IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I! toJM |2.5 |jo ■^™ H^H 1 ^ 112.0 12.2 iM L25 ||.4 llll'-^ 4 6" - 1» Photographic Sciences Corporation ^^ <^ \\ [N^ ^'XW^ ^4fS 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) 872-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical IVIicroreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notat/Notas tachniquas at bibliographiquat Tha Instituta has attamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availabia for filming. Faaturaa of thii copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua. which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha raproduction, or which may aignificantly changa tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow. Colourad covars/ Couvartura da coulaur I I Covars damagad/ D D D Couvartura andommagia Covars rastorad and/or lamlnatad/ Couvartura rastaurAa at/ou palliculAa Covar titia missing/ La titra da couvartura manqua Colourad maps/ Cartas gAographiquas en coulaur Colourad inic (i.a. othar than blua or blacic)/ Encra da coulaur ii.a. autra qua blaua ou noira) r~n Colourad platas and/or illustrations/ D Planchas at/ou illustrations an coulour Bound with othar matarial/ Rali6 avac d'autres documants Tight binding may causa shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La reliure sarrie paut causar da I'ombra ou da la distortion la long da la marga intAriaura BInnk laavas added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutAes lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans la taxte. mais, lorsque cela dtait possible, ces pages n'ont pas At6 filmAes. Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplAmentaires: L'lnstitut a microfilm* la meilleur exemplaira qu'il lui a At4 possible da se procurer. Les details da cet exempldire qui aont paut-itre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image .'aproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mAthoda normala de filmaga sont indiqute ci-dessous. |~~1 Colourad pages/ D Pages de couieur Pages damaged/ Pages endommag6as Pages restored and/oi Pages rastaurias at/ou pelliculAes Pages discoloured, stained or foxei Pages dAcolories, tachatAes ou piqutas Pages detached/ Pages dttachias Showthroughy Transparence Quality of prir Quality inigala de I'impresslon Includes supplementary materii Comprend du material supplimantaire Only edition available/ Seule 6dition disponible |~~| Pages damaged/ I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ r~n Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ I I Pages detached/ r~71 Showthrough/ r~~j Quality of print varies/ I I Includes supplementary material/ r~~| Only edition available/ Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible imaga/ Les pages totalement ou par Jellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6x6 filmtes 6 nouveau de fagon A obtanir la meilleure image possible. This Item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiqu* ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X »X tm^^^ j_ 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X ils lu lifiar ne age The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: D. B. Woldon Library Univoraity of Western Ontario The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. L'exemplaire filmi fut reproduit grflce d la g6n6rosit6 de: D. B. Weldon Library University of Western Ontario Las images suivantes ont 6x6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin. compte tenu de la condition e: de la netteti de l'exemplaire fiimd, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. AM other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimie sont fiimis en commen9ant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, seion le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont fiSm6s en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la oernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. The las:, recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol -^^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de chaque microfiche, seion le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE". le symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top ^o bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film^s k des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul ciich6, il est filmd d partir de I'angle supdrieur gaucl.a, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthotie. sta lure. : 2X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 6 6 1 I I », .»!■ . A TEEATISE ON THE SIX-NATION INDIANS. ^ .V ^ ■/ , < By J. B. MACKENZIE. . I TORONTO : GUARDIAN PRINTING OFFICE, No. 15 COURT STREET. 1882. ..^^j:--r^^:-V;i . ,., K-r r'- ^:-?;^Sf't^^^% ff'-;",V*.' • ".\l«™f'!«i, I •^' (Page 28^Une8 T-9.) It has seemed to me that it was not quite ingenuous in myself to attribute to the Indian writer in question (Rev. Peter Jones), the reflection on his countrymen, obviously conveyed in my expression, "discovering in him such in- dwelling monsteKi as revenge, mercilessness, implacability." That writer's position, more fairly apprehended, is this : That, while confessing these to be blots on the Indian nature, in the abstract, he yet seeks to fasten them on rnany whites as well. '• v" f4' ■B^j^w^^fr n. w" " ;> A TEEATISE ON THE SIX-NATION INDIANS By J. B. MACKENZIE. c c I r 4 TORONTO : G[ARniAN PRINTING OFFICE, No. 15 COURT STRKET, 1882. d V c iy5'>0H PREFACE. The little production presented in these pages was designed for, and has been used as, a lecture; and I have wished to preserve, without emendation, the form and character of the lecture, as it was delivered. J. B. M. C I I i A TREATISE ON TIlK SIX NATION INDIANS Introductory. As knowledoe of the traditions, manners, and national traits of the Indians, coniposin.., orio-i„a]ly, the SIX distinct and independent tribes of the Mohawks, Tuscaroras, Ononda^as, Seneeas, Oneidas and Cayugas ; tribes now merged in, and known as,' the J^ix Nations, possibly, does not extend beyond the immediate district in which they have effected a odgment, I have laid upon myself the task of tracino- their history from the date of their settlement in the County of Brant, entering, at the same time, upon such accecjsory treatment as would seem to be naturally suggested or embraced by the plan I have set before me As the essay, therefore, proposes to deal, mainly, with the contemporary history of the Indian, little "will be said of his accepted beliefs, at an earlier epoch, or of the then current practices built upon, and enjoined by his traditionary faith. Frequent visits to the Indian's £ 6 Reservation, on the south bank of the Grand River, have put me in tlie way of ac(iuiring oral data, wliich shall subserve my intention ; and 1 shall prosecute my attempt with the greater hope of reaping a fair measure of success, since I have fortified my position with gleanings (bearing, however, solely on minor matters of fact) fron? some few publislied records, which have to do with the history of the Indian, generally, aiid have been the fruitful labour of authors of repute and standing, native as well as white. Should the issue of failure attend upon my effort, I shall be disposed to ascribe it to some not obscure reason connected with literary style and execution, rather than to the fnct of there not having been ader^uate material at hand for the purpose. The Indian's Conditions of Settlement. The conditions which govern the Indian's occupa- tion of his Reserve are, probably, so well known, that any extended reference under this head will be need- less. He ceded the whole of his land to the Government, this comprising, originally, a tract which pursued the entire length of the Grand River, and, accepting it as the radiating point, extended up from either side of the river for a distance of six miles, to embrace an area of that extent. The Government required the proprietary right to the land, in the event of their either desiring to maintain public highways through it themselves, or that they might be in a position to sanction, or acquiesce in, its use or expropriation by Railway Corporations, for the running' of their roads ; or for other national or general purposes. 'I'he surrender on the part of the Indian was not, however, an absolute one, there having been a reservation that he should have a Reservation, of adequate extent, and the fruit of the tillinor of which he should enjoy as an inviolable privilege. As regards the money-consideration for this land, the Government stand to the Indian in the relation of Trustees, accounting for, and apportioning to, him, through the agency of their officer and appointee, the Indian Superintendent, at so much ^>er capita of the population, the interest arising out of the investment of such money. Sales of lands among themselves are permissible ; but these, for the most part, narrow themselves down to cases where an Indian, with the possession of a good lot, of fair extent, and with a reasonable clearing, vested in him, leaves it, to pursue some cf^Jling, or follow some trade, amongst the whites ; and treats, perhaps, with some younger Indian, who, disliking the pioneer work involved in taking up some uncultured place for himself, and preferring to make settlement on the comparatively well cultivated lot, buys it. The Government, also, allow the Indian, though as a matter of sufferance, or, in other words, without bringing the law to bear upon him for putting in practice what is, strictly speaking, illegid, to rent to a white the lot or lots on which he may be located, and to receive the rent, without sacrifice or alienation of his interest-money. i r 5 m 55 8 Continued non-residence entails upon the non- resident the forfeiture of his interest. The Indian is, of course, a minor in the eye of the law, a feature of his estate, with the disabilities it involves, I shall dwell upon more fully at a later stage. Should the Indian intermarry with a white woman, the receipt of his interest-allowance is not affected or disturbed thereby, the wife coming in, as well, for the benefits of its bestowal ; but should, on the other hand, an Indian woman intermarry with a white man, such act compels, as to herself, acceptance, in a capital- ized sum, of her annuities for a term of ten years, with their cessation thereafter ; and entails upon the possible issue of the union absolute forfeiture of interest-money. In any connection of the kind, however, that may be entered into, the Indian woman is usually sage and provident enough to marry one, whose hold upon worldly substance will secure her the domestic ease and comforts, of which the non-receipt of her interest would tend to deprive her. Should the eventuality arise of the Indiar woman dying before her husband, the latter must quit the place, which was hers only conditionally, though the Indian Council will enter- tain a reasonable claim from him, to be recouped for any possible outlay he may have made for im- provements. The Government confer upon the Indian the privi- lege of a resident medical officer, w lio is paid by them, and whose duty it is to attend, without expectation of fee or compensation of any kind, upon the sick. His relation, however, to the Government is not so defined as to prechide his acceptance of fees from whites resident on the Resei've, provided the advice be sought at his ofi^ice. The Government, probably, being well aware of the stress of work under which their medical appointee chronically labours, and appreciat- ing the conse([uent unlikelihood of this privilege being exercised to the prejudice of the Indian, have not, as yet, shorn him of it. Another privilege that the Indian enjoys, and which was granted to him by enactment subsei{uent to that which assured to him his Reserve, is that of transit at half-fare rates on the different railroads. This is a right which he neither despises, nor, in anyway, affects to despise, since it meets, and is suited to, his common condition of slender and straitened means. The moderate charge permits him to avail frequently of the privilege at seasons (which comprehend, in truth, the greater portion of the year) when the roads are almost unfit for travel, the Indian, as a rule, going in for economy in locomotive exercise (so my judgment and of the Onondagas, respectively, of commencing and closing discussion, very explicable. I believe, how- ever, that the principle of kinship subsisting between the tribes, the Chiefs of which are thus singled out for these duties, governs, in some way, the practice adopted ; and am led, also, to imagine that exceptional functions, in other matters as well, vest in these Chiefs ; and that they enjoy, in general, precedence over the Chiefs of the other tribes. The Chiefs in Council take cognizance of the inter- nal concerns, and control and administer, generally^ the internal afiairs, of the community. There are often special and extraordinary deliberations of the body, which involve discussion upon points that transcend the operation of the Indian Acts, and require the Government to be represented ; and, in these cases, the Indian Superintendent, whose pre- sence is necessary to confer validity on any measure passed, is the presiding officer. As mention is made here of the Superintendent, or, ■i; 12 < K as his title runs in full, the Visiting Superintendent and Commissioner, it will be opportune now to define his powers, so far as I understand them. - It may be said, in general, that he exercises super- visory power over everything that concerns the well- being and interests of the Indian. By the representa- tions made by him to the Government in his reports (and by those, of course, who hold the like office in other Indian districts) has been initiated nearly every law, or amendment to a law, which the pages of the Indian Acts disclose. He will often watch (though in his commission no obligation, I believe, rests upon him to do this) the trial of an Indian, where some one of the graver crimes is involved, that he may, perchance, arrive at the impelling cause for its perpetration. This may have had its origin, perhaps, in the criminal's having over- indulged in drink, or in his having resigned himself to some immoral bent ; or it may have been connected, generally, with some deluging of the community with immorality. If, haply, the origin of the crime be traced, the Superintendent embodies in his report a recom- mendation looking to a change in the law, which shall tend to suppress and control the evil. If there be indication that a particular order of crime prevails, or that, unhappily, some new departure in its melancholy category is being practised, it will, again, be his place to represent the situation to the Government, to the end that a healthier state of things may be brought about. He is authorized, in certain cases, to make ad- vances on an individual Indian's account, and, also, on 13 in no \ the aver ^e at have ver- self cted, with ced, om- hall be s, or |holy lace the ght ad- ), on the general account, where some emergency affecting the entire tribe arises, such as a failure of the crops, confronting the Indian with the serious, and, but for this Governmental provision, insuperable, difficulty of finding the outlay for seeding for the next season's operations. It is customary for the Superintendent to attend important examinations of the Indian schools, that he may have light upon the pupils' progress, and may report accordingly. Where an occurrence of unusual moment in the history of any of the Churches takes place ; the pro- jecting, perhaps, of some fresh spiritual campaign amongst the Indians ; or one, marking some specially auspicious event, he will often lend his presence, with the view to enlightenment as to the spiritual state of his charges. I have already said, that through the agency of the Superintendent, the Indian receives his interest- money, and it may, perhaps, be interesting to detail the manner in which this is usually drawn. The tribes are told off for this purpose, and, I believe, certain other purposes, into a number of bands; and a given day is set (6r7 perhaps, three or four days are assigned) whereon the members of a particular band shall be privileged to draw. If the drawing of the money be not marked by that expedition which the plan is designed to secure, but rather suggests that there are a number of stragglers yet to come forward to exercise their right, the turn of another band comes, and so on, the straggling ones of each band being treated with last. 14 r\- It is usual for the head of each family to draw for himself and his domestic circle. The present incumbent of the Superintendent's oflfice is a gentleman of fine parts, and one who has striven, during a term of nearly twenty years, with tact and ability, to conserve the interests of the Indian. Speak- ing of tact, the Indian character exacts a large display of it from one whose relation to him is such as that which the Superintendent occupies, his overseer and, to a large extent, his mentor. There have been outcries against his course in some matters, though these have been indulged in only by a small section ; but the Indian chafes under direction, and is, for the most part, a chronic grumbler; and his discontent frequently finds expression in delegations to the Government, which, though they may be planned with the view of vent- ilating some grievance, are more generally conceived of by him in the light of happy expedients for giving play to his oratory, or for setting about to establish his pre- tensions to eminence in that regard, in a somewhat exacting quarter; or, mayhap, for conveying to the powers that be, by palpable demonstration, the fact of his continued existence, and more, of his continued dissatisfied existence. But to return to the Council. Where complaint of irregular dealing is preferred by either party to a trans- fer or sale of real estate, it comes within the scope of the Chiefs jowers to decree an equitable basis upon which such transfer or sale shall henceforward be viewed, and carried out. The jurisdiction of the Chiefs also ranges over such matters as the consider- 15 1 ing of applications from members of the various tribes for licensing the sale to whites of timber, stone, or other valuable deposit, with which the property of such applicants may be enriched; and they likewise treat with applications for relief from members of the tribes, whom physical incapacity debars from earning a living, or who have been reduced to an abject state of poverty and indigence; and have authority to sup- plement the interest-annuities of such, should they see fit, with suitable amounts. The silent adjudging of a question is something ab- horrent to the genius of the Indian, and is in reality unknown. Dishonouring thus the custom, he can grandly repudiate the contemptuous epithet of " voting machine," so unsparingly directed against, and pitilessly fastening upon, certain ignoble legislators among our- selves. The manner of proceeding that obtained with the Ojibways was somewhat different from the practice I have detailed, and I allude to it now, because the tribe of the Delawares, who are now treated as an ofF-shoot of the Oneidas, and are merged with their kin in the Six Nations, belonged origin- ally to the Ojibways. With them the decision was come to according to the opinions expressed by the majority of the speakers — a plan resolving itself into the system of a show of hands (or a show of tongues, which shall it be ?) it having been cus- tomary for all who proposed to pass upon a measure to speak as well. The issue upheld by the greater number of hands shown, naturally, as with us, suc- ceeded. Where a measure, in the progress of discussion. t c. I r r J 4 I Ci 16 proved unpopular, it was dropped, an arrangment which should convoy a wise hint to certain bodies I wot of. It will be readily gathered from what has been said, that the method of voting, in order to establish what is the judgment of the greater number, does not prevail with the Indian Councils. His Oratory. As it is at his meetings of Council, and during the dis- cussions that are there provoked, that the Indian's powers of oratory come, for the most part, into play, and secure their freest indulgence, that will appropri- ately constitute my next head. We are permitted to adjudge the manner and style of the Indian's oratory, whether they be easy or strained ; graceful or stiff; natural or affected; and we may, like- wise, discover, if his speech be flowing or hesitating ; but it is denied to us, of course, to appreciate in any degree, or to appraise his utterances. I should say the Indian fulfils the largest expectations of the most exact- ing critic, and the highest standard of excellence the critic may prescribe, in all the branches of oratory that may (with his province necessarily fettered) fitly engage his attention, or be exposed to his hostile shafts. The Indian has a marvellous control over facial ex- pression, and this, undeniably, has a powerful bearing upon true, effective, heart-moving oratory. Though his spoken language is to us as a sealed book, his is a mobility of countenance that will translate into, and expound by, a language shared by universal humanity, diverse mental emotions; and assure, to the grasp of 17 h his is a and Lnity, 3p of universal human ken, the import of those emotions; that will express, in turn, fervor, pathos, humor; that, to find its completest purpose of unerringly revealing each passion, alternately, and for the nonce, swaying the human breast, will traverse, as it were, and compass, and range over the entire gamut of human emotion. The Indian's grace and aptness of gesture, also, in a measure, bespeak and proclaim commanding oratory. The power, moreover, which with the Indian resides in mere gesture, as a medium for disclosing and laying bare the thoughts of his mind, is truly remarkable. Observe the Indian interpreter in Court, while in the exercise of that branch of his duty which requires that the evidence of an English-speaking witness or, at all events, that portion of it which would seem to in- culpate the prisoner at the bar, or bear upon his crime, shall be given to him in his own tongue ; and, having been intent upon getting at the drift of the testimony, as it has fallen at first-hand from the witness' lips, mark how dexterously the interpreter brings gesture and action into play, wherever the narration involves unusual incident or startling episode, provoking their use ! What a reality and vividness does he not throw in this way, into the whole thing! It records, truly, a triumph of mimetic skill. Again, the opportune ges- ture used by the Indian in enforcing his speaking must seem so patent, in the light of the after-revela- tion by the interpreter, that we can scarcely err in confiding in it as a valuable aid in adjudging his quali- ties of oratory. We are, often, indeed, put in posses- B c; m Ml 18 sion of the facts, in anticipation of the province of the interpreter, who merely steps in, with his more perfect key, to confirm our preconceived interpre- tation. It may be contended by some gainsayer, that the Indian vocabulary, being so much less full and rich than our own, gesture and action serve but to cover up dearth of words, and are, in truth, well-nigh the sum of the Indian's oratory; a judgment which, while, per- haps, conceding to the Indian honour as a pantomimist, denies him eminence as a true orator. This may or may not be an aptly taken objection, yet I have no hesi- tation in assigning the Indian high artistic rank in these regards, and would fain, indeed, accept him as a prime educator in this important branch of oratory. The attention of his hearers, which an Indian speaker of recognized merit arrests and sustains, also lends its woight to substantiate his claim to good oratory ; unless, indeed, the discriminating faculties of the hearers be greatly at fault, which would caution us not to esteem this the guide to correct judgment in the matter that it usually forms. The Indian enlivens his speaking with frequent humorisms, and has, I should say, a finely -developed humorous side to his character ; and, if the zest his hearers extract from allusions of this nature be not inordinate or extravagant, or do not favor a false or too indulgent estimate, I would pronounce him an excessively entertaining, as well as a vigorous, speaker. There are in the Indian tongue no very complex rules of grammar. This being so, the Indian, pursuing the study of oratory, needs not to undertake the 19 his )e not Ise or m an aker. nplex suing 3 the mastery of unelastic and difficult rules, like those which our own languai^e comprehends ; or to acquire correct models of grammatical construction for his guidance; and, being fairly secure against his accuracy in these regards being impeached by carping critics, even among his own brethren, can better and more readily uphold a claim to good oratory than one of ourselves, whose government, in speaking, by strict rules of grammar is essential, and whom ignorance or contempt of those rules would betray into solecisms in its use, which would attract unsparing criticism, and, indeed, be fatal to his pretensions in this direction. His Physical Mien and Chakactkristics^. It will be interesting, perhaps, to notice the par- ticulars, as to physical conformation, in which the Indian differs from his white brother. He maintains a higher average as to height, to fix which at five feet ten would, I think, be a just estimate. It is rare, however, to find him attain the exceptional stature, quite commonly observed with the white, though, where he yields to the latter in this respect, there is compensation for it in the way of greater breadth and compactness. There are, of course, isolated cases, in which he is distinguished by as great height as has ever been reached by ordinary man, and, in these instances, I have never failed to notice that his form discloses almost faultless propor- tions, the Indian being never ungainly or gaunt. I think, on the whole, that I do no injustice to the Q 20 white man, when I credit the Indian with a better- knit frame than himself. I am disposed to ascribe, in great measure, the evolving of the erect form that the Indian, as a rule, possesses, to the custom in vogue of the mother carry- ing her child strapped across the back, as well as to the fact of her discouraging and interdicting any attempts at walking on the part of the child, until the muscles shall have been so developed as to justify such being made. To this practice, at least, I am safe in attributing the rarity, if not the positive absence, with the Indian, of that unhappy condition of bow- leggedness, of not too slight prevalence with us, and which renders its victim often a butt for not very charitable or approving comment. The Indian is built more, perhaps, for fleetness than strength ; and his litheness and agility will come in, at another place, for their due illustration, when treating of certain of his pastimes. The Indian has a large head, high cheek bones, in general, large lips and mouth ; a contour of face inclining, on the whole, to undue breadth, and lacking that pleasantly-rounded appearance so characteristic of the white. He has usually a scant beard, his chin and cheeks seldom, if ever, asserting that sturdy and bountiful growth of whisker and moustache, in such esteem with adults among ourselves, and which they are so careful to stimulate and insure. Indeed, it is said that the Indian holds rather in contempt what we so complacently regard, and will often testify to his 21 !S, m face king 'istic chin and such they it is it we his scorn by plucking out the hairs which protrude, and would fain lend themselves to his adornment. The Indian, normally, has a stolid expression, redeon ed slightly, perhaps, by its exchange often for a lugubrious one. I should feel disposed to predict for him the scoring of an immense success in the per- sonation of such characters as those of the melancholy Dane ; or of Antonio, in the Merchant of Venice, after the turn of the tide in his fortunes, when the venge- ful figure of the remorseless Shylock rests upon his life to blight and to afflict it. He is easily moved to tears, though, perhaps, his facile transition from the condition presented in the foregoing allusion, into a positively lachrymose state, will be readily conceived of, without proclaiming> specially, the fact. He will maintain a mien, which shall consist eminently with the atmosphere of the house of mourning ; in truth, as an efficient mourner, the Indian may be freely depended upon. It is contended that the complexion of the Indian has had the tendency to grow darker and darker, from his having inhabited smoky, bark wigwams, and having held cleanliness in no very exceptional honor; and the contention is sought to be made good by the citing of a case of a young, fair-skinned boy, who, taking up with an Indian tribe, and adopting in every particular their mode of life, developed by his seventieth year a com- plexion as swarthy, and of as distinctively Indian a hue, as that of any pure specimen of the race. If we accept this as a sound view, which, however, carried to its logical sequence, should have evolved, o;ae c: '. 22 I would imagine, the negro out of the Indian long ere this, why may we not, in the way of argument, fairly and legitimately provoked by the theory, look for and consider the converse picture (now that the Indian lives in much the same manner as the ordinary poor hus- bandman, and now that we have certainly no war- rant for imputing to him uncleanly habits) the gradual approach in his complexion to the Anglo-Saxon type ? If we entertain this counter-proposition, it will then be a question between its operation, and his marriage with the white, as to which explains the fact of the decline now of the dark complexion with the Indian. The custom of piercing the nose, and suspending nose-jewels therefrom, has fallen into disrepute, the Indian, perhaps, having been brought to view these as contributing, in a questionable way, to his adornment. The Indian woman has a finer development, as a rule, than the white woman. We may, in part, dis- cover the cause for this in the prevalence of the custom, already alluded to, of the mother carrying her off- spring on her back, which, with its not undue strain on the dorsal muscles, no doubt, 'promotes and con- serves muscular strength. The Indian woman being commonly a wife and mother before a really full maturity has been reached, or any absolute unyielding- ness of form been contracted, the figure yet admits of such-like beneficent processes being exerted upon it. In making mention of this custom, and, in a certain way, paying it honor, let me not be taken as wishing to precipitate a revolution in the accepted modes, with refined communities, of bringing up children. To a 23 iient. as a , dis- stom, off- train con- eing full jding- mits it. rtain hing with To a Ion community, however, like that of which we are treat- ing, such plan is not ill-suited, the Indian mother being secure against any very critical observation of her acts, or of the fashion she adopts. Let the custom, then, continue, as it can be shown, I think, to favour the production of a healthier and stronger frame both in the mother and in the child. A 2:ood fiofure is also insured to the Indian woman, from her contemning, perhaps at the bid of necessity, arising from her poverty, though, 1 verily believe, from a well-grounded conception of their deforming tendencies, the absurdly irrational measures, which, adopted by many among ourselves to promote symmetry, only bring about distortion. The Indian has very symmetrical hands, and the variation in size, in this respect, in the case of the two sexes, is often very slight, and, sometimes, scarce to be traced. The compliment, in the case of the man, has, and is meant to have, about it a quite appreciable tinge of condemnation, as suggesting his self-compassionate re- coiling from manual exertion ; and the explanation of the near approach in the formation of the hand of the woman to that of the man, may be found in the dele- gating to her, by the latter, in unstinted measure, and in merciless fashion, work that should be his. It is rare, also, to find a really awkwardly shaped foot in an Indian. The near conformit}^ to a uniform size in the case of the two sexes, which I have noticed as being peculiar with the hand, may also be observed with the foot. I would sum up my considerations here with the confident assertion that the examination of a num- •■'' III I C %. C: 24 ber of specimens of the hand or foot in an Indian, would demonstrate a range in size positively imma- terial. The Indian woman keeps up, to a large extent, the practice of wearing leggings and moccasins. I should be disposed to think that the blood cours-* ing through the Indian's frame is of a richer consis- tency, and has, altogether, greater vitalizing properties than that in ourselves, since on the severest day in winter he will frequently scorn any covering beyond his shirt, and the nether garments usually suggested by its mention, and, so apparelled, will not recoil from the keenest blast. I His Chiefs and their Functions. The dignity of a chief comes to the holder through the principle of hereditary succession, confined to, and operating only with, certain families. In the case of the death (^ one of these chiefs, the distinction and powers he enjoyed devolve upon his kinsman, though not necessarily upon the next of kin. The naming and appointing of a successor, and the adjudicating upon- the point as to whether he fulfils the qualifications esteemed necessary to maintain the dignity of the chief- ship, are confided to the oldest woman of the tribe, thus deprived by death of one of its heads. She has a certain latitude in choosing, and, so long as she respects in the selection of her appointee, the principle of kinship to the dead chief (whether this be proxi- mate or remote is immaterial) her appointment is approved and confirmed. 25 dian, nma- t, the •ours-' onsis- lerties lay in eyond ted by from irough io, and ase of pn and lough ig and upon ations chief- tribe, 3 has a ispects pie of proxi- ent is The chiefs are looked upon as the heads or fathers of the tribe, and they rely, to a large extent, for their influence over the tribe, upon their wisdom, and eminence generally in qualities that excite or coir^pel admiration or regard. In an earlier period of the history of fche Indian communities, wTien theii forests were astir with the demon of war, eligibility for the chief ship contemplated in the chief the conjoining of bravery with wisdom, and these were the keynote to his power over his people. He, by manifesting on occasion, these desirable traits, had his followers' confidence confirmed in his selection ; upheld those followers' and his own traditions; and often assured his tribe's pre-eminence. The chief, in addition, by bringing these qualities to bear in any contact or treaty with a hostile tribe, compelled in a sense the recognition by his enemies of the prestige and power of his entire following. Hospitality was also con- sidered a desirable trait in the chief, who, while habitually dispensing it himself, strove (having his endeavors distinctly seconded by the advocacy of the duty enforced in the kindly precepts of the old sages of the tribe) to dispose the minds of his followers to entertain a perception of the happy results which would How to themselves by their being inured to its practice, the expanding of the heart, and the ofl'ering of a vent to the unselfish side of their nature. If the chief do not, in the main, conserve the qualities that are deemed befitting in the holder of the chief - ship ; or if he originate any measure which finds popu- lar disfavour, his power with the people declines. v., I » c ! I ■" ■ 26 ■ '■■■■ !,. A number of the chiefs have supplementary func- tions, conferred upon them by their brother digni- taries. There is, for example, one called the Forest- Ranger, whose place it is to interpose for the effectual prevention and checking of sales of timber to whites, by members of the different tribes ; or removal by whites of timber from the Reserve, where a license, which suffers either to be done, has not been granted. In cases where an Indian meditates, in a spirit of lofty contempt for the license, any such illicit sale; or attempts to abet any such unlawful removal, this func- tionary has authority to frustrate both objects. The chief who, at present, fulfils these duties has not been permitted to hold barren or dormant powers. In putting into effect that interference which his office exacts of him, he has been more than once terribly assaulted by whites, foiled in their plans, and exas- perated by the agenc}^ that had stepped in for the baffling of their ill-formed designs. On one occasion, his death was all but brought about by a cruelly con- certed attack upon him. Certain other chiefs are called Fire-keepers, though their functions are not in any way suggested by their rather remarkable title. They are, however, very im- portant persons, and I have already, in treating of the Indian's meetings of Council, touched upon their duty. I believe the name Fire-keeper is retained from the circumstance that, in by-gone days, when the council was an open-air affair, the lighting of the fire was the initiatory step, and, taken in this way, therefore, the most important step, in the proceedings. 27 func- ligni- Drest- ictual hites, al by- cense, in ted. ' lof fcy le; or func- las not ■s. In 5 office ^rribly exas- or the casion, y con- ihougli their ^ry irn- ot' the duty. >m the council ras the Ire, the Another chief is called Marshal, and it is incumbent upon him to co-operate with the officers of the law in effecting the capture of any suspected criminal or criminals, who may lie concealed, or be harbored, on the Reserve. He is a duly (jualilied county constable, though hh services are not often in request, as the Chief of Police in Brantford, whose place it is to direct the way in which crimes (committed, of course, in the city) shall be ferreted out, or their authors tracked, usually confides in his own staff" to promote these desirable purposes, from the fact of their accounta- bility to him being well defined, whereas the county constable yields no obedience to him. His Character, Moral and General. It is often claimed for the Indian that, before the white man put him in the way of a freer indulgence of his unhappy craving for drink, he was as moral a being as one unrenewed by Divine grace could be expected to be. Unfortunately, this statement in- volves no definition of what might be considered moral, under the circumstances. Now, there will be disagreeing estimates of what a moral character, upon which there has been no descent of heavenly grace, or where grace has not supervened to essay its re- creation, or its moulding anew, should be; and there Avill also, I think, be divergent views as to a code of morals to be practised which shall comport with I the exhibition of a reasonably seemly morality. I I cannot, at least, concur in that definition of a moral character, upon which no operation of Divine ■■ 28 grace has been expended, for its raising or its beautify- ing, which accepts that of the pagan Indian as its highest expression ; and, distinctly, hesitate to affirm that a high moral instinct inheres in the Indian, or that such is permitted to dominate his pund; and, when I lind one of these very writers who claim for him a high inborn morality, discovering in him such indwelling monsters as revenge, mer?iless- ness, implacability, the affirmation falters not the less upon my tongue. That very many of the graver crimes laid at the Indian's door, and the revolting heinousness of which the records of our courts reveal may be traced to his prescribing for himself, and prac- tising, a lax standard of morals, is a statement which it would be idle to dispute. That the marriage tie exacts from him not the most onerous of interpretations, and that the scriptural basis for a sound morality, involved in the declaration, ''and they twain shall be one flesh," not seldom escapes, in his case, its full and due honor- ing, are, likewise, affirmations not susceptible of being refuted. That, for instance, is not a high notion of marital constancy (marital is scarcely the term, for I am speaking now of the pagan, who rejects the idea of marriage, though often, I confess, living happily and uninterruptedly with the woman of his choice) which permits the summary disruption of the bond between man and woman ; nor is paternal responsibility rigor- ously defined by one, Vv^ho causes to cease, at will, his labor and care for, and support of, his children, leaving the reassuring of these to those child- f 29 ,utify- as its affirm Indian, iY>ind ; s who ing in r'*!! ess- he less graver volting reveal^ d prac- vhich it 3 exacts ns, and volved flesh," honor- |£ being tion of 1, for I idea of ily and which )etween ri«ror- |ase, at of, his le child- .i i ran contingent upon the mother finding some one else to give them and herself a home. To follow a lighter vein for a moment. The Police Magistrate at Brantford, before whom many of these little domesticities come for their due appreciation (for they disclose, often, elements of really baffling complexity) not less than their ventilation and unravel- ling, is an eminently peace-loving man, and quite an adept at patching up such-like conjugal trifles. He will dispense from his tribunal sage advice, and pre- scribe remedial measures, which shall h^ve untold efficacy, in dispelling mutual mistrust, restoring mutual confldence, and bringing about a lasting re -union. He will interpose, like some potent magician, to trans- form a discordant, recriminating, utterly unlovely couple, into a pair of harmless, peaceable, love-con- sumed doves. There rises before my mind a case for illustration. A couple lived on the Reserve, whose domestic life had become so completely embittered? that every vestige of old-time happiness had fled. The agency of the Police Magistrate was sought to decree terms of separation, as there was an adamantine resolve on the part of each to no longer live with the (•ther. Thus, in a frame of mind altogether repelling the notion of conversion to gentler views, or the idea of laudable endeavor, on the part of another, to instil milder counsels, being availingly expended, they repaired to the Police Magistrate's office. He, by invoking old recollections on either side, and judi- ciously inviting them to a retrospection of their n « '1.1 .^1 •lit i] c ! 30 i:; tilt w 'II :,; forrnftr mutual courtesies, and early undimmed pleas- ures, gradually brought the would-be sundered people to a wiser mind. I believe there have only been two or three outbursts of domestic infelicity since. Certain notions, bound up with the Indian's practice^ in times now happily passed away, of polygamy, may be construed into an advocacy of the Deceased Wife's Sister's Bill, which engaged the attention of Parliament last session, and bids fair to take up the time and thought of our legislators, in sessions yet to come. The Indian usuallj' sought to marry two sisters, holding that the children of the one would be loved and cared for more by the other than if the wives were not related. The concurrent existence of both niothers is, of course, presumed here. The question remains to be asked, would the children of the one sister, were their mother dead, be as well loved and cared for by the surviving sister, were she called upon to exercise the functions of a step-mother ; and would the children of the dead sister love the children of the livinor sister, were they not viewed upon the same footing as those children ? That the Indian — the Christian Indian — frequently contemns the means unsparingly used, and the attempts and arguments put forth, by his spiritual overseers, to restrain his immoral propensities, to bridle his im- moral instinct, and to ameliorate and elevate, gener- ally, his moral tone, I fear, will not be gainsaid. That very many, on the other hand, practice a high morality, and set before themselves an exalted con- ception of conjugal duty, and strive, with a full- 1 $ 31 pleas- people jn two :actice> rgamy, jceased ,ion of up the yet to sisters, e loved eR were riiothers ins to be re their by the ise the ihildren living )ting as quently jttempts 3eers, to Ihis im- gener- cainsaid. a high ted con- a tull- I ^4 hearted earnestness, to fulfil that conception, none would be so blind or so unjust as to deny. There are some features in the Indian character to which unstinted praise is due, and shall be rendered. He is very hospitable ; and (herein nobly conserving his traditions) it is in no wise uncommon for him to resign the best of the rude comforts iie has, in the way of accommodation, to some belated one, and content himself with the scan test of those scant comforts, im- pressing, at the same time, with his native delicacy, the notion, that he courts, rather than shrinks from, the almost penitential regime. Though one would natur- ally think, that the scorn of material comforts, sug- gested here, and which many others of his acts evince, would scarcely breed indolence in the Indian, yet this is with him an almost unconquerable weak- ness. It is, indeed, so ingrained within him, as to resist any attempt, on his own part, to excise it from his economy ; and as to defy extirpating or uprooting process sought to be enforced by another. The Indian is, in truth, a supremely indolent being, and testifying to an utter abandonment of himself to the power of indolence over him, has often been known, when recourse solely to the chase was permitted him for the filling of his larder, to delay his steps to the f crest, until the gnawing pangs of hunger should drive him there, as offering him the only plan for their appeasing. When I have said that the Indian is hospitable, I have said that he is kind and considerate, for these are involved with the other. He has much of native delicacy and politeness ; and though, from deep-seated •41 •■l| •' r'i'l ? c I n I r 32 Ml prepossession, he denies the woman equal footing with himself; and, though through misconception of woman's true purpose and mission in the world, or through failing to apprehend that higher, greater, more palpable help- fulness she brings to man (all these, because self-dic- tated, self-enforced) he commits to her much of the drudgery, and imposes upon her many of the heavy burdens, of life, the Indian is not wholly devoid of chivalric instinct. He is usually reticent in his manner with strangers, (but this is readily explained by his imperfect com- mand of English, and his reluctance to expose his deficiency) though voluble to the last degree when he falls in with his own people. The Indian has been lauded and hymned by Long- fellow and others as the hunter 'par excellence ; but, to apply this to his present condition, and look there for its truth, would be idle. The incitements to in- dulge his taste for hunting are now so few, and of such slight potency, and the opportunities for giving it play so narrowed down, and so rare, that the pursuit of the chase has become well-nigh obsolete, and something to him redolent only, as it were, with the breath of the past. As the Indian is at present circumstanced and environed, he can beat up little or no game, and his poverty frequently putting out of his reach the pro- curing of the needful sporting gear, where he does fol- low hunting, it is pursued with much-weakened ardor, and often bootless issue. He is moved now to its pursuit, solely with the hope of realizing a paltry gain from the sale of the few prizes he may secure. fa t\ H 1 W dc- 1 . of 1 an nt] ath an's ling lelp- -dic- : the eavy id of igers, com- e his en he Long- 3Ut, to there to in- f£ such t play lo£ the ethmg breath [tanced ind his le pro- )es t'ol- ardor, to its ry gain secure. Thou<,'li his reputation as a liunter has so mounifully declined, the Indian is yet skilled in trucking' rabbits, in the winter season, the youth, particulai'ly, findin^^ this a pleasant diversion. 1 trust 1 do not invoke the hasty ire of the sportsman it", in guilelessness of soul, 1 call this huntiniL^^ This very circumscribing of the occasions, and inetlicacy of the motive powers, for en- i^aging in hunting, will tend, it is lioped, to coirect the indolent habits that the Indian nurses, and the in- veteracy of which I have just dwe'lt upon, and em- phasized ; for it will not, I think, be denied that his former full-hearted pursuit of the chase (in submission, largely though it was, to imperious calls of nature), is responsible, mainly, for the inherence of this un- pleasing trait. Though, of course, hunting in its very nature, enforces a certain activity, it is an activity, so far as any beneficent impressing of the character is concerned, void of wholesomeness, and barren of solid, lasting results ; and, viewed in this way, an activity really akin to indolence. With the craving for hunting subdued, the Indian may take up, with less distrac- tion, and devote himself, to good advantage, to his farming, and to industrial callings. Want of energy and of steadiness of purpose are with the Indian conspicuous weaknesses, and their bearing upon his farming operations may be briefly noticed. He will not devote himself to his work in the fields with that full-intentioned mind to put in an honest day's toil, that the white man brings to his work, often being beguiled, by some outside pleasure or amusement, into permitting his day's work to sustain c ? c i' 84 .1; lill I'll 't I" '■ Mi ji hi'oak, wliicli hv lanu'iit^ ai'tcrw.'ii-cis in a inclanclioly refrain, of fanning" upe'ratioiis lu'liind, aAd doujcvstic Tnatt«'rs iinlun^'e ,e chattel restraint lie Indian but upon its sale to him by tlie li((Uor-s('ller, or its supply, indeed, in any way, by any one. It forbids, as well, the introe needed to propel the ball, and the 41 precise direction its flight shall take, in order to insure its reposing on the net of that friend. In the fre- quently recurring melees, begotten of the struggle amongst a number |^of contestants for the possession of the ball, the Indian exhibits, perhaps, in more marked degree than the white, the qualities of stubborn doggedness, and utter disregard of personal injury. The worsting of the Indian by the white in the majority of competitions of this kind is due to the latter submittinalpable pursuits of a practical, enlinhteiied, and energetic age, or co-activity with him on a theatre of enlarged and more vi<;or()us aetion. It is in some respects more comfortless than even was his experience under his primitive style of living, and is usually com- posed of one room, answering all the purposes of life — eating-room, bed-room, reception-room, principally, however, for the snow and mud, which have been |)ei- suaded here to relax tlicir hold, after anteced(!nt de- monstration of their atlhering ([ualities. His Ali.kcjei) Commission of Pkkjchv. The Indian very frecpiently has tlie crime of per- jury alleged against him, though what is assumeodv of some de- parted member of the tribe. «. 1(1 The Indian as an Artist. As an artist in wood-carving, the Indian, I should say, stands almo;;t without a rival. He will elaborate the most beautiful specimens in this kind of work ; though lie generally directs his skill to the embellish- ing of walking sticks and the like articles, which (their ornate appearance alone precluding their practical use) the white only btiys with the view of preserving as 51 onies, cords. -The b 1 an- on of 3 out- woukl since nonize bands, iments, ank at power, le has t' which T much itholics, )me de- [ should 'laborate t' work ; nbellish- Lch (theii- :ical use) jrvins^ as ornamenk. The Indian, therefore, would do well to allow his skill in this line to take awider ran<.!je, since, by so doing, he would not only bring about larger sales to enrich his not over-tilled money-chest, but he would also extend his fame as an artist. The pencil, in the hand of the Indian, is often made to limn excpiisite figures, and to trace delightful landscape- work. I am confi- dent that he would, with appropriate training, cause his fame to be known in this line also. The Indian woman is a marvellous adept at bead-work, though her specimens disclose, usually, finer execution, than they do a tasteful or faultless associating of colours. His Schools. The New England Company, an English Corporation have established, and maintain, in addition to the Mo- hawk Institute, which is on unreserved lands, a large mimber of schools for the education of the Indian youth. It is a question wlu^ther these schools really secure the patronage that the philanthropic spirit of their founders hoped for. The shyness of the girls is so marked (a trait I have observed even among the adult women) as to load to a small attendance, of this element, at least, where tlie teacher is a white vouncrnian — in truth, a very ultra-manif(;station of the peculiarity. The Mohawk Institute contemplates the receiving of pupils who have reached a certain standard of pro- ficiency, their boarding, and their education. It is an institution the aim of which is truly a noble one, the I throwing back upon the Reserve of educated young till '"<1 ■t 52 tltHll mi ' 1 i < f. »*1 'I "I! Ill -.1 B; .![ Mi]: I'*' 'It, Si;:.. f men and woinen, who shall be qualified to go about life's work, fortified with knowledge, to pave the way to success in any walk of life that may be chosen. The Mohawk Institute has secured, in the person of its principal and directing power, one who is imbued with the desire so to use its powerful agency as to compass the maximum of good among the Indians. His Missionaries. The missionary demands notice as he, above all others, has left his impress on the life and character of the Indian. The Ven. xVrchdeacon Nelles may be regaided as the pioneer missionary to the Indian. His work covers half a century, and, though, for some years, he has not been an active worker amongst the Indians, a solici- tude for their welfare still actuates him. His province has been rather that of general superintendence of the New l^ngland Company's servants, than one involv- inii," much active minorlinor with the Indians. The association of his name \\ ith that time-honoured and revered structure, the old Mohawk Church, is his Lirandest testimonial to his fruitful labour on the Reserve. The Rev. Adam Eliot, whose widow still lives in the old missionary home, was a man of a singularly gentle and lovable disposition. In his contact with the Indian, the influence, if haply any could be exerted, was certain to be on the side of the c^ood. He was one who moved about the Reserve with the savor of a quiet and godly life ever cleaving to him, a life, 53 about e way hosen. 5on of nbued as to QS. ve all iracter . as the covers las not , solici- ^ovince of the involv- i. The ed and is his on the 5 in the ■{ gentle ith the lixerted , was one or of a , a life, radiating forth, as it were, to ciix'h^ and einl)r.'icc others in the folds of its hcnign iuHueiu'e. \\v was tender, and unattected in his ])ii'tv. His life' aii♦; t 1| '' •ill II »»! 1,. "•"!» *tl||!l » III r; '. if' •'■ t 'H|. .rii: ■n't"!'' when he evades and contemns such law ; which, guaranteeino; to him immunit}' for violating or dis- honouring his engagement, prompts him to cast about for some new and, haply, more arlmired expedient, wliereby he may circumvent and defraud his creditor ! Is that an enviable pc^aon for one to be placed in, who, ignorant of the disability I have mentioned, and guileless enough to suppose, that an Indian, who has fair worldly substance, when he gives a promissory note, means to pay it, and who, in that belief, surrenders to him valuable property, only to find afterwards that the debt is irrecoverable by legal process, and the chattels are likewise, by moral, or any other effectual, process ? It will be said that the white should not be a party to a contract with an Indian. Well, man is often trustful, and he does not always foresee, the disaster that his trustfulness shall incur. He frequently cre- dits his white fellow with an honourable instinct : why may he not, sometimes, impute it to the Indian ^ The law, so far as it involves the restraining of the Indian's drinking, cannot be impeached : and in the application to the white of a similar law lies the only solution of the temperance problem. Reflections as to the Possible Effect upon HIM OF Enfranchisement. We cannot estimate the transforming power that s enfr«<,] character. his enfr«<,nchisement might exert over the Indian M' 57 The Indian youth, who is now either a listless w^anderer over the confines of his Reserve ; or who finds his highest occupation in putting in, now and then, desultory work for some neighbouring farmer at harvest-time ; who looks even upon elementary educa- tion as useless, and as something to be gone through, perforce, as a concession to his parents' wish, or at those parents' bid, would, if enfranchisement were assured to him, esteem it in its true light, as the first step t© a higher training, which should qualify him for enjoying offices or taking up callings, from which he is now debarred, and in which, mayhap, he might achieve a degree of honour and success which should operate, in an incalculable way, as a stimulus to others of his race, to strive after and attain the like station and dignity. There can, I think be no gainsaying of the view that the Indian, if he were enfranchised, would avail much more generally than he does now, of the excellent educational facilities which surround liim. The very consciousness, which would then be at work within him, of his eligibility for filling any office of honour in the country, which enfranchisement would confer would minister to a worthy ambition, and would spur him on to develop his powers of mind, and, viewinof education as the one ojrand mean for sub- serving this end, he would so use it and honour it, as that he should not discredit his office, if, haply, he should be chosen to fill one. fl D 58 H.lf S«li| »J|lit:i|. Mil! ! Concluding Rem auks. The present Indian legislation, in my judgment, operates in every way to blight, to grind, and to oppress ; blasts each roseate hope of an ameliorated, a less abject, estate ; (pienches each swelling aspiration after a higher and moi'e tolerable destiny; withers each ennobling aim, cancels each creditable effort that would assure its eventuation; opposes each soul-stir- rinir resolve to no lono-er rest under the aallirio:, tjanuf- renous imputation of a partial manhood. Though not authorised to speak for the Indian, I believe I express his views, when I say that he cherishes an ardent wish for enfranchisement, a right which should be conceded to him by the Legislature, though it should be urged only by the silent, though not, therefore, the less weighty and potent, appeal, of the unswerving devotion of his forefathers to England's crown. He desires, nay, fervently longs, to break free from his condition of tutelage ; to bring to the general Government the aid of his counsels, feeble though such may seem, if we measure him by his present status ; aid, which, erstwhile, was not despised, but was, rather, a mighty bulwark of the British crown ; and pants for the occasion to assert, it may be on the honour-scroll of the nation's fame, liis descent from a vaunted ancestry. "ii.il- no udgiiient, , and to iorated, a ispiration ; withers ffort that soul-.stir- n2f, tjan<»:- Indian, I that he t, a right gislature, t, thouo-h , appeal, ithers to ree from ) general lUgli such t status ; ,s, rather, pants for )ur-scrolJ vaunted ADDENDA TO SECTION ON ENFRAXClllSE.MENT. •■ I It will be said, perhaps, that to ]iar])or tli- idea of the Indian's elevation, following, in any way, upon his closer assimilation with the white ; his divestiture of the badge of political serfdom, and deliverance from oven the suggestion of thraldom— all of which his enfranchisement contemplates; or that these would assure, in greater degree, his national weal, ^v^m\d be to indulge a wild chimera, which could but superin- duce the purest visionary picture of his condition under the operation of the gift. Some might be found, as well, to discredit the notion that there would super- vene, on the consigning to the limbo of inutile political systems of the disabling regime that now governs, an epoch, which would witness the shaking off, by the heavy, phlegmatic red man of the present, of his dull lethargy, with the casting behind him of former in- action and unproductiveness ; and his being moved to assert a healthy, genuine, wholesome activity, to be directed to lofty or soulful purpose, or ex- pressed in high and honourable endeavour. And it might be set down as a reasoning from the standpoint of an illusory optimism, to look for, through any change in the Indian's political condition, the incoming of an age, which should be distinguished by a hopeful and helpful accession to his charac- ter of honesty, uprightness, and self-respect, or by their conservation ; or which should be the natal time ') 'I > i v\ GO nfr ■1« C )' III J ..ij.' for tlie beni^'ii rule over liiiii of coiiteiitnieut, oliarity, and sobriety, or for the dominance of a seendy mor- ality. That, likewise, might be deemed idle expectancy, which woidd foresee, as a result of the changed order of things, now being prospectivtily C(msidered, a sea- son in the Indian's experience, when should be illustrated the greater sacre