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A.Ki

■ r-MEir^'v

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MEMOIRS

•r

AN AMERICAN LADY;

■ ■'^' ^ WITH

SKETCHES OF MANNERS AND SCENERY

IN AMERICA, > - -■ .

'S ' "
AS THEY KXISTED PREVIOUS TO THE EEVOLVTIOK. .

IN TWO VOLUMES.
^^* Bt the author of

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" LBTTEA8 FROM THM M0UNTw£iN9/ 4a 't. J ^

^vvr'.

VOL. L
THIRD EDITION. .

>»» ^ m mn.

HonHoit:

A. K. NEWMAN AND CO. LEADENHALL-STRBET.

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#7 1817.

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7HE BIGBT HONOVAABLS

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SIR WILLIAM GRANT, Knt.

io q<!i' "master OF THE ROLLS.''^ ^^uO.ii.;
C>7^^/ V'i^t> it,.... ii!:.. / J-'.^.i-I.i. >

SIE,''- ^•;''^^'

jAliUi.

It is very probable that the friends,
by whose solicitations I was induced
to arrange in the following pages my
early recollections, studied more the
amusement I should derive from exe-
cuting this task, than any pleasure
they could expect from its comple-
tion. • ' • • ' • ' '•

■ r

I: !

The principal object of this work
is to record the few incidents, and the
many virtues, which diversified and

dis-

••~>U> )

distinguished the life of a most valued
friend. Though no manners could
be more simple, no notions more pri-
mitive, than those which prevailed
among her associdtes, the stamp of
originality with which they were
marktd, and the peculiar circum-
stances in which they stood, both with
regard to my friend, and the infant
society to which they belonged, will,
I flatter myself, give an interest with
reflecting minds, even to tliis desul-
tory narrative, and the miscellany of
description, observation, and detailj^
which it involves.

If truth, both of feeling and nJlr-
ratioti^ which are its only merits,
pi'Qve % sufficient counterbalance to

"cA)

care-

careles^oessy lao^ity, and incpherence
ctf {iit]jfle9 Us prominent faults, I may
venture to invite you» when you un-
bend from the useful and honourable
laboufs to which your valuable time
is devoted, to trace tlus leeble deline-
ation of an excellent, though unem-
bellished' character ; and of the rapid
pace with which an infant society has
urged on its progress from virtuous
simplicity, to the dangerous " know-
ledge of good and evil ;" from tremu-
lous imbecility to self-sufficient inde-
pendence.

To be faithful, a delineation must
necessarily be minute. Yet if this
sketch, with all its imperfections, be
honoured by your indulgent perusal,

such

': i-!'

;

^■ww^^

such condescensien of time and talent
must certainly be admired, and may
perhaps be imitated by others, a rino/

'fhtL'.i.' .:?'

Jt)'j'.;<rf 'i<'^3 i

I am, Sir, very respectfi , ; r

onivh Your faithful, I servant,

l:„;.-Aiu, huu : THE AUTHOR.

?«r London, :1 ^>*i'r,iiCs'!<'|" ^ u ;«u i -"^B'fU
October, 1808. > *

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CONTENTS

THE FIRST VOLUME.

- '«

(i.
III

»>iwi*pp

■w^iw^"»»«

■'?

Introduction,

Pagel

CHAP. I.

■:.c:r

Province of New York. — Origin of the fettlement
of Albany. — Singular pofleiTion held by the
patron. — Account of his tenants, - 9

^ . CHAP. 11. J '

Account of ihe Five Nations, or M^ aawk Indians.
— ^Building of the fort at Albany. — ^John and
Philip Schuyler, - - . 16

CHAP. III.

Colonel Schuyler perfuades four Sachems to ac-
company him to England. — Their reception and
return, . . . 24

... : CHAP.

( viii )

CHAP. IV.

Return of Colonel Schuyler and the Sachems to
the interior. — Literary acquifitions. — Diilin-
guifhes and in{lru£ls his favourite niece. — Man-
ners of the fettlers, - - Page 30

CHAP. V.

State of religion among the fettlers. — Inftruftion
of children devolved on females— to w^hom the
charge of gardening, &c. was alfo committed. —
Sketch of the ftate of the fociety at New York,

CHAP. VI.

Defcription of Albany. — Manner of living there. —
Hermitage, &c. . - 44<

CHAP. VII.

Gentle treatment of ilaves among the Albanians,
s — Confequent attachment of domeftics.— Re-
flections oh fervitude, - - 51

CHAP. VIII.

Education and early habits of the Albanians de-
fcribed, - - - 61

;. CHAP, IX.

Defcription of the manner in which the Indian
traders fet out on their firfl adventure, 72

CHAP.

( « )

CHAP. X,

■. * r ^ • /

Manlages, amufementi, rural excurCons, &c.
among the AlbanianSy ., ^ Page 91

CHAP. XI.

Winter amufements of the Albanians, &c. 104

CHAP. XII.
Lay-brothers. — Catalina.— Detached Indians, 1 1 4

CHAP. XIII.
Progrefs of knowledge. — Indian manners, 126

CHAP. XIV.

Marriage of Mifs Schuyler. — Defcription of the
Flats, - - - 141

CHAP. XV.

Chara£l:er of Philip Schuyler.— His management
of the Indians, v • 151

CHAP. XVI.
Account of the three brothers.

159

CHAP. XVII.

The houfe and rural oeconomy of the Flats.^-
Birds and infects, - - 164

CHAP.

'■3,

( X )

Y\ \

'i\

CHAP. XVIII.

Dcfcription of Colonel Schuyler's barn, the com-
mon, and its various ufes, - Page 176

CHAP. XIX.

Military preparations.-^— Difinterefted condu£l: the
fureft road to popularity.— Fidelity of the Mo-
hawks, - - - 184

CHAP. XX.

Account of a refra£tory warrior, and of the fpirit
which (till pervaded the New England Provinces,

192

CHAP. XXI.

Diftinguifhing charafteriftics of the New York co-
lonifts, to what owing. — Hugonots and Pa/a-
//W, their character, - - 199

CHAP. XXII.

A child ftill-born. — Adoption of children com mon
in the province. — Madame*s visit to New Tork^

205

CHAP. XXIII.

Colonel Schuyler's partiality to the military chil-
dren fucceflively adopted. — Indian character
falfely charged with idlenefs, - 211

CHAP

( xi )

CHAP. XXIV.

Progrefs of citilization in Europe. — Northern na-
tions in{lru<H;ed in the arts of life by thofe they
hadfubdued, - - Page 220

CHAP. XXV.

Means by which the independence of the Indians
was firft diminifhed, . - - 233

CHAP. XXVI.

Peculiar attractions of the Indian mode of life. —
Account of a fettler who refided fome time
among them, - - - 24-2

CHAP. XXVII.

Indians only to be attached by being converted. —
The abortive expedition of Monf. Barre. — Ironi-
cal Iketch of an Indian, - - 252

CHAP. XXVIII.

Management of the Mohawks by the influence of
the Chriflian Indians, - . 261

CHAP. XXIX.

Madame^s adopted children. — Anecdote of filler
Sufan, - - - 273

CHAP.

til

''.*^i5".-

, : !,

■ 1

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li

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{ i

( xii )

CHAP. XXX.

Death of young Philip Schuyler. — Account of his
family, and of the society at the Flats, Page 286

CHAP. XXXI.

Family Details, - - 302

CHAP. XXXII.
Refources of Madame.— Provincial cuftomsj 312

INTRO-

*!■

bpi^h iiifS m'r:> ' hm >-S:m: ''i , a jj-iVi^ SmiJ

■ i^ - i - fi? '* *

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«r|iji'j0^a<j ^ijw :i*7i-*:;jr];j/,'.:j-/& ^r^ cfv«i,'i?,/n:.

' introduction;

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DEAR SIR,

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5"- MO ;.:.'*^. "V

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Q THBRs as well as you have expressed a
wish to see a memoir of my earliest^and
iXK)St valuable friend.

To gratify you and them I ^el mkny iii'-
ducements, and see many objections*

To comply with any wish of yours is on|
strong inducement. ' -

To please myself with the recollection of
past happiness and departed worth is an-
other; and to -benefit those into whose
hands this imperfect sketch may fall, is r
third. For, the authentic record of an ex-
emplary life, though delivered in the most

rouu 9 un^idorned

■

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itiji .* ,-■ *,A -t-r*^

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( 2 )

unadorned manner, and even degraded
by poverty of style, or uncouthness of nar-
ration, has an attraction for the uncorrupt-
ed mind.

It is the rare lot of some exalted charac-
ters, by the united power of virtues and of
talents, to soar above their fellow-mortals,
and leave a luminous track behind, on which
successive ages gaze with wonder and de-.
light.

But the sweet influence of the benign
stars that now and then enlighten the page
of history, is partial and unfrequent. ; ,

They to whom the most important parts
on the stage of life are allotted, if possessed
of abilities undirected by virtue^ are too
often J

<* Wise to no purpose, artful to no end,"

that is really good and desirable.

They, again, in whom virtue is not sup-
ported by wisdom, are often, with the best
intentions, made subservient to the short-
sighted craft of the artful and designing.
Hence, though we may be at times dazzled
with the blaze of heroic atchievement, or

contem-

tontem]
*• awful
nations
tfstablisl
all, the
form su
of ever
the ret
excuse
the dee

Wh(
chilling
bustlin
charact
or dii
crimes

It i^
virtues
life, th;
ture, a:
cited h

tontemplate with a purer satisfaction thoKe
" awful fathers of mankind," by whom
nations were civilized, equitable dominion
established, or liberty restored; yet, atter
all, the crimes and miseries of mankind
form such prominent features of the history
of every country, that humanity sickens at
the retrospect, and misanthropy finds an
excuse amidst the laurels of the hero, and
the deep-laid schemes of the politician :

'■■■' i ** And yet this partial view of things

' 'f *« Is surely not the best/* ^ ' Burk^.

Where shall we seek an antidote to the
cfiilling gloom left on the mind by these
bustling intricate scenes, where the best
characters, goaded on by furious factions
or dire necessity, become involved in
crimes that their souls abhor?

It is the contemplation of the peaceful
virtues in the genial atmosphere of private
life, that c. best reconcile us to our na-
ture, and quiet the turbulent emotions ex-
cited by ■■,■ . ,^ ,

, "The madness of the crowd."

» 2 But

"« •

I !

-m

nit •■

( * )

But vice, folly, and vanity are so noisy,'
so restless, so ready to rush into public
view, and so adapted to afford food for ma-
levolent curiosity, that the still small voice
of virtue, active in its own sphere, but un*
willing to quit it, is drowned in their tu-
mult. This is a remedy, however.

it:

Ufit vf!'. irUiti./- ifi *■.::.

" Not obvious, not obtrusive.

»»

* .1 « \.i

.<.-?1^T ;;iU

If we would counteract the baleful in-
fluence of public vice by the contempla-
tion pf private worth, we must penetrate
into its retreats, and not be deterred from
attending to its simple details by the want
of that glare and bustle with which a ficti-
tious or artificial character is generally sur-
rounded.

But in this wide field of speculation one
might wander out of sight of the original
subject. Let me then resume it, and re-
turn to my objections. Of these the first
and greatest is the dread of being inaccu-
rate. Embellished facts, a mixture of truth
and fiction, or, what we sometimes meet

with,

with, a
foundal
on the s
sense w
walkin;
your fc
pulsive
ment ij
do not
narrati^
all true.
Buine,
fiction,
the mir
embelli
tions.

I do
city. \
any thi
distanc
writter
misplac
form e:
tion?
^wish

{ s )

with, a fictitious superstructure built on a
foundation of reality, would be detestable
on the score of bad taste, though no moral
sense were concerned or consulted. 'Tis
walking on a river half frozen, that betrays
your footing every moment. By these re-
pulsive artifices no person of real discern-
ment is for a moment imposed upon. You
do not know exactly which part of the
narrative is false j but you are sure it is not
all true, and therefore distrust what is ge-
nuine, where it occurs. For ihis reason a
fiction, happily told, takes a greater hold of
the mind than a narrative of facts, evidently
embellished ind interwoven with inven-

tions.

J.a'r

I do not mean to discredit my own vera-
city. I certainly have no intention to relate
any thing that is not true. Yet in the dim
distance of near forty years, unassisted by
written memorials, shall I not mistake dates,
misplace facts,and omit circumstances which
form essential links in the chain of narra-
tion? Thirty years ago, when I expressed
^wish to do what I am noW about to at-
i' b3 tempt,

;•

-' I

ii<

h'ii:

( 6 )

h;'

'!li

tempt, how differently should I have exe-
cuted it. A warm heart, a vivid imagina-
tion, and a tenacious memory, were then all
filled with a theme which I could not touch
without kindling into an enthusiasm,8acred
at once to virtue atid to friendship. Vene-
rated friend of my youth, my guide, and
my instructress! are then the dregs of an
enfeebled mind, the worn affections of a
wounded heart, the imperfect efforts of a
decaying memory, all that remain to conse-
crate thy remembrance, to make known
thy worth, and to lay on thy tomb the of-
fering of gratitude ? * ^^ '

My friend's life, besides being mostly
passed in unruffled peace and prosperity,
aflbrds few of those vicissitudes which asto-
nish and amuse, It is from her relations
to those with whom her active benevolence
connected her, that the chief interest of her
story (if story it may be called) arises.
It includes that of many persons, obscure
indeed but for the light which her regard
and beneficence reflected upon them. Yet
without those subordinate persons in thg

drama,

' ( r )

<ff ama, the action of human life, especially
such a life as hers, cannot be carried on.
Those can neither appear with grace, nor be
omitted with propriety. Then, remote and
retired as hep situation was, the variety of
nations and characters, of tongues and of
complexions, with which her public spirit
and private benevolence connected her,
might ?ippear wonderful to those unac-
quainted with the country and the times
in which she lived ; without a pretty dis-
tinct view of which my narrative would
be unintelligible. I must be excused too
for dwelling at times, on the recollection
of a state of society so peailiar, so utterly
dissimilar to any other that I have heard
or read of, that it exhibits human nature
in a new aspect, and is so far an object
of rational curiosity, as well as a kind of
phenomenon in the history of coloniza-
tion. I forewarn the reader not to look
for lucid order in the narration, nor for
intimate connection between its parts, I
have no autliorities to refer to, no coeval
witnesses of facts to consult. In regard to

K 4 the

I i

■I '

li '. t

;»*v

the companions of my youth, I sit like tile
•* Voice of Cona,*' alone on the heath; and,
like him too, must muse in silence, till at
intervals the " Light of my soul arises/*
before I can call attention to " A tale of
other times," in which several particulars
relative to ^^y friend*s ancestry must n^
cessarily be included. ». , v . ...

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u'n-... CHAP. I. r'-^it-'-4'«*^^*' ■

Province of New York. — Origin of the Settlement
at Albany. — Singular Possession held by the Patron
—Account of his Tenants.

yr is well known that the Province of New
York, anciently called Munhattoes by
the Indians, was originally settled by a
Dutch colony, which came from Holland,
I think, in the time of Charles the Second.
Finding the country to their liking, they
were followed by others more wealthy and
better informed. Indeed some of the early
emigrants appear to have been people re-
spectable both from their family and cha-
racter. Of these the principal were the
Cuylers, the Schuylers, the Renselaers, the
Delancys, the Cortlandtsj ihe Tinjjrooks,
and the Beckmans, who have all of thetn
been since distinguished in the civil wars,
ekher as persecuted loyalists or tiium-
• . B 5 phant

■^■

»:

'if

•I

phant patriots. I do not precisely recollect
ihc motives assigned for the voluntary
exile of persons who were evidently in
circumstances that might admit of their
living in comfort at home, but am apt to
think that the early set tiers were those who
adhered to the interest of the Stadtholder's
family, a party which, during the minority
of King William, was almost persecuted by
the high republicans. They who came over
at a later period probably belonged to the
j)arty which opposed the Stadthdder, and
which was then in its turn depressed.
These persons afterwards distinguished
themselves by an aversion, nearly amount-
ing to antipathy, to the British army, and
indeed to all the British colonists. Their
notions were mean and contracted ; their
manners blunt and austere ; and their ha-
bits sordid and parsimonious: As tlie
settlement began to extend they retired,
and formed new establishments,afterwards
called FirkkilljEsopus, &c.

To the Schuylers, Cuylers, Delancys^

Cortlandts and a few others, this descrip-

V tion

kind

tentT

r 11 )

tion did by no means apply. Yet they
too bore about them the tokens of former
affluence and respectability, such as family
plate, portraits of their ancestors executed
in a superior style,and great numbers of ori-
ginal paintings, some of which were much
admired by acknowledged judges. Of these
the subjects were generally^ taken from sa-
cred history. .

I do not recollect the exact time, but
think itwasduringthe last years of Charles
the Second, that a settlement we then pos-
sessed ^t Surinam was ^xch^nged for the
extensive (indeed at that >ime boundlessV
province of Munhattoes, which, in com-
pliment to the then heir apparent, was
called New York. Of the explored
part of that country, the most fertile and
beautiful was situated far inland, on the
banks of the Hudson's River. This co^
pious and majestic stream, is naviq;able i TO
miles from its mouth for vessels o£ 60 or 70
tons burthen. Near the head of it^ as a
kind of barrier against the nitiv-:?^. and a
central resort for traders, the foundatv.^:j

i i;

{ 12 )

was laid of a town called Oranienburgli,
and afterwards by the British, Albany.

After the necessary precaution of erect-
ing a small stockaded fort for security, a
church was built in the centre of the in-
tended town, which served in different re-
spects as a kind of land-mark. A gentle-
man of che name of Renielaer was con-
sidered as in a manner lord paramount of
this city, a pre-eminence which his suc-
cessor still enjoys, both with regard to the
town and the lands adjacent. The original
proprietor obtained from the High and
Alighty States a grant of lands, which,
from the church, extmded twelve miles
in every direction, forming a manor twen-
ty-four Dutch miles in length, the sam«
tn breadth, including lands not oniy of the
best quality of any in the pr* ^ ince, but the
the most happily wtuated for the purposes
both of commerce and of agriculture.
This great proprietor was looked up to as
much as republicansin a new country could
be supposed to look up to any one. He
was called the Patroon, a designation tan-

tamoui^lt

\i !

•■■ i

( 1^ )

tamount to lord of the manor. Yet, In the
distribution of these lands, the sturdy Bel-
gian spirit of independence set limits to the
power and profits of this lord Oi the forests,
as he might then be called. None of these
lands were either sold or alienated. The
more wealthy settlers,as theSchuylers,Cuy-
Jers, &c. took very extensive leases of the
fertile plains along the river, with bound-
less liberty of woods and pasturage, to the
westward, llie terms were, that the lease
sTiould hold while water runs and grass
grows, and the landlord to receive the tenth
sheaf of every kind of grain the ground
produces. Thus ever accommodating the
rent to the fertility of the soil, and changes
of the seasons,you may suppose the tenants
did not greatly fear a landlord, who could
neither remove them, nor heighten their
rents. Thus, without the pride of property,
they had all the independence of proprie-
tors. They were like German princes, who,
after furnishing their contingent to the
Emperor, might make war on him when
they chose. Besides the profits (yearly

augmenting)

■-1 '

I
}•

If' .

'*"

■'i\
:•(.

■■«.

i I

^ t

( U I

augmentingN which the patron drew from
his ample possessions, he held in his own
hands an extensive and fruitful demesne.
Yet preserving in a great measure the simple
and frugal habits of hisancestors,his|wealth
was not an object of envy, nor a source of
corruption to his fellow citizens. To the
nortliward of these bounds, and at the
southern extremity also, the Schuylers and
Cuylers held lands of their own. But the
only other great landholders I remember,
holding their land by those original tenures,*
were Philips and Cortlandt; their lands lay
also on the Hudson's River,half way down
to New York, and were denominated
Philips* and Cortlandt's manors. At the
time of the first settling of the country the
Indians were numerous and powerful along •
all the river ; but they consisted o( wander-
ing families, who, though they established :
some sort of i )cal boundaries for distin- .
guishingthe hunting grounds of each tribe,
could not be said to inhabit any place. The
cool and crafty Dutch governors being un-
able to cc^e with them in arms, purchased

from

from th€
some pet
great frie
scious of
not to pr
and inse
tlie west,

7 ->.

( 15 )

from them the most valuable tracts for
some petty consideration. They affected
great friendship for them ; and, while con-
scious of their own weakness, were careful
not to provoke hostilities; and they,silently
and insensibly, established themselves to
the west.

ill

■';

■) . »

. '» .

r V

m
I

. '■' '

' .

V (';;r:

■...., ...'.';

! :

CHAPt

I K

( 16 )

t .y t I

t w *

■..• ■ ' :.

. i. / . i ; -'1 ' . .. „ 1

' /

) '..i',

' ''/ J.

• .A

'.^T^-/,-;

. ^ CHAP II.

I •

- .1

Account of the Five Nations, or Mohawk Indians.—
BuiJding of the Fort at Albany.— John and Philip
Schuyler,

QN the Mohawk River, about forty miles
distant from Albany, there subsisted a
confederacy of Indian tribes, of a very diffe-
rent character from those mentioned in the
preceding chapter; too sagacious to be de-
ceived,and too powerful to be eradicated.
These were the once renowned five na-
tions, whom anyone, who remembersthem
while they were a people, will hesitate to
call savages. Were ///e'j/ savages who had
fixed habitations ; who cultivated rich
fields; who built castles, (for so they called
their not incommodious wooden houses,
surrounded with palisadoes ;) who planted
maize and beans, and shewed considerable
\7igenuityinconstructingand adorningtl eir

canoes,

W.I •>

canoes
wise tl:
their m
and so
was be
langua;
pressiv
vated s
stained
vages?

*«Of

«' Anc

is not fi
point
Ameri(
existed
langua]
aware i
mory c
soother
writer,
may at
and sa
pendcd

( 17 ]

canoes, armSj and clothing ? They who had
wise though unwritten laws, and coiiducted
their wars, treaties, and alliances with deep
and sound policy ; they whose eloquence
was bold, nervous, and animated ; whose
language was sonorous, music«il, and ex-
pressive ; who possessed generous and ele-
vated sentiments, heroic fortitude, and un-
stained probity : Were these indeed sa-
vages? The difference

*' Of scent the headlong lioness between
" And hound sagacious, on the tainted green.

is not greater than that of the Mohawks in
point of civility and capacity, from other
American tribes, among whom, indeed,
existed a far greater diversity of character,
language, &c. than Europeans seem to be
aware of. This little tribute to the me-
mory of a people who have been, while it
soothes the pensive recollections of the
writer, is not so foreign to the subject as it
may at first appear. So much of the peace
and safety of the infant community de-
pended on tlie fricudiihip and alliance of
' - • these

i ■

( 18 )

these generous tribes; and to conciliate and
retain their affections so mucli address was
necessary, that common characters were un^
equal to the task. Minds liberal and up-
right, like those I am about to describe,
could aloneexcite that esteem|fend preserve
that confidence, which were Cvssential to-
wards retaining the friendship of those va-
luable allies.

From the time of the great rebellion, so
many English refugeesfrequented Holland,
that the language and manners of our
country became familiar at the Hague, par-
ticularly among the Stadtholder's party.
When the province of New York fell un-
der the British dominion, it became neces-
sary that every body should learn our lan-
guage, as all public business was carried on
in the English tongue, which they did the
more willingly, as, after the revolution, the
accession of the Stadtholder to the English
crown very much recontrled tham to our
government. Still, however,. the English
was a kind of court language ; little spo-
ken, and imperlectly understood in the in-
terior.

( 19 )

icriorv Those who carried over with ihcm
the French and English languages soon ac-
quired a sway over their less enlightened
i'ellow-settlers. Of this number were the
Schuylers and Cuylers, twofamilies among
whpm intel0tt of the superior kind seemed
an inheritance, and whose intelligence and
liberality of mind, fortified by well^
grounded principle, carried them far be-
yond the petty and narrow views of the
rest. Habituated at home to centre all \(^is-
dom and all happiness in commercial ad-
vantages, they would have been Very ill
qualified to lay the foundation of an infant
state in a country that afforded plenty and
content, as the reward of industry, but
where the veiy nature of the territory, as
well as the state of society, precluded great
pecuniary acquisitions. Their object here
was to tame savage nature, and to make
the boundless wild subservient to agricul-
tural purposes. Commercial pursuits were
a distant prospect; and before they became
of consequence, rural habits had greatly
changed the character of these republicans.
. . iJut

\ "I

' ,

! .!

! ( '

f f

-L

^:,

( 20 )

Btit the commercial spirit, inherent in all
true Batavians, only slept to wake again,
when the avidity of gain was called forth
by the temptation of bartering for any lu-
crative commodity. Thefurs of the Indians
gave this occasion, and Were too soon made
the object of the avidity of petty traders.
To the infant settlement at Albany the con-
sequences of this shortsighted policy might
have proved fatal, had not these patriotic
leaders, by their example and influence
checked for a while such illiberal and dan-
gerous practices. It is a fact singular and
worth attending to, from the lesson it exhi-
bitS| that in all our distant colonies there is
no other instance where a considerable town
and prosperous settlement has arisen and
flourished, in peace and safety, in the midst
of nations disposed and often provoked to
hostility, at a distance from the protection
of ships, and from the only fortified city,
which, always weakly garrisoned, was lit-
tle fitted to awe and protect the whole pro-
vince. Let it be remembered that the dis-
tance from New York to Albany is 170
, r miles;

miles

at thi

not

dow

istedl

inde]

were

at vai

tizanj

!S;

( 21 )

miles ; and that in the intermediate space,
at the period of which I speak, there was
not one town or fortified place. The sha-
dow of a paiisadoed fort*, which then ex-
isted at Albany, was occupied by a single
independent company, who did duty, but
were dispersed though the town, working
at various trades: so scarce indeed were ar-
tizans in this community, that a tradesman
might in these days ask any wages he chose.
To return to this settlement, which evi-
dently owed its security to the wisdom of
its leaders, who always acted on the simple
maxim that honesty is the best policy; se-
veral miles north from Albany a consider-
able possession called the Flats, was inha-
bited by Colonel Philip Schuyler, one df
the most enlightened men in the province.
This being a frontier, he would have found
it a very dangerous situation had he not

* It may be worth noting, that Captain Ma«»cy,
who commanded this non-effective company for many
years, was the father of Mrs. Lennox, an estimable
character, well known for her literary productions, and

I i

I I

■ -(ja^-

for being the friend and protegee of Doctor Johnson.

been

~,-\»^'

W^7* ■

1 1

•^

( 29 )

heen a person of singular worth, fortitude,
and wisdom. If I were not afraid of tiring
my reader with a detail of occurrences
which, taking place before the birth of my
friend might seem irrelevant to the present
purpose, I could relate many instances al-
most incredible, of the power of mind dis-
played by this gentleman in govern mg the
uninstructed, without coercion or legal
right. He possessed this species of power
in no common degree ; his influence, with
that of his brother John Schuyler, was ex-
erted to conciliate the wandering tribes of
Indians j and by fair traffic, for he too was
a trader, and by fair liberal dealing, they
attained their object. I'hcy also strength*
ened the league already formed with the
five Mohawk nations, by procuring for
them some assistance against their enemies,
the Onondagoes of the I/akes. .

Oueen Anne had by this time succeeded
the Stacltholder. The gigijntic ambition
of Lewis the Fourteenth actuated the re-
motest parts of his extensive d')minions ;
and the encroaching spirit of that restless

jiation

nation
to the
could s
sessed
they '
which
of Nev
a kind
It beg:
fur tra
the be
origin:
daily r
great
tribes,
and of
alted i
the B
cannol
at this
well aj
tlemei
gulati(
learn i
whose
promc

( 23 )

nation began to discover itself in hostilities
to the infant colony. A motive for this
could scarce be discovered, since they pos-
sessed already much more territory than
they were able to occupy, the limits of
which vi'cre undefined. But the province
of New York was a frontier; and, as such,
a kind of barrier to the southern colonies.
It began also to compete for a share of the
fur trade, then very considerable, before
the beavers were driven back from their
original haunts. In short, the province
daily rose in importance; and being in a
great measure protected by the Mohawk
tribes, the policy of courting their alliance,
and of impressing their minds with an ex-
alted idea of the power and grandeur of
the British empire, became obvious. I
cannot recollect the name of the governor
at this time; but whoever he was, he, as
wcJl as the succeeding ones, visited the set-
tlement at Albany, to observe its wise re-
gulations, and growing prosperity, and to
learn maxims of sound policy from those
whose interests and happiness were daily
promoted by the practice of it.

CHAP.

• I

l!^r

•!:^

( 'i4 )

•;-t.\,

.■.'fI<J!(.,

CHAP. III.

,x:'

Colonel Schuyler perfluades four Sachems to accora-
. pany him to England.-— Their Reception and Re-
turn. .

TT was thought adviseable to send over
some of the heads of the tribes to Eng-
land to attachthemtothatrountry: but to
persuade such of them as were intelligent,
sagacious, and aware of all probable dan-
gers; who were strangers to all the mari-
time concerns, and had never beheld the
ocean; to persuade such independent and
high-minded warriors to forsake the safety
and enjoyments of their own country, to
encounter the perils of a long voyage,
and trust themselves imong entire stran-
gers, and this merely to bind closer an al-
liance with the sovereign of a distant coun-
try — a female sovereign too; a mode of
government that must have appeared to
them very incongruous ; this was no
common undertaking, nor was it easy

( 25 )

to induce these chiefs to accede to the
proposal. The principal motive for urg-
ing it was, to counteract the machina-
tions of the French, whose emissaries in
these wild regions had even then begun
to style us, in eflfect, a nation of shop,
keepers; and to impress the tribes dwel-
ling within their boundaries with vast
ideas of the power and splendour of their
Grand Monarque, while our sovereign,
they saidj ruled over a petty island, and was
himself a trader. To counterwork such
suggestions, it was thought requisite to
give the leaders of the nation (who then
in fact protected our people) an ade-
quate idea of our power, and of the
magnificence of our court. The chiefs at
length consented, on this condition only,
that their brother Philip, who never had
been known to tell a lie, or to speak with-
out thinking, should accompany them.
However this gentleman's wisdom and in-
tegrity might qualify him for this employ-
ment, it by no means suited his placid
temper, simple manners and habits of life,
at once pastoral and patriarchal, to travel

VOL. I.

over

( 26 )

V W

. ' M

over seas, visit courts, and mingle in tile
bustle of a world, the customs of which
W^re become foreign to those primitive
ilnhabitants of new and remote regions.
T^e adventure, however, succeeded be-
yond his expectation; the chiefs were
pleased with the attention paid them, and

•with the mild and gracious manners of
the queen, who at different times admit-
ted them to her presence. With the good
Philip she had many conversations, and
made him some valuable presents, among
which, I thiftk, was her- picture ; but this
with many others was lost, in a manner
which will appear hereafter. Colonel
Schuyler too was much delighted with the
courteous affability of this princess; she of-
fered to knight him, which he respectful-

'iy, but positively refused : and being pres-
sed to assign his reasons, he said he hj^

"brothers and near relations in humble cir-
Giimstances, who, already his iififeriors in
property, would seem a^ it were depress^

-by his elevation : and though it fehould have
no such ^ect on his mind, it might be the

' means

( 27 )

means of awakening pride or vanity in the
female part of his family. He returned,
however, in triumph, having completely
succeeded in his mission. The kings, aft
they were called in England, came back in
full health, deeply impressed with esteem
and attachment for a country which to
them appeared the centre of arts, intelli-
gence, and wisdom j where they were
treated with kindness and respect ; and
were neither made the objects of perpetual
exhibition, nor hurried .bout and dis^
tracted with a succession of splendid, and
to them incomprehepsible sights, the
quick shifting of which rather tends to
hai rass minds which have enough of native
strength to. reflect on what they sec, with-
out knowledge sufficient to comprehend it.
It is to this childish and injudicious mode
of treating those uncivilised beings, to thi?
mode of rather extorting from them a tri-
bute to our vanity, than of taking the nc^
cessary pains to inform and improve them,
that the ill success of all subsequent experi*
ments of this kind has been owing.

c 2 Instead

i ;

I -i -i

( 28 )

listead of endeavouring to conciliate them
by genuine kindness, and by gradually and
gently unfolding to them simple and useful
truths, our manner of treating them seems
calculated to dazzle, oppress, and degrade
them with a display of our superior lux-
uries and refinements : which, by the ele-
vated and self denied Mohawk, would be
regarded as unmanly and frivolous objects,
and which the voluptuous and low minded
Otaheitan would so far relish, that the pri-
vation would seem intolerable, when he re-
turned to his hogs and his cocoas. Except
such as have been previously inoculated, (a
precaution which voyagers have rarely had
the prudence or humanity to take, there
is scarcely an instance of savages brought
to Europe that have not died of the small
pox; induced either by the infection to
which they are exposed from the indiscri-
minate crowds drawn about them, or the
alteration in their blood, which unusual
diet, liquors, close air, and heated rooms^
must necessarily produce. *

The presents made to these adventurous

warriors

n !

)US

)rs

( 29 ) .

warriors were judiciously adapted to their
taste and customs. They consisted of shewy
habits, of which all these people are very
fond, and of arms made purposely in the
form of those used in their own country. It
was the fortune of the writer of these me-
moirs, more than thirty years after, to see
that great warrior and faithful ally of the
British crown, the redoubted King Hen-
t^rick, then sovereign of the five nations,
I p'endidly arrayed in a suit of light blue,
made in an antique mode, and trimmed
with broad silver lace j which was pro-
bably an heir loom in the family, pre-
sented to his father by his good ally, and
sister, the female king of England.

I cannot exactly say how long Colonel
Schuyler and his companions staid in Eng-
land, b; * I think they were nearly a year
absent t* those primeval days of the
settlement , when our present rapid modes
of transmitting intelligence were un-
known, in a country so detached and in-
land as that at Albany, the return of these
interesting travellers was like the first
li^t g of lamps in a city.

c 3 CHAP.

s i

i ti

«•; si

( so )

CHAP. IV.

Return of Colonel Schuylei* and the Sachems' to tho
interior,— Literary Acquisitions.— Distinguishes and
instructs His favourite Niece.— Manners of the Set-

tlers.

TpHis sagcL^ious and' intelligent patriot
thuff brought to the foot of the British
dirone, the high spirited rulers of the
boundless wild, who alike heedless of the
power and splendour of distant monarchs,
were accustomed to say with Fingal," suffi-
cient for me is the desart, with all its deer and
^^ods." It may easily be supposed that such
a mind as Philip's was equally fitted* to ac-
quire and to communicate intelligenCfe. He
who had conversed with Addison, Mkrlbo-
ifough, and Godolphin, who had gratified
the curiosity of Oxford and Bblihgbroke, of
Arbuthnot and of Gay, with accounts of
nature in her pristine garb, and of her chil^
dren in their primitive simplicity 5 he who

could

( 31 )

could do all, this, no doubtr received ample,
returns of various informatipn froni those
best qualified to give it ; he vif^ besides ;a
diligent observer, H^re he improv^d^ a.
taste for, literature, native to hip[>, for-it
had not yet taj^enroot in thij^ uncultivated
soij. He brought hpmetheSpecta^orandthe
tragedy of Gato^ Windsor forest. Young's,
poem on the Last Day, and in short all'tl^e.
worHs> then published, of that coi^stellation
of wits which distinguished the 1^ female
reign» Nay more, and better, he br^ought
Paradise Lost j which in af ter-timesafFor<led
such delight to some branches of his fJEimily,
that to them M'

" Paradise (indeed) seemed opened in the wild."

But to return to our Sachems, from
whom we have too long digressed: when,
they arrived at Albany, they did not, as
might be expected> hasten out with him to
communicate their discoveries, and display
their acquisitions. They summoned a
congress there, not only of the elders of
their own nation, but also the chiefs

c 4 of

'Hi

if|

' ' ' ' n

i a

! ■!:!

, i

■ i

:v i^

( 82 )

of all those with whom they were in
alliance. This solemn meeting was held
in the Dutch church. In the present de-
pressed and diminished state of these once
powerful tribes, so few traces of their
wonted energy remain, that it could scarce
be credited, were I able to relate with
what bold and flowing eloquence they
clothed their conceptions : powerful rea-
soning, emphatic language, and graceful
action, added force to their arguments;
they persuaded their adherents torenounce
all connexion with the tribes under the
French influence ; and to form a lasting
league, offensive and defensive, with that
great queen, whose mild majesty had so deep,
ly impressed them : and with the mighty
people whose kindness had gratified and
whose power had astonished them, whose
populous cities swarmed with arts and com-
merce, and in whose floating castles they had
rode safely over the ocean. I have seen a vo-
lume of thespeeches of these Mohawkspre-
served by Colonel Schuyler ; they were li-
terally translated, so that the native idiom

was

was pres
them u
strength
Whei
Englanc
talina, t
bout sev
sons, ye
above tl
knowle<
per ; th
was at t]
means o:
female
ducted
needle "
both sk
mother
at that
and a fe
kind,
ment f(
did, the
general!
and fe>^
educatii

■^i-'-f.-

{ 33 )

was preserved; which, instead of rendering^
them uncouth, seemed to add to their
strength and sublimity.

When Colonel Schuyler returned from
England, about the year 1 709, his niece Ca-
talina, the subject of this narrative, was a-
bout seven years old; he had a daughter and
sons, yet this child was early distinguished
above the rest for docility, a great desire of
knowledge, and an even and pleasing tem-
per ; this her uncle had early observed. It
was at that time very difficult to procure the
means of instruction in those inland districts ;
female education of consequence was con-
ducted on a very limited scale; girls learnt
needle work (in which they were indeed
both skilful and ingenious) from their
mothers and aunts ; they were taught too
at that period to read, in Dutch, the bible,
and a few Calvinist tracts of the devotional
kind. But in the infancy of the settle-
ment few girls read English; when they
did, they were thought accomplished ; they
generally spoke it, however imperfectly,
and few were taught writing. This confined
<?ducation precluded elegance ; yet, though

c 5 thert

I i:

;.f^':

!t <

( 34 )

there was no polish, there was no vulgarity.
The dregs of the people, who subside to the
bottom of the mass, are not only degraded
by abject poverty, but so utterly shut out
from intercourse with the more en-
lightened, and so rankled with envy
from a consciousness of the exclusion, that
a sense of their condition gradually de-
bases their minds; and this degradation
communicates to their manners, the vul-
garity of which we complain. This more
particularly applies to the lower class in
towns; for mere simplicity, or even a
rustic bluntness, I would by no means call
vulgarity. At the same time these unembeU
lished females had more comprehension of
mind, more variety of ideas, more in short
of what may be called original thinking,
than could easily be imagined. Their
thoughts were not like those of other illite-
rate women, occupied by the ordinary de-
tails of the day, and the gossiping tattle of
the neighbourhood. . The life of new set-
tlers, in a situation like this, where the very
foundations of society were to be laid, was
a life of exigencies. Every individual took

( 35 )

an interest in the general welfare, and con-
tributed their respective shares of intelli-
gence and sagacity to aid plans that em-
braced important objects relative to the
common good. Every day called forth some
new expedient, in which the comfort or
advantage of the whole was implicated ; for
there were no degrees but those assigned to
worth and intellect. This singular commu-
nity seemed to have a common stock, not
only of sufferings and enjoyments, but of
information and ideas ; some pre-eminence,
in point of knowledge and abilities, there
certainly w^s, yet those who possessed it
seemed scarcely conscious of their superi-
ority; the dailyoccasionswhich called forth
the exertions of mind, sharpened sagacity,
and strengthened chavactei^j avarice and
vanity were there confined to very narrow
limits; ofmoney there was little; and dresgf
was, though in some instances valuable,
very plain, and not subject to the caprice
of fashion. The wolves, the bears, and
the enraged or intoxicated savages, that
always hung threatening on their bounda-
ries, made them more and more ciidcared

C6. to

I ; ,

■■I

II.

' ' •( r

'4..

( 36 )

to each other. In this calm infancy of socie-
ty, the rigours of law slept, because the
fury of turbulent passions had not awaken-
ed it. Fashion, that capricious tyrant over
adult communities, had not erected her
standard ; that standard, to which the
looks, the language, the very opinions of
her subjects must be adjusted. Yet no per-
son appeared uncouth, or ill bred, because
there was no accomplished standard of com-
parison. They viewed no superior with
fear or envy j and treated no inferior with
contempt or cruelty; servility and insolence
were thus equally unknown: perhaps they
were less solicitous either to please or ta
shine than the members of more polished
societies ; because, in the first place, they
had no motive either to dazzle or deceive;
and in the next, had they attempted it,
they felt there was no assuming a character
with success, where their native one was so
well known. Their manners, if not ele-
^nt and polished, were at least easy and
independent : the constant efforts necessary
to'«eXtend their commercial and agricultu-
ral possessions, prevented mdolence ; and

industr^j

indusi

Surn

least i|

ing

recon^

oblige

it not I

ders

a hapj

tues I

tion.

to be

city, :

a mor

that t

freshni

to the

summi

day.

tended

quickl

dulge

peace ;

cellenc

hardly

•v-tvr <■

( 37 )

industry was the certain path to plenty.
Surrounded on all sides by those whom the
least instance of fraud, insolence, or grasp-
ing meanness, would have rendered ir-
reconcileable enemies, they were at first
obliged to " assume a virtue if they had
it not ;*' and every circumstance that ren-
ders virtue habitual, may be accounted
a happy one. I may be told that the vir-
tues I describe were chiefly those of situa-
tion. I acknowledge it. It is no more
to be expected that this equality, simpli-
city, and moderation, should continue in
a more advanced state of society, than
that the sublime tranquility, and dewy
freshness, which adds a nameless charm
to the face of nature, in the dawn of a
summer morning, should continue all
day. Before increased wealth and ex-
tended territory, these *' wassel days'*
quickly receded ; yet it is pleasing to in-
dulge the remembrance of a spot, where
peace and felicity, the result of moral ex-
cellence, , dwelt undisturbed, for^ alas !
hardly for, a century.

CHAP,

I 38 )

CHAP. V.

State of Religion among' the Settlers. — Instiiiction of
Children devolved on Females— to whom the Charge
of Gardening, &c. was also committed. — Sketch of
the State of the Society at New York.

T MUST finish this general outline, by say-
ing something of that religion which
gave stability and effect to the virtues of
this infant society. Their religion, then,
like their original national character, had
in it little of fervour or enthusiasm : their
manner of performing religious duties was
regular and decent, but calm, and to more
ardent imaginations might appear me-
chanical. None ever doubted of the great
truths of revelation, yet few seemed to
dweU on the result with that lively delight
which devotion produces in mir\ds of
keener sensibility. If their piety, however^
was without enthusiasm, it was also with-
out bigotry ; they wished others to think
as they did, without shewing rancour or

contempt

t.-tk

( 39 >

contempt towards those who did not. In.
many individuals, whose lives seemed go-
verned by the principles of religion, the
spirit of devotion seemed to be quiescent
in the heart, and to break forth in exi-
gencies ; yet that monster in nature, an
impious woman, was never heard of
among them.

Indeed it was on the females that tho
task of religious instruction generally de-
volved ; and in all cases where the heart is
interested, whoever teaches, at the same
'ime learns.

Before I quit this subject, I must ob-
serve a singular coincidence ; not only the
training of children, but of plants, such a&
needed peculiar care or skill to rear themi
was the female province. Every one in
town or country had a garden ; but all the
more hardy plants grew in the fieldj, in
rows, amidst the hills, as they were called^
of Indian corn. These lofty plants sheltered
them from the sun, while the same hoeing
served for both : there cabbages, potatoes,
and other esculent roots, with variety of

gourds

t I

»/'

1 .■■ i

( 40 )

gourds grew to a great size, and were of
an excellent quality. Kidney-beans, aspa-
ragus, celery, great variety of sallads and
sweet herbs, cucumbers, &c. were only
admitted into the garden, into which no
foot of man intruded, after it was dug in
spring. Here were no trees, those grew in
the orchard in high perfection ; straw-
berries and many high-flavoured wild
fruits of the shrub kind abounded so much
in the woods, that they did not think of
cultivating them in their gardens^ which
were extremely neat but small, and not
by any means calculated for walking in.
I think I yet see what I have so often be-
held both in town and country, a respect-
able mistress of a family going out to her
garden, in an April morning, with her
great calash, her little painted basket of
seeds, and her rake over her shoulder, to
her garden labours. These were by na
means merely figurative,

" From morn till noon, from noon till dewy eve.**

A woman, in very easy circumstances, and
abundantly gentle in form and manners,

would

they

( 41 )

\vou<d sow, and plant, and rake, inces-
santly. These fair gardeners were also
great florists : their emulation and solici-
tude in this pleasing employment, did in-
deed produce " flowers worthy of Tara-
dise." Though not set in " curious knots,"
they were arranged in beds, the varieties
of each kind by themselves ; this, if not
varied and elegant, was at least rich and
gay. To the Schuylers this description
did not apply ; they had gardeners, and
their gardens were laid out in the Eu-
ropean manner.

Perhaps I should reserve my description
of the manner of living in that country for
that period, when by the exertions of a few
humane and enlightened individuals it as-
sumed a more regular and determinate
form. Yet as the same outline was pre-
served through all the stages of its pro-
gression, I know not but that it may oe
best to sketch it entirely, before I go
further; that the few and simple facts
which my narrative affords may not be
clogged by explanations relative to the

customs.

!'!

•i !

I :"

( *2 )

customs, or to any other peculiarities
which can only be understood by a pre-
vious acquaintance with the nature off the
country, its political relations, and the
manners of the people : my recollection
all this while has been merely confined to
Albany, and' its precincts. At New York
there was always a governor, a few troops,
and a kind of little court kept 5 there too
was a mixed, and in some degree, polished
society. To this the accession of many fa-
milies of French Hugonots, rather above
the middling rank, contributed not a
little : those conscientious exiles had more
knowledge and piety than any other class
of the inhabitants ; their religion seemed
indeed endeared; to them, by what they
had suffered for adhering to it. Their
number and wealth was such, as enabled
them to build not only a street, but a very
respectable church in the new city. In
this place of worship, within my recollec-
tion, service continued to be celebrated in
the French language, though the original
congregation was by that time much

blended

i r

( 4S )

blended in the mass of general society. It
was the custom of the inhabitants of thq
upper settlement, who had any preten-
sions to superior culture or polish, among
which number Mt. Schuyler stood fore-
most, to go once a year to New York,
where all the law courts were held, and
all the important business of the province
transacted j here too they sent their chil-
dren occasionally to reside with their rela-
tions, and to learn the more polished man-
ners and language of the capital. The in-
habitants of that city, on the other hand,
delighted in a summer excursion to Al-
bany. The beautiful, and in some places
highly singular banks of the river, ren-
dered a voyage to its source both amusin^^
and interesting, while the primitive man-
ners of the inhabitants diverted the gay
and idle, and pleased the thoughtful and
speculative.

Let me now be indulged in drawing
a picture of the abode of my childhood
just as,, at this time, it presents itself to my
inind.

CHAP.

■I

I I

P"1

( 4* )

' CHAP VI.

Description of Albany. — Manner of liting there-
Hermitage, &c.

npHE city of Albany stretched along the
banks of Hudson; one very wide and
long street lay parallel to the river, the in.
termediate space between it and the shore
being occupied by gardens. A small, but
steep hill rose above the centre of the town,
on which stood a fort, intended (but very
ill adapted) for the defence of the place,
and of the neighbouring country. From
the foot of this hill, another street was
built, sloping pretty rapidly down till it
joined the one before mentioned that ran
along the river. This street was still wider
than the other; it was only paved on each
side, the middle being occupied by public
edifices. These consisted of a market-place,
or guard-house, a town hall, and the Eng-

lish

lish an
church,
sion, an
Londor
the upp
church
descent
irregula
long, ra
ones ope
proporti
great sp;
was a k
every ho
green b(
was plan
coeval ^
family; i
digious
but with
the kind
thought
shade toi
was surr

( 45 )

lish and Dutch churches. The English
church, belonged to the episcopal persua-
sion, and in the diocese of the bishop of
London, stood at the foot of the hill, at
the upper end of the street. The Dutch
church was situated at the bottom of the
descent where the street terminated ; two
irregular streets, not so broad, but equally-
long, ran parallel to those, and a few even
ones opened between them. The town, in
proportion to its population, occupied a
great space of ground. I'his city, in short,
was a kind of semi-rural establishment;
every house had its garden,well,and a little
green behind j before every door a tree
was planted, rendered interesting by being
coeval with some beloved member of the
family; many of their trees were of a pro-
digious size and extraordinary beauty,
but without regularity, every one planting
the kind that best pleased him, or which he
thought would afford the most agreeable
shade to the open portico at his door, which
was surrounded by seats, and ascended by

a few

M 1

I ^

.11,.

(

; .^i

i ; .;

' ■ 1 '

■ 1

( *e )

a few Steps. It was in these that each domes-
tic group was seated in summer evenings
to enjoy the balmy twilight, or the serenely
clear moonlight. Each £amily had a cow,
' fed in a common pasture at . the end, of the
town . In the evening the . herd returned
. all together, of their own accord, with their
tinkling bells hung at their necks, along
the wide and grassy street, to their wonted
sheltering trees, to be miiked at their mas-
ters' doors. Nothing could' be; more plea-
sing to a simple and benevolent mind than
to see thus, at one view, all the inhabitants
of a town, whick contained not one very
rich or very poor, very knowing or very
ignorant, very rude or very polished indi-
vidual; toseeall these children of nature
enjoying in easy indolence, or social inter-
course, • '

«* The cool, the fragrant, and the Jusiy hour,'*

clothed in the plainest habits, and with
minds as undi^ised and artless. These
primitive beings were dispersed in porches,
grouped according to similarity of years

and

( 47 )

and inclinations. At one door were young
matrons, at another the elders of the peo-
ple, at a third the youths and maidens,
gaily chatting or singing together, while
the children played round the trees, or
waited by the cows, for the chief ingre-
dient of their frugal supper, which they
generally ate sitting on the steps iw the
open air. This picture, so familiar to my
imagination, has led me away from my
purpose, which was to describe the - rural
ceconomy, and modes of living in this pa-
triarchal city. At one end of the town,
as I observed before, was a common pasture
where all the cattle belonging, to the inha-
bitants grazed together. A never-failing
instinct guided each home to her master's
door in the evening, where, being treated
with a few vegetables and a little fat, which
is indispensably necessary for cattle in this
country, they patiently waited the night;
and after being milked in the mofning,
they went off in slow and regular pro-
cession to the pasture. At the other end
of the town was a fertile plain along the ri-
ver.

■ 1'

(i.i

: I

\ i

1 !

■ !

1 !
t t ■■
\ 1 , i

.i .

1 ■ •

■ t

i'. '■ ' 1 ■ .

I'M I

t- »

( 48 )

ver, three miles in length, tind near a milf
broad. This was all divided into lots,
where every inhabitant raised Indian corn
sufficient for the food of twoor three slaves,
(the greatest number that each family ever
possessed,) and for kis horses, pigs, and
poultry: their flour and other grain they
purchased from farmers in the vicinity.
Above the town, a long stretch to the
westward was occupied first by sandy hills,
on which grew bilberries of uncommon
size and flavour in prodigious quantities ;
beyond, rise heights of a poor hungry soil,
thinly covered with stunted pines, or
dwarf oak. Yet in this comparatively
barren tract there were several wild and
picturesque spots, where small brooks,
running in deep and rich bottoms, nourish-
€don their banks every vegetable beauty;
there some of the most industrious early set-
tlers had cleared the luxuriant wood from
these charming glens, and built neat cot-
tages for their slaves, surrounded with
little gardens and orchards, sheltered from
■. '' , . ■ • ' ;^^ ■ Jw% ■; ^::r .. ■(?; every I

every

richl)

tered

not h

result!

reigne

which

sterilit

inhabi

Frencl

iHiuch

They

retired

«ome fi

gaged ;

because

his hut.

last ; h\

ship hi

imagina

ly disap

ted to ^

summer

who cul

and ser

yoL, 1

imilf
lots,
icorn
slaves,
yever
;s, and
a they
cinity.
to the
y hills,
mmon
itities ;
ry soil,
es, or
atively
Id and
rooks,
mrish.
|eauty;
rlyset-
Ifrom
lat cot-

( 49 )

every blast, wildly picturesque, and
richly productive. Those small seques-
tered vales had an attraction that I know
not how to describe, and which probably
resulted from the air of deep repose that
reigned there, and the strong contrast
which they exhibited to the surrounding
sterility. One of these was in my time
inhabited by a hermit. He was a
Frenchman, and did not seem to inspire
onuch veneration among the Albanians,
They imagined, or had heard, that he
retired to that solitude in remorse for
«ome fatal duel in which he had been en-
gaged ; and considered him as an idolater
because he had an image of the Virgin in
his hut. I think he retired to Canada at
last ; but I remember being ready to wor-
ship him for the sanctity with which my
imagination invested him, and being cruel-
ly disappointed because I was not permit-
ted to visit him. These cottages were in
summer occupied by some of the negroes
who cultivated the grounds about them,
and served as a place of joyful liberty
VOL. I. j>

!il

( 'i

■ \

[ so )

to the children of the family on holidays,
and as a nursery for the young, negroes,
whom it was the custom to rear very ten-
derly, and instruct very carefully.

; r ■■f ■ 7-» •'.;

'wm I

r.-y

<lentJe 1

• ' ' .

Conse

'■^ '' "■ ■ ' ' i . .:

tionac

, [ *... 4- _

IN the

dark

>! ■■ >'■ -i

f * 1 •

a smile

■ *' ■ - » • ■ /

possibk

' f • '? .i\^ ^■

that tra

'■ '.'''';

no higi

..' "? ' '

society

■' •-! .' :;-.

relation

• ' -. - s

better i

'■ . J . " . ■. .

place.

cate foi

! > ' ■' '. ' ;■ . '

have ne

tude as

J; . . V » . . •:

Onerea

of the V

,^:: , '' -/J, <r^

family 1

were nt

CHAP,

( SI )

r.'V

! -^I

'J< , "

•<■•-,. i

CHAP. Vll.

<Centle Treatment of Slsvei among the Alb^ntani. —
Consequent Attachment of Dome8tic«.-'*-Reflcc-
tloniODiServitttde. ^ ' v

lAP,

jN the society I am describing, even the
dark aspect of slavery was softened into
a smile. And I must, in jiistice to the best
possible masters, say that a great deal of
that tranquillity and cortfort, to call it by
no higher name, which distinguished this
society from all others, was owing to the
relation between master and servant being
better understood here than in any other
place. Let me not be detested as an advo-
cate for slavery when I say that I think 1
have never seen peo|)le so happy in servi-
tude as the domestics of the Albanians.
One reason was, (for I do not now speak
of the virtues of their masters,) that each
family had few gf them, and that there
were no field nfgroes. They would re-
; i; .; . ;^ n 2 mind

I J

'I\

( 52 ) .

mind one of Abraham's servants, who
were all born in the house ; this was ex-
actly their case. They were baptised too,
and shared the same religious instruc-
tion with the children of the family; and,
for the first years, there was little or no
difference with regard to food or cloth-
ing between their children and those of
their masters. " • '^ ' ^ •/ -^j: ? ^::}

When a negroe-woman's child attained
the age of three years, it was solemnly pre-
sented, the first New Year's Day followirrg,
to a son or daughter, or other young rela-
tive of the family who was of the same sex
with the child so presented. The child to
whom the young negro was given imme-
diately presented it with some piece of mo-
ney and a pair of shoes ; and from that
day the strongest attachment grew be-
tween the domestic and the destined
owner. I have no where met with in-
stances of friendship more tender and ge-
nerous than that which here subsisted be-
tween the slaves and their masters and mis-
tresses. Extraordinary proofs of them have
been often given in the course of hunting

ge-

be.

lis-

lave

{ 53 r

or of Indian trading; when a young man
and his slave have gone to the trackless
woods together, in the case of fits of
the ague, loss of a canoe, and other casu-
alties happening near hostile Indians. The
blave has been known^ at the imminent
risk of his life, to carry his disabled master
through unfrequented wilds, with labour
and fidelity scarce credible ; and the master
has been equally tender on similar occasions
of the humble friend v/ho stuck closer
thaa a brother^ who was baptised with
the sane baptism, nurtured imder tlie
same i ( of, and often rocked in the same
cradle with himself. These ^fts of domes-
tics to the younger, members of the fa-
mily were not irrevocable : yet they were
very rarely withdrawn . If the kitchen fa-'
mily:did not increase in proportion to that
of the master, young children were pur-
chased from some family where they
abounded, to furnish those attached ser-
vants to the rising progeny. They were
never sold without consulting their mo-
ther, who, if expert and sagacious, had a
great deal to say in the family, and would

D 3 not

1-^1

1 , ,

[ 64> )

allow her children to go into any family
with whose domestics she was not ac-
quainted. These negro-women piqued
themselves on teaching their children to be
excellent servants, well knowing servitude
to be their lot for life, and that it could only
be sweetened by making themselves parti-
cularly useful, and excelling in their de-
partment. If they did their work well, it
is astonishing, when I recollect it, what li-
berty of speech was allowed to those ac-
tive and. prudent mothers. Th;;y would
chide, reprove, and expostulate in a man-
ner that we would not endure from our
hired servantsj and sometimes exert fully
as much authority over the children of the
family as the parents, conscious that they
were entirely in their power. They did not
crush freedom of speech and opinion in
thcs3 by whom they knew they were be-
loved, and who watched with incessant
care over their interest and comfort. Af-
fectionate and faithful as these home bred
servants were in general, there were some
instances (but very few) of those who,
through levity of mind, or a love of liquor

)

family

not ac-

piqued

in to be

rvitude

lid only

js parti-

leir de-

well, it

what li-

ose ac-

would

a man-

im our

t fully

of the

they

id not

ion iii

re be-

essant

. Af-

bred

some

who,

[iqiior

finery, betrayed their trust, or habitually
neglected their duty. In these cases, after
every means. had been used to reform them?
no severe punishments were inflicted at
home. JJut the terrible sentence, which
they dreaded worse than death, vvaS passed
— they were sold to Jamaica. The necessi-
ty of selling them was bewailed by the
whole family as a most dreadful calamity,
and the culprits were carefully watched on
their way to New York, lest they should
evade the sentence by self destruction.

One must have lived among those placid
and humane people to be sensible that ser-
vitude, hopeless, endless servitude, could
exist with so little servility and fear on the
one side, and so little harshness or even
sternness of authority in the other. In
Europe, the footing on which service is
placed in consequence of the corruptions
of society, hardens the heart, destroys
confidence, and embitters life. The deceit
and venality of servants not absoltrteiy
dishonest, put it out- of one's power to
|ove or. trust them. And if in hopes of
having people attached to us who will

D 4 neither

' ;

' ■ f

: -■ ;,!:•;

:'i

T (it

Ill'

( 56 )

ficither betray our confidence, nor cot-
rupt our children) we are at pains to rear
tliem from childhood, and give them a reli-
gious and moral education; after all our
labour, others of their own class may-
seduce them away to those who can
afford to pay higher for their services.
This is not the case in a few remote dis-
tricts, from which surrounding mountains
seem to exclude the contagion of the
world ; there some traces of fidelity and
afFection among domestics still remain.
But it must be remarked that, in those
very districts, it is usual to treat inferiors
with courtesy and kindness, and to consi-
der tliose domestics who marry out of the
family as holding a kind of relation to it,
and still claiming protection. In short, the
corruption of that class of people is, doubt-
less, to be attributed to the example of
their superiors. But how severely are
those superiors punished ? Why this ge-
iicraj indifference about home ? why are
the household gods, why is the sacred
hearth so wantonly abandoned ? Alas! the
charm of home is destroyed, since oirr-

children.

fen.

( 57 )

children, educated in distant seminaries,
are strangers in the paternal mansion ; and
our servants, like mere machines, move on
their mercenary track without feeling or
exciting one kind or generous sentiment.
Home, thus despoiled of all its charms, is
no longer the scene of any enjoyments but
such as wealth can purchase. At the same
time ^we feel there a nameless cold priva-
tion, and, conscious that money can pro-
cure the same. enjoyments with more va-
riety elsewhere, we substitute these' fu-
tile and evanescent pleasures for the pe-
rennial spring of calm satisfaction, " with-
out o'erflowing full," which is fed by the
exercise of the kindly affections ; and soon
indeed must those stagnate^ where there
are not proper objects to excite them.— I .
have been forced into this painful digres- -
sion by unavoidable comparisons* .

Amidst all thisv mild and-really tender
indulgence to their negroes, these colo-
nists had not the smallest scruple of con-
science with regard to the right by which ;
they held them ia subjection. Had that
beQn the case, their singular humanity

D S W€uld i

^''

til i

,: 1

.' ,.■?'

I r- f

SfsS

Mr II

( SH )

have been incompatible with continued
injustice. But the truth is, that of law the
generality of those people knew little; and
of philosophy, nothing at all. They sought
their code of morality in the Bible, and
imagined that they there found this hap-
less race condemned to perpetual slavery j
^nd thought nothing remained for them
but to lighten the chains of their fellow
Christians, after having made them such.
1 neither " extenuate,'' nor " set down
in malice," but merely record the fact.
At the same time it is but justice to re-
cord also a singular instance of moral de-
licacy distinguishing this settlement from
every other in the like circumstances,
though, from tlteir simple and kindly
modes of life, they were from infancy in
habits of familiarity with their negroes,
yet being early taught that nature had
placed between them a barrier, which it
was in a high degree criminal and dis-
graceful to pass, they considered a mix-
%Uve of such distinct races, with ahhor-
reuce, as a violation of her laws. This
greatly conduct to the preservation of

family

hi:!

( 59 )

family^ happiness and concord. An ambi-
guous race, which the law does not ac-
knowledge ; and who (if they have any
moral sense, must be as much ashamed of
their parents as these last are of them)
are certainly a dangerous, because de-
graded part of the community. How
much more so must be those unfortunate
beings who stand in the predicament of
the bat in the fable, whom both birds and
beasts disowned? I am sorry to say that
the progress of the British army, when it
arrived, might be traced by a spurious and
ambiguous race df this kind. But of a
mulatto born before their arrival I onlv
remember a single instance; and from
the regret and wonder it occasioned, con-
sidered it as singular. Colonel Schuyler,
of whom I am to speak, had a relation
so weak and defective in capacity, that
he never was intrustedr.with any thing of
his own, and Jived an idk bachelor about
the family, . In process of time a favourite
negro- woman, . ta the great offence and
scandal of th« family, bor-e a child to
him, whose colour. gave testimony to-

D.6. the*

AIM

■t i>.

'\ ::\\

.::■;.■] %

-•1 i'''

!■

:f ■'

'^r.

i: .

■■■St

i i !

,1 !

. ... . !

( €0 )

the relation. The boy was carefully edu-
cated J and, when he grew up a farm was
allotted to him well stocked and fertile,
but *' in depth of woods embraced," about
two miles back from the family seat. A
destitute white woman, who had somehow
wandered from the older colonies, was
induced to marry him ; and all the
branches of the family thought it incum-
on them now and then pay a quiet visit to
Chalk (for so, for some unknown reason,
they always called him). I have been in
Chalk's house myself, and a most comfort-
abode it was; but I considered him as a
mysterious and anomalous being,

I have dwelt the longer on this singu-
lar instance of slavery, existing devoid of
its attendant horrors, because the fidelity
and affection resulting from a bond of
union so early formed between master and
servant contributed so very much to the
safety of individuals, as well as to the
general comfort of society, as will here-
after appear. ,

,.>JC.

Educ

*HEf<
Stil]

laid vei

always

bany, t:

of Socie

of a sin

The chi

into con

live or s

marriage

originate

lations, 1

to none,

yet alwa

that I spo

Every co

girls. B

any limit

CHAP.

( 61 )

CHAP. VIII.

t >

Education and early Habits of the Albanians '
desci'ibed.

Ill

.li^V;

B 1,

'■Ml ii

'yHE foundations both of friendship and
still tenderer attachments were here
laid very early by an institution which I
always thought had been peculiar to Al-
bany, till I found in Dn Moore *s View
of Society on the Continent an account
of a similar custom subsisting in Geneva.
The children of the town were all divided
into companies, as they called them, from
five or six years of age, till they became
marriageable. How those companies first
originated, or what were their exact regui«
lations, I cannot say j though I, belonging
to none, occasionally mixed with several,
yet always as a stranger, notwithstanding
that I spoke their current language iluently^.
Every company contained as many boys as
girls. But I do not know that there was
any limited number; only this I recollect,

that

■' !M

1 'Ml '

AU ■ I;

::r -1.

-i-!

( 62 )

that a boy and a girl of each company, who
were older, cleverer, or had some other
pre eminence above the rest, were called
heads of the company, and, as such, were
obeyed by the others. Whether they were
voted in, or attained their pre-eminence
by a tacit acknowledgement of their su-
periority, I know not; but however it
was attained, it was never disputed. The
company of little children had also their
heads. All the children of the same age
were not in one company ; there were at
least three or four of equal ages, who had
a strong rivalry with each other; and
children of different ages, in the same fa-
mily, belonged to different companies.
Wherever there is human nature there
will be a degree of emulation, strife, and^
a desire to lower others, that we may exalt
ourselves. Dispassionate as my friends
comparatively were, and bred up in the
highest attainable candour and innocence,
they regarded the company most in com»
petition with their own with a degree of
jealous animosity. Each company, at a
certain time of the year, went in a body

to ga

the hi

attenc

compj

that i

made

handle

were i

compa

gree o

and w

spleen

would

compai

these e

of thej

encour

dividin

permiti

pany o

during

and mi

bound

sions, 'v

to atter

ample p

( 63 )

to gather a particular kind of berries, fo
the hill. It was a sort of annual festival,
attended with religious punctuality. Every
company had an uniform for this purpose;
that is to say, very pretty light baskets
made by the Indians, with lids and
handles, which hung over the arm, and
were adorned with various colours. One
company would never allow the least de-
gree of taste to the other in this instance ;
and was sure to vent its whole stock of
spleen in decrying the rival baskets. Nor
would they ever admit that the rival
company gathered near so much fruit on
these excursions as they did. The parents
of these children seemed very much to
encourage this manner of marshalling and
dividing themselves. Every child was
permitted to entertain the whole com*
pany on its birth-day, and once besides^
during winter and sjpring. The master
and mistress of the family always were
bound to go from home on these occa-
sions, while some old domestic was left
to attend and watch over them, vnth an
ample provision of t^a^ chooolat^, preserved

and

^Dr

t f V

; . !

,- 4i

■.*<,'■.

(

•p

1 ]

f '"':''-"■

';i

>• i >

■ *"

( 64 )

'HLf.

and dried fruits, nuts, and cakes of vari-
ous kindSi to which was added cyder or
a sylLibub ; for these young friends met
at four, and did not part till nine or ten,
and anmsed themselves with the utmost
gaiety and freedom in any way their fancy
dictated. I speak from hearsay; for no
person that does not belong to the com
pany is ever admitted to these meetings :
other children or young people visit occa-
sionally, and are civilly tr ted, but they
admit of no intimacies beyond their com-
pany. The consequence of these exclusive
and early intimacies was, that grown up,
it was reckoned a sort of apostacy to marry
out of one's company, and indeed it did
not often happen. The girls, from the
example of their mothers, rather than
any compulsion, very early became nota-
ble and industrious, being constantly em-
ployed in knitting stcrkings, and making
clothes for the family and slaves; they
even made all the boys' clothes. This
was the more necessary, a« all articles of
dothing were extremely dear. Though all
the necessaries of life, and some luxuries,
hciii abounded

abound

commo(

to be ac

dulged

state of 1

good (o]

tion, vai

sions we

founded

emineno

the affeci

unchecb

which 01

advanced

restraiiic

dren at

punishm(

them iik

them to

ideas, anc

vanity

wonders
sayings.

and early
<^njoymei
ficence.

( 6,5 )

abounded, money, as yet, was a scarce
commodity. This industry was the more
to be admired, as children were here in-
dulged to a degree that, in our vitiated
state of society, would have rendered them
good for nothing. But there, where ambi-
tion, vanity, ind the more turbulent pas-
sions were scarce awakened ; where pride,
founded on birth, or any external pre-
eminence, was hardly known ; and where
the affections flourished fair and vigorous,'
unchecked by the thorns arid thistles with
which our minds are cursed in a more
advanced state of refinement, affection
restrained parents ffOm keeping their chil-
dren at a distance, and inflicting harsh
punishments. But then they did not treat
them like apes or parrots, by teaching
them to talk with borrowed words and
ideas, and afterwards gratifying their own
vanity by exhibiting these, premature
wonders to company, or repeating their
sayings. They were tenderly cherished,
and early taught that they owed all their
enjoyments to the Divine Source of bene-
ficence, to whom they were finally ac-
countable

1 :

■ i '

, 1

'4 m

111

•i

■^ l! !l

:i vril

^l;i

i ii

( C6 )

countable for their actions ; for the rest
they were very much left to nature, and
permitted to range about at full liberty
in their earliest years, covered in summer
with some slight and cheap garb, which
merely kept the sun from them, and in
winter with some warm habit, in which
convenience only was consulted. TheiF
dress of ceremony was never put on but
when their comfiany were assembled. They
were extremely fond of their children ;
but, luckily for the latter, never dreamed
of being vain of their immature wit and
parts, which accounts in some measure,
ioE the great scarcity or coxcombs among
them. The children returned the fond,
ness of their parents with such tender af-
fection, that they feared giving them pain
as much as ours do punishment, and very
rarely wounded their feelings by neglect,
or rude answers. Yet the boys were
often wilful and giddy at a certain age,
the girls being sooner tamed and domesti-
cated.

These youths were apt, whenever they
could carry a gun, (which they did at a

very

fond.

ler af-

pain

very

gleet,

were

they
Id at a

very

( 67 )

Tery early peiiod,) to follow some fa-
vourite negro to the woods, and, while he
was employed in felliiig trees, to range the
whole day in search of game, to the neg-
lect of all intellectual improvement ; and
they thus contracted a love of savage li-
berty which might, and in some instances
did, degenerate into licentious and idle
habits. Indeed,, there were three stated
periqds in the year when, for a few days,
young and old, masters and slaves, were
abandoned to unruly enjoyment, and neg-
lected every serious occupation for pur-
suits of this nature.

We who occupy countries fuiiy in-,
habited can fonri no idea of the multitude
of birds and animals that nature provides
to consume her waste fertility in those
regions unexplored by man. In the in*
terior of the province the winter is mucL
colder than might be supposed, fromtthe
latitude in which it lies, which is only
^y2^ ."JG ; this is owing to the keen north.
winds v.hich blow constantly for four or
iive months over vast frozen lakes and
snowy tracts, in the direction of Canada.
•^ ' Ike

•

i.j

i 1

1 '

III ^i!

■ii .

f ;

■ ; J

;:'-'.f

:>" ,1 ' ^

', ■„

vr: .

J "f

{ 68 )

The snow too lies very deep ; but when
once they are visited by the south wind in
March, its literally warm approach dis-
solves the snow like magic; and one. never
sees another wintery day till the season of
cold returns. These southern winds seem
to flow in a rapid current, uninterrupted
by mountains or other obstacles, from the
burning sands of the FJoridas, Georgia,
and the Carolinas, and bring with them a
degree of warmth, that appears no more
the natural result of the situation, than the
intense cold of winter does in tjjdt season.
Along the sea banks in all the^ southern
provinces, are low sandy lands, which
never were nor will be inhabited, covered
with the berry-bearing myrtle,from which
wax is extracted fit for candles. Behind
these banks are woods and unwholesome
swamp": of great extent. The myrtle groves
formerly mentioned afford shelter and
food to countless multitudes of pigeons in
winter, when their fruit is in season ;
while wild geese and ducks, in numbers
nearly as great, pass the winter in the im-
penetrable swamps behind. Some time in

the

the n

tak's

geese

they 1

till th

riverS;

they r

where

the sa

haunts

are larj

plant t

wild a

on the

the sur

rearing

spring,

track, t

very fat

southwj

and aut

that rei

they pa

begin tc

seen afi

morninf

( 69 )

the month of April, a general emigration
tak s place to the northward, first of the
geese and ducks, and then of the pigeons;
they keep the direction of the sea coast
till they come to the mouths of the great
rivers, and then fojlow their course till
they reach the great lakes in the interior,
where nature has provided for them with
the same liberality as in their winter
haunts. On the banks of these lakes there
are large tracts of ground, covered with a
plant taller and more luxuriant than the
wild carrot, but something- resembling it,
on the seeds of which the pigeons feed afl
the summer, while they are breeding and
rearing their young. When they pass in
spring, which they always do in the same
track, they go in great numbers, and are
very fat. Their progression northward and
southward begins always about the vernal
and autumnal equinoxes ; and it is this
that renders the carnage so great when
they pass over inhabited districts. Ihey
begin to fly in the dawn, and are never
seen after nine or ten o'clock in the
morning, possibly feeding and resting in

the

'■ ii

i ;i!

' i I

!•: 1.

'1 \

■v'* *

; 'Vi f

! )

( 70 )

!the woods all the rest oftheday. Jftlie
morning be dry and windy, all the fowlers
(that is, eveiy body) are disappointed, for
then the pigeons fly so high tha^ no shot
can reach them ; b*it in a cloudy morning
the carnage is incredible ; and it is singu-
lar that their migration falls out at the
times of tlie year when the weather (evevi
in this serene climate,) is generally cloudy.
This migration, as it passed by, occa*
sioned, as I said before, a total relaxation
from all employments, and a kind of
drunken gaiety, though it was rather
slaughter than sport ; and, for above a
fortnight, pigeons in pies and soups, and
every way they could be dressed, were
the food of the inhabitants. These were
immediately succeeded by m ild geese and
ducks, wnich concluded the carnival for
that season, which was to be renewed ia
September. About six weeks after the
passage of these birds, sturgeons of a large
size, and in great quantity, made their
appearance in the river. Again the same
ardour seemed to pervade all ages in pur-
suit of this new object. Every family had

a canoe

launchei

traced t

river ; f

often c(

water,

ioaded i

fish, and

tlieir ki]

usually a

not only

of their i

Has pick

I expo^fi

i t

a canoe

(71)

a canoe ; and on this occasion all were
launched ; and these persevering fishers
traced the course of the sturgeon up the
river ; followed them by torch light ; and
often continued two nights upon the
water, never returning till they had
loaded their canoes with this valuable
fish, and many other very excellent in
their kinds, that come up the river,
usually at the same time. The sturgeon
not only furnished them with good part
of their food in the summer months, but
was pickled or dried for future use or
expo^tf^^n.

'••*.•»■•

rere

land
for
ift
the
trgc

Iheir
lame
)ur-
ihad

■L\.

(^ I

'!.i

■*. 1 >

I. i

CHAP.

loe

( 72 )

!l :

\tmm\

,M .".

CHAP. IX.

;'-efe4'

Description of the Manner in which the Indian Traders
set out on their first Adventure.

nro return to the boys, as all young
men were called here till they married.
Thus early trained to a love of sylvan
sports, their characters were unfolded by
contingencies. In this infant society penal
laws lay dormant, and every species of co-
ercion was unknown. ♦

Morals, founded on Christianity, were
ypostered by the sweet influence of the
charities of life. The reverence which
children in particular had for their pa-
rents, and the young in general for the
old, were the chief bond thit held so-
ciety together. This veneration, being
founded on esteem, certainly could only
have existed thus powerfully in an un-
corruptcd community. It had, however,
an auxDiary no less powei'ful.

Here,

Here

said,

« Lore b

In CO
associati
dren of
ready i
formed
\vere th
tachmen
These
tic enthi
an inflar
of rivalr
yet they
the man
the lovei
1 kno
to obser^
der of
people, d
universal
hereafter
other pai
their affe

VOL I.

( 7S )

Here, indeed, it might with truth.be
said, • •

« Love breath*d his infant sighs from anguish fie.*."

In consequence of the singular mode of
associating little exclusive parties of chil-
dren of both sexes, which has been al-
ready mentioned, endearing intimacies,
formed in the age of playful innocence,
u^ere the precursors of more tender at-
tachments.

These were not wrought up to roman-
tic enthusiasm or extravagant pa^ion by
an inflamed imagination, or by the fears
of rivalry, or the s^'tiiices of coquetry,
yet they had power sufficient to soften
the manners and elevate thu character of
the lover.

1 know not if this be the proper place
to observe, how much of the general or-
der of soc''^ty, and the happiness of a
people, depend on marriage being early and
universal among them : but of this more
hereafter. The desire (undiverted by any
other passion) of obtaining the object of
their affection, was to them a stimulus to

VOL I. E eailjr

' >i

( 7 +

■J

U^H

, .1;;

<■

early and severe exertion. The enamour-
ed youth did not listlessly fold his arms
and sigh over his hopeless or unfortunate
passion. Of love not fed by hope they had
not an idea. Their attachments originat-
ed at too early an age, and in a circle too fa-
miliar to give room for those first- sight
impressions of which we hear such won-
ders. If the temper of the youth was rash
and impetuous, and his fair one gentle
and complying, they frequently formed
a rash and precipitate union without con-
sulting their relations, when perhaps the
elder of the two was not above seven-
teen. This was very quietly borne by the
parties aggrieved. The relations of both
parties met, and with great calmness con-
sulted on what was to be done. The
father of the youth or the damsel, which-
ever it was who had most wealth, or fev\'-
est children, brought home the young
couple ; and the new married man im
mediately set about a trading adventur-.
which was renewed every season, till h^
had the means of pnwiding a home of
his own. Meantime the increase of th^

younger

( -s )

younger family did not seem an inconve-
nience, but rather a source of delight to
the old people ; and an arrangement be-
gun from necessity was often continued
through choice for many years after.
Their tempers, unruffled by the endless
jealousies and competitions incident to our
mode of life, were singularly placid, and
the love of offspring, where children were
truly an unmixed blessing, was a com-
mon sentiment which united all the
branches of the family and predominated
over every other. The jarring and dis-
trust, the petulance and egotism^ which,
distinct from all weightier considerations,
would not fail to poison concord, were
different families to dwell under one
roof here, were there scarcely known. It
is but justice to our acquired delicacy of
sentiment to say, tlnit the absence of re-
finement contribute 1 to this tranquillit^'.
These primiti- e peoj^, if they did not
gather the fliowers of cultivated elegance,
were not wounded by the thorns of ir-
ritable de icacy : they had n 'the^ irti i-
dai wants, nor artificial miseries. In ^brrt,

E 2 laey

a| '!

•Ai',1

^.1 J!

' (;•

,J^

( 76 )

they were neither too wise to be happy,
nor too witty to be at rest.

Thus it was in the case of unauthoriz-
ed marriages. In the more ordinary course
of things, love, which makes labour light,
tamed these young hunters^ and trans-
formed them into diligent and labori-
ous traders, for the nature of their trade
included very severe labour. When one
of the boys was deeply smitten, his fowl-
ing-piece and fishing rod were at once
relinquished. He demanded of his fa-
ther forty or at most fifty dollars, a ne-
gro boy, and a canoe ; all of a sudden
he assumed the brow of care and solici-
tude, and began to smoke, a precaution
absolutely necessary to repel aguish
damps, and troublesome insects. He ar-
rayed himself in a habit very little differ-
ing from that of the Aborigines, into
whose bounds he was about to penetrate,
and in short commenced Indian trader.
That strange amphibious animal, who, unit-
ing the acute sei ses, the strong instincts,
and the unconquerable patience and
fortitude of the savage, with the art, po-
licy.

Jicy,
coun
and
in th<
Th
hardy
fbrtur
gener;
predi J
amidst
male
nerall)
well k
tliis pe]
The
strouds
beads,
and far
ous art
made a
ardent
early ac
of whic
sometin
hawks
iiabitua)

( 77 )

llcy, and inventions of the European, ea-
countered in the pursuit of gain dangers
and difficulties equal to those described
in the romantic legends of chivalry.

The small bark canoe in which thii>
hardy adventurer embarked himself, his
fortune, and his faithful squire^ (who was
generally born in the same house, and
pred<.stined to his service,) was launched
amidst the tears and prayers of his fe-
male relations, amongst whom was ge-
nerally included his destined bride, who
well knew herself to be the motive of
this perilous adventure.

The canoe was entirely filled with coarse
strouds and blankets, guns, powder,
beads, &c. suited to the various wants
and fancies of the natives; one pernici-
ous article was never wanting, and often
made a great part of cargo. This was
ardent spirits, for which the natives too
early acquired a relish, and the possession
of which always proved dangerous, and
sometimes fatal to the traders. The Mo-
hawks bring their furs and other peltry
habitually to the stores of their wonted

E 3 friends

I !

■i

1,1

^ I: I

! >i

""^

( 78 )

and patrons. It was not in that easy and
safe direction that these trading adven-
tures extended. The canoe generally
steered northward towards the Canadian
frontier. They passed by the Flats and
Stonehook in the outset of their journey.
Then commei^ced tlieir toils and dangers
.It the famous water- fall called the Co-
hoes, ten miles above Albany, where
three rivers, uniting their streams into
one, dash over a rocky shelf, and falling
into a gulph belovv- \\'ith great violence,
raise clouds of mist bedecked with splen-
ilid rain-bows. This was the Rubicon
which they had to cross before they
plunged into pathless woods, ingulphing
swamps, and lakes, the opposite shores of
which the eye could not reach. At the
Cohoes, on account of the obstruction
formed by the torrent, they unloaded
their canoe, and carried it above a
mile further upon their shoulders, re-
turning again for the cargo, which they
were obliged to transport in the same
manner. This wa,s but a prelude to la-
bours

dcr

IS of
the
:tion
ided
re a
re-
they
lame
la-
)urs

( 71) )

bours and ciani^ers, Incredible to tliosf
who dwell at ease, rurther on, much
longer carrying places frequently recurred :
wJi re they hud the vessel ai.d cargo to
drag tjirougli thickets impervious to the
day, abounding with .^nakes and wild
beasts, which are always to be found on
tlie side of rivers.

1 heir provision of food was necessarily
small, from fear of over loading the slen-
der and unstable conveyance already
crouded with goods. A little dried beef
and Indian corn-meal was their whole
stock, thougu they formerly enjoyed both
plenty and variety. They were in a great
measure obliged to depend upon their
own skill in hunting ana ishing, and
on the hospitality of the Indians: for
hunting, indeed, they had small leisure,
their time being sedulou ly employed
by the obstacles that retarded their
progress. In their slight and fragile
canoes, they often had to cross great
lakes, on which th' \And raised a terri-
ble surge. Afraid <' going into the
track of the French traders, who were

B 4 al\vay;i

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IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

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112.0

1^ 1^

■- iil^

1.8

11.25 IIIIII.4 IIIIII.6

Photographic

Sdences

Corporation

23 WKST MAIN STi EET

WEBiUR, 'A 14380

(716) 872-4503

ip MP

^v.

( S3 )

?j6\inds. Though serpents abounded very
much in the woods, few of them were
noxious. The rattle-snake, the only dan-
gerous reptile, was not so frequendy
met with as in the neighbouring pro.
vinces ; and the remedy hich nature
has bestowed as an antidote to his bite,
was very generally known. The beauties
of rural and varied scenery seldom com-
pensated the traveller for the dangers of
his journey. '* In the close prison of
innumerous boughs," and on ground
thick with under-wood, there was Jittle
of landscape open to the eye. The banks
of streams and lakes no doubt afforded
a rich variety of trees and plants: the
former of a most majestic size, the latter
of singular beauty and luxuriance ; but
otherwise they only travelled through a
grove of chesnuts or oak, to arrive at
another of maple, or poplar, or a vast
stretch of pines and other ever-greens.
If by chance they arrived at a hill crown-
ed with cedars, which afforded some
command of prospect, still the gloomy
and interminable forest, only varied with
: (1 dif*

/^ ;

( ; 83 j

different shades of green, met the eye
which every way turned, while the mind,
repelled by solitude so vast, and silence
so profound, turned inward on itself.
Nature here wore a veil rich and grand,
but impenetrable : at least this was the
impression likely to be made on an Eu-
ropean mind ; but a native American, fa-
miliar from childhood with the produc-
tions and inhabitants of the woods,
sought the nuts and wild fruks with
which they abounded, the nimble squirrel
in all its varied forms, the architect
beaver, the savage racoon, and the stately
elk ; where we should see nothing but
awful solitudes untrod by human foot.
It is inconceivable how well these young-
travellers, taught by their Indian friends,
and the experimental knowledge of their
fathers, understood every soil and its pro-
ductions. A boy of twelve years old
would astonish you with, his accurate
knowledge of plants, their properties, and
their relation to the soil and to each
other. " Here," said he, " is a wood of
" red oak, wlien it is grubbed up this

E 6 «' will.

«l

. ( 84 )

" will be loam and sand, and make good
Indian-corn ground. This chesnut
wood abounds with strawberries, and
is the very best soil for wheat. The
poplar wood yonder is not worth clear-
ing; the soil is always wet and cold.
There is a hiccory wood, wh«re the
** soil is always rich and deep, and does
t * not run out ; such and such plants that
*' dye blue, or orange, grow under it."

This is merely a slight epitome of the
wide views of nature that are laid open
to thtse people from their very infancy,
the acquisition of this kind of knowledge
being one of their first amusements ; yet
those who were capable of astonishing
you by the extent and variety of this lo-
cal skill, in objects so varied and so com-
plicated, never heard of a petal, corolla,
or stigma in their lives, nor even of the
strata of that soil, with the productions
and properties of which they were so in-
timately acquainted. f.y , a y:

Without compass, or guide of any
kind, the traders steered through these
f athletiS forests. In those gloomy days

when

'( 8-5 )

when the sun is not visible, or in winter,
when the falling snows obscured his
beams, they made an incision on the bark
on the dilTerent sides of a tree ; that on
the north was invariably thicker than
the other, and covered with moss in much
greater quantity. And this never-failing
indication of the polar influence, was to
those sagacious travellers z sufficient g^ide.
They had indeed severul subordinate mo-
nitors. Knowing so well as they did the
quality of the soil by the trees or plants
most prevalent, they could avoid a swamp,
or approach with certainty to a river or
high ground if such was their wish, by
means that to us would seem incompre-
hensible. Even the savages seldom visited
these districts, except in the dead of win-
ter J they had towns, as they called their
summer dwellings, on the banks of the
lakes and rivers in the interior, where
their great fishing places were. In the win-
ter, their grand hunting parties were in
places more remote from our boundaries,
where the deer and other larger animals
took shelter from the neighbourhood of
._. . man%

» f

■■ '-'if

!(;'":'■.»

r l':l

fth i

ill

. ( 85 )

man. These single adventurers sought the
Indians in their spring haunts as soon as
the rivers were open; there they had
new dangers to apprehend. It is well
known that among the natives of Ame-
rica, revenge was actually a virtue, and
retaliation a positive duty; while faith
was kept with these people they never
became aggressors. But the Europeans,
by the force of bad example, and strong
liquors, seduced them from their wonted
probity. Yet from the first their notion
of justice and revenge was of that vague
and general nature, that if they consi-
dered themselves injured, or if one of
their tribe had been killed by an inhabi-
tant of any one of our settlements, they
considered any individual of our nation
as a proper subject for retribution. 1 his
seldom happened among our allies; indeed
never, but when the injury was obvious,
and our people very culpable. But the
avidity of gain often led our traders to deal
with Indians, among whom the French
possessed a degree of influence, which
jproduced a smothered animosity to our

m '\ty . i

nation.

'!^m

( 87 )

nation. When at length, after conquer-
ing numberless obstacles, they arrived at
the place of their destination, these dar-
ing adventurers found occasion for no
little address, patience, and indeed cou-
rage, before they could dispose of their
cargo, and return safely with the profits.

The successful trader had now laid the
foundation of his fortune, and approved
himself worthv of her for whose sake he
encountered all these dangers. It is ut-
terly inconceivable, how even a single
season, spent in this manner, ripened the
mind, and changed the whole appearance,
nay the very character of the countenance
of these demi-savages, for such they seem
on returning from among their friends in
the forests. Lofty, sedate, and collected,
they seem masters of themselves, and in-
dependent of others; though, sun-burnt
and austere, one scarce knows them till
they unbend. By this Indian likeness, I
do not "think them by any means de-
graded. One must have seen these peo-
ple, (the Indians I mean,) to have any
idea what a noble animal man is, while

^ * unsophisticated

;ii 'i i-ii

I ,

ii:

1 Hi '

( 88 )

unsophisticated. I have been often a*
mused with the descriptions that philoso-
phers, in their closed, who never in their
lives saw a man, but in his improved or
degraded state, give of uncivilized people;
not recollecting that they are at the same
time uncorrupted. Voyagers, who have
npt their language, and merely see them
transiently, to wonder and be wondered
at, are equally strangers to the real charac-
ter of man in a social, though unpolished
state. It is no criterion to judge of the
state of society by the roaming savages
(truly such) who are met with on these
inhospitable coasts, where nature is nig-
gardly of her gifts, and where the skies
frown continually on her hard fated chil-
dren. For some good reason to us un-
known, it is requisite that human beings
should be scattered through all habitable
space, *' till gradual life goes out beneath
the pole:" and to beings so destined,
what misery would, result from social
tenderness and fine perceptions. Gf the
class *of social beings (for such, indeed
they were) of whom I speaks let us judge

from

*' '--:

'' ' *

- ;• Cr'-j,-. y-t^u.*^^'^

■'f,

.. r •*■

' ,- ; -s

'l.i.t":., ■■ -iV:. i;>-r .

from

guage

prisoiK

them.

the tet

niiy, f

generoj

recollec

led me i

Thej

occasior

xiety t

duced.^ ^ii

the love]

the next

menced.

New Yc

peltry, pi

ther slave

laid out 1

tures in ;

of the pr(

the Bern

rally purcj

cedar sch(

t^iose islan

( 8d )

from the traders who know their lan-
guage and customs, and from the adopted
prisoners who have spent years among
them. How unequivocal, how consistent is
the testimony they bear to their huma-
nity, friendship, fortitude, fidelity^ and
generosity ; but the indulgence of the
recollections thus suggested have already
led me too far from my subject.

The joy that the return of these youths
occasioned was proportioned to the an-
xiety their perilous journey had pro-
duced. In some instances the union of
the lovers immediately took place before
the next career of gainful hardships com-
menced. But the more cautious went to
New York in winter, disposed of their
peltry, purchased a larger cargo, and ano-
ther slave and canoe. The next year they
laid out the profits of their former adven-
tures in flour and provisions, the stitple
of the province ; this they disposed of at
the Bermuda Islands, where they gene-
rally purchased one of those light sailing
cedar schooners, for building of which
those islanders |re famous, and proce'eding

Aj--/ to

f y!'\

■'Vi;iJ

li^l. '1!

1 :i'il' ..II

>: ' \

iK!:'

Ihli:

( 90 )

the Leeward Islands, loaded It with a cargo
of rum, sugar, and molasses.:., i. /•"

They were now ripen^^^ into men, and
considered as active and Ful members of
society, possessing a sta' a the common

weal." ,^ ,:. ui^^iu-i^^-c.

,< The young ac er had generally

finished this proceb., ^y the same time he
was one or (at most) two and twenty.
He now married, or if married befoto,
which pretty often vas the case, brought
home his wife to a house of his own.
Either he kept his schooner, and loading
her with produce, sailed up and down the
river all summer, and all winter disposed
of the cargoes he obtained in exchange
to more distant settlers ; or he sold her,
purchased European goods, and kept a
store. Otherwise he settled in the coun-
try, and became as diligent in his agri-
cultural pursuits as if he had never known

■a^^irrw iti •^•vj,

v'l'

"J ■if::i'MV^i^\^ 'Jii

■•'nJ.

•fi/f

^fXi.-

<'^

CHAP.

( ^>1 )

CHAP. X.

)jj

Marriages, Amusements, rural Excursions, &c. among
. ,, the Albanians. , • ;

IT was in this manner that the young co-
lonist made the transition from boy-
hood to manhood ; from the disengaged
and careless bachelor, to the provident
and thoughtful father of a family ; and
thus was spent that period of life so criti-
cal in polished society to those whose con-
dition exempts them from manual labour.
Love, undiminished by any rival passion,
and cherished by innocence and candour,
was here fixed by the power of early habit,
and strengthened by similarity of edu-
cation, tastes, and attachments. Incon-
stancy or even indilTerency among mar-
ried couples was unheard of, even where
there happened to be a considerable dis-
parity in point of intellect. The extreme
affection they bore to their mutual off-
spring was a bond that for ever en-
>.— . • deared

^- il

I'll

:w.

|]'i:i :

1 u

' *l

■ il

t:i;ii:

'■■'}

■';*■■(

i ■ .

,!ir-?

III

( 92 )

endeared them to each other. Marriagf
in this colony was always early, very
often happy, and very seldom indeed
interested. When a man had a son
there was nothing to be expected with
a daughter but a well-brought-up female
slave, and the furniture of the best bed-
chamber. At the death of her father she
obtained another division of his effects,
such as he thought she needed or de
served, for there was no rule in these
cases.

Such was the manner in which those
colonists began life j nor must it be
thought that those were mean or un-
informed persons. Patriots, magistrates,
generals, those who were afterwards
wealthy, powerful, and distinguished, all,
except a few elder brothers, occupied by
their possessions at home, set out in the
same manner ; and in after life, even in
the most prosperous circumstances, they
delighted to recount the " humble toils
and destiny obscure" of their early years.

The very idea of being ashamed of any

thing that was neither vicious nor in-

*' defient

arriage
', very
indeed
a son
i with
female
Jt bed-
ler she
effects,
or de
these

those
it be

>r un«
t rates,
■wards
d, aU,
led by
in the
ven in
. they
e toils
ears.
>f any
>r in-
^efient

( 95 )

banian Early accustomed to this nnM
^^'"Pjicity, this dignified canl t '
n«t express f h« candour, I can-

-ty. that extrere direT"''^ P""
"•"• real condition and "'"''='""2

^'e are not whirl k 'PP^^-^'^g what

Frt. .nore particular ylf'i^ '"'.",'•*"•"
' have often wondered W L""? '
'^nt'ment, that undermines a7, ''''^

"- of „,ind, should 'evaa r' ^''''''

fan in England, where weathr'""'
'•""bt. is „ore respeceT ',''''""'' ='

P<«derates more over bfrth T ^'"
and mind and rr. ,' =""* ^^art,

Orations. Ir^ir'^' -'-We co„:

"ot sordid whvZ^:^'""='''"y="-«
'« the mil' ;j;"/-'^ - descend

*■"« to degradeTu resTwhT ^"^
a stmg to Dovei-M; ^ , ^y add

bv th ^^^'^y^ ^"d a plume to vanifv
^y the poor transparent artifice IJ ^'
Ms nothino- ^ \i , ""^^ fnat con-

h ,co™ ; ^' '"^ •'"'5' changes pity

Before

■A k-

•:L •!

!<ii, :

•:,v

X ,

( 9* )

Before I quit the subject of Albanian
manners, I must describe their amuse-
ments, and some other pecuLarities in
their modes of life. When I say their
amusements, I mean those in which thev
differed from most other people. Such as
they had in common with others require
no description. They were exceedingly
social, and visited each other very fre-
quently, beside the regular assembling to-
gether in their porches every fine evening.
Of the more substantial luxuries of the
table they knew little, and of the formal
and ceremonious parts of good breeding
still less. , . ., .

If you went to spend a day any where,
you were received in a manner we should
think very cold. No one rose to wel-
come you J no one wondered you had
not come sooner, or apologised for any
deficiency in your entertainment. Dinner,
which was very early, was served exactly
in the same manner as if there were only
the family. The house indeed was so ex-
quisitely neat and well regulated, that you j
could not surprise these people ^ they saw
■ ■' * . each

each^

timat
they

want
ness \

themsi

the m

]i^e, di

their s.

.^oJent

adoptee

in
»e-
In
eir

\ev

jite

fve-
gto-
ling.

c the

2cUnS

( 95 )

each other so often and so easily, that in-
timates made no difference. Of strangers
they were shy ; not by any means from
want of hospitality, but from a conscious-
ness that people who had little to value
themselves on but their knowledge of
the modes and ceremonies of polished
life, disliked their sincerity, and despised
their simplicity. If you shewed no in-
solent wonder, but easily and quietly
adopted their manners, you would re-
ceive from them not only very great ci-
vilitv, but much essential kindness. Who-
ever has not common sense and common
gratitude enough to pay this tribute of
accommodation to those among whom he
is destined for the time to live, must of
coutsebe an insulated, discontented being,
and come home railing at the people
whose social comforts he disdained to
partake. After sharing this plain and
unceremonious dinner, which might, by
the bye, chance to be a very good one,
but was invariably that which was meant

for the family, tea was served in at a
y sawi v^ry gr^j-iy. jjQ^j.^ j^^^ j^^g \^ ^.^s ^^^

eacli| ... ^^

.'if'''!

%^:\ i .

'liii'';,!' •

-it

>:"it

■■'.;" i' .

: 1

■ ,
J

' ; It

( ^6 )

distinction shewn to strangers commenced.
Tea Jiere was a perfect regale, being served
up with various sorts of cakes unknown
to us, cold pastry, and great quantities of
sweetmeats and preserved fruits of various
kinds, and plates of hiccory and other nuts
ready cracked. In all manner of confec-
tionery and pastry these people excelled;
and having fruit in great plenty, which cost
them nothing, and getting sugar home 'at
an easy rate, in return for their exports
to the West Indies, the quantity of these
articles used in families, otherwise plain
and frugal, was astonishing. Tea was never
unaccompanied with one of these petty
articles ; but for strangers a great display
was made. If you staid supper, you were
^ure of a most substantial though plain
one. In this meal they departed, out of
complinient to the strangers, from their
usual simplicity. Having dined between
twelve and one, you were quite prepared
for it. You had either game or poultry
roasted, and always sheil-fish in the
season : you had also fruit in abundance.
All this with much neatness but no form.

, The

The.

were

The>

to y(

the c

mitec

and (

nality

tions.

and p]

lessent

were

came c

The

young(

plicity

and ch:

one CO

young

togethe

cursion,

object.

industry

their w

a form,

mixed \

VOL. I

( 97 )

The seeming coldness with which you
were first received wore off by degrees.
They could not accommodate their topics'
to you, and scarcely attempted it. But
the conversation of the old, though li-
mited in regard to subjects, was rational
and easy, and had in it an air of origi-
nality and truth not without its attrac-
tions. That of the young was natural
and playful, yet full of localities, which
lessened its interest to a stranger, but
were extremely amusing when you be-
came one of the initiated.

Their diversions (I mean those of tde
younger class) were marked by a sim-
plicity which, to strangers, appeared rude
and childish. In spring, eight or ten of
one company, or related to each other,
young men and maidens, would set out
together in a canoe on a kind of rural ex-
cursion, of which amusement was the
object. Yet so fixed were their habits of
industry, that they never failed to carry
their work-baskets with them, not :is
a form, but as an ingrc-dient necessarily
mixed with their pleasures. They went

VOL. J. F without

'i:ri!!l

f-ll

1
I

1 ^1

: \,

|if'i • '

«'■

( 98 )

^\ithcut attendants ; and steered a de-
vious course of four, five, or perhaps
more, miles, till they arrived at some of
the beautiful islands with which this fine
river abounded, or at some sequestered
Spot on its banks, where delicious wiid-
fruits, or particular conveniencies for fish-
ing, afforded some attraction. There they
generally arrived by nine or ten o'clock,
having set out in the cool and early hour of
sun-rise. Often they met another party
going, perhaps, to a different place, and
ioined them, or induced them to take
their route. A basket with tea, sugar, and
the other usual provisions for breakfast,
with the apparatus for cooking it ; a little
rum and fruit for making cool weak
punch, the usual beverage in the middle
of the day, and now and then some cold
pastry, were the sole provision ; for the
great affair was to depend on the sole
exertions of the boys, in procuring fish,
wild ducks, &c. for their dinner. They
were all, like Indians, ready and dex-
terous with the axe, gun, &c. Whenever
they arrived at their destination they

sought

sough

posite

■> ' ■•

their ;

sli'ade I

opehin

twined

pleasai}

dried b

soon" ise

breakfa!

one, bc(

men th

shodt bi

down tc

versing ^

the benig

the beaui

calculatec

hours ha

brought .

the woo<

pared by

whom we

chosen of

all^et out

I berries, o

...--■ .■ ( w ) y-' '•• ■■'■■■' ■

.••>,'-■■■■ . • - •■ "

sought out a dry and bea itiful spot op-
posite to the river, and in an insunt with
their axes cleared so much superfluous
sli'ade or. shrubbery as left a semicircular
bpehiug, above which they bent and
twined the boughs, so as to form a
pleasant , bower, while the girls gathered
dried branches, to which one of the youths
soon" set fire with gunpowder, and the
breakfast, a very regular and cheerful
one, occupied an hour or two ; the young
men then set out to fish, or perhaps to
shobt birds, and the maidens sat busily
down to their work, singing and con-
versing with all the ease and gaiety which
the benign serenity of the atmosphere and,
the beauty of the surrounding scene were
calculated to inspiire. After the sultry
I hours had been thus employed, the boys
brought their tribute from the river or
the woou, and found a rural meal pre-
pared by their fair companions, among
whom were generally their sisters and the
diosen of their hearts. After dinner they

I .... *

all^et out together to gather wild straw-
|bcrrics, or whatever other fruit was in

F 2

:;:li*

:t!i)V

tit

1 ■ .

. 1
■i ■

1 ;

A'.l ■ 1

.1,1 ' 1

"r, '

' ■■ )■

li^t^

-» V

••I

ml- i

\.,r

{ 100 )

season; for it was accounted a reproach
to come home empty-handed. M'hen
weary of this amusiement, they either
drank tea in their bower, or returning,
landed at some friend's on i\^e. way,
to partake of that refreshment. Here, in-
deed,

Vouth's free spirit, innocently gay.

Enjoyed the most that innocence could give."

Another of their sum^mer amusements
was going to the Bush, which was thus
managed : a party of young people set
out in little open carriages, something ii
the form of a gig, of which every famil) fomigij^^
had one ; every one carried somethin
with him, as in these cases there was ni
hunting to furnish provision. One brough
wine for negus, another tea and coftee o
a superior quality, a third a pigeon pye

((

i:-

with a pie;

a fine str

some Indi;

wood-surrc

■to live in
in short, every one brought something \^q^ ^n ^

pots cleari
lative luxi
bout ther
oung parti
ho set ou

no matter how trifling, for there was n
emulation about the extent of the coi
tributidn. In this same bush, there wei
•spots to which the poorer members of tl
Community retired, to work the:
.with patient industry, through mu

vatic

vation a

plenty ai

They pei

one neg]

they gre

a source.

mean tin:

himself, h

him by hi

necessarie

wife and i

wrought

on a sma]

luid theirs

if-

roacli
Vheu
either
:ning,

51VC

( 101 )

vation and hardship, compared to tlie
plenty and comfort enjoyed by the rest.
They perhaps could only afford to liave
one negro. woman, whose children, as
they grew up, became to their master
^'^Y'l a source of plenty and ease : but in the
^^» ^""1 mean time the good man wrought hard
himself, having a little occasional aid sent ,
him by his friends. He had plenty of the .
necessaries of life, but no luxuries. His
3ments| ^j£g ^j^ j daughters milked the cows and
as tliusl^Quglj^ ^j. ^jjg jjj^y^ ^jj(j jjjg house wag
pie selQQ ^ smaller scale than the older settlers
*^^8 ^Ihad theirs, yet he had always one neatly-
i^"^"lfurnished room : — ^A very clean house,
lethinl^i^jj 2, pleasant portico before it, generally
was nlj fjjjg stream beside his dwelling, and
)roughljQn^g Indian wigwams near it. He was
oitee o|vood-surrounded, and seemed absolutely
)n pye|to live in the bosom of nature, screened
lethinlfrQnr^ all the artificial ills of life j and those ,
pots cleared of incumbrances, yet rich in ,
ative luxuriance, had a wild originality
them not easily described. The
oung parties, or soiretimes the elder one? ,
ho set out on this woodland excursion,

F 3

vatic'

was n|
he coii
re we

, S'

•I';- -I

■,r',:i

{ 102 )

had no fixed desHnsltion; they travelled
genet^ally in thp jfbrenoon, and when they
weihe tired of going on the ordinary road,
turned into the htsh, and whenever they
saw an inhftbitted. spot, with the appear-
ancc of which they were pleased, they
Went in with all the ease of intimacy, and
told them they were come to spend the
afternoon there. The good people, not
in the least surprised at this intrusion,
very calmly opened the reserved apart-
menlsj et if it \^re very hot, received
theni in the portico. The guests pro-
duced their stores, and they boiled their
tea-kfettle, and pirovided cream, nuts, or
any peculiar dainty of the wxx)ds which
tlifcy chanced to have ; and they always
furnished bread and butter, which were
excellent in their kinds. They were in-
vited to share the collation, which they
dki with great ease and frankness : then
dancing, or any other afnusement that
struck their fancy, succeeded. They saun-
tered abouc the bounds in the evening,
and retiarned by moonlight. These good
people felt not the le^st embarrassed at,

. ~ ■■ ■ ' ' the

the

thei

the

pati(

the

It ai

manj

hi }''

ri.

•>^

'i^

- /

tvelled
n they
': road,
r they
ippear-
> they
;y, and
nd the
le, not
rusion,
apart-
gceived
ts pro-
their
lis, or
which
[always
were
;re in-
they
then
that
saun-
ming,
good
id at.
th(

( 103 )

the rustic plainness. of every thing about
them \ they considered themselves as in
the way, after a little longer exertion of
patient industry, to have every thing that
the others had ; and their guests thought
it an agreeable variety, in this abrupt
manner to visit their sequestered abodes.

' •> b^l'K? rTj*?ki^ 0*-:; ^f-v^by/- .?!: ;:;.. '■':'

,* , ft ■•

?.i' I

F4.

CHAP.

104 )

'■if i<J

C H A P. X.

>i';i

;■•»•

'.J '

I « . . . /I M irn '

Winter AmusemeDts of the Albanians} &c.

TN winter the river, frozen to a great
depth, formed the principal road
through the country, and was the scene
of all those amusements of skating,
knd sledge races, common to the north
of Europe. They used in great parties
to visit their friends at a distance, and
having an excellent and hardy breed of
herses, flew from place to place over the
snow or ice in these sledges with incredi-
ble rapidity, stopping a little while at
every house they came to, where they
were always well received, whether ac-
quainted with the owners or not. The
night never impeded these travellers, for
the atmosphere was so pure and serene,
and the snow so reflected the moon and
star-light, that the nights exceeded the
days in beauty,

t In

mile, a

and bee

amusen

youth i

had a Ij

like a I

could d

or two ;

descent

ing.glasi

an hun<

from th

in his lit

and

the
:redi-

they

{ 105 )

In town all the boys were extravagantly
fond of a diversion that to us would ap»
pear a very odd and childish one. The
great street of the town, in the midst of
which, as has been formerly mentioned,
stood all the churches and public build>
ings, sloped down from the hill on which
the fort stood, towards the river ; be*
tween the buildings was an unpaved car-
riage-road, the foot-path beside the houses
being the only part of the street which
was paved. In winter this sloping descent,
continued for more than a quarter of a
mile, acquired firmness from the frost,
and became extremely slippery. Then the
amusement commenced. Every boy and
youth in town, from eight to eighteen,
had a little low sledge, made with a rope
like a bridle to the front, by which one
could drag it by the hand. On this one
or two at most could sit, and the sloping
descent being made as smooth as a look<*
ing-glass, by sliders* sledges, &C.. perhaps
un hundred at once set out in succession
from the top of the street, each seated
in his little sledge with the rope in his

i; r 5 hand

1 1 til i

rs;i|l 1
i!:i'r!l

li*l ...

i?!:;

■I!i'

( loe )

hand, which, drawn to the right or left,
served to guide him. He pushed it off
with a little stick, as one wo\ Id launch a
boat; and then, with the most astonish-
ing velocity, precipitated by the weight
eF the owner, the little machine glided
past, and was at the lower end of the
street in an instant. What could be so
peculiarly delightful in this rapid and
smooth descent, I could never discover ;
yet in a more retired place, and on
a snaaller scaler I have tried the amuse-
ment ; but to a young Albanian, slaying,
as he called it, was one of the first
joys ctf life, though attended with the
drawback of dragging his sledge to the
top of the declivity every time he re-
newed his flight, for such it might well
be called. In the managing this little
machine some dexterity was necessary:
an unskilful Phaeton was sure to fall. The
vehicle was so low, that a fall was at-
tended with little danger, yet with much
disgrace, for an universal laugh from all
fcides assailed the feUen charioteer. This
kiugh w;i8 from a very full ch(H[tis, for
r- ' the

( 107 )

the constant and rapid succession of the
train, where every one had a brother,
lover, or kinsman, brouglit all the young
people in town to the porticos, where
fchey used to sit wrapt m furs till ten or
eleven at night, engrossed by the delecta-
ble spectacle. Wliat magical attraction it
could possibly have, I never could find
out;, but I have known an Albanian,
after residing some years in Britain, and
becoming a polished fine gentleman, join
tlie sport, aind slide down with the rest*
Perhaps., after all our laborious refine^
ments in amusement, being easily pleased
is one of the great secrets of happiness, at
far as it is retainable in this^' frail and
fevei^ish beinff."

Njw there remains another amusement
to be described, which I mention with Fe-
luctance, and should hardly venture to
mention at all, if I had not found a pre-
cedent for it among tLe virtuous Spar-
tans. Had Lycurgus himself been the
founder of their community, the young
men could' scarce have stolen with more
alacrity and dexterity. I could never

F 6 conjecture

■\- I

&' ,1

( 108 )

conjecture how the custom could pos-
sible originate among a set of people of
such perfect and plain integrity. But
thus it was. The young men now and
then spent a convivial evening at a ta-
vern together, where from the extreme
cheapness of liquor, their bills (even when
they committed an occasional excess) were
very moderate. Either to lessen the
expencc of the supper, or from the pure
love of what they stiled frolick, (An-
glic6 mischief,) they never failed to steal
either a roasting pig or a fat turkey for
this festive occasion. The town was the
scene, of these depredations, which never
extended beyond it. Sw^ c and turkeys
were reared in great numbers by aU the
inhabitants. For those they brought to
town in winter, they had an appropriate
place at the lower end of the garden, ia
which they locked them up. It is obser-
vable, that these animals were the only
things locked up about the house, for this
good reajson, that nothing else ran the least
risk of being stolen. The dexterity of the

the£l

wal

( 199 )

theft consisted in climbing over very high
walls, watching to steal in when the ne-
groes went down to feed the horse or
cow, or making a clandestine entrance at
some window or aperture: breaking up
doors was quite out of rule, and rarely
ever resorted to. These exploits were al-
ways performed in the darkest nights ; if
the owner heard a noise in his stables, he
usually ran down with a cudgel, and laid
it without mercy on any culprit he could
overtake. This was either dexterously
avoided, or patiently borne. To plun-
der a man, and afterwards offer him any
personal injury, was accounted scandalous;
but the turkies or pigs were never re-
covered. Jn some instances a whole
band of these young plunderers would
traverse the town, and carry off such a
prey as would afford provision for man)
jovial nights. Nothing was more com-
mon than to find one's brothers or
nephews amongst these pillagers.

Marriage was followed by two dreadful

pr'/ations: a married man could not fly

down the street in a, little sledge, nor join

.. a party

It':

!' i

• >:

|IS;

E V, i i

i i> .",; '■■ '■ <
■f if:: -'■' '•

! V.', -i; ' I [

( no )

i' ;'

lii'lf-

i-i

a party of j^g-stealers, without outraging
decorum. If any of their confederates
married, as they frequently did, very
young, and were in circumstances to be-
gin house keeping, they were sure of an
early visit of this nature from their old
confederates. It was thought a great act
cf gallantry to overtake and chastise the
robbers. I recollect an instance of one
young niarried man, who had not long
attained to that dignity ; his turkies
screaming violently one night, -lie ran
down to chastise the aggressors ; he over-
took them in the fact : but finding they
were his old associates, he could not resist
the force of habit, so joined the rest in
another exploit of the same nature, and
then shared his own turkey at ihe tavern.
There were two inns in the town, the
masters of which were *' honourable men:''
yet these pigs and turkies were always
received and dressed without question-
ing whence they came. ' In one instance,
a young party had in this manner pro-
vided a.; pig, and ordered it to be roasted
at the ICing's Armsj anothear party at-
A ■ tacked

at-

( HI )

tacked the same place ^whence this bocty
was taken, but fouiid it already rifled.
This party was headed by an idle mis-
chievous young man, who was the Ned
Poins of his fraternity: well guessing how
the stolen roasting-pig was disposed of,
he ordered his friends to adjourn to the
rival tavern, and went himself to the
King's Arms. Enquiring in the kitchen
(where a. pig was roasting) who supped
there, h« soon, arrived at certainty : then
taking an opportunity when there was
no one in the kitchen but the cook-maid,
he sent for one of the, jovial party ^
who were at cards up stairs. During her
absence, he cut the string by which the
pig was suspended, laid it in the dripping-
pan, and through the quiet and dark
streets of that sober city, carried it safely
to the other tavern : where, after finish-
ing the roasting , he and his companion*
prepared to regale themselves. Mean-
time the pig was missed at the King's
Arms; and it was immediately concluded,
from the dexterity and address with which
ihb trick- was performed^ tha:t no otlieu

lis

rl i'

^i?

illi n

> i.-'i '• ' L

mm\

; i

1 ^'■^\

'{':

i •

'>»« '

■(.

^ ( 112 )

but the Poins aforesaid could be the au-
thor of it. A new stratagem was now
devised to outwit this stealer of the stolen.
An adventurous youth of the despoiled
party laid down a parcel of shavings op-
posite to the other tavern, and setting
them in a blaze, cried fire ! a most alarm-
ing sound here, where such accidents
were too frequent. Every one rushed out
of the house, just as supper had been
served. The dextrous purveyor, who had
occasioned all this disturbance, stole in,
snatched up the dish with the pig in it;
stole out again by the back door, and
fersted his companions with the recovered
spoils. - -^v ,' ' - ' (

These were a few idle young men, the
sons of avaricious fathers, who grudging
to advance the means of pushing them
forward by the help of their own industry
to independence, allowed them to remain
so long unoccupied, that their time was
wasted, and habits of conviviality at length
degenerated in those of dissipation. 1 hey
were not only pitied and endured, but re-
ceived with a wonderful degree of kindt
• -i ' '■ . ness

( ud )

■ess and indulgence. They

a kind of

leged

wags,

were usua
went about lik

privi-

took

persons, at whose jests no o
offence j and were in their discourse and
style of humour, so muc!^ like Shakspeare's
clowns, that on reading that admirable
author, I thought I recognized my old
acquaintances. Of them, however, I saw
little, the society admitted at my friends*
being very select* -t;^ •■ i .bifv^jvi-^i^ ^j^^;/

>.■ -

■■■ ,>:y'v,:.!'..j ii--»^;i.

■■.r..,^i ^J)\i i.'v;j.iW

\yi'i:,-:*v

•'^'f.'' I. iu .' .'.V :ri'

„• ' ».

f '

/. ' •

w '^i ti

.' : . I-- *

^.■;. if.'; ..*/.•:!,, 1

CHAP.

4 .1

,:-i:iJJi

( 114 )

i I
1

! I

■']":?<■'{/ '•} •/ \"i

« t

-jvirr

'*\*': ;:!

.-■fr

*■";■', •V *•) 5 >."!'>*

>' v-t"- '

•i'mi* 'iitlTl:?- .■)-^l'> ••''T''»**t.-^T >^<^/^'l)

• . i'i V»' xi A Jr. aI« ^ ,' 1 ,

"•it? I " .

Lay-Brothers.— Catallna.— Detached Indians.

Y>£F0RJB I quit this attempt to delineate
. the members of which this community
was composed, I must mention a cla«s of
aged persons, who, united by the same re-
collections, pursuits, and topics, associated
very much with each other, and very
little with a world which they seemed
to have renounced. They might be
styled lay-brothers, and were usually wi-
dowers, or persons who, in consequence
of some early disappointment, had re-
mained unmarried. These were not de-
votees, who had, as was formerly often the
case in catholic countries, run from the
extreme of licentiousness to that of bi-
gotry. They were generally persons
who were never marked as being irre-
ligious or immoral; and were just as little
distinguished for peculiar strictness, or de-
,j , . , votional

•;>

lal

e 1J3 )

votional fervour. These good men lived
in the house of. some relation, where they
had their, own apartments to themselves ;
and only occasionally mixed with the fa-
mily. The people of the town lived to
a great age j ninety was frequently at-
tained : and I have seen different indivi-
duals, of both sexes who had reached a
hundreds These ancients seemed to place
all their delight in pious books and de-
votional exercises, particularly in singing^
psahus, which they would do in their
own apartments for hours together.
They came out and in like ghosts, and
were treated as such; for tiiey never
spoke unless when addressed, and seem-
ed very careless of the things of this
world, like people who had got thove it.
Yet they were much together, and seemed
to enjoy each other "s conversation. Retro-
spection on the scenes of early life, anti-
cipations of that futurity so closely veiled
from our sight, and discussions regarding
various passages of holy writ, seemed their
favourite themes. They were mild and
bcnevt)lent, but abstracted, and unlike

other

ill ■

' i

! : 1

:,'! im

1.U.1

J!' .;:i^i

i.v

if'

¥:

:i;i

['h'.'

Jiit:

I 'SJ i

( 11& )

other peoplco Their happiness, for happy
I am convinced they were, was of a na-^
ture peculiar to themselves, not obvious
to others. Some there were, not defi-
cient in their attention to religious duties,
who living in the bosom of their fami-
lies, took an active and cheerful concern
to the last in all that amused or interest-
ed them; and I never understodd that'l
the lay-brothers, as I have chosen to call
them, blamed them for so doing. One
of the first christian virtues, charity in ^
the most accepted and common sense of
the word, had little scope. Mere a beg-
gar was unheard of. People, such as I
have described in the bush, or going there,
were no n.ore considered as objects of
pity, than we consider an apprentice as
such, for having his time to serve before
he sets up for himself. In such cases, the
wealthier, because older settlers, fre-
quently gave a heifer or a colt each, to a >
new beginner, who set about clearing
land in their vicinity. Orphans were ne-
ver neglected ; and from their early mar-
riages, and the casualties to which their
fev:' J manner

-( U7 )

, manner of life subjected ^hem, these were
. not unfrequent. You never entered a house
without meeting children. Maidens, ba-
chelors and childless married people, all
; adopted orphans, and all treated them as
if they were their own. ,' ^

Having given a sketch, which appears
to my recollection (aided by subse-
quent conversations with my fellow tra-
vellers) a faithful one, of the country and
its inhabitants, it is time return to the
history of the mind of Miss Schuyler^ for
by no other circumstances than prematu-
rity of intellect, and superior culture,
were her earliest years distinguished.
Her father, dying early, left her very
much to the tuition of his brother. Hfr
uncle's frontier situation made, a kind pf
barrier to the settlement j while the po\y-
erful influence, that his knowledge of
nature and of character, his sound judge-
ment and unstained integrity, had obtain-
ed over both parties, made him the bond
by which the Aborigines were united
with the colonistti. Thus little leisure
was left him for domestic enjoyments,

■ iiil

'^iiirii

.'.^i .....

'«^

i'i''i

i'' '■•

■'-.I •

: ,. (

f':-

( 118 . ) •

or literary pursuits, for both of whidi
hiis mind was peculiarly adapted. Of
the leisure he could command, however,
he made the best use ; and soon distin-
guishing Catalina as the one amongst his
family to v^ hom nature had been most li-
beral, he was at pains to cultivate her taste
for reading, which soon discovered it-
self, by procuring for her the best authors
in history, divinity, and tne belles lettrest
in this latter branch, her reading was
not very extensive : but then, the few
books of this kind that she possessed were
very well chosen ; and she was early and
intimately familiar with them. What I re-
member of her, assisted by comparisons
since made with others, has led me to
think that extensive reading, superficial
and indiscriminate,such as the very easy ac-
cess to books among us encourages, is not
it an early period of life favourable to so-
lid thinking, true taste, or fixed principle.
Whatever she knew, she knew to the
bottom J and the reflections, which were
thus suggested to her -strong discerning
mind, wepe digested by means of easy and

instructive

■i
1.1

ac-

lOt

Iso-
)le.
the

jre

live

( 119 )

instructive conversation. Colonel Schuy-
ler had many relations in New York ;
and the governor and other ruling cha-
racters there carefully cultivated the ac-
quaintance of a person so well qualified
to instruct and inform them on certain
points. Having considerable dealings in
the fur-trade too, he went 6very winter
to the capital for a short time, to adjust
his commercial concerns, and often took
his favourite niece along with him, who^
being of an uncommon quick growth
and tall stature, soon attracted attention
by her personal graces, as well as by the
charms of her conversation. I have been
told, and should conclude from a picture
I have seen drawn when she v/as fifteen!,
that she was in her youth very handsome.
Of this few traces remained when I
knew her ; excessive corpulence having
then overloaded her majestic person, and
entirely changed the aspect of a counte-
nance once eminently graceful. In nO
place did female excellence of any kind
more amply receive its due tribute of
applause and admiration than here, for

various

i; ■
'i

foi20 )

various reasons. First, cultivation and
refinement were rare. Then it was not
the common routine that women should
necessarily have such and such accom-
plishments; pains were taken only on
minds strong enough to bear improve-
ment without becoming conceited or pe-
. dantic. And lastly, as the spur of emu-
lation was not invidiously applied, those
who acquired a superior degree of know-
ledge considered themselves as very for-
tunate in having a new source of enjoy-
ment opened to them. But never having
been made to understand that the chief
motive of excelling was to dazzle or out-
shine others, they no more thought of
despising their less fortunate companions,
than of assuming pre-eminence for disco-
vering a wild plum-tree or bee-hive in the
woods, though J a J in the former case, they
would have regarded such a discovery as
a benefit and a pleasure; their acquisi-
tions, therefore, were never shaded by
affectation. The women were all natives
of the country, and few had more than
... x\ - i , ,- - • ■ .. K '.. domestic

VOL.

■5; 7

isco-

the

Lhey

( 121 )

domestic education. But men, who po*
sessed the advantages of early culture and
usage of the world, daily arrived on the
continent from different parts of Europe*
So that if we may be indulged in the
inelegant liberty of talking commercially
of female elegance, the supply was not
equal to the demand. It may be easily
supposed that Miss Schuyler met with
due attention; who, even at this early
age, was respected for the strength of her
character, and the dignity arid compo-
sure of her manners. Her mother, whom
she delighted to recollect, was mild, pious,
and amiable; her acknowledged worth
was chastened by the utmost diffidence.
Yet accustomed to exercise a certain
power over the minds of the natives, she
had great influence in restraining their
irregularities, and swaying their opinions.
From her knowledge of their language,
and habit of conversing with them,
some detached Indian families resided
for a while in summer in the vicinity of
Jiouses occupied by the more wealthy and
benevolent inhabitants. They generally
VOL. I. (% built

, j

,«

' r i

'ii-

0':

i: .'i:. ■'

I i

, ■ ■: >

■fii

....!fel

.:.i'<i I

( r22 )

built a slight wigwam under shelter o£
the orchard-fence on the shadiest sid^^
and never were neighbours more harm-
kss, peaceable and oblij^ng ; I might
truly add, industrious; for in one way
or other they were constantly occupied.
The women ^d their children employed
themselves in many ingenious handicrafts,
which since the introduction of Euro-
pean arts and manufactures, have greatly
declined. Baking trays, wooden dishes,
ladles and spoons^ shovels and rakes;
brooms of a peculiar manufacture., made
by splitting a birch block into slender
but tough filanients; baskets of all kinds
and sizes, made of similar filaments, en-
riched with the most beautiful colours,
which they alone knew how to extract
from vegetaHe substances, and incorpo-
rate with the woocJ. They made also of
the l)irch-bark, (which is here so strong
and teniiciousj that cradles and canoes are
made of it,) many receptacles for hold-
ing fruit and other things, curiously
adorned with embroidery, not inelegant,
done with the sinews of deer ; and leggans

and

C 1^ )

md moquesans, a very comfortaWe and
highly ornam^ental substitute for shoes and
stockings, then universally used in winter
among the men of our own people. They
had also a beautiful manufacture of deer-
skin, softened to the consistence of the
finest Chamois leather, and embroidered
with beads of Wampum, formed like bu-
g'es ; these, with great art and industry,
they formed out of shells,which had the ap-
pearance of fine whitp porcelaine, veined
with purple^ This embroidery shewed
both skill and taste, and was among
themselves highly valued. They ha:', belts,
large embroidered garters, and many other
ornaments, formed, first of deer sinews,
divided to. the size ctf coarse thread, and.
afterwards, when they obtained worsted
thread from us, of that material, formed
in a mannei: which I could never compre-*
hend. It was neilhev knitted noi: wrought
in the manner of net, nor yet woven ;
but the texture was more like that of an
officer's sash than any thing I can com-
pare it to. While the women and chil-
dren were thus employed, the men sqme-

G % tinier

'■ft).*.:!! i-,1

f,m^i

• i

'1^ if. I . ■

:t'n

r^-

'"I ■•Mm'-

( 124 )

times assisted them in the more laborious
part of their business, but oftener occu-
pied themselves in fishing on the ri\fers,
and drying or preserving, by means of
smoke, in sheds erected for the purpose,
sturgeon and large eels, which they caught
in great quantities, and of an extraordi-
nary size, for winter provision.

Boys on the verge of manhood;, ar ^
ambitious to be admitted into the hui.. ajg
parties of the ensuing winter, exercised
themselves in trying to improve- their
skill in archery, by shooting birds, squir-
rels, and racoons. These petty huntings
helped to support the little colony in the
neighbourhood, which however derived
its principal subsistence from an exchange
of their manufactures with the neigh-
bouring family, for milk, bread, and other
articles of food.

The summer residence of these ingeni-
ous artisans promoted a great intimacy
between the females of the vicinity and
the Indian women, whose sagacity and
comprehension of mind werebeyondbelief.

It is a singular circumstance, that though

they

on<'-

»\

^;JL .V» I..L r

( 125 )

orious
occu-
ri^fers,
ans of
jrpose,
caught
xaordi-

)d, ar '

tercised
e- their
s, squir-
untings

in the
derived

change
neigh-

d other

they saw the negroes in every respectable
family not only treated with humanity,
but cherished with parental kindness,
they always regarded them with contempt
and dislike, as an inferior r^ce, and would
have no communication with them. It
was necessary then that all conversations
should be held, and all business transacted
with these females, by the mistress of. the
family. In the infancy of the settlement
the Indian language was familiar to the
more intelligent inhabitants, who found
it very useful, and were, no doubt, pleased
with its nervous and emphatic idiom, and
its lofty and sonorous cadence. It was in-
deed a noble and copious language, when
one considers that it served as the vehicle
ci ^' ctjght to a people whose ideas and
spiic ^ jf action we should consider as so
very confined..

.'I 1
:■!

G 3

CHAPt

X 1126 )

i [ I

fl'

tJ-

• 1

CHAP. XIII.

iProgress oT 'Knowledge.-*— Indian Martners.

i<^(

ONVERSATioN with thosc interesting and
^?eply ffeflecting natives, v^as, to thinks
ing minds, no mean source of entertain-
ment. Communication soon grew easier;
for the Indians had a singular facility in
acquiring languages j the children especi-
ally ; as I well remember, from experimental
knowledge, for I delighted to hover about
the wigwam, and converse with those of
the Indians, and we very frequently min-
gled languages. But to return to my sub-
ject : whatever comfort or advantage a
good and benevolent mind possesses, it is
willing to extend to others. The mother
of my friend, and other matrons, who
like her experienced the consolations, the
hopes, and the joys of Christianity, wished
those estimable natives to share in their
pure enjoyments.

Of all others these mild and practical
• <chFistian6

lers.

ting and
o think-
itertain-
V easier;
cility in
n especi-
;rimental
er about
those of
itly min-
my sub-
intage a
ises, it is
mother
s, who
ons, the
I, wished
in their

)ractial
iristiane

< ^27 )

christians were the best fitted for making
|)roseIytes. Unlike professed missiona-
ries, whose zeal is not always seconded
by judgement, they did not begin by
alarming the jealousy with which .all
manner of people watch over their here-
ditary prejudices. Engaged in active
life, they had daily opportunities of de-
monstrating the truth of their refigion
by its influence .upon their conduct.
Equally unable and unwilling to enter
into deep disquisitions or pdemical argu-
ments, their calm and unstudied explana-
tions of the essential doctrines of Chris-
tianity were the natural results which
arose out of their ordinary conversation.
To make this better understood, I must
endeavour to explain what I have observ-
ed in the unpolished society that occu-
pies the wild and remote districts of dif-
ferent countries. Their conversation is
not only more original, but, however
odd the expression may appear, more
philosophical than that of persons equally
destitute of mental culture in more po-
pulous districts. They derive their sub-

fO 4 jects

'#Wi i

;);,.

■'-1„

,i f

■y. I,'

.:;i'

(128 )

jccts of reflection and conversation ra-
ther from natural objects, which lead
minds, possessing a certain degree of in-
telligence, more forward to trace effects
to their causes. Nature there, too, is seen
arrayed in virgin beauty and simple ma-
jesty. Her various aspects are more
grand and impressive. Her voice is more
distinctly heard, and sinks deeper into the
heart. These people, more dependent on
the simples of the fields and. the wild
fruits of the woods; belter acquainted
with the forms and instincts, of the birds
and beasts, their fellow denizens in the
wild ; and more observant of every con-
stellation and every change in the sky,
from living so much in the open air,
have a wider range of ideas than we are
aware of. "With us, art every where
combats nature, opposes her plainest dic-
tates, and too often conquers her. The
poor are so confined to the spot where
their occupations lie, so engrossed by their
struggles for daily bread, and so sur-
rounded by the works of man, that
those of their Creator are almpst cxclud-
«:-. ■' '■>■■ ed

C 129 )

)n ra*

ed from their view, at least they form a
very smalls part of the subjects that en-
gross their thoughts. What knowledge
they have is often merely the husks and
orts that fall from the table of their su-
periors, which they swallow without
chewing, =

Many of those who are one degree
above the lowest class, see nature in poe-
try, novels, and other books, and never
think of looking for her any where else :
like a person amused by the reflection o£
the starry heavens or shifting clouds from
a calm lake, who never lifts his eyes to
those objects of which he sees the imper-
fect though resembling pictures.

Those who live in the undisguised bo-
som of tranquil nature, and whose chief
employment it is, by disincunibering her
of waste luxuriance, to discover and im-
prove her latent beauties, need no bor-
rowed enthusiasm to relish her, subHme
and graceful features. The venerable sim-
plicity of the sacred scriptures has some-
thing extremely attractive for a mind in
this state, The soul which is the most

• ■: G 5 fauiiiiar

?i!

&M \ .11

# -

( ISO ")

familkr with its Creator in his vVOrks,
"will be always the most ready to recognize
him in his word. Conversations, which had
for their subject the nature and virtues
of pknts, the extent and boundaries of
woods and lakes, and the various oper-
ations of instinct in animals, under those
•circumstances where they are solely direct-
ed by it, and the distinct customs and
manners of various untutored nations,
tended to expand the mind, and teach it
to aspire to more perfect intelligence.
The untaught reasoncrs of the woods
could not but observe that the Europeans
knew iimch that was concealed from
them, and derived many benefits and
iriuth power from' that knowledge. Where
they saw active virtue keep pace with
superior knowledge, it was natural to
conclude that persons thu« beneficially
enlightened, had clearer and ampler views,
of that fiitUrity, which to them only
dimly gleamed through formless darkness.
They would suppose, too, that those illu-
minated beings had some means of ap-
proaching nearer to that source: of light

and

)gnize
:hhad
rirtues
ries of
oper-
r those
direct-
ns and
lations,
each it
igence.
woods
opeans
from
ts and
Wherie
with
ral to
iicially
views,
only
kness.
ie illu-
of ap-
ligJit
and

( 131 )

and perfection from which wisdom is de-
rived, than they themselves had attained.
Their minds being thus prepared by de-
grees, these pious matrons (probably assist-
ed by those lay-brothers of whom I have
spoken) began to difluse the knowledge
of the distinguishing doctrines of Christi-
anity among the elderly and well-inten-
tioned Indian wotnen. Tliese did not
by any means' receive the truth without
examination : the acuteness ef intel-
lect which discovered itself in their objec-
tions (of which I have heard many strik-
ing instances) was astonishing; yet the
humble and successful instruments of en-
lightening thosfe sincere and candid peo-
ple, did by no means take to themselves
any merit in making proselytes. When
they found theii^ auditors dispOgg J to lis-
ten diligently to the truth, they sent
them to the^clergyman of the place, who
instruct^, corifirrned, and baptized them.
I am sorry thatT have not a clear and
distinct r^coMecti^ri of the exact manner,
or of the numbers, &c. of these first con^
verts, of whom I shall say more here-

G 6 .after .J

1 1

^'tm

1 ''i

< ::i.u,.p V

■■'\

,.8 I

i.fiit

If!

It!

I. 'i!

1 if ■-

'■fc^ji

U}f

( 132 )

after ; but I know that this was the usu-
al process. They were, however, both
zealous an4 persevering, and proved the
means of bringing many others under
the law of love, to which it is reasonable
to suppose the safety of this unprotected
frontier was greatly owing at that crisis,
tliat of the first attacks of the French.
The Indian women, who from motives
of attachment to particular families, or
for the purpose of carrying on the small
traffic already mentioned, were wont to
pass their summers near the settlers,
were of detached and wandering fa-
milies, who preferred this mode of living
to the labour of tilling the ground, which
entirely devolved upon the women among
the Five nations. By tilling the ground
I would not be understood to mean any
settled mode of agriculture, requiring cat-
tlcjinclosures, or implements of husbandry.
Grain made but a very subordinate part Of
their subsistence, which was chiefly deriv-
cd from fishing pnd h\inting. The little
Uiey had was mai^e j tjtiis with kid-

->f

...,i.

i;.,

nev

e usu-

both
:d the
under
onable
>tected

crisis,
rench.
[lotives
ies, or
) small
^ont to
settlers,
ng fa-
■ living

which
[among

;round
tan any

ng cat-

andry.

part of
deriv-

e little

kid-

nev

(

1r*0

)

ney beans and tobacco, the only plants
tliey cultivated, was sown in some very
pleasant fields along the Mohawk river,
by the women, who had no implements
of tillage but the hoe, and a kind of
wooden spade. These fields lay round
their castles, and while the women were
thus employed, the men were catching
and drying fish by the rivers or on the
lakes. The youhger girls were much
busied during summer and autumn, in
gathering wild fruits, berries, and grapes,
which they had a peculiar mode of dry-
ing, to preserve them fOr the winter.
The great cranberry they gathered in a-
bundance, which, without being dried,
would last the whole winter, and was
much used by the settlers. These dried
fruits were no luxury ; a fastidious taste
would entirely reject them. Yet, be-
sides furnishing another article of food,
they had their use, as was evident. With-
out some antiseptic, they who lived the
' whole winter on animal food, without a
jingle vegetable, or any thing of the nature
of bread, unless now and then a little
; .- maize.

•'.\ ■'

■ ^. i -^i

'; 1
1'

\ 134 )

^^f

•i.'

■■ "if

i-.

K. I

maize, wliich they had the art of boiling
down to softness in lye of wood-ashes,
must have been liable to that great scourge
of -northern ^nations in their primitive
state, the scurvy, had not this simple de-
sert been a preservative against it. Rheu-
matisms, and sometimes agues affected
them, but no symptom of ai^y cutaneous
disease was ever seen on an Indian.

I'he stragglers from the confines of
the orchards did not fail to joijn their
tribes in winter ; and were zealous, anc
«ften successful in spreading tlaeir new
opinions. The Indians supposed that
every country had its own mode of ho-
nouring the great spirits to whom all were
equally acceptable. This had, on one
hand, the bad effect of making them
satisfied with their own vague and unde-
fined notions ; and on the other, the
good one of making them very tolerant
of those of others. If you do not insult
their belief, (for mode of worship they
have scarce any,) they will hear you talk
of yours with the greatest patience and
atteation^ Their good breeding, in this
t"- '• respect,

es of
their
anc
new
that
f ho-
were
one
:hem
nde-
the
rant
suit
hey
talk
and
this
ect.

X 135 )

tespect, was really superlative. No Indian
ever interrupted any, the most idle tal-
ker : but when they concluded, he would
deliberately, methodically, and not un-
gracefully answer or comment upon all
they had said, in a manner which shewed
that not a word had escaped him.

Lady Mary Morttague ludicrously says,
that the court of Vienna was the paradise
of old womerh; and that there i no
other place in the world where a woman
past fifty excites the least interest. Had
her travels extended to the interior of
North America, she would have seen
another instance of this inversion of the
^common mode of thinking. Here a wo-
man never was of consequence, till she
had a son old enough to flght the bat-
tles of his count^^y^ from ^tliat date, she
held a superior rank in sociiety; was
allowed to live at ease, and even called
to consultations on national affairs. In
savage and warlike countries, the reign
of beauty .is very short, and its influence
comparatively limited. The girls in child-
'- hmd had a very . pleasing appearance ; but

;, excepting

'•'I

-''Hi

:k't'.'i i

\nt

i ;:'■;■

I .i*i

iM'

i''

..,:

-m: iy\

n,\\

B.'i

( ^36 )

excepting their fine hair, eyes arid teeth,
every external grace was soon banished by
perpetual drudgery, carrying burdeiib too
heavy to be borne, and Other slavish em-
ployments considered beneath the dignity
of the men. These walked b-ifore, erect
and graceful, decked with ornaments,
'\v^hich set oflF to advantage the symmetry
of their well formed persons, while the
poor women followed, meanly attired,
bent under the weight of the children
and utensils which they carried every
where with them, and disfigured and
degraded by ceaseless toils. They were
very early married : for a Mohawk had no
other servant but his wife; and whenever
he commenced hunter, it was requisite
that he should have some one to carry his
load, cook his kettle, make his rtioquesans,
and above all, produce the young warriors
who were to succeed him in his honours-
of the chase and of the tomahawk.
Wherever man is a mere hunter, woman
is a mere slave. It is domestic intercourse
that softens man, and elevates woman ;
and of that there can be little, where
"•• *^r-'' ■ the

;>-:-^f

( 137 )

the employments and amusements are
not in common : the ancient Caledoni-
ans honoured the fair ; but then, it is to
be observed, they were fair huntresses,
and moved in the light of their beauty,
to the hill of roes; and the culinary toils
were entirely left to the rougher sex.
When the young warrior above alluded
to made his appearance, it softened the
cares of his mother ; who well knew
that when he grew up, every deficiency
in tenderness to his wife would be mad*^
up in superabundant duty and affection
to her. If it were possible to carry filial
veneration to excess, it was done here ;
for all other charities were absorbed in it.
I wonder this system of depressing the
sex in their early years, to exalt them
when all their juvenile attractions were
flown, and when mind alone can distin-
guish them, has not occurred to our mo-
dern reformers. The Mohawks took
good care not to admit their women to
share their prerogatives, till they approved
themselves good wives and mothers. . •*
Tldf^ digression, long as it is, has a very
. . _ intimatQ

MB '\

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S'T^^i

,nh

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ri h,ri ■ '

if',;

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c.'' ■

Mil i

Ill,-

4 3

•I)

( 138 )

intimate connexion with the character di
my friend ; she early adopted the views of
ller family, in regard to those friendly In-
dians, which greatly enlarged her mind,
and ever after influenced her conduct.
She was, even in childhood, well acquaint-
ed with their language, opinions, and
customs; and, like every other person
possessed of a liberality or benevolence of
mind, whom chance had brought ac-
quainted with them, was exceedingly par-
tial to those high-souled and generous na-
tives. The Mohawk language was early
ifamiliar to "her j ^he spoke Dutch and
English with equal ease and purity J was
no stranger to the French tongue; and
could (1 think) read German. I have
heard her speak iit. From the conver-
sations which her active curiosity led her
to hold with native Africans, brought
into her father's family, -she was more
intimately acquainted with the customs,
manners^ and government of their native
country, than she could have been, by
reading all that was ever written on the
subject. Books are, no doubt, the gra-
' .., inaricB

( 1S9 )

tiaries of knowledge ; but a diligent en-
ijuiring mind, in the active morning of
life, will find it strewed like manna over
the face of the earth ; and need not in all
cases, rest satisfied with intelligence accu-
mulated by others, ^nd tinctured with
their passions and prejudices. Whoever
reads Homer or Shakespear may daily dis-
cover that they describe both nature and
iart from their own observation. Conse-
quently you see the images, reflected froiti
the mirror of their great minds, differing
from the descriptions of others, as the
Teflection of an object in all hs cdlouri
and proportions from any polished sur-
face, does from a shadow on a v^JI, or
from a picture drawn from recollection-
The enlarged mind of my friend, and her
simple yet easy and dignified manners,
made her readily adapt herself to those
^th whom she conversed, and every
where command respect and kindness 4
and, on a nearer acquaintance, affection
followed; but she had too much sedate-
«ess and independence to adopt those ca-
ressing and insinuating manners, by which

the

*;'

; M

• Mil

f i if

: 1

1 1'

i ■'

M "V II

( 14^0 )

the vain and the artful so soon find then*
way into shallow minds. Her character
did not captivate at once, but gradually
unfolded itself; and you had always
something new to discover. Her style
was grave and masculine, without the
least embellishment J and at the same
time so pure, that every thing she said
might be printed without correction, and
so plain, that the most ignorant and most
inferior persons were never at a loss to
comprehend it. It possessed, too, a won-
derful flexibility ; it seemed to rise and
fall with the subject. I have not met
with a style which, to noble and uniform
simplicity, united such variety of expres-
sion. Whoever drinks knowledge pure
at its sources, solely from a delight in fill-
ing the capacities of a large mind, without
the desire of dazzling or out-shining
others ; whoever speaks for the sole pur-
pose of conveying to other minds those
. ideas, from which he himself has received
pleasure and advantage, may possess this
chaste and natural style : but it is not to
be acquired by art or study, r ,- . , : ,

CHAP.

" •'<f:!'

' ''.l 4 h

{ 1*1 )

''T 'ii-i.c- .;>-.;;.,

',': . y'{

r > / : *

CHAP. XIV.

JHAP.

Marriage of Miss Schuyler. — Deacription of the

Flats.

li ■ - . ,

Ti/fiss S. had the happiness to captivate
her cousin Philip, eldest son of her
uncle, who was ten years older than her-
self, and was in all res/iecis to be accounted
a suitable, and in the worldly sense, an
advantageous match for her. His father
was highly satisfied to have the two ob-
jects on whom he had bestowed so much
care and culture united. They were mar-
ried in the year 1719*, when she was in
the eighteenth year of her age. When
the old colonel died, he left considerable
possessions to be divided among his
children, and from the quantity of plate,
paintings, &c. which they shared, there is
reason to believe he must have brought
some of hifi wealth from Holland, as in
those days people had little means of en-

* Mies Schuyler was born in tlie year 1701.

riching

I I

■> ,1 i

I 1 '

k I

( 142 )

ricliing themselves in new settlements^
He had also considerable- possessions in a
place near the town, now called FisK
Kill, about twenty miles below Albany.
His family residence^ however, was at the
Flats, a fertile and beautiful plain on the
banks of the river.. He possessed about
two miles on a stretch of that rich and
level champain.. This possession wa*.
bounded on the east by the river Hud*
son, whose high banks overhung the
stream and its pebbly strand, and were
both adorned and defended by elms>
(larger than ever I have seen in any other
place), decked with natural festoons of
wild grapes, which abound along the
banks of this noble stream. These lofty
elms were left, when the country wa*
cleared, to fortify the banks against the
masses of thick ice which make war
upon them in spring, when the melting;
snows burst this glassy pavement, and
raise the waters many feet above their
usual level. This precaution not only
answers that purpose, but gratifies the
mind by presenting to the eye a rem*

nant

'fj:^

243

nant of the wWa ,v,»

•nldst the I Ir^""'"''^ ^ «^*"'*
varied ,nH ^ '"'^"^' produced by^

varied and successful cultivation 7

tr„"":=''"^''^^''--"er;of,t

town, where the />^;.„,„ ^^^ h;,

you afterwards past bv 1 • . '*^*»

«s beauty there above a «ilel::i;"jf

7 P '"^*' cowred with loftv „•
from which a waterfeU descend^J'^ ^T
not only gave anin^ati^n 1^' "f''"*
-ne but was the best biome J';""
ginable, foreteiW bv it, ^^^ "'^"
telHgiblesoundsevLLlLT T' ''^-
"otonlyoftheweatKroS "^''
Opposite to the ground. irfrH"

-bovean,aein,e„gtt..„dabJut"ut^
■n breadth, which also belonged ToT

-.^-/otin^irpiirdS^^^^^

imagine

i«i

>:iiy'

' . ! I

I, i

1 i-

.S',

1 .'-

( '

( 144 )

Imagine a little Egypt, yearly overflowed,
and of the most redundant fertility. Thia
charming spot was at first covered with
wood, like the rest of the country, except
a long field in the middle, where the
Indians had probably cultivated maize ;
round this was a broad shelving border,
where the grey and the weeping willows,
the bending, osier, and numberless aquatic
plants not known in this country, were
allowed to flourish in the utmost luxu-
riance, while within, some tall sycamores
and wild fruit trees towered above the
rest. Thus was formed a broad belt, which
in winter proved an impenetrable barrier
against the broken ice, and in summer
was the haunt of numberless birds and
small animals,, who dwelt in perfect safety,
it being impossible to penetrate it. Num-
berless were the productions of this luxu-
riant spot ; never was a richer field for a
botanist ; for though the ice was kept off,
the turbid waters of the spring flood over^
flowed it annually, and hot only deposited
a rich sediment, but left the seeds of va-
.: . . . riou^

..^

owed,
Thia
1 with
except
•e the
naize ;
)order,
illows,
aquatic
fy were
[ luxu-
amores
>ve the
, which
barrier
mmer
ds and
safety,
Num-
s luxu-
A for a
iept off,
Id over-
[posited
of va-
viou^

( 145 )

rious plants swept from the shores it had
passed by. The centre of the island,
which was much higher than the sides,
produced with a slight degree of culture
the most abundant crops of wheat, hay,
and flax. At the end of the island,
whfch was exactly opposite to the family
mansion, a long sand-bank extended ; on
this was a very valuable fishing-place,
of which a considerable profit might be
made. In summer, when the water was
low, this narrow stripe (for such it was)
came in sight, and furnished an amusing
spectacle ; for there the bald or white-
headed eagle (a large picturesque bird,
very frequent vx this country), the os-
pray, the heron, and the curlew, used to
stand in great numbers in a long row,
like a military arrangement, for a whole
summer day, fishing for perch and a kind
of fresh-water herring which abounded
there. At the same season a variety of
wild ducks, which bred on the shores of
the island, (among which was a small white
diver of an elegant form), led forth their
young to try their first excursion. What
Yoi.. J. H a scene

1 1

"'fi' {

:>■■:!

■ :\. '.

t ■.

• Hi

( 146 )

\iM

t scene have I beheld on a cahn summer
evening ! There indeed were ** fringed
banks" richly fringed, and wonderfully
variegated ; where every imaginable
shade of colour mingled, and where life
teemed prolific on every side. The ri-
ver, a perfect mirror, reflected the pine-
covered hills opposite ; and the pliant
shades bent without a wind, round this
enchanting island, while hundreds of the
w^hite divers, saw-bill ducks with scarlet
heads, teal, and other aquatic birds, sport-
ed at once on the calm waters. At the
discharge of a gun from the shore, these
feathered beauties all disappeared at
once, as if by magic, and in an instant
rose again to view in different places.

How much they seemed to enjoy that
life which was so new to them ! for they
were the young broods first led forth to
sport upon the waters. M hile the fixed
attitude and lofty port of the large birds
of prey, who were ranged upon the
sandy shelf, f onr.ed an inverted picture in
the same clear mirror, and were a pleasing
contrast to the playful multitude around.

'•• '■ • These

immer
Fringed
lerfully
ginable
ere life
rhe ri-
e pine-
pliant
nd this
i of the
scarlet
J, sport-
At the
e, these
red at
instant
[aces.

that

)r they

Ibrth to

le fixed

re birds

I the

ture in

[leasing

round.

I These

( 147 )

lliese they never attempted to disturb,
well aware of the facility of escape
which their old retreats afforded them.
Such of my readers as have had patience
to follow me to this favourite isle, will
be, ere now, as much bewildered as I
have often been on its luxuriant shores.
To return to the southward : on the con-
fines of what might then be called an in-
terminable wild, rose two gently sloping
eminences, about half a mile from the
shore. From each of these a large brook de-
scended, bending through the plain, and
having its course marked by the shades
of primaeval trees and shrubs, left there to
shelter the cattle when the ground was
cleared. On these eminences, in the
near neighbourhood and full view of the
mansion at the Flats, were two large and
well built dwellings, inhabited by Colonel
Schuyler's two younger sons, Peter and
Jeremiah. To the elder was allotted the
place inhabited by his father, which, from
its lower situation and level surface, was
called the Flats. There was a custom prc-
•' ^ H 2 valcnt

'''■:ilH

:ir

V>K^

! ■:!.

I : !'

,!•'! I ; !

,1;: i:*^> i ^''i

''•'■m

\'-'i

ifl^^^^l

1 i 1 '

M' ■ "1 1

X'i M l

i:;:l

W 1 1

||ji

( 1^^ )

vaknt among the new settlers something
like that of gavel-kind: they made a pretty-
equal division of lands among their
younger sons. The eldest, by pre-emi-
nence of birth, had a larger share,
and generally succeeded to the domain in-
habited by his father, with the slaves, cat-
tle, and effects upon it. ' '

This, in the present instance, was the
lot of the eldest son of that family whose
possessions I have been describing. His
portion of Jand on the shore of the ri-
ver was scarcely equal in value to those
of his brothers, to whose possessions the
brooks I have mentioned formed a natu-
ral boundary, dividing them from each
other, and from his. To him was allot-
ted the costly furniture of the family, of
which paintings, plate and china consti-
tuted the valuable part ; every thing else
being merely plain and useful. 1 hey had
also a large house in Albany, which they
occupied occasionally.

I have neglected to describe in its right
place the termination or back ground of

the

( 149 )

hing

rctty

their

emi-

hare,

in in-

;, cat-

IS the
ivhose
His
he ri-
those
iS the
natu-
each
allot-
lly, of
:onsti-
else
|y had
they

right

indof

the

the landscape I have such delight in rccol *
lecting. There the solemn and intermi-
nable forest was varied at intervals by^
rising grounds, near streams where
birch and hiccory, maple and poplar,
cheered the eye with a lighter green,
through the prevailing shade of dusky
pines. On the border of the wood,
where the trees had been thinned for fir-
ing, was a broad shrubbery all along,
which marked the edges of the wood
above the possessions of the brothers as
far as it extended.

This was formed of shumack, a shrub
with leaves, continually changing colour
through all the varieties, from blending^
green and yellow, to orange tawny, and
adorned with large lilac-shaped clusters^
of bright scarlet grains, covered with pun-
gent dust of a sharp flavour, at once sa-
line and acid. This the Indians use as
salt to their food, and for the dyeing of
different colours. Ihe red glow, which
was the general result of this natural bor-
der, had a fine effect, thrown out from the*
dusky shades which towered behind,

H 3 To

m li

li !|

':i?

MM'

I .'■!

?5v] ;

( i50 )

, To the northward, a sandy tract, co-
vered with low pines, formed a boundary
betwixt the Flats and Stonehook, which
lay further up the river.

' ' > '■*

I t.

Char,

1^8 " 1

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i

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.d'

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1' ii

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CHAh

p«

Iha^

mild

lent

mor<

coun

to I

kno^

or 1

prot€

inth

I do

to su

whic

class

tlemj

took

colon

( 151 )

'i,,l.

tr [C, ■ ■ t •••' ■'/-:}. ^•'i/-

» J

/ -'

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,•■» <,

y '.

HA Pi

CHAP. XV.

Character of Philip Schuyler. — His Management of
.the Indians.

pHiLip Schuyler, who, on the death of
his father, succeeded to the inheritance
1 have been describing, was a person of a
mild benevolent character, and an excel-
lent understanding, which had received
more culture than was usual in that
country. But whether he had returned
to Europe, for the purpose of acquiring
knowledge in the public seminaries there,
or had been instructed by any French
protestants, who were sometimes retained
in the principal families for such purposes,
I do not exactly know ; but am led rather
to suppose the latter, from the connexion
which always subsisted between that
class of people and the Schuyler family.

When the intimacy between this gen-
tleman and the subject of these memoirs
took place she was a mere child ; for the
colonel, as he was soon after called, was

H 4 ten

! 'i

Ull

II ■

)■ f

! »

If >'
11 t

■I.

( I^ )

ten years older than she. I'his was
singular there, where most men married
under twenty. But his early years were
occupied by momentous concerns ; for,
by this time, the public safety began to
be endangered by the insidious wiles of
the French Canadians, to whom our fron-
tier settlers began to be formidable ri-
vals in the fur trade, which the former
wished to engross. In process of time,
the Indians, criminally indulged with
strong liquors, by the most avaricious
and unprincipled of the traders, began to
have an insatiable desire for them, and
the traders' avidity for gain increased in
the same proportion. '
* Occasional fraud on the one hand gave
rise to occasional violence on the other.
Mutual confidence decayed, and hostility
betrayed itself, when intoxication laid
open every thought. Some of our trade
were, as the colonists alleged, treacherously
Killed in violation of treaties solemnly
concluded between them and the ofifcnd-
ing tribes. < ^ .,

The mediation and protection of the

Mohawk

s was
narried
•s were
3 ; for,
gan to
riles of
T fron-
ible ri-
former
F time,
with
ricious
gan to

, and
ised in

d gave
other,
ostility
n laid
• trade
rously
emnly
jfFcnd-

3f the
)ha\vk

( 153 )

. Mofiawk ttibes were, as usual, appealed to.
But these shrewd politicians saw evidently
the value of their protection to an unwar-
like people, who made no effort to defend
themselves; and who, distant from the
source of authority, and contributing no-
thing to the support of government, wer6
in a great measure neglected. They be-
gan also to observe, that their new friends,
were extending their possessions on every
side, and conscious of their wealth and;
increasing numbers, dia not so assiduous-
ly cultivate the good- will of their faithfujt
allies as formerly. These nations, savage
as we may imagine them, were as well
skilled in the arts of negociation as the
most pdite Europeans. They waged per-
petual war with each other about their
hunting-grounds; each tribe Uying claim^
to some vast wild territory diesuned for
that purpose, and divided from other
districts by boundaries which we should
consider as merely i<ieal, but which tliey
perfectly understood. Yet these were
not so distinctly defined as to preclude
9|| dispute^ and a casuajl encroachment

^m\

'If

:ili

'lis

,i?:y

urn

( 154 )

on this imaginary deer-park was a suf-
ficient ground of hostility j and this, not
for the value of the few deer or bears
which might be killed, but that they
thought their national honour violated by
such an aggression. The system of re-
venge, which subsisted with equal force
among them all, admitted of no sincere
conciliation till the aggrieved party had
obtained at least an equal number of scalps
and prisoners for those that they had lost.
This bloody reckoning was not easily ad-
justed. After a short and hollow truce,
the remaining balance on either side af-
forded a pretext for new hostilities, and
time to solicit new alliances; for which
last purpose much art and much persua-
sive eloquence were employed. '

But, the grand mystery of Indian politics
was the flattery, the stratagem, and address
employed in detaching other tribes from
the alliance of their enemies. There could
not be a stronger proof of the restless and
turbulent nature of ambition than those
artful negociations, the consequence of pery
petual hostility, where one would thinlj;
*A^ * - there

( 155 )

there was so little ground for quarrel ; and
that amongst a people who, individually,
were by no means quarrelsome or covetous,
and seemed in their private transactions
with each other, impressed with a deep
sense of moral rectitude ; who reasoned
soundly, reflected deeply, and acted in most
cases consequentially. Property there was
none, to afford a pretext for war, except-
ing a little possessed by the Mohawks,
which they knew so well how to defend,

that their boundaries w»ere never violated ;

•-•'■

" For their awe and their fear was upon all the na-
tions round about.'* ■ ii*.;. '^' ? . ' '"

Territory could not be the genuine sub-
ject of contention in these thinly peopled
forests, where the ocean and the pole
were the only limits of their otherwise
boundless domain. The consequence at-
tached to the authority of chiefs, who, as
such, possessed no more property than
others, and had not power to command a
single vassal for their own personal benefit,
was not so considerable as to be the object

■II

!
'Ill

.»i

if-

w/ym

1} I

■4

( 156 ) / .

of those wars. The chief privilege was,
to be first in every dangerous enter-
prize. They were loved and honoured,
but never» that I have heard of, traduced,
envied, or removed from their painful
pre-eminence. ^

ITie only way in which these wars can
be accounted for is, first, from the geneial
depravity of our nature, and from a sin-
gularly deep feeling of injury, and a high
sense of national honour. They were not
the hasty outbreakings of savage fury,
but were commenced in the most solemn
and deliberate manner ; and not without
a prelude of remonstrances from the ag-
grieved party, and attempts to soothe
and conciliate from the other. This di-
gression must not be considered as alto-
gether from the purpose. To return to
the Indians, whose history has its use in
illustrating that of mankind : they now
became fully sensible of the importance
they derived from the increased wealth
and undefended state of the settlement.
They discovered too, that they held the

'* . balance

(■ 131 )

was,

enter-
Dured,
iuced,
>ainful

TS can
;eneial
a stn-
a high
re not
fury,
lolemn
ithout
he ag-
^oothe
lis di-
alto-
rn to
use in
r now
rtance
vealth
ment.
the
alaruce

balance between the interior settlements
of France and England, which, though
still distant from each other, were daily-
approximating, • ' ^' • '

The Mohawks, though always brave
and always faithful, felt a very allowable
repugnance to expose the lives of their
warriors in defence of those who made
no effort to defend themselves ; who were
neither protected by the arms of their so-
vereign, nor by their own courage. They
came down to hold a solemn congress, at
which the heads of the Schuyler and
Cuyler families assisted; and where it
was agreed that, for the present, hostili-
ties should be delayed, the hostile nations
pacified by concessions and presents, and
means adopted to put the settlement into
a state of defence against future aggres*
sions.

On all such occasions, when previously
satisfied .with regard to the justice of the
grounds of quarrel, the Mohawks promis-
ed their hearty co operation. This they
were the readier to do, as their young
brother Philip (for so they styled Colonel

Schuyler)

:{f.i

■ I V
. > i'

) ,1 {

Ill

:11

Is. V

.' 1 .1

¥h

■; I'M!!

'pi

( 158 )

Schuyler) offered not only to head such
troops as might be raised for this purpose,
but to engage his two brothers, who were
well acquainted with the whole frontier
territory, to serve on the same terms.
This was a singular instance of public
spirit in a young patriot; who was an en-
tire stranger to the profession of arms ;
and whose sedate equanimity of character,
was adverse to every species of rashness
or enthusiasm* Meantime the provisions
of the above-mentioned treaty could not
be carried into effect, till they were rati-
fied by the assembly at New York, and
approved by the governor. Of this there
was little doubt; the difKculty was to
raise, and pay the troops. In the interim,
while steps were taking to legalize this
project, in 17 i 9, the marriage betwixt
Col. Schuyler and his cousin took place
under the happiest auspices..' '■ .?("

■;f'i i '

/,.,}.,.;..> * ' CHAP.

-T"-"'"

.( - •- -

: t
t

1 >■>/

HAP.

( 159 )

?-.o

■rr;'.j 'j\\\

; ,< • ."'

■^i.

Ir.

' ; M

•J

•i

!-.»,

CHAP. XVI.

.-;

<{f .*f">' Account of the three Brother*.

/COLONEL Schuyler and his two brothers
all possessed a superior degree of in-
tellect, and uncommon extern?*! advan-
tages : Peter, the only one remaining when
I knew the family, was still a comely
and dignified looking old gentleman ; and
1 was told his brothers were at least
equal to him in this respect. His young-
est brother Jeremiah, who was much be-
loved for a disposition, frank, cheerful,
and generous to excess, had previously
married a lady from New York with
whom he obtained some fortune : a thing
then singular in that country. This lady,
whom, in her declining years, I knew
very well^ was the daughter of a wealthy
and distinguish<2d family of French pro-
testants. She was lively, sensible^ and

well informed. ^ : r. t n»>

Peter, the second, was married to a na-
Ah tive

1 1 -'?

w. r-s.

S: I

1' ! 1^ '

'•1';H i ■ c

> 1 ! !-J

! U'v'

( 160 )

tive of Albany. She died early : but left
behind two children, and the reputation
of much worth, and great attention to
her conjugal and maternal duties. All
these relations lived with each other, and
with the new married lady, in habits of
»he most cordial intimacy and perfect con-
fidence. They seemed, indeed, actuated by
one spirit : having in all things similar
views and similar priraples. Looking up
to the colonel as tht nead of the family,
whbse worth and affluence reflected conse-
quence upon them all, they never dreamt
of envying cither his superior manners,
or his wife's attainments, which they
looked upon as a benefit and ornament to
the whole.

Soon after their mirriage they paid a vi-
sit to New York, which they repeated once
a year in the earlier period of their mar-
riage, on account of their connection in
that city, and the pleasing and intelligent
(Society that was always to be met with
there, both on account of its being the
seat of goverment, and thfe residence of
Che commander-in-chief 6n the ccmtinent,

who

3Ut left
utation
ition to
?s. All
er, and
abits of
!Ct coll-
ated by
similar
king up
family,
i cortse-
dreamt
[anners,
they
nent to

id a vi-
?d once
r mar-
ion in
ligent
t with
ng the
nee of
tinent,
who

( i6l )

who was then necessarily Invested with
considerable power and privileges, and
had, as well as the governor for the thne
being, a petty court assembled round him.
At a very early period a better style of
manners, greater ease, frankness, and po-
lish prevailed at New York, than in any
of the neighbouring provinces. There
was in particular, a Brigadier-General
Hunter, of whom I have heard Mrs,
Schuyler talk a great deal, as coinciding
with her uncle and husband successively,
in their plans either of xiefience or im-
provement. He, I think, was then go-
vernor : and was as acceptable to the
Schuylers for his colloquial talents and
friendly disposition, as estimable for his
public spirit, and application to business, in
which respects he was not equalled by any
of his successors. In his circle the young
couple were much di"*tinguished. There
were too among those leading families the
Livingstons and Renselaers, friends con-
nected with them both by blood and attach-
ment. There was also another distinguish-
ed family to whom they were allied, and

with

'II n^

! ;i :»»

■ !::

;t^ i

^'f

if'

9>.<\

• »

..«■'

( 165 )

with whom they lived in cordial intimacy;
these were the De Lancys, of French de-
scent, but, by subsequent intermarriages,
blended with the Dutch inhabitants. Of
the French protestants there were many
then in New York, as will be hereafter
explained; but as th^se conscientious
exiles were persons allied in religion to
the primitive settlers, and regular and
industrious in their habits, they soon
mingled with and became a part of that
society, which was enlivened by their
sprightly manners, and benefited by the
useful arts they brought along with them.
In this mixed society, which must have
had attraction for young people of supe-
rior and, in some degree, cultivated intel-
lect, this well matched pair took great
pleasure; and here, no doubt, was im-
proved that liberality of mind and man-
ners which so much distinguished them
from the less enlightened inhabitants of
their native city They were so much
caressed in New York, and found so
many charms in the intelligent and com-
paratively polished society of which

they

( 163 ;

they made a part that they had at first
some thoughts of residing there. Th«se,
however, soon gave way to the persua-
sions of the old colonel, with whom they
principally resided till his death, which
happened in 1721, two years after. This
union was productive of all that felicity
which might be expected to result from
entire congeniality not of sentiment only,
but of original dispositions, attachments,
and modes of living and thinking. He
had been accustomed to consider her, as a
child, with tender endearment. She had
been used to look up to him, from infancy,
as the model of manly excellence ; and
they drew knowledge and virtue from the
same fountain, in the mind of that re-
spectable parent whom they equally loved
and revered. ' « / ; fc;/ u

l^ij;', n.' I /*:»

r.ti

\'i} "'t

t . : 1 • /

CHAP.

.MJ

:-4:

( ^64 )

t'M'

Ul : i

1 ':'

ill

'.71

.-. ^.'

CHAP. XVII.

The House and rural (Economy o£ the Flats.— BIrthr
• . ( and Insects. . , .■; ,

T HAVE already sketched a general out-
line of that pleasant home to which
the colonel was now about to bring his
beloved.

Before I resume my narrative, I shall
indulge myself in a still more minute ac-
count of the premises, the mode of liv-
ing, &c. which will afford a more distinct
idea of the country ; all the wealthy and
informed people of the settlement living
on a smaller scale, pretty much in the same
manner. Be it known, however, that the
house I had so much delight in recollect-
ing, had no pretension to grandeur, and
very little to elegance. It was a large brick
house of two or rather three stories ^for
there were excellent attics), besides a sunk
story, finished with the cxactest neatness.

The

Thl
wit
wei
foul
was
froi
adi
ful
witl
pari
hot
niou
V;

(' 165 )

';m

.— BIrA

al out-

which

ing his

I shall
lUte ac-
of liv-
iistinct
y and
living
esame
at the
oUect-
r, and
brick
s vfor
sunk
tness.
The

The lower floor had two spacious rooms,
with large light closets ; on the first there
were three rooms, and in the upper one
four. Through the middle of the house
was a very wide passage, with opposite
front and back doors, which in summer
admitted a stream of air pecuiJJTly grate-
ful to the languid senses. It was furnished
with chairs and pictur^^s like a summer-
parlour. Here the family usually sat in
hot weather, when there were no ceremo-
nious strangers.

Valuable furniture (though perhaps not
very well chosen or assorted) was the fa-
vourite luxury of these people, and in all
the houses I remember, except those of
the brothers, who were every way more
liberal, the mirrors, the paintings, the
china, but above all, the state-bed, we/e
considered as the family Teraphim, secret-
ly worshipped, and only exhibited on
very rare occasions. But ip Colonel Schuy-
ler's family the rooms were merely shut
up to keep the flies, which in that coun-
try are an absolute nuisance, from spoil-
ing

*feii

u ! I H

''\

■I!

■if!

«?■ 'X-

i'r,

! I

( 166 )

ing the furniture. Another motive was,
that they might be pleasantly cool when
opened for company. This house had
also two appendages common to all those
belonging to persons in easy circumstances
there. One was a large portico at the
door, with a few steps leading up to it,
and floored like a room ; it was open at
the sides, and had seats all round. Above
was either a slight wooden roof, painted
like an awning, or a covering of lattice-
work, over which a transplanted wild
vine spread its luxuriant leaves and nu-
merous clusters. The grapes though
small, and rather too acid till sweetetied
by the frost, had a beautiful appearance.
What gave an air of liberty and safety
to these rustic porticos, which always
produced in my mind a sensation of
[Measure that I know not how to define,
was the number of little birds domes-
ticated there. For their accommodation
there was a small shelf built within the
p<^)itico where they nestled sacred from
the touch of slaves and children, wlio

were

e was,
when
e had
il those
stances
at the
p to it,
jpen at
Above
painted
lattice-
d wild
nd nu-
though
etened
arance.
safety
always
on of
define,
omes-
dation
in the
from
who
were

( 167 )

vtrere taught to regard them as the good
genii of the place, not to be disturbed

with

impunity.

I do

there.

3t recollect sparrows
cept the wood-sparrow. These little birds
were of various kinds peculiar to the
country ; but the one most frequent and
famiUar was a pretty little creature, of a
bright cinnamon colour, called a wren,
though faintly resembling the one to
which we give that name, for it is more
sprightly, and flies higher. Of these and
other small birds, hundreds gave and
received protection around this hospitable
dwelling. The protection they received
consisted merely in the privilege of being
let alone. That which they bestowed
was of more importance than any inha-
bitant of Britain can imagine. In these
new countries, where man has scarce as-
serted his dominion, life swarms abun-
dant on every sido ; the insect popula-
tion is numerous beyond beUef, aiid
the birds that feed on ihem are in
proportion to their abundance, in pro-
cess of time, as their sheltering v»^oods

arc

( ifls )

)■» ■■ '■ ;

f : . .

4< ^■ 1

are clear ed« all these recede before tlierr
masters, but not until his empire is fully
established. Such minute aerial foes are
more harassing than the terrible inhabi-
tants of the forest, and more difficult to
expel. It is only by protecting, and in
some sort domesticating, these little wing-
ed allies, who attack them in their own
element,, that the conqueror of the lion
and tamer of the elephant can hope to
sleep in peace, or eat his meals unpolluted.
While breakfasting or drinking tea in
the airy portico, which was often the
scene of these meals, birds were con-
stantly gliding over the table with a but-
terfly, grasshopper, or cicada in their bills
to feed their young, who were chirping
above. These familiar inmates ' brushed
by without ceremony, while the chim-
ney swallow, the martin and other hi-
rundines in countless numbers darted
past in pursuit of this aerial population
and the fields resounded with the cease-
less chirping of many insects unknown
to our more temperate summers. These
were now and then mingled with the ani-
mated

their

fuUy

»s are

ihabi-

ilt to

id in

wing-
own

le lion

)pe to

Uuted.

tea in

n the

^ con-

a but-
r bills
rping
ushed
chim-
er hi-
iarted
lation
cease-
nown
These
e ani-
ated

( 169 )

aninmted and not unpleasing cry of the
tree-frog, a creature of that species, but
of a light slender form, almost transpa-
rent, and of a lively green ; it is dry to
the touch, and has not the dank moisture
of its aquatic relations ; in short it is a
pretty lively creature, with a singular
and cheerful note. This loud and not
unpleasing insect-chorus, with the swarms
of gay butterflies in constant motion,
enliven scenes to which the prevalence
of woods, rising *' shade above shade"
on every side, would otherwise give a
still and solemn aspect. Several objects,
which with us are no small additions
to the softened changes and endless
charms of rural scenery, it must be con-
fessed, are wanting there. No lark wel-
comes the sun that rises to gild the dark
forest and gleaming lakes of America ;
IK) mellow thrush nor deep toned black-
bird ^varbles through these aweful soli-,
tudes, or softens the balmy hour of twi<
light with

" The Iic|uid language o[ the proves.'*

1
i

\
(

''"'li

Hi.;i

' !
. i

Vol.: I.

Twilight

: :'f

'ft

■■'N

( 170 )

Twilight itself, the mild and shadowy
hour, so soothing to every feeling, every
pensive mind ; that soft transition from
day to night, so dear to peace, so due to
meditation, is here scarce known, at least
only known to have its shortness regret-
ted. No daisy hastens to meet the spring,
or embellishes the meads in summer:
here no purple heath exhales its whole-
some odour, or decks the arid waste with
the chastened glow of its waving tJells.
No bonni/ broom, such as enliven the
narrow vales of Scotland with its gaudy
blow nor flow'ring furze with its golden
blossoms, defying the cold blasts of early
spring, animate their sandy wilds. There
the white-blossomed sloe does not fore-
run the orchard's bloom, nor the pale
primrose shelter its modest head beneath
the tangled shrubs. Nature, bountiful
yet not profuse, has assigned her various
gifts to various climes, in such a manner,
that none can claim a decided pre-emin-
ence; and every country has peculiar
charms, which endear it to the natives
beyond any othicr. — I have been tempt-
ed

adowy
, every

a from
due to
at least
regret-
spring,
itnmer :
whole-
5te with
ig Hells.
ven the
:s gaudy
J golden
of early
There
ot fore-
he pale
beneath
ountiful
various
anner,
e-emin-
peculiar
natives
tempt-
ed

( ni )

«d by lively recollections into a di-
gression rather unwarrantable. To re-
turn: .- ^1 ■ . ■ ":' '• " ■ ■' •'■'•■

At the back of the large house was a
smaller and lower one, so joined to it s
to make the form of a cross. There one
or two lower and smaller rooms below,
and the same number above, afforded a
refuge to the family during the rigours
of winter, when the spacious summer-
rooms would have been intolerably cold,
and the smoke of prodigious wood-fires
would have sullied the elegantly clean
furniture. Here, too, was a sunk story,
where the kitchen was immediately be-
low the eating parlour, and encreased
the general warmth of tlie house. In
summer the negroes inhabited slight
outer kitchens, in which food was drest
for the family. Those who wrought in
tJie fields often had their simple dinner
cooked widiout, and ate it under the sliade
of a great tree. One room, I should have
said, in the greater house only, was cipenrd
for the reception of compmy ; all t le rest
were bed-cliambers for tkeir accomnjoda^

1 2 tion^

.ill!

SI
1

' ll

,, I 1

X
%

\n>

', I

1 1<

( 172 )

tion ; the donxestic friends of the family
occupying neat little bed-rooms in the
attics, or in the winter-house. This house
contained no drawing-room ; that was an
unheard-of luxury: the winter rooms
had carpets -, the lobby had oil-cloth pain-
ted in lozenges, to imitate blue and white
marble. The best bed-room was hung
with family portraits, some of which
were admirably executed; and in the
eating-room, which by the bye, was
rarely used for that purpose, were some
fine scripture paintings ; that which made
the greatest impression on my imagina-
tion, and seemed to be universally admir-
ed, was one of Esau coming to demand
the anticipated blessing ; the noble manly
figure of the luckless hunter, and the
anguish expressed in his comely, though
strong featured countenance, I bhall never
forget. The house fronted the river, on
the brink of which, under shades of elm
and sycamore, wan the great road to-
wards Saratoga, Stillwater, and the nor-
thern lakes; a little simple avenue of
raorella cherry trees, inclosed with a white

;r:. : rail,

Family
n the
house
vas an
rooms
1 pain-
l white
hung
which
in the
D, was
e some
h made
pagina-
admir-
emand
manly
d the
hough
never
er, on
f elm
d to-
e nor-
ue of
while
rail.

( 173 )

rail, led to the road and

not three

river,

l^^ndred yards distant. Adjoining to
this, on the south side, was an indosurc
subdivided into three parts, of which the
first was a small hay-field, opposite ihe
south end of the house ; the next, not
so long, a garden ; and the third, by far
the largest, an orchard. These were sur
rounded by simple deal fences. Now let
not the genius thiit presides over pleasure-
grounds, nor any of his elegant votaries,
revolt with disgust while I mention the
unseemly ornaments which were exhi-
bited on the stakes to which the deals of
these same fences were bound. Truly
they consisted of the skeleton heads of
horses and cattle, in as great numbers as
could be procured, stuck upon the above-
said poles. This was not mere ornament
either, but a most hospitable arrange-
ment for the accommodation of the small
familiar birds before described. The jaws
are fixed on the pole, and the skull upper-
most. The wren, on seeing a skuli thus
placed, never fails to enter by the ori-
fice, which is too small to admit the

1 ^ hand

I ^1

■ M

' I- ! ■l\

,f h

■

lit

\\'^.

! \ ^

( 174 )

hand of an infant, lines the pericranium
with small twigs and horse-hair, and there
lays her eggs in full security. It is very
amusing to see tie little creature care-
lessly go out and in at this aperture,
though you should be standing imme-
diately beside it. Not satisfied with pro-
viding these singular asylums for their
feathered friends, the negroes never f;\il
to make a small round hole in the crown
of every old hat they can lay their hands
on, and nail it to the end of the kitchen,
for the same purpose. You often see in
such a one, at once, thirty or forty of
these odd little domicils, with the inha-
bitants busily going out and in.

Besides all these salutary provisions for
the domestic comfort of the birds, there
was, in clearing the way for their first
establishment, a tree always left in the
middle of the back yard, for their sole
emolument : this tree being purposely pol-
larded at Midsummer, when all the
branches were full of sap. Wherever
there had been a branch, the decay of the
inside produced a hole j and every hole

was

•anium
i there
is very
? care-
erturc,
imme-
:h pro-
• their
er fjiil
crown

hands
itchen,

see in
Tty of

inha-

)ns fof
there
r first
n the
ir sole
ly pol-
1 the
lerever
of the
r hole
was

( 175 )

was the habitation of a bh'd. These
were of various kinds ; some had a
pleasing note, but, on the whole, their
son festers are far inferior to ours. I ra- *

tlier dwell on thbse minutiae, as they not
only mark the peculiarities of tlie country,
but convey very truly the image of a peo-
ple not too reiincd for happiness, which,
in the process of degant luxury, is apt lo
dia oi" disgust. ' >

'^1

I 4

CHAP.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I!: iii

2.5
2.2

1.8

L25 mil 1.4 IIIIII.6

cf^S^ ^ '^ vV

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Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WESi .'»>*'>■ rVRflUT

WEBSTER, N.Y. I4SCC

(716) 872-4503

4f^

( 176 )

. ::i

n .Ji

CHAP. XVIII.

Description of Colonel Schuyler's Barn, the Coik-
^ f^ mon, and it» various U ?8.

-_.^v Mi

A DJoiNiNo to the orchard w^is the most
spacious barn I ever beheld ; which I
shall describe for the benefit of such of
my readers as have never seen a building
constructed on a plan so comprehensive.
This barn, which, as will hereafter ap-
pear, answered many beneficial purposes
besides those usually allotted for such edi-
fices, was of a vast size, at least an hun-
dred feet long, and sixty wide. The
roof rose to a very great height in the
midst, and sloped down till it came within
ten feet of the ground, when the walls
commenced; which like the whole of
this vast fabric, were formed of wood.
It was raised three feet from the
ground, by beams resting on stone; and
on these beams was laid, in the middle of
the building, a very massive oak floor.

r . Before

♦ f

Com-

{ 177 )

Before the door was a large sill, sloping
downwards, of the same materials. A
breadth of about twelve feet on each side
of this capacious building was divided off
for cattle ; on one side ran a manger, at
the abovementioned distance from the
wall, the whole length of the building,
with a rack above it ; on the other were
stalls for the other cattk, running also
the whole length of the building. , The
cattle and horses stood with their hinder
parts ta the wall, and their heads towards
the thresliing floor. There was a prodi-
gious large box or open chest in one
side, built up fox; holding the corn after
it was thrashed; and the roof, which
was very lofty and spacious, was supported
by large cross beams: from one to the
other of these was stretched a great num-
ber of long poles, so as to form a sort of
open loft, on which the whole rich crop
was laid up. The floor of those parts of
the barn, which answered the purposes
of a stable and cow* house, was made of
thick slab deals, laid loosely over the
supporting beams. And the mode of
, .*.• 15 . ^ cleaning

r-i

i, f

;

\ -.

:;!,'! ■

( 178 ) .

cleaning those places was by turning
the boards^ and permitting the dung and
litter to fall into the receptacles left open
below for the purpose ; thence in spring
they were often driven down to the river,
the soil, in its original state, not requiring
the aid of manure. In the * front of this
vast edifice there were prodigious fold-
ing-doors, and two others that opened be-
hind. -"•' >.'> » '-^-^.T-ij*— ■ ■ I-

' Certainly never did cheerful rural toib
wear a more exhilarating aspect than while
the domestics were lodging the luxuriant
harvest in this capacious repository. When
speaking of the doors, I should have
mentioned that they were made in the
gable ends; those in the back equally
large to correspond with those in the
front ; while on each side of the great
doors were smaller ones, for the cattle
and horses to enter. Whenever the corn
or hay was reaped or cut, and ready for
carrying home, which in that dry and
warm climate happened in a very few days,

* By the front is meant the gable eftd, which con-
taiu theestrancc.

a waggon

turning
mg and
jft open
I spring
ic river,
iquiring
tof this
as fold-
ined be-

ral toils
n while
xurKint
. When
id have

in the
equally

in the
e great
le cattle
he eorn
ady for
ry and
w days,

hich con-

ivaggon

( 179 )

a waggon loaded wkh hay, for instance,
was driven into the midst of this great
barn ; loaded also with numberless large
grasshoppers, butterflies, and cicadas, who
came along with the hay. From the top
of the waggon, this was immediately
forked up into the loft of the barn, in
tlie midst of which was an open space left
for the purpose ; and then the unloaded
waggon drove, in rustic state, out of
the great door at the other end. In the
mean time every member of the family
witnessed, or assisted in this summary
process ; by which . the building and
thatching of stacks was at once saved;
and the whole crop and cattle were thus
compendiously lodged under one roof.

The cheerfulness of this animated scene
was much heightened by the quick appear-
ance, and vanishing of the swallows ; which
twittered among their high-built dwel-
lings in the roof. Here, as in every other
instance, the safety of these domestic
friends was attended to ; and an abode
provided for them. In the fron^ of this

I 6 barn

. -li

'iii; ii Mm

<i* i pi H

■Hi ' ?; i . ,

ii-i 1- :' I
'■' ■ f • ■

.-l! ' t :

ll.

mmmm

( 180 )

barn were many holes, like those of a
pidgeon-house, for the accommodation of
the martin ; that being the species to
vv'hich this kind of home seems most
congenial; and, in the inside of the barn,
I have counted above fourscore at once.
In the winter when the earth was bu-
ried deep in new-fallen snow, and no
path fit for walking in was left, this barn
was like a great gallery, well suited for
that purpose; and furnished with pic-
tures not unpleasing to a simple and
contented mind. As you walked through
this long area, looking up, you beheld
the abundance of the year treasured above
you ; on one side the comely heads of
your snorting steeds presented themselves,
arranged in seemly order : on the other,
your kine displayed their meeker visages,
while the perspective, on either, was ter-
minated by heifers and fillies no less in-
teresting. In the midst your servants
exercised the flail j and even, while
they threshed out the straw, distributed .
it to <he expectants on both sides j while.

< 1«1 )

of
2lves.

jages,
ter-
»s in-
fants
^hile
ited
rhile
the

the " liberal handful" was occaMonally
thrown to the many-coloured poultry on
the sill. Winter itself never made this
abode of life and plenty cold or cheer-
less. Here you might walk and view all
your subjects, and their means of sup«
port, at one glance j except, indeed, the
sheep ; for which a large and commodi-
ous building was erected very near
the barn ; the roof containing a loft large
enough to hold hay sufficient for their
winter's food, .j^j^^/^s n,; ,-nniuit mv^ivm
Colonel Schuyler's barn was by far
the largest I have ever seen : but all of
them, in that country, were constructed
on the same plan, furnished with the
same accommodation, and presented the
same cheering aspect. The orchard, as I
formerly menti(med, was on the south
side of the barn ; on the north, a little
farther back towards the wood, which
formed a dark skreen behind this smil*.
ing prospect, there was an inclosure, in
which the remains of the deceased mem-
bers of the family were deposited. A field

W !•}'.[

fcl ■■

i r

SIS'

if-

■#

K Jt«2 )

of pretty large extent, adjoining to the
house on that side, remained uncultivated^
»nd uninclosed; over it were scattered
a few large apple-trees of a peculiar kind :
the fruit of which was never appro-
priated. This piece of level and produc-
tive land, so near the family mansion,
and so adapted to various and useful
purposes, was- never occupied, but left
open as a public benefit. ' . . j'*

From the known liberality of this mu-
nificent family, all Indians, or new set-
tlers, on their journey, whether they
came by land or water, rested here. The
military, in passing, always formed a
camp on this common; and here the
Indian wigwams were often planted;
here all manner of garden-stuff, fruit>
aind milk, were plentifully distributed to
wanderers of all descriptions. Every
summer, for many years there was an
encampment, either of regular or pro-
vincial troops, on this common; and
often, when the troops proceeded north-
yUnttd, a little colony of helpless women
, and

) the

ated,

tered

dnd:

ippro-

oduc-

nsion,

useful

It leitt

is mu-
w set-
: they
. The
lied a
the
nted;
fruit>
ted to
Every
vas an
r pro-
and
north-
vomen
and

( 183 )

and children, belonging to them, was left
in a great measure dependant oil the com-
passion of these worthy patriarchs; for
such the brothers ihight be justly called.

■V-' ": ■^i-ur'^-,-';'-;!-' ' ■ '■''' :- '■■■■■ r\ -,
»•■-'•'■ ' '^ ' ■, . ' ' ' • , '•»

^\^y ■ i^ ■ t'}} *. , i.sie!/lf Y-^u} i U. ' i'i'-

..;-tSiJ /'f-ZiJ U J.'i'i4!."« V .>il-

f-;

■/

! v'' (■

. V i^nb*>v,^^t'' ixi :hvvi;'. r -i ■:

■ A. * ■ ., J-,

f'h' •' ' ;■■■

« !
1

,. / . 4

CHAP.

*.?!•
k

iiM^

',1

' I ,

! il

I 184 )

,i/'.tte Y^^^^ CHIP. X' ■ '^^ ^^ ■ * . ^'^'^

Military Preparations.— ^ csted Conduct, the

surest Road to Popularity. — Fidelity of the Mo-
hawks.

npHE first year of the colonel's marriage
was spent chiefly in New York, and
in visits to the friends of hi^bride, and
other relations. The following years they
passed at home, surrounded daily by his
brothers, with tlieir families, and other
relatives, with whom they maintained the
most affectionate intercourse. The colo-
nel, however, (as I have called him by an-
ticipation had his mind engaged at this
time, by public duties of the most urgent
nature. He was a member of the colonial
assembly; and, by a kind of hereditary
right, was obliged to support that charac-
ter of patriotism, courage, and public wis-
dom, which had so eminently distinguished
his father. The father of Mrs, Schuyler,

.'. .

WIS*

( 185 )

too, had been long mayor of Albany ; at
that time an office of great importance ;
as including, within itself, the entire civil
power exercised over the whole settle-
ment as well as the town, and having a
sort of patriarchial authority attached
to it ; for these people, though little ac-
quainted with coercion, and by no means
inclined to submit to it, had a profound
reverence, as is generally the case in -the
infancy of society, for the families of
their first leaders ; whom they had looked
up to merely as knowing them to possess
superior worth, talent, and enterprise. In
a society, as yet uncorrupted, the value
of this rich inheritance can only be di-
minished by degradation of character in
the representative of a family thus self-
ennobled ; especially if he be disinterest-
ed ; this, though apparently a negative
quality, being the one of all others which
combined with the higher powers of mind
most engages affection in private, and
esteem in public life. This is a shield
that blunts the shafts which envy ne-
ver fails to level at the prosperous.

ill

O^Jf.''*^

even

: -

( 186 ).

even in old establishments ; where, from
the very nature of things, a thou^nd
obstructions rise in the upward path of
merit ; and a thousand temptations appear
to mislead it from its du^ct road ; and
where the rays of opinion are refracted
by so many prejudices of contending In-
terests and factions. Still, if amy charm
can be found to fix that fleeting phantom
popularity, this is it : It would be vt'ry
honourable to human nature, if this could
be attributed to the pure love of virtue ;
but, alas 1 multitudes are not made up of
the wise, or of the virtuous. Yet the
very selfishness of our nature inclines us
to love and trust those who are not like-
ly to desire any benefit from us, in re-
turn for those they confer. Other vices
may be, if not social, in some degree
gregarious : but even the avaricious hate
avarice in all but themselves, '^i vY^n< v ^

' Thus, inheriting unstained integrity,
unbounded popularity, a cool determined
spirit, and ample possessions, no man had
fairer pretensions to unlimited sway, in
the sphere in which he moved, than the

i^ > '- ■• colonel;

■Mi

e, fjpoiti
kcdi^nd
path of
> appear
i; and
jfracted
ling In-
charm
hantom
be Verf
is could
virtue ;
ie up of
ret the

nes us
ot like-
in re-
vices
degree
hate

egrity,
mined
n had
ay, in
m the
lonel ;

( 187 ). ,

colonel ; but of this no man could be less
desirous. He was too wise, and too hap-
py to solicit authority ; and yet too public*
spirited, and too generous to decline it,
when any good was to be done or any
evil resisted, from which no private bene-
fit resulted to himself/"'"^'"" ""•''**'^''
Young as his wife was, and much as
she valued the blessing of their union,
and the pleasure of his society, she shew-
ed a spirit worthy of a Roman matron, in
willingly risking all her happiness, even
in that early period of her marriage, con-
senting to his assuming a military com-
mand, and leading forth the provincial
troops against the common enemy ; who
had now become more boldly dangerous
than ever. Not content with secretly
stimulating to acts of violence, the Indian
tribes, who were their allies, and enemies
to the Mohawks, the French Canadians,
in violation of existing treaties, began to
make incursions on the slightest pretexts.
It was no common warfare in which the
colonel was about to engage : but the du-
ties of entering on vigorous measures,

for

: (

:Qi;j

( 188 )

for the defence of the country, became
not only obvious but urgent. No other
person but he had influence enough to
produce any coherence among the people
of that district, or any determination, with
their own arms and at their own cost, to
attack the common enemy. As formerly
observed, this had hitherto been trusted to
the five confederate Mohawk nations; who,
though still faithful to their old friends, had
too much sagacity and observation, and
indeed too strong a sense of native rec-
titude, to persuade their young warriors
to go on venturing their lives in defence
of those, who, from their increased power
and numbers, were able to defend them-
selves with the aid of their allies. Add
to this, that their possessions were on all
sides daily extending j and that they, the
Albanians, were carrying their trade for
furs, See, into the deepest recesses of the
forests, and towards these great lakes
which the Canadians were accustomed
to consider as the boundaries of their do-
and where they had Indians

mmions

whom they were at great pains

U--

to at-
tach

became
o other
lUgh to
i people
>n, with
cost, to
Drmerly
listed to
is; who,
ids, had
Dn, and
ive rec-
i^arriors
defence
power
them-
Add
on all
ey, the
de for
of the
lakes
tomed
ir do-
idians
Ko at-
tach

( 189 )

tach to themselves, and to inspire against
ys and our allies. " " ^ - ' • - -
Colonel Schuyler's father had held
the same rank in a provincial corps for-
merly : but in his time, there was a pro-
found peace in the district he inhabited ;
though, from his resolute temper and
knowledge of public business, and of
the different Indian languages, he was
selected to head a regiment raised in the
Jerseys and the adjacent bounds, for the
defence of the back frontiers of Pensyl-
vania. New England, &c. Colonel Philip
Schuyler was the first who raised a corps
in the interior of the province of New
York ; this was not only done by his per-
sonal influence, but occasioned him a con-
siderable expencej though the regiment
was paid by the province, which also fur-
nished al-ms and military stores ; their
service being, like that of all provincials,
limited to the summer l.\alf-year. *

The governor and chief commander
came up to Albany to view and approve
the preparations making for this interior
war, and to meet the congress of Indian

'"'■■■'■■ sachems j

! ■

,<;, '-.^vr '

( 190 )

sachems ; who on that occasion, renew-
ed their solemn league with their brother
the great king. Colonel Schuyler, being
then the person they most looked up to
and confided in, was their proxy on this oc-
casion in ratifying an engagement to which
they ever adhered with singular fidelity.
And mutual presents brightened the
chain of amity ; to use their own figura-
tive language. . , ,, : . .

The common and the barn, at the
Flats, were fully occupied, and the hos-
pitable mansion, as was usual on all public
occasions, overflowed. There the general,
his aid-de-camps, the sachems and the
principal officers of the coloncVs regiment,
were received; and those of the next
class, who could not find room there,
were accommodated by Peter and Jere-
mii^h. On the common was an Indian
encampment -, and the barn and orchard
were full of the provincials. All these
last brought as usual their own food :
but were supplied by this liberal family
with every production of the garden, dai-
ry, and orchard. While the colonel's

;,/ . * judgement

renew-

»rother
, being
up to
this oc-
> which
idelity.
id the
figura-

at the

le hos-

l public

reneral,

^d the

riment,

e next

there,

i Jere-

Indian

rchard

these

food:

family

n, dai*

lonel's

ement

(^ 191 )

judgement was exercised in the necessary
regulations for this untried warfare, Mrs,
Schuyler, by the calm fortitude she dis-
played in this trying exigence, by the good
sense and good breeding with which she
accommodated her numerous and various
guests, and by those judicious attentions
to family concerns, which, producing or-
der and regularity through every depart-
ment without visible bustle and anxiety,
enable the mistress of a family to add
grace and ease to hospitality, shewed her-
self worthy of her distinguished lot.

,y»

' :? iMj

.■.i>f

•-(* /., •: .t : . Af

i..:: \ li.i v-J 1. .-•"•{ • ' ■

-. . . 1 v:.U:. ,. .-■ . ■ .-..

. .*'!

'.. .- . -,>

■ *

.' ; 4 1 4 1

!' i

CHAP.

M- '

h =i

i,;>

1,1

fn?'^?

(192 )

CHAP. XX. ,r ,f^3H^. >3?, f i;;, , .,

•?jy[> :lb

^.^ »

Account of a refractory Warrior, and of the Spirit
which still pervaded the New England Provinces. ;•

,}•

ttthile these preparations were going
on, the general * was making every
effort of the neighbourhood to urge those
who had promised assistance, to come
forward with their allotted quotas^C v
On the other side of the river, not
. very far from the Flats, lived a person
whom I shall not name ; though his con-
duct was so peculiar and characteristic of
the times, that his anti-heroism is on that
sole account worth mentioning. This
person lived in great security and abun-
dance, in a place like an earthly Para-
disc, and having had considerable wealth
left to him scarcely knew an ungra-
tified wish \ the simple and domestic

Shirley.

habits

* j'l

A t'

( 193 )

of his life, had formed no desires beyond
it, unless indeed it were the desire of be-
ing thought a brave man, which seemed
his greatest ambition ; he was strong, ro-
bust, and an excellent marksman ; talked
loud, looked fierce, and always expressed
the utmost scorn and detestation of cow-
ardice. The colonel applied to him, that
his name, and the names of such adherents
as he could bring, might be set down in the
list of those who were to bring their q^'.ota,
by a given time, for the general defence :
with the request he compUed. When
the rendezvous came on, this talking war-
rior had changed his mind, and absolutely
refused to appear ; the general sent for
liim, and warmly expostulated on his
breach of promise, the bad example, and
the disarrangement of plan which it oc-
casioned : the culprit spoke in a high
tone, saying, very truly, " that the gene-
^' ral wai> possessed of no logal means of
'' coercion ; tluit every one went or staid,
'' as they chose j and that his change of
" opinion on that subject rendered iuin
'^ liable to no penalty v/hatever,'* Tired

\0L I. K (^f

I 1

I'll

i'^

* H

( 194 )

of tliis sophistry, tlie enraged general Tiad
recourse to club lawj and seizing a
cudgel, belaboured this recreant knight
most manfuUyj while several Indian
sachems, and many of his own coun-
trymen and friends, coolly stood by ;
for the colonel's noted common was the
scene of his assault. Our poor neighbour
(as he longafter became) suffered tliis dread-
ful bastinado, unaided and Unpitied j and
this example, and the consequent con-
tempt under which he laboured, (for he
was ever after stiled Captain, and did
not refuse the title,) was said to have an
excellent effect in preventing such retro-
grade motions in subsequent campaigns*.

The

* Above thirty years after, when the writer of
these pages lived with her family at the Flats, the
hero of this little tale used very frequently to visit
her father, a veteran officer; and being a great talker,
war and politics were his incessant topics. There
was no campaign nor expedition proposed but what he

censured and decided on ; proposing methods of his
own, by which they might have been much better

conducted ;

Tal Tiad
izing a

knight

Indian
n coun-
od by ;
was the
ighbour
is dread-
ed ; and
nt con-

(for he
md did
have an
;h retro-

paigns*.
The

writer of
Flats, the
ly to visit
reat talker,
s. There
ut what he
ods of his
ich better
onducted ;

( 195 )

The provincial ti oops, aided by the faithful
Mohawks, performed their duty with great
spirit and perseverance. They were, in-
deed, very superior to the ignorant,
if obstinate, and mean^souled beings, who,
in after-times, brought the very name of
provincial troops into discredit ; and were
actuated by no single motive but that of
avoiding the legal penalty then affixed to
disobedience, and enjoying th€ pay and
provisions allotted to them by the pro-
vince, or the mother country, I t:annot
exactly say which. Afterwards, when
the refuse of mankind were selected, like
Falstaff's soldiers, and raised much in tlie
same way, the New-York troops still

conducted ; m short Parolles with his drum was a mere
type of our neighbour. Mrs. Schuyler's father long
wondered how he took to him so kindly, and how x
person of so much wealth and eloquence should dwell
so obscurely, and shun all tlie duties of public life ; till
at length we discovered that he still loved to talk arro-
gantly of war and public affairs, and pitched upoo
him for a listener, as the only person he could 8up»
pose ignorant of his disgrace. Such is human nature i
and so incurable is human vanity ! !

K 2 main-

i-i.

i t i

V-i

196 )

maintained their respectability. This su-
periority might, without reproaching
othei'S, be in some measure accounted for
from incidental causes. The four New
England provinces were much earlier set-
tled, sooner assumed the forms of a civil
community, and lived within narrower
bounds ; they were more laborious ; their
fanaticism, w^hich they brought from
England in its utmost fervour, long con-
tinued its effervescence, where there were
no pleasures, nor indeed lucrative pur-
suits, to detach their minds from it : and
long after, that genuine spirit of piety,
w^hich, however narrowed and disfigured,
was still sincere, had in a great measure
evaporated ; enough of the pride and ri-
gour of bigotry remained to make them
detest and despise the Indian tribes, as
ignorant heathen savages. The tribes, in-
deed, who inhabited their district, had
been so cakened by an unsuccessful
warfare with the Mohawks, and were
every way so inferior to them, that after
the first etablishment of the colony, avid
a few feeble attacks successfully re-
pulsed,

This su-
iroaching
inted for
3ur New
arlier set-
of a civil
narrower
us ; their
;ht from
long con-
here were
itive pur-
n it : and
of piety,
lisfigured,
measure
e and ri-
\ke them
Itribcs, as
.ribes, in-
|rict, had
juccessful
Ind were
:hat after
my, and
[fully re-
pulsed,

( 197 >

pulsed, they were no longer enemies to be
dreaded, or friends to be courted. This
bad an unhappy effect with regard to
those provinces ; and to the different rela-
tions in which they stood with respect to
the Indians, some part of the striking
difference in the moral and military cha-
racter of these various establishments
must be attributed.

The people of New England left the
mother country, as banished from it by
what they considered oppression ; came
over foaming with religious and political
fury, and narrowly missed having the
most artful and able of demagogues,
Cromwell himself, for their leader and
guide. They might be compared to lava,
discharged by the fury of internal com-
bustion, from the bosom of the common-
wealth, while inflamed by contrnding
elemen^^s. This lava, every one acquaint-
ed with the convulsions of nature must
know, takes a long time to cool ; and
when at length it is cooled, turns to a
substance hard and barren, that lono; re-
♦sists the kindly influence of the elements,

K 3 before

11 i

; r

( 198 )

Its surface resumes the appearance of
beauty and fertility. Such were almost
literally the effects of political convulsions,
aggravated by a fiery and intolerant zeal
for their own mode of worship, on these
^elf-righteous colonists.

These preliminary remarks on the di-
i-ersity of character in these neighbc r«
ing provinces lead the way, in the mean
time, to a discrimination, the effects of
which have become interesting to the
whole world.

CHAP.

t 199 )

i i

ipearance of
were almost
convulsions,
tolerant zeal
iip, on these

on the di.

neighbr r-
n the mean
e effects of
ing to the

CHAP. xxr.

Distinguishing Characteristics of the New York Ca-
lonists, to what owing. — Hugonots and Palaiines,
their Character.

"DUT to return to the superior moral and
military character of the New York
populace. — It was in the first place owing
to a well regulated piety, less concerned
about forms than essentials : Next, to
an influx of otlier than the original
settlers, which tended to render the ge-
neral system of opinion more liberal and
tolerant. The French protestants, driven
from their native land by intolerant bigotry,
had liyed at home excluded alike from pub •
lie employments and fashionable society.
Deprived of so many resources that were
open to their fellow-subjects, and forced
to seek comfort in piety and concord for
many privations, self-command and fru-
gality had been in a manner forced upon
them J consequently they were not so

■i i

CHAP,

K 4

vam

( 200 )

vain nor so volatile as to disgust their new
associates ; while their cheerful tempers,
accommodating manners, and patience
under adversity, were v^ery prepossessing.
These additional inhabitants, being such
as had suffered real and extreme hardships
fen* conscience-sake from absolute tyranny
and the most cruel intolerance, rejoiced
in the free exercise of a pure and ration-
al religion, and in the protection of mild
and equitable laws, as the first of human
blessings ; which privation had so far
taught them to value, that they thought
no exertion too great to preserve them.
I should have formerly mentioned, that,
besides the French refugees already spo-
ken of, during the earliest period of the
establishment of the British sovereignty in
this part of the continent, a great number
of the protestants, whom the fury of war
and persecution on religious accounts
had driven from the Palatinate, (during
the succeisful and desolating period of
the wars carried on against that un-
happy country by Lewis the Four-
teenth,) had found refuge here. The

subdued

their new

I tempers,

patience

)osscssing.

»eing such

hardships

tyranny

, rejoiced

[id ration-

n of mild

;f human

id so far

T thought

ve them.

ed, that,

leady spo-

d of the

ignty in

number

of war

jaccounts

(during

riod of

at un-

Four-

The

lubdued

( 201 )

subdued and contented spirit, the simple
and primitive manners, and frugal, in-
dustrious habits of tliese genuine sufferers
for conscience-sake, made them an acqui-
sition to any society which received thorn,
and a most suitable leaven ainoncr the
iniiabitants of this province ; who, devoted
to the pursuits of agriculture and the In-
dian trade, which encouraged a wild ro-
mantic spirit of adventure, little relished
those mechanical employments, or that
petty yet necessary traillc in shops, &;c.
to whicli a part of every regulated society
must needs devote their attention. These
ci\dc toils were left to those patient and
industrious exiles, wliile th.> friendly in-
tercourse with tlie oriufhv.il r.aiives had
strongly tinctured the first colonists witli
many of their habits and modes of tliink-
ing. Like them, they delighted in hunt-
ing, that ima^e of war, which so ger.e"
rally, where it is the prevalent amuse-
ment, forms the body to atliletic force
and patient endurancejand the mind to dar-
ing intrepidity. The timorous deer or the
feeble hare were not alone the objects of

K 5 their

,:l|
^'•^l}.

-.,, , ,. ,,^,

•«.

( 202 )

their pursuit ; nor could they in such an
impenetrable country attempt to rival the
fox in speed or subtlety. When they kept
their " few sheep in the wilderness," the
she^bcar, jealous for her young, and the
wolf, furious for prey, were to be encoun-
tered in their defence. From these al-
lies, too, many who lived much among
them had learnt that fearless adherence
to truth, which exalts the mind to the
noblest kind of resolution. The dangers
to which they were exposed, of meeting
wandering individuals, or parties of hos-
tile Indians, while traversing the woods in
their sporting or commerc'~I adventures,
arid the necessity that sometimes occurred
of defending their families by their own
, personal prowess, from the stolen irrup-
tions of detached parties of those usually
called the French Indians, had also given
their minds a warlike bent ; and as a boy
was not uncommonly trusted at nine or
ten years of age with a light fowling-
piece, which he soon learned to use
v/ith great dexterity, few countries could
produce such dexterous marksmen, or

persons

such an
rival the
liey kept
2SS," the
and the
encoun-
these al-
1 among
dherence
d to the
J dangers
meeting
IS of hos-
woods in
ventures,
occurred
heir own
n irrup-
e usually
so given
I as a boy
nine or
fowlino;-
to use
ies could
jUien, or
persons

{ 203 )

persons so well qualified for conquering
those natural obstacles, of thick vvoods
and swamps, which would at once baffle
the most determined European. Not
only were they strong of limb, swift
of foot, and excellent marksmen — the
hatchet was as familiar to them as the
musket; and an amateur, who had never
cut wood but for his diversion, could hew
down a tree with a celerity that would
astonish and abash a professed wood- cut-,
ter in this country ; in short, when means
or arguments could be used powerful
enough to collect a people so uncon-
troulcd and so uncontroulable, and when
headed by a leader, whom they loved
and trusted, so much as they did Colonel
Schuyler, a well-armed body, of New
York provincials had nothing to dread
but an affue or an ambuscade, to both
of which they were much exposed on
the banks of the lakes, and amidst the
swampy forests they had to penetrate in
pursuit of an enemy ; of whom they
might say with the Grecian hero, that
** they w^anled but daylight to conquer

K 6 « liim.

;'S'

, 'V
A:

i;'. ,.i^i

( 204 )

him.** The first essay in arms of those
provincials, under the auspices of their
brave and generous leader, succeeded be-
yond their hopes. This is all I can recol-
lect of it. Of its destination I only know
that it was directed against some of those
establishments which the French began to
make within the British boundaries. The
expedition terminated only with the season.
The provincials brought home Canadian
prisoners, who were kept on their parole
in the houses of the three brothers, and
became afterwards their friends ; and
the Five Nations brought home Indian
prisoners, (most of whom they adopted,)
and scalps enough to strike awe into the
adverse nations, who were for a year or
two afterwards pretty quiet.

lilli -

! »

CHAP,

• .I

( 205 )

)f those
)f their
ded be-
ll recol-
y know
3f those
)egan to
ies. The
e season,
'anadian
r parole
lers, and
is ; and
i Indian
dopted,)
into the
year or

CHAP. XXII.

A Child still-born. — Adoption of Childr«i common
in the Province. — Madame's Fuit to New Tork.

CHAP,

HS. Schuyler had contributed all in
her power to forward this expedition ;
but was probably hurt, either by the fa-
tigue of receiving so many friends, or
the anxiety produced by parting with
them under such circumstances; for
soon after the colonel's departure she
was delivered of a dead child, which event
was followed by an alarming illness ; but
she wished the colonel to be kept igno-
rant of it, that he might give his undi-
vided attention to the duties in which
he was engaged. Providence, which
doubtless had singled out this benevo-
lent pair to be the parents of many
who had no natural claim upon their
affection, did not indulge them with
any succeeding prospects of a family of
their own. That privation, not a fre-
quent one in the colony, did not chill
,,: : . ' the

1 1

li'

l! !i''

( 206 )

the minds or narrow the hearts of people,
who, from this circumstance, found them-
selves more at liberty to extend their be-
neficence, and enlarge that circle which
embraced the objects of their love and
care. This indeed was not singular dur-
ing that reign of natural feeling which
preceded the prevalence of artificial modes
in this primitive district. The love of
offspring is certainly one of 'the strongest
desires that the uncorrupted mind forms
to itself in a state of comparative inno-
cence. Affecting indiflference on this sub-
ject is the surest proof of a disposition ei-
ther callous, or led by e^itreme vanity to
pretend insensibility to the best feelings
of nature.

' To a tie so exquisitely tender, the
pledge and bond of connubial union ; to
that bud of promised felicity, which al-
ways cheers with the fragrance of hope the
noon-day of toil or care, and often sup-
ports with the rich cordial of fdial love
and watchful duty the evening of our
decline, what mind can be indifferent ! No
wonder the jo)s of paternity should be

highly

!o I

people,
i them-
leir be-
I which
tve and
ar dur-
; which
I modes
love of
:rongest
1 forms
7e inno-
his sub-
ition ei-
mity to
eelings

er,
on

the
; to

ich al-
ope the
en sup-
al love
of our
It! No
)uld be
highly

( ^07 )

highly relished where they were so riclily
flavoured ; where parents knew not wliat
it WMS to find a rebel or a rival in a child;
first, because they set the example of
simplicity, of moderation, and of seeking
their highest joys in domestic life ; next,
because they quietly expected and calm-
ly welcomed the evening of life; and did
not, by an absurd desire of being young
too long, inspire their offspring with a
prem^ature ambition to occupy their place.
What sacrifices have I not seen made to
filial piety ! How many respectable (though
not youngj maidens, who, without pre-
tending a dislike' to marriage, have re-
jected men whom their hearts approved,
because they would not forsake, during
her lifetime, a widowed mother, whose
sole comfort they were !

For such children, who, that hopes to
grow old, would not wish ? A conside-
ration which the more polished manners
of Europe teach us to banish as fir as
possible from our minds. We have learn-
ed to check this natural sentiment, bv
finding other objects for those faculties of

our

i. ! M

(■ ■■ h

( 208 )

minds, which nature intended to bless
and benefit creatures born to love us, and
to enlarge our affections by exciting them.
If this stream, which so naturally inclines
to flow downwards, happened to be check-
ed in its course for want of the usual
channel, these adepts in the science of
happiness immediately formed a new one,
and liked their canal as well as a river,
be cause it was of their own making. To
speak without a metaphor, whoever want-
ed a child adopted one ; love produced
love, and the grafted scion very often
proved an ornament and defence to the
supporting stock. But then the scion
was generally artless and grateful. This
is a part of the manners of my old friends
which I always remember with delight ;
more particularly as it was the invariable
.custom to select the child of a friend who
had a numerous family. Tfie very ani-
mals are not devoid of that mixture of
affection and sagacity, which suggests a
mode of s- pplying this great desideratum.
Next to that prince of cats, the famous cat
of Whittington, I would place the cat re-
corded by Dr. White in his curious natural

history^

iiiii

bless
s, and
them,
iclines
:heck-
usual
nee of
w one,
river,
r. To
want-
:)duced
often
to the
scion
This
friends
eUght ;
ariable
d who
y ani-
ure of
^ests a
ratum.
ous cat
cat re.
latural
listory^

( 209 )

history, who, when deprived of her young,
sought a parcel ot deserted leverets to
suckle and to fondle. What an example !
The following year produced a suspen-
sion of hostilities between the Provinces
and the Canadians. The colonel went to
New York to attend his duty, being again
chosen a member of the Colonial Assem-
bly. Mrs. Schuyler accompanied him ;
and being improved both in mind and
manners since her marriage, which, by
giving her a more important part to act,
had called forth her powers, she became
the centre of a circle by no means inelegant
or uninformed; for society was there
more various and more polished than in
any other part of the continent, both
from the mixture of settlers, formerly de-
scribed, and from its being situated in a
province most frequently the seai of war,
and consequently forming the head -quar-
ters of the army, which, in point of the
birth and education of the candidates for
promotion, was on a very different footing
from what it has been since. It was then a
much narrower range, and the selection

i.il

■

i'fl'

(*4

v/;»

PP|k

■Wi

'■■'i

tm{'

'''.'■

tm\''^

-'I--

iimkh

imm

mm i'

l;.;Sv:,

( 210 )

more attended to. Unless a man, by singu-
lar powers or talent, fought his way from
the inferior rank, here was hardly an in-
stance of a person getting even a subaltern's
commission whose birth was not at least
genteel, and who had not interest and alli-
ances. Tiiere were not so many lucrative
phces under governmento The wide field
of adventure since opened in the East was
scarcely known ; a subaltern's pay was
more adequate to the maintenance of a
gentleman ; and the noblest and most re-
spected families had no other way of pro-
viding for such younger brothers, as were
not bred to any learned profession, but by
throwing them into the army. As to mo-
rals, this did not perhaps much mend the
matter. These officers might in some in-
stances be thoughtless, and even profligate,
but they were seldom ignorant or low
bred ; and that rare character called a
finished gentleman, was not unfrequently
to be found among the higher ranks of
them, who had added experience, reading,
and reflection to their oiiginal stock of ta-
ients and attainments.

CHAP.

( 211 )

f singu-
ty from
y an in-
)altern's
at least
and alli-
ucrativo
ide field
East was
pay was
[ice of a
most re-
T of pro-
- as were
1, but by
s to mo-
nend the
some in-
►rofligate,
t or low

called a
requently

ranks of
, reading,
ock of ta-

CHAP,

CHAP. XXIII.

Colonel Schuyler's partiality to the military chil-
dren successively adopted.— Indian character falsely
chaiged with idleness,

TT so happened that a succession of offi-
cers, of the description mentioned in
the preceding chapter, were to be ordered
upon the service which I have been de-
tailing ; and whether in New York or at
home, they always attached themselves
particularly to this family, who, to the
attractions of good breeding and easy in-
telligent conversation, added the power,
which they pre-eminently possessed, of
smoothing the way for their necessary in-
tercourse with the independent and self-
righted settlers, and of instructing them in
many things essential to promote the suc-
cess of the pursuits in which they were
about to engage. It was one of aunt Schuy-
ler's many singular merits, that, aft°r act-
ing for a time a distinguished part in this

compara-

■! I

t IM

i-- \\

( 212 )

comparatively refinod society, where few
were so much admired and esteemed, she
could return to the homely good sense
and primitive manners of her fellow citi-
zens at Albany, free from fastidiousness
and disgust. Few indeed, withtmt study or
design, ever better understood the art of
being happy, and making others so. Be-
ing gay is another sort of thing ; gaiety,
as the word is understood in society, is
too often assumed, artificial, and produced
by such an effort, that, in the midst of
laughter, *' the heart is indeed sad," Very
different are the smiles that occasionally
illume the placid countenance of cheerful
tranquillity. They are the emanations of
a heart at rest ; in the enjoyment of that
sunshine of the breast, which is set for
ever to the restless votaries of mere amuse-
ment.

According to the laudable custom of the
country they took home a child whose
mother had died in giving her birth, and
whose father was a relation of the colo-
nel's. This child's name was either Schuy-
ler orCuyier, 1 do not exactly remember

* - which j

re few
2d, she
L sense
>w citi-
:)usncss
:udy or
2 art of
3. Be.
gaiety,
iety, is
oduced
lidst of
" Very
sionally
:heerful
.ticns of
of that
set for
I amuse-

n of the
. whose
•th, and
\e colo-

Schuy-
nembcr

which 5

( 213 )

which ; but I remember her many years
after as Mrs. Vander Poolen ; when, as a
comely contented looking matron, she
used to pay her annual visit to her be-
loved benefactress, and send her ample
presents of such rural dainties as her abode
afforded. I have often heard her warm
in her praises ; saying how useful, how
modest, and how aftecdonate she had
been ; and exulting in her comfortable set-
tlement, and the plain worth, which
made her a blessing to her family. From
this time to her death, above liicy years
afterwards, her house was never without
one, but much oftencr two children,.
whom this exemplary pair educated \\ ith
parental solicitudi^ and kindness. And
whenever one of their protegees married
out of the family, which v/as generally at
a very early age, she carried with her a
female slave, born and baptised in the
house, and brought up with a thorough
knowledge of her duty, ard an habi-
tual attachment to her mistress ; besides
the usual present ot the iurniturc of a
chamber, and a piece of plate, such as a

tea-

ijl:

''fr^

l/f:
I':

in 4
m

nil''

s-i • tl

Ill

ill

( '-^1* )

tea-pot, tankard, or some such useful
matter, which was more or less valuable
as the protegee was more or less beloved :
for though aunt Schuyler had great sa-
tisfaction from the characters and con-
duct of all her adopted, there were, no
doubt, degrees of merit among them, of
which she was better able to judge than
if she had been their actual mother.

There was now an interval of peace,
which gave these philanthropists more
leisure to do good in their own way.
They held a three-fold band of kindness
in their hands, by which they led to the
desirable purpose of mutual advantage ;
three very discordant elements, which
were daily becoming more difficult to
mingle and to rule; and which yet
were the more dependent on each other
for mutual comfort, from the very causes
which tended to disunite them.

In the first place, the Indians began to
assume that unfavourable and uncertain
aspect, which it is the fate of man to wear
in the first steps of his progress from that

state

useful
valuable
)eloved ;
xreat sa-
nd con-
frere, no
heni, of
ige than

er.

Df peace,
its more
wn way.
kindness
t-dto the
vantage -,
which
flicult to
hich yet
ach other
ry causes

began to
uncertain
n to wear
From that

( 215 ) .

•state, where he is at once warlike and
social, having few wants, and being able,
without constant labour or division of
ranks, to supply them ; where there is
no distinction, save that attained by supe-
rior strength of mind and body; and
where there are no laws, but those dictated
by good sense, aided by experience, and
enforced by affection. This state of life may
be truly called the reign of the affections :
the love of kindred and of country, ruling
paramount, unrivalled by other passions,
all others being made subservient to these.
Vanity, indeed, was in some degree flatter-
ed; for people wore orn-iments and were
at no small pains to make them. Pride
existed ; but was differently modified from
what we see it ; every man was proud of
the prowess and atchievements of his tribe
collectively; of his personal virtues he was
not proud, because we excel but by com-
parison; and he rarely saw instances of
the opposite vices in his own nation, and
looked on others with unqualified con-
tempt.

When

! m

iiflr

{ 2^6 )

' When any public benefit was to be
obtained or any public danger to be
averted, their ir.utual efTorts were all bent
to one end; and no one knew what it
was to withhold his utmost aid, nor in-
deed could in that stage of society have
any motive for doing so. Hence, no
inind being contracted by selfish cares,
the coinmunity were but as one large
family, who enjoyed or suffered together.
We are accustomed to talk, in parrot
phrase, of indolent savages; and to be
sure in warm climates, and where the
state of rnan is truly savage, that is to
say, unsocial, void of virtue and void, of
comforts, he is certainly an indolent being;
but that individual, in a cold climate, who
has lasted the sweets of social life, who.
know.-> the wants that arise from it, who
provides for his children in their helpless
state, and with wJiom taste and inge-
nuity are so much improved, that his per-
son is not onlv clothed with warm and
sccnuy apparel,, but decorated with nume-
rous and not inelegant ornaments wlilch
from the scarcity and simplicity of Iiis tools,

IS to be
r to be
e all bent
what it
1, nor in-
lety bave
lence, no
Ish cares,
one large
. together,
in parrot
\nd to be
^vhere the
that is to
id void of
cnt being-,
iiate, who
life, who.
n it, wl'O
r helpless
nd inge-
[it his per-
arm and
ith nu me-
lts which
his tools,
he

( «n )

he has no ready nor easy mode of produc-
ing ; when he has not only found out all
these wants, which he has no means of
supplying but by his individual strength,
dexterity, and ingenuity, industry must
be added, ere they can all be regularly
gratified. Very active and industrious,
in fact, the Indians were in their original
state ; and when we take it into consider^
ation, that, beside these various occupa-
tions, together with their long journeys,
wars, and constant huntings and fishing,
their leisure was occupied not only by
athletic but studious games, at which
they played for days together with un-
heard-of eagerness and perseverance, it
will appear they had -very little of that
lounging-time, for which we are so apt
to give them credit. Or if a chief occa-
sionally, after fatigue of which we can
form no adequate idea, lay silent in the
shade, those fusking Frenchmen who have
given us most details concerning theip,
were too restless themselves to subdue
their skipping spirits to the recollection,
that a Mohawk had no study nor arm-chair
VOL. I. L wherein

. ij

!;>=

''■ft!

i ■

■i

(. 218 )

wherein to muse and cogitate, and that
his schemes of patriotism, his plans of war,
and his eloquent speeches, were all like
the meditations of Jacques, formed " un-
" der the greenwood tree." Neither
could any man lounge on his sofa, while half
a dozen others were employed in shear-
ing the sheep, preparing the wool, weav-
ing and making his coat, or in plant'ig
the flax for his future linen, and flaying
the ox for his future shoes ; were he to
do all this himself, he would have little
leisure for study or repose. And all this
and more the Indian did under other
names and forms. So that idleness, with
its gloomy followers ennui and suicide,
were unknown among this truly active
people : yet that there is a higher state
of society cannot be denied ; nor can
it be denied that the intermediate state
is a painful and enfeebling one.

Man, in a state of nature, is taught
by his more civilized brethren a thou-
sand new wants before he learns to
supply one. Thence barter takes place;

which

1 that

)fwar,

lU like

I " un-

^either

lilehalf

L shear-

, weav-

plant/^g

I flay Dig

;re he to

ive little

L all this

;r other
ss, with
suicide,

[ly active
[her state
Inor can
late state

IS taught

a. thou-

;arns to

js place;

■which

progression

( 219 )

which in the first stage of
universally fatal to the liberty, the spi-
rit, and the comforts of an uncivilized
people.

In the east, where the cradle of our in-
fant nature was appointed, the clime was
genial, its productions abundant, and its
winters only sufficient to consume the
surplus, and give a welcome variety to
the seasons. There man was either a
shepherd or a hunter, as his disposition
led; and that perhaps in the same fami-
ly. The meek spirit of Jacob delighted
in tending his father's flocks ; while the
more daring and adventurous Esau traced
tha wilds of mount Seir, in pursuit both
■ -t the fiercer animals who waged war
a the fold, and the more timorous who
adnii/rjtered to the luxury of the table. -^

The progress of civilization was here
gradual and gentle; and the elegant arts
seem to have gone hand in hand with the
useful ones. We read of bracelets and
•ar-rings sent as tokens of love, and
images highly valued and coveted ; while
even agriculture seemed in its infancy.

l2 CHAV.

( 220 )

f:l

m ? • Ell

*!ir

i> 11-

lU Sri >

CHAP. XXIV.

ProgrcM of Civilization in Europe- —Northern Na.
tions instructed in the Arts of Life by those they
r ' -'ubdued.

POPULATION extending to the milder re-
gions of Europe, brought civilization
along with it ; so that it is only among
the savages (as we call our ancestors)
of the North, that we can trace the inter-
mediate state I have spoken of. Among
them, one regular gradation seems to have
taken place ; they were first hunters, and
then warriors. As they advanced in
their knowledge of the arts of life, and
acquired a little property, as much of
pastoral pursuits as their rigorous climate
would allow, without the aid of regular
agriculture, mingled with their wander-
ing habits. But, except in a few partisJ
instances, from hunters they became con-
querors: the warlike habits acquired
from that mode of life raising their

minds

brdiern Na-
yr those they

nilder re-
vilization
ly among
ancestors)
the inter-
Among
IS to have
[Iters, and
anced in
life, and
much of
Ls climate
if regular
r wander-
!W partial
:ame con-
acquired
ing their
minds

( 2ii )

'"S mem to despise the srvft*.,. ^ ^ ,
embellish society. ^ \T . '' *="
proffress fn .: -i- • ' *"^"' "S"al

progress to cmhzation was through the

medium of conquest. The poet iys.

•ubdued." ^ ''^*^"* ^»"«^ce, which she

2;„7'y7f'''»'ght We spared his
scorn, for doubtless science, and the am
of peace, were by far the most valLbl
acquisitions resulting from th«r 7
of that polished af d ! • "^"^"
But when thp '"S^n'ous people.

northtSnft J"''^^ ^'*'^^'' °^ «>-
their dinndlrT^'°^"''^'«°«

•'read the%rfli f ;^f ro^r'^ ^'^

gularly armed, they rlrrri"-
cataract, on their enfeebled anT , ^

ous neighbours, de^; ';'/ilr"
ments of arf « j monu-

change r;:; in '" ^ '^'"^
Hrpa^^ 1 ^ ^ °^ nature. Yet

flts^t^foTrb^'™^^^"-^*^^

punish l;Vrrenola^;Tha7r^^"
-Ping away the ht;t:;r;o^

:i !

>■ !•

L 3

ruption

.y^'wi?.^'^*

h':i i'

\fj

MiU

I. ('

( 222 /

ruption with which the dregs of man-
kind had polluted the earth. In was an
awful, but a needful process ; which, in
some form or other, is always renewed
when human degeneracy has reached its
ultimatum. The destruction of these
feeble beings, who, lost to every manly
and virtuous sentiment, crawl about the
rich property which they have not sense
to use worthily, or spirit to defend man-
fully, may be compared to the effort
nature makes to rid herself of the noxi-
ous brood of wasps and slugs cherished
by successive mild winters. A dreadful
fro::t comes ; man suffers, and complains ;
his subject animals suffer more, and all
his works are for a time suspended : but
this salutary infliction purifies the air,
meliorates the soil, and destroys millions
of lurking enemies, which would other-
wise have consumed the productions of
the earth, and deformed the face of na-
ture. In these barbarous irruptions, the
monuments of art, statues, pictures, tem-
ples, and palaces, seem to be most la.
mented. From age to age the virtuosi

■'■ 'Un

t mau-
was an
lich, in
enewed
ched its
f these
y manly
)ont the
lOt sense
ind man-
tie effort
the noxi-
cherished

dreadful
)mplains ;
and all
ded: but
the air,

s millioJ^s

Id other-
ctions of

ce of na-
ons, the

lures, tem-
most la.

•

e virtuosi
of

( 225 )

of every country have re-echoed to each
other their feeble plaints over the lost
works of art ; as if that had been the
heaviest sorrow in the general wreck;
and as if the powers that produced them
had ceased to exist. It is over the de-
faced image of the divine author, and
not merely the mutilated resemblance of
his creatures, that the wise and virtuous
should lament ! It is the necessity of
these dreadful inflictions for purifying a
polluted world, that ought to affect the
mind with salutary horrour. We are told
that in Rome there were as many statues
as men : had all these lamented statues
been preserved, would the world be
much wiser or happier ? a sufficient num-
ber remain as models to future statuaries,
and memorials of departed art and ge-
nius. Wealth, directed by taste and li-
berality, may be much better employed
in calling forth, by due encouragement,
that genius which doubtless exists among
our cotemporaries, than in paying exor-
bitantly the vender of fragments.

If;.-. I

■i|-":

L 4

« Mind,

\\\a

( '^24 )

■' Ii|

** Mind, mind alone, bear witness earth and
Heaven ! • , ^

The living fountains in itself contains
Of beauteous and sublime."

And what has mind achieved, that, in
a favourable conjuncture, it may not again
aspire to ? The lost arts are ever the
theme of classical lamentation; but the
great and real evil was the loss of the vir-
tues which protected them ; of courage,
fortitude, honour, and patriotism: in short
of the whole manly character. This must
be allowed, after the dreadful tempest of
subversion was over, to have been in some
degree restored in the days of chivalry :
and it is equally certain that the victors
learnt from the vanquished many of the
arts that support life, and all those which
embellish it. When their manners were
softened by the aid of a mild and charita-
ble religion, this blended people assumed
that undefined power, derived from su-
perior valour and superior wisdom, which
has so far exalted Europe over all the re-
gions

it'

arth and

that, in
lot agaiii
;ver the
but the
[ the vir-
courage,
: in short
rhis must
empest of
nin some
chivaky :
lc victors
of the
le which
lers were
charita-
assumed
from su-
i, which
ill the re-
gions

( 225 )

gions of the earth. Thus, where a bold
and warlike people subdue a voluptuous
and effeminate one, the result is, in due
time, an improvement of national charac*
ter. The conquerors learn from the con-
quered the arts which grace and polish
life, while valour and fortitude, energy
and simplicity are generated in the blended
man, resulting from the mixture. In
climes and circumstances similar to those
of the primeval nations in the other hemis-
phere, the case has been very different.
There, too, the hunter, by the same grada-
tion, became a warrior ; but first allured by
the friendship which sought hb protec-
tion ; then repelled by the art that co-
veted and encroached on his territories ;
and lastly by the avarice which taught
him new wants, and then took an un*
due advantage of them ; he neither wished
for our superfluities, nor envied our mode
of life ; neither did our encroachments
much disturb him, since he receded into
his trackless coverts as we approached
from the coast. But though they scorn-
ed our refinements ; and though our go«

h S vernment

lAi

¥:-

'■;■ 3 ? i

; I

5. . ■

If'

ill
III f

■

■$m

III

P'
ill

M.
•0'

! #

( 226 )

vernment, and all the enlightened minds
amongst us, dealt candidly and generously
with all such as were not set on by our
enemies to injure us, yet the blight of Eu-
ropean vices, the mere consequence of
private greediness and fraud, proved fatal
to our very friends. As I formerly ob-
served, the nature of the climate did not
admit of the warrior's passing through the
medium of a shepherd's life to the toils
of agriculture. The climate though ex-
tremely warm in summer, was so severe
in winter, and that winter was so long,that
it required no little labour to secure the
food for the animals which were to be
maintained; and no small expence in that
country to procure the implements neces-
sary for the purposes of agriculture. Jn
other countries, when a poor man has
not wherewithal to begin farming, he
serves another; and the reward of his
toil enables him to set up for himself. No
such resource was open to the Indians,
had they even inclined to adopt our modes.
No Indian ever crved another, or received
assistance from any on? ^%^ept his . own
* i'l.. i fomil)

C 227

2d minds
merously
n by our
;ht of Eu-
[uence of
3ved fatal
nerly ob-
te did not
rough the
the toils
lOUgh ex-
so severe
long,that
secure the
^ere to be
nee in that
ents neces-
ilture. In
man has
rming, he
,rd of his
Imself. No
e Indians,
lur modes.
ir received
it his own
family

family. 'Tis inconceivable, too, what a
different kind of exertion of strength it
requires to cultivate the ground, and to
endure the fatigues of the chace, long
journeys, &c. To all that induces us to
labour, they were indifferent. M hen a
governor of New York was describing to
an Indian the advantag- s that some one
would derive frcm such and such pos-
ses^,ions ; " Why,*' said he, with evident
surprise, " should any man desire to pos-
" sess more than he uses 1" More appeared
to his untutored sense an incumbrance.

I have already observed how much hap-
pier they considered their manner of liv-
ing than ours ; yet their intercourse with
us daily diminished their independence,
their happiness, and even their numbers.
In the new world this fatality has never
failed to follow the introduction of Eu-
ropean settlers j who, instead of civilizing
and improving,.sIowly consume and waste;
where they do not, like the Spaniards, ab'
solutely destroy and exterminate the na-
tives. The very Uc^ture of even our most
friendly mode of dealing with them was
. . i, i^ 6 pernicious

'■ji'

H' I

I i

M'i

I :'':■'

111
m
m

t r /

( 228 )

pernicious to their moral welfare ; which,
though too late, they well understood,
and could as well explain. Untutored
man, in beginning to depart from that
life of exigencies, in which the superior
acuteness of his senses, his fleetness, and
dexterity in the chace, are his chief
dependance, loses so much of all this be-
fore he can become accustomed to, or
qualified for, our mode of procuring food
by patient labour, that nothing can be con-
ceived more enfeebled and forlorn th?
the state of the few detached families i^
maining of vanished tribes, who, having
lost their energy, and even the wish to
live in their own manner, were slowly and
reluctantly beginning to adopt ours. It was
like that suspension of life which takes
place in the chrysalis of insects, while in
their progress towards a new state of being.
Alas ! the indolence with which we reproach
them, was merely the consequence of
their commercial intercourse with us .
and the fatal passion for strong liquors
which refulted from it. As the fabled
enchanter, by waiving his magic wand,

chains

r.T,^

which,
jrstood,
itutored
)m that
superior
less, and
is chief
this bC'
1 to, or
ing food
n be con-
orn th?
nilies i-
V having

( 229 )

chains up at once the faculties of his oppo-
nents, and renders strength and courage
useless ; so the most wretched and sordid
trader, possessed of this master-key to
the appetites and passions of these hard-
fated people, could disarm those he dealt
with of all their resources, and render
them dependent, — nay dependent on those
they scorned and hated. The process
was simple : first, the power of sending,
by mimic thunder, an unseen death to a
distant foe, which filled the softer inha-
bitants of the southern regions with so
much terror, was here merely an object
of desire and emulation ; and so eagerly
did they adopt the use of fire-arms, that
they soon became less expert in using
their own missile weapons. They could
still throw the tomahawk with such an
unerring aim, that, though it went cir-
cling through the air towards its object
it never failed to reach it. But the ar-
rows, on which they had formerly so
much depended, were now considered
merely as the weapons of hoys, and only
directed against birds.

Thus

im.

S il vn

( 230 )

Thus was one strong link forged in
the chain of dependence ; next, liquor
became a necessary, and its fatal effects
who can detail ! But to make it still cleiirer,
I have mentioned the passion for dress,
in which all the pride and vanity of this
people was centered. In former days this,
had the best effect, being a stimulus,
to industry. The provision requisite for
making a splendid appearance at the win-
ter meetings for hunting and the national
congress, occupied the leisure hours of
the whole summer. The beaver skins of
the last year's hunting were to be accu-
rately dressed, and sewed together, ta
form that mantle which was as much va-.
lued, and as necessary to their conse-
quence, as the pelisse of sables is to that
of an Eastern bashaw. A deer skin, or-
that of a bear, or beaver, had its stated
price, ajid purchased from those unable
to hunt, or past the age of severe toil,
the wampum belt, the ornamented pouch,,
and embroidered sandals and other em^
hellishments of their showy and fanciful
costume. The boldest and most expert
';.!). hunter

(

;ed in
liquor
effects
:iei.rer,
dress,
of this
tys this,
timulus.
site for
he win-
national
LOurs of
skins of
be accu-
:her, ta
luch va-
conse-
to that
skin, or
stated
vinable
ere toil,
d pouch,,
her em^
fanciful
expert
hunter

( 231 )

hunter had most of these commodities to
spare, and was theretore most rplendldly
arrayed. If he had a rival, it was he
whose dexterous ingenuity in fabricating
the materials of which his own dress
was composed, enabled him to vie witli
the hero of the chace. ■' ' ^

Hence superior elegance in dress was
not, as with us. the distinction of the
luxurious and effeminate, but the privi-
lege and reward of superior courage and
and industry ; and became an object
worthy of competition. Thus employed,
and thus adorned, the sachem or his
friends found little time to indulge the
indolence we have been accustomed to
impute to them.

Another arduous task remains uncalcu-
lated : before they became dependent on
us for the means of destruction, much
time was consumed in forming their wea-
pons; in the construction of which no
Jess patience and ingenuity were exercised
than in that of their ornaments : and
those too were highly embellished, and
made with great labour out of flints, peb

, bles.

!'(!!

li !ll'

" ( 2S2 )

bles, and shells. But all this system of em-
ployment was soon overturned by their
bte acquaintance with the insidious arts
of Europe ; to the use of whose manu-
factures they were insensibly drawn in,
first by their passion for fire-arms, and fi^-
nally, by their fatal appetite for liquor. To
make this more clear, I shall insert a dia-
logue, such as, if not literally, at least in
substance, might pass betwixt an Indian
warrior and a trader.

■ •

it" , * '

CHAP.

■ rri\,-^-\

( 23s ) .

:X'^-' , Mf.^'j ^T-*?^) f-v:i\' '^'Uii h\h

.■■,■,■1 1 !' ■

. CHAP. XXV.

' . ;

V/ i ,.

'?! >.:5i?^'-:

■'■■. /Jit

Means by which the Independence of the Indians
was first diminished*

Indian,'^" drother, I am come to

trade with. you: but I
forewarn you to be more moderate in
your demands than formerly,"

Trader. — " Why, brother, are not my
goods of equal value with those you had
last year ? "

Indian, — " Perhaps they may ; ' ^ mine
are more valuable because more scarce.
The great spirit who has withheld from
you strength and ability to provide food
and clothing for yourselves, has given
you cunning and art to make guns and
provide scaura * ; and by speaking smooth
words to simple men, when they have
swallowed madness, you have by little and
little purchased their hunting grounds,

* Scaura is the Indiaa name for rum*

and

■Tsx^~-

.ii

If:}';

;si

( 234 )

and made them corn lands. Thus the
beavers grow more scarce, and deer fly
father back j yet after 1 have reserved
skins for my mantle, and the clothing of
my wife, I will exchange the rest."

Trader. — " Be it so, brother ; I came
not to wrong you, or take your furs
against your will. It is true the beavers
are few, and you go further for them.
Come, brother, let us deal fair first, and
smoke friendly afterwards. Your last
gun cost fifty beaver-skins ; you shall
have this for forty ; and you shall give
marten and racoon skins in the same
proportion for powder and shot.'* . " .

Indian, — " Well, brother, that is equal.
Now for two silver bracelets, with long
pendent ear-rings of the same, such as
you sold to Cardarani in the sturgeon *
month last year. How much will you
demand?" . r' •

Trader. — " ^he

skins of two deer

* The Indians appropriate a month to catch fish
or animals, which is at that t -ne the predominant
objecl of pursuit J as the bear month, the beaver
month, &.C. . . . ,.-• ,

for

Thus the

i deer fly

reserved

lothing of

i»

St.'

; I came
^our furs
e beavers
for them.

first, and
Sfour last
fovL shall
shall give
the same

: is equal,
r^ith long
/ such as
urgeon *
will you

wo deer

' catch fish
redoniinant
the beaver

for •

( 235 )

for the bracelets, and those of two fawns
the ear-rings.' ...» ,

Indian. — ** That is a great deal ; but
wampum grows scarce, and silver never
rusts. Here are the skins. . < , r
iv Trader. — ^" Do you buy any more?
Here are knives, hatchets, and beads of
all colours." . ,t .,, - ' ■

Indian. — " I will have a knife and
a hatchet ; but must not take more : the
rest of the skins will be little enough to
clothe the women and children, and buy
wampum. Your beads are of no value,
no waruior who has slain a wolf will

wear them*." ,,: , .

Traden-^^^ Here are many things good
for you, which you have not skins to
buy ; here is a looking-glass, and here is a
brass kettle, in which your woman may

* Indians have a great contempt, comparatively,
for the beads we send ; they consider them as only
fit for those plebeians who cannot by their exertions
win any better. They estimate them compared witii
their own wampum, as we do pearls compared with
psate.v ", t •

' 'm

-■

'ii

1 J

\--\r

( 236 )

boil her maize, her beans, and above all
her maple sugar. Here are silver broaches,
and here are pistols for the youths."

Indian. — " The skins I can spare will
not purchase them.

Trader, — " Your will determines, bro-
ther ; but next year you will want no-
thing but powder and shot, having alrea-
dy purchased your gun and ornaments.
If you will purchase from me a blanket to
wrap round you, a shirt and blue stroud
for under garments to yourself and your
woman ; and the same for leggings, this
will pass the time, and save you the
great trouble of dressing the skins, mak-
ing the thread, &c. for your clothing :
which will give you more fishing and
shooting time, in the sturgeon and bear
months.'*

Indian. — " But the custom of my fa-
thers!"

Trader.'^" You will not break the
custom of your fathers, by being thus
clad for a single year. They did not re-
fuse those things which were never offer-
ed to them."

'" Indian,

f ■'?'

)Ove all
oacheSy

iS*

ire will

B9, bro-
int no-
g alrea-
aments.
nket to
; Stroud
id your
gs» this
ou the
IS, mak-
jthing :
ig and
d bear

my fa-

ak the
ig thus
not re-
jr ofFer-

Jndian.

( 237 )

Indian, — ** For this year, brother, I
will exchange my skins; in the next I
shall provide apparel more befitting a
warrior. One pack alone I will reserve
to dress for a future occasion. The sum-
mer must not find a warrior idle."

The terms being adjusted and the bar-
gain concluded, the trader thus shews his
gratitude for liberal dealing,

Trader, — " Corlaer has forbid bring-
ing scaura to steal away the wisdom of
the warriors ; but we white men are
weak and cold ; we bring kegs for our-
selves, lest death arise from the swamps.
We will not sell scaura; but you shall
taste some of ours in return for the veni-
son with which you have feasted us."

hidtan,^-^*^ Brother, we will drink mo-
derately.*' / • ■

A bottle was then given to the warrior
by way of present ; which he was advis-
ed to keep long; but found it irresistible.
He soon returned with the reserved pack
of skins, earnestly urging the trader to
give him beads, silver, broaches, and

above

,■' I

I !

. ( 23« )

above all scaura, to their full amount.
This, with much affected reluctance at
parting with the private stock, was at last
yielded. The warriors now, after giving
loose for a while to frantic mirth, began
the warwhoop, made the woods resound
with infuriate bowlings ; and having ex-
hausted their dear-bought draught, pro-
bably determined, in contempt of that
probity which at all other times they ri-
gidly observed, to plunder the instrument
of their pernicious gratification. He,
well aware of the consequences, took care
to remove himself and his goods to some
other place ; and a renewal of the same
scene ensued. Where, all this time, were
the women, whose gentle counsels might
have prevented these excesses ? Alas ! un-
restrained by that delicacy which is cer-
tainly one of the best fruits of refine-
ment, they shared in them, and sunk sooner
under them. A long and deep sleep ge-
nerally succeeded ; from which they awoke
in a state of dejection and chagrin, such
as no Indian had ever experienced under
any other circumstances. They felt as Mil-
ton

ince at

5 at last

• giving

1, began

resound

7ing ex-

ht, pro-
of that
they ri-

strument

n. He,
took care
5 to some
i same
ime, were
jls might
lAlas 1 un-
:h is cer-
)f refine-
Ink sooner
sleep ge-

ley

rrm,

awoke

such

Iced under
Felt as Mil-

ton

ton describes Adam and Eve to have done
after their transgression. Exhausted,
and forlorn, and stung with the consci-
ousness of error and dependence, they
had neither the means nor the desire of
exercising th^i.r wonted summer occupa-
tions with spirit. Vacancy produced lan-
guor, and languor made them again wish
for the piotion which gave temporary
cheerfulness*. They carried their fish to
the next fort or habitation to barter
for rum. This brought on days of fren-
zy, succeeded by torpor. When again
roused by want to exertion, they saw
the season passing without the usual provi-
sion ; and by an effort of persevering in-
dustry, tried to. make up for past negli^
gence; and then worn out by exertion,
sunk into supine indolence, till the ap-
proach of winter called them to hunt the
bear ; and the arrival of that, (their busy
season,) urged on their distant excursions
I in pursuit of deer. Then they resumed

* From Peter Schuyler, brother to the colonel, I
i htive heard many such details.

, their

■;.' i

( 240 )

".. ':'» ti.

their wonted character, and became what
they used to be ; but conscious that ac-
quired tastes and wants, which they had
lost the habit of supplying themselves,
would throw them again on the traders
for clothing, &c. they were themselves
out-straining every sinew to procure
enough of peltry to answer their purpose^
and to gratify their newly acquired appe-
tites. Thus the energy, both of their
characters and constitutions, was gradual-
ly undermined ; and their numbers as ef-
fectually diminished, as if they had been
wasted by war.

The small-pox was also so fatal to
them, that whole tribes on the upper
lakes have been entirely extinguished by
it. Those people being in the habit of
using all possible means of closing the
pores of the skin, by painting and amoint-
ing themselves with bears' grease, to de-
fend them against the extremity of cold,
to which their mauner of life exposed
them ; and not being habitually subject
to any cutaneous disease, the small-pox

rarely

ne what
that ac-
:hey had
jmselves,
; traders
lemselves
procure
■ purpose,
[red appe*
of their
s gradual-
bers as ef-
had been

( 241 )

rarely rises upon them; from which it
may be understood how little chance
they had of recovering. All this I heard
Aunt Schuyler relate, whose observations
and reflections 1 merely detaiL

»•»

> i

, J

■^wT"

I fatal to
the upper
ruished by
e habit of
losing the
nd amoint-
2^e, to de-
ty of cold,
exposed
Uy subject
small-pox
rarely

VOL* (i

CHAP*

\ 242 )

iOi.-'

1':' ?i

'1;, -*1

mtM

'"■'(

Hpi^

y u

E^i'-li

I r ^'fi

CHAP* XXVL

^i¥i

Teculiai Attractions of the Indian Mode of Life—
^\ccount of a Settler who resided some Time among

them.

TN this wild liberty, in these habits of
Tprobity, mutual confidence, and con-
stant variety, there was an undefinable
charm, which, while it preserved their
primitive manners, wrought in every one
who dwelt for any time amongst them.

I have often heard my friend speak of
an old man, who, being carried away in
his infancy by some hostile tribe who had
slain his parents, was rescued very soon
after by a tribe of friendly Indians : they
from motives of humanity, resolved to
bring him up among themselves, that he
might in their phrase, " learn to bend
" the bow, and speak truth." When it
was discovered some years after that he
was still living, his relations reclaimed j
him 5 and the community wished him to

return

ie of I-.lfe—
; Time among

; habits of
, and con-
undefinable
erved their
n every one -^
gst them. I
;nd speak of
ed away in
Ibe who had
very soon
|dians: they
resolved to
res, that he
Irn to bend
When it
if ter that he !
Is reclaimed
Ihed him to
return

( i243 )

return and inherit his fathers lands,
now become more considerable. The
Indians were unwilling to pari with their
protege ; and he was still more reluctant
to return. This was considered as a bad
precedent ; the early settlers having
found it convenient in several things
regarding hunting, food, &c. to assimi-
late in some degree with the Indians j
and the young men occasionally, at that
early period, joining their hunting and
fishing parties. It was considered as a
matter of serious import to reclaim this
young alien j lest others should be lost
to the community and to their religion
by following his example. With difli-
cuUy they forced him home ; where they
never could have detained him, had thcv
not carefully and gradually inculcated
into his mind the truths of Christianity.

To those instructions even his Indian
predilections taught him to listen ; for
it was the religion of his fathers, and
venerable to him as such : still, however,
his dislike of our manners was never
entirely conquered, nor was his attach-

M 2 ' m.cnt

^ :ii

'i' m

m"1

*iiii

( 244 )

ment to his foster-fathers ever much di«
minished. He was possessed of a very
sound intellect, and used to declaim with
the most vehement eloquence against our
crafty and insidious encroachments on
our old friends. His abhorrence of the
petty falsehoods to which custom has too
well reconciled us, and of those little ar-
tifices which we all occasionally practise,
rose to a height fully equal to that felt
by Gulliver. Swift and mis other misan-
thrope, though they lived at the same
time, could not have had any intercourse,
else one might have supposed the invec-
tives which he has put into the raouth
of Gulliver, were borrowed from this
demi-savage : ^vhose contempt and hatred
of selfishness, meanness, and duplicity,
were expressed in language worthy of
the dean. Insomuch, that years after I
had heard of this singular character, I
thought, on reading Gulliver's asperities
after returning from Hoynhnhmlandjallj
that I had met my old friend again. One I of
really does meet with characters that fic-lwh
tion would seem too bold in pourtraying I

Thid

pwv ■■ ■■

sr much di.

of a very
eclaim with
against our
chments on
ence of the
:om has too
3se little ar-
illy practise,
to that felt
)ther misan-
t the same
intercourse,
I the invec-

the mouth
I from this
: and hatred
i duplicity,

worthy of
ears after I
character, I
''s asperities
nhnhmland,!
again. One
ers that fic-
30urtrayingl
Thiil

( 245 )

^Y'' ''''^''''^ ^'^^ an aversion fr. r
v^'J^ch amounted to Jl '^"^'^

-littered by i^srelfn^^^
resulting from ir ^^^ T. '""''"^'^^^

the means of d "'"^ '^^ administering
bearany'll^^^^^^ Henevercoulf

f er self sofn Lov^rL ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

-^".. i^tTpurrn'^'^^^^^^

'"^^J in^^uence of li . ^^ ' '"^ S^"
could cheer and "^T"""''^ '^^"^ ^^^^
^^-- people no T '''' '^^ ''^'^ «^

---fthings,deX^^^^^^^^^^

^-^iice habitual to thp.V . ^"<iepend-

comforts whidx sweeten ours h "'

%andgent,y„„foidi„gtoS;n,l'^-'"-
,«* ai>appy futurity, and h"^
-ich depraved .uL;;;^^^-;-X

^ ^ .a participation

il"1

.1 1

( I?46 )

a participation of that blessing ; pride, re-
venge, and the indulgence of every excess
of pas'^ion or appetite being restrained by
the precepts of a religion ever powerful
wlicre it is sincere ; their spirits would be
brought down from the fierce pride which
despises improvement, to adopt such of
our modes as would enable them to in-
corporate in time with our society, and
procure for themselves a comfortable sub-
sistence, in a country no longer adapted
to supply the wants of the houseless ran-
gers of the forest.

The narrow policy of many luoked
cc^ldly on this benevolent project. Hunters
supplied the means of commerce, and war-
riors those of defence ; and it was qucs*
tlonubic whether a christian Indian would
hunt or fight as well as formerly. This>
however, had no power with those in
whom Christianity was any thing more
than a name. There were already many
christian Indians j and it was very encou-
raging, that not one, once converted, had
ever forsaken the stiict profession of the
religion, or ever, in a single instance, abiii;-
•' . doncd

; pride, re-
rcry excess
jtraincd by
!r powerful
s would be
iride which
)pt such of
hem to in-
ociety, and
)rtiible sub-
rer adapted
useless ran-

,ny luoked
t. Hunters
c, and war-
was qucs-
dian would
rly. This,
h those in
Ihing more
[eady many
rcry encou-
rerted, had
sion of tlio
[ancc, ab'.ii\'
doncti

i 247 ;

doned himself to the excesses so perni*
cious to the unconverted brethren. Ne-
ver was the true spirit of Christianity more
exempUfied than in those comparatively
few converts; who about thia time
amounted to no more than two hun-
dred But the tender care and example
of the Schuylers co-operating with the
incessant labours of a judicious and truly
apostolic missionary, some years after
greatly augmented their numbers in dif-
ferent parts of the continent: and to
this day, the memory of David Brainard,
the faithful lai)0urer alluded to, is held in
veneration in those districts that were
blessed with his ministry. He did not
confine it to one people or province, but
travelled from place to place, to dissemi-
nate the gospel to new converts, and
confirm and cherish the truth already
planted. The first foundation of that
church had, however, as I formerly men-
tioned, been laid long ago: and the ex-
amples of piety, probity, and benevo-
lence set by the worthies at the Flats

M 4 and

■fK

lli;^'i'$

( 248 )

and a few more, were a very necessary
comment on the doctrines to which their
assent was desired.

The great stumbling-block which the
missionaries had to encounter with the
Indians, (who, as far as their knowledge
went, argued with great acuteness and
logical precision,) was the small influence
which our religion seemed to have
over many of its professors. " Why,'*
said they, " if the book of truth, that
shews the way to happiness, and bids
all men do justice, and love one
another, is given both to Corlaer and
" Onnonthio*, does it not direct them
in the same way ? Why does On-
nonthio worship, and Corlaer neglect,
'• the mother of the blessed one ? And
why do the missionaries blame those
for worshipping things made with
hands, while the priests tell the

((

rt '£

C_!

* Corlaer was the title given by them to the go-
vernor of New Yoi k : and was figuratively used for the
governed, and Onnonthio for those of Canada in the
same manner.

*' praying

lecessary
ch their

lich the
with the
owledge
ness and
influence
10 have
' Why,
ith, that
and bid»
3ve one
•laer and
ict them
oes On-
• neglect,
e? And
le those
e with
ell the

to thego-
sed for the
lada in the

praying

!iJ

( 249 )

((

the praying nation *, that Corlaer anJ
his people have forsaken the worship of
" his forefathers ; besides, how can peo-
ple, who believe that God and good
spirits view and take an interest in all
their actions, cheat and dissemble, drink
" and fight, quarrel and backbite, if they
" believe the great fire burns for those
who do such things. If we believed
what you say, we should not exchange
so much good for wickedness, to please
an evil spirit, who would rejoice at our

" destruction.'* To this reasoning

it was not easy to oppose any thing that
could carry conviction to untutored peo-
ple, who spoke from observation and the
evidence of the senses ; to which could
only be opposed scripture texts, which
avail not till they are believed ; and ab-
stract reasoning, extremely difficult to
bring to the level of an unlearned under-
standing. Great labour and persever-
ance wrought on the minds of a few, who,

* Praying aation was a name given to a village
of Indians near Montreal, who professed tlie catholic
faith.

M 5 felt

"U;

'ill

p^a

( 2,50 )

felt conviction, as fiir as it is to be as-
cribed to human agency, flow from the
affectionate persuasion of those whom
they visibly beheld earnest for their eter*
nal welfare ; and when a few had thus
yielded *, the peace and purity of their
lives, and the sublime enjoyment they
seemed to derive from the prospects their
faith opened into futurity, was an induce-
ment to others to follow the same path.
This, abstractedly from religious consider-
ations of endless futurity, is the true and
only way to civilization ; and to the
blending together the old and new inha-

* Some of them have made such a proficiency in
practical religion as ought to shnme many of u^, who
boast the illuminating aids of our native Christianity.
Not one of these Indians ha« been cancerned in those
barbarous irruptions which deluged the frontiers of
our south-western provinces with the blood of so mrny
innocents, of every age and sex. At the commence-
ment of these ravages, they flew into the settlements,
and put themselves into the protection of government.
The Indians no sooner became christians, than they
openly professed their loyalty to king George ; and
therefore, to contribute to their conversion was as
truly politic as it was nobly christian.

bitants

to be as-
from the
;e whom
heir eter*
had thus
of their
lent they
)dcts their
in induce-
ime path.
5 consider-
? true and
d to the
new iiiha-

prolTciency m
y of uS, who
Christianity,
srned in those
frontiers of
od of so mrny
le commence-
le settlements,
government,
ns, than they
corge ; and
:r6!on was as

bitants

( 251 )

bitants of these regions. National prJtie,
rooted prejudices, ferocity, and vindictive
hatred, all yield before a change that new
moulds the whole soul, and furnishes nnan
with new fears and hopes, and new mo-
tives for action.

M 6

CHAP.

i '
.11

ill

( 252 )

CHAP. XXVII.

Indians only to be attached by being converted.-—
The abortive Expedition of Mons. Barre. — Ironi-
cal Sketch of an Indian.

TJPON the attachment the Indians had to
our religion was grafted the strongest
I'egard to our government, and the great-
est fidelity to the treaties made with us, To
illustrate the latter,! shall insert a specimen
of Indian eloquence ; not that I consider
it by any means so rich, impressive, or
sublime as many others that I could quote^
but as it contains a figure of speech rarely
to be met with among savage people, and
supposed by us incompatible with the
state of intellectual advancement to which
they have attained. I mean a fine and
well supported irony. About the year
1686, Mons. Barr6, the commander of the
French forces in Canada, made a kind of
inroad, with a warlike design, into the
the precincts claimed by our Mohawk al-
lies 5

iverted.-^
e. — Ironi-

s had to
trongcst
le great-
:hus, To
ipccimen
consider
jsive, or
d quote^^
:h rarely
)ple, and
i^ith the
:o which
ne and
|he year
;r of the
kind of
into the
lawk al-
lies;

( 253 )

lies ; the march was tedious, the French
fell sick, and many of their Indians de-
serted them. The wily commander, find-
ing that he was unequal to the medi-
tated attack, and that it would be unsafe
to return through the lakes and woods,
while in hourly danger of meeting enemies
so justly provoked, sent to invite the Sa-
chems to a friendly conference; and, when
they met, asserted in an artful speech that
he and his troops had come with the sole
intention o£^ settling old grievances, and
smoking the calumet of peace with them.
The Indians, not imposed on by such pre-
tences, listened patiently to his speech, and
then made the answer which the reader
will find in the notes *. It is to be ob-
served,

♦ " Onnonthio, I honour you ; and all the war-
riors who are with me hkewise honour you. Your
interpreter has finished his speech, 1 begin mine.
My words m^kc haste to reach your ears ; hearken to
them, Yonnondio. You must have beHeved, when
you left Quebec, that the sun had burnt up all the
forest^ which made our country so inaccessible to the
French ; or that the lakes had so far oyerfiowed their
■ • banks.

, j' ''

'ff

( 20*4 )

^rved that whoever they considered as the
ruling person for the time being in Canada,
they styled Onnonthio; while the governor
of New York they always called Corlaer.

Twice

banks, that they had surrounded our castles, and that
it was impossible for us to get out of them. Yes,
Yonnondio, surely you hare dreamt so ; and the cu-
riosity of seeing so great a wonder lias brought you
so far. Now you are i ccivcd, since I and the war-
riors here present are come to assure you, that the
Hurons, Onondagoes, and Mohawks are yet alive.
I thank you in their name for bringing back into their
country the calumet, which your predecessor received
from their hands. It was happy for you that you Icl't
under ground that murdering hatchet,\vhlch has been
ao often dyed with the blood of the PVench. Hear,
Onnondio, I do not sleep ; I have my eyes open ; and
the sun which enlightens me discovers to me a great
captain, at the head of his soldiers, who speaks as it
he were dreaming. He says that he only came to tlu.-
lake to smoke out of the great calumet with the Fiva
Nations ; but Connaratego says that he sees the con.
trary ; that it was to knock them on the head if sick-
ness had not weakened the arms of the French. 1 see
Onnonthio raving in a camp of sick n-sen, whose live;
the great spirit has saved by inflicting this sickness
upon them. Hear> Onnoutliioy our women had taken

theiv

(

2'?

)

2d as the
Canada,
;overnor
::orlaer.
Twice

Twice in the year the new converts came
to Albany to partake of the sacrament, be-
fore a place of worship was erected for

them-

s, and that
dem. Yes,
md the cu-
jrought you
ind the w:ir-
lu, that the
e yet alive,
■k into their
or received
at yoii Ictt
\ has been
ch. Hear,
open ; and
me a great:
speaks as it:
cao'iC to thf-
th the Five
ces tlie con.
cad if sick-
ncn. 1 se(?
whose live",
is sickness
had taken
their

their clubs ; our children and old men had carried
their bows and arrows into the heart of your camp, if
our warriors had not disarmed them, and kept them
back, when your messenger came to our castles. It is
done, jind I have said it. Hear Vonnondio, we plun-
dered none of the French, but those who carried guns,
powder, and ball, to the wolf and elk tribes, because
those arms might have cost us our lives. Herein we
follow the example of the Jesuits, who stave all the
kegs of rum brought to the castles where they are,
lest the drunken Indians should knock them on the
head. Our warriors have not beavers enough to pay
for all those arms that they have taken ; and our old
men are not afraid of the war. This belt preserves
my words. We carried the English into our lakes, to
trade with the wolf and elk tribes, as the praying In-
dians brought the F'rench to our castles, to carry on a
trade, which the F'nglish say is theirs. We are born
free. We neidier depend upon Onnonthio nor Cor-
laer ; we may go where we please. If your allies be
your slaves, usi; them as such ; command them to re.
ccive no other but your people. This belt preserves
my words. We knocked the Connecticut Indians and
their confederates on the head because they had cut
down the trees of peace, which were the limits of our
country. They have hunted beavers on our lands,

contrary

i}\\--

:' ^l

* i

( 256 )

themselves. They always spent the night,
or oftener two nights, before their joining
in this holy rite, a. the Flats ; which was

their

ill

, i'

i i'

■ 1 \\\

' if!
■ r

' i,

■';■ if,

contrary to the customs of all Indians, for they haifc
Icf* none alive. They have killed both male and fc-
nial'\ They brought the Snthanas into our country
to take part with them, after they had formed ill de-
signs against us ; we have done less than they nuN
rited.

" Hear, once more, the words of the Five Nations.
They say that when they buried the hatchet at Car-
daragni, (in the presence of your predecessor,) in the
middle of tl.e fort *, they planted the tree of peace in
the same place, to be there carefully preserved ; that
instead of an abode for soldiers, that fort might be a
rendezvous for merchants ; that in place of arms and
ammunition, only peltry and goods should enter there.

♦< Hear, Yonnondio, take care for the future that
so great number of soldiers as appear there do not
choke the tree of peace, planted in so small a fort.
It will be a great loss, after having so easily taken
root, if you should stop its growth, and prevent its
covering your country and ours with its branches. 1
assure you, in the name of the Five Nations, that our
warriors shall dance to the calumet of peace under its
leaves, and shall remain quiet on their mats ; and that
they shall never dig up the hatchet till Corlaer or On-

* Detroit*

iiODthic^

. <•

niglit,

joining

d\ was

their

{ 257 )

their general rendezvous from difTerOi^t
quarters. There they were cordially re-
ceived by the three brothers, who always
met together at this time to have a con-

hey haifc
B and fe-
r country
led ill de-
they ni«*

e Nations.
;t at Car-
ir,) in the
f peace in
vcd ; that
ight be a
arms and
;er there,
iture that
do not
I a fort,
sily taken
irevent its
Qches. 1
that our
under its
and that
v or On-

Bonthic,

nonthio either jointly or separately, attack the coun-
try, which the great spirit haih given to our ancestors.
This belt preserves my words, and this otlier the autho-
rity which the Five Nations have given me." Then,
Garangula, addressing himself to Mons. de Maine,
who understood his language, and interpreted, spoke
thus : " Take, courage, friend, y«u have spirits ;
speak, explain my words, omit nothing. Tell all
that your brethren and friejids say to Onnonthio, your
governor, by the mouth of Garangula, — who loves
you, and desires you to accept of this present of bea-
f er, and take part with me in my feast, to which I
invite you. . This present of beaver is sent to 7on*
nondio on the part of the Five Nations."

Mons. Barre returned to his fort much enraged at
what he had heard; Garangula feasted the French
officers, and tlien went home ; and Mons. Barre set
out on his way towards Montreal ; and as 30on as the
general, with the few soldiers who remained in health,
had embarked, the militia made their way to their
own habitations without order or discipline. Thus a
chargeable and fatiguing expedition, meant to strike
the terror of the Fieuch name into the stubborn
hearts of the Five Nations, ended in a scold between
a French general and an old Indian.— CV^/^«V Hhtorij
of the tivc NdiionSf page (j8,

fereiice

ij*'

^J".

.1,

<•',

' ( 258 )

fcrcnce with them on subjects the most
important to their present and future
"welfare. These devout Indians seemed
all impressed with the same feelings, and
moved by the same spirit. They were
received with afFectionate cordiality, and
accommodated in a manner quite conform-
able to their habits, in the passage,
porch, and oilices ; and so cieeply im-
pressed were they with a sense of the
awful duty that brought them there, and
of the rights of friendship and hospitali-
ty ; and at this period so much were they
become acquainted with our customs,
that though two hundred communicants,
followed by many of their children, were
used to assemble on those occasions,
the smallest instance of riot or improprie-
ty was not known amongst them. They
brought little presents of game, or of
their curious handicrafts, and were libe-
ic'illy and kindly entertained by their
good brother Philip, as they familiarly
called him. In the evening they all went
apart to secret prayer ; and in the morn-
ing, by dawn of day, they assembled be-
fore

■■if;

le most
future
seemed
igs, and
;y were
Lty, and
;onform-
passage,
;ply im-
; of the
lere, and
tiospitali-
^ere they
customs,
unicants,
en, were
ccasions,
iproprie-
They
or of
ere libe-
}y their
Amiliarlv
all went
e morn-
bled be.
fore

( 259 )

fore the portico ; and their entertainers,
who rose early to enjoy, unobserved, a
view of their social devotion, beheld them
with their mantles drawn over their
heads, prostrate on the earth ; offering
praises and fervent supplications to their
Maker. After some time spent in this
manner, tliey arose, and seated in a circle
on the g^round, with tlicir heads veiled
as formerly, they sang an hymn, which it
was delightful to hear, from the strength,
richness* and sweet accord of their un-
commonly fine voices ; which every one
that ever heard this sacred chorus, how-
ever indifferent to the purport of it,
praised as incomparable. The voices of
the female Indians are particularly sweet
and powerful. I have often heard my
friend dwell with singular pleasure on
the recollection of those scenes, and of
the conversations she and the colonel used
to hold with the Indians, whom she de-
scribed as possessed of very superior pow-
ers of understanding ; and in their re-
ligious views and conversations, uniting
the ardour of proselytes with the firm de-

ci:>ion

]iL

j»;'-!r5'*

■

{ 260 )

cision and inflexible steadiness of their na-
tional character. It was on the return of
those new christians to the Flats, after
they had thus solemnly sealed their pro-
fession, that these wise regulations for
preserving peace and good- will between the
settlers (now become confident and care-
less from their numbers) and the Indians,
jealous with reason of their ancient rites,
were concluded.

n™'

CHAP*

/- ..-.'./■'■■'

heir na-
;turn of
s, after
eir pro-
ons for
veen the
id care-
Indians,
mt rites>

( 261 )

CHAP.

CHAP. XXVIII.

Management of the Mohawks by the influence of the
Christian Indians.

'j^HE influence these converts had ob-
tained over the minds of those most
venerated for wisdom among their coun-
trymen, was the medium through which
this patriot family, in some degree, con-
trolcd the opinions of that community at
large, and kept them faithful to the British
interests. Every two or three years there
was a congress held, by deputies from New
York, who generally spoke to the Indians
by an interpreter j went through the
form of delivering presents from their
brother the great king, redressing petty
grievances, smoking the calumet of peace,
and delivering belts, the pledges of ami-
ty. But these were mere public forms ;
the real terms of this often renewed ami-
ty having been prevously digested by
those who fi^r better understood the re-
lations

te'

( 26'2 )

lations subsisting between the contracting
parties, and the causes most likely to in-
terrupt their union. Colonel Schuyler,
though always ready to serve his country
in exigencies, did not like to take upon
himself any permanent responsibility, as a
superintendant of Indian affaiis, since it
might have diminished that private in-
fluence which arose from the general ve-
neration for his character and from a
conviction that the concern he took was
voluntary and impartial ; neither did he
choose to sacrifice that domestic peace
and leisure, which he so well knew how
to turn to 'the best account, being con-
vinced that by his example and influence
iis a private gentleman, he had it in his
power 10 do much good of a peculiar
kind, which was incompatible with the
weight and bustle of public affair.^?. These
too would have interrupted that hospitali-
ty which, as they man:iged it, was produc-
tive of so man\ beneficial effects. 1 have
alrciidy shesvp. how by prudent address
and kind conciliation, this patriotic pair
soothed and attaclitd the Indian^ to the

Briti-sh

( 2(53 )

:racting
' to in-
:liuyler,
country
:e upon
lity, as a
since it
vate in-
neral ve-
from a
odk was
r did he
:ic peace
lew how
ling con-
influence
it in his
peculiar
Ivith the

These

liospivali-

produc-

I have

address
[lie pair

to the

British interest. As tlie country gi*ew more
populous, and property more abundant
and m.ore secure, the face of society in
this inland region began to change They
whose quitt and orderly demeanour, de-
votion, and integrity did not much require
the enforcement of laws, began to think
themselves above them. To a deputed
authority, the source of which lay be-
yond the Atlantic, they paid little defer-
ence ; and from their neighbours of New
Hampshire and Connecticut, who border-
ed on their frontiers, and served with
them in the colonial wars, they had httle
to learn of loyalty or submission. 1 hose
people they held in great contempt, both
as soldiers and statesmen 5 and yet, from
then' frequent intercourse with those who
talked of law and politics in their pecuilir
uncouth dialect incessantly, they inscnsi-
bi; adopted many of their notions.
There is a certain point of stable happi-
ness at which our imperfect nature mere-
ly seems to arrive ; for the very materi-
als of which it is formed contain the seeds
of its destruction. 'Ihis was the case

here .

'1h

5.' -J.

?■ f I

( 26* )

here: that peaceful and desirable equality of
conditions, from which so many comforts
resulted, in process of time occasioned an
aversion to superiors, to whom they were
not accustomed, and an exaggerated jea-
lousy of the power which was exercised
for their own safety and comfort. Their
manners unsophisticated, and their morals
in a great measure uncorrupted, led
them to regard with unjustifiable scorn
and aversion those strangers who brought
with them the manners of more polished,
though less pure, communities. Proud
of their haughty bluntness, which daily
increased with their wealth and security,
they began to consider respectful and po-
lite behaviour as a degree of servility
and duplicity ; hence while they revolted
at the power exercised over themselves,
and very reluctantly made the exertions
necessary for their own protection, they
shewed every inclination to usurp the
territories of their Indian allies; and
to use to the very utmost the power
they had acquired over them, by supply-
thcir wants.

equality of
comforts
sioned an
hey were
ated jea-
exercised
t. Their
lir morals
pted, led
ble scorn
D brought
; polished,
J. Proud
lich daily
security,
I and po-
servility
revolted
icmselves,
exertions
ion, they
surp the
s; and
le power
.y supply-

• ' ( 265 )

At the liberal table of Aunt Schuyler,
there were alwaysintelligence, just notions,
and good breeding to be met with, both
among the owners and their guests, many
had their prejudices softened down, their
minds enlarged, and their manners im-
proved. There they met British officers
of rank and merit, and persons in autho-
rity ; and learnt that the former were not
artificial coxcombs, nor the latter petty
tyrants ; as they would otherwise be very
apt to imagine. Here they were accus-
tomed to find, on the one hand, authori-
ty respected, and on the other to see the
natural rights of man vindicated, and the .
utmost abhorrence expressed of all the so-
phistry by which the credulous were mis-
led by the crafty, to have a code of mo-
rality for their treatment of heathens,
different from that which directed them
in their dealing with christians. Here a
selection of the best and worthiest, of
the different characters and classes we
have been describing, met . an i wjre
taugnx, not only to to :dte bui to es-

voi« I. N teem

>t !

.it''

y-i '■

1,1

( 266 )

teem each other : and it required tli<*
calm, temperate wisdom, and easy versa-
tile manners of my friend to bring this
about. It is when jhey are called to
act in a new scene, and among people
different from any they had known or
imagined, that the folly of the wise and
the weakness of the strong become dis-
cernible.

Many officers justly esteemed, possess-
ed of capacity, learning, and much
knowledge, both of the usages of tlie
world, and the art of war, from the want
of certain habitudes, which nothing but
experience can teach, were disqualified
for the warfare of the woods ; and, from
a secret contempt with which they re-
garded the blunt simplicity and plain ap-
pearance of the settlers, were not amen-
able to their advice on these points. They
were not aware how much they were to
depend iipon them for the means of car-
rying on their operations; and by rude
or negligent treatment so disgusted them,
that the former withheld the horses,
oxen, waggons, &c. which they were to

( 267 )

[red the
sy versa-
ing this
ailed to
g people
[lown or
i^'ise and
ome dis-

I, possess-
id much
;s of tlie
the want
:hing but
squalified
nd, from
they re-
plain ap-
•t amen-
its. They
were to
s of ear-
by rude
d them,
horses,
were to
be

be paid for, merely to shew their inde-
pendence J well knowing that the dread*
ed and detested military power, even if
coercive measures were resorted to,
would have no chance for redress in their
courts J and even the civil authority were
cautious of doing any thing so unpopular
as to decide in favour of the military.
Thus, till properly instructed, those be-
wildered strangers were apt to do the
thing of all others that annihilates a fee-
ble authority ; threaten where they could
not strike, and forfeit respect where they
could not enforce obedience : a failure of
this kind clogged and enfeebled all their
measures j for without the hearty co-ope-
ration of the inhabitants in furnishing
pre-requisites, nothing could go on in a
country without roads, or public vehi-
cles, for the conveyance of their warlike
stores. Another rock they were apt to
run upon was, a neglect of the Indians,
whom they neither suilicicntly feared a«
enemies, nor valued as friends : till taught
to do so by maturer judgements. Of

ill

,1^

this

, ■■ t

I i ■;■'•

( 2til^ )

his, Braddock's defeat was an instance ;
he was brave, experienced, and versed in
all military science; his confidence in
which occasioned the destruction of him-
self and his army. He considered those
counsels that warned him, how little ma-
noeuvres or numbers would avail " in the
close prison of innumerous boughs," as the
result of feeble caution j and marched his
army to certain ruin, in the most brave
and scientific manner imaginable. Upon
certain occasions there is no knowledge
so valuable as that of our own ignorance.

At the Flats, the self-righted boor learn-
ed civilization and subordination! the
high bred and high spirited field officer
gentleness, accommodation, and respect
for unpolished worth and untaught va-
lour. There, too, the shrewd and deeply
reflecting Indian learnt to respect the Bri-
tish character, and to confide in that of
the settlers; by seeing the best models
of both, acting candidly towards each
other, and generously to himself. ^'■'^'■

My friend was most particularly calcu-
lated

istance ;
ersed in
ience in
of him-
ed those
little ma-
" in the
IS," as the
rched his
ost brave
2. Upon
nowledge
gnorance.
oor learn-
ionl the
d officer
respect
lught va-
Ind deeply
;t the Bri-
n that of
ist models
rds each

[If. :'

Irly calcu-
lated

( 269 ;

lated to be the coadjutor of her excellent
consort, in thus subduing the spirits of
different classes of people, strongly dispos-
ed to entertain a repulsive dislike of each
other ; and by leading them to the chas-
tened enjoyment of the same social plea-
sures, under the auspices of those, whose
good will they were all equally convinced
of. She contrived to smooth down "as-
perities, and assimilate those various cha-
racters, in a manner that could not be
done by any other means.

Ace istomed from childhood, both from
the general state of society, and the en-
larged minds of her particular associates,
to take liberal views f ever) thing, and
to look forward on all occasions to con-
sequences, she steadily followed her wise
and benevolent purpc ies, without beirg
attracted by petty gratifications, or repelled
by petty disgusts. Neither influenced by
female vanity, nor female fastidiousness,
she might vp < , truly say of popularity,
as FalstatF says of Worcester's rebellion,
it lay in her way and she found it :"

N 3 for

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i'i'~'^'i»fe'- i

( -'70 )

^m^

for no one ever took less pains to ob-
tain its ^nd if the weight of solid useful-
ness and beneficence had not, as it never
fails to do in the long run, forced appro-
bation, her mode of conducting herself,
though it might greatly '»ndear her to
her particular associates, v not concili-
ating to common minds. The fact was,
that, though her benevolence extended
through the whole circle of those to
whom she was known, she had too
many objects of importance in view to
squander time upon imbecility and insig-
nificance. Neither could she find
leisure for the routine of ordinary vi-
sits, nor inclination for the insipidity
of ordinary chit-chat.

If people of the description here
alluded to could forward any plan ad-
vantageous to the public, or to any
of those persons in whom she was
particularly interested, she wouki treat
them occasionally with much civility :
for she had all the power of superior
intellect without the pride of itj but

c- . couki

lins to ob'
olid useful-
as it never
read appro-
ing herself,
ear her to
not concili-
e fact was,
e extended
f those to
e had too
in view to
^ and insig-
flhe find
rdinary vi-
insipidity

|)tion here
plan ad-
to any
she was
oukl treat
civility :
^f superior
it ; bnt
coul<i

could not submit to a perpetual sacrifice to
forms and trifles. This, in her,, was
tiot only justifiable, but laudable ; yet it
is not mentioned as an example, because
a case can very rarely occur, where the
benefit resulting to others, from making
one's own path, and forsaking the ordi-
nary road, can be so essential j^ few ever
can have a sphere of action so peculiar or
so important as her's j and very few in-
deed have so sound a judgment to di-
rect them in chusing, or so much for-
titude to support them ia pmrsuing, a
way of their own.

In ordinary matters, where neither re-
ligion nor morality is concerned, it is
much safer to tnist to the common sense
of mankind in general, than to our own
particular fancy. Singularity of conduct
or opinion is so often the result of va<
nity or afiection, that whoever ventures
upon it ought to be a person whose ex-
ample is looked up to by others. A per-
son too great to follow, ought be great
enough to lead. But though her cou-

* N 4 versation

1 ,i

( 272 )

versation was reserved for those she pre-
ferred, her advice, compassion, and good
offices were always given where most
needed.

■a

„*.;-^-,.|r*-.f!|.-

Sit

'•ljlii.,l(jt4^~i S^Jrs.*'^

€

■ u

awa" mo . ei ' mis ^kn^m m -ImAmm io

OOilv -l/v

CHAP.

i she pre-
and good
lere most

i!i<ja lo

*^ /f,(H:

CHAP.

( 273 )

m t

CHAP. XXIX.

Madame* f adopted Children. — Anecdote ct Sister

Susan.

Y'EARS passed away in this manner, va-
.^.jj^, ried only by the extension of pro-
tection ; and education, to a succession
jo£ nephews and nieces of the Colonel
or Mrs. Schuyler. These they did not
take from mere compassion, as all their
relations were in easy circumstances ;
^but influenced by various considera-
^tions, such as, in some cases, the death
of the mother of the children, or per-
, haps the father; in others, where their
j[iieces or nephews married very early, and
lived in the houses of their respective
parents, while their young family increas-
ed before they had a settled home ; or in
insta*ices where, from the remote situations
in which the parents lived, they could
not so easily educate them. Indeed the
difficulty of getting a suitable education
^v^^km N5 for

i
ill:

\ I

' !

<-■] '

274 . )

' >

for children, whose parents were ambiti-
ous for their improvement, ^vas great ;
and a family so well regulated as hers>
and frequented by such society, was in
itself an academy, both for the best mo-
rals and manners. When people have
children born to them, they must submit
to the ordinary lot of humanity : and if
they have not the happiness of meeting
with many good qu^ties to cultivate and
rejoice over, there is nothing left for them
but to exert themselves to the utmost^
to reform and ameliorate what will ad-
mit of improvement. They must care-
folly weed and rear ; if the soil produce
a crop both feeble and redundant, aflTection
will blind them to many defects ; impe-
rious duty will stimulate them, and Hope,
soothing, however deceitful, will support
them. But when people have the pri-
vilege, as in this case, of chusing a child,
they are fairly entitled to select the most
promising. This selection, I understood
always to have been left to Aunt Schuy-
ler; and it appeared, b) the event, to
have been generally a happy one* Fifteen,
- either

•i

reambiti-

is great ;

1 as hers»

r, was in

best ino«

)ple have

iSt submit

f: and if

' meeting

ivate and

for them

i utmost,.

t will ad*

lust care*

produce

affection

i ; impe-

nd Hope,

support

the pri-

a child>

he most

derstood

Schuy-

irent, to

Fifteen,

either

V275 ) : {

either nephews or nieces, or the children
of such, who had been under her care,
all lived to grow up and go out into
the world ; and all acted their parts so as
to do credit to the instruction they had
received, and the example they looked up
to. Besides these, they had many whom
they brought for two or three^ years to
their house to reside ;^ either because the
family they came from was at the time
crowded with younger children, or be-
cause they were at a time of life when
a year or two spent in such society, as
was there assembled, might not only
form their ' manners, but. give a bias to
theiivftrture character.; .^^^^^^^^^^ ^^r*

About the year 17iS0, they brought /\
home a' nephew o£ the colonel's, whose
father, having a large family, and, to
the . best of my recollection, having lost
his wife, entirely gave over the boy
to the protection of this relation,. This
boy was his uncle's god -son, and call-
ed Philip after him; He was a great
favourite in the family ; for, though ap-
j^arently thoughtless and giddy, he had

SWOil?

A'-i

I'iif

N 6

very

a very good temper, and quick parts;
and was upon the whole an ingenious,
lively, and amusing child. He was a very

• great favourite, and continued to be so,
in some measure, when he grew up, >

11^^ There were other children in the house
at the same time, whose names and re-
lationship to my friends I do not remem^
ber; but none staid so long, or were so
much talked of as this. There certainly
never were people who received so much
company, made so respectable a figure in
life, and always kept so large a family
about them, with so little tumult, or. bus-
tle, or indeed at so moderate an expence.
What their income was I cannot say„
but am suire it could not have been
what we should think adequate to the
good they did, and the hospitality and
beneficence which they practised: for
the rents of lands were then of so lit-
tle value, that, though they possessed
a considerable estate in another part of

"the country, only very moderate profits

could result from it i but, indeed, from

the sibiplicity of dress, Hic it was eader ^

■ ' *. '- ' though

:k parts ;
ngenious,
ras a very
to be so,

the house

)S and re-

it remem*

• were so

certainly

so much

figure in

a family

^t, or. bus-

expence.

not sayj

ave been

e to the

lity and

ed : for

f so lit-

>ossessed

part of

i profits

id, from

I easier ^

though

. • ^ ^( 277 ) -

though in that re^ct, too, they preserved
a kind of dignity, and went beyond others
in the materials, though not the form
of their apparel Yet their principal ex-
pence was a most plentiful and well or-
dered table, quite in the £nglish style;
which was a kind of innovation: but
{SO many strang^s frequented the houses
of the three brothers that it was ne-
cessary for them to accommodate th^-
selves to the habits of their guests. '

Peter being in his youth an exten-
sive trader, had spent much time in Ca-
nada, among the noblesse there; and
had served in the <:ontinental levies. He
had a fine commanding figure, and quite
the air and address of a gentleman, and
was, when I knew him, an old man. rl
M Intelligent and oleasing in, a very high
degree, Jeremiah had too much fami-
liar kindness to be looked up to like
his brother. Yet he also h^d a very
good understanding, great frankness and
affability, and was described by all who
knew him, as the very soul of cordial
friendship and warm benevolence. He

married

•'■' 4

Hi iH
III H

' .

^ U 278 ) . -' ,

married a polished and well educated
person, whose parents (French protest-
ants) were people of the first fashion in
New York, and had givr- with her a good
fortune, a thing ver nusual in that
country. They used the early years
of their marr. ^e, n y a visit every
winter to their ons at New York,

who passed part . every summer' with
them. This connexion, as well as that
with the Plats, gave an air of polish,,
and a tincture of Jegance to this family
beyond others; and there were few so
gay and social. This cheerfulness was
supported by a large family, fourteen, 1
think, of very promising childfen. These,
however, inheriting from their mother's
family a dfelieate constitution, died one
afl^r another as they came to maturity:
one only, a daughter, lived to be married;
but died after havinghad one soiiand one
daughter. -^^ ? t^^ .u

I saw the mother of this- large fami-

ly, after out-living her own children, and

. a spll greater number of brothers and

LiTti .■M:^&^^ifi^mMl'Wt$m!j^ <_ sisters,.

•

educated
prote8t-
ishion ill
sr a good
in that
irly years
sit every
2w York,
ner' with
1 as that
F polish,,
lis family
J few so
iness was.
iurteen, 1
1. These,
mother's .
died one
naturity:
married ;
iand one

ge fami-
ren, and
icrs and
sisters,

;//•.(( 279 ) ,,

sisters, who had all settled in life, pros*
perous and flourishing, when she mar-
ried; I saw her a helpless bed-ridden
invalid; without any remaining tie, but a
sordid grasping son-in-law, and two grand-
children, brought up at a distance from
her. , . ;!'-':'?ti^i ■ •

With her, too, I was a great favourite,
because I listened with interest to her de-
tails of early happiness, and subsequent
woes and privations; all of which she
described to me with great animation^
and the most pathetic eloquence. How
much a patient listener, who has sympa-
thy and interest to bestow on a tale of
woe, will hear! and how affecting is the
respect and compassion even of an artless
child, to a heart that has felt the bitter-
ness of neglect, and known what it was
to pine in solitary sadness 1 Many a bleak
day have I walked a mile to visit this
blasted tree, which the storm of calamity
had stripped of every leaf! and surely
in the house of sorrow the heart is made

better. ^ . . ; - -"^'^

From

i'\ I

■ i

f( 280 )

•« 'fi r From this chronicle of past times, I de-
rived much information respecting our
good aunt ; such as she would not have
.i. given me herself. The kindness of this
*! generous sister-in-law was indeed the
i only light that shone on the declining
days of sister Susan, as she was woiit affec-
^'tlonately so call her. M^hat a sad narra-

- tive would the detail of this poor wo-
man's sorrows aflFord ! which, however,
she did not relate in a querulous manner;

^ for her soul was subdued by affliction,
-and she did not " mourn as those that
^^* have no hope.'* One instance of self-
vaccusation I must record. She used to
<iescribe the family she Ipft as being no
, less happy, united, and highly prosperous,

- than that into which she came : if, in-
; deed, she could be laid to leave it, going

as she did for some tnonths every year
to her mother's house, whose darling
she was, and who, being only fifteen
years older than herself, was more like
an elder sister, united by fond affec-
tion. , ' ^ .'; jx-:?**

• -viori , ■ • ■ . ..:' .' She

Uujm

imes, I ele-
cting our

not have
ss of this
deed the

declining
rout afFec-
ad narra-
poor wo-

however,
s manner;

affliction,
those that
:e of self-
e used to

being no
rosperous,
le: if, in-
j it, going
irery year
e darling
Ay fifteen
cnore like
ind afifeC"

• She

\( 281 )

**'^She went to New York to lie-in, at
her mother's house, of her four or five
first children; her mother at the same
time having children as young as hers :
and thus caressed at home by a fond
husband, and received with exultation
by the tenderest parents; young, gay,
and fortunate, her removals were only ,
variations of felicity; but, gratified in
every wish, she knew not what sorrow
was, nor how to receive the unwelconie
stranger, when it arrived. At length
she went down to her father's, as usual,
to lie-in of her fourth child, which died
when it was eight days old. She then
screamed with agony, and told her mo-
ther, who tried by pious counsel to al-
ienate her grief, that she was the most
miserable of human beings; for that
no one was capable of loving their child
so well as ishe did her's,and she could not
think by what sin she had provoked
this affliction: finally, she clasped the
dead infant to her bosom, and was not,
without the utmost difficulty, persuad-
ed to part with it; while her frantic

grief

^(HBMKFi-.'Jiy'j

:•

(,282 )

grief outraged all decorum. After this,
said she, " I have seen my thirteen
grown-up children, and my dear and ex-
cellent husband, all carried out of this
house to the grave: 1 have lost the
worthiest and most affectionate parents,
brothers and sisters, such as few ever
had J and however my heart might be
pierced with sorrow, it was still more
deeply pierced with a conviction of my
own past impiety and ingratitude; and
under all this affliction 1 wept silently
and alone ; and my outcry or lamentation
was never heard by inortaL*' "What ai
lesson was this I

This once much loved, and much re-
spected woman have I seen sitting in
her bed, where she had been long con-
fined, neglected by all those whom she
had known in her better days, except-
ing aunt Schuyler, who unwieldy and
unlit for visiting as she was, came out
two or three times in the year to see
her, and constantly sent her kindly tokens
of remembrance. I J ad she been more
careful to preserve her independence, ^nd
, ,■ had

fter this,
thirteen
r and ex-
it of this
lost the
parents,
tew ever
might be
ill more
m of my
ude; and
t silently
nentation.
What a

much re-
sitting in
long con-
rhom she
I, except-
?ldy and
:ame out
r to see
ly tokens
en more
;nce, ^nd
had

• (:fS83 )

had she accommodated herself more to
the plain manners of the people among
whom she lived, she might in her ad-
Yc?rsity have met with more attention;
but too conscious of her attainments, lively,
regardless, and perhaps vain, and confi-
dent of being surrounded and admired
by a band of kinsfolk, she was at no
pains to conciliate others ; she had, too,
some expensive habits ; which, when
the tide of prosperity ebbed, could
meet with little indulgence among a
people who never entertained an idea
of living beyond their circumstances.

Thus, even among those unpolished
people, one might learn how severe-
ly the insolence of prosperity can be
avenged on us, even by those we have
despised and slighted j and who perhap.>i
were very much our inferiors in every
respect : though both humanity and good
sense should prevent our mortifying them,
by shewing ourselves sensible of that cii-
cumstance. ... . ,

1751. This year was a fatal one to the
,^;i: families

Wis
hi

m •■ M

i ( 284 )

<5 families of the three brothers. Jeremiah,

1 impatient of the uneasiness caused by a
wen upon his neck, submitted to under-

' ^o an operation ; which, being unskilfully
performed, ended fatjdly, to the unspeak-
able grief of his brothers and of Aunt,

'^who was particularly attachefd to him,
and often dwelt on the recollection of
his singularly compassionate disposition,
the generous openness of his temper, and

-peculiar warmth of his affections. He
indeed, was ** taken away from the evil

-to come;'* for 6f his large family, one
after the other went off, in consequence
of the weakness of their lungs, which
withstood none of the ordinary diseases
of small-pox, meazles, &c. : in a few years,
there was not one remaining. ■ '^ > *
i These were melancholy inroads on the
peace of her, who might truly be said,
to " watch and weep, and pray for all:"
for nothing could exceed our good aunt's
care and tenderness for this feeble fa-
mily ; who seemed flowers which merely
bloomed to wither in their prime; for

•' jliuv.-t- ' they

feremiah,
sed by a
under-
iskilfully
unspieak*
>f Aunt,
to him,
iction of
position,
per, and
ns. He
the evil
lily, one
sequence
}, which
diseases
w years,

n-r^

on the
be said,
?br all :"
d aunt's
eble fa-
merely
ne; for
they

( 285 )j

they were, as is often the case with those ^
who inherit such disorders, beautiful, with
quickness of comprehension, and abilities
beyond their age. .4 ,u a « C* . ^-a '

.-,;■■ .,, r A, .,.. •■:*: - . ■ ::■>--■ . ;• - * -■-.'

Yfa«i; iTMU -'^id sMfil ty^mm^'^ ^^^'^>i
' if'ji.^M 'jd fBo t^lim i' 'ibid m*rB tuiiA

fhdi 'iii l*i;:i;f i^m^M **d.l it.n mid b#Jt..'a'n
"jO ins .'vmJif'iaff »!l?««^ Hil '^cf i,p^:^^;ail
kea^'i-xi -tie^^itt Iff iltiV/' .awiim^p t,r?*>ii'j'-

hfiii- r Qt ?To;* ^i.w m;! M;!?j:7br:*j ;»/, ^£ ,*>!♦;
>> CHAP,

( 286 )
CHAP. XXX.

Death of young Philip Schuyler. — Account of Jut
Family, and of the Society at the Flats,

A NoTHER very heavy sorrow followed
the death of Jeremiah: Peter, being
the eldest brother, his son, as I formerly
mentioned, was considered and educated
as heir to the colonel. It was Peter's
house that stood next to the colonel's;
their dwellings being arranged according
to their ages, the youth was not in the
least estranged from his own family
(who were half a mile off) by his resi-
dence in his uncle's, and was pecu-
liarly endeared to all the families, (who
regarded him as the future head of their
house,) by his gentle manners and ex-
cellent qualities. With all these personal
advantages, which distinguished that
comely race, and which give grace and at-
traction to the unfolding blossoms of vir-
tue, at an early age he was sent to a kind
;^Ai> of

( 28t )

■:^'*? f^k.i

» *■

J>ii/ •'

nt of lu»

'/. -.■

bllowed
r, being
ormerly
ducated

Peter's
)loners J
xording

in the

family
his rcsi-
s pecu-
es, (who
of their

and ex-
personal
3d that
e and at-
is of vir-
o a kind
of

of college, then established in New Jer-
sey ; and he was there instructed, as iir
as in that place he coul i be. He soon
formed an attachment to a lady still
younger than himsdf,but so well brought
up, and so respectably connected, that
his friends were greatly pleased with the
marriage, early as it was, and his father,
with the highest satisfaction, received the
young couple into the house. There they
were the delight and ornament of the fa-
mily, and lived amongst them as a com*
mon blessing. The first year of their mar-
riage a daughter was born to them, whom
they named Cornelia ; and the next, a son,
whom they called Peter. The following
year, which was the same that deprived
them of their brother Jeremiah, proved
fatal to a great many children and young
people, in consequence of an endemial
disease, which every now arid then used
to appear in the country, and made great
havoc. If. wascaUed the purple or spotted
fever, and was probably of the putrid
kind: be that as it may, it proved fatal to
this interesting young couple. Peter, who
-ri > TV ./ had

\ -

•■ -

^ ( 288 ) •

had lost his wife but a short time before^
was^€ntirely overwhelmed by this stroke:
a, h^dness of hearing, which had been
gradually increasing before, deprived Irim
of the consolations he might have derive
ed from society. He encouraged his se-
cond son to marry ; shut himself up for
the most part in his own apartment;
and became, in effect one of those
lay brothers I have formerly describ-
ed Yet, when time had blunted the
edge of this keen affliction, many years
after, when we lived at the Flats, he used
to visit us ; and though he did not hear
well, he conversed with great spirit, and
was full of anecdote and information.
Meanwhile, Madame did not sink under
this calamity, though she felt it as much
as her< husband, but supported him ; and
exerted herself to extract consolation
from performing the duties of a mother
to the infant who was now become the re-
presentative of the family. Little Peter was
accordingly brought home, and succeeded
to all that care and affection of which his
father had formerly been the object, while
Ir/i Cornelia

le before,
stroke:
ad been
ved Irim
e derive
d his se-
lf up for
rtment 5
}f those
describ-
nted the
ny years
;, he used
not hear
pirit, and
Drmation.
ik under
as much
lim; and
nsolation
a mother
le the re-
Peter was
ucceeded
i^hich his
ct, while
Cornelia

( «89 )

Cornelia was taken home to Jersey, to
the family of her maternal grandfa-
ther, who was a distinguished person in
that district. There she was exceedingly
well educated, became an elegant and
very pleasing young woman, and was
happily and most re^ectably married be-
fore I left the country, as was her bro-
ther very soon after. They are still liv-
ing ; and Peter, adhering to what might
be called, eventually the safer side, during
the war with the mother country, succeed-
ed undisturbed to his uncle's inheritance.
All these new cares and sorrows did
not in the least abate the hospitality, the
popularity, or the public spirit of these
truly great minds. Their dwelling, though
in some measure become a house of
mourning, was still the rendezvous of the
wise and worthy, the refuge of the stran-
ger, and an academy for deep and
sound thinking, taste, intelligence, and
moral beauty. There the plans for the pub-
lic good were digested by the rulers of the
province, who came, under the pretext of
a summer excursion for mere amusement.
.' VOL; r. 6' There

: ( '290 )

Thdfethe 6J)eratl6ns of the aftny,^rid'the
ttiE?ities of'pe?ace or aUbnce with *Vaiiods
nations, vrete ilrrartgtd ; for ' there the le-
'gislatofs of th'eistate/and the leadeh of
the \rar, wef e recr^ived, atid ihiatied'seri-
•bus iAti uti(>brt2lLnt tbUrtsels with convi-
vial cheerfulness, and domieitic edse 'and
fitnUhtity. *^is hot tb be' cont^lv^d h6W
e^sentiara'pbintof uhibn, aTliarrfir against
licence, arid ^a fo'ctis, in^^hich'the tiys
of'iiiteliect arid iritilBgtehCe "xi^ei'e c6hceh-
trated, (sudi as diluted in ihis 'family,)
were to unite the jarring elements of
'which 'the comliiunity Was composed,
ind to ^gest to those \^o had ipdxirer
without experierice, the meahs bf mih-
'gling in due proportions its-Varioiis^nrtate-
rials fbr the public utility. Still, though
'' the details of fattiily-haf)piness -were
'Abridged, the spirit that prodtaCed it cbh-
* tinned to exist, and to find new objetts
' of interest. A mind elevated by the con-
sciousness of its own pbwers, and erthrg-
'Wd by the habitual exetdse of them, for
' the great purpose of pronfioting the gbtodof
•'Others, yields to the pt-essure of calamity,
♦"M - . ■ '• • ■;■• but

i^lth Various

here the le-

! ieadeh '6f

xhhitied 'seri«

with cbnvi-

ic edseatid

i6*ivAdh6W

ri^r against

h the %s

ei/e c6hceh-

lis 'family,)

iem^nts of

composed,

bad p6S?^er

s 6f ittih-

iotis^iriate-

11, though

e^s -wire

:ed it c^i-

w objetts

Y the Con -

d eiilirg-

hem, for
eg6todof
cahttiity,
but

. ^ ( ^91 )

but sinks not under it ^ particularly wlien
habituated, like; these exaltedeharacters, to
.look through the Jong vista .of initurity
towards the final. accomplishment of the
^designs of i Providence, rlike a .diligent
,^r4ener,xwhOrWhen his promising young
.plants iare blasted in full strength and
beauly, though he^ feels extremely for their
lo^,;doea not sit down in idle chagrin> but
redoubles' his efforts to train up their suc«
eessorsUo the same degree of excellence.
Ck>nsideriag the large family she (Madame)
always had about her, ^^ which she was
thcvguiding star as- well as the informing
soul, and thq innocent cheerfulness which
sJie encouraged and enjoyed ;« considering,
tog, the number of interesting guests whom
she received, and that complete union of
minds,, which made her enter so intimately
into all the ucoloners pursuits, it ; may be
wKMidered how she found tiine for sdid and
iaaaproving reading ; because people^ wJiose
time is so aiaucji occupied in business and
socjetyy are, apt to relax, with amusing tri-
fles of. the desultory kind, when they have
odd half hours to besitowx)n literary amuse-

ments

..,„^,

( 292 )

ments. But her strong and indefatiga-
ble mind never loosened its grasp 5 ever
intent on the useful and the noble,
she found little leisure for what are ill-
deed the greatest objects of feeble cha-
lacters. After the middle of life she
went little out 5 her household, long
since arranged by certain general rv„s,
went regularly on, because every domes-
tic knew exactly the duties of his or her
place, and dreaded losing it, as the great-
est possible misfortune. She had always
with her some young person, ** who was
unto her as a daughter;" who was
her friend and companion ; and bred up
in such a manner as to qualify her for be-
ing such ; and one of whose duties it was
to inspect the state of the household, and
** report progress," with regard to the
operations going on in the various depart-
ments. For no one better understood, or
more justly estimated, the duties of house-
wifery. Thus, those young females, who
had the happiness of being bred under
her auspices, very soon became qualified
to assist her, instead of encroaching much
* • on

nd indefatiga-

5 grasp ; ever

I the noble^

what are ih-

>f feeble cha-

of life she

isehold, long

general n.„s,

every domes-

of his or her

as the great-

le had always

i» ** who was

who was

nd bred up

y her for be-

duties it was

usehold, and

gard to the

ious depart-

derstood, or

esofhouse-

tmales, who

jred under

te qualified

:hing much

( 293 ) ;

on her time. The example and conver- , *
sation of the family in which they liv-
ed, was to them a perpetual school for use-
ful knowledge, and manners easy and
dignified, though natural and artless.
They were not indeed embellbhed ; but
then they were not deformed by affec-
tation, pretensions, or defective imitation
of fashionable models of manners. They
were not indeed bred up " to dance, to
dress, to roll the eye, or troll the ton*
gue j" yet they were not lectured into un-
natural gravity, or frozen reserve. I have
seen those of them who were lovely, gay,
and animated, though, in the words of
an old familiar lyric, - / ^ • -' ' r

.<* Without disguise or art, like Howera that grace

the wild, .^-.^ .^,.^ ,,.f

<« Their sweets they did impart whene'er they
spoke or smil'd."

..,.».. *.

Two of those to whom this description
particularly applies, still live ; and still
retain not only evident traces of beauty,
but that unstudied grace and dignity
which is the result of conscious worth
and honour, habituated to receive the

o 3 tribute

* til

( 294. )

tribute of gen^mi respect. This id die
privrlegeof mindy which are always in their
own phce, and neither stoe\» to solicit ap^
pfeuse fronm their inferiors, nor strive to rise
to a-f^ncied equality >\4th those whomna*
tune or fortune' have placed beyonduh«m;
- Aunt was a* great manager of* her time,
and always contrived to create leisure
haurs^for reading ; for that kind of con-
versation, which iff properly styled^ gossip*
ing,- she had) the utmost oontempt.
Light superficial reading, such as merely
fills a blank in time, and glidiss wrer tiie>
mind witfioBt leavihg^ an impressiiinv wa»
little known there J. fcrffew books flx>08&-
ed the Atlantic but such* as* weve worth
catrying^ so for for their intrinsit: value.
She was too much accustomed' to have
her mind occupied with objects of real
weight and importance, to give it up to
frivolous pursuits of any kind. She be-
gan the morning with reading the Serify»-
tures. They always breakf^isted- eariy,
and dined two houns later than theprimiw
tive inhabitants, who always took that
meal aC twelve. Ihh departure from the
' ■ *•' ■■ ancient

295

)

This id die
i^ys in their
3 solicit apj»
trive to rise

whomna-
^ondvth^m;
f hep time,
>ato leisure
nd'of oon-
'led'gosBip*
contempt.

asmerely
r <iv8r tJie>
rssionv way

okSF OPOSB*

ere worth
isic ralue.
I' to have
ts of real
it up to

S^e be-
:he Seripf^
ed' early,
he-priraiw
ook that
from the

ancient

ancient customs was neqe$sa|;)r in this fa-^
mjly) to accoipniodate the g^eat num-
b^rs of. British as well as strai^gers from
Ne>y Xork, who were daily entertained
at hpr liberal table. ^ This arrangen)ent
gay^ her the advantage of a longer fore-
noon to dispose of. After breakfast she
gave orders for the fapiily detaijs of thp.
day, which, without a scrupulous J^tten*
tion to t^ose miputifC which fell mor^ di;o-
perly under the notice of her young;
friends, she always regulated in th^ niost^
ju4icious. manner, so as to pi;evetit al} ap-
peai^nce of hurry aj^d confusipUj Th^re
was such a rivajry among domestics, whose
sdeambitioii was her fayouj-jand who h^d
bpen tjqained up from infa/icy, each to
their seyeral duties, that exceljence_ i^
each, departpient; was the res^ijt; bpjth of
habit and emulatibfi ;. while heij youi^e
pro^eg^es wef e e<^riy taught the value ana
import;ance 9f g;7od housewij^ry^ and
yrere sedulous in tl\eir attention to little
n;»atters of de^or^tion and, eleg2Mi<;e, which,
her mjind was tpp much engrossed to at^-
tejQ^ tp '^ spi l^.^t hei^ hpusehpld affairs,

o 4 ever

!'.?

. ( 296 )

ever well regulated, went on in a me-
chanical kind of progress, that seemed to
engage little of her attention, though
her vigilant and overruling mind set every
spring of action in motion. Having thus
easily and speedily arranged the details
of the day, she retired to read in her
closet, where she generally remained till
about eleven ; when, being unequal to
distant walks, the colonel and she, and
some of her elder guests, passed some of
the hotter hours among those embower-
ing shades of her garden, in which she
took great pleasure. Here was their Ly-
ceum ; here questions in religion and mo-
rality, too weighty for table talk, were lei-
surely and cooUv Uscussed j and plans of
policy and various utility arranged. From
this retreat they adjourned to the portico;
and while the colonel either retired to
write, or went to give directions to his
servants, she sat in this little tribunal, giv-
ing audience to new^ settlers, followers of
the army left in hapless dependence, and
others who wanted assistance or advice,
or hoped she would intercede with the

colonel

)n in a me-
lt seemed to
ion, though
nd set evexy
having thus
the details
read in her
mained till
unequal to
1 she, and
2d some of
embower-
which she
their Ly-
n and mo-
, were lei-
l plans of
d. From
e portico;
etired to
IS to his
jnaJ, giv-
owers of
nee, and
r advice,
i^ith the
colonel

( 297 ) ^ :

colonel for something more peculiarly
in his way, he having great influence
with the colonial government. At the
usual hour her dinner-party assembled,
wluch was generally a large one ; and here
I must digress from the detail of the day
to observe, that, looking up as I always
did to Madame with admiring veneration*
and having always heard her mentioned
with unqualified applause, I look often
back to think what defects or hults she
could possibly have to rank with the sons
and daughters of imperfection, inhabiting
this transitoiy scene of existence, well
knowing, from subsequent observation of
Hfe, that error is the unavoidable portion
of humanity. Yet of this truism, to which
every one will readily subscribe, I can
'recollect no proof in my friend's conduct^
unless the luxury of her table might be
produced to ccnfirm it. Yet this, after
all, was but comparative luxury. There
was more choice and selection^ and
perhaps more abundance at her table^
tham at those of tne other primitive inha-
bitants, yet how simple were her repasta
v V ' . o 5 compared

•*■

^tr^'

C 298 ) ...

V'.. •♦

compared witk those ¥ilxicH the hjxury
of the h%her ranks in this country offer
to provoke the sated appetite^. Her din-
Rer^party generaBy (xm^sted of some of
her intimate friends or near rehtions;
her adopted children, who were inmates
for the time being ; and strangers, some-
times invited, mierely as friendless travel-
lers, on the score of hospitaEty, but often
welcomed for some time as stationary vi-
ctors, on account of worth or talents,
that gave value to their society; and,
lastly, military guests, selected with some
discrimination on account of the young
friends, whom they wished not only to
piTotect, but cultivate by an improving
association. Conversation here was ;il-
ways rational, generally ixistructive, and
often cheerful. The afternoon frequently
broTight with it a new set of guests. Tea
was always drank early here; and, as i
have formerly observed, was attended
with so many petty luxuries of pastry,
confectionery, &c. that it might well be
accounted a meal by those whose early and
frugal dinners had so long gcMie by. In

Albany

{ :

the luxury
Dontry offer
'^ Her din-
of some of
r relations;
jre inmates
igers, some-
Uess travel-
'', but often
ationary vi-
or talents,
ciety; and,
with some
the young
lot only to
improving
re was ;il*
ictive, and
frequently
uests. Tea
I and, asi
5 attended
of pastry,
jht well be
e early and
ne by. In
Albany

j^lbany it was cy^tomary, after the he;at
of the day was past, for the young peo-
ple to go i^ parti^^ of ^hree or four, vf,
open carriages, to drink ^ea at an hour
or two*s drivc^ from towt\. The receiv-
ing and entertaintpg this sort pf ^onripany
generally was the province of the younger
part of the faipily j and of tho§e many
camQ, in summer evening?, to the Flats,
when tca> wl^ch was vei;"y early, was over.
The young people, ^nd those who v(ere
older, took their different walks while
Majdiime sat in her portico, engaged in
what migli^ coirpparat}yely be called light
reading, essays, biography, poetry, &c. till
the younger party set out pn ^heir return
home, and her domestic friends rejoiqed.
her in her portico, 'yvhere, in warm even-
ings, a slight repast ^yas sometimes
brought J but they more frequently shared
the last and most truly social meal \vithin.

Winter made little difference in her
ipode of occupying her time. Slie then
always retired to her closet to read at
stated periods.

In conversation she certainly took de-

6 light,

i/*

■l

( soo ) _

light, and peculiarly excelled; yet did not
in the least engross it, or seem to dictate.
On the contrary, her thirst for knowledge
was such, and she possessed such a pecu-
liar talent for discovering the point of uti-
lity in all things, that from every one's
discourse she extracted some information,
on which the light of her mind was
thrown in such a direction, as made it
turn to account. "Whenever she laid down
her book she took up her knitting, which
neither occupied her eyes nor attention^
while it kept her fingers engaged ; thus
setting an example of humble diligence to
her young protegi6es. In this employment
she had a kind of tender satisfaction, as
little children, reared in the family, were
the only objects of her care in this re-
spect. For those, she constantly provided
a supply of hosiery till they were seven
years old ; and, after that, transferred her
attention to some younger favourite. In
her earlier days, when her beloved colonel
could share the gaieties of societv, I have
been told they both had a high relish for
innocent mirth, and every species of hu-
morous.

/itfk

t did not
dictate,
nowledge
li a pecu-
int of uti-
^ery one's
armation,
nind was
made it
aid down
ig, which
attention,
ed ; thus
ligence to
ployment
action, as.
ily, were
a this re-
provided
re seven
rred her
rite. In
i colonel
i, I have
elish for
s of hu-
morous

( 301 )

morous pleasantry ; but in my time there
was a chastened gravity in his discourse,
which, however, did not repulse innocent
cheerfulness, though it dashed all manner
of levity, and that flippancy which great
familiarity sometimes encourages amongst
young people, who live much together.
Had Madame, with the same good sense,
the same high principle, and general be-
nevolence towards young people, lived
in society, such as is to be met with in
Britain, ^ the principle upon which she
acted would have led her to encourage in
such society more gaiety and freedom
of manners. As the regulated forms of
life in Britain set bounds to the ease that
accompanies good breeding, and refine-
ment, generally diffused, supplies the
place of native delicacy, where that is
wanting, a certain decent freedom is both
safe and allowable. But, amid the sim-
plicity of primitive manners, those bounds
are not so well defined* Under these
circumstances, mirth is a romp, and hu-
mour a bufibon ; and both must be kept
within strict limits.

CHAP.

;!!!|

( SQ3 ) , -

CflAP, XXX^.

'^ f-fi

Ofji

.ifjij--;

v/>f'ai;h^J*;i[b

. ;?rJi^ fb* 'v^ Family Details,^ i>^^f-i >>i/'>i '^^

TPJI5 hospitfilities. pi tlik fa»«ly were so
for beyoi]4 th^ir apparent inco«i^,
, that ^11 strangers were astQnish<^d at them.
Tq accQunt f((>r thi?, it wu^t be observed
that, in the first place, there w^iS perh^p^
scarce m instance of ^ fiimily posi5e$s5pg
sv^h iincommonly well-trained, active, and
cKBgept slaves, ^s that whi(:h J 4^ribje.
The set th?it were staid servants wheji
they HR^rried, had sQfpe of thejai die^ off
by the time I knew the family \ but tl>^
{principal roots from whence the many
branches, thefl flourishing, s,p?-ung, yet
rpmain^d* Th?se were two women, who
had come originaUy from Africa while
very young; they were most excellent
servants, and \l\e mother^ or grand-
naothers of the whole set, except one
white-woolled negrp-n^ap j who, in my

• time,

!! (

: ^exe so

i at them,
observed

)osi%e$s5pg
y:lve, md
4e§cTibe.
Its yvhew
i diei off
, but tlj^
le many
ung, yet
lerij ^ho
ca whHo
excellent

:ept one
I, in my
time,

( SOS )

limey sat by the chimney, and made slicx^s
for aH the Ttat. The great prkle and hap-
jwnesa of thes^ sable matrons were, to
bring up their children to dexterity, dili*
gence, amd obediance ; Diana being de»
termined that Maria's children should
not excel hers In any quality, which waa a
recommendation to favour ; and Majria
equally resolved that her brood, in the
race of excellence, should out-strip Diana's.
Never was a more fervent competition.
That of Phillis and Brunetta, in the Spec*
tator, was a trifle to it : and it was ex*-
tremely difficult to decide on their rcr
spective merits; for though Maria's son
Prince cut down wood with more dex-
terity and dispatch than any one in the
province, the mighty Csesar, son of Diana,
cut down wheat, and threshed it, better
than he. His sister Betty, who, to her
misfortune, was a beauty of her kind,
and possessed wit equal to her beauty,
was the best sempstress and laundress, by
far, I have ever known ; and the plain
unpretending Rachel, sister to Prince,
wife to Titus, alias Tyte, and head cook,

dressed

If'!

( 304 ) ^

* ■ *^, ■ I - * ■ "

dressed dinners that might have pleased
Apicius. I record my old humble friends
by their real names, because they allow-
edly stood at the head of their own
class; and distinction of every kind
should be respected. Besides, when the
curtain drops, or indeed long before it
^s, 'tis, perhaps^ more creditable to have
excelled in the lowest parts, than to have
fallen miserably short in the higher. Of
the inferior personages, in this dark
drama I have been characterizing, it
would be tedious to tell : suffice it, that
besides filling up all the lower depart-
ments of the household, and cultivating
to the highest advantage a mo^t ex^
tensive farm, there was a thorough-bred
carpenter and shoe-maker, and an uni-
versal genius who made Canoes, nets^, and
paddles ; shod horses, mended-^ imple-
ments c£ husbandry^ managed the fish-
ing>.ih itself no small department, reared
hemp and tobacco, and spun both ; made
cyder, and tended wild horses, as- they
call them ; which was his province to
manage and to break. For every branch

e pleased
le friends
ey allow-
leir own
iry kind
when the
before it
e to have
a to have
her. Of
[lis dark
[zing, it
e it, that
: depart-
iltivating
no^ ex^
ugh-bred

an uni-
nets> and
i- imple*
the fish-
tj reared
h^y made

as- they

vince to

jr branch

o£

. ( 305 )

s _ * •■ ■ ^ r

of the domestic oeconomy, there was a
person allotted; educated for the pur-
pose ; and this society was kept immacu-
late, in the same way that the quakers
preserve the rectitude of theirs ; and, in-
deed, in the only way that any commu-
nity can be preserved from corruption ;
when a member shewed symptoms of de-
generacy, he was immediately expelled,
or in other words more suitable to this
case, sold. Among the domestics, there
was such a rapid increase, in consequence
of their marrying very early, and living
comfortably without care, that if they
had not been detached oS with the young
people brought up in the house, they
would have swarmed like an over stocked
hive. ■'■^^^■V' '-^ '■'" ' .^ :::'■;

'■f -

^ij-i

^The prevention of crimes was so much
attended to in this well regulated family,
that there was very little punishment ne-
cessary ; none that I ever heard of, but
^iich as Diana and Maria inflicted on their
progeny, with a view to-prevent the dread*
ed sentence of expulsion ; notwithstanding

the

■mi

mamiip

« I

I 4

^}\

C S06 )

the petty riy;ilry between the branches, of
of the t>vQ. origirial stocks. Ijiter-marri-
ages between the Mpiitagues. and Capu-
let§ oftjie ytchen, vyljjph frequently, took,
place, and the,; hfibit of; living, together
under the s^me iT)ild,. though regular go-
vern pfieijt, produced a general cordiality
and affeqtiQi^^ajDpn^ ^1. tlje ineiiibers qi
tl^e family, wijO; M^ere truly ruled by the
IftW of love; and ey^n thpaevyjio occasion-
ally difFfiiiedJ^bout trifles, hadv an ^i^qpnsQi,-
ous a^t^chffieDJ: to eaijh othei:,, whifib.
shewed itself op, all epiprgenci^s. X'^e^ted,
theipselves, with, care j^ij^i g^ntl^ess, they
were carefuU and kind,^ \Kith, regard tp,
the only iDfejiiprs and, de^endaft^s tfe^y
had, the domestic ai^iHiais.: Th^ sujjeripf
personages in the family, had always some
gjpcd. property tp, m.en^pi;>^ ot. ^pp^, saying
to ?Qpeat, of thpsie \yli.orf>, they chienshed
into att;^!Qhm^nt,, aiadf e:f^alt;ed intp i,i?JeUi-
gence;; >^'tile tfe.ey, in, tjlj^eii: turn^, im-
proved the sagacity pf their subject a^ii-
n^lsj. by caxiQSSJijig 3in4 t^kin^ to them,
^et no one la.ugh atjh^;? ; fpjr vvheneye^r
' r . man

inches, of
er-marri-
id Capu-
[>^ly, took,
together
gular go-
cordiality
n^bers Qi
d by the
occasion-

i:, >yhi|:;lx
^;j[;re^te4,
ness, they
•egaxd to.
axijs th^y

suj>eriof
rays some

o^.sayifig
cherished
IQ ii^jejli-
urn, im-
^ect a^i-

to themr
vvheneyeir

•

man

( 307 )i • •

man is at ease andi unsophisticated, where
his native humanity is not e^cttnguished
by want^ or chilied?by oppression, it over*
flows to inferior beings.; and improves
thoir instincts, to a degree incredible to
those! who have not witnessed it; In all
mountainous- countiries^ where man is
more free, mt:>re genuine^ and more di-
vided into little societies widely detached
from others, and much attached to each
other, du? cordiality of sentiment, this
ovecflowi of good, will: takes^ place. The
poet sapy

I << HttinWelov)e,wi<l,notppu^lreawa>. ,
J .. Koeps the dpor of, heaven." ^^

This' questk^n must be left fbr divines to
dietermine; but sure am I that humble
love, and! not proud reason, keeps the door
oF earthly happineorj a^ hr as i% is attain-
able. I am- not g^i'ngi like the admi?^able
CVicht?on, to make an oration in praise of
ignoi'ance ;, but a veisy high degree of re-
fmeu^ent certainly prodU^ses a quickness
of diseernmcnt, a niggard approbation,

and

1 1\

( 308 )

and a fastidiousness of taste, that find a
thousand repulsive and disgusting quali-
ties mingled with those that excite our
admiration, and would (were we less cri-
tical) produce affection. Alas ! that the
tree should so literally impart the know-
ledge of good and evil ; much evil and
little good. It is time to return from this
excursion, to the point from which I set

The Princes and Caesars of the Flats had
as much to tell of the sagacity and attach-
ments of the animals, as their mistress re-
lated of their own. Numberless anecdotes
that delighted me in the last century, I
would recount, but fear I should not find
my audience of such easy belief as I was,
nor so convinced of the integrity of my
informers. One circumstance I must men-
tion, because I v/eH know it to be true.
The colonel had a hovse which he rode oc-
casionally, but which of tener travelled with
Mrs. Schuyler in an open carriage. At par-
ticular times, when bringing home hay or
corn they yoked Wolf, for so he was cal-
led, in a waggon ; an indignity to which,

for

find a
^ quali«
cite our
less cri-
:hat the
; know-
evil and
rom this
ich I set

Flats had
d attach-
stress re-
necdotes
ntury, I
not find
IS 1 was,
r of my
St nien-
be true,
ode oc-
ed with
At par-
hay or
/as cal-
which,
for

( 309 )

for a while, he unwillingly submitted. At
kngth, knowing resistance was in vain,
he had recourse to stratagem ; and when-
ever he saw Tyte marshalling his cavalry
for service, he swam over to the island ;
the umbrageous and tangled border of
which I formerly mentioned: there he
fed with fearless impunity till he saw the
, boat approach ; whenever that happened
he plunged into the thicket, and led his
followers such a chase, that they were
glad to give up the pursuit. When he
saw from his retreat that the work was
over, and the fields bare, he very coolly
returned. Being, by this time, rather
old, and a favourite, the color el allowed
him to be indulged in his dislike to drud-
gery. The mind which is at ease, n ei-
ther stung by remorse, nor goaded by
ambition or other turbulent passions, nor
worn with anxiety for the supi ly of daily
wants, nor sunk into languor Ly stupid
idlejiess, forms attachments and amuse-
ments, to which those exalted by culture
would not stoop, and those crushed by
want and care could not rise. Of this

nature

mmmmm

( 810 ,)

nature was the attachment to tlie tamet
^animals, which the domestics approf^i-
^ted to themselves, and to the) little iaaici-
-ful ^rdiens where they raised herbs Dr
^kuits i>f difficult culture, to sell ^and ^ve
to their friends. Eadi negro was in-
dulged with his racoon, his ^at sxfuirrel,
or musk rat; or perhaps his beaver,
which he tamed and; attached to himsdf,
by daily feeding and caressing him in the
farm*yc!ivi. One -was sure about all such
houses to . find these . animals, in whom
their masters took the highest pleasure.
.'Ail these ;>mali ifeatures of human nature
must not be ; despised for . their mittute-
siess. — ^'o^a good: mind they afford conso-
lation.

Science, directed by wtue, is a god
^ike enlargeiFifient of the powers' ^f human
nature; and sxalted rank is so necessary a
1 finish to the fabric ©f society, and so inva-
riable a resuk from 'its regular establish-
ment, that in respecting those, whom: the
divine wisdom has set jibove us^ we perform
a duty such as we expect from our o^vn
inferiors ; this helps to support the gene-
ral

tiic tamrt

appropii-

ttle ianci-

iieAs Dr

> was 4X1'
Lt scpiirrel,
js beav«r,
to himself ,
him in the
lit all such

in whom
5t pleasure,
nan nature
;ir mittste-

'ord conso-

is a god
of human
necessary a
,d soinva-
X estabUsh-
whom' the
e perform
our o*v'n
[t the gene-
ral

( «ii ) •

ral order of society. But so very few in
proportion to the whole can be enlighten-
ed by science, or exalted by situation,
that a good mind draws comfort from
discovering even the petty enjoyments
permitted to those in the state which we
€(ai8ider' most abject 'and depressed.

AiL;;ti^f>r,.ri f' "i.,-^ ;;,Jj I'r^' .,.. f,>--'r'r"-,

'■'. ' ■; I

':.:Ai nv: ^^ :■<

:) '•'■^'li ■

■J*

» # » ,

r^'' . :•:- ■;? .'^ ', ;':>:/VJ V!.',;} -:'-■}/

^rt

..5 '?

i ■■

vt» ;'i!

C HAP

I *l '

ft t

J-

ii'f'i

!■ 'I

( 512 )

.«»^* *'-]•»'

f -. ' '

ATf if,

n .[}

m^:.^-''u^ '-"u

:•,•'

^i«jfc vvj ij'*

/•^^ .!. •••!.,;:'.,.• vJti/xlr* XXXII* ^ , i i>
Resource of Madame. — Provincial Customs.

V- w-^.*»^^- -i f^ * > ..' ,/ J 4.11* fc fc vi

TT may appear extraordinary, with so mo-
derate an income, as could in those
days be derived even from a considerable
estate in that country, how Madame found
means to support that liberal hospitL^^
which they constantly exercised. I know
the utmost they could derive from their
lands, and it was not much : some mo-
ney they had, but nothing adequate to
the dignity , simple as it was, of their style
of living, and the very large family they
always drew around them. But with re-
gard to the plenty, one might almost call
it luxury, of their table, it was supplied
from a vai'iety of sources, that rendered it
less expensive than could be imagined.
Indians, grateful for the numerous bene -
fits they were daily receiving from them,
were constantly bringing the smaller game,
and, in winter and spring, loads of venison.
'i / • Little

[Customs. '

vith so mo-
d in those
onsiderable

hospVta iiwyj
id. I know
from their
b some mo-
adequate to
)f their style
family they
lut with re-
almost call
as supplied
rendered it
.e imagined.
,erous bene-
from them,
taller game,
lS of venison. |
Little

( 313 ) ^

Little money passed from one hand to
another in the country ; but there was
constantly, as there always is in primitive
abodes, before the age of calculation be-
gins, a kindly commerce of presents. The
people of New York and Rhode-Island,
several of whom were wont to pass a p^ t
of the summer with the colonel's family,
were loaded with all the productions of
the form and river. When they went
home« they again never failed, at the
season, to send a large supply of oysters,
and all other sheU-fish, which at New
York abounded ; besides great quantities
of tropical fruit, which, from the short
run between Jamaica and New York, were
there almost as plenty and cheap, as in
their native soiL Their farm yielded
them abundantly all that in general agri-
' jiture can supply ; and the young rela«
^i'iss who grew up about the house^
were rarely a day without bringing some
provision from the wood or the stream.
The negroes, whose business lay frequently
in the woods, never wiUIngly went there
or any where else, without a gun, and
. VOL. T, f rarely

'f-r ' ,

'I I

( 314 )

rarely came badk empty-handed. Pre^
sents of \vine^ then a very usual thing
to send to friends to whom yoo wish^
to shew a mark of gratitude, came very
often, possibly from the friends of the
young pec^le who were reared and in-
structed in that house of benediction j
as thei^ were no duties paid for the en-
^?"ance of any commodity there, wine,
ru. and sugar, were cheaper than can
easily be imagined ; and in cyder they
abounded. ^' — ^^' • • : ^^^*

The negroes of the three truly united
brothers, not having home employment
in winter, after preparing fuel used to cut
down trees, and carry them to an ad*
joining saw^mili, where, in a very short
time, they made great quantities of planks,
staves, &c which is usually styied lum-
ber, for the West-India market. And
when a ^hip^k^d* of their flour, lumber^
and salted provisions were accumulated,
some relative, for their behoof, freighted
a vessd, and went out to the West-
Indies with itk In this Stygian schooner,
the departure of which was always look-

' . • ed

!iii '

Pre*

al thing

imc very
I oi the

and ift-
edkdon j
it the en-
re, wine,

than can
yder they

uly united
nployment
ised to cut
to an ad-
very short
J of planks,
ty^d ham-
feet. Axid
lumber,
[cumulated,
f, freighted
I the West-
schooner,

^\vay«i look-
ed

{ 315 ) ^

ed forward to with unspeakable horror,
all the stubborn or otherwise unmanage-
able slaves were embarked, to be spld by
way of punishment. This produced such
salutary terror, that preparing the lading
of this fatal vessel generally operated as
a temporary reform at least. When its
cargo was discharged in the West Indies,
it took in a lading of wine, rum, sugar,
coffee, chocolate, and all other West-India
productions, paying for whatever fell
short of the value, and returning to Al-
bany, sold the surplus to their friends,
after reserving to themselves a most li.
beral supply of all the articles so im^
ported. Thus they had not only a pro-
fusion of all the requisites for good house-
keeping, but had it in their power to do
what was not unusual there in wealthy
families, though none carried it so far as
these worthies. - • ' 'I

In process of time, as people multi-
plied, when a man had eight or ten chil-
dren to settle in life, and these marry-
ing early, and all their families increasing
i P 2 fast.

hj'

( S16 ) '

fast, though they always were considered
as equals, and each kept a neat house and
decent outside, yet it might be that some
of them were far less successful than
others, in their various efforts to support
theirfamilies ; but these deficiencies were
supplied in a quiet and delicate way, by
presents of every thing a family required,
sent from all their connexions and ac-
quaintances ; which, where there was a
continual interchange of sausages, pigs,
roasting pieces, &c. from one house to
another, excited little attention: but
when Aunt's West-India cargo, arrived,
all the families of this description within
her reach, had an ample boon sent them
of her new supply. :. iv lu « .

The same liberal spirit animated her
sister, a very excellent person, married
to Cornelius Cuyler, then mayor of Al-
bany ; who had been a most successful
Indian trader in his youth, and had ac-
quired large possessions, and carried on
an extensive commercial intercourse with
the traders of that day, bringing from

i Europe

;onsidered
house and
that some
sful than
to support
incies were
5 way, by
r required,
IS and ac-
lere was a
iages, pigs,
e house to
ition : but
TO. arrived,
tion within
sent them

imated her
In, married
lyor of Al-
It successful
ind had ac-

carried on
•course with

iging from
Europe

( 3)7 )

Europe quantities of those goods that best
suited them, and sending back their
peltry in exchange; he was not only
wealthy, but hospitable, intelligent, and
liberal-minded, as appeared by his at-
tachment to the army, which was, in
those days, the distinguishing feature of
those who in knowledge and candour
were beyond others. His wife had the
same considerate and prudent generosity,
which ever directed the humanity of her
sister; though, having a large family,
she could not carry it to so great an ex-
tent.

If this maternal friend of their mutual
relatives could be said to have a preference
among her own, and her husband's rela-
tions, it was certainly to this family. The
eldest son Philip, who bore lier husband's
name, was on that and other accounts, a
particular favourite ; and was, I think, as
much with them in childhood, as his at-
tention to his edi^i^^ion, which was cer-
tainly the best the ppovinqe coi^id ^qr4»
would permit.

Having become distinguished through

p 3 ail

:V3

li"

( 318 )

all the northern provinces, the common
people, and the inferior class of the mili-
tary, had learned from the Canadians
who frequented her house, to call Aunt,
Madame Schuyler j but by one or other
of these appellations she was universally
known; and a kindly custom prevailed,
for those who were received into any de.
gree of intimacy in her family, to address
her as their aunt, though not in the least
related. This was done oflener to her
than others, because she excited more re^
spect and affection ; but it had in some
degree the sanction of custom. The A^
banians were sure to call each other aunt
or cousin, as far as the most strained con-
struction would carry those relations. To
strangers they were indeed very shy at first,
but extremely kind ; when they not only
proved themselves estimable, but by a con-
descension to their customs and acquiring
a smattering of their language,, ceased to be
strangers, then they were in a manner adopt-
ed ; ibr the first seal of cordial intimacy

among thd yoyng people was to call each

,._.., ^^...,.- ....... .-,.. ,-.. . other

common

the mili-
::anacHans
:all Aunt,
or other
mivcrsally
prevsdled,
ito any de-
to address
[n the least
ner to her
id more re^
ad in some
The AU
other aunt
irained con-
llations. To
shy at first,
.ey not only
►ut by a con-
id acquiring
ceased to be
inner adopt-
i^l intimacy
to call each
other

> ( 319 )

Other cousin ; and thus in an hour of
playful or tender intimacy I have known
it more than once begin : " I think
" you like me well enough, and I am
" sure I like you very well ; come,
" why should not we be cousins ? I am
" sure I should like very well to be your
" cousin, for I have no cousins of my
** own where 1 can reach them. Well,
** then you shall be my cousin for ever
" and ever.'* In this uncouth language,
and in this artless manner, were these
leagues of amity commenced. Such an
intimacy was never formed unless the ob^
ject of it were a kind of favourite with
the parents, who immediately commenced
uncle and aunt to the new cousin. This,
however, was a high privilege, only to
be kept by fidelity and good conduct.
If you exposed your new cousin's faults,
or repeated her minutest secrets, or by
any other breach of constancy lost fa-
vour, it was as bad as refusing a chal-
lenge ; you were coldly received every
where, and could never regain your
looting in society, i'^^ ' ' ^"'". ' ;

Aunt's

■nH

'11

I I

i , I'

{ ^20 )

Aunt's title, however, became current:
every where, and was most completely
confirmed in the year 17^0 when she
gave with more than common solemnity
a kind of annual feast, at which the cO"
lonel's two brothers, and sisters, Aunt's
sister, Mrs.. Cornelius Cuyler, and their
families, with several other young people
related to them assembled. It was not
given on a stated day, but at the time
when most of these kindred could be coU
lected. This year I have often heard my
good friend commemorate, as that on which
their fa^mily stock of happiness felt the first
diminution. The feast was made, and at-
tended by all the collateral branches, con^
sisting of fifty-two, who had a claim by
marriage or descent, to call the colonel und
my friend uncle and aunt, besides their pa-
rents. Among these were reckoned thre«
or four grandchildren of their brothers.
At this grand gali there could be no less
than sixty perj»ons, but many of t Jiem were
doomed to meet no more j fojc the uext
yeaJT the sroall-po^t, alwayspecuUarly mortal
here, (where it was imprpperly tr^^ted in
'.,1 the

curr«n^
impletely
rhen she
iolemnity
h the CO'
s, Aunt's
ind their
mg people
: was not
t the time
uld be col-
beard my
It on which
elt the first
.de, and at^
nches, con*
a claim by
Icolonel und
^es their pa-
oned thre«
r brothers,
be no less
them were
[pjr the next
rlymortal
treated in
the

( 321 )

the old manner,) broke out with great
virulence, and raged like a plague ; but
none of those relatives whom Mrs. Schuy-
ler had domesticated suffered by it ; and
the skill which she had acquired from the
communications of the military surgeons
who were wont to frequent her house,
enabled her to administer advice and assist-
ance, which essentially benefited many of
the patients in whom she was particularly
interested; though even her influence
could not prevail on people to have re-
course to inoculation. The patriarchal
feast of the former year, and the hu-
mane exertions of this, made the colonel
and his consort appear so much in the
light of public benefactors, that all the
young regarded them with a kind of
filial reverence, and the addition of un-
cle and aunt was become confirmed and
univf^rsal, and was considered as an hono-
rary distinction. The ravages which the
small -pox made this year among their
Mohawk friends, was a source of deep
concern to these revered philanthropists ;
but this was an evil not to be remedied

"Tfrn

i|:

11 •

i 4

< «33 )

by any ordinary loetnfi. These people, »
has been already remarked^ being accus«
tQmed from ear)^ childhood to anoint
themselv«a| with bear's grease, to repel
the innuiHerable tribes of noxiout insects
in summer, and to exclude the extreme
cold in winter, their pores are so comw
pletely shut up, that the small.p(^ does
not rjise upon them^ nor have they^ much
chahce of recovery from any acute dis*
easef but, excepting the £svtal infection
already mentioned, tl^^y are not subject
to any other than the rheumatism, unless
in very rare instances. The ravages ^
disease this year operated on their popu-
lation as a blow, which it never recover-
ed; and [they considered the small^pox
in a physical, and the use of strong liquors
in a moral sense, as two plagues whi^h we
had introduced among them, for which
our arts, our friendship, and even our reli-
gion, were a very inadequate recompense.

'il'Hl

'tta^v i'iui Sij^u >-OCi iaiJiij;'

cnub 1^^^ OF THE FIRST VOLtf ME. ^^iloM

t^Wta

I03

h'j I L' J I n V ^' ^"^y""' Printer, . . ^^

: , Bridge Street. Blackfriars. London.

!jiiti,i;

ww^^"^wlij»ll

sople, as
jT accus«
anoitit
to repel
I insects
extreme

so conv*
K^ does
ey much
cute (U$-
iofectioa
t subject
n, unlesff
.vages ^
eir pop«-

recover-
small^pox
g liquors
ivhi^h we
or which

our reli-
;ompen5e.

ME. £10^^

r ♦.■ -^

* 7^12

*■ ^ii^.