The resources of Missouri in iron, lead, and coal, to which I first called attention in 1819, are of such a noble character as surely to require no bolstering from the effects of particular mea- sures. -•;■>■ \ - . /^'T' .-^*'' ;; ;■ -: " *'I hear nothing of Mr. Gallatin and his Indian languages. Do you? I see, by the English magazines, that Willis and his * pencilings' get little quarter there ; they deserve none. The book is not yet published here. Walsh, they say, will kill it, un- less it should chance to be still-born. Hoffman is a friend of it, or rather he has made up his mind to join hands with the " Mirror" set. I think he has made a mistake. They will sink him before he raises them. I suppose, however, if he will praise them they will praise him, and praise is sweet, we all know." 9th. Bev. William McMurray writes, from the Canadian side of Sault St. Marie : " Our excellent governor. Sir John Colboume, has resigned his situation, which is at present filled by Sir Francis Head, who has recently arrived from England. As far as I can learn, he is rather a literary character, and is the same person who, some years ago, visited South America on a mining expedi- tion. The most correct intelligence I have received respecting him is by an express from Toronto. From it I learn that he is disposed to be kind and good towards the poor Indians. As an instance of which, he intends visiting every Indian mission next summer, in order that he may see for himself their secret wants, and how their condition may be best ameliorated.'' My brother James gives a somewhat amusing account of Indian matters at the Sault after the leaving of their delegates for Washington. " Since Whaiskee's departure, the whole Sault has been trou- bled ; I mean the ' busy bodies,' and this, by the way, comprises nearly the whole population. A council has accordingly been Fudge ! PERSONAL MEMOIRS. held before the Major- Agent, in which the British chief, Gitshee Kawgaosh, appeared as orator. The harangue from the sachem ran very much as follows : — . .f H:i, f .;■' " ' Father, why and for what purpose has the man Whaiskee gone to the home of our great father ? TTAy did he leave without notifying mey and the other men of influence of my tribe, of the nature of his mission ? Why should he, whose totem-fathera live about Shaugawaumekong (I^a Pointe), be, at his own will, made the representative of the ancient band of the red men whose totem is the lofty Crane ? Say, father ? Father, we ask you to know ; we ask of you to tell whi/ this strange man has so strangely gone to smoke with the great chief of the " long knives ?" Kunnah- gakunnah !' " Here the chief, drawing the folds of his blanket with perfect grace, and extending his right arm with dignity to the agent, seated himself again upon the floor, while, at the same time, a warrior of distinction, whose eagle-plumed head spoke him the fiercest of his tribe, gave to the sachem the lighted pipe. The eyes of the red men, like those of their snowy chief^ were now riveted to the floor. " * Sons of the forest,' answered the American agent, * /, like yourselves, know nothing of this strange business ! /, the father of all the red men, have not been consulted in this man's going beyond the lakes to " the great waters !" Jam the man through whom such messages should come ! I, the man who should hand the wampum, and I, the man to whom the red men should look for redress ! Friends, your speech shall reach the ears of our great father, and then this strange man of the far-off totem of Addik shall know that the Crane totem is protected by me, the hero of the Southern clime ! Men of the forest, I am done.' "Tobacco was then distributed to the assembly, and, after many hogJis, the red men dispersed." Mth. Mr. Bancroft, bringing a few lines from the Secretary of War, came to see me to confer on the character of the Indians, which he is about to handle in the next volume of his History. This care to assure himself of the truth of the conclusions to be introduced in his work, is calculated to inspire confidence in his mode of research. 28th. Washington. My reception here has been most cordial, 534 PBRS05AL MKM0IK8. and such as to assure me in the propriety of the step I took, in resolving to proceed to the capital, without the approval of the secretary and acting governor (Homer), who was, indeed, from his recent arrival and little experience in this matter, quite in the dark respecting the true condition of Indian affairs in Michigan. The self-constituted Ottawa delegation of chiefs from the lower peninsula had preceded me a few days. After a conference be- tween them and the Secretary of War, they were referred to me, under authority from the President, communicated by special appointment, as commissioner for treating with them. It was found that the deputation was quite too local for the transaction of any general business. The Ottawas, from the valley of Grand River, an important section, were unrepresented. The various bands of Ghippewas living intercalated among them, on the lower peninsula, extending down the Huron shore to Thunder Bay, were unapprized of the movement. The Ghippewas of the upper pen- insula, north of Michilimackinack, were entirely unrepresented. I immediately wrote, authorizing deputations to be sent from each of the unrepresented districts, and transmitting funds for the pur- pose. This authority to collect delegates from the* two nations, whose interests in the lands were held in common, was promptly and eflSciently carried out ; and, when the chiefs and delegates ar- rived, they were assembled in public council, at the Masonic Hall, corner of 4| street, and negotiations formally opened. These meetings were continued from day to day, and resulted in an im- portant cession of territory, comprising all their lands lying in the lower peninsula of Michigan, north of Grand River and west of Thunder Bay; and on the upper peninsula, extending from Drum- mond Island and Detour, through the Straits of St. Mary, west to Chocolate River, on Lake Superior, and thence southerly to Green Bay. This cession was obtained on the principle of making limited reserves for the principal villages, and granting the mass of Indian population the right to live on and occupy any portion of the lands until it is actually required for settlement. The compensation, for all objects, was about two millions of dollars. It had been arranged to close and sign the treaty on the 26th of March, but some objections were made by the Ottawas to a matter of detail, which led to a renewed discussion, and it was not until the 28th that the treaty was signed. It did not occur to me, till pMAOITAL ItkHOIftgr 586 me. afierwards, that this was my birth-day. Thd Senate vho^ at the same time, had the important Cherokee treaty of New Eohota before them, did not give it their assent till the 20th of May, and then ratified it With some essential modifications, which have not had a wholly propitious tendency. Liberal provisions were made for their educatidn and instruction in agriculture and the arts. Their outstanding debts to the mer- chants were provided for, and such aid given them in the initial labor of subsisting themselves, as were required by a gradual change from the life of hunters to that of husbandmen. About twelve and a half cents per acre was given for the entire area, which includes some secondary lands and portions of muskeegs and waste grounds about the lakes — which it was, however, thought ought, in justice to the Indians, to be included in the cession. The whole area could not be certainly told, but was estimated at about sixteen millions of acres. About the beginning of May a delegation of Saginaws arrived, for the purpose of ceding to the government the reservations in Michigan, made under the treaty of 1819. This delegation was referred to me, with instructions to form a treaty with them. The terms of it were agreed on in several interviews, and the treaty was signed on the 20th of May, 1836. A third delegation of Ohippewas, from Michigan, having sepa- rate interest in the regions of Swan Creek and Black River, pre- sented themselves, with the view of ceding the reservations made to them by a treaty concluded by Gen. Hull, Nov. 17th, .MO' They were also referred to me to adjust the terms of a sale of these reservations. The treaty was signed by their chiefs on the 9th of May, 1886. As soon as these several treaties were acted on by the Senate, I left the city on my return. It was one of the last days of May when I left Washington. A new era had now dawned in the up- per lake country, and joy and gladness sat in every face I met. The Indians rejoiced, because they had accomplished their end and provided for their wants. The class of merchants and inland traders rejoiced, because they would now be paid the amount of their credits to the Indians. The class of metifs and half-breeds were glad, because they had been remembered by the chiefs, who set apart a fund for their benefit. The citizens generally partici- 586 PIMONAL MIM0IR8. pated in these feelings, beoaose the effect of the treaties would be to elicit new means and sources of prosperity. I reached Mackinack on the 15th of June, in the steamer " Co- lumbia." I found all mj family well and ready to welcome me home, but one — Charlotte, the daughter of Songageezhig, who had been brought up from a child as one of my family. Her father, a Chippewa, had been killed in an affray at the Sault St. Marie in 1822, leaving a wife and three children. She had been ad( pted and carefully instructed in every moral and religious duty. She could read her Bible well, and was a member of the Church, in good standing at the time of her death. A rapid consumption developed itself during the winter of my absence, which no medical skill could arrest. She had attained about her fifteenth year, and died leavbg behind her a consecrated memory of pleasing piety and gentle manners. •.1/-, V,. , , «■,- • , A forest flower, but few so well could claim ^ Vn".'.:. r,}v A daushter'B, sUter'a, anda GhrUtian's nvaxu ^^ . > ^ • . , 1 < « ^•ix.^^'-; ri w r ,■'■*'■ '^:yy- ' f^:. »1 _,»(, \ I '■ . )-A '2V ^i- ^*'iX'.:*X^l tut'- ''.T''iv^^'- .'m'' "t " ' r''' "' '^' '■"*-■ ^i^^^i'-Xi^, fi r?'fl ■'■{,: .,<: ..-'}.-;?r*-v,;i^V f..--:. ..y--fs,, ■,. ri'f <■■' i- ■: <>■ >,^i''.AU PIBBONAL MBMOIRa. '"_■ • „- ... ■,.■"." \'-' ''.t' "*" ', '-f?. f* ■'"■■-•--'. :.'-vi' »t* •'-'■■'.■ '*:-'. d 'it'''' ^,^ ; : ?;-' ;;J/' 5'^' ■ .feJtKf'"'' ./- ,'^;^' ;■•*'<,'-"'■?,<' ■(>*'A !; = .*_ ;;-;■,., ; , / .'i :,',, .v,.,-,^,..vy/.'- CHAPTER LVII. . '^^.^^i^tm Home matters — Massaobusetts Historical Society— Question of the U. S. ' Senate's action on certain treaties of the Lake Indians — Hugh L. White — Dr. Morton's Crania Americana — Letter from Mozojeed — State of the pilla- ■ gers — Yisitof Dr. Follen and Miss Martineau — Treaty movements— Young Lord Selkirk — Character and value of Upper Michigan — Hon. John Nor- , veil's letter — Literary items — Execution of the treaty of March 28th — Amount of money paid — E£fect8 of the treaty — Baron de Behr— Ornitho* logy. 1886. June 16th. My winter in Washington had thrown my correspondence sadly in the rear. Most of my letters had heen addressed to me directly at Mackinack, and they were first read several months after date. Whilst at the seat of government my duties had heen of an arduous character, and left me hut little time on my hands. And now, that I had got hack to my post in the interior, the duties growing out of the recent treaties had heen in no small degree multiplied. While preparing for the latter, the former were not, however, to be wholly neglected, or left unno- ticed. I will revert to them. April 2Sth. The Massachusetts Historical Society this day approved a report from a committee charged with the subject — " That, in their opinion, the dissertation on the Odjibwa language with a vocabulary of the same, contemplated by Mr. Schoolcraft, would be a suitable and valuable contribution to our collections, and that he be requested to proceed and complete the work, and transmit it to the society for publication." This was communicated to me by Hon. Thomas L. Winthrop, their president, on the 2d of May, and opened an eligible way for my bringing forward my investigations of this language, without expense to myself. The difficulty now was, that the offer had come, at a time when it was impossible to complete the paper. I was compelled to defer it till the pressure of business, which now began to thicken on my hands, should abate. It was in this manner, and in the hope that the 688 PBE80NAL MIMOIRf. next season would afford me leisure, that the matter was put off, from time to time, till it was in a measure oast behind and out of sight, and not from a due appreciation of the offer. May Vlth. In the letter of appointment to me, of this date, from the Secretary of War, to treat with the Saginaws, it is stated; *' You are authorized to offer them the proceeds which their lands may bring, deducting such expenses as may be necessary for its survey, sale, &c. You will take care that a sufficient fund is re- served to provide for their removal, and such arrangements made for the security and application of the residue as will be most be- neficial to them." These instructions were carried out, in articles of a compact, in which the government furthermore agreed, in view of the lands not being immediately brought into market, to make a reasonable advance to these Indians. Yet the Senate rejected it, not, it would seem, for the liberality of the offer of the nett proceeds of the lands, but for the almost per necei,aitate offer of a moderate advance, to enable the people to turn themselves in straitened circumstances, which had been the prime motive for selling. The advance was, in fact, as I have reason to believe, a mere bagatelle, but the chairman of the Indian Committee in the Senate was rather on the lookout for something, or anything, to embar- rass or disoblige General Jackson and his agents, having fallen out with him, and being then, indeed, a candidate for President of the U. S. himself, at the coming election. If I had not heard the pointed expressions of Hon. Hugh L. White, on more than one occasion, in which my three treaties were before him, in relation to this matter of not affording the presidential incumbent new sources of patronage, &c., I should not deem it just to add the latter remark. He was a man of strong will and feelings, which often betrayed themselves when subjects of public policy were the topics. And, so far as he interfered with the principles of the treaties which I had negotiated with the Lake Indians in 1836, he evinced an utter ignorancf^ of their history, character, and best interests. He violated, in some respects, the very prin- ciple on which alone two of the original cessions, namely, those of the Ottawas and Chippewas and of the Saginaws, were obtained; and introduced features of discord, which disturb the tribes, and some of which will long contiaue to be felt. And the result is a PBRflOMAL MBMOIRf. 589 severe caution against the Senate's erer putting private reasons in the place of public, and interfering with matters which they neces- sarily know but little about. 16M. Dr. Samuel George Morton, of Philadelphia, makes an appeal to gentlemen interested in the philosophical and historical questions connected with the Indians, to aid him in the collection of crania — to be used in the comprehensive work which ho is pre- paring on the subject. • " ^^^ " ^' ' " ' ■ '^ ""'" 26th. Hon. J. B. Sutherland expresses the wish to see an In- dian lexicography prepared under the auspices of the Indian Department, and urges me to undertake it. SOth. Mozojeed, or the Moose's Tail, an Ojibwa chief of Otta- wa Lake, in the region at the source of Chippewa River of the Upper Mississippi, dictates a letter to me. The following is an extract: — " My Father — I have a few remarks to make. Every tnofning of the year I wish to come and see you. As soon as I take up my paddle I fall sick. It is now two years since I began to be sick. Sometimes I am better — sometimes worse. I am pained in mind that I am not to see you this summer. * * ' " Since you gave me the shonea nahbekawahgun (silver medal) I think I have walked in your commanda. I have done all I could to have the Indians sit still. Those that are far off I could not sway, but those that are near have listened to me." His influence to keep the Indians at peace, and the reasons which have hindered the influence in part, are thus, partly by symbolic figures, as well expressed as could be done by an educated mind. I have itaUcised two sentences for their peculiarity of thought. 31«^ Mr. Featherstonehaugh expresses a wish to have me point out the best map extant of the eastern borders of the Upper Mis- sissippi, above the point visited by him in his recent reoonnoissance, in order " to avoid gross blunders — all I do not expect to avoid !" Why undertake to make a map of a part of the country which he did not see ? 81«^ Rev. Alvan Coe, of Vernon, 0., expiesses his interest in the provisions of the late treaty with the Ottawas and Ohippewas, which regards their instruction, * ' ~ June Ist. Mr. W. T. Boutwell, from Leech Lake, depicts the 540 PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. present condition of the Odjibwas on the extreme sources of the Mississippi. " There has been nothing, so far as I have discovered, or been informed, like a disposition to go to war this spring. There is, evidently, a growing desire on the part of not a few, to cultivate their gardens more extensively and better. These are making gardens by the sii)e of me. I have furnished them with seed and lent them hoes, on condition that they do not work on the Sabbath. From fifteen to twenty bushels of potatoes I have given to one and another to plant. " The Big Cloud has required his two children to attend regu- larly to instruction ; others occasionally. The Elder Brother has procured him a comfortable log Iiouse to be built — ^bought a horse and cow. I have bought a calf of Mr. A. for him. " I am making the experiment whether I can keep cattle here. They have wintered and passed the spring, and we are now favored with milk, which is a rarity and luxury here. "Mr. Aitkin is establishing a permanent post at Otter Tail Lake. G. Bonga had gone with a small assortment of goods to build and pass the summer there. The Indians are divided in opinion and feeling with regard to the measure. Those who be- long to this lake, or who make gardens in this vicinity, are opposed to the measure. Those who pass the summer in the deer country and make rice towards the height of land, are in its favor. It is on the line dividing us and our enemies — some say, where we do not wish to go. Whether he has consulted the agent on the sub- ject, I know not. " The past winter has been severe — the depth of snow greater, by far, than has fallen for several years. Feb. 1 the mercury fell to 40° below zero. This is the extreme. Graduated on the scale I have — it fell nearly into the ball." 9th. The Secretary of War writes me a private letter, suggest- ing the employment of Mr. Ryly, of Schenectady, in carrying out the large deliveries of goods ($160,000) required by the late treaty, and speaking most favorably of him, as a former resident of Michi- gan, and a patriotic man in days when patriotism meant something. l^th. My brother James writes in his^ usual frank and above- board manner : " If the Indians are to audit accounts against the Indians (agreeably to the Senate's alteration of the treaty), there nl hi VJ Hi aij re PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. 541 will be a pretty humbug made of it; then he that has most whisky ■will get most money." July 5th. Dr. FoUen and lady, of Cambridge, Mass., accompa- nied by Miss Martineau, of England, visited me in the morning, having landed in the ship Milwaukee. They had, previously, visited the chief curiosities and sights on the island. Miss Marti- neau expressed her gratification in having visited the upper lakes and the island. She said she had, from early childhood, felt an inte- rest in them. I remarked, that I supposed she had seen enough of America and the Americans, to have formed a definite opinion, and asked her what she thought of them? She said she had not asked herself that question. She had hardly made up an opinion, and did not know what it might be, on getting back to England. She thought society hardly formed here, that it was rather early to express opinions; but she thought favorably of the elements of such a mixed society, as suited to lead to the most liberal traits. She spoke highly of Cincinnati, and some other places, and ex- pressed an enthusiastic admiration for the natural beauties of Michilimackinack. She said she had been nearly two years in America, and was now going to the seaboard to embark on her return to England. 9th. Instructions were issued at Washington for the execution of the treaty, which had been ratified, with amendments, by the Senate. 10th. The admission of Michigan as one of the States, had left the office of Superintendent of Indian Afiairs, for the region, vacant. An Act of Congress, passed near the close of the session, had de- volved the duties of this office on the agent at Michilimackinack. Instructions were, this day, issued to carry this act into effect. 12th. The chiefs in general council assembled by special mes- sengers at the Agency at Mackinack, this day assented to the Senate's alterations of the treaty. Its principles were freely and fully discussed. ISth and l^th. Signatures continue to be affixed to the articles of assent. 15th. I notified the various bands of Indians to attend in mass, the payments, which were appointed to commence on the 1st of September. 21th. A friend writes from Detroit : " Lord Selkirk, from Scot- 542 PERSONAL UBMOIKS. land, is on his route to Lake Superior, and, as he passes through Mackinack, I write to introduce him to you, as a gentleman with whom you would he pleased to have more than a transient associa- tion. The name of his father is connected with many north-western events of much interest and notoriety, and a most agreeable recoU leotion of his mother, Lady Selkirk, has recommended him strongly to our kindness. I feel assured you will b<;friend him, in the way of information, as to the best means of getting on to the Sault St. Marie." I found the bearer an easy, quiet, young gentleman, with not the least air of pretence or superciliousness, and one of those men to whom attentions ever become a pleasure. - . . "^^ Aug. 2d. Hon. John Norvell, U. S. S., calls my attention to the recent annexation to Michigan of the vast region north of the Straits of Michilimackinaok. " Your personal knowledge," he observes, " of the country on Lake Superior, which, by a late act of Congress has been annexed to, and made a p^Jit of the State of Michigan, induces me respect- fully to request of you information concerning the nature and extent of the territory thus attached to the State ; the qualities of its various soils; the timber and water-powers embraced in it ; its minerals and their probable value ; the extent of lake-coast added to Michigan ; the fisheries and their probable value and duration ; the capabilities and conveniences of Lake' Superior and the northern Michigan shores, and the cheapness and facility with which a communication may be opened with the lower lakes; together with such other information as it may be in your power to furnish, and as may enable the people of Michigan duly to ap- preciate the importance of 000. In addition to the provisions consumed, two thousand dollars worth of flour, pork, rice, and corn were delivered to the separate villages in bulk prior to their departure, and one hundred and fifty thou- sand dollars in the best quality of Indian goods and merchandise, cutlery, and other articles of prime necessity, systematically divided amongst the mass. The sum of two hundred and twenty thousand dollars has been paid on accounts exhibited to the agent, and approved by the creditors of the two tribes. One hundred and fifty thousand dollars have also been paid to the half-breed relatives of the two tribes on carefully prepared lists. These several duties required care and involved responsibilities of no ordinary character. They have been shared by Major H. Whiting, the Paymaster of the Northern Department, by whom the funds were exclusively paid, and John W. Edwards, Esq., of Hew York, who divided the half-breed fund, to both of whom I am indebted for the diligence with which they addressed them- selves to the duty, and the kindness and urbanity of their manners. So large an assemblage of red and white men probably never assembled here before, and a greater degree of joy and satisfac- tion was never evinced by the same number. The Indians went away with their canoes literally loaded with all an Indian wants, from silver to a steel trap, and a practical demonstration was given which will shut their mouths forever with regard to the oft-repeated scandal of the stinginess and injustice of the American govern- ment. Not a man was left, of any caste or shade of nativity, to utter a word to gainsay or cavil with the nobie and high public manner '^xi-*-^ 644 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. in which these proceedings were done. The hlood-relatives of the Indian found that the two nations, actuated by a sense of their kindness and real friendship for years, had remembered them in the day of their prosperity. The large number of Indian credit- ors, who had toiled and suffered and lost property in a trade which is always hazardous, were glad in seeing the ample provision for their payment. 'i-f^nimiiry ?-tf;f,!j,»ii*"is'^ . .">. > .'^t-' ■ The agents of the government also rejoiced in the happy ter- mination of their labors, and the drum, whose roll had carried away the troops who had been present to preserve order, now converted to a symbol of peace, was never more destined to be beaten to assemble white men to march in hostility against these tribes. They were forever our friends. What war had not accom- plished, the arts of peace certainly had. Kindness, justice, and liberality, like the "still small voice" at Sinai, had done what the whirlwind and the tempest failed to do. Fourteen years before, I had taken the management of these tribes in hand, to conduct their intercourse and to mould and guide their feelings, on the part of the government. They were then poor, in a region denuded of game, and without one dollar in annui- ties. They were yet smarting under the war of 1812, and all but one man, the noble Wing, or Ningwegon, hostile to the American name. They were now at the acme of Indian hunter prosperity, with every want supplied, and a futurity of pleasing anticipation. They were friends of the American government. I had allied myself to the race. I was earnest and sincere in desiring and advancing their welfare. I was gratified with a result so auspicious to every humane and exalted wish. War, ye wild tribes, hath no rewards like this ; 'Tis peaceful labors that result in bliss. 29th. Baron de Behr, Minister of Belgium, presented himself at my office. He was cordially received, although bringing me no letter to apprize me of his official standing at Washington. He had been to the Sault Ste. Marie, and visited the entrance into Lake Superior. He presented me a petrifaction picked up on Drummond Island, and looked at my cabinet with interest. The troops under Major Hoffman embarked in a steamer for Detroit. Also Major Whiting, the U. S. Paymaster, and Mr. Edmouds, my a(\juncts in official labor. PBBSONAL MBM0IR8. 545 Oct. VJth. Old friends from Middlebury, Vermont} came up in a steamer bound to Green Bay, among whom I was happy to recog- nize Mrs. Henshaw, mother of the bishop of that name of Rhode Island. Htk, Alfred Schoolcraft, who had commenced the study of ornithology with decided ability, hands me the following list of birds, which have been observed to extend their visits to this island and the basin of Lake Huron. >* ' w Common Name. Order. Family. Oenai. Brown Thrush Passeres Canori Turdus T. Rufus. Cedar Bird u Sericati Bonelyoilla B. Carolinensis. Canada Jay u Gregarji Corrui C. Canadensis. Crow CI u u C. Corone. Honse Wren 11 " ' J .. Trylodites T.Edom. ft* Blue Jay u u Corvus C.Vociferus. ; ,, Raven « u II C. Corax. •**" Snow Bird II Passerioi Fringtila F. Hyemalis. Sing Cicily u II II F. Melodia. Robin II Canori Turdus T. Migratoria. II Passerini Loxia L. Corvnrostra. Red Winged Starling II Gregarii Icterus I. Phoenicus. Goldfinch II Passerini Fringilla F. Tristis. w^U Little Owl Accipetres Stapaces Stryx S. Sparrow Hawk u u Faico F. Sparverius. Golden Plover Gralle Pressirostre Charadrus C. Plurailis. Woodcock 11 Setnicole Scolipax S. Minor. Green Winged Teal Lamelasodenta Anas Anas Creca^ Wood Duck II II A. Sponsa. Golden Eyed Duck ' II Fatignla F. Clengula. Hooping Crane Herodii Grus G. Americana. Kingfisher Passeres Augubrostres Alcedo A. Atcyon. Loon Pygopodes Colymbus C. Glacialis. Partridge Galinacia Perdix P. Yirginiana. Of their habits he appends the following remarks: — "The Canada Jay (C. Oanadenaia) preys upon smaller birds of the sparrow kind. This fact has been related to me by persons of undoubted veracity, and I have myself seen one of them in pursuit of small birds. " There is a small species of sparrow, that inhabits the forests near the settlements in this region, of a very interesting character. It matters not how intense the cold, it never deserts our woods, but remains hunting for insects in the cavities and among the branches of the trees with the most assiduous caution. They hatch their young in holes, which they perforate in decayed trees with their sharp bills. If a person happens to come near their 85 546 P1R80NAL HBHOIRB. nests during the time of incubation, it vociferates most strenuously against the intrusion, while its feathers expand, its eyes sparkle with rage, and it dArts from branch to branch with the most as- tonishing rapidity. It is frequently to be seen near our houses in the winter, and in the most severe and inclement weather they will tend, by their chirping and gambols, to amuse and enliven our minds, while at the same time they afford us an entertaining study. '' Their wants are very small. If a piece of meat, weighing .two or three pounds, is hung against some tree or fence near to or" houses in the winter, we can have the pleasure of witnessing them merrily banqueting on it every day for several weeks. " Sandpipers of the smaller kinds can swim on the surface of the water, dive beneath and remain under it with the same facility as the duck and other aquatic birds, although they do not make use of this property unless driven to extremity. This fact I can pledge my veracity on from personal observation. They need not use this power of swimming for the purpose of procuring food, as the substances on* which they subsist are found on the margin of the water." . .*;;'i' ^«^! ■ 4-^> ■> -.''♦■. 'A* •■»•-■ .'•■■/\' - >-^ ■ i,.-. •/; if -^^ ■■-»- ■'... -vM.-- :..•:-! i.. ■:?V^Kv . >.-^ f I . '■i r : l' I- -. . . '.-, •■ , ( ■ 1 '^ ■ . ■ - i . ■ 'ih< ■i;^ I FBR80NAL MEMOIRS. 547 i i ' .-■'.■-'■ ^- '' ^^.'J'ltfcis.'V. ;ffft»5U,rrVisfe>.VHM .»■"' ij'.i'a (!•>». ■ t»l lY *■'■-*• i-t ■ •. ^ : CHAPTER LVIII. Talne of the equivalent territory granted to Michigan, by Congress, for the disputed Ohio boundary — Rapid improvement of Michigan — Allegan — Indian legend — ^Baptism ai>d death of Kagoosh, a very aged chief at St. Mary's — New system of writing Indian, proposed by Mr. Nash — Indian names for new towns — A Bishop's notion of the reason for applying to Government for education funds under Indian treaties — Mr. Gallatin's paper on the Indians — The temperance movement 1886. Oct. 21th. I BMBAREBB fhis day, at Michilimaokinack, with my family, for Detroit, to assume the duties of the superin- tendency at that point. Nothing, demanding notice, occurred on the passage ; we reached our destination on the 80th. Political feeling still ran high respecting the terms of admission proposed by Congress to Michigan, and the convention, which recently met at Ann Arbor, refused their assent to these terms, imder a mis- taken view of the case, as I think, and the lead of rash and heady advisors ; for there is no doubt in my mind that the large area of territory in the upper country, offered as an equivalent for the disputed boundary with Ohio, will be found of far greater value and importance to the State than the " seven mile strip" surren- dered—an opinion, the grounds of which are discussed in my '' Albion" letters. I expressed this opinion in the spring of the year, before the Judiciary Committee of the Senate, where I at- tended, on the invitation of Hon. Silas Wright, to impart informa- tion, which I was supposed to possess, on the geography and natural resources of the Lake Superior region. P.>iwf >;:,;;.> f Nov. 2d. Mr. J. Gt. Palfrey, acting editor of the JV. A. Review^ invites me to become a contributor to the pages of that standard periodical. %tL No territory in the Union has required so long, so very long a time for its appreciation, as Michigan, and now, that emi- gration is freely coming in, it is difficult to estimate the very rapid 548 PBRS05AL MSMOZBa improvement of places. An instance of the kind occurs in the de- tails of a letter vrhich I have just received. "It may not be amiss," says Mr. A. L. Ely, "to give you a short description of the growth of Allegan. The site was bought at government prices, in the spring of 1838, by two gentlemen now living at Bronson, namely, Anthony Gooly and Stephen Vickery. In November of that year, my father, who was then in Michigan looking for a location, both for him and myself, purchased for me one-third of the property, there being in all about 452 acres of land, for which he paid 91750. In June, 1884, we sent one family from Rochester, who built two log houses, and grubbed the ground for a mill race. In October, 1884, Mr. Sidney Ketchum, as agent for some gentlemen in Boston, purchased all the interests in the property, except those held by me, for something under $5,000. "The winter of '34 and '85 was spent in making roads, and getting provisions together, and preparing to commence improve- ments. In April, 1885, we commenced the dam and canal for a double saw mill,, which were completed that fall. In May, our plat was laid out in lots. In June, we commenced selling them. We have sold up to this date 175 lots. In Jane, 1885, the second family came into the place. In November, the first merchant commenced selling goods. In December, we commenced the erec- tion of a small building for a church ; it was completed in May, 1836, and a few days after, accidentally burnt down. , "There are now (Nov. 1886) in Allegan three stores, two large taverns, a cupola furnace, a chairmaker's shop, two cabinet shops, two blacksmiths, a shoemaker's shop, a tailor's shop, a school house 20 by 40, costing $1200 ; about 40 frame buildings, and over 500 people." 10th. I have for many years been collecting from the Indian lodges a species of oral fictitious legends,' which attest in the race no little power of imagination ; and certainly exhibit them in a different light from any in which they have been heretofore viewed. The Bev. Mr. McMurray, of St. Mary'«, transmits me a story of this kind, obtained some two months ago by his wife (who is a descendant, by the mother's side, of Chippewa parents) from one of the natives. This tale impressed me as worthy of being pre- served. I have applied to it, from one of its leading traits, the name of The Enchanted Moccasons." " I have written the story," PBRSONAL MBM0IR8. £49 he remarks, " aa near the language in vrhich Charlotte repeated it as possible, leaving you the task to clothe it with such garb as may suit those which you have already collected, or as the sub> stance will merit." -.v' V;^ .'■ ''^-''.''''-ia -,■■■•*■>: «;i'V' :• • Sept *lth. Mr. McMurray (who is an Episcopal Missionary at St. Mary's) announces the death of one of the principal and most aged chiefs of the Odjibwas, in that quarter of the country — Kagcosh. " He bade adieu to this world of trouble last evening at sunset. I visited him about two weeks since, and conversed with him on religious subjects, to which he gave the utmost atten- tion, and on that occasion requested me to baptize him. I told him that I was willing to do so whenever I could, without leaving a doubt in my mind as to his preparedness for the rite. I, however, promised, if his mind did not change, to administer it soon. He sent for me the day before he died, and requested me again, with- out delay, to baptise him, which I did, and have every reason to believe that he understood and felt the necessity of it." ■■"^'■ This venerable chief must have been about ninety years of age. His head was white. He was about six feet two inches in height, lithe of form, and long featured, with a grave countenance, and cra- nial developments of decided intellectuality. He was of the Crane totem, the reigning family of that place, and the last survivor of seven brothers, of whom Shingabowossin, who died in the fall of 1828, was noted as the most distinguished, and as a good speaker. He was entitled to $500, under the treaty of 28th March, as one of the first class chiefs of his nation. Nov. 2d. Rev. Mr. Nash presented me letters as a missionary to the Chippewas. He had prepared a new set of characters by which to write that language, and presented me a copy of it Every one is not a Cadmus, and the want of success which has, therefore, attended the efforts at new systems of signs to express sounds, should teach men that it is easier, and there are more practical advantages attending the use of an old and well-known system, like that of the English alphabet, than a new and unknown system, however ingenious and exact. The misfortune is that all attempts of this sort, like new systems of notation with the Roman alphabet, are designed rather to show that their authors are inventive and exact, than to benefit the Indian race. For if an Indian be taught by these systems to read, yet he can read nothing but 650 PBKSOifAL HKMOIRf . books prepared for him by this system ; and the whole body of English literature, history, and poetry, is a dead letter to him. Above all, he cannot read the English version of the Bible. 23d. A friend asked me to furnish him an aboriginal name for a new town. I gave him the choice of several. He selected Algonac. In this word the particle ac, is taken from ace, land or earth; and its prefixed dissyllable Algon, from the word Algonquin. This system, by which a part of a word is made to stand for, and carry the meaning of a whole word, is common to Indian compound sub- stantives. Thus Wa-we-a-tun-onfff the Algonquin name for Detroit, is made up from the term wa-we, a roundabout course, atun a chan- nel, and ong, locality. Our geographical terminology might be greatly mended by this system. At least repetition, by some such attention to our geographical names, to the liability of misdirect- ing letters, might be, to a great extent, avoided. 2^th. Mr. Bishop Rese, of the Catholic Church, called to make some inquiry respecting a provision in the late treaty, designed to benefit his church. I had traveled on the lake with the Bishop. He is a short, club nosed, smiling man, of a quiazical physiognomy. He asked me what I supposed was the cause of the press for the treaty appropriations for educations, by Protestant missions. I told him that I supposed the conversion of the souls of the Indians constituted the object of these applications. " Poh ! poh ! ' ' said he, " it is the money itself." Dee. 19th. Mr. Gallatin's Synopti» of the Indian Thibet is for- warded to me for a review. " The publication," says Mr. Palfrey, " of the second volume of Tramactions of the American Antiqua- rian Society was delayed considerably beyond the time appointed. It was only a week ago that a copy reached me. I transmit it by mail. Should it not reach you within a week after the receipt of this, will you have the goodness to inform me, and I will forthwith let another copy try its fortune." ^ r> i: ^v <*• ^- » >?* V ? . ? 23(2. The temperance movement has excited the community of Detroit this season, as a subject essential to the cause of sound morals. Its importance is undenial)le on all hands, but there is always a tendency in new measures of reform, to make the me- thod insisted on a sort of moral panacea, capable of doing all things, to the no little danger of setting up a standard higher than that of the Decalogue itself. In the midst of this tendency to ul PnSOlTAL MIM0IB8 • V m, ultraism, the least particle of oongervative opinion would be seized upon by its leaders as the want of a thorough aoquiesoence and heartiness in the cause. Rev. Mr. Cleaveland transmits me a resolution of the "Total Abstinence City Temperance Society," for an address to be delivered in one week. "Do not, do not, do not," he remarks, "say us nay." I determined to devote two or three winter evenings to gratify this desire. • . > . ".'*,.■» ' , . tft.\'<>^ 'i i' ■ , ■ '. ■ - , , .. ^ , ^ > . ',■■.''■••" ■ ' 'xi^m*: ' I ' 1 1 i lU 'i. "i r 'J 562 yiVflnwAL UIMOimS. r ■•■•" ""^ "■' ■' jU iii>*i& >'■■■•■ I . ..^ . V--'U'- • . .. CHAPTER LIX. • '/'i'-"^' >^'^' DiiBouUiea roBoItins from a falno improgsion of the Indian character — Treaty with the SagioawB — Ottawas of Grand Kivcr eatabliih themRelvea in a colony in Barry County — Payments to the Ottawa* of Maumee, Ohio — Temperance — Assaaaination of young Aitkin by an Indian at Leech Lake — Maokinaok miaaion abandoned — Wyandota complain of a treapaaa from a mill-dam — Mohegana of Green Bay apply for aid on their way to viait Stockbridge, Maaa. — Mohegan traditiona — Hiatorical Society — Programme of a tour in the Eaat — Parental diaobedienoe — Indian treatiea — Dr. War- ren'a Collection of Crania — Hebrew language — Geology—" Gooda offer" — Mra. Jameaon — Mastodon'a tooth in Michigan — Captain Marryatt — The Icelandic language— Munaeea — Speech of Little Bear Skin chief, or Mu> k6naewy&n. • • ■ . •■ /- Office Indian Affairs, Detroit. 1887. Jan. 5th. Difficulties are r- ported as existing be- tween a party of Indians (of about fifteen souls) of Bobish, and the settlers of Coldwater, Branch county, (township 8, S. range, 5 west.) About forty families have settled there within the last fall and summer. The Indians, who have been in the habit of making sugar and hunting on the public lands, are disposed not to relinquish these privileges, probably not understanding fully their right. Mutual threats have passed, which are repeated by Thomaid jI^. Holden, who requests the interposition of the Depart- ment. Settlers generally move into the new rlistricts with strong pre- judices against the Indians, whom they regard, mistakio >, s thirsting for blood and plunder. It only requires a little concilia- tion, and proper explanations, as in this case, to induce them at once to adopt the proper course. 14th. An '^s of a new treaty were this day signed at my of- fice, by the Pa;, ./. chief , for the sale of all their reservations in Michigan, iw^e ro^^ivatioas were made under the treaty of Septembei 2. Via, 1819. Th«;> ^were ceded by them at Wash- PBRSONAL MBMOTRS. 668 ington, in the spring of 1886, but tli terms, and partioolarlj the advance of money stipulated to be made, wore deemed tno liberal by the Senate, and, in consequence, ^he treaty m rejected. The object is now attained in a manner ^hioh, it is hoped, will prove satisfactory. By this, as the former treaty, 'his tribe arf^ allowed the entire proceeds of the sale of their lands. 20th. Rev. Mr. Slater reports that the Ottawas of Grand River, who wf ot\ ties to the treaty of 28th of March, have purchased lanuci a ) ar' 7 county for the $6,400 allowed by the ninth article (>t' the treatv, in trust for Ghiminonoquet ; and that a mission Las boon established on the lands purchased, which is called Ottawa Colony. Difficulties have occurred with pre-emption claimants in the samo lands. 6lii. Captain Simonton reports the payment of the annuity, amounting to $1,700, due to the Ottawas of Maumee, Ohio. The entire number of persons paid by him was four hundred and thirty- three, dividing a fraction under $4 per soul. In these payments old and young fare alike. Henry Connor, Esq., the interpreter present, confirms the report of the equal division, per eapitOf among the Indians, and the satisfaction which attended the pay- ment, on their part. "' ■ •■ -■ ; '.-^ -"u- * ^■^;- ;^^.-.v .*-;... ,* ■.■,,,».; '*:•«■, - . Feb. Ist. Delivered an address at the Presbyterian Church, be- fore a crowded audience, on the temperance movement, showing that the whole question to be decided was, in which class of mode- rate drinkers men elected themselves to be arranged, and that ardent spirits, as a beverage, were wholly unnecessary to a healthy constitution. .>.: ,. : ,mh ',;-Ai". ,.o. \. : '.'^^n,^■< ■,■ Transmitted to Mr. Palfrey a review of Mr. Gallatin's " Synop- sis of the Indian Tribes of America." Feb. lit. Mr. William A. Aitkin writes from Sandy Lake : " Siiice I left you at St. Peter's I have had a severe trial to go through. I came up by Swan River, but heard nothing there of the melancholy event which had taken plaoe during my absence at Upper Red Cedar Lake. My eldest son had been placed at that place last fall, in charge of that post. You saw him, I believe, last summer ; he was in charge of Leech Lake when you were at that place. He wan a young man of twenty-two years of age, of a very amiable temper, humane and brave, possessed of the most unbounded obedience to m^ will and of the most filiEl aflfcctiQii 654 PERSONAL MBMOIRS. for my person. This, my son, was murdered in the most atrocious manner by a bloody monster of an Indian. My poor boy had arrived the evening previous to the bloody act, from a voyage to Red Lake. Early the next morning hie sent oif all the men he had to Lake Winnipeck, excepting one Frenchman, to bring up some things which he had left there in the fall. A short time after his men had gone, he sent the remaining man to bring some water from the river ; the man returned into the house immediately, and told him an Indian had broken open the store, and was in it. He went very deliberately to the store, took hold of the villain, who tried to strike him with his tomahawk, dragged him out of the store and disarmed him of his axe, threw him on the ground, and then let him go — and was turned round in the act of locking the store-door. The villain stepped behind the door, where he had hid ?us gun, came on him unawares and shot him dead, without the least previous provocation whatever on the part of my poor lost boy. When arrived, I found the feelings of every one prepared for vengeance. I immediately, without one moment's loss of time, proceeded to Leech Lake. In a moment there were twenty half- breeds gathered round, with Francis Brunette at their head, full- armed, ready to execute any commands that I should give them. We went immediately to the camp where the villain was, beyond Red Cedar Lake, determined to cut off the whole band if they should raise a fingc^ in his defence. Our mutual friend, Mr. Bout- well, joined the party, with his musket on his shoulder, as a man and a Christian, for he knew it was a righteous cause, and that the arm of God was with him. We arrived on the wretches un- awares, disarmed the band, and dragged the monster from his lodge. I would have put the villain to death in the midst of his relations, but Mr. Boutwell advised it would be better to take him where he might be made an example of. The monster escaped from us two days after we had taken him, but my half-breeds pursued him for six days and brought him back, and he is now on his way to St. Peter's in irons, under a strong guard. My dear friend, I cannot express to you the anguish of my heart at this present moment. "The Indians of all this department have behaved like villains during my absence, particularly the Indians of Leech Lake, com- mitting the greatest depredations on our people, and would surely have murdered them if they had shown the least disposition to PERSONAL MBM0IR8. 656 resist tlioir aggravations. You will excuse me from giving you any other no^YS at present. I'm not in a state of mind to do it." Fvh. 3(2. Rev. David Green, of Boston, communicates the deter- mination of the Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to break up and abandon the school and mission at Mackinack. This decision I have long feared, and cannot but deplore. The school is large, and the education of many of the pupils is such that in a few years they would make useful practicable men and women, and carry a Christian influence over a wide circle. By dispersing them now the labor is to some extent lost. %th. Received a vote of thanks of tho Detroit Total Abstinence Society, for my temperance address of the 1st instant, which is courteously called " elegant and appropriate." So, ho ! 22(i. A party of Wyandots from the River Huron, of Michigan, visited the ofiicd. They complain that trespasses are committed by settlers on the lands reserved to them. The trespasses ariso from the construction of mill-dams, by which their grounds aro overflowed. They asked whether they hold the reservation for fifty years or otherwise. I replied that they hold them, by the terms of the treaty, as long as they shall have any posterity to live on tho lands. They only escheat to the United States in failure of this. But that I would send an agent to inquire into the jus- tice of their complaint, and to redress it. 24<7t. Robert Kankapot presents himself with about twenty fol- lowers. He is a Stockbridge Indian of Green Bay, Wisconsin, on his way to the East. He is short of funds, and asks for re- lief. No annuity or other funds are payable, at this office, to this tribe. I deemed his plea, however, a reasonable one, and loaned him personally one hundred dollars. I detained him with some historical questions. He says he is sixty-four years of age, that ho was born in Stockbridge, on tho head of the Housatonic River, in Massachusetts. From this town they take their present name. They are, however, the descendants of the ancient Mohegans, who lived on tho sea coast and in tho Hudson Valley. They were instructed by the Rev. Jonathan Edwards, the eminent theologian, who was afterwards president of Princeton College. Their first migration was into New Stockbridge, in Orei'^a rionnfv Now Y'^i'k wbfirfi t.bfi Onfiida tribfi assicrned them lands. This was about the era of the American Revolution, 556 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. They next went, about 1822, to Fox River of Green Bay, where they now reside. Their oldest chief, at that point, is Metoxon, who is now sixty-nine. He says his remote ancestry were from Long Island (Metoacs), and that Montauk means great sea island. (This does not appear probable philologically.) He says the opposite coast, across the East River, was called Monhautonuk. He afterwards, the next day, said that Long Island was ".ailed Paum-nuk-kah-huk. March 1«<. To a friend abroad I wrote: "I have written during the winter an article on Mr. Gallatin's recently published paper on the Indian languages, entitled A Synopsis of the Indian Tribes^ which is published by the American Antiquarian Society. It was with great reluctance that I took up the subject, and when I did, I have been so complete a fact hunter all my life, that I found it as difficult to lay it down. The result is probably an article too long for ninety-nine readers out of a hundred, and too short for the hun- dredth man." 8(A. Mr. Palfrey acknowledges the safe arrival of my article for the North American Review. The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions decline $6000 for the abandoned missionary house at Mackinack, offered under the view of its being converted into a dormitory for receiving Indian visitors at that point under the provisions of the treaty of 1836. Vlth. Received a letter of thanks from old Zachariah Chusco, the converted Jos-sa-keed, for kindness. 23c?. Received a commission from Gov. Mason, appointing me a regent of the University of Michigan. 22c?. The Historical Society of Michigan hold their annual meeting at my office. In the election for officers I was honored by being selected its President. A deep interest in historical letters had been manifested by this institution since its organiza- tion in 1828, particularly in the history of the aboriginal tribes, and means have been put on foot for the collection of facts. To these, the recent and extraordinary settlement of the country by emigra- tion from the East, has added a new branch of inquiry, respecting town, county, and neighborhood settlements. Much of this is held in the memory of old persons, and will be lost if not gleaned up and preserved in the shape of narratives. Resolutions for this purpose PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 567 were adopted, and an appeal made to the legislature to facilitate the collection of pamphlets and printed documents. Men live so rapidly now that few think of posterity; society hastens at a horse's pace, and we pass over so large a surface in so short a time, that the historian and antiquarian will stand aghast, in a few years, and exclaim "would that more minute facts were within our reach!" 23df. The Department at Washington instructs me to examine additional and unsatisfied claims arising under the 5th article of the treaty of March 28th, 1836, and, after submitting them to the Indians, to report them for payment. 28^/i. Very different are the diurnal scenes enacted from those which passed before my eyes at the ice-closed post of Mackinack last winter. Yet in one respect they are entitled to have a similar effect on my mind ; it is in the craving that exists to fill the inter- vals of business with some moral and intellectual occupation that may tend to relieve it of the tedium of long periods of leisure. When a visitor is dismissed, or a transaction is settled, and the door closes on a man habituated to mental labor, the ever-ready inquiry is, What next? To sit still — to do nothing absolutely but to turn over the thoughts of other men, though this be a privilege, is not ultimate happiness. There is still a void, which the desire to be remembered, or something else, must fill. Blst. Gen. Cass writes from Paris that he is on the eve of setting out, with his family, for the Levant, to embark on a tour to the East, to visit the ancient seats of oriental power. " We proceed directly to Toulon, where we shall embark on board the frigate Constitution. From thence we touch at Leghorn, Civita Vecchia, Naples, and Sicily, and then proceed to Alexandria. After see- ing Cairo, the Pyramids, Memphis, and, I hope, the Red Sea, we shall proceed to Palestine, look at Jerusalem, see the Dead Sea, and other interesting places of Holy Writ, pass by and touch at Tyre and Sidon, land at Beyrout, and visit Damascus and Baalbec, and probably Palmyra ; touch at Smyrna, proceed to Constan- tinople and the Black Sea, and then to Greece, &c. ; after that to the islands of the Archipelago, then up the Adriatic to Venice and Trieste, and thence return to this place. So, you see, here is the programme of a pretty good expedition, certainly a very interesting one." 558 PERSONAL UBHOIRS. April Qth. By letters received from Albany, a singular chapter of the inscrutable course and awards of Providence for parental disobedience and youthful deception is revealed. Alfredus, who departed from my office in Detroit early in March last, to receive a warrant as a cadet at West Point, has not appeared among his friends. He was a young man of good mind, figure, and address, and would doubtless have justified the judgment of hid friends in giving him a military education. His father had been one of the patriots of 1776, and served on the memorable field of Saratoga. But the young man was smitten with the romance of going to Texas and joining the ranks of that country, striving for a rank among nations. This secret wish he carefully concealed from me, and, setting out with the view of returning to his father's roof, and solacing his age by entering the military academy, he secretly took the stage to Columbus, Ohio. Thence he pushed his way to New Orleans and Galveston. The next intelligence received of him, was a careful measurement of his length, by unknown hands, and the statement that, in ascending the Brazos, he had taken the fever and died. 10th. Issued notice to claimants for Indian debts, under the 5th article of the treaty of March 28th, 1836 ; that additional claims would be considered, and that such claims, with the evidence in support of them, must be produced previous to the first of June next. 26th. Received notice of my election as a corresponding mem- ber of the Hartford Natural History Society, Connecticut. , I have filled the pauses of official duty, during the season, by preparing for the press the oral legends which have been gleaned from the Indians since my residence at Sault St. Marie, in the basin of Lake Superior, and at Michilimackinack, under the name of Algic Researches, vol. i. 10th. By the treaty of 9th May, 1836, with the Swan Creek and Black River Chippewas, the United States agree to furnish them thirteen sections of land West, in lieu of the cessions relin- quished in Michigan, besides accounting to them for the nett pro- ceeds of the land ceded. Measures were now taken to induce them to send delegates to the Irdian territory west of the Missouri, to locate this tract, and an agent was appointed to accompany them. 16th. Received a copy of my article on Indian languages. PEBSONAL MBMOmS. 559 , VJth. The Saginaws, by the cession of the 14th of January, agreed to leave Michigan, and accept a location elsewhere ; and they were now urged to send delegates to the head waters of the Osage River, where they can be provided with fine lands, and placed in juxtaposition to cognate tribes. 29th. Received a letter from the editor of the "Knickerbocker."'*' Mai/ 18th. Received notice of my election as one of the vice presidents of the American Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, at New York. -i^Js tji>i . » J,a;. / .;. c ' 2Bd. William Ward, Esq., of the War Office, Washington, D. C, writes : "I have received two communications from Dr. Warren, of Boston, on the subject of a collection of crania and bones of the aborigines. He is desirous of procuring specimens from the different tribes, and from the mounds in the different sections of the country. " Trusting, in a great measure, to your readiness to co-operate in every effort to advance the cause of science, I have promised him to use the means my connection with the office might give me to forward his views. His high reputation must be known to you, and I am sure you will aid him to complete a collection which, I understand, he has been occupied many years in making. " I gather from his letters, that he wishes to procure a few com- plete skeletons, and a number of crania, and that it will be desira- ble to have as much as possible of the history of each head." June ^th. Michilimackinack. Received a copy of Btish'a Cframmar of the Hebrew Language^ and commenced comparing the Indian tongues with it. This language has twenty-two letters. In order to impress the elements upon my own] mind, as well as improve theirs, I commenced teaching my children the language, just keeping ahead of them, and hearing their recitations every morning. 2Qth. Receive a letter of introduction from Governor Mason, by Mr. Massingberd, of England, an intelligent and estimable traveler in America. - « ? 2*lth. Dr. Edward Spring, son of the Rev. Gardiner Spring, of New York, visits the island with the view of a temporary practice. July lit. A copy of Stuart' % Hebrew Grammar reached me this morning. I have a special motive in making myself ac- quainted with this ancient, and, as I find, simple tongue. The * Birchen Canoe : Song of the Ship. 660 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. ft course of my investigation of the Algonquin language, has shown me the want of the means of enlarged comparison, which I could not institute without it. Qth. Major Whiting writes : "I have lately hegnn Buekland's Treatise, and a noble work it is; the subject he treats just in that way which will communicate the greatest amount of information to the reading public. That part which explains the bearing of the Scriptures on geology, will have a most salutary effect on the public mind. It was all important that such explanations should be given. Many good minds have been startled, and approached geology with averted eyes, apprehending that it ran counter to the great truths of the Bible. Viewed as the Bible generally has been, geological facts are likely to disturb the moral world. Either they must be disbelieved, or that literal interpretation of Genesis, 80 long received, must be abandoned. To make this abandonment, without having satisfactory reasons for it, would have risked much, that never should be put in jeopardy. It had come to this, geo- logy must be sealed up and anathematised, or it must be reconciled with the Sacred Writ. Buckland has undoubtedly done the latter ; and he has thus conferred an inestimable blessing on mankind." 12th. A remarkkble land claim, upon the Indians, who are par- ties to the late treaty of 1886, came before me. This consisted of a grant given by the Chippewas in 1760, to Major Robert Bodgers, of anti-revolutionary fame, to a valuable part of the upper region on Lake Superior. The present heir is James Chaloner Alabaster, who says the deed, of which a copy is furnished, has been in the possession of his family in England about sixty years. It appears to have been executed in due form for a consideration. It is prior to the proclamation of George III. interdicting grants. 19th. A band of Chippewas, originally hailing from Grand Island, in Lake Superior, but now living on the extreme northern head of Green Bay, visited the office. It embraced the eldest son of the late Oshawn Epenaysee (South Bird), who died, in the first class of chiefs, at Grand Island last fall. His name is Ado-wa- wa-e-go (something of an inanimate kind beating about in the water on shore). They requested that he might be recognizjd as their chief. On examination this request was acceded to, and I invested him with a flag. 2ith. The department submitted a proposition to the Indians. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. m to take half their annuities under the treaty of 1886, at the ap- preaching payments, in goods, and half in silver. If the goods were declined, they were requested to receive the half annuity in silver, with the other annuities provided by the treaty, in kind, and to wait for the other moiety till the next year. ,, ,,^j. > ,,. I submitted the offer to a full council of the chiefs and warriors this day. They debated it fully. A delegation visited the goods, which were shown by an agent. They decline receiving them, but agree to receive the half annuity in coin, and wait, as requested, for the other half till the next payment. This proposition was called the ''goods offer," and was much distorted by the public press. I was blamed for having carried the offer into effect, where- as it was declined, and the half annuity in silver accepted, and the credit asked for, given for the rest. 25th. Two bands who had not united in this decision, namely, the bands of Point St. Ignace and Ohenos, came in, by their chiefs, and yielded their assent to the arrangement of yesterday. Thus the consent became unanimous on the part of the Indians. A notification, by a special messenger, to the Grand River Ottawas, is dispatched to attend the payments at this place on the 1st of September, and to signify their assent or dissent to the proposed arrangement. Rix Robinson and Louis Campeau, Esqrs., of that valley, and the Rev. Leonard Slater, of Barry, are re- quested to give this notice publicity. 26th. Mrs. Jameson embarks in an open boat for Sault Ste. Marie, accompanied by Mrs. Schoolcraft, after having spent a short time as a most intelligent and agreeable inmate under our roof. This lady, respecting whom I had received letters from my brother-in-law Mr. McMurray, a clergyman of Canada West, evinced a most familiar knowledge of artistic life and society in England and Germany. Her acquaintance with Goethe, and other distinguished writers, gave a life and piquancy to her conversation and anecdotes, which made us cherish her society the more. She is, herself, an eminent landscape painter, or rather sketcher in crayon, and had her portfolio ever in hand. She did not hesitate freely to walk out to prominent points, of which the island has many, to complete her sketches. This freedom from restraint in her motions, was an agreeable trait in a person of her literary tastes and abilities. She took a very lively interest in the Indian race, 36 662 » t PBBSONAL MEMOIRS. and their manners and customs, doubtless with views of benevo- lence for them as a peculiar race of man, but also as a fine subject of artistic observation. Notwithstanding her strong author- like traits and peculiarities, we thought her a woman of hearty and warm affections and attachments; the want of which, in her friends, we think she would exquisitely feel. Mrs. Jameson several times came into the office and heard the Indians speaking. She also stepped out on the piazza and saw the wild Indians dancing ; she evidently looked on with the eye of a Claude Lorraine or Michael Angelo. ' • ■ \ 27fA. The term egoy added to an active Indian verb, renders it passive. I have given an example of this before in the case of a man's name. Here is another: The verb to carry is Be-moan in the Algonquin. By the pronominal prefix Nim, we have the sense I carry. By adding to the lattei^ the suffix ego, t'he action is reflected and the sense is rendered passive. 29■* I drove Mr. Lay and himself out one day after dinner to see the curiosities of the island. He would insist walking over the arched rock. " It is a fearful and dizzy height." When on the top he stumbled. My heart was in my throat ; I thought he would have been hurled to the rooks below and dashed to a thousand pieces ; but, like a true sailor, he crouched down, as if on a yard- arm, and again arose and completed his perilous walk. We spoke of railroads. He said they were not built perma- nently in this country, and attributed the fault to our excessive go^aheadiveness. Mr. Lay : *' True ; but if we expended the sums you do on such works, they could not be built at all. They answer a present purpose, and we can a£ford to renew them in a few years from their own profits." {. ^ ^ : • : ';fr^,^; , ,^ The captain's knowledge of natural history was not precise. He aimed to be knowing when it was difficr. .t to conceal ignorance. He called some well-characterized species of aeptaria in my cabi- net pudding-atonCf beautiful specimens of limpid hexagonal crys- tals of quartz, common quartz, &c. Mr. George P. Marsh, of Vermont, brings me a letter of intro- duction. This gentleman has the quiet easy air of a man who has seen the world. His fine taste and acquirements have procured him a wide reputation. His translation of Ruik'» Icelandic Chrammar is a scholar-like performance, and every way indicative of the propensities of his mind for philological studies. It is curious to observe, in this language, the roots of many English words, and it denotes through what lengths of mutations of history the stock words of a generic language may be trttoed. Lond, skip, flaska, sumar, hamar, ketill, dal, are clearly the radices respectively of land, ship, flask, summer, hammer, kettle, dale. This property of the endurance of orthographical forms gives one a definite illustration of the importance of language on history. \2th. A large party of Munsees and Delawares from the Biver Thames, in Upper Canada, reach the harbor in a vessel bound for Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Rev. Mr. Vogel, in whose charge they are, lands and visits the office with some ef the principal men. PBR80VAL MBMOIRB. 565 He Bays that most of them have been known as " Christian Indians." That the number recognized by this title on the Thames is 282, of whom 60 have been excommunicated. Of these Christian Indians, 84 have been left on the Thames, in charge of the Rev. Abraham Lukenbach. Mr. Vogel has in his company 202 persons, but says that others, rendering their number 260 souls inclusive, are on their way by land. Thirteen of this party, with White Eyes, son of White Eyes of frontier war celebrity, came on the 9th instant, and have been lodged in the public dormitory. They are on their way, in the first place, to the Stockbridges, at Green Bay, and, finally, to their kindred, the Delawares, on the Kanzas. ISth. Early one morning I was agreeably surprised by the ar- rival of Mrs. Jameson, whom I had previously expected to spend some time with me, and found her a most agreeable, refined and intelligent guest, with none of the supercilious and conceited airs, which I had noticed in some of her traveling countrywomen of the class of authors. 15th. Mukonsiwyan, a Chippewa chief of the first class, calls, on his way back from a visit to the British annual meeting of the Indians, to get their subsidies at the Manitouline Islands. He was evidently piqued in not having received as much as he ex- pected. He attempted to throw dust in the agent's eyes by the following speech : — " My father, I wish to warm myself by your fire. I have tried to warm myself by the British fire, but I could not, although I sat close by. They put on green poplar, which would throw out no heat. Tht8 is the place where hard wood grows,* and I expect to be warmed by its heat." It was said that an inferior quality of blankets had been issued at Manitouline. This was the green poplar. No guns and no kettles were given. This is the coldness and want of heat, al- though sitting close by the fire. On the contrary, large and extraordinary presents, and of the best quality, were issued here last season at the execution of the treaty of 1836. This is the hard wood and good heat thrown out to all. The figure derived appositeness from the prevalence of such species on the island. * The iRlanil of Mackinack was formerly covered ■with a forest of rock- maple, ironwood, &c., and much of it is still characterized by these species. 666 PERSONAL 1IBU0IR8. ••,vfj> ^.i.«.>', .(,.,,•; t i ■ '•'(• ,'■ ,1 , ■^> , ■ ••' ■, ' ' " '■ -''' '" 'V* ■'■■''I ' ' ('•■V .' ■; ,.i •/.•<%', <,«\*,,' ''<**; ' ' It was clearly so with Marryatt, a very superficial observer ; Miss Martineau, who was in search of something ultra and elementary, and even Mrs. Jameson, who had the most accurate and artistic eye of all, but who, with the exception of some bits of womanly heart, appeared to regard our vast woods, and wilds, and lakes, as a mag- nificent panorama, a painting in oil. It does not appear to occur to them, that here are the very descendants of that old Saxa-Gothio race who sacked Rome, who banished the Stuarts from the English throne, and who have ever, in all positions, used all their might to battle tyranny and oppression, who hate taxations as they hate snakes, and whose day and night dreams have ever been of liberty, that dear cry of Freiheit, whichever war made "Germania" ring. It has appeared to me to be very much the same with the Austrian NIL MBMOI&S. 567 me and Italian functionaries yiho have wandered as far as Miohili- mackinack within a few years, but who are yet more slow to appro- preciate our institutioud than the English. The whole problem of our system, one would jidge, seems to them like ^'apples of ashes,'' instead of the golden fruits of Ilesperides. They alike mistake real- ities for fancies ; real states of flesh and blood, bone and muscle, for cosmoramio pictures on a wall. They do not appear to dream how fast our \nillions reduplicate, what triumphs the plough, and the engine, and loom, are making, how the principles of a well guarded representative system are spreading over the world, and what in- domitable moral, and sound inductive principles lie at the bottom of the whole fabric. Troops arrived from St. Mary's this day, to garrison the Fort, to keep order during the annuity payments. The chiefs from St. Mary's send over a boat for their share of the treaty, tobacco, salt, rice, &c. ISth. Mr. Conner, the sub-agent, writes that the Saginaws are afflicted by want and threatened by starvation ; and, to render their condition extreme, the small-pox has broken out amongst them. Ordered relief to be given in the cases specified. 20th. Mrs. Jameson writes to Mrs. Schoolcraft, from Toronto: " If I were to begin by expressing all the pain it gave me to part from you, I should not know when or where to end. I do some- times thank God, that in many different countries I possess friends worthy that name ; kind hearts that feel with and /or me ; hearts upon which my own could be satisfied to rest ; but then that part- ing, that forced, and often hopeless separation which too often fol- lows such a meeting, makes me repine. I will not say, pettishly, that I could wish never to have known or seen a treasure I cannot possess : no ! how can I think of you and feci regret that I have known you ? As long as I live, the impression of your kindness, and of your character altogether, remains with me ; your image will often come back to me, and I dare to hope that you will not forget me quite. I am not so unreasonable as to ask you to write to me ; I know too well how entirely your time is occupied to pre- sume to claim even a few moments of it, and it is a pity, for * we do not live by bread alone,' and every faculty and affection im- planted in us by the good God of nature, craves the food which he has prepared for it, even in this world ; so that I do wish you had 568 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. a little leisure from eating and drinking, cares and household mat- ters, to bestow on less important things, on me for instance ! poor little me, at the other side of the world. " Mrs. McMurray has told you the incidents of our voyage to the Manitouline Island, from thence to Toronto ; it was all delight- ful ; the most extraordinary scenery I ever beheld, the wildest ! I recall it as a dream. I arrived at my own house at three o'clock on the morning of the 13th, tired and much eaten by thole abomi- nable mosquitoes, but otherwise better in health than I have been for many months. Still I have but imperfectly achieved the object of my journey ; and I feel that, though I seized on my return every opportunity of seeing and visiting the Indian lodges, I know but too little of them, of the women particularly. If only I had been able to talk a little more to my dear Neengay ! how often I think of her with regret, and of you all ! But it is in vain to repine. I must be thankful for what I have gained, what I have seen and done ! I have written to Mrs. McMurray, and troubled her with several questions relative to the women. . I remark generally, that the propinquity of the white man is destruction to the red man ; and the farther the Indians are removed from us, the better for them. In their own woods, they are a noble race ; brought near to us, a degraded and stupid race. We are destroying them off the face of the earth. May God forgive us our tyranny, our avarice, our ignorance, for it is very terrible to think of!" 2Ut. Judge McDonnel, of Detroit, reached the island with Captain Clark of St. Clair, these gentlemen having been engaged since spring, in a careful and elaborate appraisement of the Indian improvements, under the 8th article of the treaty of 28th March, 1836. They commenced their labor in the Grand River Valley, and continued it along the entire eastern coast of Lake Michigan, to Michilimackinack, not omitting anything which could, by the most liberal construction, be considered "as giving value to the lands ceded." Not an apple tree, not a house, or log wigwam, and not an acre, once in cultivation, though now waste, was omitted. They report the whole number of villages in this district at twenty-two, the whole number of improvements at 485, and the gross population at 3.257 souls. This population live in log and bark dwellings of every grade, eultivaie 2477 acres of land, on '^y-'r^^-WffT^'ifti:'^-'^ ^'f ■.?wT'^^;j^rwTn?FT:r".^?^ /,: : PERSONAL HBMOIRS. 569 poor which there are 8,212 apple trees ; besides old fields, the aggregate value of which is put at $74,998. They add that these appraise- ments have been deemed everywhere fully satisfactory to the In- dians. 23c?. A poor decrepit Indian woman, who was abandoned on the beach by her relatives some ten da^'s ago, applied for relief. It is found that she has been indebted for food in the interim to the benevolence of Mrs. Lafromboise. 2Zd. "I take the liberty," says A. W. Buel, Esq., of Detroit, " of addressing you concerning the little book in my possession, touching the early history of New France and the Iroquois. You may recollect, perhaps, that on one occasion last winter or spring, when you were in this city, I had some conversation with you con- cerning it. It is written in French, of old orthography, and was published at Paris, A. D. 1658. It purports to have been written by a Jesuit, Paul Le Jeune ; I am however, inclined to think that it was not all written by him, inasmuch as the orthography of the same Indian words varies in different parts of the book. It is rather a small duodecimo volume and contains about 210 pages, of rather coarse print. To give you a better idea of the contents, I will mention the titles of the several chapters." These are omitted. " A few others are appended. The early history of the Iro- quois, and of our own country, even after its settlement by Euro- peans, you are well aware, is buried in great obscurity. Even Charlevoix's Sistoire de Nouvelle France, I believe, has never been translated into English. I have never seen it, if it has been. That work I suppose to be at present the starting point in the his- tory of the Iroquois and New France, as regards minuteness of detail. "This little book (Le Jeune) was published a considerable time previous. It appears by it that the Jesuits had, for several years previously, sent some letters; but I am confident that this is the first book ever published touching directly and minutely tLe history of the Iroquois. Caleb Atwater, in his book on western antiqui- ties, speaks of a little work published in Latin at Paris, I think, in 1664, as the first touching the history of New France and the Iroquois. I could not at first decide whether it be of much value. I thought it to be such a book as would immediately find its way to the missionaries, and so small as to be easily overlooked. I be- 570 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. came at once so far interested in it, as to translate it into English, not certain that I should ever make any further use of it. I have, however, been solicited by some, either to publish a translation of it, or a compendium of the principal matter contained in it, and beg to trouble you so much as to ask your views of the probability of the utility of doing so. Will the task be equal to the reward ?" 25th. Troops from Green Bay pass Mackinack on their way to Florida, to act in the campaign against the Seminoles — a weary long way to send reinforcements ; but our army is so small, and has so large a frontier to guard, that it must face to the right and left as often as raw recruits under drill. 2Qth. Received a copy of the Miner's Free Press of Wisconsin of the 11th of August, containing an abstract of a treaty concluded by Gov. Dodge with the Chippewas of the Upper Mississippi, ceding an important tract of country, lying below the Crow-wing River. Sept. dd. The old chief Saganosh died. 4th. The Chippewas of Sault Ste. Marie got into a diflSculty, among each other, respecting the true succession of the principal chieftainship, and the chiefs came in a body to leave the matter to me. The point of genealogy to be settled runs through three generations, and was stated thus: — Gitcheojeedebun, of the Crane totem, had four sons, namely, Maidosagee, Bwoinais,Nawgitchigomee, and Kezhawokumijishkum. Maidosagee, being the eldest, had nine sons, called, Shingabowos- sin, Sizzah, Kaugayosh, Nattaowa, Ussaba, Wabidjejauk, Mucka- daywuckwut, Wabidjejaukons, and Odjeeg. On the principles of Indian descent, these were all Cranes of the proper mark, but the chieftainship would descend in the line of the eldest son's children. This would leave Shingabowossin's eldest son without a competitor. I determined, therefore, to award the first chiefs medal to Kabay Noden, the deceased chief Shingabowossin's eldest son. 10th. The annuity payments commence. Major Jno. Garland, U. S. A., having succeeded Major Whiting as the general disbursing oflScer on this frontier, arrived early in the month. This officer has been engaged, with his assistants and the aid of the Indian department, about a week, in preparing the pay rolls of the Indian families, and correcting the lists for deaths, births, and new families. All the payments which were made in ailver, at the agency, in my presence, were divided per capita. Thi whi pai bul PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 571 This business of counting and division took three days, during which time the proportionate share of $21,000, in half dollars, iraa paid. The annuities in provisions, tobacco, &c., were delivered in bulk to the chiefs of villages, to be divided by them. Mr. John J. Blois, of Detroit, proposes to publish a gazetteer of Michigan, and writes requesting statistical information, &c., of the upper country, an Indian nomenclature, &c. Mr. Palfrey writes proposing to me to review Stone's Life of Brant, and Mr. Dearborn, the publisher at New York, sends me the proofs. Ibth. The payments are finished, and the Indians begin to dis- perse. I invested Kabay Noden with his father's medal, and his uncle, Muckaday wuckwut, with a flag ; recommending at the same time the division of the St. Mary's Chippewas into three bands, agreeably to fixed geographical boundaries. Having finished the business of the payments, the disbursing agent embarks on board of the steamer Michigan, and the island, which has been thronged for three weeks with Indians, Indian traders, and visitors, began immediately to empty itself of popula- tion. During this assemblage, to pay the Ottawas and Chippewas their annuity, great care and exactitude have been observed by the concurrently acting oJBScers of the army and the Indian depart- ment, to carry out strictly the agreements made with them in the spring, by which the payment of half their annuity in silver, due for 1837, was postponed till 1838. Yet it was reported in a few days, and reiterated by the press, that the Indians had been de- frauded out of half their annuities, and that goods, and those of a bad quality, had been given them for silver. And my name was coupled with the transaction, although the Indians of all nations who were under my charge, in the State of Michigan, had, from first to last, been treated with the kindness and justice of a father. The Government at Washington came in for no little abuse. Mrs. Jameson wrote from Toronto, asking " whether it was true that a Miami chief had ofiered $70,000 to enable the Indian Department to pay their debt to the Indians in specie." 2M. The Indians Akukojeesh and Akawkoway brought a case of salvage for my action. They had found a new carriage body, and harness ; a box of 7 by 9 glass, and 18 chairs, floating on the lake (Huron), N. E. ot the island. They supposed the articIuS 672 PERSONAL MBMOIRS. bad been tbrown overboard in a recent storm, or by a vessel aground on tbe point of Goose Island, called Nekuhmenis. The Nekuh is a brant. BOth. Chusco dies. Completed and transmitted the returns and abstracts of the year's proceedings and expenditures. Oct. Ist. I sent the interpreter and farmers of the Department to perform the funeral rites for Chusco, the Ottawa jossakeed, who died yesterday at the house erected for him on Round Island. He was about 70 years of age ; a small man, of light frame, and walked a little bent. He had an expression of cunning and knowingness, which induced his people, when young, to think he resembled the muskrat, just rising from the water, after a dive. This trait was implied by his name. For many years he had acted as a jossakeed, or seer, for his tribe. In this business be told me that the powers be relied on, were the spirits* of the tortoise, crow, swan, and woodpecker. These he considered his familiar spirits, who received their miraculous power to aid him directly from Mndjee Moneto, or the Great Evil Spirit. After the establishment of the Mission at Mackinack, his wife embraced Christianity. This made him mad. At length his mind ran so much on the theme, that he fell into doubts and glooms when thinking it over, and finally embraced Christianity himself; and he was admitted, after a probation of a year or two, to church membership. I asked him, after this period, how he had deceived his people by the art of powwowing, or jugglery. He said that he had accomplished it by the direct influence of Satan. He had addressed him, on these occasions, and sung his eongs to him, beating the drum or shaking the rattle. He ad- hered firmly to this opinion. He appeared to have great faith in the atonement of Christ, and relied wl'.h extraordinary simplicity upon it. He gave a striking proof of this, the autumn after his conversion, when he went with his wife, according to custom, to dig his potatoes on a neighboring island. The wife immediately began to dig. " Stop," said he, " let us first kneel and return thanks for their growtl^." He was aware of his former weakness en the suDJect of strong drink, and would not indulge in it after he became a church member. * Indians believe animals have souls. PERSONAL MBMOIRS. 673 Sd. Received an application for relief from the Black River Chippewas, near Fort Gratiot. It is astonishing how completely the resources of the Indians have failed with the game, on which they formerly relied. When a calamity arrives, such as a white settlement would surmount without an effort, they at once become objects of public charity. Kittemagizzi is their immediate cry. This is now raised by the Black River band, under the influence of small-pox. lAth. Received a copy of the treaty of the 29th of July last with the Chippewas. This tribe, like all the other leading tribes of the race, is destined to fritter away their large domain for temporary and local ends, without making any general and per- manent provision for their prosperity. The system of temporary annuities will, at last, leave them without a home. - When the buffalo, and the deer, and the beaver, are extinct, the Indian must work or die. In a higher view, there is no blessing which is not pronounced in connection with labor and faith. These the nation falter at. 18th. Finished my report on the additional debt claim, under the treaty of 1836, agreeably to the instructions of the Commis- sion of Indian Affairs, of the 23d March last, and to the published notice of April 10th. These claims on the debt fund of the treaty have received the best consideration of the agent and the Indian chiefs, with the aid of a secretary authorized at Washington, and the result is forwarded with confidence to head-quarters. 19th My arduous duties during the summer had thrown some of my private correspondence in the rear. It may now be proper to notice some of it. A letter (Aug. 20th) from St. Mary's says : " The schooner John Jacob Astor arrived on the 18th instant from the head of Lake Superior, and the captain brings us information of Mr. Warren's arrival at La Pointe. He attended the treaty at St. Peter's, concluded by Gov. Dodge. The Indians \re to receive $700,000 in annuities for twenty years, $100,000 to the half- breeds, and $70,000 for Indian creditors." " Captain Stanard brought down a specimen of native copper, similar to the piece of forty-nine pounds weight in your cabinet. It was at De I'lsle, fifteen leagues on the north shore from Fond du Lac." Mr. John T. Biois, of Detroit (Sept. 20th), informs me that he 674 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. is preparing a Gazeaeer of Michigan. " Of the topics," he re- marks, " I had proposed to submit to your consideration, one was the etymology of the Indian nomenclature, to the extent it has been adopted in the application of proper names to our lakes, rivers, and other inanimate objects. In the prenaration of my work, this subject has frequently presented itself to my minJ, as one of interesting importance, and whose development is more auspicious, at the present time, than it may be at a future day. I had a particular desire to rescue the Indian names from that ob- livion to which the negligence of the early settlers of other States has permitted them to descend, by the substitution, for no reason- able cause, of insignificant English or French names, without re- gard to either good taste or propriety. " I wish, among other things, to ask -^f you the favor to inform me of the origin and signification of thb name of our adopted State, Michigan." A correspondent at Detroit (J. L. S.) writes (21st Sept.) : " Bills have been introduced into both Houses to ci-rry outthe President's sub-treasury system, and 'tis said Calhoun will support the mea- sure. These bills, which were introduced by Wright and Cambre- leng, propose that treasury notes shall be issued not to exceed $12,000,000." Mr. Palfrey (25th Sept.) suggests my reviewing Col. Stone's " Life of Joseph Brant," and the publishers (Geo. Dearborn and Co.) transmit me the proof sheets on sized paper. I sat down with enthusiasm to read them (as far as sent) preparatory to a decision. Many things are desirable, and most worthy of commendation. But there were some errors of fact and opinions, which I could not pass over without bringing forward facts which I felt no capacity to manage, without giving offence to one whom I had every reason to regard as a friend. Brant had been the scourge of my native State during all the long and bloody war of the Revolution ; and hic enormities had the less excuse to be plastered over on account of his having received a Christian edu- cation, and speaking and writing his own language. He was doubt- less a man much above his red brethren generally, for mental con- ception and boldness. It is true, I had heard all the terrific details of his cruelties from the lips of my father, who was an actor in PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 676 in the scenes described, at an age when impressions sink deep. But I had outlived my youthful impressions, and felt disposed to re- gard him as one of the most celebrated Individuals of his race, which race I had learned to regard as one of the peculiar types of mankind. But I thought it injudicious to lay the story of the Revolution on his shoulders — with the real causes of which his life had about as much to do as the fly on the wagon-wheel, in turning it. I therefore on broad grounds declined it. The establishment of the University of Michigan and its branches over the State, now excited considerable attention, and I began to receive letters from various quarters on the subject. "At a meeting of the people of this county (Kalamazoo)," says A, Edwards, Esq., " very advantageous offers were made to the Board, in case it was by them deemed proper to establish here one of the two branches contemplated within the senatorial district." Mr. Daniel B. Woods, Dorchester, Mass., writes me respecting an article for the " Christian Keepsake," which has passed to the hands of the Rev. Mr. Clark, of Philadelphia. 25th. Letters were received to-day from the Secretaries of the Presbyterian, and from the Methodist Boards of Missions at New York, proposing the establishment of missions for the Ottawas and Chippewas, under the fourth article of the treaty of 1836. I ad- vised Mr. Lowry, the organ of the former, and also the Methodist Society, to select positions south of this island in Lake Michigan. 27th. The first snow falls for the season. ZOth. The chiefs of the Ottawas at L'Arbre Croche request that I would procure end send them vaccine matter, having heard that the small- pox existed at Grand River, and at Maskigo. An Ottawa Indian, called Mis-kweiu-wauk (Red Cedar) brought a counterfeit half dollar, saying that he had received it at the pay- ments, from Major Garland. It seemed to me that such was not the fact, but thr t he had been sent by some saucy fellow. But I thought prudent to give him a good half dollar in its place. Nov. Uh. Information was received, that a strong party of Bois- brules and Indians, who went west from Red River early in the fall, to hunt the buffalo agreeably to their custom, were met and attacked by the Gros Venters and Sicux of the plains, and one hundred of their number killed in the affray. 576 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 10th. Completed arrangements to leave the ofiice during the \rinter in charge of Mr. F. W. Shearman. 11th. Embarked at Mackinack on board the steamer " Madison/' for the lower country. ISth. Arrived at Detroit, and resumed the duties of the super- intendency at that point. Charles Rodd reports that three hun- dred Saginaws have taken shelter on the St. Clair, from the ravages of the small-pox, that they will pass the winter in the vicinity of Point au Barques ; and that, consequently, they will not attend the payments at Saginaw this fall. VJth. Asked H. Conner, Esq., the signification of " Mongua- gon." He replied, the true name is Mo-gwau-go [nong], and was a man's name, signifying dirty backsides. It was the name of a Wyandot who died there. Mo, in the Algonquin, means excre- ment; gwau is a personal term ; o, the accusative; and nong, place. I observe that, in the Hebrew, the same word Mo, denotes semen. The mode of combination, too, is not diverse ; thus, mo-ai, in He- brew, is a substantive of two roots, mo, semen, and ah, father. Faukad [ipr], Hebrew, means to Ltrike upon or against any person or thing. Pukatai Chip, is to strike anything animate or inanimate. Paukad, in the same tongue, means a stroke of light- ning. 11th. Judge Biggs, who has charge of affairs at Saginaw, reports that about twenty Indians have been carried oft' by the small-pox, on the Shiawassa, and the same number on the Flint River. Says the disease was first brought to Saginaw by Mr. Gardiner D. Williams, and it was afterwards extended to the Flint by Mr. Campau. 2l8t. Rev. J. A. Agnew, of N. Y., addresses me as one of the Regents of the University, under a belief that the Board will, very soon, proceed to the election of a chancellor and professors. He takes a very just view of the importance of making it a fundamental point, to base the course of instruction on a sound morality, and of insuring the confidence of religious teachers of evangelical views. 25th. Mr. Conner brought me, some days ago, a cranium of an Indian, named E-tow-i-ge-zhig (Both Sides of the Sun), who was killed and buried near his house in a singular way. It seems that another Indian, a young man, had fallen from a PERSONAL MEMOIRS. WT the »> tree, and, in his descent, injured his testicles, which swelled up amazingly. Etowigezhig laughed at him, which so incensed the young fellow that he suddenly pickea up a pot-hook and struck him on the skull. It fractured it, and killed him. So he died for a laugh. He was a good-natured man, ahout forty-five, and a good hunter. I gave the skull to Mr. Toulmin Smith, a phrenological lecturer. 26th. Mr. Cleaveland(Rev. John) preached his farewell sermon to the First Presbyterian Church, Detroit, from Jonah iii. 2 : "Arise and gc to Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee." This message he has faithfully and ably delivered to them for about five yer.rs that he has occupied this pulpit. 21th. A letter of this date, from Fort Union, on the Missouri, published in the St. Louis Bulletin, gives a frightful account of the ravages of the small-pox among the Mandans, Aurickerees, Mini- tares and Gros Venters, of the Missouri. This disease, which first broke out about the 16th of July, among the Mandans, carried oflF about fifteen hundred of that tribe. It left about one hundred and thirty souls.* It spread rapidly, and during the autumn carried off about half of the two tribes mentioned. It was carried to the Blackfeet, Orc-es, and Assinaboines, who also suffered dreadfully. Upwards of one thousand of the Blackfeet perished, and about five hundred Minitares. Whole lodges were swept away, and the desolations created were frightful. 2Sth. Mr. F. Ayer writes from Pokegoma, on Snake River, of the St. Croix Valley of the Upper Mississippi : " Shall we be mo- lested by government soon, or at a future time; or, in case the government sell the land to a company, or to individuals, will they consider our case and make any reservation in our favor ?" Dec. 2d. Rev. Oren C. Thompson writes in relation to Michili- mackinack : — "1. Have you a missionary engaged for that station ? " 2. Do you feel the importance and necessity of obtaining c:>e who is already acquainted with the Indian language ? * The report that they were entirely extinguished was an error. The sur- vivors fled to their relatives, the Minnitares, where they increased rapidly, when they returned to their ancient villages on the Missouri, where they now (1851) reside, numbering about five hundred souls. 37 578 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. " 8. Do you wish to engage one for that station, who is in senti- ment a Presbyterian ? " 4. Are there appropriations for his support ? *' 5. What will be his business particularly ? " 6. How long will he probably be wanted there? " 7. What, in your opinion, is the prospect of his usefulness there ?" Dec. \»t. Mr. Hamill, of Lawrenceville, N. J., responds to my inquiry for a suitable school for my son — a matter respecting which I am just now very solicitous. ISfA. Set out by railroad for Flint River, accompanied by Major Garland and Mr. Conner. Weather very cold, and the snow form- ing a good road. At Pontiac, we took a double sleigh, and drove out to Flint Village. I was invited to his house by Mr. Hascall, who did everything to render the visit agreeable. Between 400 and 500 Indians were assembled. They appeared poorly clad, and needy, having suffered greatly from the small-pox during the autumn and winter. About 40 had died on the Shiawassa River, and some 80 on the Flint. After the Major had completed the payment of their annuities and delivery of goods, I opened a ne- gotiation with them to complete the sale of their reservations. 16v„y. " Our Legislature has called for information on the subject. And for many important facts we shall be indebted to the goodness of persons residing or acquainted at the places where they may exist. The canal commissioners of the State have desired me to commu- nicate with you, desiring such data as you may have in your pos- session relevant to the subject. And we are induced to trouble you for information respecting the condition of the water in Lake Superior and other western waters, believing that your extensive acquaintance and close observation in that region have put you in possession of facts which will enable you to determine, with a degree of accuracy, the fluctuations of these waters, and their present increased or diminished height, as well as to trace some of the causes which have an influence in producing the results that are experienced in the rise and fall of the lakes." This rise and fall is found to be concurrent in volume and time in the whole series of lake basins, and is not at all influenced by artificial constructions. It is believed to be dependent on the an- nual fall of water, on the water sheds of the lake basins, and the comparative evaporation caused by the annual diff'usion of solar heat during the same periods. Nothing less than the accumula- tion of facts to illustrate these general laws, for considerable pe- riods of time, will, it is believed, philosophically account for the phenomena. Tables of solar heat, rain guages, and scientific measures, to determine the fall of snow over the large continental era of the whole scries of basins, are, therefore, the scientific means that should bo employed before we can theorize properly. As to periodical rises, actually observed, they are believed to be the very measure of these phenomena, namely, the fall of atmo- spheric moisture, and the concurrent intensity of solar heat be- tween the unknown periods of the rise. 600 PERSONAL MBMOIRS. The fluctuations in Lake Michigan and the Straits of Michilimack- inack are capable of being accounted for on a separate theory, namely, the theory of lake winds. Ath July. Letters from Detroit show that the political agitations respecting Canada still continue. One correspondent remarks : " The fourth of July passed off here with more apparent patriotic feeling than I have ever known before. Canada is still across the river — the pat-riota have not yet removed any part of it ; they are, however, still busy." Another says : " Times look troublesome, but I am in hopes that it will all blow over and peace continue, which should be the earnest wish of every Christian." 2Bd. Public business calling me to Washington, I left Macki- nack late in June, and, pushing day and night, reached that city on the 9th of July. The day of my arrival was a hot one, and, during our temporary stop in the cars between the Relay House and Bladensburg, some pickpocket eased me of my pocket-book, containing a tren«iury-note for $50, about $60 in bills, and sundry papers. The man must have been a genteel and well-dressed fellow, for I conversed with none other, and very adroit at his business. I did not discover my loss till reaching the hotel, and all inquiry was then fruitless. After four days I again set out for the North in an immense train of cars, having half of Congress aboard, as they had just adjourned, and reached Mackinack about the tenth day's travel. This was a toilsome trip, the whole journey to the seat of government and back, say 2,000 miles, being made in some twenty-five days, all stops inclusive. Slst. I set out this day f>'om Mackinack in a boat for Lake Superior and the Straits of St. Mary, for the purpose of estimat- ing the value of the Indian improvements North, under the eighth art. of the treaty of March 28th, 1836. The weather being fine, and anticipating no high winds at this season, I determined, as a means of hca.lth and recreation, to take Mrs. S. and her niece, Julia, a maid, and the children along, having tents and every camping apparatus to make the trip a pleasant one. My boat was one of the largest and best of those usually employed in the trade, man- ned with seven rowers and provided with a mast and sails. An awning was prepared to cover the centre-bar, which was furnished with seats made of our roUed-up beds. Magazines- a spy-glass, &c., bask( Sault recor W illte it se( whos :^:^<^-.^.iV.,.J^.-niyr,-:- PKESONAL MEMOIRS. 601 &c., &c., served to while away the time, and a well-furnished mess- basket Berved to make us quite easy in that department. At Sault St. Marie I took on board Mr. Placidus Ord to keep the record of appraisements. > While here, the notorious John Tanner, who had been on very ill terms with the civilized world f?r xiiany years — for no reason, it seems, but thi;t it would not support him in idleness — this man, whose thoughts were bitter and suspicious of everyone, followed me one day unperceived into a canoe-house, where I had gone alone to inspect a newly-made canoe. He began to talk after his manner, when, lifting my eyes to meet his glance, I saw mischief evidently in their cold, malicious, bandit air, and, looking him determinedly in the eyes, instantly i aiaing my heavy walking-cane, confronted him with the declaration of his secret purpose with a degree of decision of tone and manner which caused him to step back out of the open door and leave the premises. I was perfectly surprised at his dastardly movement, for I had supposed him before to be a brave man, and I heard or saw no more of him while there.* Tanner was stolen by old Kishkako, the Saginaw, from Ken- tucky, when he was a boy of about nine years old. He is now a gray-headed, hard-featured old man, whose feelings are at war with every one on earth, white and red. Every attempt to melio- rate his manners and Indian notions, has failed. He has invari- ably misapprehended them, and is more suspicious, revengefi 1, and bad tempered than any Indian I ever knew. Dr. James, who made, by the way, a mere pack-horse of Indian opinions of him, did not suspect his fidelity, and put many things in his narrative which made the whites about St. Mary's call him an old liar, lius enraged him against the Doctor, whom he threatened to kill. He had served me awhile as an interpreter, and, while thus employed, he went to Detroit, and was pleased with a country girl, who was a chambermaid at old Ben. Woodworth liotel. He married her, but, after having one child, and living with him a ye'; . she was glad to escape with life, and, under the plea of a visit, made some arrangement with the ladies of Fort Brady to slip off, on board * Eight years afterwards, namely, in July, 1840, this lawless vagabond waylaid and shot my brother James, having concealed himself in a cedar thicket. J v«'5l^., ATT^ ; 602 PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. of a vessel, t' < '< !.k> aluded him. The Legislature afterwards granted her a divorce. Ue blamed me for the escape, though I was entirely ignorant of its execution, and knew nothing of it, till it had trana- pired. In this trip to the North, I cfuled on the Indians to 8ho^f me their old fields and garden'; at every point. It was found that there were eip illation had evidently detfuiorated from the days of tlie Frerch and British nile, when game was abun'lint. Tlii!? was the tr,. J rion they gave, ai Q was proved by the coniparn^tively large old fields, net now in oultivatioK particularly at Portaguni- see, at various points ou ihe Straits of St. Mary's, and at Grand Island and its coasis on L .ke Suporlor. They culth'ato cbitfU' i'he potato, and retire in the spring to certain poims, vvJiorf iha Acer aaccharinum abounds, and all rely on th? quanaty of maple sugar made. This is eaten by all, and appears to have a fattening effect, particularly on the children. The se-T,8oii of sugar-making is indeed a sort of carnival, at which there is general joy and hilarity. The whole number of acres found in cultivation by individuals, was 125^ acres ; and by bands, and in common, lOOf acres, which would give an average of a little over }; of an acre per soul. Even this is thought high. There were • 459 acres of old fields, partly run up in brush. There were also 31C2 acres of abandoned village sites, where not a soul lived. I counted 27 dwellings which had a fixity, and nineteen apple trees in the forest. In proportion as they had little, they set a high value on it, and insisted on showing everything, and they gave me a good deal of information. The whole sum appraised to indivi'luals was |3,428 25 ; and to collective bands, $11,173 50. While off the mural coast of the Pictured Rocks, the lake was perfectly calm, and the wind hushed. I directed the men to row in to the cave or opening of the part Avhcre the water has m.^de the most striking inroad upon the solid coast. This coast i . u coarse sandstone, easily disintegrated. I doubted if the oa • '. could enter without pullin'r in their oars. But notl'^g -. tud easier when we attempted ^ They, in fact, rowed us, ir ■ T • mo- ments, masts standing, into a most extraordinary and gi^^i: '''• cave. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 608 under the loftiest part of the covst. I thought of the rotunda in the Capitol at Washington, as giving some idea of its vastness, but no- thing of its dark and sombre appearance, its vast side arches, and the singular influence of the light beaming in from the open lake. I took out my note-book and drew a sketch of this very unique view.* The next day the calmness continued on the lake, and I took ad- vantage of it to visit the dimly seen island in the lake, off Presque Isle and Granite Point, called Nabihwon by the Indians, from tho effects of mirage. Its deep volcanic chasms, and upheaved rocks, tell a story of mighty elemental conflicts in the season of storms ; but it did not reward me with much in the way of natural history, except in geological specimens. Aug. 1th. The Chippewas have some strange notions. Articles which have been stepped over by Indian females are considered unclean, and are condemned by the men. Great aversion is shown by the females at finding hairs drawn out by the comb, which they roll up, and, making a hole in the ashes, bury. Indian females never go before a man : they never walk in front in the path, or cross in front of the place where a sachem is sitting. A man will never eat out of the same dish with a woman. The lodge-separation, at the period of illness, is universally observed, where the original manners have not been broken down. If she have no barks, or apukwas to make a separate lodge, a mere booth or bower of branches is made near by. 10th. Mrs. Deborah Schoolcraft Johnson died at Albany, aged fifty-four years. The father of this lady (John McKenzie, usually called McKenny) was a native of Scotland, and served with '•redit in the regiment of Royal Highlanders, before the Revolutionary War, of whose movements he kept a journal. He was present during the siege of Fort Niagara, in 1759, witnessed the death of Gen. Prideau, and participated in the capture of the works, under Sir William Johnson. He was also engaged in the movements of Gen. Bradstreet, to relievo the f( *t of Detroit from the hosts brought against it by ( v-.tiac and hii confederates three or four years after. He settle i, ^fter the war, at a merchant at Anthony's Nose, on the Mohawk, where he woa surprised, his toro and dwelling-house pillaged, and himself scalped. He recovered from thin, as the * S(:j Ethnological Researches, vol. i., plaio xilv. 604 PBR80NAL MBM0IR8. blow he received had only been stunning, and the copious bleed- ing, as is usual in such cases, had soon restored consciousness. He then settled at Albany, a place of comparative safety, and devoted himself in old age to instruction. He left a numerous family. His son John, who embraced the medical profession, became a distinguished man in Washington County (N. Y.), where his science, as a practitioner, and his talents as a politi- cian, rendered him alike eminent. But he embraced the poli- tics of Burr, a man whose talents he admired, when that erra- tic man ran for Governor of the State, and shortly after died. Five daughters married respectable individuals in the county, all of whom have left families. Of such threads of genealogy is the base of society in all parts of America composed. One of her granddaughters, now living in Paris, is a lady entitled tj respect, on various accounts. Deborah, whose death is announced, married in early life, as her first husband, John Schoolcraft, Jr., Esq., a most gifted son of one of the actors and patriots of the revolution — a man who was engaged in one of its earliest movements ; who shared its deepest perils, and lived long to enjoy its triumphs. The early death of this object of her choice, induced her in after years to contract a second marriage with an enterprising son of Massachu- setts (B. Johnson), with whom she migrated to Detroit. Death here again, in a few years, left her free to rejoin her relatives in Albany, where, at last at ease in her temporal affairs, she finally fell a victim to conbumption, at a not very advanced age, meeting her death with the calmness and preparedness of a Christian. " As those we love decay, we die in part." 25^^. Returned to Michilimackinack, at a quarter past one o'clock, A, '' , from my trip to the north, for the appraisal of the Indian in vTc^^ents. Slst. According to observations kept, the average temperature of the month of August (ht. 42°) was 69.16 degrees. Last year the average temperature of the same month was sixty-five degrees. The average temperature of the entire summer of 1888 was 70.85; while that of the summer of 1837 was but 65.48. Our lakes must sink with such a temperature, if the comparative degree of heat has been kept up in the upper lakes during the year. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 605 Sept. Mh. Troops arrive at Fort Maokinaok to attend the pay- ments. An officer of the army, \rho has spent a year or so in Florida, and has just returned to Michigan, says : "I have seen much that was well worth seeing, am much wiser than I was hefore, and am all the better contented with a lot midway of the map. The cli- mate of Florida, during the winter, was truly delicious, but the summers, a part of one of which I saw and felt, are uncomfortable, perhaps more so than our winters. This puts the scales even, if it do not incline the balance in our favor. The summer annoyances of insects, &c., are more than a counterbalance for our ice and snow, especially when we can rectify their influences by a well- warmed house." Qth. A literary friend in Paris writes: "I send a box to Detroit to-day, to the address of Mr. Trowbridge. It contains, for you, upwards of 200 coins, among which is one Chinese, and the rest ancient. You must busy yourself in arranging and deciphering them. I send you, also, some specimens, one from the catacombs of Paris, others from the great excavations of Maestricht, where such large antediluvian remains have been found, also relics from the field of Waterloo. The petrifactions are from Mount Leba- non." Mr. Palfrey writes in relation to the expected notice of Stone's " Brant," but my engagements have not permitted me to write a line on the subject. Idth. Dr. John Locke, of Ohio, announces the discovery in. Adams County, in that State, of the remains of an antique fort, supposed to be 600 years old. It is on a plateau 500 feet above Brush Creek, and is estimated at 800 to 1000 feet above the Ohio at low water. It is covered by soil, forest, and trees. Some of the trees in the vicinity are twenty-one feet in diameter. He infers the age from a large chestnut in the enclosure. His data would give A. D. 1238, as the date of the abandonment. We must approach the subject of our western antiquities with great care and not allow hasty and warm fancies to run away with us. llth. A commu'iication from Mr. Bafn informs me that the Royal Society ' utiquaries of Copenhagen, Denmark, have honored me by e^ rolling my name as one of its members. CoDgress publiahes a statement submiited by the Indian 606 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. Bureau, showing, 1. That upwards of fifty treaties have been con- cluded with various tribes since Jan. 1, 1830, for their removal to the west, in accordance with tl'c principles of the organic act of May 28th, 1880. 2. Thai u- h ueaties 10y,879,lt37 acres of land have been acqu.i d. \ ULat the probable value of this land to the United StiM^t, i8 3137,849,9 10. 4. That the total cost of these cessions, including the various expenses of carrying the treaties into effect, is 370,059,606. ISth. Major CUancy Bush, Assistant to "T '• Garland, the Disbursing Agent, arrives with funds to make the annuity pay- ments. lith. The Oherokees West, meet in general council to consult on their affai>- , and adopt some measures preparatory to the ar- rival of the fc^istern body of the nation. John Ridge, a chief of note of the Cherokees West, states, that this meeting is entirely pacific — entirely deliberative — and by nv means of a hostile cha- racter, as has been falsely reported. ISth. The obscuri'.y which attends an Indian's power of ratio- cination may be judged of by the following, claim, verbally made to me and supported by some bit of writing, this day, by Gabriel Muccutapenais, an Ottawa chief of L'Arbre Croche. He states that, at one time, a trader took from him forty beavers ; at another, thirty beavers and bears ; at another, ten beavers, and at ano- ther, thirty beavers, and four carcasses of beavers, for all which he received no pay, although promised it. He also served as a clerk or sub-trader for a merchant, for which he was to have re- ceived $600, and never received v cent. Me requests the Pre- sident of the United Staij^j to pay for ua these things. On inquiry, the skins were hunted, and the service rendered, and the ■wrong received at Athabasc. L .ke, in the Hudson's I ij Terri- tory, when he was a young man. He is now about sixty-six years old. ISth. The sun's eclipse took place, an ' was • ery plainly visible to the naked eye, agreeably to the ca^^ 'ion tor its commence- ment and termination. I took the oi^^adioii of its termination (four o'clock, fifty minutes) to set my watch by astronomical time. ISth. The Indian payments were completed by Major Bush this day. These payments included the full annuity for 1888, and PERSONAL MEMOI, the deferred half annuity for 1887, making a total of 847,000, which was paid in coin per capita. The whole number of Indians on the pay rolls this year amounted to 4,872, of whom 1,197 were in the Grand River Valley. Last year they numbered, in all, 4,561, denoting an increase of 811. This increase, however, is partly due to emigrations from the south, and partly to imperfect counts last season, and but partially to the increase of birtJu over deaths. The annuity divided $12 67 on the North, $22 60 in the Middle, or Thunder Bay district, and $11 60 on the Southern pay list. The Indians requested that these per capita divisions might be equalized, but the terms in the treaty itself create the geographical districts. 608 PBRSONAL MBM0IR8. CHAl'TER LXIV. he Descendant of one spsred at the masoaore of St. Bartholomew's — Death of Oen, Clarke — Massacre of Peurifoy's family in Florida — Qen. Harrison's historical discourse — Death of an emigrant on board a steamboat — Murdor of an Indian — History of Mnckinack — Incidents of the treaty of 20th July, 1837 — Mr. Fleming's account of the missionaries leaving Georgia, and of the improvements of the Indians west — Death of Black Hawk — Incidents of his life and character — Dreadful cruelty of the Pawnees in burning a female captive — Cherokee emigration — Phrenology — Return to Detroit — University — Indian affairs — Cherokee removal — Indians shot at Fort Snel- ling. 1888. Sept. 20th. Count Castleneau, a French gentleman on his travels in America, brings me a note of introduction from a friend. I was impressed with his suavity of manners, and the interest he manifested in natural history, and furnii^hed him some of our charac- teristic northern specimens in mineralogy. I understood him to say, in some familiar conversation, that he was the descendant of a child saved accidentally at the memorable massacre of St. Bartho- lomew's ; and suppose, of course, that he is of Protestant parentage. 2l8t. The St. Louis papers are dressed in mourning, on account of the death of Gen. William Clarke. Few men have acted a more distinguished part in the Indian history of the country. He was widely known and respected by the Indians on the prairies, who sent in their delegations to him with all the pomp and pride of so many eastern Eajahs. Gen. Clarke was, I believe, the second ter- ritorial governor of Missouri, an oflSce which he held until it be- came a state, when Congress provided the office of Superintendent of Indian Affairs for him. He contributed largely, by his enterprise and knowledge, to the prosperity of the west. The expedition which he led, in conjunction with Capt. Meriwether Lewis, across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, in 1805 and 1806, first opened the way to the consideration of its resources and occupancy. With- out that expedition, Oregon would have been a foreign pi evince. PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 609 2ith. Letters from Florida intUcate the war with the Sominoles to bo lingering, without reasonable expectation of bringing it soon to a close. Etha Emathla, however, the chief of the Tallasces, is daily expected to come in, his children being already arrived, and he has promised to bring in his people. But what a war of details, which are harassing to the troops, whose action is paralyzed in a maze of swamps and morasses ; and how many scenes has it given birth to which are appalling to the heart ! A recent letter from a Mr. T. D. Peurifoy, Superintendent of the Alachua Mission, describes a most shocking murder in his own family, communicated to him at first by letter: — "It informed mo," ho says, "that the Indians had murdered my family ! I set out for home, hoping that it might not prove as bad as the letter stated ; but, my God, it is even worse ! My precious children, Corick, Pierce and Elizabeth, were killed and burned up in tho house. My dear wife was stabbed, shot, and stamped, seemingly to death, in tho yard. But after the wretches went to pack up their plunder, she revived and crawled off from the scene of death, to suffer a thousand deaths during the dreadful night which she spent alone by the side of a pond, bleeding at four bullet holes and more than half a dozen stabs — three deep gashes to the bone on her head and three stabs through the ribs, besides a number of small cuts and bruises. She is yet living ; and 0, help me to pray that she may yet live ! My negroes lay dead all about the yard and woods, and my everything else burned to ashes." Oct. l8t. Mr. Palfrey, Editor of the North American Review, re- quests me (Sept. 20th) to notice Gen. Harrison's late discourse on the aboriginal history, delivered before the Ohio Historical Society. The difficulty in all these cases is to steer clear of some objectional theory. To the General, the Delawares have appeared to play the key-note. But it has not fallen to his lot, while bearing a dis- tinguished part in Indian affairs in the west, to examine their ancient history with much attention. The steamer Madison arrived with a crowd of emigrants for the west, one of whom had died on the passage from Detroit. It proved to be a young man named Jesse Cummings, from Groton, N. H., a member of the Congregational Church of that place. Having no pastor, I conducted the religious observance of the fune- ral, and selected a spot for his burial, in a high part of the Presbyte- 89 610 PERSONAL MBHOntS. rian burial ground, towards the N. E., where a few loose stones are gathered to mark the place. 2d. Wakazo, a chief, sent to tell me that an Ottawa Indian, Ishqnondaim's son, had killed a Chippewa called Debaindnng, of Manistee River. Both had been drinking. I informed him that an Indian killing an Indian on a reserve, where the case occurred, which is still " Indian country," did not call for the interposition of our law. Our criminal Indian code, which is defective, applies only to the murder of white men killed in the Indian country. So that justice for a white man and an Indian is weighed in two scales. Sd. Mrs. Therese Schindler, a daughter of a former factor of the N. W. Company at Mackinack, visited the office. I inquired her age. She replied 63, which would give the year 1775 as her birth. Having lived through a historical era of much interest, on this island, and possessing her faculties unimpaired, I obtained the fol- lowing facts from her. The British commanding officers remem- bered by her were Sinclair, Robinson, and Doyle. The interpret- ers acting under them, extending to a later period, were Charles Gdthier, Lamott, Charles Chabollier, and John Asken. The first interpreter here was Hans, a half-breed, and father to the present chief Ance, of Point St. Ignace. His father had been a Hol- lander, as the name implies. Longlade was the interpreter at old Fort Mackinack, on the main, at the massacre. She says she re- collects the transference of the post to the island. If so, that event could not have happened, so as to be recollected by her, till about 1780. Asken went along with the British 'roops on the final surrender of the island to the Americans ia 1796, and re- turned in the surprise and taking of the island in 1812. 5th. Finished my report on a resolution of Congresp of March 19th respecting the interference of the British Indian Department in the Indian affairs of the frontier. The treaty of Ghent termi- nated the war between Great Britain and the United States, but it d>d not terminate the feelings and spirit with which the Indian tribes had, from the fall of their French power, regarded them. Mr. Warren (Lyman M.), of La Pointe, Lake Superior, visited the office. Having been long a trader in the north, and well acquainted with Indian affairs in that quarter, I took occasion to inquire into the circumstances of the cession of the t -ty of t littU very deta had clot twen treat real So Doc try thou PERSONAL MBMOIRS. 611 of the 29th of July, 1837, and asked him why it was that so little had been given for so large a cession, comprehending the very best lands of the Chippewas in the Mississippi Valley. He detailed u series of petty intrigues by the St. Peter's agent, who had flattered two of the Pillager chiefs, and loaded them with new clothes and presents. One of these, Hole-in-the-Day, came down twenty days before the time. The Pillagers, in fact, made the treaty. The bands of the St. Croix and Chippewa Rivers, who really lived on the land and owned it, had, in effect, no voice. So with respect to the La Pointe Indians. He stated that Gen. Dodge really knew nothing of the fertility and value of the coun- try purchased, having never set foot on it. Governor Dodge thought the tract chiefly valuable for its pine, and natural mill- power ; and there was no one to undeceive him. He had been authorized to offer $1,300 ; but the Chippewas managed badly — they knew nothing of thousands, or how the annuity would divide among so many, and were, in fact, cowed down by the braggadocia of the flattered Pillager war chief, Hole-in-the-Day. Mr. Warren stated that the Lac Courtorielle band had not united in the sale, and would not attend the payment of the annuities ; nor would the St. Croix and Lac du Flambeau Indians. He said the present of $19,000 would not exceed a breech-oloth and a pair •f leggins apiece. I have not the means of testing these facts, but have the highest confidence in the character, sense of justice, and good natural judgment of Gov. Dodge.'' He may have been ill advised of some facts. The Pillagers certainly do not, I think, as a band, own or occupy a foot of the soil east of the Mississippi below Sandy Lake, but their warlike character has a sensible influ- ence on those tribes, quite down to the St. Croix and Chippewa Rivers. The sources of these rivers are valuable only for their pineries, and their valleys only become fertile below their falls and principal rapids. From iJr. Warren's statements, the sub-agencies of Crow-wing River and La Pointe have been improperly divided by a longitudi- nal instead of a latitudinal line, by which it happens that the St. Croix and Chippewa River Indians are required to travel from 200 to 350 miles up the Mississippi, by all its falls and rapids, to Crow- wing River, to get their pay. The chief, Hole-in-tbe-Day, referred to, wa3 one of the most hardened, blood-thirsty wretches of whom 612 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. I have ever heard. Mr. Aitkin, the elder, told me that having once surprised and killed a Sioux family, the fellow picked up a little girl, who had fled from the lodge, and pitched her into the Mississippi. The current bore her against a point of land. See- ing it, the hardened wretch ran down and again pushed her in. 8tk. The Rev. Mr. Fleming and the Rev. Mr. Dougherty arrived as missionaries under the Presbyterian Board at New York. Mr. Fleming stated that he had been one of the expelled missionaries from the Creek country, Georgia. That he had labored four years there, under the American Board of Commissioners, and had learned the Creek language so as to preach in it, by first writing his dis- course. The order to have the missionaries quit the Creek country was given by Capt. Armstrong (now Act. Supt. Western Territory), who then lived at the Choctaw agency, sixty miles off, and was sudden and unexpected. He went to see him for the purpose of refuting the charges, but found Gen. Arbuckle there, as acting agent, who told him that, in Capt. Armstrong's absence, he had nothing to do but to enforce the order. Mr. Fleming said that he had since been in the Indian country, west, in the region of the Osage, &c., and spoke highly in favor of the fertility of the country, and the advanced state of the Indians who had emigrated. He said the belt of country immediately west of Missouri State line, was decidedly the richest in point of natural fertility in the region. That there was considerable wood on the streams, and of an excellent kind, namely . hickory, hack- berry, Cottonwood, cypress, with blackjack on the hills, which made excellent firewood. As an instance of the improvement made by the Indians in their removal, he said that the first party of Creeks who went west, immediately after Mackintosh's Treaty, were the most degraded Indians in Georgia; but thftt recently, on the arrival of the large body of Creeks at the west, they found their brethren in the pos- session of every comfort, and decidedly superior to them. He said that the Maumee Ottawas, so besotted in their habits on leaving Ohio, had already improved ; were planting ; had given up drink, and listened to teachers of the Gospel. He spoke of the Shawnese as being in a state of enviable advancement, &c. 11th. First frost at Mackinack for the season. A friend at Detroit writes : " The Rev. Mr. Duffield (called as ■-'^'trfpr%y^-' PERSONAL MBHOIBS. 613 pastor here) preached last Sabbath. In the morning, when he finished, there was scarce a dry eye in the hou j. He excels in the pathetic — his voice and whole manner being suited to that style. He is clear-headed, and has considerable power of illustration, though different from Mr. Cleaveland. I like him much on first hearing." IHth. Finished grading and planting trees in front of the dor- mitory. 12th. The Iowa Gazette mentions the death of Black Hawk, who was buried, agreeably to his own request, by being placed on the surface of the earth, in a sitting posture, with his cane clenched in his hands. His body was then enclosed with palings, and the earth filled in. This is said to be the method in which Sac chiefs are usually buried. The spectacle of his sepulchre was witnessed by many persons who were anxious to witness the last resting place of a man who had made so much noise and disturbance. He was 71 years of age, having, by his own account, published in 183o, been born in the Sac village on Rock River, in 1767 — the year of the death of Pontiac. In his indomitable enmity to the {American type of the) Anglo-Saxon race, he was animated with the spirit of this celebrated chief, and had some of his powers of com- bination. His strong predilections for the British Government were undoubtedly fostered by the annual visits of his tribe to the depot of Maiden. His denial of the authority of the men who, in 1804, sold the Sac and Fox country, east o? the Mississippi, may have had the sanction of his own judgment, but without it he wouid have found it no diflScult matter to hatch up a cause of war with the United States. That war seems to have been brooded over many years: it had been the subject of innumerable war messages to the various tribes, a large number of whom had favored his views. And Avhen it broke out in the spring of 1832, the sudden- ness of the movement, the great cruelties of the onset, and the comparatively defenceless state of the frontier, gave it all its alarm- ing power. As soon as the army could be got to the frontiers, and the Indian force brought to action, the "nritest was over. The battle of the Badaxe annihilated his forces, and he was earned a prisoner to Washington. But he was more to be respect* nnd pitied than blamed. His errors were the result of igiiora'icey and none of the cruelties of the war were directly chargeable to him. ■'*-M' 614 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. He was honest in his belief — honest in the opinion that the country east of the Mississippi had been unjustly wrested from him ; and there is no doubt but the trespasses and injuries received from the reckless frontier emigrants were of a character that provoked retali- ation. He has been compared, in some things, to Pontiac. Like him, he sought to restore his people to a position and rights, which he did not perceive were inevitably lost. He possessed a degree of intellectual vigor and decision of character far beyond the mass, and may be regarded as one of the principal minds of the Indians of the first half of the 19th century. 15th. A letter of this date from Council Bluffs, describes a most shocking and tragic death of a Sioux girl, of only fourteen years of age, who was sacrificed to the spirit of corn, by the Paw- nees, on the 22d of February last. For this purpose she was placed on a foot-rest, between two trees, about two feet apart, and raised above the ground, just high enough to have a torturing fire built under her Toet. Here she was held by two warriors, who mounted the rest beside her, and who applied lighted splinters under her arms. At a given signal a hundred arrows were let fly, and her whole body was pierced. These were immediately with- drawn, and her flesh cut from her bones in small pieces, which were put into baskets, and carried into the corn-field, where the grain was being planted, and the blood squeezed out in each hill. Cherokee Emigration. — A letter from Gen. Scott of this date, to the Governor of Georgia, states that, of the two parties of Cherokees, or those who are for and agfiinst the treaty of New Echota, only about five hundred (including three hundred and seventy-sixty Creeks) remain east of the Mississippi, and of the anties a little over five thousand souls. About two thousand five hundred of these had been emigrated in June, when the emigration was suspended on account of sickness. An arrangement was made in the month of September, by which John Ross was, in effect, constituted the contractor for the removal of the remainder (twelve thousand five hundred) of his people. 16th. Mr. J. Toulrain Smith, the phrenologist, of Boston, writes : "I perfectly concur with you in your remarks on the minor de- tails of phrenology. They have hitherto been loorfe and vague, but though at first sight they seem minor, they will be found, in truth tion {( ^A''^!^'^'?^. ■■''"■ ■■- r'T^7»'^r"P7, ." ^ ■>.yift*'^3^??P^*^W^S's«Tr^S'; PERSONAL MBMOIRS. 615 truth, of great importance to the thorough elucidation and applica- tion of the subject. " The Indian tribes do, indeed, present most interesting subjects for examination, and it is an anxious wish of my mind to be able to examine them thoroughly (per crania), and also to compare them with the crania found in their ancient burial-places, supposed to be the remnants of an anterior race. Not only will this throw light on their history, but it will do so also on those * minor' but most interesting points, to the elucidation of Avhich my attention has been, and is particularly directed. I should be exceedingly happy to be able to compare also one or two female Indian skulls with the males of the same tribe. The females, I presume, may be easily recognized phrenologically ; it may be done with facility by the large philoprogenitiveness, and the smaller general size of the head." 22(i. Rumor says that Mr. Harris, Com. Indian Affairs, had en- tered into land speculations in Arkansas, which led Mr. Van Buren to call for a report, which, being made, the President returned it with the pithy and laconic endorsement " unsatisfactoi*y," where- U'oon Mr. H. tendered his resignation. Rumor also says, that Mr. T. Hartley Crawford, of Pennsylvania, is appointed in his stead. This gentleman is represented to be a person of some ability ; an old black-letter lawyer, but a man who is apt to lose sight of main questions in the search after technicalities. They say he is very opinionated and dogmatical ; personally unacqu.ainted with the character of the Indians, and the geography of the western coun- try, and not likely, therefore, to be very ready or practical in the administx'ative duties of the office. Time must test this, and time sometimes agreeably disappoints us. 29 iiiam did not Mr. Edmonds did. " I found all the books but one in the box, which one, according to William's account, contained five hundred and sixty skins. From these five hundred and sixty, I made deductions correspond- ing with the skins found to be charged in all the other books, so that the difference can be but very trifling, and, by the liberal dis- count made, I think, will be in favor of the claim. " The account stands thus : — Due 6,043 beavers at $4 $24,172 00 Average loss on four years' trade, from 1813 to 1816, at $2,014 per annum 8,056 00 Add:— Item 2 as allowed in 1836 . . $6,040 00 " 6 " " . . 9,192 00 7 " " . . 1,141 00 8 " " . . 44 90 (( n Allowed in 1836 10,384 72 $42,612 72 32,436 72 $10,176 00 " Books are shown from 1816 to 1828, a period of twelve years; consequently twelve divided into 24,172 will give the average losa for the four years' trade, for which no books are shown. Mr. Ed- PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 61T monds made an error in computing the number of skins due ; the other difference was, of course, in consequence. I am inclined to think Mr. E. was prejudiced against the claim, as I cannot see how he could so much reduce the number of skins due." Qth. The Rev. Mr. Potter, a missionary for sixteen years among the Cherokees, called and introduced himself to me. He said that he thought the Cherokees had received enough for their lands ; that they were peaceably emigrating west, but had been delayed by low water in the streams. While thus waiting, about five hundred per sons had died. This gentleman had been stationed at Creek Path, where the morally celebrated Catherine Brown and her brother and parents lived. While there, he had a church of about sixty members, and thinks they exhibited as good evidences of Christianity as the same number of whites would do. He speaks in raptures of the country this people are living in, and are now emigrating from, in the Cum- berland Mountains, as full of springs, a region of great salubrity, fertility, and picturesque beauty. Says a portion of the country, to which they are embarking west, is also fertile. Florida, the papers of this date tell us, is now free from Indians. This can only be strictly true of the towns on the Apalachicola, &c. The majority of them are doubtless gone. A Wyandot, of Michigan, named Thomas Short, complains that his lands, at Flat Rock, are overflowed by raising a mill-dam. Dispatched a special agent to inquire into and remedy this tres- pass. The Swan Creeks complain that a Frenchman, named Yaks, having been permitted to live in one of their houses at Salt River, on rent, refuses to leave it, intending to set up a pre-emption right to the lands. I replied, "That is a matter I will inquire into. But you have ceded the land without stipulating for improvements, and can- not prevent pre-emptions." Ith. I received instructions from Washington, dated 29th Oct., to draw requisitions in favor of the Ottawas and Chlppewas, for the amounts awarded for their public improvements in the lower peninsulc, agreeably to the estimates of Messrs. MacDonnel and Clarke, under the treaty of March 28th, 1836. Eshtonaquot (Clear Sky), principal chief of the Swan Creeks, states that his people will be ready to remove to their location on 618 1*ERS0NAL MEMOIRS. the Osage, by the middle of next summer. He states that his brother-in-law, an Indian, living at River Au Sables, in Upper Canada, reports that a large number of Potawattomies have fled to that province from Illinois ; and that many of the Grand River Ottawas, during the past summer, visited the Manitoulincs, and gave in their names to migrate thither. Little reliance can be placed on this information. Besides, the government does not pro- pose to hinder the movements of the Indians. Maj. Garland states that he was present, a few years ago, at Fort Snclling, Upper Mississippi, at the time the fracas occurred in which the Sioux fired on the Chippewas and killed four of their number. Col. Snelling exhibited the greatest decision of character on this occasion. He immediately put the garrison under arms, and seized four Sioux, and put them in hold till their tribe should sur- render the real murderers. Next day the demand was complied with, by the delivery of two men, to replace two of the four host- ages, the other ;wo of the prisoners being, by hap, the murderers. The Indian agent vacillated as to the course to be adopted. Col. Snelling said that he would take the responsibility of acting. He then turned the aggressors over to the Chippewas, saying : " Punish them according to your law ; and, if you do not, I will." The Chippewas selected nine of their party as executioners. They then told the prisoners to run, and shot them down as they fled. Two were shot on the very day after the murder, and two the following day, when they were brought in. One of the latter was a fine, bold, tall young fellow, who, having hold of the other prisoner's hand, observed him to tremble. He instantly threw his hand loose from him, declaring "that he was ashamed of being made to suffer with a coward." Sth. Col. Whiting exhibited to me, at his office, several bound volumes of MSS., being the orderly book of his father, an adju- tant in a regiment of Massachusetts Continentals, during the great struggle of. 1776. Many of the orders of Gen. Washington show the exact care and knowledge of details, which went to make up a part of his military reputation. 12th. Texas is involved in troubles with fierce and intractable bands of Indians. Among these the Camanches arc prominent, who have shown themselves, in force, near Bexar, and in a conflict killed ten Americans with arrows. PBR80NAL MEMOIBS. 619 CHAPTER LXV. Embark for New York — A glimpse of Texan affairs — Toltecan monumc-nts — Indian population of Texas — Horrible effects of drinking ardont spirits among the Indians — Mr. Qaliatin — His opinions on varicus subjects of philosophy and history — Visit to the South — Philadelphia — Washington — Indian affairs — Debt claim — Leave to visit Europe — Question of neutrality — Mr. Van Buren — American imaginative literature — Knickerbocker — R6- eum6 of the Indian question of sovereignty. 1838. Nov. l^th. I EMBARKED in a steamer, with my family, for New York, having the double object of placing my children at eligible boarding-schools, and seeking the renovation of Mrs. S.'s health. The season being boisterous, we ran along shore from river to river, putting in and putting out, in nautical phrase, as we could. On the way, scarlatina developed itself in my daughter. Fortunately a Dr. Hume was among the passengers, by whose timely remedies the. case was successfully treated, and a tempo- rary stop at BuiFalo enabled us to pursue our way down the canal. Ice and frost were now the cause of apprehensi jt. , and our canal packet was at length frozen in, when reaching thv. v 'cinity of Utica, which we entered in sleighs. In conversation o^ board the packet boat on the canal, Mr. Thomas Borden, of Buffalo Bayou, Texas, stated that there is a mistake in the current report of the Camanche Indians being about to join the Mexicans. They are, perhaps, in league with the Spaniards of Nacogdoches, who now cry out for the federal constitution of 1824; but there is no coalition between them and the Mexicans. Lamar is elected president, the popula- tion has greatly increased within the last year, customs are col- !<^cted, taxes paid, and a revenue raised to support the government. Mr. Borden said, he was one of the original three nundred families who went to Texas, with my early friend Stephen F. Austin, Esq., the founder of Texas, of whom he spoke highly. "Hurry" was the word on all parts of our route; but, after reaching the Hudson, we felt more at easr and we reached New 620 PBRSONAt UBMOIBS. York and got into \ou^ -»h^ on the evening of the 24th (Nov.). The next day waa celebrated, to Llio joy of the children, aa ^a- cuation Day," uy a brilliant display of the military, our vauaows overlooking tue Park, wl 3h was the focus of thia turnout. 28th. In conversation with the Rev. Henry Dwight, of Geneva, he made some pertinent remarks on the Toltecan monumenta, and the skill of this ancient people in architecture, in connection with some specimens of antiquities just deposited in the New York His- torical Society. This nation had not only preceded the Aztecs in time, as is very clearly shovrn by the traditions of the latter, but also, there is every reason to believe, in knowledge. 2dth. Texas papers contain the following statistics of the Indian population of that Republic, of whom it is estimated that t^K^re may be 20,000. "The different tribes known as wild Indians, comprise about 24,000, west and south-west. There are on the north ten tribes, known as the 'Ten United Bands,' between the Trinity and Red River, numbering between 3 and 4000. Of these latter tribes, three are said to have wandered off beyond the Rio Grande and the Rocky Mountains. Of the Comances, nearly one-half of Vic Indians known by that name are, and have always been, without tlv: limits, and press upon the tribes of New Mexico. In all if jpp- hts that we have within the limits of Texas, an Indian population <>f 20,000 — of whom one-fifth may be ac- counted warriors. There are one or two remnants of tribes (per- haps not more than fifty in number) living within the settlements of the whites, whom they supply with venison, and in that way support themselves. "Some of these tribes are the hereditary enemies of Mexico, who has nevertheless furnished them with arms and ammunition, in the hope of inciting them against our people, at a risk to her own. If, looking beyond our borders, we turn our eyes to the north, we behold within striking distance of the Unitec States frontier on the north-west, an indigenous Indian population of 150,000, and on their western frontier 46,000 ; in all between 2 and 300,000 Indians within the jurisdiction of the United States — against whom, were they to combine, they could at any moment direct a war force of 60,000 men." These popular estimates, may serve the purpose of general com- parison, but require some considerable abatements. There is a PERSONAL MBMOIRa. 021 tendency to ostimato the numbers of Indian tribes like those of flocks of birds and schools of fish. We soon got into thousands, and where the theme is guessing, thousands are soua 'ddud to thousands. Dec. 4-'. . > '■ '^«, .■^vj'Rj'f,:* 'j^j.^vry;- '-,<=.?« •?«" Algio Researches. — The oral legends of the Indians collected by me being adhered to, he said, " Take care that, in publishing your Indian legends, you do not subject yourself to the imputa- tions made against Macpherson." ' r • ■:i\^^''i■^m\s''h'^*■^^i■<-:v v. " On leaving the hall, whither he came to see me out, he said : " I am seventy-eight, and (assuming a gayer vein) in a good state of preservation." He was then a little bent, but preserved in conver- sation the vivacity of his prime. He had, I think, been a man of about five feet ten or eleven inches. His accent and tone of voice are decidedly French. His eye, which is black and penetrating, kin- dled up readily. He wore a black silk cap to hide baldness, -y^ , 15th. A singular coincidence of the names and ages of Indian chiefs, is shown in the following notice from a Russian source : — 40 626 PERSONAL MSMOIBt^ " We have just received from Nova Archangesk, an account of the death of the chief of one of the most powerful tribes of North America, Black Hawk, who was suddenly carried off on the banks of the River Moivna, in the seventy-first year of his age. The loss of this chief, who kept up friendly relations with the authori- ties of the Russian colony, and was always hostile to the English, is felt in a lively manner by the Russian government, who rested great hopes on the influence exercised by Black Hawk, not only over his own tribe, but also over all the neighboring nations. The Czar has ordered the new governor-general of the Russian colony in America to endeavor by all means to secure the friendship of the three sons of Black Hawk^ the eldest of whom, now forty-eight years of age, has succeeded his father in the government of the tribe." — Le Commerce. 22d. I left New YoA on the 12th, in the cars, mth Mrs. School- craft and the children, for Washington, stopping at the Princeton depot, and taking a carriage for Princeton. I determined to leave my son at the Round Hill School, in charge of Mr. Hart, and the next day went to Philadelphia, where I accepted the invitation of Gen. Robert Patterson to spend a few days at his tasteful mansion in Locust street. I visited the Academy of Natural Sciences, and examined Dr. Samuel Oeorge Morton's extensive collection of In- dian crania. While here, I placed my daughter in the private school of the Misses Guild, South Fourth Street. I attended one of the " Wistar parties" of the season, on the 15th, at Mr. Lea's, the distinguished bookseller and conchologist, and reached the city of Washington on the 2l8t, taking lodgings at my excellent friends, the Miss Polks. 24th. Submitted an application to the department for expending a small part of the Indian education fund, for furthering the gene- ral object, by publishing, for the use of teachers and scholars, a compendious dictionary, and general grammar of the Indian lan- guages. 25;»i''' •iri,',««- ii.'?'^>''',*T^"'' *';»"«'*■■'.* ^' •»',,. w i*!*", The error, in all these cases, seems to be, that where a tribe has agreed to set apart a generic sum to satisfy debts, and the United States has accepted the trusteeship of determining the individual shares, that the Indians, who cannot ready or write, or understand figwres, or accounts at all, and cannot possibly tell the arithmetical difference between one figure and another, should yet be made the subject of these minor appeals. The trustee himself should de- termine that, by such testimony as he approves, and not appear to seek to bolster up the decisions of truth and faithfulness, by call- ing on Indian ignorance and imbecility, which is subject to be operated on by every species of selfishness. *^< i^' '^i' tt ^asv^i; v4t. 25th. I applied to the department this day, by letter, for leave of absence from my post on the frontier, to visit Europe. 26th. I called on Mr. Poinsett, the Secretary of War, and re- ceived from him the permission which I had yesterday solicited. I also called on the President (Mr. Van Buren), who, in turning the conversation to the state of disturbances on the frontier, evinced the deepest interest that neutrality should be preserved, and asked me whether the United States Marshal at Detroit had faithfully performed his duty. 21 th. Visited Mr. Paulding (Secretary of the Navy) in the evening. Found him a rather aged bald-headed man, of striking physiognomy, prominent intellectual developments, and easy dig- nified manners. It was pleasing to recognize one of the prominent authors of Salmagundi, which I had read in my schoolboy days, and never even hoped^o see the author of this bit of fan in our inci- 628 PIB80MAL MIMOUI& pient literature. For it is upon this, and the still, higher effort of Irving's facetious History of New York, that we must base our imaginative literature. They first taught us that we had a right to laugh. We were going on, on so very stiff a model, that, without the Knickerbocker, we should not have found it out. 2Stk. I prepared a list of queries for the department, designed to elicit a more precise and reliable account of the Indian tribes than has yet appeared. It is astonishing how much gross error exists in the popular mind respecting their true character. Talk of an Indian— why the very stare Says, plain a^angaage, Sir, have you been there? Do tell me, has a Potawattomie a soul, And have the tribes a language ? Now that's droll — They tell me some have tails like wolves, and others claws, Those Winnebagoes, and Piankashaws. SOth. Mr. Paulding transmits a note of thanks for some Indian words. The euphony of the aboriginal vocabulary impresses most persons. In most of their languages this appears to result, in part, from the fact that a vowel and a consonant go in pairs — i.e. a vowel either precedes or follows a consonant, and it is compara- tively rare that two consonants are required to be uttered together. There is but one language that has the thy so common in English. Sh and gh are, however, frequently sounded in the Chippewa. The most musical words are found in the great Muscogee and Al- gonquin families, and it is in these that the regular succession of vowels and consonants is found. 31«^ The year 1838 has been a marked one in our Indian rela- tions. The southern Indians have experienced an extensive break- ing up, in their social institutions, and been thrown, by the process of emigration, west of the Mississippi, and the policy of the go- vernment on this head, which was first shadowed out in 1825, and finally sanctioned by the act of land exchanges, 1880, may be deemed as having been practically settled. The Cherokees, who required the movements of an army to induce them to carry out the prin- ciples of the treaty of New Echota, have made their first geogra- phical movement since the discovery of the continent, a period of 331 years. How much longer they had dwelt in the country aban- doned we know not. They clung to it with almost a death grasp. It is a lovely region, and replete with a thousand advantages and a PKE80NAL MIMOnS. 629 ttioufiand reminiscences. Nothing but the drum of the Anglo- Saxon race could have given them an effectual warning to go. Gen. Scott, in his well advised admonitory proclamation, well said, that the voice under which both he and they acted is im- perative, and that by heeding it, it is hoped that " they will spare him the horror of witnessing the destruction of the Gherokees." The great Muskogee family had been broken up, by the act of Georgia, before. The Seminoles, who belong to that family, broke out themselves in a foolish hostility very late in 1886, and have kept up a perfectly senseless warfare, in the shelter of hummocks and quagmires since. The Ohootaws and Ohickasaws, with a wise forecast, had forseen their position, and the utter impossibility of setting up independent governments in the boundaries of the States. It is now evident to all, that the salvation of these inte- resting felics of Oriental races lies in colonization west. Their teachers, the last to see the truth, have fully assented to it. Public sentiment has settled on that ground; sound policy dictates it; and the most enlarged philanthropy for the Indian race per- ceives its best hopes in the measure, 'i^-.i^fff- n ■■ ■ '■•^' •■ " ' ' V ■.vl«t':-c;r,S'T-ft'i'p Hikrl v*1t sua i«a?.. jW*- •»^^^^ 680 PUSOKAL MIMOIBB. Ui- »-' ^f *./' .-f .;» CHAPTER LXVI. Sentimenta of lojalty — Northern Anttqnarian Sooiety — Indian atatiatios— Bhode Island Historioal Sooietj— Gen. Maoomb— Lines in theC^Jibwa Ian« guage by a mother on placing her children aieohool — Mehemet Ali— Mrt. Jameson's opinion on pablishers and pabUshin|^Her opinion of my Indian legends — ^False report of a new Indian language — Indian compound words — ^Delafleld'i Antiquities — American Fur Company — State of Indian dis- turbances in Texas and Florida — Causes of the failure of the war in Florida, by an offcer — Death of an Indian ohief^Mr. Bancroft's opinion on the Dighton Bock insoripUon — Skroellings not in New England— Mr.' Gallatin's opinion on points of Esquimaux language, connected with our knowledge of our archaeology. .:,,,,y.:fi^^^ii^^^^.^_^^j^^^^^ i 'f- 1889. Jan. Ist. I oallbd, amid the throng, on the President. His manners vere bland and conciliatory. These visits, on set days, are not without the sentiment of strong personality in many of the visitors, but what gives them their most significant character is the general loyalty they evince to the constitution, and govern- ment, and supreme law of the land. The President is regarded, for the time, as the embodiment of this sentiment, and the tacit fealty paid to him, as the supreme law officer, is far more elevating to the self-balanced and independent mind than if he were a monarch ad l^itumj and not for four years merely. 2d. I received a notice of my election as a member of the Royal Northern Antiquarian Society of Oopenhagen, of which fact I had been previously notified by that Society. This Society shows us how the art of engraving may be brought in as an auxiliary to anti- quarian letters ; but it certainly undervalues American sagacity if it conjectures that such researches and speculations as those of Mr. Magnusen, on the Dighton Rock, and what it is fashionable now-a- days to call the Newport Ruin, can satisfy the purposes of a sound investigation of the Anti-Oolumbian period of American history. ^ *' ; ^ ' v There was a perfect jam this evening at Blair's. What sort of a compliment is it to be one of five or six hundred people, not half of PBB80NAL MBMOIB0. 681 whom can be squeexed into a small house, and not one of whom can pretend to taste a morsel without the danger of having server and all jammed down his throat. Sd. The mail hunts up everybody. Qo where you will, and par- ticularly to the seat of government, and letters will follow you. Whoever is in the service of government bears a part of the func- tions of it, though it be but an infinitesimal part. Mr. H. Conner, the Saginaw sub-agent, in a letter of this date, reports the Bagi- nawB at one thousand four hundred and forty-three souls, and the Swan Creek and Black River Chippewas at one hundred and ninety- eight. One of the most singular facta in the statistics of the most of the frontier Indian tribes of the Lakes, is, in the loDg run, that they neither increase nor deoline^ but just keep up a sort of dying existence. ^th. Dr. Thomas H. Webb, Secretary of the Rhode Island His- torical Society, announces the plan of that Society in publishing a series of works illustrating, in the first place, the history and lan- guage of the Indians, and soliciting me $0 become a contributor of original observations. The difficulty in all true efforts of our lite- rary history is the want of means. A man must devote all his lei- sure in researches, and then finds that there is no way in which these labors can be made to aid in supplying him the means of sub- sistence. He must throw away his time, and yet buy his bread. There is no real taste for letters in a people who will not pay for them. It is too early in our history, perhaps, to patronize them as a general thing. Making and inventing new ploughs will pay, but not books. 9th. The Secretary of War confirms my leave of absence, to visit Europe, and extends It beyond the contingencies of a re- appointment, on the 4th of March next, j ' ^ . Viih. Attended a general and crowded party at Gen. Macomb's, in the evening, with Mrs. Schoolcraft. The General has always appeared to me a perfect amateur in military science, although he has distinguished himself in the field. He is a most polished and easy man in all positions in society, and there is an air and manner by which he constantly reveals his French blood. He has a keen perception of the ridiculous, and a nice appreciation of the mock gravity of the heroic in character, and related to me a very effect- ive scene of this latter kind, which occurred at Mr. John Johnston's, 082 raMOHAL MIMOIM. at St. Mary's Falls, on the close of the late war. He had viiited that place in perhaps 1816 or 1816, as military commander of the District of Michigan, in the suite of Mi^or-Oen. Brown. They were gnests of Mr. Johnston. In going up the river to see Gros Gape, at the foot of Lake Superior, the American party had been fired upon by the Chippewas, who were yet hostile in feeling. When the party returned to the house of Mr. Johnston, their host, the latter drew himself up in the spirit of the border times of Waverley, and, with the air and accent of a chief of those days — which, by the way, waa not altogether unnatural to him — mani< fested the high gentlemanly indignation of a host whose hospitality had been violated. He exclaimed to his eldest son, "Let our followers be ready to repel this gross affront." The General's eye danced in telling it. The thing of the firing had been done- nobody was hurt — nobody was in fact in hostile array ; and far less was the party itself alarmed. It had been some crack-brained Indian, I believe Sassaba, who yet smarted at the remembrance of the death of his brother, who was killed with Teoumseh in the Battle of the Thames. 11th. Left Washington, with my family, in the oars for Balti- more, where we lodged ; reached Philadelphia the next day, at four P. M. ; remained the 18th and 14th, and reached New York on the 16th, at 4 o'clock P.M. ii|M '/,*iA« f ^i^ti liWfK* »{i ..'>^t« j*^ii ■ -it \- n' ?;•';■/'■ raBaOHAL MIMOIMw du'" ■ '". Mil.: -.■;■ ■♦. ',»la»l t.:.. . eAno Ain dah nuk ke ytun Nin iha k« we yea Ishe ke way aun e ' ' Nyau ne guih k»ln dum [FrU TiAirSLATION.] '0 1^ MOIJV Ah ! when thought reverta to my country eo dear, ^^ / My heart fills with pleaeure, and throbe with a fear: "'>«'*»«*» My country, my country, my own native land, * '"''** "* So loTely in aipeot, in feature* io grand, '1 Far, far in the West. What are cities to me, i» 7{,hr.>i;|' , ,j, I Oh 1 land of my mother, compared unto theet .,^,;^^ 4jn^rfmM 61 rvi. Fair land of the lakes 1 thou are blest to my sight, uM r'id' With thy beaming bright waters, and landscapes of light ; iiJ^A^ fi^ ' The breese and the murmur, the dash and the roar, i*iii That summer and autumn cast over the shore, ," '^.^ ' ,J They spring to my thoughts, like the lullaby tongue, '^ '''*[ "^ That soothed me to slumber when youthful and young. '.•': t'U:ti <^ One feeling more strongly still binds me to thee, . There roved my forefathers, in liberty free— '^^^ '^***** *^'^ There shook they the war lance, and sported the plume, ' '^ '• ^'''''* Ere Europe had cast o'er this country a gloom ; . .; ."■^A ■i,.(r;i Nor thought they that kingdoms more happy could be, ^.^;|^. , ./f, ),«•. White lords of a land so resplendent and free. < ^ ( ,. Yet it is not alone that my country is fair, *if '<•■, M « : \l M%t> \\a f And my home and my friends are inviting ue there ; ^,;,j.,.-,^ 7 Ktv While thev beckon me onward, my heart is still here, , , ' ~ ji With my sweet lovely daughter, and bonny boy dear : , , .,. And oh I what's the joy that a home can impart, ' tv^'i*^' -* ^-* Removed from the dear ones who cling to my heart. •^'^ t- 1 ^^ Yet I leave the bright land where my little ones dwell, ,;\ ■; With a sober regret, and a bitter farewell ; ^. ^^^ ti^itin I must leave the dear jewels I love, ^ ^ ; ^ - ^ The dearest of gifts fh>m my Master above. New York, Xareh ISth, 1839. li-.-iil* HhU'M '-. '*• ■, rt /it.'. T . ■ >A '> U 4t** f'-'tS., Vs< 684 PERSONiil. MBMOIRS. Vlth. Went, in the evening, to hear Mr. Stephens, the celebrated traveler, lecture before the Historical Society, at the Stuyvesant Institute, on Mehemet Ali. Public opinion places lecturers some- times in a false position. An attempt was here made to make out Mehemet Ali a great personage, exercising much influence in his times. An old despotic rajah in a tea-pot ! Who looks to him for exaltation of sentiment, liberality and enlargement of views, or as an exemplar of political truth ? Mr. Stephens, however, knew the feeling and expectation of his audience, and drew a picture, which was eloquently done, and well received. This popular mode of lecturing is certainly better than the run-a-muck amusements of the day. But it panders fo an excited intellectual appetite, and is anything but philosophical, historical, or strictly just. ' '' ' IBth. I received instructions from Washington, to form a treaty with the Saginaws, for the cession of a tract of ground on which to build a light-house on Saginaw Bay. The next letter I opened was from Mrs. Jameson, of London, who writes that her plan of publication is, to divide the profits with her publishers, and, as these are honest men and gentlemen, she has found that the be^t way. She advises me to adopt the same course with respect to my Indian legends.* "I published,'* she says, "in my little journal, one or two legends which Mrs. Schoolcraft gave me, and they have excited very general interest. The more exactly you can (in translation) adhere to the stifle of the language of the Indian nations, instead of emulating a fine or correct English style — the more character- istic in all respects — ^the more original — the more interesting your work will be." 2l8t. I read the following article in the New York Herald : — New Indian Tribe. — Dr. Jackson, in his report of the geology of the public lands, states that at the mouth of the Tobique there is an Indian settlement, where a large tribe of Indiana reside, and gain a livelihood by trapping the otter and beaver. These In- dians are quite distinct from the Penobscot tribe, and speak a peculiar language. hMi <,. li i j > Qiiery. What is the name of this tribe ? what language do they speak ? and what evidence is there that they are not Souriquois * I followed this advice, but fell into the hands of the Philistines. PBBBONAXi MBMOIBS. 685 or Miemaoks, who have been known to us since the first settlement of Acadia and Nova Scotia? ;<\; imftiiml •?';>;/.; rfs'Ti-'rj^si!ni?)^ Indian compound words are very composite. Aco, in the names of places once occupied by Algonquin bands, means, a limits or a% far a»f and is intended to designate the boundary or reach of woods and waters. Ac-ow means length of area. Accomac ap- pears to mean, at the place of the trees, or, as far as the open lands extend to the woods: mac, in this word, may be either a deri- vative from acki, earth, or, more probably, auk, a generic parti- ciple for tree or trunk. 21st. The editor of the North American Review directs my attention to Delafield's Antiquities as the subject of a notice for his pages. Delafield appears to have undertaken a course of reading on Mexican antiquities. The result is given in this work, with his conjectures and speculations on the origin of the race. The cause of antiquarian knowledge is indebted to him for the first publication of the pictorial Aztec map of Butturini. 2^th. Called on Mr. Ramsey Crooks, president of the American Fur Company, at his counting-house, in Ann street. He gave me an interesting sketch of his late tour from La Pointe, Lake Supe-> rior, to the Mississippi. The Chippewas were not paid at La Pointe till October. This made him late at the country. The St. Croix River froze before he reached the Mississippi, and he went down the latter, from St. Peter's, in a sleigh. Bonga had been sent to notify the Milles LaCiJ, Sandy Lake^ and Leech Lake Indians to come to the payments. When he reached Leech Lake, Guelle Plat had gone, with twenty-four canoes, to open a trade with the Hudson's Bay Factor, at Bainy Lake. Mr. Crooks thinks that the dissatisfaction among these bands can be readily allayed by judicious measures. Thinks the Governor of Wisconsin ought to call the chiefs together at some central point within the country, and make explanations. That the payments, in future, should be made at one place, and not divided. That the Leech Lake, and other bands living without the ceded district, ought not to partici- pate in the annuities. Mr. Crook's manner is always prompt and cordial. He concen- trates, in his reminiscences, the history of the fur trade in America fr\ii» fViA loaf frhivftr irAOV«a T Vioira alnratra 4-li/\iiivTif if o. aiinionf. AT l*o« gret, that such a man should not have kept a journal. There was 686 PSRSOITAL HBH0IR8. much, it is true, that could not be put down, and he was always so exclusively an active business man that mere literary memoranda never attracted his attention; they were not adverse to his tastes. He has nearly, I should judge, recovered from the severe hardships and privations which attended his perilous journey across the Rocky Mountains, on the abandonment of Astoria, on the Pacific, in 1812. 29th. Texas and Florida continue to be the rallying points of Indian warfare. The frontier of Texas is harassed by wander- ing parties of Indians. A Mr. Morgan, who resided near the falls of Brazos, had been killed, and three women carried off by a band of fifteen savages. A company of rangers was sent in pursuit. The Florida War still lingers, without decisive results. The New OrUam Bee says that General Taylor has been very active, the past season, in trying to bring it to a close. A writer from Tampa Bay, of the 25th instant, who appears to have good know- ledge of matters, states three causes, particularly as opposing a successful prosecution and consummation of it, namely : — ^'Ist. An ignorance of the topography of Florida — ^the position of the numerous swamps and hummocks, the usual hiding-places of the Indians, ''■^v■:-.:^'!'^:^^'!'^■•mu^■■^'^■m ^' ■•'.-' ^.i- "2d. A want of proper interpreters. ''^■'"'^^^^ "8d. A countervailing influence from Bomd unknown quarter." He supports his view as follows: "It is a well known fact that, previous to. the year 1836, the portion of Florida south of the Military Road from Tampa to Garey's Ferry was unexplored and unknown, and since that time the only information has been de- rived from the hasty reconnoissances of officers, made in the pro- gress of the several divisions of the army through the country. Since the organization of the Corps of Topographical Engineers, several >uve been sent to this country, and are now actively en- gaged in making surveys and plotting maps. Gould the informa- tion they are expected to give have been known even before the commencement of the last campaign, it would have aided mate- rially in the subjugation of the enemy. A correct knowledge of this country is needed more especially because such another theatre of war probably has not a place on the earth ; a theatre so pecu- liarly favorable to the Indians and disadvantageous to the white man. Swamps may be delineated as well perhaps as any other PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. natural object; but euck swamps as are found in Florida, are not to be imitated in painting or described by words. As an instance, I may mention the Halpataokee or Alligator Water, which is made up of small islands, surrounded by water of various depths, through which for two miles the road of the army passed during the winter of 1838." " 2d. The only interpreters are Seminole negroes, who, for the most part, find it difficult to understand English. As an instance of the numerous mistakes occurring daily, may be mentioned the following : The General told the interpreter to say to Nettetok Emathla, that ' patience and perseverance would accomplish every- thing.' While he was speaking to the Indian, the remark was made that he did not know the meaning of the sentence. When questioned the following day, he said 'patience and 'suverance mean a little book.' Our laughter« convinced him he was mis- taken, and he said ' patience mean you must be patien ; I don't zackly know what 'suverance do mean, sar !' Numerous errors of this nature are doubtless occurring daily, and among a people who are so scrupulously nice and formal in their * talks,' such trifling mistakes may be injurious. . . ? .^v > « , ;y " Zd. We are now to speak of the most important difficulty in the way of termination of hostilities, and the removal of the Semi- noles to their new homes beyond the ' Muddy Water.' That the Indians are and have been supplied by whites, Americans or Spa- niards, is a point so decisively settled that ' no hinge is left where- on to hang a doubt.' However shameless it may appear, proofs are not wanting to establish the fact, so much to the discredit of our patriotism. When Goacoochee escaped from St. Augustine he carried with him bolts of calico and factory cloths, which he afterwards sold to the Indians in the woods for three chalks (six shillings) per yard. It was reported to Colonel Taylor, then at Fort Bassinger, by an Indian woman, who ran away from Coacoo- chee's camp, that he had one poney packed solely with powder ; that he had plenty of lead, provisions, etc., and was determined never to come in or go to Arkansas. On several occasions when In- dians have been killed or taken, or their camps surprised, new calico, fresh tobacco, bank bills, and other articles of a civilized character, have been found in their possession. Besides this, the Indians are constantly reporting in their talks that some persons 688 PBRSONAf. HKMOIKS. on the other side of the territory prevent the hostiles from com- plying with the treaty. Ethlo Emathla, Governor of the Talla- hassees, promised the general to be in with his people on a specified day. It is reduced almost to a certainty that he has been pre- vented from doing so by the representations of some person or per- sons in a quarter, the name of which charity alone forbids to men- tion. The only object is, and for a long time has been, to keep entirely out of the way, to hide themselves from the whites, and every effort to bring them to battle, either by sending small or large parties among them, has proved useless. They will not fight, and thirty thousand men cannot find them, broken up as they are into small parties. What then is to be done ? Protect the in- habitants of the frontiers, gradually push the Indians south, and at no distant day, the necessary, unavoidable and melancholy consummation must arrive, viz., the expulsion of the last tribe of red men from the soil over which they once roamed the sole lords and possessors." SOth. The oldest man in the Ottawa nation, a chief called Nish- caud-jin-in-a, or the Man of Wrath, died this day at L'Arbre Croche, Michigan. He was between ninety and one hundred years of age, withered and dry, and slightly bent, but still pre- serving the outlines of a man of strength, good figure, and intel- lect. What a mass of reminiscences and elements of history dies with every old person of observation, white or red. Feb. 4th. Mr. James H. Lanman writes respecting the prospects of his publishing a history of Michigan — a subject which I gave him every encouragement to go forward in, while he lived in that State. The theme is an ambitious one, involving as it does the French era of settlements, and the day for handling it effectively has not yet arrived. But the sketches that may be made from easily-got, existing materials, may subserve a useful purpose, with the hope always that some new fact may be elicited, which will add to the mass of materials. " I have been delayed here,'' he says, " in preparing the book, and the delay has been occasioned by my publishers having failed. It is now, however, stereotyped, and will be out in about a fortnight."* * He afterwards re-cast the work, and it was published by the Harpers as one of the volumes of their library. tNLBOVAt MBU0IR8. m '• Qlst. Mr. Bancroft writes to m^, giving every encouragement to bring forward before the public my collections and researches on Indian history and language, and expressing his opinion of success, unless I should be '< cursed with a bad publisher." "Father Duponceau," he says, "won his prize out of your books, and Gallatin owes much to you. Go on ; persevere ; build a monument to yourself and the unhappy Algonquin race." Making every allowance for Mr. Bancroft'ls enthusiastic way of speaking, it yet appears to me that I should endeavor to publish the results of investigations of Indian subjects. My connection with the Johnston family has thrown open to me theVhole arcanum of the Indian's thoughts. I wrote an article for Dr. Absalom Peter's Magazine, express- ing my dissent from the very fanciful explanations of the Dighton Rock characters, as given by Mr. Magrusen in the first volume of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquarians, published at Copen* hagen. It appears to me that those characters (throwing out two or three) are the Indian KekSwin — a species of hieroglyphics or symbolic devices, still in vogue among them. To this view of the matter Mr. Bancroft assents. "If you have a proof-sheet of your article on the Daneschrift, send it me. All they say about the Dighton Rock is, I think, the sublime of humbuggery," What is said in the interpreted Sagas, of the Skroellings or Es- quimaux being in New England at the date of Eric's .voyage (A. D. 1001) is, I think, problematical. Those tribes are not known to have extended further south than the Straits of Belleisle, about 60°, or to parts of Newfoundland. The term deduced from the old journals appear to belong to the Esquimaux proper, rather than to the New England class of the Algonquins. The Esqui- maux had the free use of the sound of the letter I, which was not used at all by the N. E. Indians. Mr. Gallatin, in a letter of Feb. 22, in response to me on this subject, says: "The letter L occurs in every Esquimaux dialect of which I have any knowledge. Thus heaven or sky, is in Green- land, Killak ; Hudson's Bay, Keiluk ; Kadick Islands, Kelisk ; Kotzebue's Sound, Keilydk ; Asiatic Tshuktchi, Kuelok. " I am not so certain about the v, which I find used only by Egede, or Crantz (not distinguished from each other in my collection) for the Greenland dialect. In their conjurations I find ' we (sing. 640 PBR80NAL MBM0IB8. and dual) wash them' Ernikp-auvut, and Ernikp-auvuk. In the Mithradites, the same letter v is repeatedly used in dual examples of the Greenland and Labrador .dialects, principally (as it ap- pears to me) but not exclusively in the pronominal terminations, picksaukonikf akeetvor, tivut, Profetiv-vit! that is, good ours, debt- ors ours, a prophet art thou. *' By comparing this with the pronouns q( the other Esquimaux dialects, I suspect that oo and w in these, are used instead of v. But the difference may arise from that in the mother tongue, or in the delicacy of the ear, of those who have supplied us with other verbal and pronominal forms or vocabularies." 22d. The Indian names may be studied analytically. Ohes (pronounced by the Algonquin Indians Ohees), signifies a plant of the turnip family. Beeg is the plural, and denotes water existing in large bodies, such as accumulations in the form of lakes and seas. If these two roots be connected by the usual sound in Algonquin words, thus Ches-a-beeg, a sound much resembling Ches- apeake would be produced. The Nanticokes, who inhabited this bay on its discovery, were of the Algonquin stock. Potomac appears to be a clipped expression, derived, I believe, from Po-to-wau-me-ac. Po-to-wau, as we have it, in Potawat- tomie, means to make a fire in a place where fires, such as council fires, are usually made. The ac in the word is apparently from ak or wak, a standing tree. The whole appears descriptive of a burning tree, or a burning forest. Megiddo in the Algonquin means he barks, or a barker. Hence me-giz-ze, an eagle or the bird that barks. >, ••5 •■■'■ . 4- PERSONAL MBM0IR8. .^ri,f,i";;«l..ii;''> V' ♦■••.'•S'.i vit'^i," nt;-;'v''x,- -^^ .atw- -.->n >i.V, i-:j'.;3'.-?v ■•■v^ ■"- . CHAPTER LXVII. '■:J/.u- Workings of unshackled mind — Comity of the American Addison — Lake periodical fluctuations — American antiquities-^Ind'an doings in Florida and TezaS'-'Wood's New England's Prospect— Philological and historical oomment»— Death of Ningwegon — Creeks— Brotiiertons made citicens— Charles Fenno Hoffman — Indian names for places on the Hudson — Christ- ian Indians— Etymology — Theodorio— Appraisements of Indian property-^ Algic researches — Plan and olgeot. tJinja^^'vii)irr^>;^iw^iiia:■-<;t!i■S " j-v».wiW,w ' 1889. Feb. 22d. HoK. Lucius Lton, Senator in Congress from Michigan, writes, informing me of the movements of political affairs in that State. The working of our system in the new States is peculiar. Popular opinion must have its full swing. It rights itself. Natural good sense and sound moral appreciation of right are at work at the bottom, and the lamp of knowledge is continu- ally replenished with oil, by schools and teaching. That light cannot be put out. It will bum on till the world is not only free, but enlightened and renovated. 2^th. Washington Irving kindly encloses me a letter to Colonel Aspinwall of London, commending to him my contemplated publi- cation on the oral legends of the North American Indians. "I regret to say," he adds, *'that the last time he wrote to me, he was in great uneasiness, apprehending the loss of one of his daughters, who appeared to be in a rapid decline." 25th. Mrs. Jameson, on returning from her trip to the lakes, writes for my opinion on the causes of the phenomenon of the rise in the waters of the lakes. Alluding to this subject, the Superin- tendent of the works in the Ohio says : " The water of Lake Erie, which has been rising for many years, and has attained a height unequaled in the memory of man, seems to have attained its maximum, and to have commenced its reflux. Since the first day of June last, as I have ascertained by means of graduated rods at different points along the coast of Lake Erie, the water has fallen perpendicularly nineteen inches, and is still failing. The meteor- 41 642 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. ologioal character of the present season, as compared with that of several previous seasons, clearly shows the cause of the rise and fall of the lakes not to be periodical, as has heretofore been asserted, but entirely accidental. For several years the summers have been cloudy and cold, with a prevalence of easterly winds and rainy weather. The last summer has been excessively warm for the whole season, and of exceeding drought. When it is remembered that the amount of water evaporated over the surface of these vast bodies of water, during a period of warm sunny weather, greatly exceeds that which passes the outlet of one of these lakes (Niagara Sliver, for example), the cause of the phenomenon is apparent." — See Mr, Barrett's inquiriet, ante. 2Qth. The New York Star publishes a notice of Delafield'a Anti- quities. This handsomely printed and illustrated work contains four things that are new to the antiquarian inquirer : 1. A theory by the author, by which he conceives the Indian race to be de- scended from the ancient Cuthites, who are Hamitic. This is wrong. 2. A curious and valuable pictographic map of the migra- tion of the Aztecs, not heretofore printed. This is an acquisition. 3. A disquisition of Dr. Lakey, of Cincinnati, on the superiority of the northern to the southern race of red men. This seems true. 4. A preface, by Bishop McUvaine, showing the importance in all inquiries of the kind, of keeping the record of the Bible strictly in view. This is right. 2'lth. The Houston Telegraph of this date says: "A party of about eighty men from Bastrop County, accompanied by Castro and forty Lipan warriors, recently made an expedition into the Comanche country, and, near the San Saba, attacked and routed a large body of Comanches, who, with their women and children, were encamped on a small branch of the stream. About thirty of the Comanche warriors were killed in the engagement, many huts and considerable baggage destroyed, and a large number of horses and mules captured. On their return, however, a few Co- manches stole silently into the droves of horses, while feeding at night, and recaptured the whole except ninety-three horses, which the shrewd Castro, with ten of his warriors, had driven far in ad- vance of the main company, and which he subsequently brought in safety to Lagrange. Only two of the citizens of Texas were injured on this expedition." PBR80NAL HIM 0IR8. 648 " General Burlison, at the liead of about seventy men, recently encountered a large body of Indians on the Brushy, and, after one or two skirmishes, finding the enemy numerous, retreated to a ravine in order to engage them with more advantage; but the In* dians, fearing to attack him in his new position, drew off and re- treated into a neighboring thicket. Being unable to pursue them, he returned to Bastrop. It is reported that he has lost three men in this engagement; the loss of the Indians is not known; it, how- ever, must have been considerable, as most of the men under Bur- lison were excellent marksmen, and had often been engaged in Indian warfare." March 4fA. The N. Y. Evening Post says, that a gentleman from Tallahassee, just arrived at Washington, states that murders by the Indians are of everyday occurrence in that vicinity, and that between the 17th and 21st Feb. fifteen persons had been killed. bih. Finished the perusal of William Wood's ^^New England** Prospects," a work of 98 12mo pages, printed at London, 1684. This was fourteen years after the first landing of the pilgrims at Plymouth, and the same year that John Eliot came over. Its chief claim to notice is its antiquity. " Some have thought,'* he says, "that they (the Indians) might be descendants of the Jews, because some of their words be near unto the Hebrew ; but by the same rule they may conclude them to be some of the gleanings of all nations, because they have words which sound after the Greek, Latin, French, and other tongues. Their language is hard to learn, few of the English being able to speak any of it, or capable of the right pronunciation, which is the chief grace of their tongue. They pronounce much after the diphthongs, excluding R and L, which, in our English tongue, they pronounce with much difficulty, as most of the Dutch do T and H, calling a lobster, a nobstan." The examples of a vocabulary he gives show them to be Algon- quins, and not "Skroellings," or Esquimaux, as they are represented to have been by the Scandinavians (vide Ant. Amer.), who visited the present area of Massachusetts in the tenth century. The close alliance of their language with the existing Chippewa and Ottawa of the north, is shown by the following specimens ;— 644 PERSONAL MBM0IR8. vf.>a"#^' f '■>»■ Wiman, Water, A raccoon. Daughter, A duck, ,f- ,V! ..'.Jtl Summer, ^, Red ;; ;' A house. ■'ii'.''''. Chippewa of Lake Superior. 1830. E-qua. Ne-M. '^^ A ae-ban. ■*' ^ * i- 0-daa-nU. ' v< She-theeb. < Se-gwun. ,, . Weeg-wam. New England Tribes. 1634. Squa, Nip-pe, Au-sapp, Tawonia, Soa-ioeep, Se-quan, Squi, Wie-wam, He divides the tribes into : — ■ "■■..■■■ -.- ■<; ■-,>:,>, ^ ' ■ ... Tarrenteens. Ghurhers (local tribes even then under instruction). ' ' ""^ Aberginians (Algonquins of the St Lawrence, probably). Narragansetts (a tribe of the N. £. Algonquins with dialectic peculiarities). PequanU r' CV < " ") ■.: ,> Nepnets (" " ") . . v , Conilectacuts (" " ' ♦•) Mohawks (a tribe of Iroquois). . The people whom he calls "Tarrenteens," are clearly Abena- kies. Cotton Mather, L. of E., 1691, p. 78, denominates the Indians "the veriest ruins of mankind. Their name for an Endishman was a knifeman ; stone was used instead of metal for their tools ; and for their coins they have only little beads, with holes in them, to string them upon a bracelet, whereof some are white, and of these there go six for a penny; some are black or blue, and of these go three for a penny; this wampum, as they call it, is made of shell fish, which lies upon the sea-coast continually." P. 79. "Nbkehickf that is, a spoonful of parched meal with a spoonful of water, which will strengthen them to travel a day." " Beadmg and writing are altogether unknown to them, though there is a stone or two in the country that h^ unaccountable cha- racters engraved upon it." The intention of the King in granting the royal charter to Mas- sachusetts was, says Cotton Mather : — " To win and invite the natives of that country to the knowledge and obedience of the only true God and Saviour of mankind, and the Christian faith, is our Royal intentions, and the. adventurer's free profession is the principal end of the plantation." — Life of Eliot, p. 77. PIRBONAl UBMOIRS. 645 10th. Died at Little Traverse Bay, on Lake Michigan, Ningwe- gon, or the Wing, the weIl>known American-Ottawa chief — a man who distinguished himself for the American cause at Detroit, in 1812, and was thrown into prison by the British officers for his boldness in expressing his sentiments. He received a life annuity under the treaty of 28th March, 1886. 11th. Received notice of my election as a corresponding member of the Brooklyn Lyceum. v'.V. <«>-.: v.- ; c ^ .'.' :• 12th. A small party of chiefs of the Seneca tribe under the command of ''Blacksmith," successor to Red Jacket, arrived in this city yesterday from Washington, and took lodgings at the Western Hotel in Courtland Street. They were received by the Mayor at th« Governor's room about 12 o'clock. In the address made by one of the number, it was stated that the object of their visit had been to urge upon the President the impropriety of driv- ing them from their present possessions. >., ISth. Peacb Amono the Indiaks. — The two nations of Upper and Lower Creeks, who were hostile while residing east of the Mis- sissippi, have, in their new homes in Arkansas, united in general council, at which fifteen hundred were present. The oratory on this occasion, of smoking the calumet, is described as of the highest order. 14th. Judge Bronson, of Florida, last evening, at a party at his coufdn's (Arthur Bronson, 46 Bond Street, N. Y.), states that, as Chairman of a Committee in Congress, a few years ago, he had reported a bill for allowing the Brotherton Indians to hold their property in Wisconsin individually, and to enjoy the rights of citi- zenship ; and that this bill passed both houses. 20^^. Went to dine with Charles Fenno Hoffman, at his lodg- ings in Houston Street. Found his room garnished with curiosi- ties of various sorts, indicative, among other things, of his interest in the Indian race. A poet in his garret I had long heard of, but a liberal gentlemanly fellow, surrounded by all the elegances of life, I had not thought of as the domicil of the Muses. Mr. Hoffman impressed me as being very English in his appearance and manners. His forehead is quite Byronic in its craniological develop- ments. His eye and countenance are of the most commanding character. Pity that such a handsome man, so active in every- K^ FVMONAL MIMOIM. thing tuit;^ g«]li fur the gun, the rod, the boat, the hone, the dog, should have been uhorn of bo enHttm !al a prerequisite as a leg. His oonversatioual powers are quite extraordinary. I felt constantly ad if I were in thu iresenoe of a lover of nature and natural things; a bon vimnt perhaps, or an pjifMOure, a Tom Moore, in some sense, INtof^ day-dreams of heaven aru mixed up with glowing images of women and wine. j f i }• ,^l ,»-fr h- 27th. I was directed from Washington to relieve the principal disbursing officer at Detroit. Here then my hopes of visiting Europe are blown sky high for the present. I must return to the north, and, so far as labor is concerned, "heap Pelion on Ossa." April 6th. There is hardly a word in the Indian languages which does not readily yield to the power of analysis. They on 11 tobacco, Ussama. C/iua, means to put (anything inanimate). Jlfa, is a particle denoting smell. The u$, in the first syllable, is sounded very slight, and often, perhaps, nearly dropt, and the word then seems as if spelt Sa ma. The last vowel is broad. Sth. Left the city for Detroit. In ascending the Hudson, with so good an interpreter at my side as Mrs. Schoolcraft, whom I have carried through a perfect course of philological training in the English, Latin, and Hebrew ]i'< iciples of formation, I analyzed many of the old Indian names, which, until we reached Albany, are all in a peculiar dialect of the Algonquin. SiKO Sing. — This name is the local form of the name for rocks, and conveys the idea of the plural in the terminal letter. 0»-»tny in modern Algonquin (the Chippewa dialect), is stone, or rock. Ing, is the local form of all nouns proper. The term may be ren- dered simply place qf rock», Nyao. — This appears to be tl\ name of a band (*f io-^i-rii -yho lived there. The termination in oo, is generally . :ki i-j/ct, ^and. Croton. — Historically, this is known to have been the name of r. ^tsd Indian chief, who resided near the mouth of the river. The ovd jppflars to be derived from ndYi'n, a wind. If we admit the iow Juftnge ji sounds of n for r, as being made, and the ordia^r'- hf.jcge of t for ^, between the Holland and Indian races, PBRB0N4T. UBM0IR8. 647 this dorivatton is probable. The letter e seems to be the sign of a pronoun, s ;..;• . i • , •' II •.(.' Tappan Sia. — It is perceived from Vanderdoflk, and from old maps and records, that a band of J'ldians lived, here, who were called the " Tappanue$." ....■:.;.: i' . *,:: ■ . ■ J..- . 'PoijOHKBBPSIB is a derivative of Au-po-keep-nng, ». e., P^ace i^ lb : ,er. The entrance of the Fall Kill into the Hudson is the feature meant. CoxACKiB, is evidently made up in the original from kuk, to cut, and aukie, earth, which was, probably, in old days, as it is in fact yet, a graphic description of a ridge cut and tumbled in by the waters of the Hudson pressing hard on that shore. Glayeraok is not Indian. Clove, in the HoUandais, is an open- ing or side-gorge in the valley. Back, is a reach or bend i i the river, the whole length of which was known, as we see, to th ■ old skippers as separate rackt. The reach of elovet began at what is now the city of Hudson, the old Claveraok landing. . y- , Tawasentha. — Normanskill is the first Iroquois name noticed. It means the hill of the dead. Albany itself has taken the name of a Scottish dukedom for its ancient Iroquois cognomen, Ske- nek-ta-dea: of this compound term, Ske is a propositional particle, and means beyond; nek is the Mohawk name for a pine ; and the term ta-dea is descriptive of a valley. 18th. Ber»ched Detroit in the steamer <^Gen. Wayne," and as- sumed the duties of my new appointment. One of the earliest Washington papers I opened, gave an account of the death of Mr. William Ward, a most valuable clerk in the Indian Bureau ; a man of a fine literary taste, who formerly edited and established the Norih-we»t Journal, at the City of Detroit. \^th. A singular denouement is made this morning, which ap- peals strongly to my feelings. On getting in the stage at Vernon, in Western New York, a gentleman of easy manners, good figure, and polite address, whom we will call Theodoric, kindly made way for me and my family, which led us to notice him, and we traveled 648 PERSONAL 1IBH0IR8. together quite to Detroit, and put up at the same hotel. This morning a note from him reveals him to be a young Virginian, seek- ing his fortune west, and out of funds, and makes precisely such an appeal as it is hard, and wrong in fact, to resist. I told Theodoric to take his trunk and go, by the next steamer, to my house at Mack- inack, and I should be up in a short time, and furnish him employ- ment in the Indian department. 25th. Rev. Mr. Lukenbach, of the Moravian towns, Canada, writes, that the proportional annuity of the Christian Indians, for 1838, is unpaid. He says they were paid $133 yVTj*^^, in 1837, being one-third of the original annuity. He states that Mr. Vogler and Mr. Mickeh arrived on the Kanzas with upwards of seventy souls, having left nearly one hundred at Green Bay, who are to fol- low them; and that these two men have commenced a new mission among the Delawares. Mr. L. says that there are but about one hundred and twenty souls left, who propose to remain in Canada with him. BOth. Ke-bic! An exclamation of the Algonquins in passing dangerous rocky shores in their canoes, when the current is strong. Query. Is not this the origin of the name Quebec? Matf 2d. Major Garland, my predecessor in the disbursements, writes from Washington: "You have a heavy task on your hands for this senson; and, in addition to the hands of Briareus, you will need the «^yes of Argus." * 8d. I made the payments to the Saginaw chiefs in specie, under the treaty of the 14th of January, 1837. 10th. Mr. F. W. Shearman, the able and ingenious editor of the Journal of Education^ writes from Marshall, that it receives an in- creased circulation and excites a deeper interest in the people, with his plans for further improvements. .IQth. Letters from Mackinack informs me that the Ottawas design leaving their location in the United States for the Mani- touline Islands, in Canada, where inducements are held out to them by agents of the British government. They fear going west : they cling to the north. 20th. The Harpers, publishers at New York, send me copies of the first issue of my Algic Beaearches, in two vols., 12mo. They intend to publish the work on the 1st proximo. PXBSOITAL MEMOIRS. 649 ' 23c?. Letters from Washington speak of the treasury as being low in specie funds. -, 'i''U: ^n!.f■.■i^^ (tiij ^■4iilf^pi>,5^y'■ , •<:;;;!!?'' ■'iv-vf-.n?,; 24eA. Sales of the lands of the Swan Creek and Black River Chippewas, are made at the Land Office in Detroit, in conformity with the treaty of May 9th, 1836. The three years that have elapsed in this operation, have brought the prices of lands from the summer heat to the zero of prices. 2'7th. Na, in the Algonquin language, means excellent or tran- scendent, and wa, motion. Thus the names of two chiefs who vi- sited me to day on business, are Na-geezhig, excellent or transcend- ent day, and Ke-wa-geezhig^ or returning cloud. Whether the word geezhig shall be rendered day, or cloud, or sky, depends on the nature of its prefix. To move back is h&-wa^ and hence the prefixed term to the latter name. - '-■^'^ '"■-• ^ *? ' ^ ^ ■ 'v ^ June Aih. Received from Col. De Garme Jones, Mayor of De- troit, sundry manuscript documents relative to the administration of Indian affairs of Gov. Hull, of the dates of 1807, '8 and '9. Mr. Johnstone, of Aloor, near Edinburgh, Scotland, brings me a note of introduction from Gen. James Talmadge, of New York. Mr. X is a highly respected man at home, and is traveling in America to gratify a laudable curiosity. • - 1th. Reached Mackinack, on board the steamer Great Western, Capt. Walker. IQth. The Albany Evening Journal has a short editorial under the head of Algic Besearches: "Such is the title of a work from our countryman Schoolcraft, which the Harpers have just published, in two volumes. It consists of Tales and Legends, which the Author has gleaned in the course of his long and familiar intercourse with the children of the Forest, illustrating the mental powers and cha- racteristics of the North American Indians. " Mr. Schoolcraft has traveled far into the western wilds. He has lived much with the Indians, and has studied their character thoroughly. He is withal a scholar and a gentleman, whose name is a sufficient guarantee for the excellence of all he writes." 11^^. I set out to complete the appraisement of the Indian im- provements on the north shore of Lake Huron, under the 8th ar- ticle of the treaty of March 28th, 1836. "L^thi Paid the Indians of L'Arbre Oroche villages at Littls ■;-■''-> 650 PERSONAL MBMOIRS. Traverse Bay, the amount of the appraisement of their public improvements, made under the treaty of 1836. : . i ■ ■> : . . IBth. Proceed to Grand Traverse Bay, to view the location of a mission by Messrs. Dougherty and Fleming. Found it located on the sands, near the bottom of the bay, "where a vessel could not unload, at a point so utterly destitute of advantages that it would not have been possible to select a worse site in the compass of the whole bay, which is large, and abounds in ship harbors. Con- demned the site forthwith, and the same day removed the site of operations to Kosa's village, on a bay near the end of the penin- sula. I afterwards encamped on the open lake shore, behind a sand drift, to avoid the force of the wind, and, as soon as the waters of the lake lulled, made the traverse to the Beaver Islands, to appraise the value of the Indian improvements at that place, and, having done this, put across to the main shore north, for the same purpose. In this trip Mr. Turner accompanied me to keep the lists, and Dr. Douglass to vaccine the Indians, the latter of whom reported 214 persons as having submitted to receive the virus. The Albany papers continue to publish notices of Algic Re- searches. The ArgiM of the 13th June, says : " Mr. H. B. School- craft has added another to his claims upon the consideration of the reading public, by a recent work (from the press of the Messrs. Harper), entitled ^Al^ie Researches, comprising inquiries respect- ing the mental characteristics of the North American Indians.' It is the first of a series, which the author promises to continue at a future day, illustrative of the mythology, distinctive opinions, and intellectual character of the aborigines. These volumes com- prise their oral tales, with preliminary observations and a general introduction. The term Al^ic, is introduced by the author, in a generic sense, for all the tribes, with few exceptions, that were found in 1600 spread out between the Atlantic and the Mississippi. " To those who care to look into the philosophy of the Indian character, these oral fictions will be read with interest. They are curious in themselves, and not less so as a material dtep in the re- searches that may serve, in the sequel, to unveil the origin, as well as the intellectual traits, of these tribes. They will at least es- tablish the fact of * an oral imaginative lore' among the aborigines of this continent, of which they give us faithful specimens. "Probably no man in this country is better qualified to pursue PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 651 these researches than Mr. Schoolcraft. A long residence in the Indian country, and official intercourse with the tribes, have given him an access to the Indian mind which few have enjoyed, and which none have improved to a greater extent by habits of obser- vation and philosophical investigation. A residence at Mackinaw is of itself calculated to beget, as it is to gratify, a taste for the prosecution of these inquiries. It is described by Miss Martineau as ' the wildest and tenderest piece of beauty that she had yet seen on God's earth.' It is indeed a spot of rare attractiveness. Stand- ing upon the promontory, in the rear of the fort and town, the view embraces to the north the head waters of the Huron and the far- off isles of St. Martin, to the west Green Isle and the straits of Mackinaw, and to the east and south Bois Blanc and the Great Lake. It is a delightful summer retreat, and many are the legends and reminiscences of the scenes of enjoyment passed here in ab- solute, and we are assured happy, exclusion from the outward world, during the winter months. It has been regarded, at no distant day, as important not only as the rendezvous of the Fur Companies' agents and employers and the Indian traders, but as a government military post. It is still a great resort of the north- ern Indians. Often their lodges and their bark canoes, of beauti- ful construction, line the pebbly shore ; and the aboriginal habits and mental characteristics may be studied on the spot. "It is to be hoped that Mr. S. will resume the course of inquiry and research that he has marked out for himself; and that he will be induced to give to the public the results of his long and intimate familiarity with the Indian life and character." 17th. The Detroit Daily Advertiser, of this day, has the follow- ing critical notice on the work of Algio Beaearchea, under the head of Indian Tales and Legends. "This work has just been offered for sale at our bookstores, and we strongly recommend it to all those who feel an interest in the character of our aborigines. It is well known to many of us here, that Mr. Schoolcraft has, for the last several years, been industri- ously engaged in collecting facts which illustrate the 'mythology, distinctive opinions, and intellectual character' of the Indians. His researches have embraced ' their oral tales, fictitious and histo- rical; their hieroglyphics, music, and poetry; and the grammatical structure of their languages, the principles of their construction, 662 PBESOKAL MBMOIRS. and the actual state of their vocabulary.' The materials he has noTV on hand afford him the means of fulfilling this extensive plan, and this 'first series' is only a leading publication. "When the position which Mr. S. has occupied for the last seven- teen or more years is recollected, as well as his fitness and exertions to improve all its advantages, we shall at once see the benefit to the literary and scientific world which his researches in these va- rious departments are likely to produce. The subjects which have engaged his attention are regarded with deep interest by the phi- lanthropist, the philologist, the archaeologist, as well' as many other liberal inquirers, both in Europe and America, who, amid the scanty facts, cursory observations, and hurried, random conjec- tures of those who have been favored with a comparatively near view of them, have lamented the want of such deliberate investi- gations and comparative examinations, continued with sober judg- ment through a long series of years, as are now offered to the public. We trust that a proper and enlightened patronage will warrant Mr. Schoolcraft in completing his design. No man, pos- sessing his qualifications, has enjoyed his advantages. He has been able to take up, at his leisure, the scattered links of a broken chain, and fit them together. A chaos of aboriginal facts will be reduced, under his hand, to some degree of order. "Mr. Schoolcraft and Mr. Catlin have done more to preserve the fleeting traits of aboriginal character and history than all their predecessors in this field of inquiry, and none can follow them with the same success, as none can have the same range of subjects before them. The scene is changing with each year, and the past, with respect to the Savages, does not recur. They fall back with no hope to recover lost ground ; they diminish with no hope to increase again; they degenerate with no hope to revive in physical or moral strength. Those who have seen them most during the last few years, have seen them best. After observers will find mere fragments, or a heterogeneous mass, in which all original identity is distorted or gone. " The Tales now published must not be estimated for their in- trinsic merit alone. They may have less variety of construction, less beauty of imagination, less singularity of incident, than belong to oriental tales, the productions of more refined times, or more excitable people. But the estimate must not be comparative. FBRSONAL MBHOIBS. 658 They are to be regarded as the type of aboriginal mind, as the measure of intellectual power of our Sons of the Forest ; as speak- ing their sentiments, th( ir hopes and their 'fears, whatever they were or are, whether elevated or depressed, whether raising the race or sinking it in the scale of untutored nations. Whether they prove a poverty of mental energy, a feebleness of imagination, a want of invention, or the reverse, cannot affect the value of these volumes in the opinion of those who look* into them for evidences of the true character of the Indians. Mr. Schoolcraft, or any other gentleman of taste and skill, might have formed out of these materials a series of Tales, highly finished in their unity and de- sign, strikingly colored by fancy, such as would have caught the popular whim. But this was not his object. He has been honest in his renderings of the aboriginal sense, whether pointed or mys- tical, of the Indian's mythology, whether intelligible or obscure ; of their shadowy glimpses of the past and the future; of the be- ginning and end of things, without alteration or embellishment. Such a work was wanted^ and such a work was expected from Mr. Schoolcraft.' ; " If we have room, we will quote one or two of the shorter tales, such as * Mon-daw-min, or the origin of Indian corn,' and the * Ce- lestial Sisters,' both of which are very characteristic, and show, under the garb of much figurative beauty, how Indians appreciate the blessings of a kind Providence, and, how his domestic affections may glow and endure. Indeed, there are few of these tales that would not give interest to our columns, and we shall be pleased to give our readers an occasional taste, provided we thereby induce them to supply themselves with the full feast in their power." 20th. It is stated that the oldest town in the United States is St. Augustine, Florida, by more than forty years. It was founded forty years before Virginia was colonized. Some of the houses are yet standing which are said to have been built more than three centuries ago, that is to say, about 1540. De Soto landed in Florida in 1539. Narvaez, in his unfortunate expedition, landed in 1537. Both these expeditions were confined to the exploration of the country west and north of the Bay of Espiritu Santo, reach- ing to the Mississippi. De Soto crossed the latter into the south- eastern corner of the present State of Missouri, and into the area of Arkansas, where he died. 654 PERSONAL MBMOIRS. tn 21«t. The Detroit Free Prets, of this day, has the following remarks: — " Much interest is manifested in this work of Mr. Schoolcraft, as a timely rescue from oblivion of an important portion of the great world of mind — important inasmuch as it is a manifestation of two principles of human nature prominent in an interesting variety of the h'timan race, the sense of the marvelous and the sense of the beautiful, or the developments of wonder and ideality. The character of a people cannot be fully understood without a reference to its tales of fiction and its poetry. Poetry is the off- spring of the beautiful and the wonderful, and much of it the reader will find embodied ia the Indian tales to which the author of the Algic Meaearchea has given an enduring record. " Much of this work strongly reminds the reader of the Grecian Mythology and the Arabian Nights Entertainments. " According to one of the Odjibwa tales, the morning star was once a beautiful damsel that longed to go to ' the place of the , breaking of daylight." By the following poetic invocation of her brother, she was raised upon the winds, blowing from * the four corners of tie earth,' to the heaven of her hopes : — Blow winds, blow ! my slater lingers ' From her dwelling in the sky, yf here the mom with rosy JingerSf ■'■■•■ Shall her cheeks with vermil dye. < . There, my earliest views directed. Shall from her their color take. And her smiles, through clouds reflected. Guide me on, by wood and lake. " The work abounds with similar beautiful thoughts and inven- tions. • ■ ''i • : .'. ■•.''!•■. •• ' , " Catlin may be called the red man's painter ; Schoolcraft his poetical historian. They have each painted in living colors the workings of the Indian mind, and painted nature in her unadorned simplicity. They have done much which, without them, would, perhaps, have remained undone, and become extinct with the Indian race. As monuments of history for future ages, their works are not suflBciently appreciated. " The author of these volumes has stamped upon his page much PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. 655 of the intellectual existence of the simple children of the forest, and bequeathed us a detail map of their terra incognita — their fireside amusements in legendary lore." I am willing to notice this and some other criticisms of this work as popular expressions of opinion on the subject. But it is difficult for an editor to judge, from the mere face of the volumes, what an amount of auxiliary labor it has required to collect these legends from the Indian wigwams. They had to be gleaned and translated from time to time. Seventeen years have passed since I first began them — not that anything like this time, or the half of it, has been devoted to it. It was one of my amusements in the long winter evenings — the only time of the year when Indians will tell stories and legends. They required pruning and dressing, like wild vines in a garden. But they are, exclusively (with the ex- ception of the allegory of the vine and oak), wild vines, and not pumpings up of my own fancy. The attempts to lop off excre- scences are not, perhaps, always happy. There might, perhaps, have been a fuller adherence to the original language and expres- sions ; but if so, what a world of verbiage must have been retained. The Indians are prolix, and attach value to many minutiae in the relation which not only does not help forward the denouement, but is tedious and witless to the last degree. The gems of the legends — the essential points — the invention and thought-work are all preserved* Their chief value I have ever thought to consist in the insight they give into the dark cave of the Indian mind — its beliefs, dog- mas, and opinions — its secret modes of turning over thought — its real philosophy ; and it is for this trait that I believe posterity will sustain the book. A literary friend, of good judgment, of Detroit, writes (19th) : " Your tales have reached me, and I have read them over with a deep interest, arising from a double source — the intrinsic value of such stories and the insight they give of Indian intellect and modes of thought. They form a truly important acquisition to our literary treasures, as they throw a light on the Indian charac- ter which has been imparted from no other quarter. They form a standard by which to determine what is true and what is false in the representations made heretofore of the aboriginal nations on III UCuDv t/Htiv VC 656 PERSONAL MBM0IR8. genuine Indian mind and heart. Those who conform to these renderings will pass master ; the rest will he rejected. Let Mr. Cooper and others be thus measured." 2ith. Muk-kud-da Ka-niew (or the Black War Eagle), chief of the coasts of Arenac, brought me an antique pipe of peculiar con- struction, disinterred at Thunder Bay. It was found about six feet underground, and was disclosed by the blowing down of a large pine, which tore up a quantity of earth by its roots. The tree was two fathoms round, and would make a large canoe. With the pipe were found two earthen vases, which broke on taking them up. In these vases were some small bones of the pickerel's spine. He saw also the leg bones of an Indian, but the upper part of the skeleton appeared to be decomposed, and was not visible. He thinks the tree must have grown up on an old grave. The pipe consisted of a squared and ornamented bowl, with a curved and tapering handle, all made solid from a sort of coarse terra cotta. He says it was used by taking the small end in the mouth, and thinks such was the practice of the ancient Indians, although the mode is now so different by their descendants. The chief ornament consists of eight dots on each face, separated by longi- tudinal strokes, leaving four in a compartment. If the tree was four feet diameter, as he states, it denotes an ancient occupation of the shores of Lake Huron, which was probably of the old era of the mining for copper in Lake Superior. 51 I PBB80N1L MXMOIBS. 067 ,j .*v 5t»::.''^ < ''i'"! "U •■■''■ oi'i.'!i'^ viti.l'^ uiv'-'*;'':^'.' ■i.''"'»;' 'iit) <*%/ >' ' .'■J •(' .,'.,•1 .■ .'1 J. I'-tl ^ CHAPTER LXVIII. •ji.:' L/.{ : !t,,l!cri';..;::«'. ifev't. *; *v rvi,.'n f Amerioan antiquities — Michilimaokinaok a summer resort — Death of Oglmau Keegido — Brothertons — An Indian election — Cherokee murders — Board ' of Regents of the Michigan University — Aroheeological facts and rumors- Woman of the Green Valley — A new variety of jSsh — ^Visits of the Austrian and Sardinian Ministers to the U. S. — Mr. Qallnp — Sioux murders — A re- .' irarkable display of aurora borealis — Ottawas of Maumae — Extant of auroral phenomena — Potawattomie cruelty — Mineralogy — Death of OndU ' aka — Chippewa tradition — Fruit trees — Stone's preparation of the Life and Times of Sir William Johnson — Dialectic difference between the lan- ' guage of the Ottawas and the- Ghippewas — Philological remarks on (he Indian languages — ^Mr. T. Hulbert. . . .-^. ,- ,. - ,, - 1839. June 2Bth, Alex V. V. Bbadford, Esq., of New York, being about to publish a work on American antiquities,* solicits permission to use some of my engravings. I am ^lad to see an increasing interest in our archaeology, and hope to live to see the day when the popular tastes will permit books to be published on the subject. 26two orphan children, whose parents had died of small-pox. They were on their way to the Manitoulines. 2Sth. Mud-je-ke-wis, a minor chief of Grand Traverse Bay, vvt- renders a belt of blue and white wampum, and a gilt gorget, Ah^ck he had received from some oflScer of the British Indian Depart- ment in Canada, saying he renounces allegiance to that govern- ment, and reports himself, from this day, as an American. 29th. Chingossamo (Big Sail), of Cheboigan, having migrated to the Manitouline Islands with thirteen families, about seventy- nine souls, an election was this day held, at this office, by the Indians, to supply the place of ruling chief. Sticks, of two colors, were prepared as ballots for the two candidates. Of these, Kee- showa received two-thirds, and was declared duly elected. I granted a certificate of this election. The present population is reduced to forty-four souls, who live in thirteen families. This band are Chippewas. Gen. Scott arrives at this post, on a general tour of inspection of the northern posts, and proceeds the same day to Sault St. Marie, accompanied by Maj. Whiting. Juli/ 2d. The Wisconsin Democrat, of this date, contains an interesting sketch of the history of the Brotherton Indians, which is represented to be " composed of the descendants of the six following named tribes of Indians, viz., the Naragansetts, of Rhode Island ; the Stoningtons, or Pequoits, of Groton, Connec- ticut ; the Montauks, of Long Island ; the Mohegans, Nianticks, and Farmington Indians, also of Connecticut. Several years before the American Revolution, a single Indian of the Montauk tribe left his nation and traveled into the State of New York. He had no fixed purpose in view more than (as he expressed it) to see I PBRfiONAt MBMOIllfl. 659 the world. During his absence, however, he fortunately paid a visit to the Oneidas, then a very large and powerful tribe of In- dians residing in the State of New York. With them he concluded to rest a short time. They, discovering that he possessed ' some of the white man's learning,' employed him to teach a common reading and writing school among them. He remained with them longer than he at first intended. During this time the Oneida chief made many inquiries respecting his (the Montauk) tribe, and the other tribes before mentioned, and received, for answer, ' that they had almost become extinct — that their game was fast disappearing — that their landed possessions were very small — that the pure blood of their ancestors had become mixed with both the blood of the white man and the African — that new and fatal dis- eases had appeared among them — that the curse of all curses, the white man's stream of liquid fire, was inundating their very exist- ence, and the gloomy prospect of inevitable annihilation seemed to stare them in the face — that no ' hope with a goodly prospect fed the eye.' The Oneida chief, actuated partly with a desire to extend the hand of brotherly affection to rescue the above tribes from the melancholy fate that seemed to await them, and partly with a desire to manifest his deep sense of the valuable services rendered to him and his nation in his having taught among them a school, gave to the schoolteacher a tract of land twelve miles square for the use and benefit of his tribe, and the other tribes mentioned." The treaty of the 14th of January, 1837, with the Saginaws, is confirmed by the Senate. Zd. The Arkansas Little Bock O-azette, of this date, states that the long existing feud in the Cherokee nation, which has divided its old and new settlers, has terminated in a series of frightful murders. Its language is this : — " We briefiy alluded in our last to a report from the west that John Ridge, one of the principal chiefs of the Cherokee nation, had been assassinated. More recent accounts confirm the fact, and bring news of the murder of Ridge's father, together with Elias Boudinot and some ten or twelve men of less distinction (some accounts say thirty or forty), all belonging to Ridge's party. " These murders are acknowledged to have been committed by the partisans of John Ross, between whom and Ridge a difference PBR80NAL MBlfOIRfl. hofl for a long time subsisted, growing out of the removal of the Cherokees from the old nation to the west, Ridge having uni- formly been favorable to that course and Boss opposing it. " A council was recently held to consult in relation to the laws to bo adopted bj the united nation in their present country, there being some essential differences between the code by which that portion of the nation recently emigrated from the east had been governed, and the laws adopted by the old settlers in the west. Each party contended for the adoption of its own code, and nei- ther would concede to the other, and the council finally broke up without being able to come to any understanding on the subject. On his way from this council. Ridge was murdered. Ridge, although a recent emigrant, we understand agreed with the old settlors in regard to the adoption of their la^is, while Ross contended for those of the old nation east. After the murder of Ridge, General Arbuekle, the commander of the United States forces on this frontier, sent a detachment of dragoons to Ross, with a, request that he would come to the garri- son, who declined unl^s he could be allowed to bring with him some six or sevei^ hundred of his armed partisans, and take them into the garrison with him. Thia, of course, could not be allowed, and so the detachment returned to the garrison, and after that the murders subsequent to that of Ridge were committed. One of them was perpetrated within the bounds of Washington County, in this State, and we hope the necessary steps will be taken by our authorities to secure and bring to trial the murderer, and thus preserve inviolate the jurisdiction of our State over her own soil. <' We learn that a council was called of the whole nation, to be held yesterday, with a view of settling the existing difficulties, and we hope it may result in establishing peace among them." Sd. I received a letter introducing Mr. and Mrs. Kane, of Al- bany. We love an agreeable surprise. I recogniaed in Mrs. K. the daughter of an old friend— a most lady-like, agreeable, and talented woman ; and deemed my time agreeably devoted in show- ing my visitors the curiosities of the island. 6th. The business of my superintendency calls me to Detroit. Fiscal questions, the employment of special agents, the collection of treasury drafts, the payment of annuities; these are some of the constant cares, full of responsibilities, which call for incessant PKRBOIVAL HBM0IR8. 661 vigilance. I reached the city in the steamer " Gen. Wayne," at 8 o'clock, in the morning. Bth. John A Bell, and Sand Watie, Cherokee chiefs, publish in the Arkannut Oazette, an appeal to public justice, on the mur- der of the Ridges and Boudinot, which took pUc9 on the 22d of June previous. '^ ■ ' '^ '* ' ' ' ISth. Rev. Mr. Duffield informs me of some geological antiqui- ties, reported to have been recently discovered in Ohio, made in the course of the excavations on the line of the canal, between Gleaveland and Beaver. 15th. The Board of Regents of the University of Michigan inform me, by their secretary, of my having been placed on a com- mittee, as chairman, to report "such amendments to the organic law of the University, as they shall deem essential, with a view to their presentation to the next legislature." 25th. Being on my passage fVom Detroit to Mackinack, on Lake Huron, a Mr. Wotzler, of Rock River, Wisconsin, stated to me that a Mr. Davy, an English emigrant, found, in making an exca- vation in his land near '* Oregon," some atitiquities, consisting of silver coins, for which Mr. Wetrier offered him, unsuccessfully, ^60. The story looks very much like a hutnbug, but it was told with all Seriousness by a respectable looking man. A Mr. Ruggles, of Huron, Ohio, who was aboard of the same vessel, said, that hacks of an axe were found in buried cedars, Bome years ago, at a depth of about 40 feet below the surface, near the east edge of Huron County, Ohio. Thet-e are no cedars, he adds, now growing in that section of Ohio. The Burlington (Gazette (Iowa) says, " that a Sac atid Fojc war party recently returned from the Missouri, bringing eight scalps, and a number of female prisoners, and horses. The Indians murdered were of the Omaha tribe. The party consisted of ten men, with their squaws ; and, although only eight scalps if ere brought in, it is supposed that not a single man escaped. We are not aware that feelings of hostility have heretofore e^tisted between these nations. The ostensible object of the Sac and Fox party was to chastise the Sioux. The expedition wad headed by Pa-tni&-sa, the bold and daring brave who recently inflicted a dangerous wound upon the person of Ke-o-kuk.*' 662 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 26th. Aririved at Mackinack, in the steamer " United States," ut 4 o'clock in the morning, after an absence of about twenty days. 21th. Mr. John R. Kellogg says, that during the early settle- ment of Onondaga, N. Y., say about 1800, in cutting into a tree, in the vicinity of Skaneateles, iron was struck. On searching, they cut out a rude chain, which was wound about in the wood, and appeared to have been fastened above. Query, had this been a pot trammel of some ancient explorer ? Onondaga is known to have been early visited. He also stated that three distinct hacks of an axe, of the ordi- nary size, were found, in cutting down an oak, at the same period, in Ontario County. Six hundred cortical layers were found out- %ide of these antique hacks, indicating that they were made in the 12th century. I record these archseological memoranda merely for inquiry. 29 .. "I had thought of making a ooUection of words, as a com~ mencement for a lexicon, but. there are impediments in my way for the present : Ist,^ I want a plan ; I want the opinion of those versed in, the language, as two roots requently coalesce and form compound terms, and sometimes two verbs and a noun amalgamate * This is in Mr. Evans' System of Orthography. ' PERSONAL HBHOIRS. 678 by clipping all ; and it requires a skillful hand to dissect them and show the originals. Should all these compound terms be intro- duced (in the contemplated lexicon), it would swell the wurk to a good size. If this be not done, we must find some rule for com- pounding the terms, that the learner may be able to do it for himself. This (the rule) I have not yet ascertained. " I am favorably situated for making philological observations. I observe that the Cree, although essentially the same language as the Chippewa, yet drops, or never had, many of the suflBx ex- pletive particles of the latter, though the prefix particles are pretty much the same in both. The Cree has not, I believe, the double negative nor the adverbial and plaintive forms of verbs, as I have termed them. This renders the language less complex, and much more easy of acquisition than the Chippewa. '' One thought was forcibly impressed on my mind while perus- ing the publications of the American Antiquarian Society. In these publications they introduce the names of things in order to show the .iffinity of different tribes. From my knowledge of In- dian, I am inclined to think that the names of things change the soonest in any language, and that, in order to ascertain the ori- ginal stock of any tribe or nation by comparing languages, we must descend to the groundwork of the languages and search, not so much for similarity of sound as for the arrangement and essen- tial and peculiar principles of the languages. " A principle that prevails in the American languages, as far as my information extends, is, that the verb, with its nominative and objective cases, be inseparably connected. The Delaware, the Chippewa (under whatever name), and the Cree, &c., make the change in person, number, &c., by a change in the prefix or suffix. But the Mohawk and Chippewyan* make the change, in some cases, in the middle of the word, when the Chippewa and others always remain unchanged." * It must be remembered that the Chippewas and Chippewyans, are diverse tribes. The two words are both Chippewa ; but the tribes are of dif- ferent groups. The one is Algonquin ; the other Athapasca. The Mohawk belongs to a third group of languages, namely, the Iroquois. 43 674 PKR80NAL MIM0IE8. CHAPTER LXIX. Popular error respecting the Indian character and history — Remarkable aa- perstition — Theodoric — A missionary choosing a wild flower — Piety and money — A fiscal collapse in Michigan — Mission of Grand Traverse— Sim- plicity of the Bchool-girl'a hopes — Singular theory of the Indians respecting story-telling — Oldest allegory on record — Political aspects— Seneca treaty — Mineralogy — Farming and mission station on Lake Michigan. 1840. Jan. lit. Having determined to pass another winter (some ten weeks of which are past) at Mackinack, I have found my best and pleasantest employment in my old resource, the in- vestigation of the Indian character and history. The subject is exhaustless in every branch of inquiry, but the more it is turned over and sifted, the more cause there is to see that there is error to be encountered at almost every step. Travelers have been chiefly intent on the picturesque, and havQ given themselves but little trouble to investigate. The historian has had his mind full of prepossessions derived from ancient reading, and has, generally, been seated three thousand miles across the water, where the work of personal comparison was impossible. Left to the repose of himself, mentally and physically, without being placed in the cru- cible of war, without being made the tool of selfishness, or driven to a state of half idiocy by the use of liquor, the Indian is a man of naturally good feelings and affections, and of a sense of justice, and, although destitute of an inductive mind, is led to appreciate truth and virtue as he apprehends them. But he is subject to be swayed by every breath of opinion, has little fixity of purpose, and, from a defect of business capacity, is often led to pursue just those means which are least calcu- lated to advance his permanent interests, and his mind is driven to and fro like a feather in the winds. This man, and that man, are continually bringing up Indians to speak for some self- ish object, which, being a little out of sight, he does not per- ceive in its true light, but which he nevertheless is soon made to n PERSONAL MBM0IR8. 676 comprehend, if a public agent sets it plainly before him. But there is a perpetual watch necessary to protect him from deception, and this necessity becomes stringent in the exact proportion that a tribe has fundi or treaty rightt of any kind. If these attempts to make the Indian a stalking-horse for masked or misstated objects bo independently met, and with just sentiments of dissent, the agent of the government is liable to calumniation, and it be- comes the policy of unscrupulous men to get their affairs placed in hands having less well-defined notions of moral right, or more easily swayed in their opinions. ■ ' 1th. The season of New-year has been as usual a holiday, that is to suy, a time of hilarity and good wishes, with the Indians in this vicinity, numbers of which have visited the office. 2.Qth. Some of the superstitions of the Indians are explicable only on the ground of their belief in magic. An old blind man of Grand Traverse Bay, called Ogimauwish (literally bad chief), referring to the early period of the visits of Europeans to the continent, related the following : — When the whites first came to this country, wars and atrocious cruelties existed between the new race of men and the Indians. When this animosity began to abate, a treaty was held, which was attended by the Indians f t aii 1 wide. They were told by an in- terpreter, one of the »\hite men who had already learned their language, that the Indian tribes appeared, in the eyes of white men, while in action, like the beasts of the forests and the birds of prey, changing from one form to the other, and that the bullets of the foreigners had no efiect on them. The reason for this exemption from harm was this : — In those times the Indians made use of the Pazhikewash, or buf- falo-weed, which is still used by some of them to this day, espe- cially on war excursions. This made them invulnerable to balls. They made a liquor from it, and sprinkled themselves and their implements, and carried it in their meda bags. They are under the belief that this medicine not only wards off the balls and mis- siles, but tends to make them invisible. This, with their reliance on the guardian spirits of whom they have dreamed at their initial fasts, throws around them a double influence, making them both in- visible and invulnerable. There is a root used by the Pillagers, to which the^ attribute 676 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. similar protecting influences, or attribute the gift of courage in •war. It is called by them Ozhioawak. 22c?. Theodoric (vide ante, April 19th,) writes me from Detroit in terms of the kindest appreciation for my kindness of him. On his arrival at Mackinack he most acceptably executed several trusts — writing a good hand, being of gentlemanly manners and deport- ment, and an obliging disposition, and withal a high moral tone of character — as the winter drew on, I judged he would make a good representative for the county in the legislature, and started him in political life. He received the popular vote, and proceeded to the Capitol accordingly. He writes : " I wish to say to you that my reception here, both in my public and private capacity, has been all that my best friends could desire, and far above what I had any reason to expect. I allude to this subject because it furnishes me with an occasion to ac- knowledge my deep indebtedness to your kindness, and it affords me pleasure to recognize it, under God, as the chief instrument in con- ferring on me my present advantages. And I assure you my great and constant anxiety shall be, so to conduct myself as not to dis- appoint any expectations which you may have been instrumental in raising in regard to me." 2Sth. A zealous and pious missionary of the Church of England came to the Chippewas located on the left, or British, side of the St. Mary's River some years ago, under the patronage of the eccle- siastical authorities of Toronto. At this place he married one of the daughters of the Woman of the Green Valley (Ozhawusco- dawaqua) heretofore noticed as the daughter of Wabojeeg. He now writes from Canada West : " Charlotte and myself are very much obliged to you for your kind offer of assistance, of which we will avail ourselves. Although I have now a promise of this Rec- tory, or I may say, a former one has been confirmed by Bishop Strachan two or three days ago." SUt. A friend — a trustee of one of the principal churches at Detroit, writes: "You may think it strange that we of the first Protestant Society of this city are not able to pay our very worthy and deserving pastor, and so it is ; but it is no less strange than true ! Some of our subscribers are dead ; some have failed, and so they can pay nothing, and others have left the country in search of a more congenial clime, and those remaining find much dimculty PERSONAL MBM0IR8. 677 in meeting their money engagements, though nearly all are in the habit of attending the preaching of this best of men, and we are driven to the necessity of making a call on you, though at a distance. '' Mr. Duffield is continuing his Sunday evening lectures, with his Thursday evening Bible class exercises, and they are con- stantly increasing in interest. We think him a wonder; he ren- ders every subject he touches, simple, and gives the doctrines he treats upon, what the Scriptures pronounce them to be, * A man, though a fool, need not err therein.' "Our legislature is moving on slowly; the shafts of wit wielded at each other by * *, and *, are, as the common phrase is, * a caution ; ' it requires a man of more than common discernment to see their point. You have, doubtless, before this, seen the an> nouncement of the appointment of Hastings and Stuart, as Auditor and Treasurer ; what will become of the Internal Improvement system, is doubtful. Committees are now engaged in examining the Bank of Michigan, and the Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank.'' Another friend, who was au fait on fiscal affairs (5th Feb.), says : " We get on quite well. The legislative committee will be compelled to state facts, and if they do nothing more they must give us a clean bill of health. I miss you much this winter, and hope, if we are spared, you will not immure yourself again so long." The fiscal crisis that was now impending over Michigan, it was evident was in the process of advance ; but it was not possible to tell when it would fall, nor with what severity. All had been over-speculating — over-trading — over-banking, overdoing every- thing, in short, that prudence should dictate. But the public were in for it, and could not, it seems, back out, and every one hoped for the best. My best friends, the most cautious guides of my youth, had entered into the speculating mania, and there appeared to be, in fact, nobody of means or standing, who had been proof against the temptation of getting rich soon. I " immured" my- self far away from the scene of turmoil and strife, and was happy so long as I kept my eyes on my books and manuscripts. Feb. 8th. The mission recently established by the Presbyterian Board at Grand Traverse Bay, flourishes as well as it is reason- able to expect. Mr. Johnston writes : "The chief Kosa, and ano- ther Indian, have cut logs sufficient for their houses. This 678 PERSONAL MEMOIRS. finishes our pinery on this point. We cannot now get timber short of the river on the south-east side of the bay, or at the bottom of it, twelve miles distant. Mr. Dougherty has a prayer meeting on Saturday night, and Bible class on Sabbath afterncon. His meet- ings on Sunday are regularly attended by all the Indians who spend the winter with us ; they continue to manifest a kind feel- ing towards us, and appear anxious to acquire useful knowledge." March 7th. While politicians, financiers, speculators in real es- tate, anxious holders of bank stock, and missionaries careful of the Indian tribes are thus busy — each class animated by a sepa- rate hope — it is refreshing to see that my little daughter (Jane) who writes under this date from her school at Philadelphia, is striving after p's and g's. " I am getting along in my studies very well. I love music as much as ever. I like my French stu- dies much. I have got all p's for my lessons, but one g. G is for good, and p for perfect." What a pity that all classes of adult men were not pursuing their g's and p's with equal simplicity of emulation and purity of purpose. 10th. Prof. L. Fasquelle, of Livingston, transmits to me a trans- lation of the so-called ^'Pontiac manuscript." This document consists of an ancient French journal, of daily events during the siege of the fort of Detroit by that redoubtable chief and his con- federates in 1763. It was found in the garret of one of the French habitants, thrust away between the plate and the roof; partly torn, and much soiled by rains and the effects of time. IBth. The Chippewa Indians say that the woods and shores, bays and islands, are inhabited by innumerable spirits, who are ever wakeful and quick to hear everything during the summer season, but during the winter, after the snow falls, these spirits appear to exist in a torpid state, or find their abodes in inanimate bodies. The tellers of legends and oral tales among them are, therefore, permitted to exercise their fancies and functions to amuse their listeners during the winter season, for the spirits are then in a state of inactivity, and cannot hear. But their vocation as story tellers is ended the moment the spring opens. The shrill piping of the frog, waking from his wintry repose, is the signal for the termination of their story craft, and I have in vain endeavored to get any of them to relate this species of imaginary lore at any other time. It is evaded by some easy and indifferent remark. But PBR80NAL MEMOIRS. 679 the true reason is given above. Young and old adhere to this superstition. It is said that, if they violate the custom, the snakes, toads, and other reptiles, vrhich are believed to be under the influence of the spirits, will punish them. Tt is remarkable that this propensity of inventing tales and allegories, which is so common to our Indians, is one of the most general traits of the human mind. The most ancient effort of this kind by far, in the way of the allegorical, is in the following words : " The Thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the Cedar, saying, give ihy daughter to my son to wife : and there passed by a wild beast and trod down the Thistle." (2 Kings, xiv. 9.) April 5th. A representative in Congress writes from Washing- ton: " The House moves very slowly in its business — that is, the business of the nation. The principal object seems to be to make or unmake a President." • ., C ^he Rev. Benj. Dorr, of Christ Church, Philadelphia, com- m "^ ' ' (J my attentions a Mr. Wagner, a gentleman of intelligence, refinement, and scientific tastes, who leaves that city on a tour to the lakes and St. Anthony's Falls. " His object is to see as much as possible, in one summer's tour, of our great Western World, and I hope he may stop a short time at Mackinack, that he may have an opportunity of forming your acquaintance, of seeing your beautiful island, and examining your splendid cabinet of minerals, which would particularly interest him, as he has a taste for geo- logical studies." 8th. Hon. A. Vanderpool, M. C. from N. Y., observes : " The Senate has, by the casting vote of the Vice President, decided in favor of the Seneca treaty, i. e., that the Indians shall be removed. Much opposition has been made to the treaty, as you will perceive from the speech of Senator Linn, which I send you." It has been alleged against this treaty that it was carried through by the zealous efforts of the persons holding (by an old compact) the reversionary right to the soil after the Senecas should decide to leave it, and that the obvious interests of these persons produced an undiie influence on this feature in the result. It is averred that the Tonewonda band of the Senecas, who hold a separate and valuable reservation on the banks of the Tonewonda River, opposed the proposition altogether, and refused to place their signatures to the instrument. 680 PERSONAL MBMOISS. It was snppr-'Sed that *•" Jl Indian communities, living on limited reservations, surrounded entirely on all sides by white settlements, could not sustain themselves, but must be inevitably swept away. But the result, in the case of the Senecas and other remnants of the ancient Iroquois, does not sustain this theory. It is true that numbers have yielded to dipsipation, idleness, and vice, and thus perished ; but the very pressure upon the mass of the tribes, and the danger of their speedy destruction without resorting to agri- culture, appear to have brought out latent powers in the race which were not believed to exist. They have taken manfully hold of the plough, cultivated crops of wheat and corn, and raised horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs. They have adopted the style of houses, fences, implements, carriages, dress, and, to some extent, the language, manners, and modes of transacting business, of their neighbors. And, perceiving their ability to sustain themselves by cultivation and the arts, now turn round and solicit the protecting arms of the State and General Government to permit them to develop their industrial capacities. Too late, almost, they have been convinced of the erroneous policy of their ancestors, &c. Every right-thinking man must approve this. May llih. Prof. Orren Boot, of Syracuse Academy, New York, appeals to me to contribute towards the formation of a mineralogi- cal cabinet at that institution. SOtA. The new farming station and mission for the Chippewas of Grand Traverse Bay is successfully established. The Rev. Mr. Dougherty rf ports that a school for Indian children has been well attended since November. A blacksmith's shop is in successful operation. The U. S. Farmer reports that he has just completed ploughing the Indian fields. He has put in several acres of oats, and the corn is about six inches above the ground. The Indians generally are making large fields, and have planted more corn than usual, and manifest a disposition to become industrious, and to avail themselves of the double advantage that is furnished them by the Department of Indian Affairs and by the Mission Board which has taken them in hand. PERSONAL MBUOIBS. 681 CHAPTER LXX Death of Col. Lawrence Schoolcraft — Perils of the revolutionary era — Otwin — Mr. Bancroft's history in the feature of its Indian relations — A tradition of a noted chief on Lake Michigan — The collection of information for a historical volume — Opinions of Mr. Paulding, Dr. Webster, Mr. Duer, John Quincy Adam 3 — Holyon and Alholyon — Family monument — Mr, Steven- son, American Minister at London— Joanna Baillie — ^Wisconsin — Ireland — Detroit — Michilimaoicinack. 1840. June *lth. The first of June found me in Detroit, on my way to Washington, where I was in a few days met by the appalling intelligence of the death of my father (Col. Lawrence Schoolcraft), ai* event which took place on this day at Vernon, Oneida County, New York. He had reached his eighty-fourth year, and possessed a vigor of constitution which promised longer life, until within a few days of his demise. A dark spot appeared on one of his feet, which had, I think, been badly gashed with an axe in early life. This discoloration expanded upwards in the limb, and terminated in what appeared to be a dry mortification. In him terminated the life of one of the most zealous actors in the drama of the American Revolution, in which he was at various times a soldier and an officer, a citizen and a civil magistrate. "Temperate, ardent and active, of a mind vigorous and energetic, of a spirit bold and daring, nay^ even indomitable in its aspirations for freedom, he became at once conspicuous among his brethren in arms, and a terror to his country's foes."* His grandfather was an Englishman, and had served with repu- tation under the Duke of Marlborough in some of his famous con- tinental battles, in the days of Queen Anne, and he cherished tho military principle with great ardor. He spoke fluently the German and Dutch languages, and was thus able to communicate with the masses of the varied population, originally from the Upper Rhine * Nat. lutell. July 31, 1840. 682 PERSONAL r M0IR8. and the Scheldt, who formed a large portion of the inhabitants of the then frontier portions of Albany County, including the wild and picturesque range of the Helderbergs and of the new settlements of Schoharie, the latter being in immediate contact with the Mo- hawk Iroquois. The influence of the British government over this tribe, through the administration of Sir William Johnson, was un- bounded. Many of the foreign emigrants and their descendants were also under this sway, and the whole frontier was spotted with loyalists under the ever hateiul name of Tories. These kept the enemy minutely informed of all movements of the revolutionists, and were, at the same time, the most cruel of America's foes, not excepting the Mohawks. For the fury of the latter was generally in battle, but the former exercised their cruelties in cold blood, and generally made deliberate preparations for them, by assuming the guise of Indians. In these infernal masks they gave vent to private malice, and cut the throats of their neighbors and their innocent children. In such a position a patriot's life was doubly assailed, and it was often the price of it, to declare himself "a son of liberty," a term then often used by the revolutionists. He had just entered his seventeenth year when 'the war against the British authorities in the land broke out, and he immediately declared for it ; the wealthy farmer (Swartz) with whom he lived, being one of the first who were overhauled and "spotted" by the Local Committee of Safety, who paraded through the settlement with a drum and fife. He was at the disarming of Sir John John- son, at Johnstown, under Gen. Schuyler, where a near relative, Conrad Wiser, Esq., was the government interpreter. He was at Ticonderoga when the troops were formed into hollow square to hear the Declaration of Independence read. He marched with the army that went to reinforce Gen. Montgomery, at Quebec, and was one of the besieged in Fort Stanwix, on the source of the Mo- hawk, while Gen. Burgoyne, with his fine army, was being drawn into the toils of destruction by Gen. Schuyler, at Saratoga — a fate from which his supersedeas by Gen. Gates, the only unjust act of Washington, did not extricate him. The adventures, perils, and anecdotes of this period, he loved in his after days to recite ; and I have sometimes purposed to record them, in connection with his name ; but the prospect of my doing PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 688 m so, while still blessed with an excellent memory, becomes fainter and fainter. Bth. Otwin {vide ante) yrrites from La Fointe, . Lake Superior, in the following terms : — " I often look back to the happy davs I spent in your family, and feel grateful in view of them. A thousand blessings rest on your head, my dear friend, and that of your wife, for all your kind- ness to me, when first a stranger in a distant land. I cannot reward you, but know that yon will be rewarded at the resurrec- tion of the just." ' 9th. "I know of no good reason," says a correspondent, "why a man should not, at all times, stand ready to sustain the truth." This is a maxim worthy Dr. Johnson ; but the experience of life shows th^t such high moral independence is rare. Most men will speak out, and even, vindicate the truth, sometimes. But the worldling will stand mute, or evade its declaration, whenever his interests are to be unfavorably affected by it. I reached Washington on public business during the heats of June, and, coming from northern latitudes, felt their oppressive- ness severely. 27th. Mr. Bancroft, the historian, pursues exactly the course he should, to ferret out all facts, new and old. He does not h )ld him- self too diguiiied to pick up information, or investigate facts, whenever and wherever he can find them. In what he hf s to say about the Indians, a subject that lies as a superstratum under his work, he is anxious to hear all that can be said. "Let me hear from you," ho adds in a letter of this date, " before you go back. I want to consult you on my chapter about the Indians, and for that end should like to send you a copy of it." The chief, Eshquagonaby, of Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michi- gan, relates the following traditions : When Gezha Manido (the Good Spirit) created thi3 island (continent), it was a perfect plain, without trees or shrubs. He then created an Indian man and woman. When they had multiplied so a,i to number ten persons, death happened. At this the man lamented, and went to and fro over the earth, complaining. WLy, bj exclaimed, did the Good Spirit create me to know death ami', misery so soon ? The Good Spirit htard this, and, after assembling his angels to counsel, said to them, What shall Yfe do to better ine condition of man '? I have 684 PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. created him frail and weak. They answered, 0, Good Spirit, thou hast created us, and thou art everlasting, and knowest all things ; thou alone knowest what is best. Six days were given to this consultation. During this time not a breath of wind blew to disturb the waters. This is now called unwatin (a calm). On the seventh day not a cloud was seen ; the sky was blue and serene. This is called nageezhik (exceP'snt day) by the Indians. ., - , i ■. • •• During this day he sent down a messenger, placing in his right bosom a piece of white hare skin, and in his loft, part of the head of the whitC'headed eagle. Both these substances had a blue stripe on them of the nature and substance of the blue sky, being symbols of peace. ' ~ The messenger said to the man that complained : " Y^ur words are heard, and I am come from the Gt«/d Spirit with good words. You must conform yourself to his commands. I bring pieces of the white hare skin and the white eagle's head, which you mv3t use in your Medawa (religico*medical rites), and whatboever is asked on those occasions will be granted, and long life given to the sick." The messenger also gave them a white otter skin, with a blue stripe painted on the back part of the head. Other cere- monial rites and directions were added, but these may suffice to indicate the character of Mr. Eshquagonaby's tradition, which has just been sent to me. Juli/ Ist. I was now anxious to collect ii^^larials for the pub- lication of a volume of collections by the Michigan Historical Society, and addressed several gentlemen of eminence on the subject. Mr. J. K. Paulding, Sec. of the Navy (July 9th), pleads official engagements as preventing him from doing much in the literary way while thus employed. Dr. Noah Webster, of New Haven, expresses his interest in the history of the country generally, and his willingness to contribute to the collection and preservation of passing materials. "In answer to the request for aid in collecting national documents, I can sincerely say it will give me pleasure to lend any aid in my power. Respecting the State of Michigan, I presume I could furnish nothing of importance. Bespecting the history of our government for the last fifty years, I might be able to add some- thing to the stock of information possessed by the present genera- I PERSONAL MEMOIRS. 686 tion, for I find men in middle life absolutely ignorant of lomo material facts which have a Veiring on our political ooncorni. But little can be expected, however, from a man of eighty-two^ whose toils must be drawing to a close.'' The Hon. John A. Duer, Prest. Col. College (July 15th), while expressing a sympathy in the object, declares himself too much occupied in the duties of his charge to permit him to hold forth any promise of usefulness in the case specified. Hon. John Quincy Adams forwarded, with the expression of his interest in the subject, twelve pamphlets of historical value, the titles of each of which he carefully recites in his letter. " It will give me much pleasure," he says, "to transmit to the society, ^ hon it may be in my power, any of the articles pertaining to the history of the country and mentioned in your letter, as suited to promote the purposes for which it was instituted." From other quarters and observers less absorbed in the dis* charge of specific functions, 1 received several valuable manuscript communications, chiefly relative to transactions on the frontiers or to Indian history. 22c2. Two half-breeds from the upper lakes, v/hom I shall de- signate Holyon and Alholyon, made their way to the seat of go- vernment during the winter of 1840. Holyon had been dismissed for improper conduct from the office of Indian interpreter at Mackinack about May. Alholyon had been frustrated in two several attempts to get himself recogniaed as head chief by the Ottawas, and consequently to some influence in the use of the public funds, which were now considerable. One was of the Chip- pewa, the other of the Ottawa st^^ Holyon was bold and reck- less, Alholyon more timid and polite, but equally destitute of moral principles. They induced some of the Indians to believe that, if furnished by them with funds, they could exercise a favorable in- fluence at Washington, in regard to the sale of their lands. The poor ignorant Indians are easily hoodwinked in matters of busi- ness. At the same time they presented, in secret councily a draft for $4000 for their services, which they induced some of the chiefs to sign. This draft they succeeded in negotiating to bome mer- chant for a small part of its value. No sooner had they got to head-quarters, and found they were anticipated in the draft matter^ and the project of a chieftainahip, by letters from the agent^ than 686 PIR80NAL UBM0IB8. they drew up a long liitft of accusations against him, containing every imaginable and abominable abuse of ofSce. This was presented at the Indian office, where its obvious character should have, it would seem, been at once suspected. The head of that Bureau, who began to see from the strong political demonstrations around him, "how the cat was about to jump," acceded to a request of Holyon and Alholyon, that the matter be referred for local examination to one or two of their personal advisers inland. This step (in entire ignorance of the private relations of the parties, it must be pre- sumed,) was assented to. Tn a letter of Holyon to J. L. S., of May 19th, 1840, he says: "The department was predisposed against him (the agent), and wanted only a cause to proceed against him." But it left a stain ou its fairness and candor by omitting the usual course of furnishing the agent a copy of the charges and requesting his attention thereto, or even of informing him of the pendency of an investigation. As the charges were en- tirely unfounded, and had been the diseased imaginings of disap- pointed and unprincipled minds, it only put the agent to the necessity of confronting his assailants, and with every advantage of accusers, examiners and the appellant power against him, he was triumphantly acquitted, by an official letter, of every charge whatever, and of every moral imputation of wrong. " Should thy lies make men hold their peace ? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed ?" (Job xi. 8.) 24f A. I left Washington for the north, taking my children along from their respective schools at Philadelphia and Brooklyn, for their summer vacation, and only halting long enough at Utica and Vernon, to direct a marble monument to be erected to the memory of my father. The site selected for this was the cemetery on the Scanado (usually spelled without regard however to the popular pro- nunciation Skenandoah), Vernon. It appeared expedient to make this a family monument, and I directed the several faces to be inscribed as follows : — K^ PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. 687 THIS MONDUBNT IS tRICTID . . . ' v %* In memorj of ,-, . . A FATHER, A MOTHER AND A SISTER, ] By the surviving children. ' ' COLONEL LAWRENCE SCHOOLCRAFT, * A soldier of the Revolution of 1776, (He being the second in descent from James, who came from England in the reign of Queen Anne,) Born Feb. 3d, 1757. Died June 7th, 1840, ' ' ■ In his 84th year. He lived and died a patriot, a Christian, and an honest man. MARGARET ANN BARBARA, Consort of Col. Lawrence Schoolcraft, ^ Died Feb. 16th, 1832, aged 72. "He^children rise up and call her blessed." — Fsov. MISS MARGARET HELEN, Daughter of Lawrence and Margaret Ann Barbara Schoolcraft, Born 18th June, 1806. Died 12th April, 1829, in her 23d year. I reached Detroit early in August. A letter from Mackinack, of the 13th of that month, says: " The children arrived at mid- night past, safe and sound, and they seem quite delighted. Eve- line seems to he the centre of attraction with them all. I have not a word new to say. A change has come over the spirit of our notables. Samuel, the day before your letter was received, ex- pressed his opinion, that *it would go hard with you.' A dog when ho supposes himself unnoticed in the act of stealing, looks mean, but when he is discovered in the u ct, he looks meaner still. And I know of no better comparison than this clique, and that dog." 2ith. Hon. Andrew Stevenson, American Minister in London, responds to jny inquiries on certain historical points, respecting which he has kindly charged his agent to institute inquiries. Sept. 5th. I reached the agency at Mackinack about the begin- ning of September. Facilis, a young man of equally ready and respectable talents, writes me, from Detroit, under this date, ex- pressing a wish to be employed in the execution of some of the fiscal duties of the superintendency during the season. " I write to you," he adds, '^ as a friend. Times are hard, and every little that is directed to aid one in his efforts to stem the current of life, 688 PBESONAL MBMOIRIl. ])0B80S8C8 an incalculable value." I yielded the more readily to this request from the chain of circumstances which, however favorable, had hitherto disappointed his most ardent aims and the just expect- ations of his friends. lUh. Joanna Baillie, the celebrated authoress, who has spent a long life in the most honorable and deeply characteristic literary labors, writes from her residence at Ilampstead (Eng.), as if with undiminished vigor of hope, expressing her interest in the progress of historical letters in this (to her) remote part of the world. IIow much closer bonds these literary sympathies are in drawing two nations of a kindred blood together, than dry and formal diplo- matics, in which it is the object, as Talleyrand auys, of human language to conceal thought ! Oct. 16th. Wisconsin is slowly, but sur( filling up with a healthy population, and founding her moral, as well as political institutions, on a solid basis. Rev. Jer. Porter, my old friend during the interesting scenes at St. Mary's, in 1882 and 1883, writes me, that, after passing a few years in Illinois, he has settled at Green Bay, as the pastor of a healthful and increasing church. "I have recently," he writes, "made an excursion on horseback, in the interior of the territory. I traveled about 400 miles, being from home sixteen days. I went to meet a convention of ministers and delegates from Presbyterian and Congregational churches, to see if we could form a union of the two denominations in the terri- tory, so that we might have a perfect co-operation in every good work. We had twelve ministers of these denominations present, all but four or five now in the territory, and were so happy as to form a basis of union, which will, I trust, prove permanent, and be a great blessing to our churches. This seems to us a very favorable beginning. " I find the beautiful prairies of the interior ra,pidly settling with a very good population from the Eastern States, and the healthiness of the country gives it some advantages over Illinois. With the blessing of the Lord, I think this may yet be one of the best States in the Union." 20th. The Rev. Henry Kearney, of Kitternan Glebe, Dublin (Ireland), communicates notices of some of the inroads made by death on the rank of our friends and relatives in that land. '' Since my last, the valued friend of the family, the Right Hon'ble Wm. El. PBRSONAL MEMOIRS. 689 Suui'iu (late Attorney-General) was removed from this world of changes to the world of durable realities. He was past eighty. The bishop (Dromoro) is still alive, not more than a year younger thun his brother. Old ago — found in the ways of righteousness — how honorable ! *' You will have learned, from the European newspapers, the agitated state of all the countries from China to Great Britain. Is the Lord about to bring to pass the predicted days of retribu- tion on the nations for abused responsibility, and the rostoratica of the ancient nation of Israel, to be, once more, the depositorv of his judgment and truth for the recovery of all nations to the great principles of government and religion taught us in His holy word ?" Nov. lit. Having concluded the Indian business in the Upper Lakes for the season, I returned with my family to Detroit, arhich would scarcely be expectcu. Manibozho, when he had killed a moose, was greatly troubled as to the manner in which he should eat the animal. "If I begin at the head," said he, "they will say I eat him h'lad first. If I begin at the side, they will say I eat him sideways. If I begin at the tail, they will say I eat him tail first." While he deliberated, the wind caused two limbs of a tree that touched to make a harsh creaking noise. " I cannot eat with this noise," said he, and immediately climbed the tree to prevent it, where he was caught by the arm and held fast between the two trees. Whilst thus held, a pack of hungry wolves came that way and devoured the carcass of the moose before his eyes. PBRSONAL MEMOIRS, ^95 The listener to the story is plainly taught to draw this conclu- sion : If thou hast meat in thy wanderings, trouble not thyself as to little things, nor let trifles disturb thy temper, lest in trying to rectify small things thou lose greater ones. ISth. Some years ago. a Chippewa hunter of Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, found that an Indian of a separate band had been found trespassing on his hunting grounds by trapping furred animals. He determined to visit him, but found on reach- ing his lodge the family absent, and the lodge door carefully closed and tied. In one corner of the lodge he found two small packs of furs. These he seized. He then took his hatchet and blazed a large tree. With a pencil made of a burned end of a stick, he then d^ew on this surface the figure of a man holding a gun, pointing at another man having traps in his hands. The two packs of furs were placed between them. By these figures he told the tale of the trespass, the seizure of the furs, and the threat of shooting him if he persevered in his trespass. This system of figurative sym- bols I am inclined to call pictography, as it appears to me to be a peculiar and characteristic mode of picture-writing. > 22d. Mr. Ellis, in his Polynesian Researches, represents the Pacific Islands as being inhabited by two distinct races of men, each of whom appears to preserve the separate essential marks of a physical and mental type. The first, which is thought the most ancient, consists of the Oceanic negroes, who sre distinguished by dark skins, small stature, and woolly or crisp ed hair. They are clearly Hametic. They occupy Australia, and are found to be aborigines in Tasmania, New Guinea, New Britain, New Caledonia and New Hebrides. The other race has many of ♦^he features of the Malays and South Americans, yet differs mater?". Uy from either. Yet what is most remarkable, the latter have an ingenious sys- tem of numeration, by which they can compute very high numbers. They proceed by decimals, precisely like the Algonquin tribes, but while the arithmetical the^r^ is precisely the same, a comparison shows that the names of the numerals have ot the slightest rescr^;- blance. Polynesian. Aloonquin. One, Atabi, Pazbik. Two, Arua, Neezh. Three, Atora, Niswi. Four, Amaba, Newin. 696 \ PERSONAL MEMOIRS. POLTNISIAN. Aloonqoin. ilve, Arima, Nanun. Six, Aono, Ninti,ocJwan\VA. Seveu, Ahitu, Ni«hvpa*'wa. Eight, Avaru, SohworTs-. Nine, Aiva, Shonguiiwa. Ten, Ahuru, Jt'.Jui,na. The Polynesians, like the Algonquins, thii say, iia and one for eleven, &c., till twenty, rhich is em ahuruj this is two tens; twenty-one consists of the terms for two tens and 01,3. In thi- manner they count to tea tens, which is raw, Ten ram Is oiio mano, or thousand; ten munos one million, and so <.» How exactly the Algonquin method, but not a sp. ck 0^ analc«/y in -Vi jrds. 2!'f,h, <)rxe of the emigrant Germans who swarm about the city, ■X poo ili-di. s.-od woo(i-bawyer, met me, on coming out of my office door, and, i>Mstaking me for the owner of a visible pile of ■svood, adftr ifwed mt in one of the Rhine dialects, inquiring the "wner- I replied; Ick wiea necht — e« isnecht -mein. He looked with delighted astonishmtnt at an American speiking his language — -'a stranger in a strange land" — and was ready to proffer any -ervices in his power. April 4th. A friend from Lancaster, in Pennsylvania, writes : "' If; was my luck to be called to Washington the latter part of February, and to be detained until the 11th ultimo, and in that great city business occupied my attention all the time. The congre- gation of strangers from all parts of the Union was immense ; the number estimated at fifty thousand. Thirty thousand of them, at least, expectants, or thinking themselves Aforthy of ofBce. But, alas ! for the ingratitude of manj they were, almost to a man, sent home without getting their share of the pottage. * * There has yet been no change in the head of the Indian Bureau, although there are three candidates in the field. " I have just heard the rumor of the death of Gen. Harrison (the iiewly-elected President of U. S.), and, upon inquiry, find that it is well founded. It is said that he died la^:; nirrht at twelve o'clock. He has been suffering for a week p v"th a severe attack of pneumonia, or bilious pleurisy. ShJt'^.'»l^'"'_ '»;•< •••>,! •n/ii ■s^; .fi^>i,/^fA CHAPTER LXXII. Popular oommon school education — Iroquois name for Mookinaok— Itf Mnle beauties poetically considered — Phenomenon of two currents of adverse wind meeting — Audubon's prv^posed work on American quadrupeds — Adario — Geographical range of the mocking-bird — RemoTal firom the West to the city of New York — An era accomplished — Visit to Europe. 1841. May M. F. Sawyer, Jr., Esq., a gentleman recently ap- pointed Superintendent of Publio Instructiun, from Ann Arbor, writes : " Yours of the 19th April came during my abitence at Mar- shall, and I take the first opportunity to reply, thanking you for tbo suggestions made. It is my intention to attempt the publication of a monthly, something after the manner of the Botton Common 8ohool Journal, one of the best things of the kind, in my humble t tmion, to be found in the Union. As the legislative resolution author- izing a subscription for such a publication is repealed, a journ ', if started, will depend upon the disposition of the people to mi* tain it. " My intention is to address a circular to the different Boards of School Inspectors throughout Michigan, urging upon them the necessity of doing something for the cause, and invoking their effi- ciency in the matter. If they will take hold and raise a certain amount in their district, and pledge their constant exertions to ex- cite and keep alive public interest on the subject of common ^nboo^s, much will have been effected. " To succeed, the journal must treat of subjects in the mobt popular manner, avoiding, as far as is consistent with the dignity of the object in view, very elaborate and prosy disquisitions. I shall endeavor to get a circular out next week. Meantime accept my thanks for the interest you take in the Hubject, and be assured that ^ succeed in starting the journal, I bhail, at all times, be gra..ci a for contributions from you." 22(2. Landed at Mackinack after having passed the winter at Detroit. It appears from Coldcn that the Iroquois called this island 700 PBRSONAL MB1I0!RS. Teiodondoraghic. What an amount of word-craft is here — what a poetic description thrown into the form of a compound phrase ! The local term in c'c^ifrhie is apparently the same heard in Ticon- deroga — the iu.i. it.' u ol" writing Indian making the difference. Ti is the j. jqii'^' panicle for water, as in Tioga, &c. On is, in like mannoi, the clipped or coalescent particle for hill or mountain, as heard m Onondaga. The vowels i, o, carry the same meaning, evidently, that they do in Ontario and Ohio, where they are an exrl imatory description for beai t:'* ' -enery. What a philosophy of language is here ! June 15th. The balmy, soft influence of a June atmosphere, vesting upon this lovely scene of water, woods, and rocks — a per- fect gem in creation, deeply impressed me. Under a strong sense of its geological frame-work of cliffs and winding paths, it ap- peared that it only required a poetic drapery to be thrown over it and its historical associat'ons, to render it a pleasing theme of description. So unlike English scenery, and yet so characteristic — so v. ry American. 2l8f. While standing on th 5 piazza in front of the agency house at Mackinack, about five o'clock P.M., my attention ^■. a directed to the strong current which set through the strait, west, under the influence of a strong easterly wind. The waves were worked up into a perfect series of foam wreaths, succeeding each other for miles. While admiring this phenomenon, a cloud gathered sud- denly in the west, and, in a few minutes, poured forth a gust of wind towards the east, attended with heavy rain. So suddenly was this jet "f wind propagate I towards the east, that the foam of waves runniii>^ west was drive back eastwardly, before the waves had time to reverse their motion, which created the unusual spec- tacle of two oipo:'ng currents of wind Jid waves, in the most active and striking manner. The wave current still running west, while the wind current seized its foim and carried it in n, long line towards the east. The no y cur. nt soon prevailed. At half-past six o'clock the storm ha*' "te fi oated, and the wind settled lightly from the south-west. 26th. Mr. John J. Audubon announces his intention to prepare a complete work on American quadrupeds, correspondent, in the style of execution, to his great work on ornithology. " As I do rot know," he modestly says, "whether you are aware of my hav- ing published a work on the birds of America, I take this oppor- PER ONAL MEMOIRS. 701 tunity to assure you that I have, and, at the same time, to apprise you of my having undertaken, and in fa(^t, began another on the viviparous quadrupeds of our country, which it is also my intention to publish as soon as I can. .... ; .;,.,.'. ,,,1.,,. *!■.,' ;.»,,'. .« ,. , "In all such undertakings, the simple though unintormitted labors of an individual are not sufficient, and assistance from others is not only agreeable, but is, in my opinion, absolutely ne* cessary to render them as complete as possible. " Having not only heard, but also read, of your having rendered essential services to Charles Bonaparte, Mr. Cooper of this city, and other eminent naturalists, I think that perhaps you would notT» look upon ray endeavors to advance science as not unworthy of the same species of assistance at your hands, and I will therefore say, at once, what my desi a are, and wish of you to have the goodness to let me know, whether it is agreeable or convenient for you to assist me. - \ s. • , . .•- . • . , ■.,, < "My wishes are to procure of quadrupeds, of moderate and small sizes, preserved entire in the flesh, and in strong common rum (no other spiritous liquor will preserve them equally well), and the heads and feet of the larger species, likewise in rum. The large animals in the skins, after having taken accurate notes of measurements, the color of the eyes, date of capture, locality, and also, whatever may relate to their habits and habitats ! By the first of which, I more particularly mean, their usual and un- lal postures, gaits, &c., and whether they climb trees, or are .ticogether terrestrial. My desire to have the animals in the flesh, is in connection with my wish to give their anatomy, or as much of it as may be thought useful or necessary to the student of nature, and by which the species may be better liereafter known than heretofore." 28iA. Maj. Delafield writes respecting the contemplated work of Audubon : " If in your power to aid him as proposed, you will con- tribute to another magnificent American work on natural science, intended to be on the same grand scale with his ornithology." , July 7th. Among the most noted aboriginal characters who have, in bygone times, lived here, was Adario, a Wyandot, who flourished while that tribe were in exile on this island. He appears to me, from the descriptions given of him, to have had larger in- ductive powers than the Indians generally, though they were only emnloved on stratagems and in "^"' negotiaiious, in wiuch, curiously 702 PBRSOiTAL MIMOIRS. 1656 1664 1667 1679 1679 1688 enough, he sucoeoded in making the Iroquoift vengeance fall on the French, his allies. To be wise with him was more than to bo just. Look at Golden. The philosophy put into his mouth by La Ilon- tan, probably has some basis, in actual talk, with the gay baron. The following appear to be turning points in Iroquois history : — Father de Moyti discovers the Onondaga country - 1068 Erie war closes ---... New Amsterdam surrenders to the Duke of York First treaty of the Iroquois with the French JLa Salle builds the first vessel on the lakes •Xa Salle lays the foundation of Fort Niagara English revolution bringing in a new dynasty in William Capture and burning of Schenectady ... 1690 21th. I received notice of my election as an honorary member of the Pennsylvania Historical Society. Au^. Ist. During the number of years I have passed in the country of the upper lakes, I have noticed the mocking bird, T. polyglottuif but once or twice as far north as the Island of Michi- limackinack. I have listened to its varied notes, during the spring season, with delight. It is not an ordinary inhabitant, nor have I ever noticed it on the St. Mary's Straits, or on the shores of Lake Huron north of this island. This island may, I think, be referred to as its extreme northern and occasional limit. 10th. I determined to remove from Michilimackinack to the city of New York. More than thirty years of my life have been spent in Western scenes, in various situations, in Western New York, the Mississippi Valley, and the basins of the Great Lakes. The position is one which, however suitable it is for observation on several topics, is by no means favorable to the publication of them, while the seaboard cities possess numerous advantages of residence, particularly for the education of the young. So much of my time had been given to certain topics of natural history, and to the languages and history, antiquities, manners, and cus- toms of the Indian tribes, that I felt a desire to preserve the record of it, and, in fact, to study my own materials in a position more favorable to the object than the shores, however pleasing, of these vast inland seas. The health of Mrs. Schoolcraft having been impaired for several years, furnished another motive for a change of residence. However great was the g ographical area to be traversed, the change could be readily eflFecte.^, and promised many PERSONAL MIMOIRS. 708 of the highest concomitants of civilization. Beyond all, it was a return to my native State after long years of travel and wandering, adventure, and residence, which would bear, I thought, to be looked at and reflected on through the mellowed medium of reminiscence and study. n The journey was easily performed by steamers and railroads, which occupy every foot of the way, and it was accomplished without any but agreeable incidents. I left the island, which is the object of so many pleasant recollections, about the middle of August, and reached the city of New York during that month, in season, after some weeks agreeably passed at a hotel, to take a private dwelling-house in the upper part of it (Chelsea, 19th street) early in September. I now cast myself about to pub- lish the results of my observation on the RED race, whom I bad found, in many traits, a subject of deep interest ; in some things wholly misunderstood and misrepresented; and altogether an object of the highest humanitarian interest. But our booksellers, or rather book-publishers, were not yet prepared in their views to undertake anything corresponding to my ideas. The next year I executed my long-deferred purpose of visiting England and the Continent with this plan in view, and was highly gratified with the means of comparison which these finished countries afforded with the rough scenes of Western America. France, Belgium, Prussia, Germany and Holland were embraced in this tour. This visit was one of high intellectual gratification, and carried me into scenes and situations for which the reading of books had but poorly prepared me. I kept a journal to refresh my memory of things seen and heard, approved and disapproved. T'ae Western World, they tell me, turns too fast, By European optics scanned and glassed ; But when we look at Europe, although fair, They must have had new Joshuas working there ; For, be our eagerness just what it will. She, spell-bound, seems to stand profoundly still. THE END.