I 
 
 
 
WRITINGS 
 
 OF 
 
 CALEB ATWATER 
 
 & 
 
 COLUMBUS, 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 PRINTED BY SCOTT AND WRIGHT. 
 
 1833. 
 
 ■ 
 
Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1833. 
 
 by Caleb Atwater, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Ohio. 
 

 GENERAL DUNCAN McARTHUR, 
 LATE GOVERNOR 
 
 OF 
 
 THE STATE OF OHIO, 
 THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED, 
 
 AS 
 
 A SMALL MARK 
 
 OF 
 
 THE REGARD, RESPECT AND ESTEEM 
 
 OF 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 * 
 

PREFACE. 
 
 In presenting the following pages to the public, were I 
 assured that none would peruse them but the citizens of 
 Ohio, no prefatory remarks would be necessary. The 
 work itself, as its title imports, consists of such of my writ- 
 ings as I wish to acknowledge as such. My other essays, 
 on a great variety of subjects, I have seen fit to leave out 
 of the collection, for various reasons. Some articles were 
 written in haste, to answer some temporary purpose; — to 
 oblige a friend, to amuse myself, or, worse than all, to pro- 
 mote the interests of some party, or partisan, who showed 
 me afterwards how unworthy they, or he could be, of my 
 friendship or regard. On other subjects, further reflection 
 or more information, has changed my views, either in part 
 or wholly. Other essays may be retouched, added to, or 
 retrenched from, and thus be presented again to the public, 
 should my life be prolonged, or my friends desire it. 
 
 My remarks on the ancient works in the Western States, 
 originally appeared in the first volume of the American 
 Antiquarian Society, in the year 1820. To collect that 
 information, I spent much time, money, and labor. I have, 
 either in former or later years, examined these works, from 
 their northeastern extremity, in New York, to the Tennes- 
 see Valley, inclusive, visiting in person, not every one, 
 but certainly every one of any importance, from the foot of 
 the Alleghanies to the Missouri. I have examined, for 
 them, the banks of the ^Mississippi, from Memphis to Prairie 
 du Chien. My remarks sometimes show that they were 
 made at different times, which the reader will excuse, I 
 hope, as it would cost me more labor to correct, than that 
 labor would benefit him. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Perin Kent surveyed the Ancient Works on Main Paint 
 creek; E. P. Kendrick, Esq. those on the North Fork of 
 Paint creek; Joel Wright, Esq. county surveyor, those on 
 the Little Miami; Roswell Mills, Esq. county surveyor, 
 those in Perry county; B. P. Putnam, those at Marietta; 
 Alexander Holmes, Esq. county surveyor, those near New- 
 ark; Guy W. Doan, Esq. and the Author, those at Circle- 
 ville; Messrs. Abbot, Tracy, and Peebles, of Portsmouth, 
 and William S. Murphy, Esq. of Chillicothe, assisted me 
 in surveying and laying down those at Portsmouth. In ad- 
 dition to these names, I may add, that when the works were 
 surveyed, it was done, almost always, in the presence, and 
 with the aid of the most intelligent and respectable men in 
 the several counties where the works are situated. And I 
 was either present myself and assisted in the surveys, or 
 carefully examined every thing described — sometimes be- 
 fore the survey, sometimes afterwards; but I always assured 
 myself of the entire correctness of every thing stated as a 
 fact. Indeed, I have recently — that is, within the year of 
 1833 — been on the ground, and re-examined such works as 
 yet remain in existence. I have also carefully read over 
 
 !my several descriptions of different articles, such as urns, 
 beads, bracelets, the cloths found on our western mummies, 
 idols, pipes, fish hooks and iish spears, &c. while each arti- 
 cle lay before me, and in that way assured myself of the 
 entire truth of my statements. 
 
 All the most important Ancient Works are either entirely 
 or partly destroyed, and will soon be gone. No other ac- 
 curate surveys were ever made of these works, but mine, 
 and it is too late now for any to be made hereafter. 
 
 Every article mentioned in this portion of my volume as 
 belonging to Mr. John D. Clifford, now belongs to Mr. 
 Joseph Dorfeuillc, of Cincinnati, and may be seen in his 
 Western Museum. To him I am indebted, not only for 
 opportunities of daily examining every article I have de- 
 scribed, but for every book I have quoted in my work, and 
 for the use, for several weeks, of his highly valuable library. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 It contains every work, of any note, relative to Mexico, the 
 Pacific Islands, India, Java, and Egypt. For the use of 
 this valuable collection, during several weeks in the year 
 1833, and for the kindness and hospitality of himself and 
 interesting family, during that time, I feel truly grateful. 
 
 The remarks I have made on my Tour to Prairie du 
 Chien and thence to Washington, have been greatly revised 
 in this work; and it is quite possible, that in another edi- 
 tion I may still further revise that portion of my writings. 
 
 On a careful examination of the whole volume, I am 
 satisfied that not one immoral idea is contained in it; and 
 certainly I have endeavored to avoid every thing calculated 
 to wound the feelings of any one. But my views are those 
 prevalent in the West, honestly entertained by me; accom- 
 panied, I hope, by candor and liberality towards others 
 differing with me in opinion. 
 
 I feel grateful for the extensive patronage this volume 
 has re<-piv£>rl, emd regret that about one hundred subscrip- 
 tion papers are not returned to me, yet in the hands of 
 agents, with a great many names on them. This is my 
 reason for not publishing a list of my patrons' names, among 
 whom would be seen the names of nearly every man of any 
 distinction in the State. To all those gentlemen, and to 
 the citizens of the State generally, I feel grateful for their 
 kindness towards their friend, 
 
 CALEB ATWATER. 
 
 Columbus, December, 1833. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 Antiquities of Indians of the present race, page 11. Antiquities be- 
 longing to people of European origin, 13. Antiquities of that an- 
 cient race of people who formerly inhabited the western parts of 
 the United States, 18. In what part of the world similar antiqui- 
 ties are found, 19. Ancient Works near Newark, Ohio, 25. In 
 Perry county, 30. At Marietta, 34. At Circleville, 45. On the Main 
 Branch of Paint creek, 54. On the North Fork of Paint creek, 86. At 
 Portsmouth, 56. On the Little Miami, 62. At Grave creek, below Wheel- 
 ing:, 92. Ancient Tumuli, 71. At Marietta, 75. At Circleville, 82. At 
 Chillicothe, 85. Articles founri in an ancient Mound in Cincinnati, 66. 
 Articles discovered in an ancient Mound in Marietta, 79. Articles ta- 
 ken from ancient Mounds in and near Circleville, 82. Ancient Mounds 
 of Stone, 90. Articles taken from an ancient Mound at Grave 
 creek, 93. Ancient Mounds at St. Louis, and other places on the 
 Mississippi, 94. Miscellaneous remarks on the uses of the Mounds, 
 96. Places of Diversion, 99. Parallel Walls of Earth, 103. Con- 
 jectures respecting the Origin and History of the Authors of the 
 Ancient Works in Ohio, &c, 105. Idol discovered near Nashville, 
 117. At what period did the Ancient Race of People arrive in 
 Ohio? 120. How long did they reside here? 124. What was their 
 number? 127. The state of the Arts among them, 128. Urns dis- 
 covered at Chillicothe, 132. Dress of the Mummies, 134. Their 
 Scientific Acquirements, 138. Religious Rites and Places of Wor- 
 ship, 140. What finally became of this People, 145. Description 
 of the Teocalli of the Mexicans, from Humboldt, 153. 
 
 TOUR TO PKAIK1K UV CMIl!,i>. 
 
 Maysville, Kentucky, 172. Cincinnati, 173. Louisville, i«4. Scenery 
 along the Ohio river, 194. Mouth of the Ohio, 196. Mississippi 
 river ai:d its tributaries, 199. Missouri river and its branches, 201. 
 Future prospects of the people of the United States, 203. St. 
 Louis, Missouri, 210. Expedition leaves St. Louis, 227. Keokuk 
 village and Lower rapids, 229. Beautiful country below Rock 
 island, 234. Galena, 238. Arrival at Prairie du Chien, 239. 
 First Indian council, 241. Treaties made and mineral country 
 ceded to the United States, 243. Origin of the North American 
 Indians, 248. Indian form of erovernment, 273. Manners and cus- 
 toms of the Indians, 278. Polygamy among *the Indians, 285. 
 Character and influence of Indian women, 289. Bucktail Bachelor, 
 293. Gambling among the Indians, 296. Indian eloquence, 298. 
 Indian poetry, music and dancing, 303. Savage and civilized life 
 compared, 315. Civilization of the Indians, 327. Wisconsin old 
 maid and departure of the Indians, 333. Parting with the people 
 of Prairie du Chien, 335. Wisconsin river, 337. 
 
 TOUR TO WASHIGTON CITY. 
 
 Sublime and impressive views along the Wisconsin, 340. Dodgeville, 344. 
 Gratiot's Grove, 347. Mineral country and the Northwest, 348. 
 Vincennes, 359. Miami country, 361. Scioto country, 363. Al- 
 leghany mountains, 365. Rocky mountains, 371. Washington city 
 and the love of power, 376. 
 
 Franklinton and Columbus, 393. 
 
 Appendix, 398. 
 
 ERRORS. 
 
 In the passage from Virgil [see page 118,] the word virgine is im- 
 properly printed "virvine." 
 
 The pages from 125 to 132, are improperly numbered in a part 
 of the impression, which, if the reader observes them, he can correct. 
 
 \ 
 
DESCRIPTION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ANTIQUITIES 
 
 DISCOVERED 
 
 IN THE WESTERN COUNTRY; 
 
 ORIGINALLY COMMUNICATED 
 
 TO THE AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY, 
 
 BY 
 
 CALEB ATWATER 
 
 
 * 
 
 ■ 
 
 ■ 
 
DESCRIPTION OF ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 Our antiquities have been noticed by a great number 
 of travelers, few of whom ever saw one of them, or, who 
 riding at full speed, had neither the industry, the opportu- 
 nity, nor the ability to investigate a subject so intricate. 
 They have frequently given to the world such crude and 
 indigested statements, after having visited a few ancient 
 works, or heard the idle tales of persons incompetent to 
 describe them, so that intelligent persons residing on the 
 very spot, would never suspect what works were intended 
 to be described!! 
 
 It has somehow happened, that one traveler has seen 
 an ancient work, which was once a place of amusement for 
 those who erected it, and he concludes, that none but such 
 were ever found in the whole country. Another in his 
 journey sees a mound of earth, with a semicircular pave- 
 ment on the east side of it; and at once he proclaims it to 
 the world as his firm belief, that all our ancient works 
 were places of devotion, dedicated to the worship of the 
 sun. A succeeding tourist falls in with an ancient military 
 fortress, and thence concludes that all our ancient works 
 were raised for military purposes. One person finds some- 
 thing about these works of English origin, and, without 
 hesitation, admits the supposition that they were erected by 
 a colony of Welchmen. Others again, find articles in and 
 near these ancient works, evidently belonging to the Indi- 
 2 
 
10 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 ans, to people of European origin, and to that Scythian 
 race of men who erected all our mounds of earth and stones* 
 They find, too, articles scattered about and blended to- 
 gether, which belonged not only to different nations, but 
 to different eras of time, remote from each other — they are 
 lost in a labyrinth of doubt. Should the inhabitants of the 
 Western States, together with every written memorial of 
 their existence, be swept from the face of the earth, though 
 the difficulties of future antiquaries, would be increased,, 
 yet they would be of the same kind with those which now 
 beset and overwhelm the superficial obverver.* 
 
 Our antiquities belong not only to different eras, in 
 point of time, but to several nations; and those articles be- 
 longing to the same era and the same people, were inten- 
 ded hj their authors to be applied to many different uses. 
 
 We shall divide these antiquities into three classes. 
 1. Those belonging to Indians of the present race. — 2. To 
 people of European origin; — and 3. Those of that people 
 who raised our ancient forts and tumuli. 
 
 *His Excellency De Witt Clinton, Esq. Governor of New York, 
 and some few others, are honorable exceptions to that class of writers 
 above described; men of exalted talents both natural and acquired, 
 who have attempted to describe only such works as they have care- 
 fully examined. The former gentleman has published "A memoir 
 on the Antiquities of the western parts of New York." Mr. Bracken- 
 ridge has examined with great care, and described with fidelity, 
 many of the most interesting ruins of antiquity, which are found in 
 the Western States and Territories. By the aid of this great lamp, 
 and assisted by my own dim taper, I have ventured to enter the 
 heretofore dark and intricate labyrinth, where so many unfortunate 
 travelers have lost their clue, and bewildered those who have under- 
 taken to follow them. T. M. Harris, D. D., of Massachusetts, de- 
 serves honorable mention in this place. He and Dr. S. P. Hildreth, 
 of Marietta, Ohio, have described, with great accuracy, the an- 
 tiquities at the place last mentioned. Such writers, like the great 
 luminary of day, give a steady light, on which we can place depen- 
 dence; whilst the common herd of scribblers on this subject, resemble 
 the ignis fatuus, which, as the poet says, "leads to bewilder, and 
 dazzles to blind." 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 11 
 
 Permit me here to premise, that in order to arrive at a 
 result which shall be, to a certain extent, satisfactory to 
 the candid inquirer after truth, it is necessary, not only to 
 examine with care, and describe with fidelity, those anti- 
 quities which are found in Ohio, but occasionally to cast a 
 glance at those, found in other States, especially whenever 
 they evidently, in common with ours, belong to the same 
 people and the same era of time. 
 
 1. ANTIQUITIES OF INDIANS OF THE PRESENT RACE. 
 
 Those antiquities, which, in the strict sense of the term, 
 belong to the North American Indians, are neither nume- 
 rous nor very interesting. They consist of rude stone axes 
 and knives, of pestles used in preparing maize for food, of 
 arrowheads, and a few other articles so exactly similar to 
 those found in all the Atlantic States, that a description of 
 them is deemed quite useless. He who wishes to find traces 
 of Indian settlements, either numerous, or worthy of his no- 
 tice, must visit the shore of the Atlantic, or the banks of 
 the larger rivers, emptying themselves into it, on the eas- 
 tern side of the Alleghanies. The sea spreads ouj; a con- 
 tinual feast before men in a savage state, little versed in 
 the arts of civilized life, who look upon all pursuits as de- 
 grading to their dignity as men, except such as belong 
 either to war or the chase. Having once found the ocean, 
 there they fix their abode, and never leave it, until they 
 are compelled to do so by a dense population, or the over- 
 whelming force of a powerful and victorious foe. There 
 they cast their lines, drag their nets, or rake up the shell 
 fishes. Into the sea they drive the bounding roe with 
 their dogs, and pursue him through the waves in their ca- 
 noes. When they are compelled to leave the sea,, they 
 follow up the larger streams, where their finny prey abounds 
 in every brook, and the deer, the bear, the elk, the moose, 
 or the buffalo, feeds on every hill. Whatever the earth <*" 
 water spontaneously produces, they take, and are satefied. 
 

 12 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 The ocean supplied them with never failing abundance; 
 and the wild animals, feeding in immense numbers through 
 the fine vales and over the fertile hills of New England, two 
 centuries since, were, it is believed, more numerous than 
 they ever were in Ohio. That species of beach which 
 affords the nut on which, in autumn, winter and spring, 
 the deer and several other kinds of animals feed, thrive and 
 fatten, was once much more abundant there than it ever 
 was in this State. Hence the wild animals were more nu- 
 merous there than here; hence too the reason why the In- 
 dian population wcvc mow rlense in the east than it was in 
 the west. It is believed, that when America was first 
 visited by Europeans, our prairies were too wet for the ha- 
 bitations of men. Besides, if our Indians came from Asia 
 by the way of Behring's Strait, they would naturally follow 
 down the great chain of our northwestern lakes and their 
 outlets, nearly or quite to the sea. This may be one reason 
 why the Indian population, at the time when our ancestors 
 first found them there, was more dense in the northern than 
 in the southern, in the eastern than in the western parts, of 
 the present United States. That it was so, our own history 
 incontestably proves. Hence we deduce the reason, why 
 the cemeteries of Indians are so large and numerous in the 
 eastern, and so small and few in the western States. Hence 
 the numerous other traces of Indian settlements, such as 
 the immense piles of the shells of oysters, clams, &c, all 
 along the sea shore, the great number of arrowheads and 
 other articles belonging to them, in the eastern States, and 
 their paucity here. There, we see the most indubitable 
 evidences of the Indians having resided from very remote 
 ages. Here, a few Indian cemeteries may be found, but 
 they are never large, and when they are opened, ten chan- 
 ces to one but some article is discovered, which shows that 
 the person had been buried since America was visited by 
 people of European origin. An Indian's grave may fre- 
 quently be known by the manner in which he was interred, 
 wln*h was generally in a sitting or an upright posture. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 13 
 
 Wherever we behold a number of holes in the earth, with- 
 out any regard to regularity, of about a foot and a half or 
 two feet in diameter, there by digging a few feet, we can 
 generally find an Indian's remains. Such graves are most 
 common along the southern shore of lake Erie, which was 
 formerly inhabited by the Cat and Otto way Indians. Such 
 graves are quite common in and near the small ancient 
 works in that part of this state. They generally interred 
 with the deceased, something of which he had been fond 
 in, his life time; with the warrior, his battle axe; with the 
 hunter, his bow and arrows, and that kind of wild game of 
 which he had been the fondest, or the most successful in 
 taking; hence the teeth of the otter are found in the grave 
 of one, those of the bear or the beaver in another. One 
 had been most successful in hunting the turkey, whilst an- 
 other had most signalized himself by fishing. The skeleton 
 of the turkey is found in the grave of the former; muscle 
 shells or fishes' bones in the grave of the latter. 
 
 2. ANTIQUITIES BELONGING TO PF J-. LE OF EUROPEAN ORIGIN. 
 
 Although this division of my subject may excite a smile, 
 when it is recollected, that three centuries have not yet 
 elapsed since this country has been visited by Europeans; 
 yet, as articles derived from an intercourse, which has 
 been kept up for more than one hundred and fifty years 
 past, between the aborigines and several European nations, 
 are sometimes found here; and as these articles, thus 
 derived, are frequently blended with those really very 
 ancient, I beg leave to retain this division of antiquities. 
 The French were the first Europeans who traversed the 
 territory included within the limits of the present State of 
 Ohio. At exactly what time they first frequented these 
 parts, and especially lake Erie, I have not been able to 
 ascertain; but from authentic documents, published at 
 Paris, in the seventeenth century, we do know that they 
 had large establishments in the territory belonging to the 
 
 H ) 
 
 I 
 
1-4 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 Six Nations, as early at Jeast as 1655.* "A quarto volume 
 in Latin, written by Francis Creuxieus, a Jesuit, was 
 published at Paris, in 1664, and is entitled, 'Historise 
 Canadencis, seu Novae Franciae libri decern ad annum 
 usque Christi MDCLVL' It states that a French colony 
 was established in the Onondaga territory about the year 
 1655, and it describes that highly interesting country: 
 'Ergo biduo post ingenti agmine deductus est ad locum 
 gallorum sedi atque domicillio destinatum, leucas quatuor 
 dissitum a pago, ubi primum pedum fixerat, bix quidquam 
 a natura videre sit absolutius: ac si ans ut in Gallia, 
 uteraque Europa, accederat, haud temere certaret cum 
 Baiis. Pratum ingens cingit undique silva casdua ad ripam 
 Lacus Gannanentae, quo Nationes quatuor, principes Iro- 
 quoiae, totius regionis tanquam ad centrum navigolis con- 
 fluere perfacile queant, et unde vicissim facillimus aditus 
 sit ad eorum singulas, per amnes lacusque circumfluentes. 
 Ferinae copia certat cum copia piscium, atque ut ne desit 
 quidquam, turtures eo indique sub veris initium convolant, 
 tanto numero, ut reti capianter piscium quidem certe 
 volant, ut piscatores esse feranter qui unius noctis spatium 
 anguillas ad mille singuli, hamo capiant. Pratum inter- 
 secant fontes duo, centum prope passu salter ab altero 
 dissiti: alterius aqua salsa salis optimi copium subministrat, 
 alterius lympha dulcis ad potionem est; et quod mirere, 
 uterque ex uno eademque colle scaturet.' 
 
 « It appears from Charlevoix's History of New France, 
 that missionaries were sent to Onondaga in 1654; that 
 they built a chapel and made a settlement; that a French 
 colony was established there under the auspices of Le 
 Sieur Dcpuys in 1656, and retired in 1658. When La 
 Salle started from Canada and went down the Mississippi 
 in 1679, he discovered a large plain between the lake of 
 
 f r 
 
 * Governor Clinton's "Memoir on the Antiquities of the western 
 parts of New-York." 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 15 
 
 y 
 
 the Hurons and the Illinois, in which was a fine settlement 
 belonging to the Jesuits."* 
 
 From this time forward the French are known to have 
 traversed that part of this State which borders on lake Erie 
 and the Ohio river, and the larger streams which are their 
 tributaries. Under La Salle, father Hennepin and others, 
 they were constantly traversing this territory in their 
 journies to and from the valley of the Mississippi. Like 
 other Europeans of that period, they took possession of the 
 countries which they visited, in the name of their sove- 
 reign, and, not unfrequently, left some memorial of having 
 done so, especially in the mouths of the large rivers and 
 in the most remarkable ancient works. At many of the 
 most remarkable places which they discovered, after sing- 
 ing "Te Deum," they affixed the arms of Fiance to some 
 tree, deposited a medal in some remarkable cave, tumu- 
 lus, or ancient fort, or in the mouth of some large river. — 
 Tonti, a Frenchman who accompanied La Salle in his first 
 expedition from Canada to the Mississippi, informs us, in 
 an account of this expedition, published at Paris in 1697, 
 that at the mouth of the river last mentioned, the arms of 
 France were fastened to a tree, " Te Deum" sung, formal 
 possession of the country taken in the name of Louis XIV., 
 and several huts built, surrounded by an entrenchment. 
 Similar ceremonies were gone through at the mouth of the 
 Illinois, the Wabash, and Ohio, as we learn from several 
 French travelers of that day, who published their accounts 
 at Paris in the seventeenth century. Is it strange, then, 
 that we should find similar medals, &c. at the mouths of 
 other rivers, such as the great and little Miami, the Scioto, 
 and especially the Muskingum? That medals were depos- 
 ited in many places in this country, father Hennepin, 
 Touti, Joutel, and others, inform us: that similar medals 
 have been found at other places is also certain. 
 
 « 
 
 
 * See Governor Clinton's Memoir. 
 

 
 • 
 
 16 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 A medal was found several years since, in the mouth of 
 the Muskingum river, by the late Hon. Jehiel Gregory. 
 It was a thin, round plate of lead, several inches in diam- 
 eter; on one side of which, I was informed by Judge 
 Gregory, was the French name of the river in which it 
 lay, "Petit-belle riviere," and on the other, "Louis XIV." 
 
 Near Portsmouth, a flourishing town at the mouth of the 
 Scioto, a medal was found in alluvial earth, several years 
 since, by a Mr. White, a number of feet below the sur- 
 face, belonging, probably, to a recent era of time. This 
 medal, I regret to state, is. not in my possesion, but it has 
 been described to me by Gen. Robert Lucas and the Hon. 
 Ezra Osborn. It was masonic; the device on one side of 
 it represented a human heart, with a sprig of cassia grow- 
 ing out of it; on the other side was a temple, with a 
 cupola and spire, at the summit of which was a half .moon, 
 and there was a star in front of the temple. There were 
 Roman letters on both sides of this medal, but what they 
 were, Gen. Lucas and Judge Osborn have forgotten; they 
 were probably abbreviations. That this medal had an 
 
 I European, and probably 1 a French origin, there is little 
 
 doubt, and belonged to a recent era of time. 
 In Trumbull county, several coins were found, not many 
 years since, which, for a time, excited a considerable share 
 of curiosity, until they were carefully examined by the 
 present Governor of this state, who found that on one side 
 of them was "George II." and on the other, "Caroline," 
 and dated in the reign of that prince. 
 
 In Harrison county, I have been credibly informed, that 
 several coins were found near an ancient work, evidently 
 of European origin, belonging to a very recent era, com- 
 pared with that of the ancient works where they reposed. 
 These coins bore the name, and were dated in the reign 
 of one of the English Charleses. 
 
 Near the mouth of Darby Creek, not far from Circleville, 
 I have been credibly informed that a Spanish medal was 
 found several years since, in a very good state of preser- 
 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 17 
 
 vation, from which we learn that it was given by a Spanish 
 Admiral to some person under the command of De Soto, 
 who landed in Florida in 1538. There seems to me to be 
 no great difficulty in accounting for such a medal being 
 found here, near a water which runs into the Gulf of 
 Mexico, even at such a distance from Florida, when it is 
 recoliected that a party of De Soto's men, an exploring 
 company, which he sent out to reconnoiter the country, 
 never returned to him nor were heard of afterwards. This 
 medal might have been brought and lost where it was 
 found, by the person to whom it was given, or by some 
 Indian, who had rather have it in his own possession than 
 in his captive's pocket. 
 
 Swords, gun barrels, knives, pickaxes, and implements 
 of war, are often found along the banks of the Ohio, which 
 had been left there by the French, when they had forts at 
 Pittsburgh, Ligonier, St. Vincents, &c. 
 
 The traces of a furnace of fifty kettles, said to exist in 
 Kentucky, a few miles in a southeastern direction from 
 Portsmouth, appear to me to belong to the same era, and 
 owe their origin to the same people. 
 
 Several Roman coins, said to have been found in a cave 
 near Nashville, in Tennessee, bearing date not many centu- 
 ries after the Christian era, have excited some interest 
 among antiquaries. They were either discovered where 
 the finder had purposely lost them, or, what is more prob- 
 able, had been left there by some European since this 
 country was traversed by the French. 
 
 That a Frenchman should be in possession of a few 
 Roman coins, and that he should deposit them in some 
 remarkable cave which he chanced to visit in his travels, 
 is not surprising. That some persons have purposely lost 
 coins, medals, &c. &c. in caves which they knew were 
 about to be explored; or deposited them in tumuli, which 
 they knew were about to be onen^l, is a well known fact, 
 which has occurred at several™ W ln * ms western country. 
 
 In one word, I will venture to assert, that there never 
 has been found a medal, coin, or monument, in all North * ' 
 3 
 
 
! 
 
 I 
 
 18 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 America, which had on it one or more letters, belonging to 
 any alphabet, now or ever in use among men of any age 
 or country, that did not belong to Europeans or their 
 descendants, and had been brought or made here since the 
 discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. 
 
 3. ANTIQUITIES OF THE PEOPLE WHO FORMERLY INHABITED 
 THE WESTERN PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 It is time to consider the third, last, and most highly 
 interesting class of antiquities, which comprehends those 
 belonging to that people who erected our ancient forts and 
 tumuli; those military works, whose walls and ditches cost 
 so much labor in their structure; those numerous and some- 
 times lofty mounds, which owe their origin to a people far 
 more civilized than our Indians, but far less so than Euro- 
 peans. These works are interesting, on many accounts, to 
 the antiquarian, the philosopher, and the divine, especially 
 when we consider the immense extent of country which 
 they cover; the great labor which they cost their authors; 
 the acquaintance with the useful arts, which that people 
 had, when compared with our present race of Indians; the 
 grandeur of many of the works themselves; the total absence 
 of all historical records, or even traditionary accounts res- 
 pecting them; the great interest which the learned have 
 taken in them; the contradictory and erroneous accounts 
 which have generally been given of them: to which we 
 may add, the destruction of them which is going on in almost 
 every place wherethey are found in this whole country, 
 have jointly contributed to induce me to bestow no incon- 
 siderable share of attention to this class of antiquities. They 
 were once forts, cemeteries, temples, altars, camps, towns, 
 villages, race grounds, and other places of amusement, 
 habitations of chieftauis^^dettes, watch towers, monu- 
 ments, &c. These an^| P^vorks, especially the mounds, 
 both of earth and stone, are found in every quarter of the 
 habitable globe. 
 
ill 
 
 19 
 
 IN WHAT PARTS OP THE WORLD ANCIENT WORKS OP THIS 
 KIND AR.U FOUND. 
 
 These ancient works, so much talked about, and so little 
 understood, are spread over an immense extent of country, 
 in Europe and the northern parts of Asia. They may be 
 traced from Wales to Scotland on the island of Britain; — 
 they are found in Ireland, in Normandy, in France, in 
 Sweden, and quite across the Russian empire, to our conti- 
 nent. In Africa we see pyramids, which derive their 
 origin from the same source. In Judea, and throughout 
 all Palestine, works similar to ours exist. In Tartary they 
 abound in all the steppes. I know not whether Lewis and 
 Clarke saw any of these works on the Columbia river; but 
 they did not traverse that country by land, and had of 
 course but little opportunity to discover them, if there. — 
 But on this side of the Rocky mountains they did see them 
 frequently; and I have little doubt of their existing all the 
 way, from the spot where, we are informed, the ark of 
 Noah rested, to our northwestern lakes, down them and 
 their outlets, as far as the Black river country, on the 
 southern shore of lake Ontario, in New- York. 
 
 On the south side of Ontario, one not far from Black 
 river, is the farthest in a northeastern direction, on this 
 continent. One on the Chenango river, at Oxford, is the 
 farthest south, on the eastern side of the Alleghanies. — 
 These works are small, very ancient, and appear to mark 
 the utmost extent of the settlement of the people who 
 erected them, in that direction. Coming from Asia, find- 
 ing our great lakes, and following them down thus far; 
 were they driven back by iBWfncestors of our Indians! 
 and, were the small forts above alluded to, built in order to 
 
20 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 protect them from the aborigines who had before that time 
 settled along the Atlantic coast? In traveling towards 
 lake Erie, in a western direction from the. works above 
 mentioned, a few small works are occasionally found, espe- 
 cially in Genesee county; but they are few and small, until 
 we arrive at the mouth of Cataraugus creek, a water of 
 lake Erie, in Cataraugus county, in the State of New- York, 
 where Governor Clinton, in his "Memoir, &c." says a line 
 of forts commences, extending south upwards of fifty miles, 
 and not more than four or five miles apart. There is said 
 to be another line of them parallel to these, which gener- 
 ally contain a few acres of ground only, whose walls are 
 only a few feet in height. For an able account of the 
 antiquities in the western parts of New-York, we must 
 again refer to Governor Clinton's Memoir, not wishing to 
 
 I repeat what he has so well said. 
 
 If the works already alluded to, are real forts, they must 
 have been built by a people few in number, and quite rude 
 in the arts of life. Traveling towards the southwest, these 
 works are frequently seen, but like those already mentioned, 
 they are comparatively small, until we arrive on the Lick- 
 
 Iing, near Newark, where are some of the most extensive 
 and intricate, as well as interesting, of any in this State, 
 perhaps in the world. Leaving these, still proceeding in 
 a southwestern direction, we find some very extensive ones 
 at Circleville. At Chillicothe there were some, but the 
 destroying hand of man has despoiled them of their con- 
 tents, and entirely removed them. On Paint creek are 
 some far exceeding all others in some respects, where, 
 probably was once an ancient city of great extent. At the 
 mouth of the Scioto, are some very extensive ones, as well 
 as at the mouth of the Muskingum. In fine, these works 
 are thickly scattered over the vast plain from the southern 
 shore of lake Erie, to the Mexican Gulf, increasing in 
 number, size and gran^^^as wc proceed towards the 
 south. They may be traWParound the Gulf, across the 
 province of Texas into New-Mexico, and all the way into 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 21 
 
 South America. They abound most in the vicinity of good 
 streams, and are never, or rarely found, except in a fertile 
 soil. They are not found in the prairies of Ohio, and rarely 
 in the barrens, and they are small, and situated on the edge 
 of them, and on dry ground. From the Black river 
 country in New-York, to this State, I need say no more 
 concerning them; but at Salem, in Ashtabula county, there 
 is one on a hill, which merits a few words, though it is a 
 small one compared with others farther south. The work 
 at Salem, is on a hill near Coneaught river, if my informa- 
 tion be correct, and is about three miles from lake Erie. It 
 is round, having two parallel circular walls, and a ditch 
 between them. Through these walls, leading into the 
 inclosure, are a gateway and a road, exactly like a modern 
 turnpike, descending down the hill to the stream by such a 
 gradual slope, that a team with a wagon might easily either 
 ascend or descend it, and there is no other place by which 
 these works could be approached, without considerable 
 difficulty. Within the bounds of this ancient enclosure, 
 the trees which grew there were such as denote the richest 
 soil in this country, while those growing on the outside of 
 these ruins, were such as denote the poorest. 
 
 On the surface of the earth, within this circular work, 
 and immediately below it, pebbles rounded, and having 
 their angles worn off in water, such as are now seen on the 
 present shore of the lake, are found; but they are repre- 
 sented as bearing visible marks of having been burned in a 
 hot fire. Bits of earthen ware, of a coarse kind, and of a 
 rude structure, without any glazing, are found here on the 
 surface, and a few inches below it. This ware is repre- 
 sented to me as having been manufactured of sand stone 
 and clay. My informant says, within this work are some- 
 times found skeletons of a people of small stature; which, 
 if true, sufficiently identifies it to have belonged to that 
 race of men who erected our tuncfuli. The vegetable mould 
 covering the surface within the works, is at least ten inches 
 in depth. In these same works have been found articles, 
 
22 
 
 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 evidently belonging to Indians, of their own manufacture,, 
 as well as others, which they had derived from their inter- 
 course with Europeans and their descendants. I mention 
 the fact here, thus particularly, in order to save the repeti- 
 tion of it, in describing nearly every work of this kind, 
 especially along the shore of lake Erie, and the banks of 
 the larger rivers. This circumstance I wish the reader to 
 keep in mind. Indian antiquities arc alwajo cither on, or 
 a very small distance below, the surface, unless buried in 
 some grave; whilst articles, evidently belonging to that 
 people who raised our mounds, are frequently found many 
 feet below the surface, especially in river bottoms. 
 
 Still proceeding in a southwestern direction, there are, at 
 different places, several small ancient works, scattered over 
 the country, some in regular forms, and others appear to 
 have been thrown up to suit the ground where they are 
 situated; but their walls are only a few feet in height, en- 
 compassing, generally, but a few acres, with ditches of no 
 great depth, evidently showing the population to have been 
 inconsiderable. 
 
 I have been informed, that in the north part of Medina 
 county, Ohio, there are some works, near one of which, a 
 piece of marble, well polished, was lately found. It might 
 have been a composition of clay and sulphate of lime or 
 plaster of Paris, such as I have often seen in and about an- 
 cient works along the Ohio river. A common observer 
 would mistake the one for the other, which I am disposed 
 to believe was the case here. 
 

-Plate 2 
 
 j ^"^rlnmrty in form of an octagon 
 M.a round Forlccnucclcd uith Vie fbvmeifo 
 Uaraltil ivallr 
 
 V.a round Fori vrilh a ditch around it 
 10. a Square fori 
 
 E T «F™dcenlui7ti7i 9 lt0^rej- r riq» V ard, I |! 
 l-m/i/iased leliavehem cultivated folds ! ; I 
 a.Mnall works i>f defence f \\ 
 
 C BaraUel walls of earth | L' 
 
 0. Passes down tithe water 
 
 m. SnwM mounds for the defence of /ho qatis 
 "i the vclcic/onal Fort 
 
 '^''^enalo J7/ zc t rtl r of,-lcneSCK feethu,h 
 VD .Ere /t ^ alU walk ^^ m a n ^ 
 
 their total l m9 fa un / mc>mi 
 *m£+ declcvify 40 feet nearly /^eudu^r 
 Mlluvtau formed since then works m deserted 
 
25 
 
 ANCIENT WORKS NEAR NEWARK, OHIO. 
 
 Proceeding still to the southward, the ancient works 
 become more and more numerous, and more intricate, and 
 of greater size; denoting the increase of their authors, in 
 number, strength, and abetter acquaintance with the art 
 of constructing them. At length we reach the interesting 
 ones on two branches of the Licking, near Newark, in 
 Licking county, Ohio, which, on many accounts, are quite 
 as remarkable as any others in North America, or, perhaps 
 in any part of the world. 
 
 By referring to the scale on which they are projected, it 
 will be seen that these works are of great extent. (See the 
 plate.) 
 
 A, is a fort containing about forty acres within its walls, 
 which are, generally, I should judge, about ten feet high. 
 Leading into this fort, are eight openings or gateways, 
 about fifteen feet in width; in front of which, is a small 
 mound of earth, in height and thickness resembling the 
 outer wall. (See m, m, m, m, m, m, ra.) These small mounds 
 are about four feet longer than the gateway is in width; 
 otherwise they look as if the wall had been moved into the 
 fort eight or ten feet. These small mounds of earth were 
 probably intended for the defence of the gates, opposite to 
 which they are situated. The walls of this work, consisting 
 of earth, are taken from the surface so carefully and uni- 
 formly, that it cannot now be discovered from what spot. 
 They are as nearly perpendicular as the earth could be 
 made to lie. 
 
 B, is a round fort, containing twenty-two acres, connec- 
 ted with A, by two parallel walls of earth of about the same 
 height, &c. as those of A. At d, is an observatory, built 
 
o 
 
 0) 
 O 
 
 (d 
 
 H 
 -P 
 
 o 
 
 I 
 
 H 
 O 
 
 CD 
 
 N 
 
 -H ^ 
 
 -P 3 
 
 -H -P 
 
 C -P 
 
 
 
 to -P 
 
 -rH H 
 
 
 4J CO 
 
 O -H 
 J 
 
 T* (D 
 
 rH £} 
 O 
 M-4 rH 
 
 CO 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 partly of earth and partly of stone. It commanded a full 
 view of a considerable part, if not all the plain, on which 
 these ancient works stand; and would do so now, were the 
 thick growth of ancient forest trees, which clothe this tract, 
 cleared away. Under this observatory, was a passage, from 
 appearances, and a secret one probably, to the water course 
 which once run near this spot, but has since moved far- 
 ther off. 
 
 C, is a circular fort, containing about twenty-six acres, 
 having a wall around it, which was thrown out of a deep 
 ditch on the inner side of the wall. This wall is now from 
 twenty-five to thirty feet in height; and when I saw this 
 work, the ditch was half filled with water, especially on the 
 side towards E. There are parallel walls of earth, c, c, c, c, 
 c, c, generally five or six rods apart, and four or five feet in 
 height. Their extent may be measured by the reader, by 
 referring to the scale annexed to the plates. 
 
 D, is a square fort, containing twenty acres, whose walls 
 are similar to those of A. 
 
 E, is a pond, covering from one hundred and fifty to two 
 hundred acres; which was a few years since entirely dry, 
 so that a crop of Indian corn was raised where the water is 
 now ten feet in depth, and appears still to be rising. This 
 pond sometimes reaches to the very walls of C, and to the 
 parallel walls towards its northern end. 
 
 F, F, F, F, is the interval, or alluvion, made by the 
 Raccoon and south fork of Licking river, since they washed 
 the foot of the hill at G, G, G. When these works were 
 occupied, we have reason to believe that these streams 
 washed the foot of this hill, and as one proof of it, passages 
 down to the water have been made of easy ascent and de- 
 scent, at 6, 6, 6, b. 
 
 G, G, G, an ancient bank of the creeks, which have 
 worn their channels considerably deeper than they were 
 when they washed the foot of this hill. These works stand 
 on a large plain, which is elevated forty or fifty feet above 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 37 
 
 the interval F, F, F, and is almost perfectly flat, and as rich 
 a piece of land as can be found in any country. The reader 
 will see the passes, where the authors of these works enter- 
 ed into their fields at /,/,/,/,/, and which were probably 
 cultivated. The watch towers, a, a, a, a, were placed at 
 the ends of parallel walls, or ground as elevated as could 
 be found on this extended plain. They were surrounded 
 by circular walls, now only four or five feet in height. It 
 is easy to see the utility of these works, placed at the seve- 
 ral points where they stand. 
 
 C, Z), two parallel walls, leading probably to other works, 
 but not having been traced more than a mile or two, are 
 not laid down even as far as they were surveyed. 
 
 The high ground, near Newark, appears to have been 
 the place, and the only one which I saw, where the an- 
 cient occupants of these works buried their dead, and even 
 these tumuli appeared to me to be small. Unless others are 
 found in the vicinity, I should conclude, that the original 
 owners, though \ery numerous, did not reside here during 
 any greath length of time. I should not be surprised if the 
 parallel walls C, Z), are found to extend from one work of 
 defence to another, for the space of thirty miles, all the 
 way across to the Hockhocking, at some point a few miles 
 north of Lancaster. Such walls having been discovered at 
 different places, probably belonging to these works, for ten 
 or twelve miles at least, leads me to suspect that the works 
 on Licking were erected by people who were connected 
 with those who lived on the Hockhocking river, and that 
 their road between the two settlements w r as between these 
 parallel walls. 
 
 If I might be allowed to conjecture the use to which 
 these works were originally put, I should say, that the lar- 
 ger works were really military ones of defense; that their 
 authors lived within the walls; that the parallel walls were 
 intended for the double purposes of protecting persons in 
 times of danger, from being assaulted while passing from 
 one work to another, and they might also serve as fences, 
 4 
 
28 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 with a very few gates, to fence in and inclose their fields, 
 at 7, 7, 7, 7, as the plate will show, 
 
 The hearths, burnt charcoal, cinders, wood, ashes, &c. 
 which were uniformly found in all similar places, that are 
 now cultivated, have not been discovered here; this plain 
 being probably an uncultivated forest. I found here, seve- 
 ral arrowheads, such as evidently belonged to the people 
 who raised other similar works. 
 
 The care which is every where visible about these ruins, 
 to protect every part from a foe without; the high plain on 
 which they are situated, which is generally forty feet above 
 the country around it; the pains taken to get at the water, 
 as well as to protect those who wished to obtain it; the fer- 
 tiiesoil, which appears to me to have been cultivated, are 
 circumstances not to be overlooked; they speak volumes in 
 favour of the sagacity of their authors. 
 
 A few miles below Newark, on the south side of the 
 Licking, are some of the most extraordinary holes, dug in 
 the earth, for number and depth, of any within my know- 
 ledge, which belonged to the people we are treating of. In 
 popular language, they are called "wells, 1 ' but were not 
 dug for the purpose of procuring water, either fresh or salt. 
 
 There are at least a thousand of these "wells;" many of 
 them are now more than twenty feet in depth. A great deal 
 of curiosity has been excited, as to the objects sought for, 
 by the people who dug these holes. One gentleman nearly 
 ruined himself, by digging in and about the-e works, in 
 quest of the precious metals; but he found nothing very 
 precious. 1 have been at the pains to obtain specimens of 
 all the minerals, in and near these wells. They have not 
 all of them been put to proper tests; but I can say, that 
 rock crystals, some of them very beautiful, and horn stone, 
 suitable for arrow and spear heads, and a little lead, sul- 
 pher, and' iron, was all that I could ascertain correctly to 
 belong to the specimens in my possession. Rock crystals, 
 and stone arrow and spear heads, were in great repute 
 among them, if we are to judge from the numbers of them 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 29 
 
 found in such of the mounds as were common cemeteries. 
 To a rude people, nothing would stand a better chance of 
 being esteemed, as an ornament, than such articles. 
 
 On the whole, I am of the opinion, that these holes were 
 dug for the purpose of procuring the articles above named; 
 and that it is highly probable a vast population, once here, 
 procured these, in their estimation, highly ornamental and 
 useful articles. And it is possible that they might have 
 procured some lead here, though by no means probable, 
 because we no where find any lead which ever belonged 
 to them, and it will not very soon, like iron, become 
 an oxyde, by rusting. 
 
30 
 
 ANCIENT WORKS IN PERRY COUNTY, OHIO. 
 
 Southwardly from the great works on the Licking, four 
 or five miles in a northwestern direction from Somerset, 
 the seat of justice for Perry county, and on section twenty- 
 one, township seven, range sixteen, is an ancient work of 
 stone. \See the plate.] 
 
 A, is the area of this work. M, a stone mound near the 
 center of it. This stone mound is circular, and in form of 
 a sugar loaf, from twelve to fifteen feet in height. There 
 is a smaller circular stone tumulus at m, standing in the 
 wall, which encloses the work, and constituting a part of it. 
 
 jR, is a large and high rock, lying in front of an opening 
 in the outer wall. This opening is a passage between 
 two large rocks, which lie in the wall, of from seven to ten 
 feet in width. These rocks, on the outside, present a per- 
 pendicular front of ten feet in altitude, but after extending 
 fifty yards into the enclosure, they enter the earth and 
 disappear. There is a gateway at G, much as is repre- 
 sented in the plate. 
 
 S, is a small work, whose area is half an acre; the walls 
 are of earth, and of a few feet only in height. This large 
 stone work contains within its walls forty acres and upwards. 
 The walls, as they are called in popular language, consist 
 of rude fragments of rocks, without any marks of any iron 
 tool upon them. These stones lie in the utmost disorder, 
 and if laid up in a regular wall, would make one seven 
 feet or seven feet six inches in height, and from four to six 
 feet in thickness. I do not believe this ever to have been 
 a military work, either of defense or offense; but if a mili- 
 tary work, it must have been a temporary camp. From 
 the circumstance of this work's containing two stone tumuli, 
 
JFlctteZ. 
 
 mdruffSc.t 
 
t! 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 33 
 
 such as were used in ancient times, as altars and as monu- 
 ments, for the purpose of perpetuating the memory of some 
 great era, or important event in the history of those who 
 raised them, I should rather suspect this to have heen a 
 sacred enclosure, or "high place," which was resorted to 
 on some great anniversary. It is on high ground, and 
 destitute of water, and of course, could not have been a 
 place of habitation for any length of time. It might have 
 been the place where some solemn feast was annually held, 
 by the tribe by which it was formed. The place has 
 become a forest, and the soil is too poor to have ever been 
 cultivated by a people who invariably chose to dwell on a 
 fertile spot. These monuments of ancient manners, how 
 simple, and yet how sublime! Their authors were rude, 
 and unacquainted with the use of letters, yet they raised 
 monuments calculated almost for endless duration, and 
 speaking a language as expressive as the most studied 
 inscriptions of later times upon brass and marble. These 
 monuments, their stated anniversaries and traditionary 
 accounts, were their means of perpetuating the recollection 
 of important transactions. Their authors are gone; their 
 monuments remain: But the events which they were 
 intended to keep in the memory, are lost in oblivion. 
 
u 
 
 ANCIENT WORKS AT MARIETTA, OHIO. 
 
 Having already described several ancient works, either 
 on or near the waters of the Muskingum, I shall trace them 
 down that river. But there are none of any considerable 
 note, except those on the Licking, which falls into that 
 stream at Zanesville, until we arrive at some situated near 
 its banks in Morgan county, which, however, have not been 
 surveyed. These are mounds of earth and stones, and their 
 description is reserved until we arrive at that part of this 
 memoir, which will be devoted to a consideration of that 
 class of antiquities. 
 
 Proceeding down the Muskingum to its mouth, at Mari- 
 etta, are some of ihe ti^ost extraordinary ancient works any 
 where to be found. They have been often examined, and as 
 often very well described; jet as some additional facts have 
 come to my knowledge, and as other works in many parts 
 of the western country are similar to them; and as com- 
 parisons ought to be instituted between works evidently of 
 the same class, I have ventured to collect together a mass 
 of facts concerning them, derived from several intelligent 
 persons, who have published their statements, as well as 
 some from others who have obligingly laid before me addi- 
 tional information. 
 
 Manassah Cutler, LL. D., many years since, published 
 an accurate account of these works. Next followed M The 
 Journal of a Tour " into this country, by Thaddeus M. 
 Harris, D. D., in which may be found much useful informa- 
 tion concerning them, accompanied by a diagram sketch 
 of them, very accurately drawn from actual survey, by 
 Gen. Rufus Putnam, of Marietta. I have carefully com- 
 pared these well written accounts with those which I have 
 
* Harris's Tour, page 149. 
 

 
 
 CD 
 N CD 
 
 
 0) 
 
 
 digiti 
 futur 
 
 
 (d 
 
 C -P 
 -H CO 
 
 I * 
 
 Pi 
 
 
 XX T5 
 
 CO -P 
 
 -V 
 
 •P 
 
 -H M 
 
 
 * 
 
 3 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 d-out 
 e ins 
 
 
 1 
 
 H XX 
 
 
 TJ 
 
 O 
 
 M-t rH 
 
 , 1 
 
 
 H 
 
 1 1 
 CO -H 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 fa 
 
 En 
 
I 
 
 on 
 dc 
 nc 
 sti 
 
 su 
 de 
 m 
 cl; 
 
 et 
 w : . 
 of 
 cc 
 of 
 
 p ? 
 
 tb 
 
 of 
 
 P ( 
 
 so 
 ti 
 
 pared these well written 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 37 
 
 received from Br. S. P. Hildreth, of Marietta, Gen. Ed- 
 ward W. Tupper, of Gallipolis, and several other gentle- 
 men residing on the Ohio. From these highly respectable 
 sources, I have drawn my information. These works have 
 been more fortunate than many others of this kind in North 
 America: no despoiling hand has been laid upon them; 
 and no blundering, hasty traveler has, to my knowledge, 
 pretended to describe them. The mound which was used 
 as a cemetery is entire, standing in the burying ground of 
 the present town. Cutler, Putnam, and Harris, are intel- 
 ligent men. 
 
 It will be seen that I have quoted largely from Drs. Cut- 
 ler and Harris; not, however, without first ascertaining 
 that their accounts were perfectly correct, as to all the 
 facts which they have stated. 
 
 * ;; The situation of these works is on an elevated plain, 
 above the present bank of the Muskingum, on the east side, 
 and about half a mile from its junction with the Oh'o. 
 They consist of walls and mounds of earth, in direct lines, 
 and in square and circular forms. 
 
 "The largest square fort, by some called the town, con- 
 tains forty acres, encompassed by a wall of earth, from six 
 to ten feet high, and from twenty-five to thirty-six in 
 breadth at the base. On each side are three openings, 
 at equal distances, resembling twelve gateways. The 
 entrances at the middle, are the largest, particularly on 
 the side next to the Muskingum. From this outlet is a 
 covert way, formed of two parallel walls of earth, two 
 hundred and thirty-one feet distant from each other, mea- 
 suring from center to center. The walls at the most ele- 
 vated part, on the inside, are twenty-one feet in height, 
 and forty-two in breath at the base, but on the outside 
 average only five feet in height. This forms a passage of 
 about three hundred and sixty feet in length, leading by 
 a gradual descent to the low grounds, where, at the time 
 
 * Harris's Tour, page 149. 
 

 38 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 of its construction, it probably reached the river. Its walls 
 commence at sixty feet from the ramparts of the fort, and 
 increase in elevation as the way descends towards the 
 river; and the bottom is crowned in the center, in the 
 manner of a well founded turnpike road. 
 
 "Within the walls of the fort, at the northwest corner, is 
 an oblong elevated square, one hundred and eighty-eight 
 feet long, one hundred and thirty-two broad, and nine feet 
 high; level on the summit, and nearly perpendicular at the 
 sides. At the center of each of the sides, the earth is 
 projected, forming gradual ascents to the top, equally reg- 
 ular, and about six feet in width. Near the south wall 
 is another elevated square, one hundred and fifty feet by 
 one hundred and twenty, and eight feet high, similar to the 
 other, excepting that instead of an ascent to go up on the 
 side next the wall, there is a hollow way ten feet wide, 
 leading twenty feet towards the center, and then rising 
 with a gradual slope to the top. At the southeast corner, 
 is a third elevated square, one hundred and eight, by fifty- 
 four feet, with ascents at the ends, but not so high nor per- 
 fect as the two others. A little to the southwest of the 
 center of the fort is a circular mound, about thirty feet 
 in diameter and five feet high, near which are four small 
 excavations at equal distances, and opposite each other. 
 Al the southwest corner of the fort is a semicircular para- 
 pet, crowned with a mound, which guards the opening in 
 the wall. Towards the southeast is a smaller fort, con- 
 taining twenty acres, with a gateway in the center of each 
 side and at each corner. These gateways are defended 
 by circular mounds. 
 
 "On the outside of the smaller fort is a mound, in form 
 of a sugar loaf, of a magnitude and height which strike the 
 beholder with astonishment. Its base is a regular circle, 
 one hundred and fifteen feet in diameter; its perpendicular 
 altitude is thirty feet. It is surrounded by a ditch four 
 feet deep and fifteen feet wide, and defended by a parapet 
 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES* 39 
 
 four feet high, through which is a gateway towards the 
 fort, twenty feet in width. There are other walls, mounds, 
 and excavations, less conspicuous and entire, which will be 
 best understood by referring to the annexed drawings." 
 
 Some additional particulars respecting these works, are 
 contained in -the following extracts from a letter, written 
 by Dr. S. P. Hildreth, of Marietta, to the author, dated 
 the 8th of June, 1819. 
 
 "Mr. Harris, in his 'Tour,' has given a tolerably good 
 account of the present appearance of the works, as to 
 height, shape and form. (I must refer you to this work.) 
 The principal excavation, or well, is as much as sixty feet 
 in diameter, at the surface; and when the settlement was 
 first made, it was at least twenty feet deep. It is at present 
 twelve or fourteen feet; but has been filled up a great deal 
 from the washing of the sides by frequent rains. It was 
 originally of the kind formed in the most early days, when 
 the water was brought up by hand in pitchers, or other 
 vessels, by steps formed in the sides of the well. 
 
 " The pond, or reservoir, near the northwest corner of the 
 large fort, was about twenty-five feet in diameter, and the 
 sides raised above the level of the adjoining surface by an 
 embankment of earth three or four feet high. This was 
 nearly full of water at the first settlement of the town, and 
 remained so until the last winter, at all seasons of the year. 
 When the ground was cleared near the well, a great many 
 logs that laid nigh, were rolled into it, to save the trouble 
 of piling and burning them. These, with the annual 
 deposit of leaves, &c, for ages, had filled the well nearly 
 full; but still the water rose to the surface, and had the 
 appearance of a stagnant pool. In early times, poles and 
 rails have been pushed down into the water, and deposit of 
 rotten vegetables, to the depth of thirty feet. Last winter 
 the person who owns the well, undertook to drain it, by cut- 
 ting a ditch from the well into the small "covert way;" and 
 he has dug to the depth of about twelve feet, and let the 
 5 
 
40 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 water off to that distance. He finds the sides of the reser- 
 voir not perpendicular, but projecting gradually towards 
 the center of the well, in the form of an inverted cone. 
 The bottom and sides, so far as he has examined, are lined 
 with a stratum of very fine, ash colored clay, about eight 
 or ten inches thick; below which, is the common soil of 
 the place, and above it, this vast body of decayed vegeta- 
 tion. The proprietor calculates to take from it several 
 hundred loads of excellent manure,' and to continue to 
 work at it, until he has satisfied his curiosity, as to the 
 depth and contents of the well. If it was actually a well, 
 it probably contains many curious articles, which belonged 
 to the ancient inhabitants. 
 / ^\ "On the outside of the parapet, near the oblong square, I 
 picked up a considerable number of fragments of ancient 
 potters' ware. This ware is ornamented with lines, some 
 of them quite curious and ingenious, on the outside. It is 
 composed of clay and fine gravel, and has a partial glazing 
 on the inside. It seems to have been burnt, and capable 
 of holding liquids. The fragments, on breaking them, look 
 quite black, with brilliant particles, appearing as you hold 
 them to the light. The ware which I have seen, found 
 
 (near the rivers, is composed of shells and clay, and not near 
 so hard as this found on the plain. It is a little curious, 
 that of twenty or thirty pieces which I picked up, nearly all 
 of them were found on the outside of the parapet, as if they 
 had been thrown over the wall purposely .j> This is, in my 
 mind, strong presumptive evidence, that the parapet was 
 crowned with a palisade. The chance of finding them on 
 the inside of the parapet, was equally good, as the earth 
 had been recently ploughed, and planted with corn. Sev- 
 eral pieces of copper have been found in and near to the 
 ancient works, at various times. One piece, from the 
 description I had of it, was in the form of a cup with low 
 sides, the bottom very thick and strong. The small mounds 
 in this neighborhood have been but slightly, if at all exam- 
 ined. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 41 
 
 "The avenues, or places of ascent on the sides of the 
 elevated squares, are ten feet wide, instead of six, as stated 
 by Mr. Harris. His description, as to height and dimen- 
 sions, are otherwise correct. 
 
 "There was lately found at Waterford, not far from the 
 bank of the Muskingum, a magazine of spear and arrow 
 heads, sufficient to fill a peck measure. They lay in one 
 body, occupying a space of about eight inches in width and 
 eighteen in length, and at one end about a foot from the 
 surface of the earth, and eighteen inches at the other; as 
 though they had been buried in a box, and one end had sunk 
 deeper in the earth than the other. They were found by 
 Mr. B. Dana, of Waterford, as he was digging the earth to 
 remove a large pear tree. The spot was formerly covered 
 by a house in the early settlement of the place. They 
 appear never to have been used, and are of various lengths, 
 from six to two inches; they have no shanks, but are in the 
 shape of a triangle, with two long sides, thus, Q^>»" 
 
 It is worthy of remark, that the walls and mounds were 
 not thrown up from ditches, but raised by bringing the earth 
 from a distance, or taking it up uniformly from the plain; 
 resembling, in that respect, most of the ancient works at 
 Licking, already described. It h^s excited some surprise 
 that the tools have not been discovered here, with which 
 these works were constructed. Those who have examined 
 these ruins, seem not to have been aware, that with shovels 
 made of wood, earth enough to have constructed these 
 works might have been taken from the surface, with as 
 much ease, almost, as if they were made of iron. This 
 will not be as well understood on the east as the west side 
 of the Alleghanies; but those who are acquainted with the 
 great depth and looseness of our vegetable mould, which 
 lies on the surface of the earth, and of course, the ease with 
 which it may be raised by wooden tools, will cease to be 
 astonished at what would be an immense labor in what 
 geologists call "primitive" countries. Besides, had the 
 people who raised these works, been in possession of, and 
 
42 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 used ever so many tools, manufactured from iron, by lying 
 either on or under the earth, during all that long period 
 which has intervened between their authors and us, they 
 would have long since oxydized by "rusting," and left but 
 faint traces of their existence behind them. 
 
 

Plate 4 
 
 
 
45 
 
 ANCIENT WORKS AT CIRCLEVILLE, OHIO. 
 
 Having noticed the principal works of this kind on the 
 waters of the Muskingum, we shall next consider those 
 which might have once been military works, on the waters 
 of the Scioto. 
 
 From near Lower Sandusky, I am not informed of any 
 worthy of notice, that is, "forts," until we arrive at Cir- 
 cleville, twenty-six miles south of Columbus. 
 
 These are situated not far from the junction of Hargus's 
 creek with the latter river, which is on the east side of the 
 river, and south side of the creek. By referring to the 
 plate, the reader will be better enabled to understand the 
 description which follows. 
 
 There are two forts, one being an exact circle, the other 
 an exact square. The former is surrounded by two walls, 
 with a deep ditch between them. The latter is encom- 
 passed by one wall, without any ditch. The former was 
 sixty-nine rods in diameter, measuring from outside to out- 
 side of the circular outer wall; the latter is exactly fifty-five 
 rods square, measuring the same way. The walls of the 
 circular fort were at least twenty feet in height, measuring 
 from the bottom of the ditch, before the town of Circleville 
 was built. The inner wall was of clay, taken up probably 
 in the northern part of the fort, where was a low place, 
 and is still considerably lower than any other part of the 
 work. The outside wall was taken from the ditch which 
 is between these walls, and is alluvial, consisting of peb- 
 bles worn smooth in water, and sand, to a very considerable 
 depth, more than fifty feet at least. The outside of the 
 walls is about five or six feet in height now; on the inside, 
 the ditch is, at present, generally not more than fifteen feet. 
 
; i iEVIMJB i' M i ii 
 
 4 
 
 il ii i/rr/i ditch 
 
 ii u Ibv parallel mill. ., earth 
 
 Ii a u/iiiin- fori 
 
 ""» ■»■' 
 
 IJ.a >,„■„,,,/ 
 

 46 
 
 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 t& 
 
 
 They are disappearing before us daily, and will soon be 
 gone. The walls of the square fort, are, at this time, where 
 left standing, about ten feet in height. There were eight 
 gateways, or openings, leading into the square fori, and 
 only one into the circular fort. Before each of these open- 
 ings was a mound of earth, perhaps four feet high, forty 
 feet perhaps in diameter at the base, and twenty or upwards 
 at the summit. These mounds, for two rods or more, are 
 exactly in front of the gateways, and were intended for the 
 defense of these openings. 
 
 As this work was a perfect square, so the gateways and 
 their watch-towers were equidistant from each other. — 
 These mounds were in a perfectly straight line, and exactly 
 parallel with the Avail. Those small mounds were at m,m, 
 wi, m, ?ra, m, m. The black line at d, represents the ditch, 
 and zc, zy, represent the two circular walls. 
 
 D, [the reader is referred to the plate,] shows the scite 
 of a once very remarkable ancient mound of earth, with a 
 semicircular pavement on its eastern side, nearly fronting, 
 as the plate represents, the only gateway leading into this 
 fort. This mound is entirely removed; but the outline of 
 the semicircular pavement, may still be seen in many pla- 
 ces, notwithstanding the dilapidations of time, and those 
 occasioned by the hand of man. This mound, the pave- 
 ment, the walk from the east to its elevated summit, the 
 contents of the mound, &c, will be described under the 
 head of mounds. 
 
 The earth in these walls was as nearly perpendicular as 
 it could be made to lie. This fort had originally but one 
 gateway leading into it on its eastern side, and that was 
 defended by a mound of earth, several feet in height, at 
 m, ii Near the center of this work was a mound, with 
 a semicircular pavement on its eastern side, some of the 
 remains of which may still be seen by an intelligent ob- 
 server. The mound at m, i, has been entirely removed, 
 so as to make the street level, from where it once stood. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 47 
 
 B, is a square fort adjoining the circular one, as repre- 
 sented by the plate, the area of which has been stated 
 already. The wall which surrounds this work, is generally, 
 now, about ten feet in height, where it has not been manu- 
 factured into brick. There are seven gateways leading 
 into this fort, besides the one that communicates with the 
 square fortification; that is, one at each angle, and another 
 in the wall, just half way between the angular ones. 
 Before each of these gateways was a mound of earth of 
 four or five feet in height, intended for the defense of 
 these openings. 
 
 The extreme care of the authors of these works to pro- 
 tect and defend every part of the circle, is no where visible 
 about this square fort. The former is defended by two high 
 walls; the latter, by one. The former has a deep ditch 
 encircling it; this has none. The former could be entered 
 at one place only; this, at eight, and those about twenty 
 feet broad. The present town of Circleville covers all the 
 round, and the western half, of the square fort. These 
 fortifications, where the town stands, will entirely disap- 
 pear in a few years; and I have used the only means within 
 my power, to perpetuate their memory, by the annexed 
 drawing and this brief description. 
 
 Where the wall of the square fort has been manufactured 
 into brick, the workmen found some ashes, calcined stones, 
 sticks, and a little vegetable mould; all of which must have 
 been taken up from the surface of the surrounding plain. 
 As the square fort is a perfect square, so the gateways or 
 openings are at equal distances from each other, and on a 
 right line parallel with the wall. The walls of this work 
 vary a few degrees from north and south, east and west; 
 but not more than the needle varies, and not a few survey- 
 ors have, from this circumstance, been impressed with the 
 belief, that the authors of these works were acquainted 
 with astronomy. What surprised me, on measuring these 
 forts, was the exact manner in which they had laid down 
 
 
48 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 their circle and square; so that after every effort, hy the 
 most careful survey, to detect some error in their meas- 
 urement, we found that it was impossible, and that the 
 measurement was much more correct, than it would have 
 been in all probability, had the present inhabitants under- 
 taken to construct such a work. Let those consider this 
 circumstance, who affect to believe these antiquities were 
 raised by the ancestors of the present race of Indians. 
 Having learned something of astronomy, what nation, 
 living as our indians do, in the open air, with the heavenly 
 bodies in full view, could have forgotten such knowledge? 
 
 Some hasty travelers, who have spent an hour or two 
 here, have concluded that the "forts" at Circleville were 
 not raised for military, but for religious purposes, because 
 there were two extraordinary tumuli here. A gentleman 
 in one of our Atlantic cities, who has never crossed the 
 Alleghanies, has written to me, that he is fully convinced 
 that they were raised for religious purposes. Men thus 
 situated, and with no correct means of judging, will hardly 
 be convinced by any thing I can say. Nor do I address 
 myself to them, directly or indirectly; for it has long been 
 my maxim, that it is worse than vain to spend one's time 
 in endeavoring to reason men out of. opinions for which they 
 never had any reasons. 
 
 The round fort was picketed in, if we arc to judge from 
 the appearance of the ground on and about the walls. 
 Half way up the outside of the inner wall, is a place dis- 
 tinctly to be seen, where a row of pickets once stood, and 
 where it was placed when this work of defense was origin- 
 ally erected. Finally, this work, about its wall and ditch, 
 eight years since, presented as much of a defensive aspect 
 as forts which were occupied in our wars with the French, 
 in 1755, such as Oswego, Fort Stanwix, and others. These 
 works have been examined by the first military men nviv 
 living in the United States, and they have uniformly 
 declared their opinion to be, that they were military works 
 of defense. 
 
Plate 5 
 
51 
 
 ANCIENT WORKS ON THE 3IAIN BRANCH OF PAINT CREEK, OHIO. 
 
 The nearest of these are situated about eleven, and the 
 farthest fifteen miles, westward!)-, from the town of Chilli- 
 cothe. The plate will assist us in describing them; to 
 which we refer. Their contents, in acres and tenths, are 
 set down on the plate. These works were very carefully 
 surveyed by Mr. Perrin Kent, and the drawing was made by 
 George Wolfley, Esq., of Circle ville. 
 
 We shall begin with work J3, situated on the farms of 
 Capt. George Yocan and Mr. John Harness. The gate- 
 ways, it will be seen, are numerous, and are from eight to 
 twenty feet wide. The walls are generally about ten feet 
 high at this time, and rise to that height immediately at the 
 gateways. These walls are composed of the common soil, 
 which seems to have been taken up from no particular spot, 
 but uniformly from near the surface. That part of this 
 work which is square, has eight gateways; the sides of this 
 square are sixty-six rods in length, containing an area of 
 twenty-seven acres and two tenths. This part of the work 
 has three gateways, connecting it with the larger one; one 
 of which is between two parallel walls about four feet high. 
 A small rivulet, rising towards the . southwest side of the 
 larger part of the largest work, runs through the wall, and 
 sinks into the earth at zo, s. Some suppose this sink hole 
 to have been a work of art, originally. It is fifteen feet 
 deep, and thirty-nine across it, at the surface. There are 
 two mounds, the one within, and the other just outside of 
 this work, represented by m, m; the latter is twenty iect 
 high at this time. 
 
 Works at A, are all connected as represented in the plate. 
 Their several contents will be seen by referring to it. The 
 square work, it will be seen, contains exactly the same area 
 6 
 
xVVI'IKIVT WORKH 
 
 uitihVT Cheek 
 
 wr~\ 
 
 ft 
 
52 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 with the square one belonging to B, and is, in all other re- 
 spects, so much like that work, that to describe this, would 
 be to repeat what has been said concerning the former. 
 Such coincidences are very common in our ancient works; 
 so that a correct description of one applies to hundreds in 
 different parts of the country. 
 
 There is no mound within its walls, but there is one about 
 ten feet high, nearly one hundred rods to the west of it. 
 The large irregular part of the larger work, contains, as 
 will be seen, seventy-seven acres and one-tenth, in the 
 walls of which are eight gateways, besides the two leading 
 into the square just described. These gateways are from 
 one to six rods in width, differing in that respect, very much, 
 one from another. 
 
 Connected by a gateway with this large work, is another 
 in the northwest, sixty poles in diameter. In its center is 
 another circle, whose walls are now about four feet high, 
 and this lesser circle six rods in diameter. There are three 
 ancient wells at 70, w, to, one of which is on the inside, the 
 others on the outside of the wall. As the drawing shows, 
 within the large work of irregular form, are two elevations, 
 which are elliptical. The largest one is near the center; 
 its elevation is twenty-live feet-, its longest diameter is 
 twenty rods; its shortest, ten rods; its area is nearly one 
 hundred and fifty-nine square rods. This work is composed 
 mostly of stones, in their natural state. They must have 
 been brought from the bed of the creek, or from the hill. 
 This elevated work is full of human bones. Some have 
 not hesitated to express a belief, that on this work human 
 beings were once sacrificed. 
 
 The other elliptical work has two stages; one end of it 
 is only about eight feet high, the other end is fifteen. The 
 surfaces of both are smooth. Such works are not as com- 
 mon here as on the Mississippi, and they are more common 
 still further south, in Mexico. 
 
 There is a work in form of a half moon, set 1 round the 
 sages with stones, such as are now found about one mile 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 53 
 
 from the spot from whence they were probably brought. 
 Near this semicircular work is a very singular mound, five 
 feet high, thirty feet in diameter, and composed entirely of 
 a red ocher, which answers very well as a paint. An abun- 
 dance of this ocher is found on a hill not a great distance 
 from this place; and from this circumstance, the name of 
 the fine stream in the vicinity, in all probability, is derived. 
 It is called "Paint creek." 
 
 The wells already mentioned, may be thus described: 
 Thev are very broad at the top, one of them is six rods, 
 another, four; the former is now fifteen feet in depth; the 
 latter ten. There is water in them, and they are like the 
 one at Marietta, described by Dr. Hildreth. Near the 
 limestone road, are several such ones. 
 
 The most interesting work, represented on the plate by 
 C remains to be noticed. It is situated on a high hill, be- 
 lieved to be more than three hundred feet in height, which 
 is in many places almost perpendicular. The walls of this 
 con sis 
 
 of stones in their natural state. This wall was built 
 
 upon the very brow of this hill, almost all around, except 
 at D where the ground is level. It had originally two gate- 
 ways, at the only places where roads could be made to the 
 interval below/ At the northern gateway, stones enough 
 now lie to have built two considerable round towers. From 
 thence to the creek is a natural, perhaps there was one an 
 artificial, road. The stones lie scattered about in confu- 
 sion, and consist mostly of what McClure would call the old 
 red sand stone, taken from the sides of the hill on which 
 this "walled town" once stood. Enough of these stones lie 
 here, to have furnished materials for a wall four feet in 
 thickness, and ten feet in height. On the inside of the 
 wall, at line D, there appears to have been a row of fur- 
 naces or smiths' shops, where the cinders now lie many feet 
 
 in depth. 
 
 I am not able to say with certainty, what manufactures 
 were carried on here, nor can I say whether brick or iron 
 tools were made here, or both. It was clay that was expo- 
 
54 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 sed to the action of fire; the remains are four or five feet in 
 depth, even now, at some places. Iron ore, in this country, 
 is sometimes found in such clay; brick and potters' ware 
 are manufactured out of it, in some other instances. This 
 wall encloses an area of one hundred and thirty acres. It 
 was one of the strongest places in this state, from its situa* 
 tion, so high is its elevation, so nearly perpendicular are 
 the sides of the hill on which it stood. 
 
 The courses of the wall correspond with those of the very 
 brow of the hill; and the quantity of stones is the greatest 
 on each side of the gateways, and at any turn in the course 
 of the wall, as if towers and battlements had been here 
 erected. If the works at A and i>, had been "sacred en- 
 closures," this was the strong military work which defended 
 them. No military man could have selected a better posi- 
 tion for a place of protection to his countrymen, their tem- 
 ples, their altars, and gods. 
 
 In the bed of Paint creek, which washes the foot of the 
 hill on which the "walled town" stood, are four wells, wor- 
 thy of our notice. They were dug through a pyritous slate 
 rock, which is very rich in iron ore. When first discovered 
 by a person passing over them in a canoe, they were cov- 
 ered over, each, by a stone, of about the size, and very much 
 in the shape, of the common millstone, now in use in our 
 grist mills. These covers had a hole through their center, 
 through which a large pry or handspike might be put, for 
 the purpose of removing them off and on the wells. The 
 hole through the center was a!jout four inches in diam- 
 eter. The wells at the top were more than three feet in 
 diameter, and stones well wrought with tools, so as to make 
 good joints, as a stone mason would say, were laid around 
 the several wells. 
 
 I had a good opportunity to examine these wells, the 
 stream in which they are sunk being very low. The covers 
 are now broken to pieces, and the wells filled with pebbles. 
 That they are works of, art, is beyond a doubt. For what 
 purpose they were dug, has been a question among those 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 55 
 
 who have visited them, as the wells themselves are in the 
 stream. The bed of the creek was not here, in all proba- 
 bility, when these were sunk. These wells, with stones at 
 their mouths, resemble those described to us in the patri- 
 archial ages. Were they not dug in those days? 
 
 At £, is a circular work containing between seven and 
 eight acres, whose walls are not now more than ten feet 
 high, surrounded with a ditch, except at one place, perhaps 
 four rods broad, where there is an opening much resembling 
 a modern turnpike road, leading down into the interval 
 land, adjoining the creek. At the end of the ditch, adjoin- 
 ing the wall on each side of this road is a spring of very- 
 good water. Down to the largest one is the appearance of 
 an ancient road. These springs were dug down considera- 
 bly, or rather the earth where they now rise, by the hand 
 of man. 
 
 General William Vance's dwelling house now occupies 
 this gateway; and his orchard and fruit yard, the area 
 within this ancient, sacred enclosure. 
 
58 
 
 ANCIENT WORKS AT PORTSMOUTH, OHIO. 
 
 Descending the Scioto to its mouth, at Portsmouth, we 
 find an ancient work, which I doubt not was a military one 
 of defense, situated on the Kentucky shore, nearly opposite 
 the town of.Alexandria. The reader is referred to the ac- 
 curate drawing of all the works near this place, taken on 
 the spot, from actual examination and survey. The impor- 
 tance of this place, it seems, was duly appreciated by the 
 people, who, in "olden time, 5 ' resided here. To their at- 
 tachment to this part of the country, as well as -the great 
 population which must have been here, are we indebted 
 for the striking and numerous traces of a once nourishing 
 settlement. 
 
 The annexed plate will enable the reader to form a very 
 correct idea of these ancient remains. 
 
 On the Kentucky side of the Ohio, opposite the mouth of 
 the Scioto river, is a large fort, with an elevated, large 
 mound of earth near its southwestern outside angle, and 
 parallel walls of earth, as represented by p, jo, jo, p. The 
 eastern parallel walls have a gateway leading down a high 
 steep bank of a river to the water. They are about ten 
 rods asunder, and from four to six feet in height at this time, 
 and connected with the fort by a gateway. Two small riv- 
 ulets have w r orn themselves channels quite through these 
 walls, from ten to twenty feet in depth, since they were de- 
 serted, from which their antiquity may be inferred. 
 
 The fort is represented by F, on the plate, which is nearly 
 a square, with five gateways, whose walls of earth are now 
 from fourteen to twenty feet in height. 
 
 From the gateway, at the northwest corner of this fort, 
 commenced two parallel walls of earth, extending nearly to 
 

WESTERNS .NTIQUITIES. 59 
 
 the Ohio, in a bend of that river, where, in some low ground 
 near the bank, they disappear. The river seems to have 
 moved its bed a little since these walls were thrown up. 
 A large elevated mound at the southwest corner of the fort, 
 on the outside of the fortification, is represented by m. It 
 appears not to have been used as a place of sepulture; it is 
 too large to have belonged to that class of antiquities. It 
 is a large work, raised perhaps twenty feet or more, very 
 level on its surface, and I should suppose contains half an 
 acre of ground. It seems to me to have been designed 
 for uses similar to the elevated squares at Marietta. Be- 
 tween these works and the Ohio, is a body of fine interval 
 land, which was nearly enclosed by them, aided by the 
 river, and a creek, which has high perpendicular banks. 
 Buried in the walls of this fort, have been found and taken 
 out, large quantities of iron, manufactured into pickaxes, 
 shovels, gun barrels, &c, evidently secreted there by the 
 French, when they fled from the victorious and combined 
 forces of England and America, at the time fort Du Quesne, 
 afterwards fort Pitt, was taken from them. Excavations 
 made in quest of these hidden treasures, are to be seen on 
 these walls, and in many other places near them. 
 
 Several of their graves have been opened and articles 
 found, which leave no doubt on my mind as to their au- 
 thors, nor any great doubt as to the time when they were 
 deposited here. 
 
 On the north side of the river, are works still more ex- 
 tensive than these, more intricate, and of course, more im- 
 pressive. We must again refer to the plate, in order to 
 shorten our labor in description, and at Ihc same time, give 
 a clearer idea of them than could otherwise be obtained. 
 
 Commencing in the low ground, near the present bank of 
 the Scioto river, which seems to have changed a little since 
 these works were raised, are two parallel walls of earth, 
 quite similar to those already described on the other side 
 of the Ohio, as to their height, and their being composed of 
 earth taken up uniformly from the surface, so as not to 
 
60 WESTERN AJ QTJITIES. 
 
 leave any traces by which we j: .ceive from whence it was 
 taken. This was probably owing to the rudeness of the 
 tools used in constructing these walls. From the bank of 
 the Scioto, they lead eastwardly, for a considerable dis- 
 tance, (as a reference to the scale on which these ruins are 
 laid down, will show, and which is an inch to a mile,) con- 
 tinuing about eight or ten rods apart, when, suddenly, they 
 widen at a short distance to the east of the dwelling house 
 of John Brown, Esq., and continue about twenty rods apart, 
 with a curve towards the elevated ground, which they as- 
 cend in the manner represented by the drawing. This hill 
 is very steep, and forty or fifty feet high; after rising which, 
 we again find level land, and a fine, rich, but ancient alluvion 
 of the Ohio. Here, near a curve in the parallel walls, is a 
 well on the brow of the hill, at this time twenty-five feet^ 
 perhaps, in depth; but from the immense quantity of rounded 
 pebbles and sand, of which the earth here consists, after 
 passing through the deep black vegetable mould on the 
 surface, we are involuntarily led to believe, that this well 
 was once quite deep enough to have its bottom on a level 
 with the surface of the river, even in a time of low water 
 in that stream. 
 
 The figures 1, 2, 3, represent three circular tumuli, ele- 
 vated about six feet above the adjacent plain, and each of 
 them contains nearly an acre. Not far from these, at 4, is a 
 still higher similar work, so high, indeed, that it was neces- 
 sary to throw up a way similar to a modern turnpike road, 
 in order to ascend it. This work is now more than twenty 
 feet in perpendicular height, and contains nearly one acre 
 of ground. This elevated circular work, with raised walks 
 to ascend and decend to and from its elevated area, was not 
 used as a cemetery. Not far from it, however, there is one, 
 near m, which is a conical mound of earth, brought to a 
 point at its apex, at least twenty-five feet high, filled with 
 the mouldering ashes of the people who constructed these 
 works. In a northwestern, direction is a similar one, just 
 begun. It is surrounded by a ditch about six feet deep, 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 61 
 
 with a hole in the center of this circular work, which is 
 represented by c. Two other wells, o, o, are now ten or 
 twelve feet in depth, and appear to me to have been dug 
 for water, and are similar to the one already described. 
 Near these, at d, is a wall of earth raised so high that a 
 spectator standing on its summit may have a full view of 
 whatever is transacting on the works 1, 2, 3, 4. This last 
 work is easily ascended at each end. 
 
 From these extensive works on this "high place," are 
 two parallel walls of earth, leading to the margin of the 
 Ohio, which are about two miles in length. They are from 
 six to ten feet high. They are lost in the low ground near 
 the river, which appears to have moved from them since 
 they were constructed. Between these walls and the Ohio, 
 is as fine a body of interval land as any along the valley of 
 this beautiful stream; quite sufficient, if well cultivated, to 
 support a considerable population. The surface of the 
 earth, between all the parallel walls, is quite smooth, and 
 appears to have been made so by art, and was used as a 
 road, by those coming down either of the rivers, for the 
 purpose of ascending to the "high place," situated upon the 
 hill. The walls might have served as fences also, to enclose 
 the interval, which was probably cultivated. 
 
 On the low land I saw but one mound, m 2, and that is a 
 cemetery, but is not very large, and it appears to have be- 
 longed to the common people, probably those who resided 
 near it on the plain. 
 
62 
 
 ANCIENT WORKS ON THE LITTLE MIAMI RIVER. 
 
 These works have been much noticed by those who have 
 traveled on the road which crosses them; and several par- 
 tial accounts of them have already been published. But 
 as some farther notice of these extraordinary remains of 
 antiquity may be here expected, the accompanying draw- 
 ing and description are given. 
 
 Explanation of the plate. — The fortification stands on a 
 plain, nearly horizontal, about two hundred and thirty-six 
 feet above the level of the river, between two branches 
 with very steep and deep banks. The openings in the 
 walls are the gateways. The plain extends eastward 
 along the state road, nearly level, about half a mile. The 
 fortification on all sides, except on the east and west where 
 the road runs, is surrounded with precipices nearly in the 
 shape of the wall. The wall on the inside varies in its 
 height, according to the shape of the ground on the out- 
 side, being generally from eight to ten feet. But on the 
 plain it is about nineteen and a half feet high inside and 
 out, on a base of four and a half poles. In a few places it 
 .appears to be washed away in gutters, made by water 
 collecting on the inside. 
 
 At about twenty poles east from the gate, through which 
 the state road runs, are two mounds, about ten feet eight 
 inches high, the road running between them nearly equi- 
 distant from each. From these mounds are gutters run- 
 ning nearly north and south, that appear to be artificial, 
 and made to communicate with the branches on each side. 
 Northeast from the mounds, on the plain, are two roads, 
 B, each about one pole wide, elevated about three feet, 
 
62 
 
 ANCIENT WORKS ON THE LITTLE MIAMI RIVER. 
 
 These works have been much noticed by those who have 
 traveled on the road which crosses them; and several par- 
 tial accounts of them have already been published. But 
 as some farther notice of these extraordinary remains of 
 antiquity may be here expected, the accompanying draw- 
 ing and description are given. 
 
 Explanation of ike plate, — The fortification stands on a 
 plain, nearly horizontal, about two hundred and thirty-six 
 feet above the level of the river, between two branches 
 with very steep and deep banks. The openings in the 
 walls are the gateways. The plain extends eastward 
 along the state road, nearly level, about half a mile. The 
 fortification on all sides, except on the east and west where 
 the road runs, is surrounded with precipices nearly in the 
 shape of the wall. The wall on the inside varies in its 
 height, according to the shape of the ground on the out- 
 side, being generally from eight to ten feet. But on the 
 plain it is about nineteen and a half feet high inside and 
 out, on a base of four and a half poles. In a few places it 
 .appears to be washed away in gutters, made by water 
 collecting on the inside. 
 
 At about twenty poles east from the gate, through which 
 the state road runs, are two mounds, about ten feet eight 
 inches high, the road running between them nearly equi- 
 distant from each. From these mounds are gutters run- 
 ning nearly north and south, that appear to be artificial, 
 and made to communicate with the branches on each side. 
 Northeast from the mounds, on the plain, are two roads, 
 B, each about one pole wide, elevated about three feet, 
 
"^— 'OIHO - — 
 
 nwATir inr.vircM.iJii.M' am* 
 t£UUGV>n£ELUO£ JLKHIJtJHr 
 
 ^\ 
 
: I 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 65 
 
 and which run nearly parallel, ahout one fourth of a mile, 
 and then form an irregular semicircle round a small mound. 
 Near the southwest end of the fortification are three cir- 
 cular roads, A, between thirty and forty poles in length, 
 cut out of the precipice between the wall and the river. 
 The wall is made of earth. 
 
 Many conjectures have been made as to the design of 
 the authors in erecting a work with no less than fifty-eight 
 gateways. Several of these openings have evidently been 
 occasioned by the water, which had been collected on the 
 inside until it overflowed the walls, and wore itself a pas- 
 sage. In several other places the walls might never have 
 been completed. 
 
 Some have supposed the whole was intended as a work 
 of mere sport in the authors. I have always doubted 
 whether any people of sane minds, would have ever per- 
 formed quite so much labor in mere sport. Probably those 
 openings were neither gateways, nor produced by the 
 action of water, but were from some cause left unfinished. 
 
 Some persons, from the shape of these works, have even 
 believed that the authors intended to represent by them 
 the continents of North and South America! But the walls 
 follow exactly the brow of the hill, and the works are built 
 to suit the position of the ground, where it is hilly and 
 precipitous; where it is not so, the walls suddenly rise to 
 a far greater height. 
 
 The three parallel roads, A, dug at a great expense of 
 labor, into the rocks and rocky soil adjacent and parallel 
 to the Little Miami river, appear to have been designed 
 for persons to stand on, who wished to annoy those who 
 were passing up and down the river. The Indians, as I 
 have been informed, made this use of these roads in their 
 wars with each other and with the whites. Whether 
 these works all belong to the same era and the same peo- 
 ple, I cannot say, though the general opinion is, that they 
 do. On the whole, I have ventured to class them among 
 "Ancient Fortifications," to which they appear to have 
 
bO WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 higher claims than almost any other, for reasons too appa- 
 rent to require a recital. 
 
 The two parallel lines, 13, are two roads very similar to 
 modern turnpikes, and are made to suit the nature of the soil 
 and make of the ground. If the roads were for foot races, 
 the mounds were the goals from whence the pedestrians 
 started or around which they ran. The area which these 
 parallel walls enclose, smoothed by art, might have been 
 the place where games were celebrated. We cannot say 
 that these works were designed for such purposes; but we 
 can say, that similar works were thus used among the early 
 inhabitants of Greece and Rome. 
 
 Speaking of the works of antiquity found in the Miami 
 country, Dr. Daniel Drake, an officer of the American 
 Antiquarian Society, in his ''Picture of Cincinnati," says, 
 " of excavations we have but one;" that is, belonging to the 
 works of that place. "Its depth is about twelve feet. Its 
 diameter, from the top of the circular bank, formed by 
 throwing out the earth, is nearly fifty feet. It has the 
 appearance of a half filled well; but no examination has 
 yet been undertaken." 
 
 Dr. Drake proceeds to describe the ancient works where 
 Cincinnati now stands. "The mounds or pyramids found 
 on this plain were four in number. The largest stands 
 directly west of the central enclosure, at the distance of 
 five hundred yards. Its present height is twenty-seven 
 feet; and about eight feet were cut off by Gen. Wayne, in 
 1794, to prepare it for a sentinel. It is a regular ellipsis, 
 whose diameters are to each other, nearly as two to one. 
 That which is greatest in length runs seventeen degrees 
 east of north. Its circumference at the base is four hun- 
 dred and forty feet. The earth, for thirty or forty yards 
 around it, is perceptibly lower than the other parts of the 
 plain, and the stratum of loam is thinner; from which it 
 appears to have been formed by scooping up the surface; 
 which opinion is confirmed by its internal structure. It has 
 been penetrated nearly to its center, and found to consist 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 67 
 
 of loam, gradually passing into soil, with rotten wood. The 
 fruits o^ this examination were only a few scattered and 
 decayed human bones, a branch of a deer's horn, and a 
 piece of earthen ware containing muscle shells. At the 
 distance of five hundred feet from this pyramid, in the 
 direction of north, eight degrees east, there is another 
 about nine feet high, of a circular figure, and nearly flat 
 on the top. This has been penetrated to the center of its 
 base, without affording any thing but some fragments of 
 human skeletons, and a handful of copper beads which 
 had been strung on a cord of lint. The mound at the 
 intersection of Third and Main streets, has attracted most 
 attention, and is the only one that had any connection with 
 the lines which have been described. It was eight feet high, 
 one hundred and twenty long, and sixty broad, of an oval 
 figure, with its diameters lying nearly in the direction of 
 the cardinal points. It has been almost obliterated by the 
 graduation of Main-street, and its construction is therefore 
 well known. Whatever it contained was deposited at a 
 small distance beneath the stratum of loam which is com- 
 mon to the town. The first artificial layer was of gravel, 
 considerably raised in the middle; the next, composed of 
 large pebbles, was convex and of an uniform thickness; the 
 last consisted of loam and soil. These strata were entire, 
 and must have been formed after the deposits in the tumu- 
 lus were completed. Of the articles taken from thence, 
 many have been lost; but the following catalogue embraces 
 the most worthy of notice. 
 
 1. Pieces of jasper, rock crystal, granite, and some other 
 stones, cylindrical at the extremes, and swelled in the 
 middle, with an annular groove near one end. 
 
 2. A circular piece of canal coal with a large opening 
 in the center, as if for an axis, and a deep groove; the 
 circumference, suitable for a hand. It has a number of 
 small perforations disposed in four equidistant lines, which 
 run from the circumference towards the center. 
 
68 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 3. A smaller article of the same shape, with eight lines 
 of perforations; but composed of argillaceous earth, well 
 polished. 
 
 4. r A bone, ornamented with several carved lines, sup- 
 posed to be hieroglyphical.;? 
 
 5. A sculptural representation of the head and beak of 
 a rapacious bird, perhaps an eagle. 
 
 6. A mass of lead ore, (galena,) lumps of which have 
 been found in other tumuli. 
 
 7. A quantity of isinglass, (mica membranacea,) plates 
 of which have been discovered in, and about other mounds. 
 
 8. A small oval piece of sheet copper, with two per- 
 forations. 
 
 9. A larger oblong piece of the same metal, with longi- 
 tudinal grooves and ridges. 
 
 These articles are described in the fourth and fifth 
 volumes of the American Philosophical Transactions, by 
 Governor Sargent and Judge Turner; and were supposed, 
 by Professor Barton, to have been designed in part for 
 ornament, and in part for superstitious ceremonies. In 
 addition to which, the author says, he has since discovered 
 in the same mound, 
 
 lO.vA number of beads, or sections of small hollow cyl- 
 inders, apparently of bone or shell. 
 
 11. The teeth of a carnivorous animal, probably those 
 of a bear. 
 
 12. Several large marine shells, belonging perhaps to 
 the genus buccinum, cut in such a manner as to serve for 
 domestic utensils, and nearly converted into a state of 
 chalk. > 
 
 13. Several copper articles, each consisting of two sets 
 of circular concavo convex plates; the interior one of each 
 set connected with the other by a hollow axis, around 
 which had been wound some lint; the whole encompassed 
 by the bones of a man's hand. Several other articles 
 resembling these have been found in other parts of the 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 69 
 
 town. They all appear to consist of pure copper, covered 
 with the green carbonate of that metal. After removing 
 this incrustation of rust from two pieces, their specific 
 gravities were found to he 7. 545 and 7. 857. Their 
 hardness is about that of the sheet copper of commerce. 
 They are not engraven or embellished with characters of 
 any kind. 
 
 14. Human bones. These were of different sizes; some- 
 times enclosed in rude stone coffins, but oftener lying 
 blended with the earth; generally surrounded by a por- 
 tion of ashes and charcoal."* 
 
 In this whole tumulus, the author says, there were not 
 discovered more than twenty or thirty skeletons. 
 
 The other ancient works mentioned by Dr. Drake, have 
 not, to my knowledge, been actually surveyed. If they 
 have been, I have not seen any diagram sketches of them; 
 a few remarks, therefore, on this subject, may suffice. 
 
 Few or none of them appear to me to have been forts; 
 indeed I have never seen one on the Great Miami, which 
 seemed to me to deserve that appellation. Their being 
 situated on a hill is by no means a certain indication that 
 they were forts, or that they were ever military works, 
 when it is recollected that most, if not all, the places of 
 religious worship in Greece, Rome, Judea, &c, were on 
 high hills, and are denominated "high places" among the 
 Jews. I have seen several small mounds of earth in the 
 Miami country, and some small works, but the people who 
 raised such works on the waters of the larger rivers of this 
 State were not numerous; and, comparatively speaking, 
 these works are few. in number and small in size. Their 
 authors seem to have preferred the beautiful plains and 
 fertile hills of the slow winding Scioto, to the low marshy 
 interval of the Miami. Those who wish for further 
 remarks on the few works situated in the Miami country, 
 are referred to Dr. Drake's " Picture of Cincinnati." He 
 
 * Drake's Picture of Cincinnati, p. 204, &c. 
 
70 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 seems to think that the traces of ancient works on the 
 interval lands in the Miami country, are where these peo- 
 ple had towns, which appears to me highly probable. These 
 traces of ancient settlement being few, we may conclude 
 that their authors were also few. 
 
 
71 
 
 ANCIENT TUMULI. 
 
 There is another species of ancient works in this coun- 
 try which deserves our notice. They are conical mounds, 
 either of earth or stones, which were intended for many 
 sacred and important purposes. In many parts of the world 
 similar mounds were used as monuments, sepulchers, altars, 
 and temples. 
 
 The accounts of these works, found in the scriptures, 
 show that their origin must be sought for among the Ante- 
 deluvians. That they are very ancient, were used as pla- 
 ces of sepulture, public resort and public worship, is pro- 
 ved by all the writers of ancient times, both sacred and 
 profane. Homer frequently mentions them. He particu- 
 larly describes the tumulus of Tytyus, and the spot where it 
 was. In memory of the illustrious dead, a sepulchral mound 
 of earth was raised over their remains, which from that 
 time forward, became an altar, whereon to offer sacrifices, 
 and around which, to exhibit games of athletic exercise. 
 These offerings and games were intended to propitiate their 
 manes, to honor and perpetuate their memories. 
 
 Prudentius, a Roman bard, has told us, that there were 
 in ancient Rome just as many temples of gods as there were 
 sepulchers of heroes; implying that they were the same* 
 Need I mention the tomb of Anchises, which Virgil has de- 
 scribed, with the offerings there presented, and the games 
 there exhibited? The sanctity of the Acropolis where Ce- 
 crops was inhumed? The tomb of the father of Adonis, at 
 Paphos, whereon a temple dedicated to Venus was erected? 
 The grave of Cleomachus, whereon stood a temple dedi- 
 
 *"Et tot terapla Deum, quot in urba sepulchra, 
 Heroum numerare licit." Prudentius, liber i. 
 
 8 
 
?2 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 cated to the worship of Apollo? Finally, I would ask the 
 classical reader if the words translated tomb and temple, 
 are not used as synonymous, by the poets of Greece and 
 Rome? Virgil, who wrote in the days of Augustus, speaks 
 of these tumuli as being as ancient as they were sacred, 
 even in his time. Who has forgotten those lines, the read- 
 ing of which gave him so much pleasure in the days of his 
 childhood? 
 
 Tumulum antiques Cereris, sedemque sacratam, 
 
 Venimus . JEn. lib. ii. v. 742. 
 
 In the first ages of the world, reason teaches us to be- 
 lieve, that the government of mankind was patriarchal; and 
 the scriptures inform us that it was so. In infancy and 
 childhood we naturally look up to our parents for support 
 and education. The debt of gratitude increases until the 
 beloved object of our filial affection is no more. Then all 
 the endearments, of which we were the objects, through 
 all our helpless years, present themselves to our view, and 
 we anxiously seek, by some monument, to perpetuate the 
 memory of those to whose kind care we are so greatly in- 
 debted. By what better means, could such an object be 
 effected by a people unacquainted with the use of letters? 
 What more lasting monument of filial respect could have 
 been raised by a people thus situated? How simple, and 
 yet how sublime! and calculated to endure while the world 
 itself shall continue, unless destroyed by the sacrilegious 
 hand of man. 
 
 A conical tumulus was reared, games were instituted, 
 and certain offerings presented on stated anniversaries. In 
 later times, after warriors arose, and performed great and 
 mighty deeds, the whole tribe or nation joined to raise on 
 some high place, generally, a lofty tumulus. At first, sacri- 
 fices might have been, and probably were, offered on these 
 tumuli, to the true God, as the great author and giver of 
 life; but in later times they forgot Him, and worshiped 
 the manes of the heroes they had buried there. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 73 
 
 The conical mounds in Ohio are either of stones or of 
 earth. The former, in other countries and in former ages, 
 were intended as monuments, for the purpose of perpetua- 
 ting the memory of some important event; or as altars, 
 whereon to offer sacrifices. The latter were used as ceme- 
 teries and as altars, whereon, in later times, temples were 
 erected among the people of Greece and Rome. Their 
 existence and uses may be learned, by consulting the an- 
 cient writers, both sacred and profane. 
 
 In the scriptures we are informed, that Jacob erected a 
 pillar of stones in order to perpetuate the recollection of a 
 remarkable dream which he had, where he reposed, when 
 journeying to visit Laban. A pile of stones was raised on 
 the spot, where many years afterwards he parted with his 
 brother Esau. This mound was to be a limit, which neither 
 of them should in future pass, without being considered as 
 a trespasser on the other. When the Israelites crossed the 
 Jordan, the priests raised a pile of stones, which were 
 brought from the bed of that river. The reasons are assigned 
 by the several historians, which the reader can see at his 
 leisure. 
 
 Gilgal was aheap of stones, where the Israelites encamp- 
 ed the first night after they crossed the Jordan. If the reader 
 will consult a correct map of Palestine, he will see that 
 Shiloh, Bethel, Jerusalem, &c, where the Jews assembled 
 at various periods of their history, for public worship, were 
 all of them situated upon high hills. 
 
74 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE MOUNDS, OR TUMULI, OF EARTH, 
 
 They are of various altitudes and dimensions, some being 
 only four or five feet in height, and ten or twelve feet in 
 diameter at their base, whilst others, as we travel to the 
 south, rise to the height of eighty and ninety feet, and 
 cover many acres of ground. 
 
 They are generally, where completed, in the form of a 
 cone. Those in the north part of Ohio are inferior in size, 
 and fewer in number, than those along the river. These 
 mounds are believed to exist from the Rocky mountains in 
 the west, to the Alleghanies in the east; from the southern 
 shore of lake Erie, to the Mexican Gulf; and though few 
 and small in the north, numerous and lofty in the south, 
 yet exhibit proofs of a common origin. 
 
 I shall begin with the tumuli on the Muskingum, which 
 are not very numerous, nor comparatively interesting, until 
 we descend to Morgan county, where are some on the head 
 waters of Jonathan's creek, whose basis are formed of well 
 burnt bricks, between four and five inches square. — There 
 were found lying on the bricks, charcoal, cinders, and pieces 
 of calcined human bones. — Above them, the mound was 
 composed of earth, showing that the dead had been burned 
 in the manner of several eastern nations, and the mound 
 raised afterwards. 
 
 Descending the Muskingum to its mouth, we arrive at 
 the celebrated works at Marietta, already noticed, but not 
 fully described. It is with great pleasure, that here I avail 
 myself of a communication from Dr. S. P. Hildreth, of 
 Marietta, 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 75 
 
 "Marietta, July 19, 1819. 
 u In removing the earth which composed an ancient 
 mound: in one of the streets of Marietta, on the margin of 
 the plain, near the fortifications, several curious articles 
 were discovered the latter part of June last. They appear 
 to have been buried with the body of the person to whose 
 memory this mound was erected. 
 
 "Lying immediately over, or on the forehead of the body, 
 were found three large circular bosses, or ornaments for a 
 sword belt, or a buckler; they are composed of copper, 
 overlaid with a thick plate of silver. The fronts of them 
 are slightly convex, with a depression, like a cup, in the 
 center, and measure two inches and a quarter across the 
 face of each. On the back side, opposite the depressed 
 portion, is a copper rivet or nail, around which are two se- 
 parate plates, by which they were fastened to the leather. 
 Two small pieces of the leather were found lying between 
 the plates of one of the bosses; they resemble the skin of 
 an old mummy, and seem to have been preserved by the 
 salts of the copper. The plates of copper are nearly re- 
 duced to an oxyde, or rust. The silver looks quite black, 
 but is not much corroded, arid on rubbing, it becomes quite 
 brilliant. Two of these are yet entire; the third one is so 
 much wasted, that it dropped in pieces on removing it from 
 the earth. Around the rivet of one of them is a small quan- 
 tity of flax or hemp, in a tolerable state of preservation. 
 Near the side of the body was found a plate of silver which 
 appears to have been the upper part of a sword scabbard; 
 it is six inches in length and two inches in breadth, and 
 weighs one ounce; it has no ornaments or figures, but has 
 three longitudinal ridges, which probably correspond with 
 edges, or ridges, of the sword; it seems to have been fast- 
 ened to the scabbard by three or four rivets, the holes of 
 which yet remain in the silver. 
 
 "Two or three broken pieces of a copper tube, were also 
 found, filled with iron rust. These pieces, from their ap- 
 pearance, composed the lower end of the scabbard, near 
 
76 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 the point of the sword. No sign of the sword itself was 
 discovered, except the appearance of rust above mentioned. 
 
 "Near the feet, was found a piece of copper, weighing 
 three ounces. From its shape it appears to have been used 
 as a plumb, or for an ornament, as near one of the ends is a 
 circular crease, or groove, for tying a thread; it is round, 
 two inches and a half in length, one inch in diameter at the 
 center, and half an inch at each end. It is composed of 
 small pieces of native copper, pounded together; and in 
 the cracks between the pieces, are stuck several pieces 
 of silver; one nearly the size of a four penny piece, or half 
 a dime. This copper ornament was covered with a coat of 
 green rust, and is considerably corroded. A piece of red 
 ocher, or paint, and a piece of iron ore, which has the ap- 
 pearance of having been partially vitrified, or melted, were 
 also found. The ore is about the specific gravity of pure 
 iron. 
 
 "The body of the person here buried, was laid on the 
 surface of the earth, with his face upwards, and his feet 
 pointing to the northeast, and head to the southwest. From 
 the appearance of several pieces of charcoal, and bits of par- 
 tially burnt fossil coal, and the black color of the earth, it 
 would seem that the funeral obsequies had been celebrated 
 by fire; and while the ashes were yet hot and smoking, a 
 circle of thin flat stones had been laid around and over the 
 body. The circular covering is about eight feet in diame- 
 ter, and the stones yet look black, as if stained by fire and 
 smoke. This circle of stones seems to have been the nu- 
 cleus on which the mound was formed, as immediately over 
 them is heaped the common earth of the adjacent plain, 
 composed of a clayey sand and coarse gravel. This mound 
 must originally have been about ten feet high, and thirty 
 feet in diameter at its base. At the time of opening it, the 
 height was six feet, and diameter between thirty and forty. 
 It has every appearance of being as old as any in the neigh- 
 borhood, and was, at the first settlement of Marietta, cov- 
 ered with large trees, the remains of whose roots were yet 
 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 77 
 
 apparent in digging away the earth. It also seems to have 
 been made for this single personage, as the remains of one 
 skeleton only were discovered. The bones were much de- 
 cayed, and many of them crumbled to dust on exposure to 
 the air. From the length of some of them, it is supposed 
 the person was about six feet in height. 
 
 "Nothing unusual was discovered in their form, except 
 that those of the skull were uncommonly thick. The situa- 
 tion of the mound on high ground, near the margin of the 
 plain, and the porous quality of the earth, are admirably 
 calculated to preserve any perishable substance from the 
 certain decay which would attend it in many other situa- 
 tions. To these circumstances is attributed the tolerable 
 state of preservation in which several of the articles above 
 described were found, after laying in the earth for several 
 centuries. We say centuries, from the fact that trees were 
 found growing on those ancient works, whose ages were as- 
 certained to amount to between four and five hundred 
 years each, by counting the concentric circles in the stumps 
 after the trees are cut down'; and on the ground, besides 
 them, were other trees in a state of decay, that appeared 
 to have fallen from old age. Of what language, or of what 
 nation were this mighty race, that once inhabited the ter- 
 ritory watered by the Ohio, reriiains yet a mystery. 
 
 "But from what we see of their works, they must have 
 had some acquaintance with the arts and sciences. They 
 have left us perfect specimens of circles, squares, octagons, 
 and parallel lines, on a grand and noble scale. And unless 
 it can be proved that they had intercourse with Asia or 
 Europe, we now see that they possessed the art of working 
 in metals." 
 
 The above described articles are in the possession of Dr. 
 Hildreth, and can be seen by any one desirous of viewing 
 them. 
 
:: 
 
 78 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES* 
 
 To this account I have only to add, that I have carefully 
 examined the articles above described, and the spot where 
 they were found, and that the description is a correct one. 
 The accompanying drawings, made by Dr. Hildreth, are 
 also correct. This mound was opened under the direction 
 of his Excellency R. J. Meigs, Jr.* 
 
 The drawings of some of the articles found in the mound at 
 Marietta, Ohio, June 1, 1819, described by Dr. Hildreth, 
 
 are on the opposite page. 
 
 EXPLANATION OP THE DRAWINGS. 
 
 Figure 1, back view of the silver ornament for a sword 
 scabbard. 2. Front view of the same. 3. Front view of 
 an ornament for a belt; silver face. 4. Back view of the 
 same; of copper. 5. A copper plumb or pendent, with bits 
 of silver in the fissures. 6. A stone with seven holes, like 
 a screw plate, fourteen inches long, finely polished and very 
 hard. This last was found in a field, back of the great 
 mound. 
 
 * Since deceased. 
 
79 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 ft 
 
 PHHp 
 
 11 
 
 if 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 is 
 
 If 
 
 ll 
 
 ^ 
 
 1* 
 
 1 
 III 
 
 
 ill 
 
 I 
 
 ill 
 
 111! 
 
 1 1 
 
 
 III 1 
 
 I'll 
 
 ll 1 
 
 * ill 
 
 i 
 
 l|li|j!> 
 
 1 
 
 lij 
 
 1 
 
 Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, are a little less than two-thirds as 
 large; and 5 is two-thirds as large, in length and breadth, 
 as the articles they represent. 
 

 80 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES, 
 
 [Since the foregoing was written, a letter, giving some 
 further information relating to ancient relics, &c, has been 
 received by the President of the American Antiquarian So- 
 ciety, from Dr. Hildreth, dated, "Marietta, 3d Nov., 1819," 
 extracts from which are here inserted:] 
 
 "Dear Sir— 
 
 "Your favor of the 19th ultimo was received yes- 
 terday. I shall be happy to contribute all in my power to- 
 wards promoting the objects of the society, and will forward, 
 by the first opportunity, a part, or all, of the curiosities in my 
 possession, which were taken from an ancient mound in Ma- 
 rietta, the latter part of June last; of which I wrote a de- 
 scription, and which was published in the Marietta paper, 
 in July.* % 
 
 "In addition to the articles found at Marietta, I have 
 procured, from a mound on the Little Muskingum, about 
 four miles from Marietta, some pieces of copper, which ap- 
 pear to have been the front part of a helmet. It was ori- 
 ginally about eight inches long and four broad, and has 
 marks of having been attached to leather; it is much de- 
 cayed, and is now quite a thin plate. A copper ornament 
 in imitation of those described, as found in Marietta, was 
 discovered with the plate, and appears to have been at- 
 tached to the center of it by a rivet, the hole for which 
 remains both in the plate and ornament. At this place 
 the remains of a skeleton were found. No part of it re- 
 tained its form, but a portion of the forehead and skull, 
 which lay under the plate of copper. These bones are 
 deep!} tinged with green, and appear to have been preser- 
 ved by the salts of the copper. 
 
 "The mound in which these relics were found, is about 
 the magnitude of the one in Marietta, and has every appear- 
 ance of being as ancient. 1 have in my possession some 
 pieces of ancient potters' ware, found within the ancient 
 
 *This description is the same as that just given, which was com- 
 municated to the Author. 
 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 81 
 
 works at Marietta. They are, some of them, neatly 
 wrought, and composed of pounded flint stone and clay. 
 They are yet quite solid and firm, although they have lain 
 for several years, exposed to rain and frost, on the surface 
 of the ground. 
 
 "We often find pieces of broken ware near the banks of 
 the river, and in the bottoms; but they are composed of 
 clay and pounded clam shells; are much less compact and 
 firm, and do not appear to have been burnt. They are 
 evidently of the same composition with those made by the 
 modern Indians. 
 
 "Some time in the course of this month, we propose open- 
 ing several mounds in this place; and if any thing is dis- 
 covered, which will throw light on the subject of the "An- 
 cients of the West" it shall be communicated to your society, 
 with a portion or all of the articles found. It seems to be 
 a well established fact, that the bodies of nearly all those 
 buried in mounds, were partially, if not entirely, consumed 
 by fire, before the mounds were built. This is made to 
 appear, by quantities of charcoal being found at the center 
 and base of the mounds; stones burned and blackened, and 
 marks of fire on the metallic substances buried with them. 
 It is a matter of much regret that on no one of the articles 
 yet found, has been discovered any letters, characters, or 
 hyeroglyphics, which would point to what nation or age 
 these people belonged. I have been told by an eye wit- 
 ness, that a few years ago, near Blacksburgh, in Virginia, 
 eighty miles from Marietta, there was found about half of a 
 steel bow, which, w r hen entire, would measure five or six 
 feet; the other part was corroded or broken. The father 
 of the man who found it was a blacksmith, and worked up 
 this curious article, I suppose, with as little remorse as he 
 would an old gun barrel. Mounds are very frequent in 
 that neighborhood, and many curious articles of antiquity 
 have been found there. 
 
 "I have also been told from good authority, that an orna- 
 ment composed of very pure gold, something similar to 
 
82 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 those found here, was discovered a few years since in Ross 
 county, near Chillicothe, lying in the palm of a skeleton's 
 hand, in a small mound. This curiosity, I am told, is in the 
 museum at Philadelphia." 
 
 The tumuli, in what is called the Scioto country, are 
 both numerous and interesting. But south of lake Erie, 
 until we arrive at. Worthington, nine miles north of Colum- 
 bus, they are few in number, and of small comparative mag- 
 nitude. At the former place are some large ones; but I have 
 made no survey of them, nor was it deemed important, as they 
 so exactly resemble others which will be described. 
 
 Near Columbus, the seat of government, were several 
 mounds, one of which stood on an eminence in the princi- 
 - pal street. It has been entirely removed, and converted 
 into brick. It contained many human bones, some few ar- 
 ticles, among which was an owl carved in stone, a rude, but 
 very exact representation. In another part of the town 
 was a tumulus of clay, which was also manufactured into 
 bricks. In this were many human bones; but it was not, 
 it would seem, their original place of deposit, as they lay 
 in piles and in confusion. 
 
 As we still descend the Scioto, through a most fertile re- 
 gion of country, mounds and other ancient works frequently 
 appear, until we arrive at Circleville, twenty-six miles 
 south of Columbus, where are to be seen some of the most 
 interesting antiquities any where to be found. 
 
 The works have been noticed, but the mounds remain to 
 be described. Of these there were several, which the ruth- 
 less hand of man is destroying. Near the center of the 
 round fort, (a drawing of which is given in this work,) was 
 a tumulus of earth, about ten feet in height, and several 
 rods in diameter at its base. On its eastern side, and ex- 
 tending six rods from it, was a semicircular pavement, 
 composed of pebbles, such as are now found in the bed 
 of the Scioto river, from whence they appear to have been 
 brought. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 83 
 
 The summit of this tumulus was nearly thirty feet in di- 
 ameter, and there was a raised way to it leading from the 
 east, like a modern turnpike. The summit was level. The 
 outline of the semicircular pavement and the walk is still 
 discernible. The earth composing this mound was entirely 
 removed several years since. The writer was present at 
 its removal, and carefully examined the contents. It con- 
 tained, 
 
 1. Two human skeletons, lying on what had been the 
 original surface of the earth. 
 
 2. A great quantity of arrow heads, some of which were 
 so large as to induce a belief that they had been used for 
 spear heads. 
 
 3. The handle either of a small sword or a large knife, 
 made of an elk's horn; around the end where the blade 
 had been inserted, was a ferule of silver, which, though 
 black, was not much injured by time. Though the handle 
 showed the hole where the blade had been inserted, yet 
 no iron was found, but an oxyde remained of similar shape 
 and size. 
 
 4. Charcoal and wood ashes, on which these articles lay, 
 which were surrounded by several bricks very w T ell burnt. 
 The skeleton appeared to have been burned in a large and 
 very hot fire, which had almost consumed the bones of the 
 deceased. This skeleton was deposited a little to the 
 south of the center of the tumulus; and, about twenty feet 
 to the north of it, was another, with which were 
 
 5. A large mirror, about three feet in length, one foot 
 and a half in breadth, and one inch a half in thickness. 
 This mirror was of isinglass, (mica membranacea,) and 
 on it, 
 
 6. A plate of iron, which had become an oxyde; but be- 
 fore it was disturbed by the spade, resembled a plate of cast 
 iron. The mirror answered the purpose very well for which 
 it was intended. This skeleton had also been burned like 
 the former, and lay on charcoal and a considerable quantity 
 of wood ashes. A part of the mirror is in my possession, 
 
il». 
 
 
 
 84 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 as well as a piece of a brick, taken from the spot at the ' 
 time. 
 
 The knife, or sword handle, was sent to Mr. Peal's mu- 
 seum, at Philadelphia. 
 
 To the southwest of this tumulus, about forty rods from 
 it, is another, more than sixty feet in height, which is shown 
 on the plate representing these works. It stands on a large 
 hill, .which appears to be artificial. This must have been 
 the common cemetery, as it contains an immense number 
 of human skeletons, of ail sizes and ages. 
 
 The skeletons are laid horizontally, with their heads ge- 
 nerally towards the center, and the feet towards the out- 
 side of the lumulus. A considerable part of this work still 
 stands uninjured, except by time. In it have been found, 
 besides these skeletons, stone axes and knives, and several 
 ornaments, with holes through them, by means of which, 
 with a cord passing through these perforations, they could 
 be worn by their owners. 
 
 On the south side of this tumulus, and not far from it, 
 was a semicircular fosse, which, when I first saw it, was 
 six {eet deep. On opening it, was discovered at the bottom 
 a great quantity of human bones, which, I am inclined to 
 believe, were the remains of those who had been slain in 
 some great and destructive battle. First, because they be- 
 longed to persons who had attained their full size; whereas, 
 in the mound adjoining, were found the skeletons of per- 
 sons of all ages; and secondly, they were here in the ut- 
 most confusion, as if buried in a hurry. May we not con- 
 jecture, that they belonged to the people who resided in 
 the town, and who were victorious in the engagement? 
 otherwise they would not have been thus honorably buried 
 in the common cemetery. 
 
 The articles discovered in this mound are of little value, 
 though very numerous; something being found near the 
 head of almost every individual. 
 
 Descending the Scioto, mounds situated generally upon 
 high hills, with a fair prospect towards the east, are fre- 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES* 85 
 
 *quently seen, until we arrive at Chillicc-the, eighteen miles 
 below Circleville. — Here, and in the immediate vicinity, 
 were once several very interesting ones; but they are most- 
 ly demolished. Why were these wantonly destoyed? "They 
 were rude." Were they not venerable on account of their 
 high antiquity and simplicity? Are the modern Turks and 
 Arabs, who trample on the busts of ancient heroes, the moss 
 grown and prostrate columns of ancient temples, baths, 
 palaces and theatres, the only barbarians? "But those who 
 buried in tumuli, worshiped the manes of the heroes there 
 deposited." And were not the Greeks and Romans also 
 idolaters? And, have not all the civilized nations of Europe 
 joined in condemning those who wantonly violate the sacred 
 repositories of the dead, in those countries where the arts 
 once flourished? It is true that the citizens of the ancient 
 republics enjoyed not the Christian religion; that com- 
 merce, and even agriculture, had made no great progress 
 among them. To defend their county, and extend their 
 conquests, were the great objects which they constantly 
 kept in view. Soldiers became heroes; and these, after 
 death, were exalted to gods. The love of military glory 
 was constantly connected with the love of country. Hav- 
 ing but few objects of pursuit, their passions were more 
 intensely fixed on these. All nations but their own, were 
 considered as barbarians, and treated as such. They put 
 to the sword, or sold as slaves, their prisoners of war. But 
 what makes us to differ from them, unless it be an acquain- 
 tance with Christianity? 
 
 The Reverend Robert G. Wilson, D. D., late of Chil- 
 licothe, a receiving officer of the American Antiquarian 
 Society, has furnished me with authentic information 
 concerning the mound, which once stood near the cen- 
 ter of the town. He took pains to write down every 
 thing concerning its contents, at the time of its demo- 
 lition. Its perpendicular height was about fifteen feet, and 
 the diameter of its base about sixty. It was composed of 
 sand, and contained human bones, belonging to skeletons 
 

 
 
 
 86 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 which were buried in different parts of it. It was not untit 
 this pile of earth was removed, and the original surface ex- 
 posed to view, that a probable conjecture of its original de- 
 sign could be formed. About twenty feet square of the 
 surface had been leveled, and covered with bark. On the 
 center of this, lay a human skeleton, over which had been 
 spread a mat, manufactured either from weeds or bark. On 
 the breast lay what had been a piece of copper, in the form 
 of a cross, which had now become verdigrise.<On the breast 
 also, lay a stone ornament with two perforations, one near 
 each end, through which passed a string, by means of which 
 it was suspended around the wearer's neck. On this string, 
 which was made of sinews, and very much injured by time, 
 were placed a great many beads, made of ivory or bone; 
 for I cannot certainly say which. > With these facts before 
 us, we are left to conjecture at what time this individual 
 lived; what were his heroic achievements in the field of 
 battle; his wisdom and eloquence in the councils of his na- 
 tion. But his cotemporaries have testified in a manner not 
 to be mistaken, that among them, he was held in grateful 
 remembrance. 
 
 There are some very interesting works of antiquity not 
 far from Chiliicothe, on the north fork of Paint creek, a 
 drawing of which is given in this volume. 
 
 Five miles and a half from Chiliicothe, on the above 
 mentioned stream, these works are situated on a beautiful 
 piece of what we call second bottom. The area of the lar- 
 gest enclosure contains about one hundred and ten acres. 
 On the northeast and west side of it, is a wall, with an 
 intrenchment or ditch on its outside. It is generally 
 twelve feet from the bottom to the summit of the wall, 
 which is of earth. The ditch is about twenty feet wide, 
 and the base of the wall the same. There is no ditch on 
 the side next the river. The small work, on the east side, 
 contains sixteen acres, and the walls are like those of the 
 larger work, but there is no ditch. The largest circular 
 work, which consists of a wall and ditch like those already 
 
late 5. 
 
 oil Ike 
 
 ■JgffiJLR- 
 
 CsamncoTsm Ohio. 
 
86 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 which were buried in different parts of it. It was not until 
 this pile of earth was removed, and the original surface ex- 
 posed to view, that a probable conjecture of its original de- 
 sign could be formed. About twenty feet square of the 
 surface had been leveled, and covered with bark. On the 
 center of this, lay a human skeleton, over which had been 
 spread a mat, manufactured either from weeds or bark. On 
 the breast lay what had been a piece of copper, in the form 
 of a cross, which had now become verdigrise.<On the breast 
 also, lay a stone ornament with two perforations, one near 
 each end, through which passed a string, by means of which 
 it was suspended around the wearer's neck. On this string, 
 which was made of sinews, and very much injured by time, 
 were placed a great many beads, made of ivory or bone; 
 for I cannot certainly say which. > With these facts before 
 us, we are left to conjecture at what time this individual 
 lived; what were his heroic achievements in the field of 
 battle; his wisdom and eloquence in the councils of his na- 
 tion. But his cotemporaries have testified in a manner not 
 to be mistaken, that among them, he was held in grateful 
 remembrance. 
 
 There are some very interesting works of antiquity not 
 far from Chiliicothe, on the north fork of Paint creek, a 
 drawing of which is given in this volume. 
 
 Five miles and a half from Chiliicothe, on the above 
 mentioned stream, these works are situated on a beautiful 
 piece of what we call second bottom. The area of the lar- 
 gest enclosure contains about one hundred and ten acres. 
 On the northeast and west side of it, is a wall, with an 
 intrenchment or ditch on its outside. It is generally 
 twelve feet from the bottom to the summit of the wall, 
 which is of earth. The ditch is about twenty feet wide, 
 and the base of the wall the same. There is no ditch on 
 the side next the river. The small work, on the east side, 
 contains sixteen acres, and the walls are like those of the 
 larger work, but there is no ditch. The largest circular 
 work, which consists of a wall and ditch like those already 
 
;" 
 
 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 89 
 
 described, is a sacred enclosure, including within it six 
 mounds, which have been used as cemeteries. By exam- 
 ining the drawing and measuring them by the annexed 
 scale, a correct idea of their dimensions may be easily 
 obtained. The same observation applies to the gateways 
 in the outer wall.* 
 
 The land on which these works are situated belongs to 
 Mr. Ashley and Col. Evans, of Ross county. 
 
 The immense labor* and the numerous cemeteries filled 
 with human bones, denote a vast population near this spot 
 in ancient times. 
 
 * See the plan of the ancient works on the north fork of Paint 
 creek, opposite page 51. 
 
 
 10 
 
90 
 
 IE IH |. MOUNDS OF STONE, 
 
 1 I ( ' 
 
 Two such mounds have heen described already in the 
 county of Perry. Others have been found in various parts 
 of the country. There is one, at least, in the vicinity of 
 Licking river, not many miles from Newark. There is 
 another on a branch of Hargus's creek, a few miles to the 
 northeast of Circleville. There were several not very far 
 from the town of Chillicothe. 
 
 If these mounds were sometimes used as cemeteries of dis- 
 tinguished persons, they were also used as monuments, with 
 a view of perpetuating the recollection of some great 
 transaction or event. In the former, not more, generally, 
 than one or two skeletons are found; in the latter, none* 
 These works are like those of earth, in form of a cone, 
 composed of small stones, on which no marks of tools were 
 visible. In them, some of the most interesting articles are 
 found, such as urns, ornaments of copper, heads of spears, 
 &c, of the same metal, as well as medals of copper, and 
 pickaxes of hornblend; several drawings of which may be 
 seen in this volume* 
 
 Works of this class, compared with those of earth, are 
 few; and they are none of them as large as the mounds 
 at Grave creek, or at the town of Circleville, which belong 
 to the first class. I saw one of these stone tumuli which 
 had been piled on the surface of the earth, on the spot 
 where three skeletons had been buried in stone coffins, 
 beneath the surface. It was situated on the western edge 
 of the hill on which the "walled town" stood, on Paint 
 creek. The graves appear to have been dug to about the 
 depth of ours in the present times. After the bottoms and 
 sides were lined with thin flat stones, the corpses were 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 91 
 
 placed in these graves, in an eastern and western direction, 
 and large flat stones were laid over the graves: then the 
 earth, which had been dug out of the graves, was thrown 
 over them. A huge pile of stones was placed over the 
 whole. It is quite probable, however, that this was a work 
 of our present race of Indians. Such graves are more 
 common in Kentucky than Ohio. 
 
 No article, except the skeletons, was found in these 
 graves; and the skeletons resembled, very much, the pre- 
 sent race of Indians. 
 
 
92 
 
 MOUNDS BEYOND THE LIMITS OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 
 
 These tumuli are very common on the river Ohio, from 
 its utmost sources to its mouth. Few and small, compara- 
 tively, they are found on the waters of the Monongahela; 
 but increase in number and size, as we descend towards 
 the mouth of that stream, at Pittsburgh. Then rapidly 
 increasing in number, they are of the largest dimensions at 
 Grave creek, below Wheeling. For an able and interest- 
 ing account of those last mentioned, I am indebted to the 
 Rev. Dr. Doddridge, of Brooke county, Virginia. An 
 extract from his communication follows, dated — 
 
 "JVellsburgh, Va. May 27, 1819. 
 " Dear Sir, 
 
 "As to your inquiry concerning the ancient works at 
 Grave creek, below Wheeling, I will give you the best 
 account which lean. Grave creek flat is about eleven 
 miles below Wheeling. It is about two miles square, con- 
 sisting, for the most part, of second bottom, the most 
 ancient alluvion ; about the middle of it, Little Grave creek 
 puts into the Ohio, and Great Grave creek, at the lower 
 end of this flat. Between these creeks stand the ancient 
 works, at the distance of about a quarter of a mile from 
 the Ohio. 
 
 "The 'fortifications,' as they are called, are not remark- 
 able ones, though a number of small mounds stand among 
 them. In one of the tumuli, which was opened about 
 twenty years since, sixty copper beads were found. Of 
 these, I procured ten, and sent them to the museum in 
 Philadelphia. They were made of a coarse wire, which 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 93 
 
 appeared to have been hammered out and not drawn, and 
 were cut off at unequal lengths. They were soldered 
 together in an awkward manner, the center of some of 
 them uniting with the edges of others. They were 
 incrusted with verdigrise, but the inside of them was pure 
 copper. This fact shows that the ancient inhabitants 
 were not wholly unacquainted with the use of metals. 
 
 "The 'big grave,' as it is called, stands about halfway 
 between the two creeks, and about one fourth of a mile 
 from the river. It is certainly one of the most august 
 monuments of remote antiquity any where to be found. Its 
 circumference at the base, is three hundred yards; its 
 diameter, of course, one hundred. Its altitude, from meas- 
 urement, is ninety feet; amd its diameter, at the summit, 
 is forty-five feet. The center, at the summit, appears to 
 have sunk several feet* so as to form a small kind of am- 
 phitheater. The rim inclosing this amphitheater, is seven 
 or eight feet in thickness. On the south side, in its edge, 
 stands a large beach tree, whose bark is marked with tfoe 
 initials of a great number of visitants. 
 
 "This lofty and venerable tumulus has been so far 
 opened, as to ascertain that it contains many thousands of 
 human skeletons, but no farther. The proprietor of the 
 ground, Mr. Joseph Tomlinson, will not suffer its demoli- 
 tion in the smallest .degree. I, for one, do him honor for 
 his sacred regard for these works of antiquity. I wish that 
 the inhabitants of Chillicothe and Circleville had acted like 
 Mr. Tomlinson. In that case, the mounds in those towns 
 would have been left standing. They would have been 
 religiously protected, as sacred relics of remote and 
 unknown antiquity." 
 
 A careful survey of the above mentioned works, at Grave 
 creek, would probably show, that they were all connected, 
 and formed but parts of a whole, laid out with taste. 
 
 * Such a hollow place was always left in tumuli, until they were 
 finished by bringing them to a perfect point. C. A. 
 

 I 
 
 ffi 
 
 
 94 
 
 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 Following the river Ohio downwards, the mounds appear 
 on both sides, erected uniformly on the highest alluvions 
 along that stream. Those at Marietta, Portsmouth, and 
 Cincinnati, are noticed elsewhere. Their numbers increase 
 all the way to the Mississippi, on which river they assume 
 the largest size. Not having surveyed them, we shall use 
 the description of Mr. Brackenridge, who has devoted 
 great attention to them. With his discriminating powers 
 of mind the public are acquainted. 
 
 "The tumuli, as well as the fortifications, are to be found 
 at the junction of all the rivers, along the Mississippi, in 
 the most eligible positions for towns, and in the most exten- 
 sive bodies of fertile land. Their number exceeds, per- 
 haps, three thousand; the smallest not less than twenty 
 feet in height, and one hundred in diameter at the base. 
 Their great number, and the astonishing size of some of 
 them, may be regarded as furnishing, with other circum- 
 stances, evidence of their antiquity. I have been some- 
 times induced to think, that, at the period when these were 
 constructed, there was a population as numerous as that 
 which once animated the borders of the Nile, or of the 
 Euphrates, or of Mexico. The most numerous, as well as 
 the most considerable of these remains, are found precisely 
 in those parts of the country where the traces of a numer- 
 ous population might be looked for, viz. from the mouth of 
 the Ohio, on the east side of the river, to the Illinois river, 
 and on the west side from the St. Francis to the Missouri. 
 I am perfectly satisfied that cities similar to those of ancient 
 Mexico, of several hundred thousand souls, have existed in 
 this country." 
 
 Nearly opposite St. Louis, there are traces of two such 
 cities, in the distance of five miles. They are situated on 
 the Cahokia, which crosses the American bottom opposite 
 St. Louis. One of the mounds is eight hundred yards in 
 circumference at the base, (the exact size of the pyramid 
 of Asychis,) and one hundred feet in height. Mr. Bracken- 
 ridge noticed " a mound at New Madrid of three hundred 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 95 
 
 and fifty feet in diameter at the base." . Other large ones 
 are at the following plar,es, viz: at St. Louis, one with two 
 stages, another with three; at the mouth of the Missouri; 
 at the mouth of Cahokia river, in two groups; twenty miles 
 below, two groups also, but the mounds of a smaller size; 
 on the bank of a lake, formerly the bed of the river, at the 
 mouth of Marameck, St. Genevieve; one near Washing- 
 ton, Mississippi State, of one hundred and forty-six feet in 
 height; at Baton Rouge, and on the bayou Manchac; one 
 of the mounds near the lake is composed chiefly of shells. 
 The inhabitants have taken away great quantities of them 
 for lime. 
 
 The mound on Black river, has two stages and a group 
 around. At each of the above places there are groups of 
 mounds, and there was probably once a city, Mr. Brack- 
 cnridge thinks that the largest city belonging to this people, 
 was situated between the Ohio, Mississippi, Missouri, and 
 Illinois. On the plains between the Arkansas and St. 
 Francis, there are several very large mounds. 
 
 Thus it will be seen, that these remains, which were so 
 few and small along the northern lakes, are more and more 
 numerous, as we travel in a southwestern direction, until we 
 teach the Mississippi, where they are lofty and magnificent. 
 Those works, similar to the Teocalli of Mexico, by the 
 Spaniards called "Adoratorios" are not found north of the 
 mound at Circleville, on the Scioto, or at least I have seen 
 none of them. They are very common and lofty, it seems, 
 »on the Mississippi river. An observing eye can easily mark^ 
 In these works, the progress of their authors, from the lakes 
 to the valley of the Mississippi; thence to the Gulf of 
 Mexico, and round it, through Texas, into New Mexico, 
 and into South America; their increased numbers, as they 
 proceeded, are evident; while the articles found in and 
 near these works, show also the progressive improvement 
 of the arts among those who erected them. 
 
 Should the patronage bestowed on this work, enable me 
 to pursue my investigations, it is my intention to extend my 
 
96 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 survey quite down to the Mexican Gulf, and possibly be- 
 yond it; and if, through a want of patronage, a period 
 should be put to my labors, yet, it is hoped, that others may 
 be enabled to complete what, under untoward circumstan- 
 ces, I have begun. 
 
 Miscellaneous remarks on the uses of the Mounds. 
 
 Though they were used as places of sepulture and of wor- 
 ship, yet, were they not sometimes, in the last resort, used 
 also as places of defense? Solis, who describes the de- 
 struction of the Mexicans, and the conquest of their empire 
 by the Spaniards, informs us that the "Teocalli," which 
 were like many of our works, in cases of extreme necessity, 
 appeared like "living hills;" they were covered with war- 
 riors. Standing upon their altars and in their temples; 
 upon the tombs of their fathers; defending themselves, 
 their wives, their children, their aged parents, their coun- 
 try, and their gods, they fought with desperation. These 
 mounds being elevated on high grounds, in situations easily 
 defended, is it not highly probable, that their authors, in 
 cases of the last resort, used them as places of defense? 
 
 Some have expressed an opinion, that those which are 
 situated within inclosures, were used as altars, whereon 
 human victims were sacrificed. 
 
 Some persons who have devoted great attention to our 
 antiquities, believe that the tumuli in front of the gateways 
 of not a few of the works described, were placed there for 
 idols, similar to the "Janiter gods" of Rome, to stand on. 
 This proposition, which has some plausibility in it, we can 
 neither assent to, nor deny, for want of sufficient data. 
 
JPlate 9. 
 
 I 
 
 Suppc.yi'd to 7iave leen 
 erected Jer a place of 
 
 .Atlvus crueiLt 
 
PLACES OP DIVERSION. 
 
 By places of diversion, we mean not those with which 
 mounds are connected; the latter evidently were intended 
 for the celebration of solemn games, instituted in honor of 
 the dead. 
 
 The works we speak of under this head, are either round, 
 like the small one, a short distance north of the square fort 
 at Circleville, or they consist of two long parallel roads, 
 resembling, in almost all respects, two turnpike roads. The 
 circular ones, though frequently, nay generally, found in 
 the vicinity of a great population in those days, consist of 
 earth, raised but a few feet, by the aid of art, like a mod- 
 ern turnpike road, two rods or more in width, though some- 
 times less than one, being the highest in the center, and 
 gradually descending towards the outside. This road is 
 perfectly smoothed by art. In the center, the earth has a 
 gentle and regular rise. 
 
 The oblong figure annexed,* is a representation of a 
 great number of similar works, in various parts of this coun- 
 try. There are three such works between Circleville and 
 Chillicothe, through which the present road passes. 
 
 If these works were not places of diversion, I cannot sur- 
 mise for what purpose they were raised. They were of no 
 use as places of defense. If intended for worship, or the 
 celebration of games, near the tombs of their ancestors or 
 chieftains, why are they not connected with the mounds, 
 instead of being uniformly placed at a distance from them? 
 The number of such works, in various parts of the country, 
 especially on the Scioto, Ohio, Kenhawa, , Big Sandy 
 
 *See the plate. 
 11 
 

 
 Ihi ' 
 
 I 
 
 100 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 rivers, &c, is considerable. They are so similar in struc- 
 ture, appearance, and situation, that the inference I draw 
 from these circumstances is, that they were raised for simi- 
 lar purposes. Some persons have not failed to call them 
 "roads;" but if so, why are they always unconnected with 
 other works? and, why are they constructed either circular 
 or in two long parallel lines, and these again connected at 
 the ends? 
 
 

 
-PtateJO. 
 
 <^^ near 
 
 'JPJMMTQW 
 OHIO 
 
 S ci ono JtritEj^ 
 
 nnrannniniDiniM 
 
 Street 
 
 [0 HDD El ODD HOD ED ODD D HDD UDE HDD H] 
 
 A ^Jr^ jiaratlel frails cf earth 
 four rods ajicirl ^ feet hi ah 
 
 Mounds . 
 
 L. 
 
 /r,',-,7riirr.S,-. &nt 
 
103 
 
 PARALLEL WALLS OF EARTH. 
 
 Besides those before mentioned, there are parallel walls 
 in most places where other great works are found. Con- 
 nected with the works on Licking creek, are very extensive 
 ones, as may be seen by referring to the plate which repre- 
 sents them. They were intended, I think, for purposes of 
 defense, to protect persons who were traveling from one 
 work to another. The two circular ones at Circleville, 
 were walls of the round fort. There are many others in 
 various places, intended for similar purposes. But I am by 
 no means sure that all the walls of this description^were 
 intended as defensive, they might have been used as fen- 
 ces in some places, or as elevated and convenient positions 
 where spectators might have been seated, while some grand 
 procession passed between them. 
 
 Near Piketon, on the Scioto, nineteen miles below Chil- 
 licothe, are two such parallel walls, which I did not meas- 
 ure, but can say without hesitation that they are now twen- 
 ty feet high. The road leading down the river to Ports- 
 mouth, passes for a considerable distance between these 
 walls. They are so high and so wide at their bases, that 
 the traveler - ould not, without particular attention, sus- 
 pect them to be artificial. 1 followed them the whole dis- 
 tance, and found that they lead in a direction towards three 
 very high mounds, situated on a hill beyond them. It is 
 easy to discover that these walls are artificial, if careful at- 
 tention is bestowed on them. 
 
 Between these parallel walls, it is reasonable to suppose 
 processions passed to the ancient place of sepulture; and 
 what tends to confirm this opinion is, that the earth be- 
 tween them appears to have been leveled by art. On both 
 
II! 
 
 104 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 sides of the Scioto, near these works, large intervals of 
 rich land exist; and, from the numher and size of the mounds 
 on both sides of this stream, we may conclude that a great 
 population once existed here. 
 
 Such walls as these are found in many places along the 
 Ohio, but they generally lead to some lofty mounds, situa- 
 ted on an eminence. Sometimes they encircle the mound 
 or mounds, as will be seen by referring to some of the draw- 
 ings in this volume; others are like those near Piketon. [See 
 the plate.'] 
 
105 
 
 CONJECTURES, RESPECTING THE ORIGIN AND HFSTORY OF THE 
 AUTHORS OF THE ANCIENT WORKS IN OHIO, &C. 
 
 The reader, after having become acquainted with many 
 of our ancient works, naturally inquires, Who were their 
 authors? Whence did they emigrate? At what time did 
 they arrive? How long did they continue to inhabit this 
 country? To what place did they emigrate? and, Where 
 shall we look for their descendants? 
 
 These questions have often been asked, within the last 
 thirty years, and as often answered, but not satisfactorily, 
 especially to those who, on all occasions, require proofs 
 amounting to mathematical certainty. Persons of this 
 class, need not give themselves the useless labor of perusing 
 the remaining part of this essay. The nature of the sub- 
 ject does not admit of such proof, nor will the liberal and 
 more enlightened portion of my readers require it at my 
 hands. But if absolute certainty be not attainable, it 
 appears to me that a reasonable one is — by obtaining a 
 thorough knowledge of the geology and botany of the 
 country where these works are found; by a careful exam- 
 ination of the skeletons of the people themselves; their 
 dress; their ornaments, such as beads, bracelets, badges of 
 office; their places of amusement, burial and worship; their 
 buildings, and the materials used in their structure; their 
 wells; domestic utensils; weapons of offense and defense; 
 their medals and monuments, intended to perpetuate the 
 memory of important events in their history; their idols; 
 their modes of burial, and of worship; their fortifications, 
 and the form, size, situation, and materials with which they 
 were constructed. These are fragments of history, as 
 Bacon would say, which have been saved from the deluge 
 
106 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 of time. Let us examine these fragments; let us also com- 
 pare whatever belonged to this people in common with any 
 other, either now or heretofore inhabiting this or any other 
 part of our globe. 
 
 Who) then were the Authors of our Ancient Works? 
 
 If we look into the Bible, the most authentic, the most 
 ancient history of man, we shall there learn, that mankind, 
 soon after the deluge, undertook to raise a tower high as 
 heaven, which should serve to keep them together, as a 
 place of worship, and stand to future ages as a monument 
 of their industry, their religious zeal, their enterprise, and 
 their knowledge of the arts. Unacquainted, as they un- 
 doubtedly were, with the use of letters, in what better way 
 could their names have been handed down to their poste- 
 ritv with renown? But in this attempt they were disap- 
 pointed, and themselves dispersed through the wide world. 
 Did they forget to raise afterwards, similar monuments and 
 places of worship? They did not; and, to use the words of 
 an inspired penman, "high places," of various altitudes and 
 dimensions, were raised "on every high hill, and under 
 every green tree," throughout the land of Palestine, and 
 all the east. 
 
 Some of these "high places" belonged to single families, 
 some to a mighty chieftain, a petty tribe, a city, or a whole 
 nation. Some were places of worship for the individual, 
 the tribe, the village, the town, the city, or the nation, to 
 which they respectively belonged. 
 
 At these "high places," belonging to great nations, great 
 national affairs were transacted. Here they crowned and 
 deposed their kings; here they concluded peace and decla- 
 red war. Here the nation assembled at stated seasons, to 
 perform the solemn worship of their deities. Here they cel- 
 ebrated anniversaries of great national events, and buried 
 the illustrious dead. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 107 
 
 The Jews, on many great occasions, assembled at Gilgal. 
 The name of the place, signifies "a heap/' Here was a 
 pile of stones, which were brought from the bed of the river 
 Jordan, and piled up on the spot where they encamped for 
 the first night after they crossed that river, on their en- 
 trance into "the promised land." Let the reader examine 
 similar piles of stones on the waters of the Licking, near 
 Newark, and in the counties of Perry, Pickaway and Ross, 
 and then ask himself, whether those who raised our monu- 
 ments, were not originally from Asia? Shiloh, where the 
 Jews frequently assembled to transact great national affairs, 
 and perform acts of devotion, was situated upon a high hill. 
 When this place was deserted, the loftier hill of Zion was 
 selected in its stead. Upon Sinai's awful summit the law 
 of God was promulgated. Moses was commanded to as- 
 cend a mountain to die. Solomon's temple was situated 
 upon a high hill by divine appointment. Samaria, a place 
 celebrated for the worship of idols, was built upon the high 
 hill of Shemer, by Ornri, king of Israel, who was there buri- 
 ed. How many hundreds of mounds in this country are 
 situated on the highest hills, surrounded by the most fertile 
 soils? Traverse the counties of Licking, Franklin, Pickaway 
 and Ross; examine the loftiest mounds, and compare them 
 with those described as being in Palestine. Through the 
 wide world, such places seem to have been preferred by the 
 men of ancient times who erected them. In England, Scot- 
 land, and Wales, they are thus situated. For what we. are 
 about to quote concerning them, we are indebted to Pen- 
 nant's Tour.* 
 
 By examining Pennant's drawing and description of the 
 antiquities of Delvin, otherwise called Inch-Tuthel, on the 
 river Tay, the reader will see how much the works on the 
 Tay resemble ours on the Licking, near Newark. Pennant, 
 however, imagines these to be Roman works; but Boetius, 
 
 *Vol. III. piges 66 and 67, fourth London edition, and refer to 
 Plate VIII. 
 
108 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 the only authority quoted by him, says, that Delvin is a 
 work of the ancient Picts, and was by them called "Tulina." 
 The reader is requested to compare the works near Ne- 
 wark, with those of Delvin. 
 
 The camp at Comerie, is also described by Pennant.* 
 The learned author will have this a Roman work also; yet 
 all the authorities quoted by him ascribe it to the Picts. 
 The camp, as Pennant calls it, is on a water of Ruchel, situ- 
 ated on a high alluvion, like many ofoursinthe west. The 
 antiquities of Ardoch, also, the learned author will persist 
 in ascribing to the Romans.f These works are on a water 
 of Kneck. Without any authority whatever, Pennant 
 ascribes them to Agricola. — Their walls, ditches, gateways, 
 mounds of defense before them, and every thing about 
 them, resemble our works here. The reader is invited to 
 make the comparison. Pennant's imaginary Praelorium, is 
 exactly like the circular works around our mounds, when 
 placed within walls of earth. "Catter-thun,"J two miles 
 from Angus, is ascribed by the learned tourist to the Cale- 
 donians; but such works are very common in Ohio. Such 
 have been already described in this memoir. 
 
 The same author describes two works on the river Loder, 
 or Lowther, and one near the river Eimet,§ exactly like 
 ours in the west. The strong resemblance between the 
 works in Scotland and ours, I think no man will deny. 
 
 I shall not trouble myself to examine authorities, as to 
 works of the same kind in various parts -of the British isles, 
 because I might fatigue, without instructing the reader. 
 What has been said already, applies to many, very many 
 others, throughout England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. 
 They were places of worship, burial, and defense, for the 
 Picts, so called by the Romans, because they painted them- 
 selves, like the aborigines of this continent. 
 
 The acquaintance of the Egyptians with the useful and 
 ornamental arts, was of an earlier date than that of the 
 
 *Vol. III. page 96. fib. page 102. Jib. page 158. 
 
 jjVol. I. page 275, and plate 10, Nos. 1, 2 and 3. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 109 
 
 nations around them. Their pyramids and temples, medals 
 and monuments, show us a comparatively civilized people, 
 whilst their neighbors were rude barbarians — the former 
 were shepherds, the latter hunters. In Egypt, a lofty pyra- 
 mid is a place of sepulture and an altar, whilst a rude pile 
 of stones at Gilgal, is raised for the purpose of commemo- 
 rating a great national event. 
 
 The land of Ham, seems to have been the place where 
 the arts were first nursed. A thickly crowded population, 
 inhabiting a fertile soil, intersected by a large river, were 
 placed in the most favorable circumstances for obtaining an 
 acquaintance with the arts and sciences. The Nile fertilized 
 their fields, and wafted on its waves the bark of the mar- 
 iner, while beneath its unruffled surface it contained an 
 abundance of fishes. It invited to trade, to enterprise, and 
 wealth. The people flourished and the arts were fostered. 
 The same remarks apply to the people of the Indus and the 
 Ganges — the results were similar. The banks of these 
 streams were first cultivated. When other parts of the 
 world were first peopled, Ave have reason to believe, that 
 it was done, either by fugitives from justice or from slavery. 
 Their low origin will account for their low vices, and their 
 ignorance. Living in countries but thinly settled, their 
 improvement in their condition was gradual, though steady. 
 
 It is interesting to the philosopher, to observe the pro- 
 gressive improvements made by man in the several useful 
 arts. Without letters, in the first rude stages of society, 
 the tree is marked with a view to indicate what is already 
 done, or is intended to be done. Though our Indians had 
 lived along our Atlantic border for ages, yet they had ad- 
 vanced no farther in indicating projected designs, or in re- 
 cording past events. The abundance of wild game, and the 
 paucity of their numbers, will satisfactorily account for their 
 ignorance in this, and almost every other respect. Coming 
 here at an early age of the world, necessity had not civil- 
 ized them. At that period, in almost all parts of the globe 
 then inhabited, a small mound of earth served as a sepulcher 
 12 
 
110 
 
 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 ! 
 
 H ; 
 
 and an altar, whereon the officiating priest could be seen 
 by the surrounding worshipers. 
 
 For many ages we have reason to believe there were none 
 but such altars. From Wales, they may be traced to Rus- 
 sia, quite across that empire, to our continent; across it 
 from the mouth of the Columbia on the Pacific ocean, to 
 Black river, on the east end of lake Ontario. Thence turn- 
 ing in a southwestern direction, we find them extending 
 quite to the southern parts of Mexico and Peru. 
 
 In the Russian empire, mounds are numerous, and' were 
 every where seen by the learned Edward D. Clarke, L/L.D., 
 in his tour from St. Petersburg to the Crimea, in the year 
 1800. In his travels in Russia, Tartary, and Turkey,* the 
 author, in speaking of the country between St Petersburg 
 and Moscow, says, "Conical mounds of earth or tumuli oc- 
 cur very frequently. The most remarkable may be seen 
 between Yezolbisky and Valdai, on both sides of the road, 
 but chiefly on the left; and they continue to appear from 
 the latter place to Jedrova. Professor Pallas has given a 
 representation of four of those tumuli in a vignette at the 
 beginning of his late work. They are common all over the 
 Russian empire." Again,! the author says, "There are few 
 finer prospects than that of Woronetz, viewed a few versts 
 from the town on the road to Paulovsky. Throughout the 
 whole of this country are seen dispersed over immense 
 plains, mounds of earth, covered with a fine turf, the sep- 
 ulchcrs of the ancient world, common to almost every habit- 
 able country. If there exists any thing of former times, 
 which may afford monuments of antediluvian manners, it is 
 this mode of burial. — They seem to mark the progress of 
 population in the first ages, after the dispersion, rising 
 wherever the posterity of Noah came. -Whether under the 
 form of a mound in Scandinavia and Russia, a barrow in 
 England, a cairn in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, or those 
 
 *Vol. I. page 21, second New York edition. 
 fThe same Vol. page 133. • 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES, 111 
 
 heaps, which the modern Greeks and Turks call Tepe; 
 lastly, in the more artificial shape of a pyramid in Egypt, 
 they had universally the same origin. They present the 
 simplest and sublimest monuments, which any generation 
 could raise over the bodies of their progenitors; calculated 
 for almost endless duration, and speaking a language more 
 impressive than the most studied epitaph upon Parian mar- 
 ble. When beheld in a distant evening's horizon, skirted 
 by the rays of the setting sun, and touching, as it were, 
 the clouds which hang over them, imagination pictures the 
 spirits of heroes of remoter periods descending to irradiate 
 the warrior's grave. Some of them rose in such regular 
 forms, with so simple and yet so artifical a shape, in a plain, 
 otherwise so perfectly level and flat, that no doubt what- 
 ever could be entertained respecting them. Others, still 
 more ancient, have at last sunk into the earth, and left a 
 hollow place, which still marks their pristine situation. 
 Again, others, by the passage of the plough upon their sur- 
 faces, have been considerably diminished." 
 
 How exactly does this description of Clarke's apply to 
 our mounds in the west? Who ever described with more 
 accuracy, that species of mounds of earth in Ohio, which 
 were used as cemeteries? Unless we knew to the contrary, 
 who of us in Ohio, would ever suspect, that Dr. Clarke was 
 not describing with fidelity, our western mounds? In one 
 conjecture, however, he is mistaken; that is, in supposing 
 those to be the most ancient, which were but just begun. 
 I have seen them in all stages, from the time that a circular 
 fosse, with a hole in its center, was made, until these 
 mounds were brought to a perfect point at the summit. 
 
 In Scioto county, a few miles from Portsmouth, is a cir- 
 cular fosse, with a hole in the center of the area which it 
 incloses. The owner makes use of this work as a barn 
 yard. 
 
 There is a work of a similar form between two walls, 
 belonging to the Works at Newark; and I have seen several 
 on the Kenhawa river, not far from Point Pleasant, and 
 
112 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 others, left in the same unfinished state, in a great number 
 of places. It would seem that where a ditch was to inclose 
 a tumulus, this ditch was first dug, then a hole made in the 
 center, which was covered over with wood, earth, stones, 
 or brick, then a large funeral pile constructed, and the 
 corpse of some distinguished personage placed on it and 
 burnt. An examination of the works already described, 
 will amply justify these conjectures. 
 
 I have a brick, now before me, over which lay, when 
 found, wood ashes, charcoal, and human bones, burnt in a 
 large and hot fire. And from what was found at Circle- 
 ville, in the mound already described, it would seem that 
 females were sometimes burnt with the males. I need not 
 say, that this custom was derived from Asia, as it is well 
 known to all my readers, that that is the only country to 
 look to for the origin of such a custom. The Greeks and 
 Romans practiced burning their illustrious dead. It was 
 practiced by several other nations, but they all derived it 
 from Asia. 
 
 In the same volume of travels,* Dr. Clarke says, "Tu- 
 muli, so often mentioned before, abound in all steppes; and, 
 in working the cliff for a magazine, or storehouse, where 
 one of these tumuli had been raised, they found, in the 
 sandy soil of which it consisted, an arched vault, shaped 
 like an oven, constructed of large square bricks, and paved 
 in a style of exquisite workmanship with the same mate- 
 rials." 
 
 We are told by the same author,! that "The Cossacks 
 at Ekaterinedara, dug into some of these mounds for the 
 purpose of making cellars, and found several ancient 
 vases." Such vases are discovered in ours. Several have 
 been found in our mounds, which resemble one found in 
 Scotland, and described by Pennant. 
 
 Dr. Clark informs us, that the bones of horses, as well as 
 human bones, were found in some mounds in Russia. The 
 
 * Vol. I. page 224. f Clarke's Travels, Vol. I. p. 236. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 113 
 
 teeth of bears, otters and beavers, are found in ours, lying 
 beside the bones of human beings; but no bones of horses 
 have been found to my knowledge. 
 
 Thus we learn from the most authentic sources, that 
 these ancient works existing in Europe, Asia, and America, 
 are as similar in their construction, in the materials with 
 which they were raised, and in the articles found in them, 
 as it is possible for them to be. Let those who are con- 
 stantly seeking for some argument, with which to over- 
 throw the history of man by Moses, consider this fact. Such 
 persons have more than once asserted, that there wtre 
 different stocks or races of men; but this similarity of 
 works almost all over the world, indicates that all men 
 sprung from one common origin. I have always considered 
 this fact, as strengthening the Mosaic account of man, and 
 that the scriptures throw a strong and steady light on the 
 path of the antiquarian. 
 
 Another quotation from the learned, ingenious, and inter- 
 esting Clarke, and we have done with him. In Tartary, ' 
 he found a place called "Inverness," situated in the turn 
 of a river. He inquired the meaning of the word, and 
 found that "Inverness," in their language, signifies "in a 
 turn." Whoever looks into Pennant's Tour, will see a 
 plate, representing a town, in the turn of a river in Scot- 
 land, called by the same name. 
 
 The names of not a few of the rivers in England, Scot- 
 land, and Wales, are the names also of rivers in Tartary. 
 Will any one pretend that the inhabitants of Britain 
 emigrated to Tartary, and carried the names of their towns 
 and rivers along with them? The Danes, who descended 
 from the Scythians, made settlements and conquests on the 
 British isles, even since the days of Julius Caesar. 
 
 The Scythians, from whom the Tartars are descended, 
 in all probability, first peopled the British isles. The fact, 
 that our works are in all respects like those in Britain, 
 and that similar works may be found all the way from this 
 part of America to Tartary, furnishes no contemptible 
 
114 
 
 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES, 
 
 mi , 
 
 proof, that the Tartars were the authors of ours also. But 
 were the ancestors of our North American Indians the 
 authors of our works? Had not such an opinion been 
 advanced by some great and good men in the United 
 States, the foundation on which it rests is so frail, that I 
 certainly should not trouble myself or my readers to refute 
 it. Never having particularly examined any of our ancient 
 works, these writers contend that all of them were erected 
 for purposes of defense — that the immense number of them 
 proves that the ancestors of our Indians, having been 
 engaged in continual civil wars, their numbers were so 
 thinned and the remainder of them so scattered, that they 
 lost the knowledge of those arts which they formerly pos- 
 sessed; and, from the shepherd state of society, reverted to 
 that of the hunter. 
 
 First, then, as to the immense number of military works. 
 They are not here. The lines of forts, if forts they were, 
 commencing near Cataraugus creek; those at Newark, at 
 Circleville, on Paint creek, one on tha Miami, and one 
 opposite Portsmouth, have been described. And I by no 
 means believe that even all these were real forts. Between 
 the Rocky mountains and the Alleghanies, the northern 
 lakes and the Mexican gulf, it may be possible, that there 
 were originally about twenty forts, to defend a country 
 nearly as large as Europe; and these were probably two 
 thousand years in building, situated too in a thickly settled 
 country! By assuming facts, existing only in the writer's 
 imagination, how easily he can prove whatever he pleases! 
 Thus falls the main pillar on which this opinion rested. 
 They are not military works. But by being engaged in 
 long and destructive wars, the ancestors of our present race 
 of Indians lost the knowledge — of what? of constructing 
 military works. I should have drawn from such premises 
 a conclusion exactly the reverse of this. I should have 
 supposed, that the longer any people were engaged in war, 
 the greater, in the same ratio, would be their knowledge 
 of the art of war. Placed in such a situation, in every 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 115 
 
 other part of the world, man has rapidly improved in this 
 art. To such circumstances, many inventions and im- 
 provements owe their origin. Was there no Archimedes 
 in the west? or, have not the people been slandered? 
 
 As to the number of their wars, I can say nothing, because 
 there is no history of them; but as to the number of forts 
 here, I say they are few, and justify no such inferences as 
 have been attempted to be drawn. 
 
 Have our present race of Indians ever buried their dead 
 in mounds? Have they constructed such works as are de- 
 scribed in the preceding pages? Were they acquainted 
 with the use of silver, or iron, or copper? All these, curi- 
 ously wrought, were found in one mound a' Marietta. Did 
 the ancestors of our Indians burn the bodies of distinguished 
 chiefs on funeral piles, and then raise a lofty tumulus over 
 the urn which contained their ashes? Did the North Amer- 
 ican Indians erect any thing like the "walled town" on 
 Paint creek? Did they ever dig such wells as are found at 
 Marietta, Portsmouth, and above all, such as those on Paint 
 creek? Did they manufacture vessels from calcareous 
 breccia, equal to any now made in Italy? Did they ever 
 make and worship an idol, representing the three principal 
 gods of India? If any person can answer any one of these 
 questions in the affirmative, let him state facts minutely; 
 and let this be done, not by a mere traveler, whose credu- 
 lity has been practiced upon by either red or white men. 
 
 By referring to the works of those American writers who 
 have affected to believe that all our antiquities belonged to 
 the ancestors of our North American Indians, it will be seen 
 that this opinion has been advanced to refute the represen- 
 tations of seme Europeans, that our climate was debilitating 
 in its effects upon the bodies and minds of the people of 
 America, and that nature belittled every thing here. In 
 answer to this false theory, Were our writers so hardly 
 pressed for arguments, that they were obliged to resort to 
 another theory equally unfounded in truth? Does not their 
 argument prove exactly the reverse of what they contend 
 
«;' H6 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 for? Well might their opponents say to our writers, "It is 
 true that all your ancient works in the west, were raised 
 by the ancestors of your Indians in North America. When 
 they came into your country they were half civilized, but 
 such were the debilitating effects of your climate upon both 
 their bodies and minds, that they degenerated into savages 
 in the lowest state of barbarism." When proofs are brought 
 forward that our climate or civil wars have produced such 
 a deplorable effect, we may then believe it. 
 
 The skeletons found in our mounds never belonged to a 
 people like our Indians. The latter are a tall, rather slen- 
 der, straight limbed people ; the foi mer were short and thick. 
 They were rarely over six feet high, and few indeed were 
 six. Their foreheads were low, cheek bones rather high; 
 their faces were very short and broad*, their eyes were very 
 large; and, they had broad chins. I have examined more 
 than fifty skulls found in tumuli, several of which I have 
 before me. 
 
 The limbs of our fossils are short and very thick, and re- 
 semble the Germans more than any Europeans with whom I 
 am acquainted. 
 
 An idol found in a tumulus near Nashville, Tennessee, 
 and now in the museum of Mr. Clifford, of Lexington, Ken- 
 tucky, will probably assist us in forming some idea as to 
 the origin of the authors of our western antiquities. Like 
 the "Triune vessel," hereafter mentioned, it was made of a 
 clay peculiar for its fineness and its use, which is quite 
 abundant in some parts of Kentucky. With this clay was 
 mixed a small portion of gypsum, or sulphate of lime. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 117 
 
 . 
 
 This idol* represents, in three views, a man in a state of 
 nudity, whose arms have been cut off close to the body, and 
 whose nose and chin have been mutilated, with a fillet and 
 cake upon his head. In all these respects, as well as in 
 the peculiar manner of plaiting the hair^itis exactly such 
 an idol as Professor Pallas found in his travels in the south- 
 ern part of the Russian empire."!" > 
 
 The idol discovered near Nashville, shows from whence 
 its worshipers derived their origin and their religions rites. 
 The "Triune idol, or vessel," shows, in my opinion, that 
 its authors originated in Hindostan; and the one now under 
 
 * The original drawing of the three views of this idol was made by 
 Miss Sarah Clifford, of Lexington, Kentucky, from which the above 
 was taken. 
 
 fPallas's Travels, Vol. II. Vignette No. 2. 
 13 
 
118 
 
 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 I 
 
 consideration induces a belief, that some tribes were from 
 countries adjacent.* 
 
 If the ancestors of our North American Indians were from 
 the northern parts of Tartary, those who worshiped this idol 
 came from a country tying farther to the south, where the 
 population was dense, and where the arte had made great 
 progress. While the Tartar of the north was a hunter and a 
 savage, the Hindoos and southern Tartars were well ac- 
 
 *Those who wish to be acquainted with what the poets have said 
 concerning- human sacrifices among the Greeks, may consult the 
 JEneid, lib. II. v. 116. 
 
 "Sanguine placastis ventos, et virvine csesa ; 
 Gum primum Iliacas Danai venistis ad oras; 
 Sanguine quaerendi reditus, animaque litandum 
 Argolica. Vulgi quse vox ut venit ad aures, 
 Obstupuere animi,gelidusque per ima cucurrit 
 Ossa tremor; cui fata parent, quem poscat Apollo, 
 Hie Ithacus vatem magno Calchanta tumultu 
 Protrahit in medios; quse sint ea numina Divum 
 Flagitat: et mihi jam multi crudele canebant 
 Artificis scelus, et taciti ventura videbant. 
 Bis quinos silet ille dies, tectusque recusat 
 Prodere voce sua quenquam, aut opponere morti. 
 Vix tandem magnis Ithaci clamoribus actus, 
 Composito rumpit vocem, et me destinat arse. 
 Assensere omnes; et, quae sibi quisque timebat, 
 Unius in miseri exitium conversa tulere. 
 Jamque dies infanda aderat; mihi sacra parari, 
 Et salsae fruges, et circum tempora vittse." 
 
 Though Sinon, in whose mouth the above passage is put, was an 
 impostor, yet the poet intends to refer his readers to what had often 
 happened among the Greeks, and to cruel and bloody rites long estab- 
 lished. When they sacrificed, the sacred fillets were bound upon the 
 heads of the idol, the victim, and the priest. The salted cake was 
 placed upon the head of the victim. It was called "mola;" hence 
 immolare, in later times, was used to signify any kind of sacrifice. 
 The sacred fillets and salted cake may be seen on the head of the 
 idol above described. The Greeks borrowed many things from the 
 Persians, with whom they had many wars and considerable inter- 
 course. The Persians derived many of their ideas from the Hindoos. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 119 
 
 quainted with most of the useful arts. The former lived 
 in the vicinity of our continent, and probably found their 
 way hither at an early day, while the latter came at a still 
 earlier period, bringing along with them the arts, the idols, 
 and religious rites of Hindostan, China, and the Crimea. 
 The ancestors of our North American Indians were mere 
 hunters, while the authors of our tumuli were shepherds 
 and husbandmen. The temples, altars, and sacred places 
 of the Hindoos, were always situated on the bank of some 
 stream of water. The same observation applies to the tem- 
 ples, altars, and sacred places of those who erected our 
 tumuli. To the consecrated streams of Hindostan, devotees 
 assembled from all parts of the empire, to worship their 
 gods and purify themselves by bathing in the sacred water. 
 In this country, their sacred places were uniformly on the 
 bank of some river; and who knows but that the Muskin- 
 gum, the Scioto, the Miami, the Ohio, the Cumberland, and 
 the Mississippi, were once deemed as sacred, and their 
 banks as thickly settled, and as well cultivated, as are now 
 the Indus, the Ganges, and the Burrampooter? 
 
 Ablution, from the situation of all the works which appear 
 to have been devoted to sacred uses, was a rite as reli- 
 giously observed by the authors of our idols, as it was neg- 
 lected by our North American Indians.* If the coinciden- 
 ces between the worship of our people, and that of the 
 Hindoos and southern Tartars, furnish no evidence of a 
 common origin, then I am no judge of the nature and 
 weight of testimony. 
 
 Some years since, a clay vessel was discovered about 
 twenty feet below the surface, in alluvial earth, in digging 
 a well near Nashville, Tennessee. This piece of pottery 
 was found standing on a rock, from whence a spring of wa» 
 ter issued. This vessel was taken to Mr. Peale's museum 
 at Philadelphia, where it now is, as I am informed. It 
 contains about one gallon; is circular, with a flat bottom, 
 from which it rises in a somewhat globose form, termina- 
 ting at the summit with the figure of a female head. The 
 
;; 
 
 120 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 only hole in the vessel is situated towards the summit of 
 the globular part of it. The features of the face of the fe- 
 male are Asiatic. The crown of the head is covered by a 
 cap of a pyramidical figure, with a flattened, circular sum- 
 mit, ending at the apex with a round button. The ears 
 are large, extending as low as the chin. The features re- 
 semble many of those engraved for Raffle's History; and 
 the cap resembles Asiatic head dresses. 
 
 Here is farther proof of the derivation of these people 
 from Hindostan. The features of the face; the manner 
 of covering the head; the shape of the vessel; the reli- 
 gious uses to which it was probably put at this primitive, 
 and once clear fountain, in performing ablutions, all 
 tend to confirm us in such a belief. Could all these 
 things have so happened, had the authors originated any 
 where else? 
 
 At what Period did these People come into the Territory now 
 included in Ohio ? 
 
 That it was in an early age of the world, we infer from 
 the rude state of many of the arts among them. 
 
 In Italy we behold, on every side, the vestiges of an once 
 powerful and polished people. We see the remains of roads, 
 on which millions have trodden; of aqueducts, which sup- 
 plied populous cities with water; of amphitheaters, once 
 filled with thousands of admiring spectators of public exhi- 
 bitions. Among the ruins of some unhappy town, we find 
 the bust of the hero, or the god, which the chisel of the 
 artist has polished; the canvas which the painter has made 
 to glow with almost real life. There, also, we find the 
 parchment on which the poet, the biographer, the orator, 
 and the historian have written; conveying down to us exal- 
 ted ideas of their learning, their acquaintance with the arts, 
 their genius, their eloquence, their wealth, their grandeur, 
 and their glory. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 121 
 
 But, wliere, in the extended regions of the west, do we 
 find the remains of an "Appian" or "Emilian Way?" Where 
 do we find the moss-grown column of the stately palace, the 
 lofty dome, the solemn temple, the ruins of baths, the frag- 
 ments of amphitheaters? Where the parchment on which 
 the poet, the orator, the biographer or the historian has 
 written, conveying down to us exalted ideas of the learn- 
 ing, the genius, the morals, the virtues, the wealth, the elo- 
 quence, the military prowess, the power, the grandeur, and 
 glory of that people, or of their acquaintance with the arts 
 and sciences? Where find we the bust which the statuary 
 has polished? Where the painting of the artist? 
 
 If that people had axes like ours, why do we find so many 
 of stone? If they had mirrors of glass like ours, why use 
 those of isinglass? If they manufactured hemp, flax, cotton 
 and wool, why use the bark of trees and birds' feathers in 
 their dress? If they had the art of polishing the precious 
 stones which they wore as ornaments, why are so many rock 
 crystals, in their natural state, found in our mounds? Proofs of 
 primitive times are seen, too, in their manners and customs; 
 in their modes of burial and of worship; and, in their wells, 
 which resemble those of the patriarchal ages. Here the 
 reader has only to recollect, the one at Marietta; those at 
 Portsmouth; on Paint creek; at Cincinnati; and compare 
 them with those described in Genesis. Jacob rolled the 
 stone from the well's mouth; Rachel descended with her 
 pitcher, and brought up water for her future husband, and 
 for the flocks of her father. 
 
 Before men were acquainted with letters, they raised mon- 
 uments of unwrought fragments of rocks, for the purpose 
 of perpetuating the memory of events; such are here. In 
 the patriarchal ages, men were in the habit of burying on 
 high places and in mounds; so did this people. They buri- 
 ed in caves; so did these. Caves have been found, near Gal- 
 lipolis, near Greenupsburg, in Kentucky, and in many 
 other places in the hilly region of Ohio, and the country 
 adjacent. In some of these, skeletons have been discovered. 
 
122 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 Their military works are such as any people would erect, 
 who had just passed from the first to the second — from the 
 hunter to the pastoral — state of society. Were they not 
 here as early as the days of Abraham and Lot? The geo- 
 logy of the country throws a faint beam of light upon the 
 dark path, in which we are groping along with cautious 
 steps. 
 
 The line of forts already mentioned, on the authority of 
 Governor Clinton, beginning at the mouth of Cataraugus 
 creek, may be referred to. These forts, if forts they were, 
 were built upon the brow of the hill, which appears to have 
 once been the southern shore of lake Erie. Since they were 
 built, the waters of the Erie have receded. 
 
 These works are from three to five miles from the pre- 
 sent shore, and the surface is covered by a vegetable mould, 
 made from the decomposition and decay of vegetables, six, 
 eight, and ten inches in depth. Governor Clinton, in his 'i 
 memoir, justly observes, that it must have taken a long time 
 for a forest to grow on the earth, after it had been laid bare 
 by the recession of the waters of the lake. The seeds of 
 plants must have been carried there by the wind and the 
 birds; and, at this time, no difference is observed between 
 this and the surrounding woods. 
 
 William Coleman, Esq., of Euclid, Ohio, a very observ- 
 ing and intelligent man, who was one of the first settlers on 
 the lake shore, has never found any of these works north of 
 the northern ridge; and recollects but two or three be- 
 tween the first and second ridges, and these were small. 
 Compare these facts with the following. 
 
 In Pickaway and Ross counties, the vegetable mould 
 covering the works of this class, is not generally more than 
 four inches in thickness; and some of them are situated on 
 alluvions so low, that their bases are sometimes wet by high 
 freshets. There is such a work on the interval, near the 
 Scioto, at Circleville; there are some thus situated in Ross 
 county, and numbers on the Great Miami. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 1£3 
 
 Many of these works had gateways and parallel walls, 
 leading down to creeks which once washed the foot of hills, 
 from whence the streams have now receded, formed exten- 
 sive and newer alluvions, and worn down their channels, in 
 some instances, ten, and even fifteen feet. We refer the 
 reader to the works on the waters of Licking, a drawing and 
 description of which are given. 
 
 There is a work near Colonel Dunlap's, in Ross county, 
 where there was a way which led to a low piece of ground, 
 that, from appearances, was once covered by the waters of 
 a pond, which appear to have been dried away for centu- 
 ries past. 
 
 The botany of the country has been consulted on this 
 subject. It would have taken some time for the seeds of 
 plants and trees to have been completely scattered over a 
 whole country, extensively cultivated by a considerable 
 population. Now, the only difference between the botany 
 of the country where the works are found, and those tracts 
 where there are none, is, that the trees are the largest on 
 and about the works. Trees of the largest size, whose 
 concentric annular rings have been counted, have, in many 
 instances, as many as four hundred; and they appear to 
 be at least the third growth since the works were occu- 
 pied. 
 
 An examination of the works themselves may throw some 
 light on the subject. Those along the lakes are compara- 
 tively few in number and small in size, but increase in both 
 respects, greatly, as their authors proceeded towards the 
 south. Their numbers must have wonderfully increased 
 as they slowly descended the water courses, and their 
 improvement in the useful arts is every where visible. 
 ^ Their pottery at Salem, on the shore of lake Erie, was 
 rude, and but ill calculated for the purposes for which it 
 was intended; whilst along the Ohio, some of it is equal to 
 any thing of the kind now manufactured. Along lake 
 Erie, it was not glazed, nor was it polished; on the Ohio, 
 it was well glazed or polished, and the vessels well shaped. > 
 
124 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 Ornaments of silver, or copper, certainly belonging to this 
 people, have not been found north of Newark; whereas 
 below that place, vast numbers have been discovered. 
 
 North of the last mentioned place, I know of no wells 
 perforated through rocks, by them; near that place, a great 
 number are seen dug through as hard rocks as any in the 
 country. 
 
 How long did this people reside here? 
 
 That they lived here for a long time, appears evident 
 from the very numerous cemeteries, and the vast numbers 
 of persons of all ages who were here buried. It is highly 
 probable that more persons were buried in these mounds 
 than now live in this state. They lived in towns, many of 
 which were populous, especially along the Scioto, from 
 Columbus southward. 
 
 Their greatest settlements in Ohio, were on Paint creek, 
 a few miles from Chillicothe; at Circleville; and along the 
 very banks of the Ohio river, especially near Grave creek, 
 and the mouths of the Muskingum and Scioto. Some have 
 supposed, that they were driven away by powerful foes; 
 but appearances by no means justify this supposition. That 
 they contended against some people to the northeast of 
 them is evident; but that they leisurely moved down the 
 streams, is also evident, from their increased numbers, and 
 their improvement in the knowledge of the arts. These 
 required time and a settled state of society. 
 
 That they came here after the Indians had settled them- 
 selves along the Atlantic coast, is inferred from the greater 
 knowledge of the arts diffused among the former than the 
 latter. 
 
 Ic is among a dense population that these improvements 
 are effected. It is here, that necessity, the mother of 
 invention, prompts man to subject such animals to his 
 dominion as he discovers most docile, best calculated to 
 assist him in his labors, and supply him with food and rai- 
 ment. From a hunter he becomes a shepherd, and drives 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 125 
 
 before him his numerous flocks, weds the vine to the elm, 
 raises pulse and maize, and constructs a better cabin for 
 himself and family to protect them from the inclemencies 
 of the weather. As the population increases, he subjects 
 an additional number of animals to his dominion, and culti- 
 vates an additional number of indigenous plants. He 
 improves the breeds of his animals already domesticated; 
 renders his implements of industry more perfect, and extends 
 the field of cultivation. At length the mechanic arts 
 become so necessary, that some persons devote their whole 
 time to (hem, whilst others exchange their own articles of 
 trade for those belonging to the people of neighboring 
 nations. They find this exchange mutually profitable; and 
 the profession of the merchant becomes honorable. The 
 ship is constructed in place of the bark canoe; numbers 
 dwell on the mountain wave, and make the deep their 
 home. The arts and sciences are cultivated; man puts off 
 his rough, savage manners, and lays aside, by degrees, the 
 ignorance and prejudices attendant on such a state of 
 society. He has now arrived at the third, highest, and last 
 state of society — the mercantile. 
 
 Laws and municipal regulations are multiplied to protect 
 man against man, the weak against the strong, the artless 
 against the artful, the poor and the oppressed against the 
 wealthy oppressor, the person of fair fame against the slan- 
 derer's tongue; arts are improved; science flourishes. This 
 is the natural order of things. Their not having attained 
 to this height in the scale of civilization, is one proof that 
 the authors of our antiquities lived In the earlier ages of 
 the world; but they evidently improved in their condition 
 while residing here. To have thus improved and multi- 
 plied, required many centuries of time. 
 
 How great a number of this people inhabited this country ? 
 
 We cannot arrive at absolute certainty on this subject, 
 but we can examine their works, whose ruins we every 
 14 
 
126 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 where behold. We can examine their graves; but no 
 historian has been left to inform us; no ghost will rise to 
 tell us; and no response to his questions on this head, is 
 heard by him who knocks at their tombs. Mr. Bracken- 
 ridge has conjectured, that there were once five thousand 
 villages of this people in the valley of the Mississippi. I 
 have never counted them, nor has any other person; but 
 the State of Ohio was once much thicker settled, in all 
 probability, than it now is, when it contains about seven 
 hundred thousand inhabitants.* Many of the mounds con- 
 tain an immense number of skeletons. Those of Big Grave 
 creek are believed to be completely filled with human 
 bones. The large ones, all along the principal rivers in 
 this State, are also filled with skeletons. Millions of human 
 beings have been buried in these tumuli. To have sup- 
 ported such a great population, the inhabitants must have 
 been considerably employed in agriculture. 
 
 From the Rocky mountains in the west, to the Allegha- 
 nies in the east, the country must have been more or less 
 settled by them; and the number of people after their 
 settlements reached the Ohio river, must have been far 
 greater than is generally supposed. To have erected such 
 works, so numerous and large, must have required a great 
 population. 
 
 The state of the Arts among them. 
 
 Some ideas on this subject may be gathered from the fore- 
 going accounts of their works. 
 
 That they manufactured bricks, and very good ones too, 
 we know from the discoveries made on opening their tu- 
 muli; in not a few of which, bricks have been found, be- 
 sides those already mentioned. 
 
 Gold ornaments are said to have been found in several 
 tumuli; but I have never seen any. 
 
 * In 1819. — It now contains one million of people. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 127 
 
 Silver, very well plated, has been found in several mounds, 
 besides those at Cireleville and Marietta. 
 
 Copper has been found in more than twenty mounds, but 
 generally not very well wrought. It is in all cases like that 
 described by Dr. Drake, already quoted. The copper be- 
 longing to the sword found at Marietta, is wrought with 
 the most art of any which I have seen. 
 
 Pipe-bowls of copper, hammered out, and not welded to- 
 gether, but lapped over, have been found in many tumuli. 
 General Tupper described such an one to me, found by him 
 on the elevated square at Marietta, or rather a few feet be- 
 low the surface of that work. Similar ones have been 
 discovered in other places. A bracelet of copper was 
 found in a stone mound near Chiliicothe, and forwarded to 
 the museum at Cincinnati, by the Hon. Jessup N. Couch, 
 Esq., sometime since. This was a rude ornament, and re- 
 sembled somewhat the link of a common log chain; the 
 ends passed by each other, but were not welded together. 
 I have seen several arrow heads of this metal, some of 
 which were five or six inches in length, and must have 
 been used as heads of spears- Circular medals of this me- 
 tal, several inches in diameter, very tbin and much injured 
 by time, have often been found in the tumuli. They had 
 no inscriptions that I could discover. Some of them were 
 large enough to have answered for breast plates. The 
 small copper kettles^ sometimes found near lake Erie, be- 
 longed to Indians, and were derived from the French and 
 other Europeans. 
 
 Iron has been found in very few instances, having oxyd- 
 ized. They made use of it in some cases for knives and 
 swords, the remains of which have been discovered in many 
 tumuli. The balls found sometimes in alluvial earth, and 
 in mounds, supposed by some to be cannon balls of- iron, 
 are not the work of art, but martial pyrites. I have seen 
 very beautiful ones taken from ancient works in this coun- 
 try. Of cast iron, I have seen no article belonging to that 
 people. 
 
128 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 Glass has not been found, belonging certainly to that 
 people, within my knowledge. Those pieces which have 
 been discovered, owe their origin to the people who now 
 live here. 
 
 Their mirrors were of isinglass, (mica membranacea,) 
 and have been met with in fifty places, at least, within my 
 own knowledge. Besides the large and very elegant one at 
 Circleville, and the fragments at Cincinnati, I have found 
 more or less of these mirrors in almost all the mounds which 
 have been opened in the country. They were common 
 among that people, and answered very well the purpose 
 for which they were intended. These mirrors were very 
 thick, otherwise they would not have reflected the light. 
 
 I am disposed to believe, although their houses in some 
 instances might have been built of stone and brick, as in 
 the walled town on Paint creek, and some few other places, 
 yet that their habitations were of wood, or that they dwelt 
 in tents; otherwise their ruins would be more frequently 
 met with in every part of this great country.-^ Along the 
 Ohio, where the river is in many places wearing and wash- 
 ing away its banks, hearths and fire-places are brought to 
 light, two, four, and even six feet, below the surface. A 
 long time must have elapsed, since the earth was deposited 
 over them. Those who wish to see these fire-places and 
 remains of chimneys, by examining the bank of the Mus- 
 kingum at its mouth, at Point Harmar, opposite Marietta, 
 may gratify their curiosity. These fire-places resemble 
 very much those belonging to the rude cabins of the first 
 settlers, in this or any other part of the United States. 
 Around them are deposited immense quantities of muscle 
 shells, bones of animals, &c. From the depth of many of 
 these remains of chimneys, below the present surface of 
 the earth, on which, at the settlement of this country by 
 its present inhabitants, grew as large trees as any in the 
 surrounding forest, the conclusion is, that a long period, 
 perhaps of a thousand years, has elapsed since these hearths 
 were deserted, v 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 129 
 
 Sites which had been occupied by mills moved by water; 
 buildings for manufactories of any kind of stone, I have not 
 
 ! 
 
 seen. 
 
 Some have thought that they had discovered cellars on 
 the sites of ancient towns. Wells have been found in ma- 
 ny places, and they are such as we read of in the patriarchal 
 ages. Those at Marietta, and near Portsmouth, and four 
 on Paint creek, are particularly referred to. 
 
 The potter's ware is by far the most interesting of any of 
 their manufactures. On the surface of the earth, or very 
 near it, a rude kind of ware, made of sand-stone and clay in 
 composition, near lake Erie; of clay, on the northern wat- 
 ers of the Scioto; and of clay and shells in composition, on the 
 Ohio and Mississippi, is frequently found, belonging to a 
 recent era, and manufactured even by the present race of 
 Indians. None of this ware is glazed, and its workmanship 
 is rude. But at the bottom of mounds, or near the head of 
 some distinguished personage, vessels are found in some in- 
 stances equal to any now manufactured in any part of the 
 world. These are not always made of the same materi- 
 als. Two covers of vessels were found in a stone mound 
 in Ross county, in this State, very ingeniously wrought by 
 the artist, and highly polished. These were made of a 
 calcareous breccia, fragments of which were examined by 
 Professor Silliman, of Yale College, Connecticut. These 
 covers resemble, almost exactly, and were quite equal to 
 vessels of that material, manufactured in Italy at the pre- 
 sent time. 
 
130 
 
 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 An urn was found in a mound a few miles from Chilli- 
 cothe, a drawing of which follows. It is three-sevenths of 
 the size of the article each way. * 
 
 This urn very much resembles one found in a similar 
 work in Scotland, and mentioned by Pennant in his Tour.* 
 The urn there described was thirteen inches high, and of 
 a blackish appearance, as if it had been filled with oil. It 
 was found in a tumulus near BamfF, and contained arrow 
 heads, ashes and calcined bones. 
 
 These urns generally contain human bones which have 
 been burnt in a hot fire; and, from the. appearance of the 
 vessels, oil of some kind has been put into them with the 
 bones. 
 
 Some of these urns appear to have been made of a com- 
 position resembling that of which mortars for physicians 
 and apothecaries are now manufactured by Europeans. 
 There is such a one now in existence, and in the possession 
 of a gentleman residing on the little Scioto, in Scioto coun- 
 ty, Ohio. It contains about three quarts, and is brought to 
 
 *Vol. I. page 154. London, fourth edition, 1790. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 131 
 
 a perfect point at the bottom. About half way from the top 
 to the bottom, is a groove around its outside, and two ears, 
 through which a chain may be inserted, by which to sus- 
 pend it. It was found twelve feet below the surface of the 
 earth, in the alluvion on the Ohio river. It had on it marks 
 of fire, and is not injured by exposure to considerable heat. 
 A small vessel is now in the possession of S. Williams, 
 Esq., of Chillicothe, which it is supposed, might have been 
 used as a crucible. A drawing of it, of about half the size, 
 each way, is here annexed. 
 
 life 
 
 
 
 It was found in a tumulus, eight miles from the last men- 
 tioned place. It has on it the marks of fire; and bears 
 as great a degree of heat, as the pots now used in glass 
 manufactories, and is made of the same kind of clay. 
 
 Dr. Hildreth has described several articles which he has 
 seen; one of which, was a vessel which contained about 
 two quarts. It was handsomely proportioned, and nearly in 
 the form of a cocoa nut shell. It had four neat handles 
 placed near the brim, and opposite each other. It was 
 found in the bank of an island near Belpre. On the beach, 
 near the mouth of Muskingum, was discovered a curious or- 
 nament. It is made of white marble, in form a circle, about 
 
132 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 three inches in diameter. The outer edge is about one inch 
 in thickness, with a narrow rim. The sides are deeply con- 
 cave, and in the center is a hole about half an inch in dia- 
 meter. It is beautifully finished, and so smooth, that Dr. 
 Hildreth is of the opinion that it was once highly polished. 
 It is now in the possession of David Putnam, Esq., of Ma- 
 rietta, Ohio. 
 
 Other articles, similar to this, have been found in several 
 mounds in many places. The use to which the one described 
 was put, cannot certainly be known. Was it a rude wind 
 instrument of music? or, was it a badge of office and dis- 
 tinction? 
 
 Some of their arrow and spear heads are brought to such 
 fine and long points, so perfectly regular, that it is difficult 
 to ascertain how they were made, even with steel instru- 
 ments. Mr. Clifford has heard of a fish spear, with six or 
 seven long prongs, perfectly separated, barbed and carved 
 out of calcedonic flint. 
 
 I have an axe in my little cabinet, found near Jackson, 
 in this State, and presented to me by Daniel Hoffman, Esq., 
 made of a species of green stone, equal to Egyptian granite. 
 It is polished in the neatest manner. 
 
 Mr. Clifford has a pipe in his collection, which was found 
 in digging a trench on Sandusky river, in alluvial earth, six 
 feet below the surface, which displays great taste in its exe- 
 cution. The rim of the bowl is in high relief, and the front 
 represents a handsome female face. The stone from which 
 it is made, is the real talc graphique, exactly resembling 
 the stone of which the Chinese make their idols. No talc 
 of this species is known to exist on this side of the Alle- 
 ghanies; and this article, of course, must have been brought 
 here from a distance, probably from Asia. 
 
 Fragments of fishing nets and moccasons, made of a 
 species of rattle weed, have been found in the nitrous caves 
 of Kentucky. 
 
 The mummies have generally been found enveloped in 
 three coverings; first, in a coarse species of linen cloth, of 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES, 133 
 
 about the consistency and texture of cotton bagging. It was 
 evidently woven by the same kind of process, which is still 
 practiced in the interior parts of Africa. The warp being 
 extended by some slight kind of machinery, the woof was 
 passed across it, and then twisted every two threads of the 
 warp together, before the second passage of the filling. 
 This seems to have been the first rude method of weaving 
 in Asia, Africa and America. The second envelope of the 
 mummies, is a kind of net work, of coarse threads, formed 
 of very small, loose meshes, in which were fixed the feath- 
 ers of various kinds of birds, so as to make a perfectly 
 smooth surface, lying all in one direction. The art of this 
 tedious, but beautiful manufacture was well understood in 
 Mexico, and still exists on the northwest coast of America, 
 and in the islands of the Pacific ocean. In those isles, it 
 is the state, or court dress. The third and outer envelope 
 of these mummies is either like the one first described, or 
 it consists of leather, sewed together. 
 
 In exploring the Mammoth cave, in Kentucky, several 
 years since, for salt peter, several human bodies were found, 
 enwrapped with cloths and skins. They were lodged in 
 recesses of the cave, and buried under the earth. These 
 recesses were dry enough to retain the nitric acid. It is 
 combined with lime and potash. The earthy matter, prob- 
 ably contained a good proportion of cakarious carbonate. 
 Amidst these drying, antiseptic ingredients, putrefaction 
 would be stayed, and the solid parts of the bodies be dried 
 and preserved from decay. The outer envelope of these 
 bodies, was deerskin, dressed in the usual way. The next 
 wrapper of cloth, made of twine, doubled and twisted, and 
 filled with the same material. This cloth resembled the 
 cloths of the Sandwich islands, and were made in the same 
 manner. The inner envelope, was of cloth, filled with 
 brown feathers. 
 
 This cloth was filled with so much art, that it protected, 
 extremely well, the body from the cold; and was almost as 
 capable of turning ofTthe rain, as the back of a bird. The 
 15 
 
134 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 plumage was distinct and beautiful, resembling, exactly? 
 the feathery mantles of the South Sea islanders. The 
 bodies were found in a squatting posture, the right arm 
 inclining forward, and the hand encircling the right leg. 
 The left arm hung down, the hand partly under the seat. 
 The head was covered with reddish hair, the teeth were 
 white and sound. The hands and feet were shriveled, 
 small, and delicate. The bodies were not embalmed, had 
 no bandages about them — had not been opened. They 
 were preserved by drying. These are all the /acts. 
 
 This account of manufactured articles, of similar vessels, 
 made of our best clays, might be extended to many pages, 
 but it is hoped that what has been said, may suffice. I beg 
 leave, however, to add, that the ancient inhabitants of the 
 west, were better acquainted with the manufacture of ves- 
 sels of this kind, than with almost any other articles. — 
 Though they had some few very well manufactured swords 
 and knives of iron, possibly of steel, yet they certainly used 
 many stone axes, stone knives, arrow heads, &c, which are 
 found in many of the tumuli. Stones curiously wrought 
 and well polished, of granite, of hornblend, of .marble, of 
 calcareous breccia, and sometimes of sand stone, are discov- 
 ered in tumuli; a collection of which, I have before me. 
 Rock crystals, of the most beauliful species, were probably 
 worn as ornaments, one of which I have in my possession. 
 
 With great pleasure, I introduce here, the following 
 extract from "Conjectures respecting the ancient inhab- 
 itants of North America, by Moses Fiske, Esq., of Hilharo, 
 Tennessee." 
 
 "The world has been repeatedly entertained with 
 accounts of structures in this Western Country, raised by 
 some ancient people, of whom nothing is known, either 
 from the tomes of history or the tongue of tradition; but 
 the subject is not yet exhausted. Gleanings remain which 
 may be worthy of attention. 
 
 "The labored mounds and fortifications so well described, 
 though the most prominent, are not the only relics to be 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 135 
 
 inspected. In Tennessee, my principal range of observa- 
 tion, they abound; of different sizes and forms; some reg- 
 ular, others not so; and all impaired by the ravages of time. 
 
 "Of the two species of mounds, the minor, shaped 
 somewhat like a cone, or rather like a hemisphere, are 
 pertinently called barrows or bone heaps. But the more 
 magnificent sort, which are mostly square or oblong, with 
 a flat top, seem contrived for a different purpose. They 
 may have been castles. Possibly their use was, to give 
 eminence to temples or to town houses. 
 
 "Jf some of them contain bones, so do some cathedrals. 
 We may even find it a common circumstance, without 
 being obliged to suppose them originally designed, either 
 solely or chiefly as places of interment. It was probably 
 a special honor to be buried there, conferred only on cer- 
 tain favorites; or a practice in peculiar exigences. 
 
 "Their houses generally stood in rows, nearly contigu- 
 ous to each other, with an interval between the rows for a 
 narrow street, though sometimes they s+<^ J irregularly. 
 
 "They are indicated by rin<s- «*r earth, from three to five 
 fathoms in diameter, ^i\ or twenty inches in height, and a 
 yard or w&*<? oroad; not always circular, some which I 
 have noticed being square or oblong. The flooring of some 
 is elevated above the surface, that of others is depressed. 
 The tokens are indubitable. Such rings overspread the 
 country, some scattered and solitary, but oftener in groups. 
 Villages were numerous with and without fortifications. 
 But their domicils appear only on fertile grounds, at least, 
 as far as I have been able to examine. And this seems to 
 intimate, that agriculture was considered as an indispen- 
 sable pursuit; but that they did not practice manuring. 
 
 "Potters' ware they had in profusion, of various shapes 
 and sizes, from that of a thumb bottle to that of a salt 
 boiler. Whole vessels are sometimes found; but more fre- 
 quently fragments. 
 
 "The clay of which they were formed, was generally 
 mixed with shells, burnt and pounded, muscle shells and 
 
136 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 others from the rivers, doubtless to increase their firmness 
 and durability. 
 
 "From thick pieces lying about licks, it is apprehended 
 that they knew how to supply themselves with salt. 
 
 "Stone utensils too are discovered; axes, spikes, mortars, 
 pounders, plates ; some rudely wrought, some of better work- 
 manship. Not a chimney is seen, nor an oven; nor the 
 ruins of any bridge or dam, or well, or cellar, or wall of 
 rocks; no masonry, however rude, either of stone or of 
 brick, in Tennessee. 
 
 "By way of exception, I have to state, that I have seen 
 one mound, the sides of which present a very loose laid wall 
 of flat stones, chiefly tumbled down; and I am informed of 
 another, done in a better style. There may be many oth- 
 ers. Flat rocks were used in sepulture. They did not al- 
 ways raise tumuli over their dead. There are many bury- 
 ing grounds in West Tennessee, with regular graves. They 
 dug them twelve or eighteen inches deep; placed slabs at 
 the bottoms, cm.ri Si( an( j sides, forming a kind of stone coffin, 
 and after laying in the u^dy, covered it over with earth. 
 Many caves, with which this county abounds, were used as 
 repositories of the dead. In some of these remits the parts 
 of the skeletons were left promiscuously. In one I found 
 bones enveloped with incrustations of stone. 
 
 "In 1810, two bodies, one of a man and the other of a 
 child six or eight years of age, were dug up in Warren 
 county, in this State, wrapped in deer skins, and clothes 
 of a singular texture; some of linen, and some of tree bark 
 twine and feathers, with other articles, chiefly about the 
 child, in a state of preservation, like mummies, retaining 
 their nails and hair, with their skins entire, though decay- 
 ed, discolored and tender. I speak of the man from infor- 
 mation, he having been reburied before I visited the place. 
 
 "I am inclined to the opinion that these bodies belonged 
 to the ancient people of whom I have spoken. 
 
 "1. It seems as difficult to explain how bodies recently 
 buried should assume such an appearance, as it would be 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 137 
 
 if they were deposited ten centuries ago. Certainly they 
 had escaped the common process of putrefaction. Their 
 flesh seems to have dried and wasted away by a kind of 
 evaporation. 
 
 "2. After a view of the condition in which they were 
 found, no reason occurs, why they may not have remained 
 unaltered, or nearly so, a thousand years past. They lay 
 in a chamber, half way up a steep hill, under a large pro- 
 jected roof of rocks, buried a yard deep in a bed of dry 
 earth, which contains a strong mixture of copperas, alum, 
 and niter, and I believe of sulphur; where perhaps no water 
 has intruded since the general deluge. 
 
 "3. I am not apprized that the modern Indians, or indeed 
 moderns of any description, manufacture similar cloths. 
 
 "4. There were ancient habitations in the neighborhood, 
 and no modern dwellings belonging to the natives, within 
 several day's journey. Most of the caverns, so numerous in 
 this calcareous country, were used by that primitive nation 
 for sepulchers, in which various relics are found, such as 
 bows and arrows, poles cut off with flint stones, clay ware, 
 fishing nets, cloths, mats, fragments of baskets differently 
 preserved, according to the state and qualities of the cir- 
 cumambient air and earth. 
 
 "5. The basket used as a coffin for the child, made of 
 split cane, and now in my possession, appears to have been 
 wrought without the help of an edge tool, though of good 
 workmanship. But modern Indians have knives. 
 
 "And, finally, as the variety of articles buried with the 
 bodies, in particular that of the child, announces superior 
 rank, we should, from this circumstance, naturally expect, 
 had they been members of any tribe now in the country, to 
 have found, if any thing, a few silver, or other metallic or- 
 naments upon them, as broaches, bracelets, nose-rings, ear- 
 rings, or other fantastical trinkets, instead of ingenious fea- 
 ther cloths, fans and belts. Or, if there had been a belt, 
 it would have been of wampum. 
 
138 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 li Like many people, those aboriginals, in their various 
 methods of inhumation, deposited something of real or sup- 
 posed value with the deceased. Perhaps they always did. 
 The contrary cannot be asserted; as many of the articles 
 might have been perishable. This practice assures us of 
 their belief in a future existence. 
 
 "They must have been ignorant of letters. p Otherwise, 
 in a country of slate, they who fabricated utensils of the 
 hardest flint, of which I have seen specimens, shaped and 
 smoothed, as if wrought in a turner's lathe, would have left 
 some inscriptions, some hieroglyphics, or scratches, or 
 scrawls, to be deciphered by posterity. Possibly such may 
 yet be discovered." 
 
 Whether our ancient people used clothing made of flax, 
 hemp, or cotton, I do not know; but mats made of some- 
 thing resembling hemp, or possibly the bark of some kind 
 of vegetable, have been found, besides the one mentioned 
 in the account of the mound once standing in Chillicothe. 
 These articles are so much injured by time, that it is quite 
 difficult to say, with certainty, of what materials they were 
 made. 
 
 No article has been found, within my knowledge, which 
 contained on it either letters or hieroglyphics. Several 
 stories to the contrary have been propagated, but on in- 
 quiry, they had no foundation in truth. 
 
 No brass has been discovered here, it is believed. 
 
 Smoking pipes, made of stone, of clay, &c, have often 
 been found; and the. teeth of many of the fossil skulls, 
 show that their owners were in the constant habit of using 
 them. 
 
 Scientific Acquirements, 
 
 The manner in which their works are almost always plan- 
 ned, when thoroughly examined, has furnished matter of 
 admiration to all intelligent persons who have attended to 
 the subject. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 139 
 
 Nearly all the lines of ancient works found in the whole 
 country, where the form of the ground admits of it, are right 
 ones, pointing to the four cardinal points. Where there are 
 mounds inclosed, the gateways are most frequently on the 
 east side of the works, towards the rising sun. Where the 
 situation admits of it, in military works, the openings are 
 generally towards one or more of the cardinal points. Had 
 their authors no knowledge of astronomy? These things 
 never could have so happened, with such invariable exact- 
 ness in almost all cases, without some design. 
 
 On the whole, I am convinced, from an attention to many 
 hundreds of these works, in every part of the west which I 
 have visited, that their authors had some knowledge of astro- 
 nomy. The pastoral life, which men followed in the early 
 ages, was certainly very favorable to the attainment of 
 such a knowledge. Dwelling in tents, or in the open air, 
 with the heavenly bodies in full view, and much more liable 
 to suffer from any change in the weather than we are, who 
 dwell in comfortable habitations, they would of course, di- 
 rect their attention to the prognostics of approaching heat 
 and cold, stormy or pleasant weather. Our own sailors are 
 an example in point. Let a person, even wholly unaccus- 
 tomed to the seas, be wafted for a few weeks by the winds 
 and waves, and he is all ear to every breeze, all eye to eve- 
 ry part of the heavens. Thus, in the earliest ages of man- 
 kind, astronomy was attended to, partly from necessity; 
 hence a knowledge of this science was early diffused among 
 men, the proofs of which are beheld in their works, not only 
 here, but in every part of the globe where they then dwelt. 
 It was reserved for the immortal geniuses of modern times, 
 to make the most astonishing discoveries in this science, 
 aided by a knowledge of figures, and an acquaintance with 
 the telescope; but men in ancient times were by no means 
 inattentive to this noble science. 
 
140 
 
 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 Their Religious Rites and Places of Worship. 
 
 Knowledge on these subjects must he sought for in and 
 about the mounds, which appear to have been used for 
 many important purposes. 
 
 In addition to what is already said, under the descrip- 
 tions of mounds, we will here add, that on the Cany fork of 
 Cumberland river, a vessel was found in an ancient work, 
 about four feet below the surface, a drawing of which is 
 here given.* It is believed to be an exact likeness. 
 
 fflpil 
 
 alii.''!', ..'.;" :■..•.•:■:« 
 
 gfmmmMm- 
 
 >811|| f 
 
 ■ 
 
 wmmm. 
 
 ia illll 
 
 
 m 
 
 We 
 
 
 IBI 
 
 The object itself may be thus described. It consists of 
 three heads, joined together at the back part of them, near 
 the top, by a stem or handle, which rises above the heads 
 about three inches. <f This stem is hollow, six inches in cir- 
 cumference at the top, increasing in size as it descends. 
 These heads are all of the same dimensions, being about 
 four inches from the top to the chin. "7 The face at the eyes 
 
 *The original drawing" was by Miss Sarah Clifford, of Lexington, 
 Kentucky. It is by some, called a "Triune Idol." 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 141 
 
 is three inches hroad, decreasing in breadth all the way to 
 the chin. All the strong marks of the Tartar countenance 
 are distinctly preserved, and expressed with so much skill, 
 that even a modern artist might be proud of the perfor- 
 mance. The countenances are all different each from the 
 other, and denote an old person and two younger ones. 
 < The face of the eldest is painted around the eyes with 
 yellow, shaded with a streak of the same color, beginning 
 from the top of the ear, running in a semicircular form to 
 the ear on the other side of the head. Another painted line 
 begins at the lower part of the eye, and runs down before 
 each ear about one inch. 7 [See figure 1.] 
 
 Back view. 
 
 £ The second represents a person of a grave countenance, 
 much younger than the preceding one, painted very differ- 
 ently, and of a different color. — A streak of reddish brown 
 surrounds each eye.— Another line of the same color, be- 
 ginning at the top of one ear, passes under the chin, and 
 16 
 
142 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 ends at the top of the other ear. The ears also are slightly 
 tinged with the same color. [See figure 2.] 
 
 The third, [figure 3,] in its characteristical features, re- 
 sembles the others, representing one of the Tartar family. 
 The whole of the face is slightly tinged with vermilion, or 
 some paint resembling it. Ea'en cheek has a spot on it, of 
 the size of a quarter of a dollar, brightly tinged with the 
 same paint. On the chin is a similar spot. One circumstance 
 worthy of remark is, that though these colors must have 
 been exposed to the damp earth for many centuries, they 
 have, nothwithstanding, preserved every shade in all its 
 brilliancy.^ 
 
 <T This "Triune vessel" stands upon three necks* which are 
 about an inch and a, half in length. The whole is composed 
 of a fine clay, of a light umber colour, which has been ren- 
 dered hard by the action of fire. The heads are hollow, and 
 the vessel contains about one quart. > 
 < Does it not represent the v , three chief gods of India, 
 Brahma, Vishmoo and Siva ?> Let the reader look at the 
 plate representing this vessel, and consult the "Asiatic Re- 
 searches,' 5 by Sir William Jones; let him also read Bucha- 
 nan's "Star in the East," and the accounts there found of 
 the idolatry of the Hindoos; and, unless his mind is formed 
 differently from mine, he will see in this idol, one proof at 
 least, that the people who raised our ancient works, were 
 idolaters; and, that some of them worshiped gods resem- 
 bling the three principal deities of India. What tends to 
 strengthen this inference, is, that nine murex shells, the 
 same as described by Sir William Jones, in "Asiatic Re- 
 searches," and by Symmes in his "Embassy to Ava," have 
 been found within twenty miles of Lexington, Kentucky, 
 in an ancient work. Their component parts remained un- 
 changed, and they were every way in an excellent state of 
 preservation. These shells, so rare in India, are highly 
 esteemed, and consecrated to their god Mahadeva, whose 
 character is the same with the Neptune of Greece and 
 Rome. This shell, among the Hindoos, is the musical in- 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 143 
 
 Strument of their Tritons. These shells, found near Lexing- 
 ton, are in the museum of Mr. John D. Clifford, of that 
 place, a very worthy gentleman.* The foot of the Siamese 
 god, Gaudma or Boodh, is represented by a sculpture, in 
 Ava, of six feet in length, aud the toes are carved, each to 
 represent a shell of the murex. These shells have been 
 found in many mounds which have been opened in every 
 part of this country, and this is a proof that a considerable 
 value was set upon them by their owners. 
 
 That the people who erected our ancient works were 
 idolaters, is inferred also from the age of the world In 
 which they lived; from the certainty which history, sacred 
 and profane, affords, that all other nations were idolaters 
 at the same time; that all people, except the Jews, who 
 buried their dead in tumuli, were idolaters. 
 
 Many of the most intelligent persons, who have examined 
 our antiquities with care, have expressed a belief that the 
 sun was worshiped by this people. Without pretending 
 to decide on a subject so intricate, and where there is no 
 positive proof of the fact; and without even expressing an 
 opinion myself, the circumstances on which others have 
 founded such an opinion shall be briefly stated. 
 
 Wherever there is a walk like a road up to any large 
 mound, elevated, circular or square work, where the situa- 
 tion of the ground will admit of it, such works are uni- 
 formly on the east side, as at Circleville. Mounds are 
 generally so situated, as to afford a good view of the rising 
 sun. Hundreds might be mentioned as examples. Where 
 mounds are encircled with walls and ditches, if there is a 
 gateway, it is almost uniformly towards the east. Where 
 persons belonging to this people were buried in caves, as 
 they sometimes were, the mouth of the cave is towards the 
 east; wherever we find a pavement in a semicircular form, 
 partly enclosing a mound, it is always on the east side. 
 
 *Since dead. 
 
 i 
 
144 
 
 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES, 
 
 i 
 
 When persons were buried in graves, as thej often were,* 
 these graves were east and west. I suspect that our cus- 
 tom of burying the dead in the same way, was derived from 
 the same origin; and our practice of having our burying 
 grounds always near churches, and sometimes under them, 
 is derived from the primitive custom of interring the dead 
 either near or in the ancient tumuli, which were used as 
 altars, on which temples were, in later ages, erected. 
 
 Medals, representing the sun with its rays of light, have 
 been found in the mounds. One of these was discovered 
 by Judge Crull, of Scioto county, Ohio, a fragment of 
 which was forwarded, to be deposited in the cabinet of the 
 American Antiquarian Society. ^ It is made of a very fine 
 clay, and colored in the composition before it was hardened 
 
 * Many wonderful talcs have been related of a race of pigmies, 
 whose burying grounds have been discovered in the west. A little 
 more attention would have cleared up the mystery. The legs below 
 the knee joint were turned under the body, which made the graves 
 very short, though the skeletons are as large as those found in our 
 mounds. They were a short but very thickset people. However, 
 such small people might have dwelt in towns, by themselves, and 
 belonged either to modern or ancient Indians. There is such a 
 town on Rock river, in the upper part of Illinois State now. Among 
 rude nations, in a state of nature, or in a state of society nearly 
 approaching it, unless a person is of a good size and of a handsome 
 form, he is excluded from society— he can hold no office, civil or 
 military; — he cannot be even a common soldier! Such persons, thus 
 excluded from an honorable standing in the community, naturally, in 
 time, form a society of their own, generally under some arch impos- 
 tor of a prophet. The existence of burial grounds, where such a 
 small race of people lived and died, by no means proves that the 
 people there buried, were any other, than all the dwarfs belonging 
 to some nation of modern Indians. The hardships and the too early 
 marriages of the poorer people among modern Indians, produce 
 many dwarfs, and the customs of the Indians very naturally throw 
 them into towns by themselves. There they live and there they 
 die. The only wonder is, not why such burying grounds are some- 
 times found, but why we find no more of them, in those parts of our 
 country, where Indians formerly resided in considerable numbers. 
 

 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 145 
 
 by heat. It was originally more than three inches in diam- 
 eter, y 
 
 But it appears to me, judging from the same, or rather 
 similar, data, there is quite as much evidence of their wor- 
 shiping the moon; for the semicircles represent the new 
 moon; and copper medals, perfectly round, thin, flat and 
 smooth, without any thing to represent rays of light, have 
 been much oftener found than any others; and semicircu- 
 lar works, sometimes three or more joined together, always 
 however facing the east, are to be seen entirely uncon- 
 nected with any other works. There are several such, not 
 far from Col. James Dunlap"s, in Ross county. They are 
 of earth, and only a (ew feet high, as described to me by 
 the above named gentleman. Such works are quite com- 
 mon where this people once dwelt. I have sometimes 
 suspected them to be unfinished works, where mounds were 
 about to be erected on the west side of the semicircles. 
 
 All I pretend to do, is to lay an unvarnished statement 
 of facts before the reader, who can form what opinion he 
 chooses on the subject. 
 
 What finally became of this people ? and where are their 
 descendants now ? 
 
 On opening a mound near the " big grave" below Wheel- 
 ing, a few years since, a stone was found, having on it a 
 brand exactly similar to the one most commonly used by 
 the Mexicans in marking their cattle and horses. The 
 above fact is noticed by Harris in his " Tour," to which the 
 reader is referred. 
 
 The head of the sus-tajassu, or Mexican hog,. cut off 
 square, was found in a saltpeter cave in Kentucky, a few 
 years since, by Dr. Brown. This circumstance is mentioned 
 by Dr. Drake, in his "Picture of Cincinnati." The niter 
 had preserved it. It had been deposited there by the 
 ancient inhabitants, where it must have laid for many cen- 
 turies. I am not aware of this animal's being found north 
 
146 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 of Mexico. The presumption is, that the ancient inhabit- 
 ants took these animals along with them, in their migra- 
 tions, until the j finally settled themselves in Mexico. Other 
 animals were, in all probability, domesticated by them, 
 and taken with them also. 
 
 Our ancients works continue all the way into Mexico, 
 increasing indeed in size, number and grandeur, but pre- 
 serving the same forms, and appear to have been put to the 
 same uses. The form of our works is round, square, semi- 
 circular, octagonal, &c, agreeing in all these respects with 
 the works in Mexico. The first works built by the Mexi- 
 cans were mostly of earth, and not much superior to the 
 common ones on the Mississippi. 
 
 Temples were afterwards erected on the elevated squares, 
 circles, &c, but were still, like ours, surrounded by walls 
 of earth. 
 
 These sacred places in Mexico were called "Teocealli," 
 which, in the vernacular tongue of the most ancient tribe 
 of Mexicans, signifies "Mansions of the gods." They 
 included within their sacred walls, gardens, fountains, hab- 
 itations of priests, temples, altars, and magazines of arms. 
 This circumstance may account for many things which have 
 excited some surprise among those who have hastily visited 
 the works on Paint creek, those at Portsmouth, Marietta, 
 Circleville, Newark, &c. 
 
 It is doubted by many to what uses these works were put; 
 whether they were used as forts, as cemeteries, as altars, as 
 temples, &c. ; whereas, they contained all these either 
 within their walls, or were intimately connected with them. 
 Many persons cannot imagine why the works, at the places 
 above mentioned, were so extensive, complicated, differing 
 so much in form, size, and elevation among themselves. 
 They contained within them altars, temples, cemeteries, 
 habitations of priests, gardens, wells, fountains, places de- 
 voted to sacred purposes of various kinds, and the whole of 
 their arms, except such as were in immediate use. They 
 were calculated for defense, and were resorted to in ca- 
 
WE 
 
 STERN ANTIQUITIES. 147 
 
 ses of the last necessity. When driven to these, their au- 
 thors fought with the greatest desperation. We are war- 
 ranted in this conclusion, by knowing that these works are 
 exactly similar to the most ancient ones now to be seen in 
 Mexico; connected with the fact, that the Mexican works 
 did contain within them all that we have above stated. 
 
 The "Teocalli" are attributed, by the Mexicans, to the 
 Aztecks, who settled in Mexico in the year 648. Teocalli, 
 Humboldt says, is derived from the name of one of the gods, 
 to which they were dedicated, Tezcatlipoca, the Brahma of 
 the Mexicans. 
 
 The pyramid of Cholula was seated on a tumulus, with 
 four stages, and was dedicated to the god of the air, Quet- 
 zalcoatl. Our Teocalli, in Ohio, have generally but one 
 stage, as at Circleville, Marietta, and Portsmouth. Others 
 have two, as the one described already, on Paint creek; 
 and there is one, according to H. M. Brackenridge, Esq., 
 near St. Louis, with three stages. That in process of time, 
 when their numbers had wonderfully increased, they should 
 raise a tumulus with four stages, is not remarkable. If 
 temples of wood had been erected upon the summits of our 
 elevated squares, no traces of them now would be seen. 
 Time would long since have effaced them. 
 
 Their religious rites were, it is believed, the same as 
 those of Mexico and Peru. We wish not to repeat what 
 we have said already, but cannot help referring to the fact 
 of the numerous mirrors of mica membranacea, (isinglass,) 
 which have been found in the mounds situated within 
 round and square circumvallations. The one at Circleville 
 was quite entire, and pieces of others have been found in 
 nearly all other tumuli similarly situated, wherever they 
 have been opened. That they were used as mirrors, ap- 
 pears highly probable from their shape and size. One of 
 the three principal gods of the South Americans was called 
 by a name which signifies, "The god of the shining mirror." 
 He was supposed to be a god who reflected his own supreme 
 perfections, and was represented by a mirror, which was 
 
148 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES, 
 
 made in that country of polished obsidian, or of mica like 
 ours. The scarcity of obsidian, which is a volcanic pro- 
 duction, may well account for its absence in this country; 
 the numerous volcanoes in South America equally account 
 for the abundance of mirrors of obsidian there. This deity 
 was represented as enjoying perpetual youth and beauty* 
 Other gods had images placed on pedestals in the Mexican 
 temples; this one had a mirror on his. This divinity was 
 held in awful veneration, as the great unknown God of the 
 universe. Who does not here discover a strong trace of a 
 knowledge of the true God, derived by tradition from the 
 first patriarchs? 
 
 Clavigero, who was well acquainted with the histories of 
 the Mexicans and Peruvians, professes to point but the pla~ 
 ces from whence they emigrated; the several places they 
 stopped at; and the times which they continued to sojourn 
 there. According to him, they finally arrived in Mexico 
 in 648, and came across the Pacific not far from Behring's* 
 straits, and did not come as far to the eastward as Ohio. 
 Some tribes might have arrived there by the route pointed 
 out by him; numbers might have come this way, and have 
 tarried here for thousands of years. Others might have 
 found their way into South America, by crossing the 
 Pacific at different places and at various times. Greenlan- 
 ders have been driven upon the coast of Ireland. Thus 
 transported by winds and waves, by stress of weather, man 
 has found the islands of the Pacific. 
 
 In the same way might have arrived persons from Africa 
 and Europe. Australasians, Chinese, Hindoos, Japanese, 
 Birmans, Kamschatdales and Tartars, might have all found 
 their way into South America at different times, and by dif- 
 ferent routes; but, that the great body of them came here, 
 and finally emigrated into South America, is highly proba- 
 ble from the circumstances already mentioned. Others 
 might be noticed, but what more is necessary? We see a 
 line of ancient works, reach from the south side of lake On- 
 tario across this State, on to the banks of the Mississippi; 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 149 
 
 along the banks of that river; through the upper part of the 
 province of Texas, around the Mexican gulf, quite into 
 Mexico. And the evidence is as strong, when thoroughly 
 examined, that they were erected by the same people, as 
 there would be, that a house found standing alone, on some 
 wild and uninhabited heath, was erected by the hand of 
 man. 
 
 It is true, that no historian has told us the names of the 
 mighty chieftains whose ashes are inurned in our tumuli; 
 no poet's song has been handed down to us, in which their 
 exploits are noticed. History has not informed us who 
 were their priests, their orators, their ablest statesmen, or 
 their greatest warriors. But we find idols which show that 
 the same gods were worshiped here as in Mexico. The works 
 left behind them are exactly similar to those in Mexico 
 and Peru; and our works are continued quite into that 
 country. 
 
 The line of ancient works extending from the northeast- 
 ern end of lake Ontario, into Mexico and Peru, or vice 
 versa, as we please to consider it, furnishes the same evi- 
 dence, in kind and degree, that these works were erected 
 by one and the same people, that the Cumberland road 
 would, a thousand years after our country was deserted by 
 us, that this road had been originally constructed by one 
 and the same people. In my view of the subject, it is quite 
 immaterial whether the authors of our ancient works began 
 their settlements in northwestern New York, or in Peru 
 and Mexico; just as it would be, one thousand years after 
 the people of the United States had ceased to dwell in our 
 territory, when some future antiquary should discover and 
 trace the road from Baltimore to St. Louis, or to Jefferson 
 city, on the Missouri. He would at once conclude that the 
 same people occupied the whole country where the road 
 existed — that they made it, but whether those who made it 
 began to make it at Baltimore or at Jefferson city, he might 
 not certainly know, nor would it be very material with 
 him to know. So it is with us, as to our ancient works. 
 17 
 
150 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 Some persons suppose that Mexico and Peru sent out their 
 colonies, in a northeastern direction, until they gradually 
 reached the northeastern shore of lake Ontario; while oth- 
 ers, like the author of this essay, believe the authors of our 
 antiquities began their settlements in New York, and ex- 
 tended them in a southwestern direction, until they reached 
 South America. But one fact is, I suppose, quite certain, 
 which is, that all our antiquities belonged to the same 
 people whose posterity was found in Mexico and Peru, by 
 Cortez. That this people were not the ancestors of our 
 present Indian race in the United States, seems to me a 
 well established fact. Our common Indian has not a single 
 idea necessarily derived from Asia; whereas, the men who 
 raised the tumuli in the valley of the Mississippi, in all their 
 emigrations, showed their Asiatic origin every step they 
 took, and in all they did. Having discussed this subject, 
 so far as the origin of the northern Indian is involved in it, 
 in another work, I refer the reader to that article to avoid 
 repetition.* The latter man is the true aboriginal of Amer- 
 ica, and the former is as clearly an immigrant from Asia; 
 but at precisely what period of time, we cannot say. It is 
 quite possible that, like our present immigrations from Eu- 
 rope, immigrations from Asia to this continent were effected 
 annually, or at unequal periods of time, during many ages. 
 One fact I will here mention, which I have never learn- 
 ed was observed by any person but the writer, is, that 
 wherever there is a group of tumuli, &c, three are uniform- 
 ly larger than the rest, and stand in the most prominent 
 places. Three such are to be seen standing in a line on 
 the north side of Detroit river, opposite the town of De- 
 troit. — Three such are to be seen near Athens, and at a 
 great many places along the Ohio river. There are three 
 such near the town of Piketon, and already described. 
 "Were they not altars dedicated to their three principal gods? 
 Where they are all inclosed within walls, mirrors are only 
 
 * Tour to Prairie du Chien. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 151 
 
 found in one of such tumuli. But one of the three gods of 
 the people of Anahuac, was represented by "The Shining 
 Mirror, 1 ' which was the name of that deity. 
 
 With the remains of such of that people as were buried 
 in any other places except in elevated squares, circles, &c, 
 some article, which had been dear or useful to the owner 
 while living, is always found; but, although human bones 
 are quite abundant, though lying without order, in such 
 elevated places, jet no articles are found with them, except 
 such, or rather the fragments of such, as were used about 
 their sacrifices. These circumstances have induced Mr. 
 John D.Clifford, and others, who have devoted great atten- 
 tion to our antiquities, to believe that the fossil bones, found 
 in such places, belonged to persons who were offered as vic- 
 tims upon altars devoted to the worship of cruel gods. — 
 Such writers say, that if the bones had been honorably 
 buried, articles of some kind would have been deposited 
 with them. 
 
 Although I have always doubted the truth of some of the 
 relations of the Spanish writers, respecting the persecuted 
 people of Montezuma, there is too much reason to believe 
 that the practice of sacrificing human beings existed among 
 them. The Spaniards have probably exaggerated, yet I 
 fear that they did not entirely fabricate the horrid accounts 
 of such sacrifices. And, upon the whole, we have almost 
 as much evidence of the existence of human sacrifices among 
 those who built our elevated squares and works of that class, 
 in North, as we have in South America. 
 
 Thus we have traced the authors of our ancient works, 
 from India to North, and thence to South, America. Their 
 works being few and small, rude and irregular at first, but 
 increasing in number, improving in every respect as we 
 have followed them; show the increased numbers and im- 
 proved condition of their authors, as they migrated towards 
 the country where they finally settled. 
 
 The place from whence they came, thejr religious rites, 
 the attributes of their gods, the number of their principal 
 
152 
 
 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 ones, their sacred places, their situation near some con- 
 siderable stream of water, their ideas of purification by 
 the use of water, and of atonement by sacrifice, the man- 
 ner of burying their dead, and many other strong cir- 
 cumstances in the history of this people, as well as in that 
 of other nations existing at the same period of time, lead us 
 to the conclusion, that the more carefully we examine the 
 antiquities of this or any other country, the more evidence 
 will be found, tending to establish the truth of the Mosaic 
 history. The discoveries of the antiquarian throw a strong 
 and steady light upon the scriptures, while the scriptures 
 afford to the antiquarian the means of elucidating many 
 subjects otherwise difficult to be explained, and serve as an 
 important guide in the prosecution of his investigations. 
 
153 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The following extracts from Humboldt's Views of the 
 Cordilleras. &c, are subjoined, to show the correspondence 
 which exists between the Teocalli of the Mexicans, and the 
 tumuli of the North Americans. The resemblance will be 
 perceived, and is supposed to furnish evidence that they are 
 the work of the same race of people, indicating their im- 
 provement in the arts, and their increased population as 
 they progressed from the north to the south, and supporting 
 the opinions respecting their origin and final destination, 
 which have been advanced by the author of this memoir. 
 
 "Among those swarms of nations, which, from the seventh 
 to the twelfth century of the Christian era, successively in- 
 habited the country of Mexico, five are enumerated — the 
 Toltecks, the Cicimecks, the Acolhuans, the Tlascaltecks,^ 
 and the Aztecks — who, notwithstanding their political di- 
 visions, spoke the same language, followed the same wor- 
 ship, and built pyramidal edifices, which they regarded as 
 teocallis, that is to say, the house of their gods.- — These edi- 
 fices were all of the same form, though of very different 
 dimensions; they were pyramids, with several terraces, and 
 the sides of which stood exactly in the direction of the meri- 
 dian, and the parallel of the place. The Teocalli was 
 raised in the midst of a square and walled inclosure, which, 
 somewhat like the peribolos of the Greeks, contained gar- 
 dens, fountains, the dwellings of the priests, and sometimes 
 arsenals; since each house of a Mexican divinity, like the 
 ancient temple of Baal Berith, burnt by Abimelech, was a 
 strong place. A great staircase led to the top of the trun- 
 cated pyramid, and on the summit of the platform were one 
 
154 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 or two chapels, built like towers, which contained the colos- 
 sal idols of the divinity, to whom the Teocalli was dedica- 
 ted. This part of the edifice must be considered as the most 
 consecrated place; like the naos, or rather the *sekos, of 
 the Grecian temples. It was there also, that the priests 
 kept up the sacred fire, From the peculiar construction of 
 the edifice we have just described, the priest who offered 
 the sacrifice was seen by a great mass of the people at the 
 same time; the procession of the teopixqui, ascending or de- 
 scending the staircase of the pyramid, was beheld at a con- 
 siderable distance. The inside of the edifice was the burial 
 place of the kings and principal personages of Mexico. It 
 is impossible to read the descriptions, which Herodotus and 
 Diodorus Siculus have left us of the temple of Jupiter Belus, 
 without being struck with the resemblance of that Babylo- 
 nian monument to the Teocallis of Anahuac. 
 
 At the period when the Mexicans, or Aztecks, one of the 
 seven tribes of the Anahuatlacks, (inhabitants of the banks 
 of rivers,) took possession, in the year 1190, of the equinoc- 
 tial region of New Spain, they already found the pyramidal 
 monuments of Teotihuacan, of Cholula, or Cholollan, and 
 of Papantla. They attributed these great edifices to the 
 Toltecks, a powerful and civilized nation, who inhabited 
 Mexico five hundred years earlier, who made use of hiero- 
 glyphical characters, who computed the year more precise- 
 ly, and had a more exact chronology than the greater part 
 of the people of the old continent. The Aztecks knew not 
 with certainty what tribe had inhabited the country of 
 Anahuac before the Toltecks; and consequently the belief, 
 that the houses of the deity of Teotihuacan and of Cholollan 
 was the work of the Toltecks, assigned them the highest 
 antiquity they could conceive. It is, however, possible, that 
 they might have been constructed before the invasion of the 
 Toltecks; that is, before the year 648 of the vulgar era. 
 We ought not to be astonished, that no history of any Ame- 
 rican nation should precede the seventh century; and that 
 the annals of the Toltecks should be as uncertain as those 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 155 
 
 of the Pelasgi and the Ausonians. The learned Mr. Schloezer 
 has clearly proved, that the history of the north of Europe 
 reaches no higher than the tenth century, an epocha when 
 Mexico was in a more advanced state of civilization than 
 Denmark, Sweden and Russia. 
 
 "The Teocalii of Mexico was dedicated to Tezcatlipolica, 
 the first of the Azteck divinities after Teotl, who is the 
 supreme and invisibleBeing; and toHuitzilopochtli, the god 
 of war. It was built by the Aztecks, on the model of the 
 pyramids of Teotihuacan, six years only before the discov- 
 ery of America by Christopher Columbus. This truncated 
 pyramid, called by Cortez the principal temple, was ninety- 
 seven meters in breadth at its basis, and nearly fifty-four 
 meters in height. It is not astonishing, that a building of 
 these dimensions should have been destroyed a few years 
 after the siege of Mexico. In Eygpt, there scarcely remain 
 any vestiges of the enormous pyramids, which towered amidst 
 the waters of the lake Moeris, and which Herodotus says 
 were ornamented with colossal statues. The pyramids of 
 Porsenna, of which the description seems somewhat fabulous, 
 and four of which, according to Varro, were more than eigh- 
 ty meters in height, have equally disappeared in Etruria.* 
 
 "But if the European conquerors overthrew the Teocallis 
 of the Aztecks, they did not alike succeed in destroying 
 more ancient monuments, that are attributed to the Tolteck 
 nation. We shall give a succinct description of these monu- 
 ments, remarkable for their form and magnitude. 
 
 "The group of the pyramids of Teotihuacan is in the 
 valley of Mexico, eight leagues northeast from the capital, 
 in a plain that bears the name of Micoatl, or the Path of 
 the Dead. There are two large pyramids dedicated to the 
 sun, (Tonatiuh,) and to the moon, (Meztli); and these are 
 surrounded by several hundreds of small pyramids, which 
 form streets in exact lines from north to south, and from 
 east to west. Of these two great Teocallis, one is fifty-five 
 
 *Plin, xxxvi, 19. 
 
156 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 the other forty-four meters in perpendicular height. The 
 hasis of the first is two hundred and eight meters in length; 
 whence it results, that the Tonatiuh Yztaqual, according to 
 Mr. Oteyza's measurement, made in 1803, is higher than 
 theMycerinus, or third of the three great pyramids ofGeeza 
 in Egypt, and the length of its base nearly equal to that of 
 the Cephren. The small pyramids, which surround the 
 great houses of the sun and the moon, are scarcely nine or 
 ten meters high, and served, according to the tradition of 
 the natives, as burial places for the chiefs of the tribes. 
 Around the Cheops and the Mycerinus in Egypt, there are 
 eight small pyramids, placed with symmetry, and parallel to 
 the fronts of the greater. The two Teocallis of Teotihuacan 
 had four principal stories, each of which was subdivided 
 into steps, the edges of which are still to be distinguished. 
 The nucleus is composed of clay mixed with small stones, 
 and it is incased by a thick wall of tezontli, or porous amyg- 
 daloid.* This construction recalls to mind that of one of 
 the Egyptian pyramids of Sakharah, which has six stories; 
 and which, according to Pocock, is a mass of pebbles and 
 yellow mortar, covered on the outside with rough stones. 
 On the top of the great Mexican Teocallis were two colos- 
 sal statues of the sun, and the moon; they Were of stone, and 
 covered with plates of gold, of which they were stripped by 
 the soldiers of Cortez.— When bishop Zumaraga, a Francis- 
 can monk, undertook the destruction of whatever related to 
 the worship, the history, and the antiquities of the natives 
 of America, he ordered also the demolition of the idols of 
 the plain of Micoatl. We still discover the remains of a 
 staircase built with large hewn stone, which formerly led to 
 the platform of the Teocalli. 
 
 "On the east of the group of the pyramids of Teotihuacan, 
 on descending the Cordillera towards the gulf of Mexico, in 
 a thick forest, called Tajin, rises the pyramid of Papantla. 
 This monument was by chance discovered scarcely thirty 
 
 *Mandelstein of the German mineralogists. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 157 
 
 years ago, by some Spanish hunters; for the Indians care- 
 fully conceal from the whites whatever was an object of an- 
 cient veneration. The form of this Teocalli, which had six, 
 perhaps seven stories, is more tapering than that of any 
 other monument of this kind; it is nearly eighteen meters 
 in height, while the breadth of its basis is only twenty-five. 
 This small edifice is built entirely with hewn stones, of 
 an extraordinary size, and very beautifully and regularly 
 shaped. Three staircases lead to the top. The covering of 
 its steps is decorated with hieroglyphical sculpture, and 
 small niches, which are arranged with great symmetry. 
 The number of these niches seems to allude to the three 
 hundred and eighteen simple and compound signs o"the days 
 of the Cempohualilhuitl, or civil calendar of the Toltecks. 
 
 "The greatest, most ancient, and most celebrated of the 
 whole of the pyramidal monuments of Anahuac is the Teo- 
 calli of Cholula. It is called in the present day the Mountain 
 made by thehand of Man, (monte hecho amanos.)* Atadistance 
 it has the aspect of a natural hill covered with vegetation. 
 
 "A vast plain, the Puebla, is separated from the valley 
 of Mexico by the chain of volcanic mountains, which 
 extend from Popocatepetl, towaids Rio Frio, and the peak 
 of Telapon. This plain, fertile though destitute of trees, 
 is rich in memorials, interesting to Mexican history. In it 
 flourished the capitals of the three republics of Tlascalla, 
 Huexocingo and Cholula, which, notwithstanding their 
 continual dissensions, resisted with no less firmness the 
 despotism and usurping spirit of the Azteck kings. 
 
 "The small city of Cholula, which Cortez, in his letters 
 to Charles V., compares with the most, populous cities of 
 
 *The pyramid of Cholula bore also the names of Toltecatl, Ecatic- 
 pac, and Tlachihuatepetl. I presume, that this last denomination is 
 derived from the Mexican verb tlachiani, to see around oneself, and 
 tepetl, a mountain; because the Teocalli served as a watch tower, 
 to reconnoiter the approach of an enemy in the wars, which were 
 perpetually occurring between the Cholulains and the inhabitants 
 of Tlascala. 
 
 18 
 
158 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 Spain, contains at present scarcely sixteen thousand inhab- 
 itants. The pyramid is to the east of the city, on the road 
 which leads from Cholula to Puebia. The plain of Cholula 
 presents that aspect of barrenness, which is peculiar to plains 
 elevated two thousand two hundred meters above the level 
 of the ocean. A few plants of the agave and dracsena 
 rise on the foreground, and at a distance the summit of the 
 volcano of Orizaba is beheld covered with snow; a colossal 
 mountain, five thousand two hundred and ninety-five meters 
 of absolute height, and of which I have published a sketch 
 in my Mexican Atlas, plate 17. 
 
 "The Teocalli of Cholula has four stories, all of equal 
 height. It appears to have been constructed exactly in 
 the direction of the four cardinal points; but as the edges of 
 the stories are not very distinct, it is difficult to ascertain 
 their primitive direction. This pyramidical monument has 
 a broader basis than that of any other edifice of the same 
 kind in the old continent. I measured it carefully, and 
 ascertained, that its perpendicular height is only fifty 
 meters, but that each side of its basis is four hundred and 
 thirty-nine meters in length. Torquemada computes its 
 height at seventy-seven meters; Betancourt, at sixty-five; 
 and Clavigero, at sixty-one. Bernal Diaz del Castillo, a 
 common soldier in the army of Cortez, amused himself by 
 counting the steps of the staircases, which led to the plat- 
 form of the Teocallis; he found one hundred and fourteen 
 in the great temple of Tenochtitlan, one hundred and sev- 
 enteen in that of Tezcuco, and one hundred and twenty in 
 that of Cholula. The basis of the pyramid of Cholula is 
 twice as broad as that of Cheops; but its height is very 
 little more than that of the pyramid of Mycerinus. On 
 comparing the dimensions of the house of the sun at Teoti- 
 huacan, with those of the pyramid of Cholula, we see, that 
 the people who constructed these remarkable monuments, 
 intended to give them the same height, but with bases, the 
 length of which should be in the proportion of one to two. 
 We find also a considerable difference in the proportions 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 159 
 
 between the base and the height in these various monu- 
 ments; in the three great pyramids of Geeza, the .heights 
 are to the bases as 1 to 1.7; in the pyramid of Papantla 
 covered with hieroglyphics, this ratio is as 1 to 1.4; in the 
 great pyramid of Teotihuacan, as 1 to 3.7; and in that of 
 Cholula as 1 to 7.8. This last monument is built with 
 unbaked bricks (xamiili,) alternating with layers of clay. 
 I have been assured by some Indians of Cholula, that the 
 inside is hollow; and that, during the abode of Cortez in 
 this city, their ancestors had concealed, in the body of the 
 pyramid, a considerable number of warriors, who were to 
 fall suddenly on the Spaniards; but the materials with 
 which the Teocalli is built, and the silence of the histo- 
 rians of those times,* give but little probability to this 
 assertion. 
 
 "It is certain, however, that in the interior of this pyra- 
 mid, as in other Teocallis, there are considerable cavities, 
 which were used as sepulchers for the natives. A partic- 
 ular circumstance led to this discovery. Seven or eight 
 years ago, the road from Puebla to Mexico, which before 
 passed to the north of the pyramid, was changed. In tra- 
 cing the road, the first story was cut through, so that an 
 eighth part remained isolated like a heap of bricks. In 
 making this opening a square house was discovered in the 
 interior of the pyramid, built of stone, and supported by 
 beams made of the wood of the deciduous cypress (cupres- 
 sus disticha.) The house contained two skeletons, idols in 
 basalt, and a great number of vases, curiously varnished 
 and painted. No pains were taken to preserve these 
 objects, but it is said to have been carefully ascertained, 
 that this house, covered with bricks and strata of clay, had 
 no outlet. Supposing that the pyramid was built, not by 
 the Toltecks, the first inhabitants of Cholula, but by pris- 
 oners made by the Cholulans from the neighboring nations, 
 it is possible, that they were the carcasses of some unfor- 
 
 * Cartas de Hernan Cortez; Mexico 1770, p. 69. 
 
IgO WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 tunate slaves, who had been shut up to perish in the interior 
 of the Teocalli. We examined the remains of this subter- 
 raneous house, and observed a particular arrangement of 
 the bricks, tending to diminish the pressure made on the 
 roof. The natives being ignorant of the manner of making 
 arches, placed very large bricks horizontally, so that the 
 upper course should pass beyond the lower. The con- 
 tinuation of this kind of stepwork served in some meas- 
 ure as a substitute for the Gothic vault, and similar ves- 
 tiges have been found in several Egyptian edifices. An 
 adit dug through the Teocalli of Cholula, to examine its 
 internal structure, would bean interesting operation; and 
 it is singular, that the desire of discovering hidden treasure 
 has not prompted the undertaking. During my travels in 
 Peru, in visiting (he vast ruins of the city of Chimu, near 
 Mansiche, I went into the interior of the famous Huaca de 
 Toledo, the tomb of a Peruvian prince, in which Garci 
 Gutierez de Toledo discovered, on digging a gallery, in 
 1576, massive gold amounting in value to more than five 
 millions of francs, as is proved by the book of accounts, 
 preserved in the mayor's office at Truxillo. 
 
 "The great Teocalli of Cholula, called also the Mountain 
 of unbaked bricks, (tlalchihual tepee,) had an altar on its 
 top, dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the god of the air. This 
 Quetzalcoatl, whose name signifies, serpent clothed with 
 green feathers, from coail, serpent, and guetzalli, green fea- 
 thers, is the most mysterious being of the whole Mexican 
 mythology. He was a white and bearded man, like the 
 Bochica of the Muyscas, of whom we spoke in our descrip- 
 tions of the Cataract of Tequendama. He was a high 
 priest of Tula, (Tollan,) legislator, chief of a religious sect, 
 which, like the Sonyasis and the Bouddhists of Indostan, in- 
 flicted on themselves the most cruel penaces. He introdu- 
 ced the custom of piercing the lips and the ears, and lacer- 
 ating the rest of the body with the prickles of the agave 
 leaves, or the thorns of the cactus; and of putting reeds in- 
 to the wounds, in order that the blood might be seen to 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES* 161 
 
 trickle more copiously. In a Mexican drawing in the Vati- 
 can library,* I have seen a figure representing Quetzal- 
 coatl appeasing by his penance the wrath of the gods, 
 when, thirteen thousand and sixty years after the creation 
 of the world, (I follow the very vague chronology computed 
 by Rios,) a great famine prevailed in the province of Culan. 
 The saint had chosen his place of retirement near Tlaxa- 
 puchicalco, on the volcano Catcitepetl, (Speaking Mountain,) 
 where he walked barefooted on agave leaves armed with 
 prickles. We seem to behold one of those rishi, hermits of 
 the Ganges, whose pious austerityf is celebrated in the 
 Pouranas. 
 
 "The reign of Quetzalcoatl was the golden age of the 
 people of Anahuac. At that period, all animals, and even 
 men, lived in peace; the earth brought forth, without cul- 
 ture, the most fruitful harvests; and the air was filled with 
 a multitude of birds, which were admired for their song, 
 and the beauty of their plumage. But this reign, like that 
 of Saturn, and the happiness of the world, were not of long 
 duration; the great spirit Tezcatlipoca, the Brahma of the 
 nations of Anahuac, offered Quetzalcoatl a beverage, which, 
 in rendering him immortal, inspired him with a taste for 
 traveling, and particularly with an irresistible desire of 
 visiting a distant country, called by tradition Tlapallan.J 
 The resemblance of this name to that of Huehuetlapallan, 
 the country of the Toltecks, appears not to be accidental. 
 But how can we conceive, that this white man, priest of 
 Tula, should have taken his direction, as we shall presently 
 find, to the southeast, towards the plains of Cholula, and 
 thence to the eastern coast of Mexico, in order to visit this 
 northern country, whence his ancestors had issued in the 
 five hundred and sixty-ninth year of our era? 
 
 "Quetzalcoatl, in crossing the territory of Cholula, yielded 
 to the entreaties of the inhabitants, who offered to him the 
 
 * Codex anonymous, No. 3738, fol. 8. 
 
 f Schlegel uber Sprache und Weisheit der Indier, p. 132. 
 
 JClavigero Storia di Messico, torn. 2, p. 12. 
 
162 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 * 
 
 reins of government. He dwelt twenty years among them, 
 taught them to cast metals, ordered fasts of eight days, and 
 regulated the intercalations of the Tolteck year. He 
 preached peace to men, and would permit no other offer- 
 ing to the Divinity, than the first fruits of the harvest. 
 From Cholula, Quetzalcoatl passed on to the mouth of the 
 river Goasacoalco, where he disappeared, after having de- 
 clared to the Cholulans, (Chololtecatles,) that he would re- 
 turn in a short time to govern them again, and renew their 
 happiness. 
 
 "It was the posterity of this saint, whom the unhappy 
 Montezuma thought he recognized in the soldiers of Cortez. 
 'We know by our books,' said he, in his first interview with 
 the Spanish Genera], 'that myself, and those who inhabit 
 this country, are not natives, but strangers, who came from 
 a great distance. We know also, that the chief, who led 
 our ancestors hither, returned for a certain time to his 
 primitive country, and thence came back to seek those who 
 were here established. He found them married to the 
 women of this land, having a numerous posterity, and living 
 in cities which they had built. Our ancestors hearkened not 
 to their ancient master, and he returned alone. We have 
 always believed, that his descendants would one day come 
 to take possession of this country. Since you arrive from 
 that region, where the sun rises, and, as you assure me, you 
 have long known us, I cannot doubt but that the king who 
 sends you, is our natural master.'* 
 
 "The size of the platform of the pyramid of Cholula, on 
 which I made a great number of astronomical observations, 
 is four thousand two hundred square meters. From it the 
 eye ranges over a magnificent prospect; Popocatepetl, 
 Iztaccihuatl, the peak of Orizaba, and the Sierra de Tlas- 
 calla, famous for the tempests which gather around its sum- 
 mit. We view at the same time three mountains higher 
 than Mount Blanc, two of which are still burning volcanoes. 
 
 * First Letter of Cortes, h 21 and 29. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 163 
 
 A small chapel, surrounded with cypress, and dedicated to 
 the Virgin de los Remedios, has succeeded to the temple 
 of the god of the air, or the Mexican Indra. An ecclesiastic 
 of the Indian race celebrates mass every day on the top of 
 this antique monument. 
 
 "In the time of Cortez, Cholula was considered as a holy 
 city. No where existed a greater number of Teocallis, of 
 priests, and religious orders, [tlamacazque ;] no spot displayed 
 greater magnificence in the celebration of public worship, 
 or more austerity in its penances and fasts. Since the in- 
 troduction of Christianity among the Indians, the symbols 
 of a new worship have not entirely effaced the remembrance 
 of the old. The people assemble in crowds, from distant 
 quarters, at the summit of the pyramid, to celebrate the 
 festival of the Virgin. A mysterious dread, a religious 
 awe, fills the soul of the Indian at the sight of this immense 
 pile of bricks, covered with shrubs and perpetual verdure. 
 "When we consider in the same point of view the 
 pyramidical monuments of Egypt, of Asia, and of the 
 New Continent, we see, that, though their form is alike, 
 their destination was altogether different* The group of 
 pyramids at Geeza and at Sakhara in Egypt; the trian- 
 gular pyramid of the queen of the Scythians, Zarina, 
 which was a stadium high, and three in circumference, and 
 which was decorated with a colossal figure;* the fourteen 
 Etruscan pyramids, which are said to have been inclosed 
 in the labyrinth of the king Porsenna, at Clusium; were 
 reared to serve as the sepulchers of the illustrious dead. 
 Nothing is more natural to men, than to commemorate the 
 spot where rest the ashes of those whose memory they cher- 
 ish; whether it be, as in the infancy of the race, by simple 
 mounds of earth, or in later periods by the towering height 
 of the tumulus. Those of the Chinese and of Thibet have 
 only a few meters of elevation.! Farther to the west, the 
 
 * Diodorus, Siculus, lib. 2, c. 34. 
 
 f Duhalde, Description of China, torn. 2, p. 126. Asiatic Re- 
 searches, vol. ii. p. 314. 
 
164 WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 dimensions increase; the tumulus of the king Alyattes, 
 father of Croesus, in Lydia, was six stadia, and that of 
 JNinus was more than ten stadia in diameter.* In the 
 north of Europe the sepulchers of the Scandinavian king 
 Gormus, and the queen Daheboda, covered with mounds 
 of earth, are three hundred meters broad, and more than 
 thirty high. We meet with these tumuli in both hemis- 
 pheres; in Virginia, and in Canada, as well as in Peru, 
 where numerous galleries, built with stone, and communi- 
 cating with each other by shafts, fill up the interior of the 
 huacas, or artificial hills. In Asia these rustic monuments 
 have been decorated with the refinement of eastern luxury, 
 while their primitive forms have been preserved. The 
 tombs of Pergamus are cones of earth, raised on a circular 
 wall, which seems to have been incased with marble. t 
 
 "The Teocallis, or Mexican pyramids, were at once 
 temples and tombs. We have already observed, that the 
 plain on which were built the houses of the sun and of the 
 moon at Teotihuaca, is called the Path of the Dead; but 
 the essential and principal part of a Teocalli was the 
 chapel, the naos, at the top of the edifice. In the infancy 
 of civilization, high places were chosen by the people to 
 offer sacrifices to the gods. The first altars, the first tem- 
 ples, were erected on mountains; and when these mountains 
 were isolated, the worshipers delighted in the toil of sha- 
 ping them into regular forms, cutting them by stories, and 
 making stairs to reach the summit more easily. Both 
 continents afford numerous examples of these hills divided 
 into terraces, and supported by walls of brick or stone. 
 The Teocallis appear to me to be merely artificial hills, 
 raised in the midst of a plain, and intended to serve as a 
 basis to the altars. What more sublime and awful than a 
 sacrifice, that is offered in the sight of an assembled nation ! 
 The pagods of Indostan have nothing in common with the 
 
 * Herodotus, lib. 1, c. 93. Ctesias, apud Diod. Sicul. lib. 2, c. 7. 
 
 t Choiseul Gouffier, Voyage Pittoresque de la Grece, torn. 2, p. 
 27 to 31. 
 
WESTERN ANTIQUITIES. 165 
 
 Mexican temples. That of Tanjore, of which Mr. Daniell 
 has given beautiful drawings,* is a tower with several sto- 
 ries, but the altar is not at the top of the monument. 
 
 "The pyramid of Bel was at once the temple and tomb 
 of this god. Strabo does not speak of this monument as a 
 temple; he simply calls it the tomb of Belus. In Arcadia, 
 the tumulus, {choma,) which contained the ashes of Calisto, 
 bore on its top a temple of Diana. Pausaniasj describes 
 it as a cone, made by the hands of man, and long covered 
 with vegetation. This is a very remarkable monument, 
 in which the temple is only an incidental decoration; it 
 serves, if we may use the expression, as an intermediary 
 step between the pyramids of Sakhara and the Mexican 
 Teocallis." 
 
 * Oriental Scenery, plate 17. f Pausanias, lib. 8, c. 35. 
 
 19 
 
REMARKS 
 
 MADE ON A 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN; 
 
 THENCE TO 
 
 WASHINGTON CITY, 
 
 IN 
 
 1829 
 
 
REMARKS 
 
 MADE ON 
 
 A TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 A few years since, having ascertained the mineral riches 
 of the country near the Mississippi river, and south of the 
 Wisconsin, General Henry Dodge, of Missouri, and many 
 others, settled themselves on the mineral lands, and began 
 to work the mines for lead. The lands, where the mines 
 existed, were claimed by the Winnebago nation of Indians, 
 in part; and partly by the Chippeway, Ottawa, and Potta- 
 watimy Indians. The owners of the soil having destroyed 
 nearly all the wild game, in the mineral country, had aban- 
 doned it as a place of residence, though they resided near 
 it; and the only use they made of it, was an occasional 
 visit to it, to procure lead, or to catch fish in its pelucid 
 streams. The occupation of this country by the whites, 
 soon roused up the minds of the Indians, and the United 
 States were compelled, I think, in the summer of 1826, to 
 send a considerable military force into the country, to pro- 
 tect the "miners;" to arrest and punish the murderers of a 
 white man, who had been killed by Red Bird, and his as- 
 sociates in guilt; in fine, to quell "the Winnebago distur- 
 bance," as it was called, in the familiar language of that 
 day. Red Bird, and other Indians concerned in the bloody 
 work of death, were given up to the whites, who imprisoned 
 them in Fort Crawford, at Prairie du Chien. They were 
 tried by a court of law; some of them acquitted, perhaps, 
 and one or more found guilty of murder, and subsequently 
 pardoned by Mr. Adams, the then President of the United 
 States. 
 
170 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN* 
 
 No more murders were committed, the military force 
 was withdrawn, and the whites continued on the lands, and 
 to work the mines, though in fear of the Indians, who were 
 dissatisfied with the trespassers. 
 
 In the winter of 1828, 1 believe, the President appointed 
 Governor Cass and Col. Pierre Menard, commissioners, to 
 treat with the Indians, for a cession of the country in ques- 
 tion. Owing to the lateness of the season, before the com- 
 missioners received their instructions, and perhaps other 
 causes, not necessary to be stated, the commissioners arrived 
 at Green Bay, where they had been ordered to meet the 
 Indians, so late in the summer of 1828, that they closed 
 their mission on the 25th of August, of that year, by an 
 agreement with the Indians to the following effect: — That, 
 for the present, the whites should occupy the country where 
 the mines were then worked; that a treaty should be at- 
 tempted to be made in the next year, (1829,) with a view 
 to the purchase of the mineral country of the Indians; that 
 no white person should cross a certain line, described in the 
 aforesaid agreement, to dig for lead ore — but if any one 
 should so trespass, the Indians should not injure the tres- 
 passer, but the United States would remunerate the owners 
 of the land for the trespass done on it; that certain ferries 
 were to be established on rivers in the Indian country, and 
 they be paid twenty thousand dollars in goods, at the time 
 and place, when and where the treaty was to be made, for 
 the trespasses already committed on their lands by the 
 miners. 
 
 This agreement was ratified and confirmed by the Pre- 
 sident and the Senate of the United States, on the 7th day 
 of January, 1829. Congress, by an act of theirs, passed 
 about the same time, appropriated the sum of twenty thou- 
 sand dollars to purchase goods for the Indians, in pursuance 
 of a stipulation to that effect, in the aforesaid agreement; 
 but did not appropriate even one cent, in order to defray 
 the expenses of holding the treaty mentioned in the same 
 agreement! That item of expenditure fell, on a disagree- 
 
APPOINTMENT OF COMMISSIONERS. 171 
 
 ment between the two houses of Congress. One house was 
 willing to give forty thousand dollars, while the other in- 
 sisted on forty-five, thou sand dollars, as necessary to defray 
 those expenses. They amounted, however, in the end, 
 when all, and even much more was accomplished than they 
 anticipated, to not quite nine thousand dollars. 
 
 Nothing further was done in this business by the gov- 
 ernment, until General Jackson came into office, on the 
 4th of March, 1829. Almost immediately after he entered 
 on the duties of his office, he appointed Gen. M'Niel, of 
 the United States' army, and Col. Pierre Menard, commis- 
 sioners to fulfill Governor Cass's agreement, already so often 
 mentioned. Very full instructions were given to these 
 commissioners. They met at St. Louis, whither they had 
 been ordered, and from whence the expedition was to em- 
 bark for Prairie du Chien, where the treaty was finally or- 
 dered to be made. These gentlemen were so unfortunate 
 as to agree in nothing but to disagree; and forty-nine 
 days after their appointment, and as soon as their disagree- 
 ment had become known to the.President, he was pleased, 
 of his own free will, and without my knowledge, or any ap- 
 plication for that or any other appointment, to add to the 
 commission above referred to, the person who writes these 
 lines. 
 
 Receiving my commission, and a copy of the instructions 
 already given to the commissioners above named, one day 
 at 4 o'clock, P. M., in the last days of May, 1829, I left 
 my home at Circlevilie, Ohio, on the next day at noon, for 
 St. Louis, whither I was directed to repair. 
 
 Getting into the stage and passing through Chillicothe, 
 Bainbridge, and West Union, I arrived at Maysville, Ken- 
 tucky, about 7 o'clock, P. M., the next day. The whole 
 distance is about ninety miles. - 
 
 When I arrived on the landing, a steamboat from Pitts- 
 burgh being on the point of starting for Louisville, I went 
 on board, and in five minutes was on my way descending 
 the Ohio river. 
 
 i 
 
172 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 MAYSVILLE 
 
 Is one of the most important towns on the river, between 
 Wheeling and Cincinnati. It presents, from the river, an 
 unbroken front of elegant brick buildings; the streets are 
 well paved; has a good landing, and appears better from the 
 water, than almost any town on the banks of the Ohio. It 
 contains twenty-eight stores of dry goods, three of them large 
 wholesale ones; one large queensware and china store; four 
 groceries; an iron foundry; an extensive paper mill; a 
 manufactory of stone ware, whose make is superior to al- 
 most any thing of the kind any where; three large churches, 
 belonging to the Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists. 
 As a place of business, it ranks second in this State, Louis- 
 ville being the first. 
 
 It has derived some notoriety from the President's reject- 
 ing the bill appropriating money towards making a road 
 from this point to Lexington; the only effect of which veto, 
 we hope, will be, to rouse up the energies of the people of 
 Kentucky to make the rejected road, and all others neces- 
 sary for the public convenience, in this State. 
 
 If we know the people of Kentucky, and we think we 
 do, they will rise up under the pressure of the veto, in every 
 part of the State, and commence and carry into effect, a 
 system of internal improvement, which will do honor to 
 the present population, and be useful to generations yet 
 unborn. 
 
 The people of Maysville, for intelligence, industry, en- 
 terprise, and sterling patriotism, are surpassed by none in 
 the Union. 
 
 The rejected turnpike is in progress, and will be made 
 in a reasonable time. The people along the whole line of 
 this road, are as hospitable, as intelligent, and as worthy 
 citizens, as any in the State. The town of Maysville was 
 formerly called Limestone; and was either the starting 
 point, or the place where many an Indian expedition ended, 
 in early times. 
 
CINCINNATI. 173 
 
 The completion of the Ohio canal will be of vast advan- 
 tage to this place, where all the hemp and tobacco of the 
 State will be brought from the interior, intended for a north- 
 ern market. Here, too, the foreign goods for the central 
 parts of Kentucky, will be landed. The country back of 
 Maysville is rich and fertile, and the farmers among the 
 best and most wealthy in the west. 
 
 It contains about three thousand inhabitants, and is in- 
 creasing in numbers, wealth, business, and importance, eve- 
 ry hour. A steamboat runs daily between Maysville and 
 Cincinnati. 
 
 The situation of the town is high, dry, and healthy. Stone 
 for building is abundant on the spot, and every article used 
 by the builder is plenty, cheap, and good. 
 
 It must increase rapidly in aii respects, and forever be a 
 town of importance. 
 
 Why the authors of maps of the United States have 
 neglected, as many of them have, to notice so important a 
 place as this, seems strange indeed. 
 
 CINCINNATI. 
 
 We arrived early on the next morning at the city of Cin- 
 cinnati, which now contains thirty-five thousand inhabi- 
 tants. Cincinnati is situated on the north side of the Ohio 
 river, opposite the mouth of Licking river, in Kentucky, 
 and extends from Deer creek to Mill creek, along the bank 
 of that beautiful stream. On a medium, the low ground, 
 called the "bottom," 800 feet in width from north to south, 
 lies so low, that in its natural state, it was sometimes over- 
 flowed by the Ohio in a freshet. Towards the north, from 
 the river, which here runs from east to west, the ground rap- 
 idly ascends, on an average, perhaps fifty feet, and thence 
 for one mile northwardly, it is nearly level. The earth, 
 after you leave the alluvial "bottom," and ascend the "hill," 
 is made up of sand, pebbles, and clay, lying in horizontal 
 20 
 
174 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 strata, to a great depth, one hundred feet, or more. In this 
 diluvial deposite, there is little water, and that, mostly ob- 
 tained from the Ohio river, by water works, operated by 
 steam power. Hills, several hundred feet in height, bound 
 the city on its north side, and confine it along the Ohio, to 
 a mile, or at most, a mile and a half in breadth. I speak 
 from impressions made upon me, by a mere glance of the 
 eye upon it, without troubling myself or the reader with 
 more exact information. The city, I believe, occupies 
 about three thousand acres of surface, and is improving in 
 all respects most rapidly. The following rough estimate of 
 its increase in population, is nearly correct. 
 
 In 1795, 
 
 500 inhabitants, 
 
 1800, 
 
 750 
 
 1.805, 
 
 950 
 
 1810, 
 
 2,320 
 
 1813, 
 
 4,000 
 
 1820, 
 
 10,000 
 
 1824, 
 
 12,016 
 
 1826, 
 
 16,230 
 
 1829, 
 
 25,000 
 
 1830, 
 
 27,000 
 
 1831, 
 
 30,000 
 
 1832, 
 
 32,000 
 
 1833, 
 
 35,000 
 
 In the estimates foi 
 
 * the four last } 7 ear 
 
 Liberties are included. 
 
 In this city are one hundred, at least, mercantile stores, 
 and about twenty churches. Some of the stores do business 
 in the wholesale way, though quite too many of them are 
 occupied by retailers on a small scale. There are a great 
 many taverns and boarding houses. Among the churches, 
 the First and Second Presbyterian, one belonging to the 
 Unitarians, one to the Roman Catholics, and perhaps two or 
 three belonging either to the Episcopalians or the Metho- 
 dists, are the best. There are two museums, in either of 
 which, more knowledge of the natural history of the west- 
 
CINCINNATI. 175 
 
 ern States can be attained in a day, than can be obtained 
 in any other place in a year. These collections are very 
 well arranged, and kept by persons of taste, science, and 
 politeness. No traveler of learning should ever pass through 
 the city without calling to see them both, and having once 
 seen them, he will never neglect to see them as often as he 
 visits the place. 
 
 There are nine bookstores, and a greater number still of 
 printing establishments, that issue newspapers. The three 
 principal publishers of papers, issue each, a daily paper. 
 
 The mechanics of this city are numerous and very ex- 
 cellent, in their several trades. Manufactures of iron, of 
 wood, of stone, of all the metals indeed, are carried on with 
 zeal, industry and talent. The builders of houses are un- 
 rivaled in the rapidity with which they do their work, and 
 they exhibit genius, skill and taste. 
 
 There are nearly sixty lawyers, who for learning, zeal, 
 fidelity, industry, morality, honor, honesty, and every other 
 good qualification of the heart and head, are equal to a like 
 number of the same honorable and highly useful profession, 
 in any city in the United States. 
 
 The number of physicians and surgeons in the city must 
 be, I presume, nearty eighty, who are skillful, learned, and 
 highly respectable in their profession. 
 
 There are probably about forty clergymen in the city, 
 and from the morality of the place, I give them credit for a 
 considerable degree of usefulness. 
 
 Cincinnati stands on dry ground, where every drop of 
 rain that falls upon its surface, runs off and leaves it dry; 
 and though its winter is as cold as the north part of France, 
 and its summer as warm as southern Italy— jet it is as 
 healthy a place as can be found any where. 
 
 Except the healthiness of its site, and its beauty, Cincin- 
 nati is wholly indebted for its unparalleled growth and pros- 
 perity, to the industry, enterprise, and energy of its worthy 
 citizens. They have entered extensively into the building 
 of steam vessels, eighty having been built here ; their trade 
 
176 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 on the Ohio and Mississipi rivers is great, and increasing 
 every day. 
 
 It will, with great ease, increase in population to about 
 250,000 inhabitants. Its increase beyond that number de- 
 pends on so many causes, not yet fully developed, that hu- 
 man foresight cannot now scan them. It will, however, con- 
 tinue to be the largest town in the State, unless Zanesville 
 or Cleaveland should exceed it. 
 
 I cannot better conclude my brief remarks on this beau- 
 tiful and flourishing city, than by saying it is now governed 
 by such men as Samuel W. Davies, Charles Hammond, and 
 David Griffin, and others like them; and by giving a place 
 to the following communication, drawn up with great care 
 by the worthy individual whose respected name is attached 
 to it. 
 
 "Cincinnati, June 25th, 1833. 
 "Dear Sir: 
 
 In compliance with your request I, herewith send 
 you < a condensed statement of the literary and scientific insti- 
 tutions of Cincinnati? The information has been derived 
 from individuals conducting .them, and from their records. 
 
 Yours, &c. 
 
 JOHN L. TALBOTT." 
 "Caleb Atwater, Esq. 
 
 MEDICAL COLLEGE OF OHIO. 
 
 "The government of this institution is committed to a 
 
 o 
 
 board of eleven trustees, appointed by the legislature. 
 
 "The medical school is conducted by a faculty consisting 
 of six professors. 
 
 "The building, which is now completed, is ninety-one feet 
 front, by fifty- four feet deep. This beautiful edifice con- 
 tains above twenty rooms; three of which are convenient 
 lecture rooms, of sufficient capacity to accommodate, each, 
 about three hundred persons; the others are the private 
 rooms of the professors, library rooms, laboratory, &c. &c. 
 
CINCINNATI. 177 
 
 "The library consists of fifteen hundred volumes, chiefly 
 standard works. 
 
 "The cabinet of preparations is extensive, and it is a highly 
 useful one, containing also many valuable paintings and 
 drawings, illustrative of the subjects. 
 
 "The laboratory is connected with the lecture room, so 
 that all the operations in chimistry may be conveniently 
 seen by the students from their seats. 
 
 "The number of students for the several sessions past, has 
 been as follows, viz : — 
 "For the session of 1827—28 - - 113 
 1828—29 - - 113 
 1829—30 - - 123 
 1830—31 - - 140 
 1831—32 - - 150 
 1832—33 - - -82* 
 
 LAW SCHOOL. 
 
 "This school will be opened in October, 1833, under the 
 management of J. C. Wright, judge of the supreme court; 
 J. M. Goodenow, president judge of the 9th circuit of the 
 court of common pleas ; Edward King and Timothy Walker, 
 attorneys at law. Some students have entered under the 
 private tuition of the several professors. 
 
 INSTITUTE. 
 
 "This institution is designed for the general diffusion of 
 scientific knowledge among the mechanics and citizens, by 
 means of popular lectures and mutual instruction. Classes 
 formed for the purpose of mutual instruction, are constantly 
 in operation. The number of pupils, which is increasing, 
 is at present one hundred, chiefly young men whose avoca- 
 
 *The smallness of the number this session has been ascribed to 
 the approach of the cholera a few days prior to the commencement 
 of the lectures. 
 
178 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 tions require their daily services, leaving them at liberty to 
 prosecute their studies at night only. 
 
 '.'The institute has an extensive philosophical apparatus; 
 a library of nine hundred volumes, and a reading room. 
 The latter is a place of general resort for young men, in 
 the evenings, to read the news, and peruse the periodicals 
 on science and literature. 
 
 THE LYCEUM. 
 
 "The lyceum was formed for the purpose of giving useful 
 instruction and fashionable entertainment, by means of 
 popular lectures. This institution also has a library and a 
 reading room. 
 
 WESTERN LITERARY INSTITUTE, AND COLLEGE OF PROFES- 
 SIONAL TEACHERS. 
 
 "This society was formed at the convention of teachers 
 held in Cincinnati, October, 1832. Its objects are to unite 
 the teachers of the western country in the cause in which 
 they are engaged, and to elevate the character of profes- 
 sional teachers. Their meetings are held annually, m 
 Cincinnati, on the second Monday in September. 
 
 WESTERN ACADEMIC INSTITUTE AND BOARD OF EDUCATION. 
 
 "This association is composed of the teachers of Cincinnati 
 and the adjacent country. It was formed to aid in promo- 
 ting the cause of education, and in elevating the profession 
 of teaching. The meetings of the institute are held monthly 
 for the purpose of discussing the various systems of educa- 
 tion, and the best methods of instructing in the different 
 sciences, &c. 
 
 They have the nucleus of a library, and they receive 
 several periodical journals. 
 
CINCINNATI. 179 
 
 THE ATHEN2EUM. 
 
 "This valuable college is under the patronage of the 
 Roman Catholic church of Cincinnati. 
 
 "In this institution, are competent professors in the clas- 
 sics, who speak fluently the French, Italian, Spanish and 
 German languages. There are also professors in the several 
 departments of mathematics, natural and moral philosophy, 
 and chimistry. 
 
 "Their course of study is extensive, and embraces the term 
 of six years, for those who wish to take a complete course. 
 The number of pupils is at present seventy. 
 
 .."The college edifice is a splendid and permanent build- 
 ing, of great capacity. In connection with the college, is a 
 boarding house, for the accommodation of students and 
 the professors. 
 
 " The following < Circular f published by this institution, 
 in August, 1832, will show, more in detail, its arrange- 
 ments, and the general plain upon which it is conducted: 
 
 "The public are respectfully informed that the scholastic 
 exercises will be resumed, in this new and splendid edi- 
 fice, on the 16th of August. Its location is in a healthy and 
 pleasant part of the city, affording at all seasons, but espe- 
 cially the winter, an easy access to young gentlemen who 
 may prefer to board in town. The vacant grounds attach- 
 ed to the institution are considered sufficiently extensive 
 to afford exercise to the students during the short intervals 
 that occur on days of study. One day in the week, Thurs- 
 day, is set apart as a day of recreation, on which the board- 
 ers in the Athenaeum can enjoy the range of a beautiful 
 country seat, about one mile distant, and overlooking the 
 city. In the winter season, or during inclement weather, 
 they may have the advantage of large play-rooms, in the 
 basement story, calculated for all the purposes of in-door 
 recreation. 
 
 "No pains have been spared to promote the comfort and 
 to insure the advancement of the pupils who may be placed 
 
180 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 at the Athenaeum. The dormitories are spacious, cleanly, 
 and well ventilated; the refectory comfortable, extensive, 
 and abundantly supplied; the study and class rooms have 
 been constructed with a particular regard to the conve- 
 nience of the pupils. 
 
 "The professors attached to the institution are, generally, 
 gentlemen who have spent many years in conducting youth 
 through the various departments of a collegiate education. 
 Among them there are several who speak with facility and 
 elegance, the French, Italian, Spanish, and German lan- 
 guages; a circumstance that offers a great advantage to pu- 
 pils desirous of acquiring proficiency in either. 
 
 "Every exertion will be made to advance the interests of 
 the pupils, while the strictest economy shall be observed to 
 spare parents or guardians unnecessary expense. 
 
 "To obviate difficulties and to remove doubts respecting 
 religious interference^ the public are assured that nothing of 
 the kind shall ever be permitted within the precincts of the 
 Athenaeum. The utmost that will be expected of pupils 
 residing in the institution, is, that on Sundays, they accom- 
 pany their fellow boarders to the place of public service, 
 during which they will conduct themselves respectfully. 
 The propriety of this measure will be easily perceived, by 
 the difficulties which must arise from leaving a number of 
 boys unattended by the prefects, during the time of divine 
 service, 
 
 "It is desirable that the pupils, as far as practicable, com- 
 mence with the opening of studies. 
 
 "For the patronage of an enlightened and liberal public, 
 our dependence is placed in the consciousness of possessing 
 the means, and in the assurance which is hereby given, to 
 make every exertion to merit it. 
 
 "The following course of study may be pursued in the Athe- 
 naeum. Parents are at full liberty, however, to select any 
 part of it, to be pursued by their children. The study of 
 the Latin language is recommended to such as intend re- 
 
CINCINNATI. 181 
 
 maining for some time, as well calculated to promote and 
 facilitate their education in other respects. 
 
 "First Year. Latin — Gould's Grammar and Epitome. 
 French — Levizac's Grammar and Directeur des enfans. 
 English — Murray's Grammar and Introduction; Writing 
 under dictation, and Arithmetic. 
 
 "Second Year. Latin — Viri Romae, Caesar's Commen- 
 taries, Exercises, and Mythology. French — Grammar con- 
 tinued, Receuil Choisi, La Fontaine. Spanish — Jose's 
 Grammar and Exercises, and Colmena Espanola t Eng- 
 lish — Grammar continued, Exercises, Scott's Lessons, Wri- 
 ting under dictation, Geography, Rational Arithmetic. 
 
 "Third Year. Latin — Sallust, Phcedrns, Ovid, Exercises 
 continued, Prosody, and Roman Antiquities. Greek — Val- 
 py's Grammar and Testament. French— Telemachus, Odes 
 of J. B. Rosseau. Spanish — Extractos, Exercises continued. 
 English — Composition, Writing Essays and Letters, Geog- 
 raphy continued, Algebra. 
 
 "Fourth Year. Latin — Cicero de Senectute, de Afmi- 
 citia, de Officiis, Livy, Virgil's Pastorals, JEneid and Geor- 
 gics, Exercises continued. Greek — Graeca Minora, Prose 
 and Poetry Exercises. French — L'Abeille Francaise and 
 Boileau. Spanish — Extractos, Exercises and Dialogues. 
 English — Composition, Elocution, First Class Book. Math- 
 ematics — Geometry, Plain Trigonometry, Mensuration of 
 heights and distances, Geography continued, History. 
 
 "Fifth Year. Latin — Livy, Cicero's Orations, Horace, 
 with selections from Catullus, Tibullus, Propertius and Lu- 
 can, Exercises. Greek — Lucian, Xenophon and Homer. 
 Mathematics — Application of Algebra to Geometry, and 
 Trigonometry, Surveying and Solids, History continued. 
 
 "In the sixth year, there will be a course of Rhetoric, 
 Moral and Natural Philosophy, and Chimistry. 
 
 "All communications relative to the admission of students, 
 must be made to the Rev. J. J. Mullon, President of the 
 Athenaeum. 
 21 
 
 
182 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 TERMS. 
 
 "Tuition, including boarding, washing, mending, &c. 
 
 per annum, $150 00 
 
 "Music will form an extra charge of 40 00 
 
 "Drawing and Painting, 25 00 
 
 "The Italian and German Languages, 25 00 
 
 "No extra charge will be made for French. 
 
 REGULATIONS. 
 
 "1. Board and tuition are to be paid semi-annually in 
 advance. 
 
 "2. Each pupil will furnish a single bed and bedding, or 
 pay $9 annually for their use. 
 
 "3. Stationary will be furnished annually at 6$>. 
 
 "4. Except in cases of exclusion by the Board, no deduc- 
 tions will be made on account of removal. 
 
 "5. A schedule will be sent to parents semi-annually, 
 exhibiting the progress and standing of pupils." 
 
 WOODWARD HIGH SCHOOL. 
 
 "This institution was founded by the late William Wood- 
 ward, of Cincinnati. The Woodward fund yields an income 
 of two thousand dollars per annum. The college lot con- 
 tains upwards of an acre. The building is sixty feet front, 
 by forty feet deep. 
 
 "The management of this institution is committed to five 
 trustees; two of whom were appointed by the founder, who 
 appoint their successors, and three by the city council. 
 
 "The school is conducted at present by four professors, 
 including the President. It has one hundred and twenty 
 pupils, of whom sixty are educated on the funds of the in- 
 stitution. 
 
 
 PRIVATE SCHOOLS. 
 
 
 "For Males, 
 
 9 schools, 14 teachers, 
 
 510 pupils 
 
 Females, 
 
 9 " 15 " 
 
 500 " 
 
 Infants, 
 
 6 " 9 " 
 
 220 " 
 
 "Total, 1,230 
 
10 professors, 
 
 70 pupils. 
 
 4 « 
 
 120 " 
 
 38 teachers, 
 
 1,230 " 
 
 31 " 
 
 2,000 « 
 
 83 teachers, 
 
 3,420 pupils," 
 
 CINCINNATI. 183 
 
 PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
 
 "For males and females 20 schools, 31 teachers, 2,000 pupils. 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 "Athenaeum, 
 
 "Woodward High School, 
 "Private Schools, 
 "Public Schools, 
 
 "Total, 
 
 Having tarried in this city about two hours, I went on 
 board, and the "Home" started for Louisville. Descending 
 rapidly, until we overtook a boat that had met with some 
 mishap which prevented the use of steam, our captain hove 
 to, went on board of the other vessel, and so delayed our 
 passage, by towing it along down the river with us, that we 
 were about two days on the way between Cincinnati and 
 Louisville. The distance is not more than one hundred and 
 fifty miles, and a current of four or five miles an hour, was 
 in our favor! It generally occupies, in a good stage of wa- 
 ter, from twelve to fifteen hours going down, and a few hours 
 more in ascending the river between the two places. 
 
 The Pittsburgh boats, generally, and this unfortunate one 
 in particular, when descending the river, stop at almost 
 every little town, in order to peddle off their wares of all 
 sorts: and if they only had a few horn flints, starch colored 
 blue for indigo, wooden clocks, a prospectus or two for pub- 
 lishing some catchpenny work, at Hartford, (Con.) they 
 might fairly pass themselves off as "yankee peddlers," with- 
 out exciting suspicion of a counterfeit. Wo to the unfor- 
 tunate traveler, who is in haste to get on with speed, if he 
 gets on board one of these descending boats. He may cal- 
 culate when an eclipse will certainly happen, but cannot 
 ascertain the period when he will be one hundred miles on 
 his journey. 
 
 However, at the end of two days and nights I landed at 
 Louisville, and learned, to my regret, that by the delay on 
 
184 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 the river, above referred to, I had lost an opportunity of 
 leaving this place for St. Louis, this morning, and would be 
 detained here four days. Deeply mortified at the disap- 
 pointment, I determined to employ my time as usefully as I 
 could, while detained here. 
 
 I ascertained that it would be better to purchase gun- 
 powder and tobacco, though produced in Kentucky, at St. 
 Louis, where large quantities had already been shipped; 
 and that every article used in the Indian trade might be 
 procured, of the best quality and on verj^ cheap terms there, 
 and I concluded to go there, and there purchase them. 
 
 LOUISVILLE 
 
 Is situated at the Falls of the Ohio river, in the State of 
 Kentucky, in latitude thirty-eight degrees ten minutes north, 
 upon an elevated plain, on the south side of the beautiful 
 river Ohio, opposite to its Falls. The plain on which the 
 town stands, extends southwardly twenty miles along the 
 eastern bank of the river, to the mouth of Salt river, a tri- 
 butary of the Ohio. At Louisville, this plain from east to 
 west, is about six miles in width, gradually growing nar- 
 rower, until it is only one mile in width, at its southern end. 
 
 The first white man who visited Kentucky > from the pre- 
 sent United States, so far as we are informed, was James 
 M'Bride, who traveled through it in 1754. About thirteen 
 years afterwards, John Finley, an Indian trader, on his re- 
 turn home to North Carolina, gave so flattering an account 
 of the country to Daniel Boon, that the latter, in the year 
 1769, was induced to visit it, in company with Finley and 
 others. All the company, except Boon, were killed by the 
 Indians. This happened in 1771. He then returned to 
 North-Carolina. 
 
 In the year 1779, Boon, accompanied by his family, and 
 forty men from Powell's valley, traversed the wilderness, 
 and settled on the banks of Kentucky river, at a place 
 which they named Boonsborough. 
 
LOUISVILLE. 185 
 
 In the spring of the year 1778, General George Rogers 
 Clark, acting under the authority of the State of Virginia, 
 descended the Ohio river with three hundred men, for the 
 purpose of reducing the then British posts, Kaskaskia, 
 Cahokia and St. Vincennes. The General landed his 
 troops on Corn island, opposite the present town of Louis- 
 ville, and cleared off land enough to raise corn sufficient 
 for the supply of six families, which he left there. The 
 names of the heads of these families were, James Patton, 
 Richard Chenoweth, John Tuel, William Faith, and **** 
 ****^ General Clark, after thus settling these families, 
 proceeded on his expedition. In the autumn of 1778, these 
 families removed on to the main land, where the town of 
 Louisville now stands. In 1779, a few more families arri- 
 ved and settled there, from Virginia. In the autumn of 
 1779, and spring of 1780, seven stations were formed on 
 Beargrass creek, in the vicinity of what is now Louisville. 
 From such small beginnings, and so recently, has the pre- 
 sent flourishing town of Louisville arisen. In the autumn 
 of 1779, the State of Virginia opened a land office at this 
 place, and appointed the late Richard Anderson, Esq., to 
 keep it. Having thus briefly disposed of its early history, | 
 proceed to mention its plan. 
 
 The town was laid off by William Pope, in the year 1780. 
 A new survey was afterwards made by William Peyton and 
 Daniel Sullivan. All these original surveys are said to be 
 lost, and the plat now adopted is one made in 1812, by 
 Jared Brooks. 
 
 The principal streets, running nearly east and west, are 
 Water, Main, Market, Jefferson, Green, Walnut and South. 
 Main, Market and Jefferson streets, are each one hundred 
 feet wide — the others sixty feet wide, except Water street, 
 which is only thirty feet in width. These streets are inter- 
 sected by twelve others, sixty feet wide, named First, Sec- 
 ond, Third, &c. commencing at the eastern end of the town, 
 running westwardly to Twelfth street. The different squares 
 formed by the intersection of these streets, are divided into 
 
186 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 half acre lots, as far as Green street, but those south of that 
 are laid off into five, ten, and twenty acre lots. 
 
 The principal streets are well paved with secondary lime 
 stone. The paving stones, I should suppose, from appear- 
 ance, (for I did not measure them,) are about three or four 
 inches thick, and a foot or more in width, so laid on the 
 earth as to present the edges of them uppermost. This 
 forms the best pavement in the world, and as durable as 
 time. The streets of Cincinnati, Maysville and other towns 
 along the Ohio, in the limestone region, are all thus paved. 
 The materials are found in abundance near the places where 
 they are needed, and nature has formed them of the size ne- 
 cessary for the use to which they are applied. Main street, 
 for the distance of about one mile, presents a proud display 
 of wealth and grandeur. Houses of two and three lofty 
 stories in height, standing upon solid stone foundations, ex- 
 ceed any thing of the kind in the western States. The 
 stores filled with the commodities and manufactures of eve- 
 ry clime, and every art, dazzle the eye — the ringing of 
 the bells and the roaring of the guns, belonging to the 
 numerous steam boats in the harbor — the cracking of the 
 coachman's whip, and the sound of the stage driver's horn, 
 salute the ear. The motley crowd of citizens, all well dress- 
 ed, hurrying to and fro — the numerous strangers from all 
 parts of the world almost, visiting the place, to sell or to 
 buy goods — the deeply loaded dray cart, and the numerous 
 pleasure carriages rolling to and fro, arrest and rivet the 
 attention of a mere traveler like myself. 
 
 COMMON BUILDINGS. 
 
 There are at this time about twelve hundred dwelling 
 houses in the town, mostly built of brick. Many of them 
 are equal to any in the Atlantic cities. The bed of the 
 river opposite the town, supplies the stone used in building, 
 and the crow bar is all the instrument needed to obtain 
 them. Kentucky river and its vicinity furnish beautiful 
 
LOUISVILLE. 187 
 
 marble, and the brick yards in the suburbs of the town sup- 
 ply the best of brick. 
 
 Boards, shingles and scantling, manufactured from white 
 pine, are brought down the Ohio river in rafts, from the 
 sources of the Alleghany river; black locust posts are 
 brought from the State of Ohio, in the same manner, and 
 red cedar, from the cliffs along Kentucky river. The vast 
 quantities brought here render these articles very cheap in 
 this market. Stone and lime being in the immediate vicin- 
 ity, bricks being made on the spot, and every article used in 
 building, always in abundance, on hand, renders building 
 cheap. It is said though that lots are dear — the more to be 
 regretted, as it will prevent the immediate growth of the 
 town, at the rate it otherwise would. 
 
 PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 
 
 The court house is a very handsome structure, and was 
 built in 1811, on a plan drawn by John Gwathmey, Esq. 
 It consists of a body and two wings, with a portico of the 
 Ionic order of architecture. Four columns support it, and 
 the cupola is terminated by a spire. In the second story of 
 the south wing, is deposited a public library of more than 
 500 volumes. In the wings, and in the second story of the 
 body of the building, are kept the several public offices of 
 the county, except that of the clerk, which is kept in a very 
 convenient building near, by that distinguished and worthy 
 gentleman, Worden Pope, Esq. 
 
 A large jail is erected near the court house, and when I 
 was there, twenty-eight persons were confined in it for 
 various crimes, from murder down to petit larceny. 
 
 The following reasons may be offered for the frequency 
 of the commission of crimes in and near this town. First, 
 the penitentiary of Indiana is in sight of Louisville, on the 
 northern shore of the Ohio river, at Jefferson ville. As soon 
 as any convict is discharged from this "school of vice," his 
 first act is to cross the river, and begin his criminal life 
 
188 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 anew, in this wealthy town. Secondly, once started from 
 any place above on the Ohio river, in his stolen canoe, the 
 hardened villain is floated down its gentle current, until 
 stopped by the falls. Commerce holds out her wealth to his 
 view, and he here begins his old trade again. 
 
 In winter, and in the lowest stages of water in the sum- 
 mer, the boats of all sorts and sizes are laid up here, and 
 the hands employed on board of them are here discharged. 
 Being out of employ, and none too honest, they betake them- 
 selves to dishonest practices for a livelihood. Of those con- 
 fined in jail for crimes, not one in ten is an inhabitant of 
 the town. 
 
 The police of the place is remarkably strict and prompt 
 to detect and punish offenders. The principal magistrate 
 before whom offenders are examined, is unrivaled in a 
 prompt and correct discharge of his official duty. 
 
 CHURCHES. 
 
 Of these there are six in number, built of brick, belong- 
 ing to Baptists, Catholics, Presbyterians, Episcopalians and 
 Methodists, and an African church. 
 
 THE KENTUCKY MARINE HOSPITAL, 
 
 Was established partly by the State and partly by indi- 
 vidual contributions. Its exterior is finished in a- style which 
 reflects honor on its founders, and especially on the board 
 of managers under whose superintendence it was erected. 
 I did not see its inside, but understood that it was not en- 
 tirely finished for the want of funds. It is, however, so far 
 completed, I was told, as to be very useful to that class of 
 improvident, and of course afflicted persons, for whom it 
 was intended. It will doubtless receive such aid from the 
 State, from time to time, as shall serve to render it a lasting 
 monument of the benevolence of its patrons. The United 
 States contribute something towards its support also. To 
 
LOUISVILLE. 189 
 
 the sick seamen, who navigate the waters of the Ohio and 
 Mississippi, this institution offers an asylum in distress. 
 
 THE ACADEMY, 
 
 Is a handsome brick building, and the institution is un- 
 der the charge of a learned and worthy gentleman, by the 
 name of Butler. 
 
 There are twelve common schools in the town. Besides 
 these, many families employ private instructors; and in 
 many of the first families for wealth, learning and reputa- 
 tion, the parents disdain not the task of "rearing the tender 
 thought, and of teaching the young idea how to shoot." 
 
 At one gentleman's, I saw a set of globes, and soon learned 
 that this sons and daughters understood their use. 
 
 THEATRE. 
 
 There is a handsome one of brick. 
 
 Three printing offices, on a large scale; six taverns, three 
 of them on an extensive scale; the one where I stopped, (N. 
 P. Porters,) had in it, while I lodged there, from seventy- 
 five to one hundred and fifty guests, daily. 
 
 Two carriage makers, six saddlers and harness makers; 
 six bake houses; twenty-eight groceries, and two confec- 
 tioner's shops; three book stores; fourteen wholesale com- 
 mission stores; eight tailors; a silversmith; a gunsmith; ten 
 cabinet makers; three watch makers and jewelers; three 
 fancy and plain chair-makers; one stone cutter, on a large 
 scale; one potter; four turners of wood, iron and ivory; two 
 hundred carpenters and house joiners; one hundred and fifty 
 bricklayers; thirty plasteres; six boot and shoemakers; 
 twelve lawyers; and twenty-two physicians; several steam 
 sawmills and gristmills; a steam engine factory; several 
 breweries and distilleries; five tobacco manufactories, on a 
 large scale; and an extensive sugar refinery. Tobacco is 
 22 
 
190 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 the principal article of export, of which more than ten 
 thousand hogsheads are exported annually. 
 
 Eighty thousand dollars worth of tobacco is manufactured 
 here annually, into chewing and smoking tobacco, and snuff. 
 
 SOAP AND CANDLE MANUFACTORY. 
 
 This is the largest establishment of the kind, so far as I 
 know, in the western States. It is capable of producing 
 12,000 pounds of soap weekly, and 1000 pounds of candles 
 a day, 
 
 THE MARKET HOUSE, 
 
 Is a neat building and well supplied twice a week, with 
 beef, pork, ducks, chickens, eggs, venison, wild fowls, fish 
 from the river; turkeys, wild and tame ones; and indeed with 
 all the necessaries, and not a few of the luxuries, of good 
 living, in abundance and very cheap. For apples, peaches, 
 and strawberries, in their season, this market is unrivaled. 
 European grapes, melons, and cherries, are not wanting in 
 their seasons. The town is well supplied with milk, and in 
 summer, ice is always at hand, to give it a proper tempera- 
 ture. Like those of every other western town, the tables at 
 the inns are loaded with a vast abundance of well prepared 
 food. Abundance may be sometimes found in the east, but 
 her permanent home is in the western States, where the 
 very poorest man has always enough, and to spare. 
 
 FACILITIES FOR MANUFACTURES. 
 
 These are unrivaled, in some respects. In the distance 
 of two miles, commencing opposite the town, the Ohio river, 
 at this point about a mile in width, descends about twenty- 
 two feet; and when the canal is completed, which will be 
 this autumn,* that stupendous work will forever afford 
 enough water power for every useful purpose, for the dis- 
 
 *This was written in 1829. — It has since been finished. 
 
LOUISVILLE. 191 
 
 tance of twenty miles still further down the river. In a 
 dry time our western streams fail, even the largest of them, 
 this noble river excepted; and falls in them are few, which 
 renders this favored spot the more valuable: and the day is 
 not far distant, when the eastern capitalist and manufac- 
 turer will here fix his home. Consider the cheapness of la- 
 bor, of food, of raiment — the abundance of iron ore, near 
 the Ohio river, in a thousand places — the inexhaustible 
 beds of marble near the Kentucky river, and easily con- 
 veyed hither — the abundance of sand stone near the Ohio 
 river, in the counties of Scioto, Lawrence, Gallia, and 
 Meigs, in the State of Ohio, and in the States of Kentucky 
 and Virginia, on the southern shore of the Ohio river, oppo- 
 site the counties above named — the lime stone of Indiana 
 and Kentucky, near the town— the beautiful sand stone in 
 the silver hills, in sight of Louisville — the lead of Missouri 
 — the hemp and the tobacco of Kentucky — the cherry, the 
 walnut and curled maple of the adjacent forests — are, and 
 always will be, within the reach of the enterprising manu- 
 facturer. The cotton and the sugar of the south are almost 
 as cheap here as where they are produced. Fossil coal, suf- 
 ficient for all the western States, is found over a vast region 
 in Ohio, western Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The abun- 
 dance of the article, and the ease with which it is quarried, 
 and the cheapness with which it may be floated down the 
 river to this point, are worthy of notice likewise. To all 
 which considerations, may be here added, the vast extent 
 of country, over which articles manufactured here, can be 
 easily distributed, by the one hundred and fifty steam boats 
 which here find their home. 
 
 Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, Missis- 
 sippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and Upper Alabama, can 
 easily be supplied from this place, with manufactured arti- 
 cles. A vast field to be furnished with manufactured goods, 
 is here presented to view, and yet the laborers in it are 
 comparatively few. The hardy, ingenious, industrious and 
 enterprising manufacturers of the north and east, may here 
 
192 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 find friends, a fortune and a home, for themselves and their 
 posterity. Such are the manufacturing advantages of Louis- 
 ville, far preferable, in my mind, to any thing presented by 
 the silvery heights of Potosi, or the far famed mines of Gol- 
 conda and Peru; yet comparatively neglected! 
 
 The whole number of stores, probably, for I did not count 
 them, is at least sixty. 
 
 In the summer months, when the waters are low, mer- 
 chants from Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennes- 
 see and Upper Alabama, resort to Louisville for supplies of 
 goods, in order to keep up their assortments. I counted at 
 one time thirty large four-horse wagons, in "the barrens of 
 Kentucky," loaded with goods from Louisville, to Nashville, 
 Florence, Huntsville, &c. 
 
 During high waters, this place resembles a seaport, ves- 
 sels continually arriving and departing. All is life, activity 
 and motion. The drayman is constantly employed, and all 
 the hackney coaches, fifty or upwards, are filled with pas- 
 sengers. 
 
 THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE. 
 
 The people themselves, as will be remembered, who ori- 
 ginally settled here, emigrated from Virginia, The present 
 inhabitants are the most hospitable in the western States. 
 A worthy man will never want friends here, and it is the 
 last place in the world for one of an opposite character to 
 visit. The constant influx of strangers, has rendered the 
 people here shrewd observers of men. If a bad man, an ac- 
 tive police instantly detects and punishes him for the very 
 first offence. If the stranger be a good man, he is instantly 
 taken by the hand, all his wishes are consulted, and his in- 
 terests advanced. 
 
 When I was there, a contested election was just coming 
 on, yet I daily, hourly, saw gentlemen of both parties asso- 
 ciating together in the utmost friendship. 
 
 The professional gentlemen are highly gifted, and their 
 talents are duly appreciated and rewarded. At present, I 
 
LOUISVILLE. 192 
 
 should suppose, however, no addition to their number is 
 needed. 
 
 In this town, I can say with great truth, that order and 
 good family government every where prevail — that the 
 youth are trained up by their parents to virtuous habits — 
 and the soundest moral principles are instilled into the 
 youthful minds of both sexes. Better parental government 
 never existed on earth, than I found in this town. 
 
 On entering the drawing room, the mother and daugh- 
 ters I found employed in sewing, or some other labor, all 
 except one, who was reading aloud to the others; or they 
 were discussing some topic growing out of the remarks of 
 the author. I saw scarcely one novel, among the books 
 thus read — but history often, scientific works frequently. 
 
 While those who are born to give a tone to the manners, 
 customs, habits and morals of the community, are thus edu- 
 cated, our republic is safe, and heaven will continue to pros- 
 per and bless the American people. 
 
 It is only necessary for the people of this Union to be- 
 come personally well acquainted, to make them the best 
 of friends. No State has been more slandered of late years, 
 than Kentucky, and no one perhaps deserves it less. 
 
 There are, probably, more ease and affluence in this place, 
 than in any western town; their houses are splendid, sub- 
 stantial, and richly furnished; and I saw more large mirrors 
 in their best rooms, than I ever saw any where else. Paint- 
 ings and mirrors adorn the walls, and all the furniture is 
 splendid and costly. More attention is bestowed on dress, 
 among the young gentlemen and ladies of Louisville, than 
 with those of Cincinnati. 
 
 There is one trait of character among the Louisville peo- 
 ple, common indeed, throughout the western country, which 
 must strike the eastern man with surprise; and that is, the 
 ease with which any decent stranger becomes acquainted 
 with them. Instantly, almost, he may be said to become 
 acquainted, without any sort of formality. The wealthy 
 man assumes nothing to himself on account of his wealth, 
 
194 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 and the poor man feels no debasement on account of his 
 poverty, and every man stands on his own individual merits. 
 The picture is true to the life. The recollection of my re- 
 ception at Louisville will always remain with me, while 
 memory lasts, among the most agreeable ones of my life. 
 
 The hospitality of this people consists not solely in fur- 
 nishing the guest with the best of every thing the house af- 
 fords, but all his inclinations are consulted, (I mean virtu- 
 ous ones,,) and every art, though exhausted to do so, care- 
 fully concealed from him. He may set his day and hour 
 to leave them, but before they arrive, some new induce- 
 ment is held out to him to tarry longer; and finally he will 
 find it almost impossible to leave them. Their perceptions 
 are instantaneous; their manners are highly fascinating; 
 and he must be a bad man, or a very dull one, who is not 
 highly pleased with them. 
 
 To the man of fortune, to the scholar and man of science, 
 to the manufacturer and the industrious mechanic, Louisville 
 may be recommended, as a place where as much happiness 
 is to be attained, as would fall to his lot any where in the 
 world. Industry and enterprise here find a certain reward. 
 This is Louisville. 
 
 Taking a passage for St. Louis, on board the steamer 
 Cleopatra, Captain Swager, just before sunset, on the 7th 
 of June, the vessel anchored for the night immediately be- 
 low an island, at the foot of the falls of the Ohio. At early 
 dawn we weighed anchor, started on our voyage, and in four 
 days we were in St. Louis, where we arrived on the morn- 
 ing of the 12th of June. 
 
 Nothing remarkable happened on our passage. We 
 stopped at most of the towns on both rivers, but no where 
 long. 
 
 The river Ohio is bounded, (except near its mouth, and 
 especially below the Wabash,) generally, by a bottom of 
 considerable width, sometimes on one side, and sometimes 
 on the other, though rarely on both sides. 
 
OHIO RIVER. 195 
 
 These bottoms are as fertile as any lands can be. The 
 French, whose taste is as correct as that of the Greeks, cal- 
 led this "the beautiful river." The scenery along it is in- 
 deed beautiful in the highest degree. It is bordered by 
 beautiful farms, to which industry is adding houses and 
 barns, orchards and vineyards. Pleasant towns, villas and 
 villages, appear very frequently as you glide along this en- 
 chanting river. You see cities, with their tall and glitter- 
 ing spires; steam vessels, with their dashing oars, leaving a 
 stream of dense smoke behind them, floating horizontally 
 along in the air, attended by a convulsive swell in the water, 
 and hear them snore or snort, as they appear and disappear 
 on the silvery surface of the river. 
 
 Ascending the river in the steamer, the hills bounding 
 your sight, some approaching, others departing from you, 
 like all earthly joys, while you are exactly side by side with 
 others, are clothed with trees, whose great variety, in size, 
 color, and appearance, add vivacity to the ever changing, 
 ever new, ever beautiful prospect, in all directions. The 
 eye of the beholder is delighted, and his heart filled with 
 joy. Sometimes the woods approach the river so closely as 
 to shade it, and to paint every tree, and almost every leaf, 
 on its placid and unruffled surface. Sometimes the hills re- 
 cede to a distance from you, and show you the awful and 
 and sublime cliff, standing erect, frowning defiance, and 
 threatening destruction to all below. Ascending from the 
 "falls" to Pittsburgh, I have described its aspect; below 
 the "falls," it possesses less beauty to my eye. In one sec- 
 tion of it, the northern shore presents, for several miles, 
 perpendicular rocks, and below Shawneetown it becomes 
 very crooked, is sluggish, lazy, dull, insipid, and comes to a 
 bad end, at the last, considering how fairly it promised in 
 its infancy, youth, manhood, and prime. From Maysville 
 to Louisville, you see the Ohio basin in all its glory. You 
 pass twenty beautiful towns, or more, in that distance, 
 which, being newly built, shine brightly, as they should do, 
 to keep up the harmony, the newness, and freshness of the 
 
196 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 picture, painted by nature and by man. The Author of na- 
 ture never created a more beautiful river, and for the time 
 our people have had to cultivate its banks, and dwell upon 
 its borders, man never did more nor better, to beautify and 
 adorn any portion of the earth. 
 
 The Wabash river is a geological boundary, from its ut- 
 most spring to its mouth, below which, along the Ohio 
 river, few hills, and not one pleasant prospect, to my eye, 
 appears. The Cumberland and Tennessee rivers enter 
 the Ohio within a few miles of each other, and the country 
 between them is low, presenting a dull and uninviting 
 prospect. 
 
 At the mouth of the Tennessee, there is some elevated 
 ground, where a tavern is kept, and a storehouse or two 
 erected, in which goods are stored, belonging to the trade 
 of the towns situated in Upper Alabama, in Tennessee 
 valley. 
 
 Below this point, the country on both sides of the Ohio, 
 becomes level and flat, and is overflowed by the river. As 
 we passed along downwards, surrounded as we were by mus- 
 quetoes, gnats, and bugs, we heard only the dull music of 
 the frogs, of all sorts and sizes; some of them seemed to 
 be hoarse from a cold; others, from their feeble and sha- 
 king voices, must have had the ague; some had voices so 
 shrill, others yelled so loud, and vociferated so boisterously, 
 that every one of us on board the vessel would have cheer- 
 fully dispensed with their music for a very small considera- 
 tion. However, determined to neglect no part of their du- 
 ty, their labors to please us continued, and, if possible, in- 
 creased as we passed through their rightful eminent domain, 
 into the Mississippi. 
 
 On beholding this largest and longest river in the world, 
 for the first time, a person who has heard of it all his life 
 time, as being the greatest and mightiest river on the globe, 
 would probably experience a feeling of disappointment. 
 And to us, who had just passed down the Ohio, over a 
 space of many hundred miles, in a river, short in its course 
 
MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 197 
 
 indeed, compared with the one we now entered, but which 
 was no where less in width than half a mile, and sometimes 
 a mile; the first appearance of the Mississippi disappointed 
 the raised expectations of all the persons who first saw it 
 here. It is muddy too; boiling like a pot, and rising in 
 places, in whirls, presenting an aspect far from agreeable 
 to my unfortunate eye; so that our escape from the hateful 
 and hated objects along the Ohio, from the mouth of Ten- 
 nessee downwards, on entering the "great river"* was 
 not as grateful to our feelings as might have been expected. 
 However, to see the junction of these rivers, the deck was 
 crowded by all the passengers, old and young, of both 
 sexes. Several of the ladies on board scolded both rivers 
 severely, for not making a better appearance at their junc- 
 tion. They seemed to think, that, for two such rivers, that 
 drained a surface two thousand miles in length, from east 
 to west, and nearly the same in breadth, from north to 
 south, irrigating and fertilizing a valley extending from the 
 Alleghanies to the Rocky mountains, from latitude fifty 
 north, to twenty-nine, where their mighty united volume of 
 waters entered the gulf of Mexico — for such rivers to unite 
 where a sound was scarcely ever heard but the whizzing 
 of gnats and the croaking of frogs — here all was dreary in 
 prospect as low drowned lands could make it! and those 
 rivers rising in pellucid lakes or clear springs, and running 
 along a great distance, in the purest streams — for such riv- 
 ers to unite in a miserable swamp, and show waters no 
 purer than the dirtiest mud puddle contains, they thought 
 it a shame, and a disgrace to their riverships*, and I half 
 assented to their opinion. 
 
 The distances from the mouth of the Ohio to St. Louis, 
 are as follows: — 
 
 * Mississippi, the Indian name, is derived from " meesy," great, 
 and "seepee," water. The Indians apply the same terms to the 
 ocean, or any other large body of water. 
 23 
 
 
198 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 From the mouth of the Ohio to 
 
 
 Tiwapety bottom 
 
 27 miles. 
 
 Great bluff of rocks 
 
 - 1 
 
 Cape Giradeau - 
 
 11 
 
 Apple Creek - 
 
 - 18 
 
 Kaskaskia river - 
 
 40 
 
 St. Genevieve 
 
 - 24 
 
 Fort Chartres 
 
 12 
 
 Herculaneum 
 
 - 11 
 
 Mouth of Merimac 
 
 18 
 
 St. Louis - 
 
 . 19—Total 192 
 
 The Ohio, as all know, begins to be so called at Pitts- 
 burg, and the mouth of the Ohio, is nine hundred and forty- 
 five miles below Pittsburg, and one hundred and ninety-two 
 below St. Louis. Its mouth is in latitude about thirty-seven 
 degrees north. 
 
 The country, as we ascended the Mississippi, presented 
 not a single prospect that pleased me, until we arrived in 
 sight of Jefferson barracks, twelve miles perhaps below St. 
 Louis. Sometimes the banks were low, and like the islands 
 in many parts of this river, were tumbling into it, while 
 the river was adding to its banks and islands in other pla- 
 ces. Sometimes, and indeed often, on the western shore, 
 lofty, rocky, abrupt and unsightly precipices presented 
 themselves to us as we passed them. 
 
 As the objects we passed on the Mississippi, from the 
 mouth of the Ohio, until Jefferson barracks came into view, 
 on the western bank of the Mississippi, below St. Louis, 
 have left not one agreeable emotion on my memory, so I 
 pass them by in my narrative; and as the discovery I made 
 on my first landing at St. Louis, of the disagreeable situa- 
 tion I had been, (unknown to myself,) thrown into, by my 
 appointment, in order to carry into effect a great measure 
 of the government, which had utterly failed of success, 
 filled me with emotions which I will not either now, nor 
 never perhaps, attempt to portray, I will now make some 
 
MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 199 
 
 remarks upon the Mississippi river, and its branches. This 
 course will relieve the reader from the tedium produced 
 by reading the account of the little incidents which hap- 
 pened to myself. We should always remember, and be 
 sure never to forget, that but few persons in the world, 
 feel attachment enough for us, to relish a very particular 
 account of either our pleasure or our pains; and that we 
 may be placed in circumstances so nice, so critical, so diffi- 
 cult and disagreeable — or on the other hand, in those 
 which are so pleasant, so agreeable and so happy, that a 
 profound silence about the whole subject is best. The for- 
 mer case was mine, inasmuch as the Secretary of War, in 
 addition to my public instruction, had written to me a pri- 
 vate letter, intimating that the expedition was in readiness 
 to depart for the upper Mississippi, that it would be a plea- 
 sant summer trip for me, and that I must hasten to join it, 
 or be left behind ! Thus baited, I had bitten at the hook, 
 and was caught! In order to save the reader the task of 
 reading, for some time longer, and myself too, the trouble 
 of narrating, what gave me nothing but anxiety, I go to 
 
 THE HEAD OF THE MISSISSIPPI, 
 
 And there begin, by remarking, that this river, above the 
 mouth of the Missouri, in latitude thirty-eight degrees, thirty- 
 eight minutes, assumes the name of the Upper Mississippi. 
 This river rises in a great number of ponds and lakes, in lati- 
 tude forty-eight degrees north, about twenty degrees of 
 longitude, west of Washington city. It originates in a poor, 
 miserable country, and descending through three degrees 
 of latitude, in nearly a south course, it falls twenty feet or 
 more, at St. Anthony's falls, presenting a beautiful cascade 
 to the eye. About twenty or thirty miles below these falls, 
 the St. Peters enters it, on its western side. The latter 
 river is said, at times, to contain in it more water than the 
 Mississippi itself. And if the Indians are to be credited 
 with whom I conversed, who lived on its banks, and were 
 
200 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 well acquainted with both rivers, and the country through 
 which they pass; the district of country along the St. Peters 
 is far preferable to any lands bordering on the Mississippi, 
 above the falls of St. Anthony. The St. Peters rises in 
 latitude forty-six degrees north, and within a mile or two of 
 a lake which is the head of Red river, of Hudson's bay! 
 The Indians told me that they passed with ease from lake 
 to lake, both rivers rising in lakes or ponds within sight of 
 each other. From the same source of information I learned, 
 that, ascending the St. Peters to latitude forty-six degrees 
 north, to the mouth of Goose river, which there enters the 
 St. Peters from the northwest; and then ascending Goose 
 river to a certain point; then crossing over a ridge, not 
 very difficult to be passed, in a southwestern direction from 
 Goose river, to the head waters of Shepherd's river, a water 
 of Missouri — my informant said he had passed, frequently, 
 in four days time, by this route, from the St. Peters to the 
 Missouri. Higher up still, he had passed from river to river, 
 by land, in four days. Yellow Medicine river, a tributary 
 of the St. Peters, is connected with Sioux river, a water of 
 the Missouri, in latitude about forty-three degrees north, 
 by a portage of only about six miles. So the Upper Mis- 
 sissippi is connected with lake Superior, by very short por- 
 tages, in five or six places. 
 
 If any one wished to cross the Rocky mountains, at the 
 head waters of Missouri, in latitude about forty-nine or fifty 
 north, the Upper Mississippi, not the Missouri, ought to be 
 ascended, by any one going from east to west. By going 
 to the head of the St. Peters, and then descending the Red 
 river, of Hudson's bay, to nearly latitude forty-nine degrees, 
 then turning westward, the Rocky mountains might be pas- 
 sed with ease. By that route, a thousand miles of distance 
 might be gained, and the swift and strong current of Mis- 
 souri avoided, and one month's time saved also. It is a 
 curious fact, in the geological features of this country, 
 that starting at its mouth, and after ascending the "great 
 river," through the Upper Mississippi, until you are three 
 
MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 201 
 
 thousand miles from the ocean, on the north side of the 
 gulf of Mexico, jou are only one mile from a lake that 
 discharges its waters into Hudson's bay. The length of 
 Red river, of the Frozen ocean, I do not exactly know; but 
 I saw, on my tour, several persons who had traveled the 
 whole route along this river, from Hudson's bay to Prairie 
 Du Chien, and they had no great difficulties to encounter 
 on the route. The Upper Mississippi rises so near the 
 waters of Red river, that one easily passes from river to 
 river. A person then might start from the mouth of the 
 Mississippi, at the gulf of Mexico, and by ascending the 
 river through the St. Peters' branch of it, crossing only one 
 portage, of only a mile in length, and by passing down the 
 Red river, reach Hudson's bay; and sailing out of that, and 
 passing down the Atlantic ocean, along the coast, arrive, 
 through the Mexican gulf, at the point where he took his 
 departure. Or he might leave New Orleans, ascend- 
 ing the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to Portsmouth — then, 
 stepping into a canal boat, he might reach Cleveland, 
 where a steam boat would carry him to Buffalo, and when 
 arrived there, he would find a canal boat waiting to trans- 
 port him to Albany, and thence a steam boat would take 
 him on to New York; and he could sail in another vessel to 
 the place from whence he started, without even placing his 
 foot on the land, during the time of his absence from home. 
 Or if he wished to visit Quebec, and pass through the gulf 
 of St. Lawrence, instead of sailing from Cleveland to Buf- 
 falo, New York, he might pass through the Welland canal, 
 down lake Ontario, through the St. Lawrence, to the ocean, 
 and then over its surface, to his place of residence. 
 
 The Missouri river is the real Mississippi, as all know; 
 and is, perhaps, three times, (perhaps even more than three 
 times,) as large as the Upper Mississippi itself. It rises in 
 latitude about fifty degrees north, four thousand miles, and 
 upwards, from the ocean. Eighteen hundred miles above 
 the mouth of the Missouri, it receives, as a tributary, the 
 Yellow Stone, a river larger than the Ohio. One is almost 
 
202 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 bewildered, when contemplating the vastness of such a 
 stream as this. From St. Louis to the Pacific ocean, the 
 route now followed is up the Missouri to the river Platte; 
 thence up that river, which passes through the Rocky 
 mountains, to a lake near the navigable waters of the Co- 
 lumbia, and down those waters to the sea. If we can cre- 
 dit General Ashley, and others, whose veracity no one who 
 knows them ever doubted, a wagon might now pass, with- 
 out difficulty, from Baltimore to the Pacific ocean. Loaded 
 wagons, every summer, go from St. Louis, by way of the 
 river Platte, to the Rocky mountains, and return again to 
 St. Louis the same season. Along the national road, when 
 completed from Wheeling to Jefferson city, in Missouri, a 
 rail road might be made, and from thence up the Platte, all 
 the way to the Pacific, without a hill in the way worth na- 
 ming. I know, from personal observation, that not a sin- 
 gle hill or valley prevents the construction of a rail road 
 from Wheeling to St. Louis; and that, I doubt not, is the 
 worst part of the route. When locomotive engines are 
 brought to the perfection experience and ingenuity will 
 soon bring them, goods and passengers could pass between 
 the two seas in less than ten days. That this will be the 
 route to China within fifty years from this time, scarcely ad- 
 mits of a doubt. From sea to sea, a dense population would 
 dwell along the whole route, enliven the prospect by their 
 industry, and animate the scene. 
 
 The mind of the patriot is lost in wonder and admiration 
 when he looks through the vista of futurity, at the wealth, 
 the grandeur, and glory, that certainly await our posterity, 
 unless it be their own fault — unless some miserable nulli- 
 fier destroy us, by dividing these United States. But we 
 hardly need fear such an event — the good sense of the peo- 
 ple will prevent it. 
 
 Running eastwardly from the Rocky mountains, begin- 
 ning in the north, we see the main Missouri, the Yellow 
 Stone, the Platte, the Konzaw, the Osage, the White river, 
 
FUTURE PROSPECTS. 5203 
 
 the Arkansaw, the Red river (of the Mississippi,) and they 
 are all large and long rivers, which go to contribute their 
 portion of the waters in the Mississippi. As the Missis- 
 sippi itself passes from north to south, nearer the Allegha- 
 nies than the Rocky mountains, so the streams issuing 
 from the base of the Alleghanies are shorter, and carry 
 along in their currents a less quantity of water, than the 
 streams issuing from the foot of the Rocky mountains. 
 Though a greater number of acres of land, covering the 
 surface of, and constituting this great republic, lie west of 
 the Mississippi, than belong to its eastern shore; yet from 
 many circumstances not now necessary to mention, we may 
 consider "the great water" as the true center of our empire. 
 Comparatively poor, sterile, narrow, and pitiful, in point of 
 extent, as the States are bordering on the Atlantic coast, 
 yet they have gotten the start in point of time, over the 
 west — the far west; — they are already settled — their for- 
 eign commerce and manufactures will employ a great 
 many people; and indeed the growth of the west will af- 
 ford great additional employment to the people east of 
 the Alleghanies. All the while our two thousand miles 
 square of territory is filling up with people, Baltimore 
 and Philadelphia — New York and Boston — indeed all the 
 States east of the mountains, whose people are employed 
 in carrying on commerce of all sorts — those which go 
 largely into manufactures, will grow up, in a considerable 
 degree, with us in the west. We shall, forever, so far as I 
 can now foresee, be the best customers the eastern people 
 will have for their fish, their cotton, linen and woolen 
 cloths. 
 
 One glance of the eye over the map of North America, 
 shows us a country laid off by its Author, for one people, 
 and to form one great nation, free in its form of govern- 
 ment. The country is so divided by mountains, so inter- 
 sected by long, large, and navigable rivers, branching out\ 
 too, towards their sources, into smaller water courses, with 
 rapids and falls in them, and these interlocked with each 
 
 
204 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 other, and connected so as to enable the people inhabiting 
 the whole country, to keep up a constant intercourse with 
 each other. Covering, as this country does, such a great 
 extent of surface, passing through sixty degrees of latitude, 
 and nearly four thousand miles of longitude, whose soils are 
 as various as the whole earth affords: such a country can 
 produce in abundance and sustain with ease, all the plants 
 and animals found any where upon the globe. This dissimi- 
 larity among the productions of different portions of the 
 same country, produced in different soils, and higher or 
 lower latitudes, leads to commercial intercourse among 
 their own countrymen, to enterprise, to wealth, comfort 
 and happiness. Where commerce leads the way, liberty 
 always follows her footsteps; and much civilization cannot 
 exist any where without both of them. He who raises the 
 olive, the lemon, the orange, the sugar cane, the coffee and 
 cotton plants, in the south, wants the wheat, the rye, the 
 apple, the pork, the beef, the flour, the lard, and even the 
 hay, of the north. And if the southern planter employs 
 slave labor, he will forever be compelled to purchase his 
 glass, his iron tools, even his cabinet furniture, his cutlery, 
 his clocks, watches, jewelry, pins, needles, hats, shoes, and 
 all his cloths, from the northern manufacturer. The mutual 
 wants of the productions of each other, furnish strong in- 
 ducements to trade with each other; and the navigable 
 waters passing through the whole country, afford the high- 
 ways, on and by means of which, a constant, rapid, and 
 easy interchange of productions can be effected. Here, 
 then, are the rivers, which are to the body politic exactly 
 what the arteries and veins are to the human body; in them, 
 and through them, circulates the commerce, which is the 
 life blood of this vast country. 
 
 This commerce, this interchange of productions, produ- 
 ces a healthy action in the body politic : it leads to industry, 
 to enterprise, and they again lead to competency, comfort, 
 and happiness. Mutual wants produce mutual dependence ; 
 and thus an union of interest forms a cement, a bond of 
 
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 205 
 
 union, which no one but a nullifier would ever wish to with- 
 draw from our political fabric. 
 
 These waters all have their sources in latitudes, and in 
 places so elevated, that the people who will dwell near 
 and among them, will be healthy and vigorous, both in body 
 and mind. These people too, will be, must be, in New 
 England, manufacturers, mechanics, fishermen, seafaring, 
 or commercial men, because their soil is too thin, too ste- 
 rile, naturally or exhausted — as in parts of Maryland and 
 Virginia, by raising tobacco on them — to enable their 
 owners to produce even their own meat and bread much 
 longer. It is not so in the Mississippi valley, where the 
 soil, rich, deep, fertile, new, unexhausted and almost inex- 
 haustible, will produce in vast abundance all the grains 
 and grasses, and of course all the animal food, and all the 
 wool, which their own people — numerous, indeed, as I 
 foresee they will be at no distant day, or all the people 
 dwelling in the southern parts of our country — will need, 
 to the end of time. The people in the e^ast will be the 
 greatest manufacturers in the world; whereas, in the higher 
 latitudes, and in the more elevated portions of our own val- 
 ley, the people will be agriculturists, mechanics, manufac- 
 turers, and merchants; building up cities, towns, villages; 
 rearing sheep, hogs, horses, and cattle. Every water fall 
 will be occupied by mills, and used for manufactories; 
 every iron mine will produce its forges and furnaces, and 
 the neighboring hills supply the fuel needed to keep them 
 in operation. 
 
 Our vast natural meadows produce grass enough now, to 
 feed and fatten all the domesticated animals, whose food is 
 grass, now existing in Europe or America; and they will 
 one day furnish grass, grain, and meat, enough for all man- 
 kind. 
 
 To these, now unoccupied mines, waterfalls, fine, fertile 
 lands for tillage; and to these vast natural meadows, cov- 
 ered with tall grasses and beautiful flowers, the genius, the 
 activity and enterprise of the eastern people — the New Eng- 
 24 
 
206 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 landers, the New Yorkers, the New Jersey people, Pennsyl- 
 vanians, Marylanders and Virginians — will find their way. 
 The wealthy men of those States may wish to retain their 
 people where they are, to labor for a mere trifle for them; 
 but the poor man naturally wants to go to a country where 
 he can own a large farm — have his own houses and barns, 
 cribs and mills — own large droves of cattle, horses, and hogs, 
 see his own fields of wheat, corn, flax, hemp, potatoes, beans, 
 peas, and grass waving in luxuriance, before every gentle 
 breeze of air, far as his eye can extend.- 
 
 He wishes also, to rear his family where his sons can be 
 physicians, lawyers, divines, members of the legislature, 
 sheriffs, judges or members of congress.* Here, he can 
 place them on a stage where they will be the first players 
 and actors who appear on it, and they thus have an oppor- 
 tunity to get possession of the audience and to keep it. To 
 get possession of this theatre and these boards, the young, 
 the athletic,, the enterprising, the ambitious, the high 
 minded, honest and honorable; the learned, the wise, the 
 grave, and the gay — the man of small fortune and large 
 family, may come, from all parts of the world, and here find 
 a fortune and a home for themselves and their posterity for- 
 ever. At this moment, fifty thousand old maids could find 
 good industrious husbands in the western States. For my 
 testimony, I refer to the late census. 
 
 In the southern portion of this valley, the soil, the climate, 
 the want of seats for mills and machinery moved by water 
 power — the absence of all the minerals, all point clearly 
 to this, as the dwelling place of the planter and his labor- 
 ers; and here will be produced all that the northern people 
 cannot produce, and they again will produce all he cannot, 
 to render both people happy, united, one and the same com- 
 munity. 
 
 Between the Alleghanies and the Rocky mountains, which 
 are about two thousand miles apart, navigable rivers pass 
 
 *See appendix A. 
 
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 207 
 
 through the country at suitable distances from each other, 
 except that portion of it where the Indians are to be sent. 
 There the soil is so poor, too, that it produces nothing but 
 the prickly pear, (cactus opuntia,) and is the only portion 
 of this valley, that is not of some use either to man, beast, 
 fish, or bird. With this exception, all and every portion of 
 this country will, at some future day, support a dense popu- 
 lation. Where the prairie country now is, trees of all kinds 
 suitable to the climate, will grow rapidly, and to a great 
 size, wherever man plants or sows the seeds of them in the 
 earth, and bestows a very little culture upon them. 
 
 Who will say, that one square inch of all this valley shall 
 not belong to this nation? Who will say, that one drop of 
 rain or flake of snow should ever fall between these moun- 
 tains, and not fall on our country, politically, as it is natu- 
 rally ? From ocean to ocean, east and west — from the Frozen 
 sea to Darien, the Creator has laid off its boundaries, and 
 so irrigated it with rivers, throughout its whole vast extent 
 in its interior — so indented it with bays, and sharpened its 
 exterior with capes along its oceans — so located its moun- 
 tains, filled them with minerals of all sorts, that we are 
 compelled to look upon North America, as one grand and 
 sublime whole. Under this confederated form of govern- 
 ment, where just as many States may exist, as the local in- 
 terests, feelings and peculiar views of the people who inha- 
 bit each section of the country, shall demand, one grand, 
 simple, general government, may, and I doubt not, finally 
 will, govern the whole of North America. The several 
 States, like the planets in our solar system, may revolve 
 around such a general government, as their political center 
 of gravity. 
 
 To these materials, so well calculated to form a natural 
 cement and a bond of union, there are considerations which 
 tend to produce a moral cement as valuable, and I would 
 fain hope, as enduring, as the world itself. Who can com- 
 pensate for the breaking up of this Union, the last hope of 
 liberty? The example of this nation, governed by laws 
 
208 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 emanating from the people who obey them, casts a steady 
 and enduring light on the path of nations. It has done 
 wonders already in the old world — it will continue to do 
 wonders towards breaking down despotic governments all 
 over the worid, until man is every where free and happy. 
 
 To establish more firmly the bonds of our Union, not by 
 physical power, but by the moral cements of mutual interest 
 and mutual affection, is a work the most exalted, most patri- 
 otic, and morally sublime, of any which can employ the 
 thoughts, the time, the labor, and the genius of man. 
 
 The countinance of this Union, forever, not only trans- 
 mits to our posterity forever the richest inheritance that any 
 people ever did or ever can possess, but our example holds 
 out the only prospect of freedom and happiness for all man- 
 kind. 
 
 While this nation remains one and undivided, free, pros- 
 perous and happy, no despotic government can long exist 
 in Europe. Every throne in that quarter of the world, not 
 founded on the will of the people, is now shaking and ready 
 to tumble down in the dust. 
 
 The fear of change perplexes monarchs, and the time is 
 not far distant when the divine rights of kings, and of con- 
 stables, corporals and bum-bailiffs, will be considered as 
 standing upon the same foundation. 
 
 Who will say, that our Revolution and the lights shining 
 out of it on the world, have not opened the eyes of mankind, 
 to the true sources of all earthly power? and that our pros- 
 perous condition as a people, and unexampled growth in 
 knowledge, numbers, wealth and power, have not produced 
 the happiest effects on the nations of Europe? 
 
 Who then wishes to put out these lights, and to leave the 
 world in darkness once more? 
 
 Who is mad enough among us, to harbor the thought of 
 dissolving this Union? 
 
 Who can calculate its value, even to our posterity? Who 
 can calculate its value to mankind in every clime, and in 
 all succeeding ages of the world? 
 
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 
 
 209 
 
 As he looks upon the map of this country, where is the 
 man whose mind is not expanded, with the extent of this 
 vast national domain? How is the heart of the patriot, the 
 statesman, the philanthropist, the lover of liberty, filled with 
 joy unutterable, when he looks with prophetic eye over 
 this vast field of future happiness, graudeur and glory, yet 
 in reserve for the human race? Here science, learning, 
 art, free government, human happiness, amd human glory, 
 shall be consummated under the guidance of those bene- 
 volent principles and precepts, which Christianity has intro- 
 duced into the world. Here, one language will prevail over 
 a great extent of country, and be used by three hundred 
 millions of people. Here, nearly the same ideas as to gov- 
 ernment, laws, religion, and every thing else, almost, will 
 also prevail. What a vast field of fame for our authors, our 
 statesmen, jurists, men of science, of literature, is here 
 spread out to their view? Those, whose actions merit glory 
 and renown, will be known to a vast number of people, and 
 their names handed down from age to age, forever. This, 
 field is ready for the harvest, and the reapers may now put 
 in their sickles. If the reapers now be few, their several 
 rewards will be the richer. 
 
 The scholar may trim his lamp and begin his labors — 
 the poet raise his song, in' a language that will be used by 
 one half of the whole human race, while time endures. — 
 Let the statesman lay his wise plans on a scale as large 
 and as grand, as the country his policy is to govern; and 
 his fame shall go down to all succeeding ages, as the bene- 
 factor of future generations. Let us then lay aside all low 
 aims, and elevate our views and act upon principles as 
 broad, as free, as liberal, and as enlightened, as our future 
 destiny, grand and sublime, seems to demand. 
 
 It is possible that there may be, for some few centuries 
 to come, two or three governments in North America, be- 
 side ours — one in Canada, in the north — and one in Mexico, 
 in the southern part of this America — there may be, also, 
 a free and separate government in the West Indies, Cuba 
 
 
■ 
 
 210 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DV CHIEN. 
 
 being the seat of its general government; but eventually 
 the whole will form but one confederacy. 
 
 ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, 
 
 Is situated on the west bank of the Mississippi river? 
 twenty miles by water, below the mouth of Missouri, in; 
 latitude thirty-eight degrees twenty minutes north. 
 
 By a treaty of peace made and concluded in 1763, Can- 
 ada, with the whole territory belonging to France, eastward 
 of the middle of the Mississippi river, to the Iberville,, 
 thence through the middle, of that river, to the lakes Mau- 
 repas and Ponchartrain, to the gulf of Mexico, was ceded 
 by France to Great Britain. By this treaty, the bounda- 
 ries of the British provinces were extended southward to 
 the gulf of Mexico, and westward to the Mississippi; the 
 navigation of which, to its mouth, was to be free to both 
 nations. When this treaty was concluded, Mr. Dabbadie 
 was director general, commander, civil and military, of the 
 province of Louisiana; he was ordered to deliver to Great 
 Britain the said ceded territory. He had, about that time r 
 granted a company of merchants of New Orleans, the exclu- 
 sive commerce of furs and peltries with the Indian nations 
 of the Missouri, and those west" of the Mississippi, above 
 the Missouri river, to the river St. Peters. This company, 
 under the style of "Pierre Laclede, Ligueste, Maxant and 
 Company," by virtue of their privilege, sent from New 
 Orleans a considerable expedition, to convey up the Missis- 
 sippi the necessary goods and merchandise for their trade 
 with the Indians, under the command and direction of Mr. 
 Laclede, principal shareholder, who was chosen by the com- 
 pany, as being the most capable to conduct the expedition 
 and to transact the business of the company. 
 
 There was then on the west side of the Mississippi, but 
 the small and weak settlement of St. Genevieve, in which 
 there was not a house sufficiently large to contain the mer- 
 chandise of the company; and its situation being otherwise 
 
ST. LOUIS. 211 
 
 inconvenient, and not proper for the transaction oi* the 
 business of the company, and being moreover too far from 
 the mouth of Missouri, Mr. Laclede resolved, for the time 
 being, to land his merchandise at Fort Chartres, although 
 on the English side. Being there, after Mr. Laclede had 
 sent his merchandise for the Indian trade up the Missouri, 
 as well as up the Mississippi, he resolved to look for a proper 
 situation on the west side of the Mississippi river, where he 
 could make a proper settlement for the purposes of his com- 
 merce, which would be more convenient than St. Gene- 
 vieve; whereupon, after traveling over the country, the # 
 site where the city of St. Louis now stands, was chosen, 
 (which was then covered with splendid forest trees, free of 
 undergrowth,) as well on account of its beautiful situation, 
 as its proximity to the Missouri, and the excellence of its 
 soil. Having returned .to Fort Chartres, he employed all 
 proper means in his power, to procure the necessary things 
 for the commencement of his new settlement; and having 
 hired workmen of different trades, on the 10th of February, 
 1764, he sent an armament under the command of the late 
 Colonel Auguste Choteau, who had accompanied him in all 
 his travels, and who was then very young, to build a house 
 at the place they had chosen. Mr. De Laclede being 
 obliged to remain at Fort Chartres, to finish his business be- 
 fore the arrival of the English, Col. Auguste Choteau com- 
 menced the settlement on the 15th day of February, 1764, 
 and built the first house, near where the market house now 
 stands; and soon thereafter, several inhabitants of Fort 
 Chartres and Cahokia, came thither and settled. These 
 first settlers were favored and encouraged by Mr. De La- 
 clede, who gratuitously gave them provisions and tools of 
 all kinds, conveyances to transport their effects and fami- 
 lies to this new settlement, and even ordered them to be 
 helped by his men, in the building of their houses. Col. 
 Choteau and these new inhabitants, full of gratitude for the 
 liberality of Mr, De Laclede, desired to give his name to 
 this settlement, but he would not consent to it, saying that 
 
 
212 TOUR TO PRAIRIE PU CHIEN. 
 
 he desired it to bear the name of St. Louis, which was that 
 of the King, of whom they were, all subjects. Mr. De 
 Laclede died at the post of Arkansaw on the 20th of June, 
 1778; when many of the inhabitants were about to aban- 
 don the settlement, but were prevented from doing so by 
 Col. Choteau, who prevailed with them to remain, and fur- 
 nished them with the means of support. He continued to 
 reside at St. Louis until his death, which took place on the 
 24th of February, 1829 — sixty-four years after the founding 
 of the city — having seen St. Louis, merged in a wilderness, 
 surrounded with difFerent nations of Indians, rise to its pres- 
 ent promising and populous condition. 
 
 St. Louis is a town containing, now, I presume, about 
 seven thousand inhabitants, about forty stores, a considera- 
 ble number of lawyers, who are very respectable in their 
 profession, several physicians, well. bred and well educated; 
 and several clergymen. 
 
 Mechanics are much needed, of all sorts. Cabinet ma- 
 kers, house joiners, brick layers, stone masons, might here 
 get full employment, and good prices for their work; and 
 every article of living is cheap, and in abundance. All 
 sorts of foreign goods are very cheap, having arrived here 
 by sea, via New Orleans, and thence, shipped in large 
 steam boats to this place. The freight from Baltimore or 
 Philadelphia, costs about a cent a pound, and goods are 
 brought on here, all summer, as the Mississippi is navigable 
 then, for the largest steamboats, even when they cannol 
 reach Louisville, on account of low waters in the Ohio 
 river. 
 
 Several mechanics, with families, from Pittsburgh and 
 Baltimore, were passengers in the same vessel with me, 
 and in two days after our arrival in St. Louis, they were 
 all settled down comfortably, and fully employed in their 
 several trades. I saw them daily afterwards, and they all 
 appeared to be very happy. I understood them to say that 
 their living cost them about half what it did, whither they 
 had come from; and their wages were now fully double 
 
ST. LOUIS. 213 
 
 what they had heretofore received for similar services. 
 They were stone masons, cabinet makers, tailors, and brick 
 layers. 
 
 There was but one tinner in the city, and he was noticed, 
 taken into the best society in the place, and was making 
 a fortune by his business. 
 
 I am of the opinion that any number of good mechanics, 
 almost, would do well to emigrate to this place, or its neigh- 
 borhood. 
 
 The town occupies the western side of the river, from its 
 very edge, a distance, from north to south, of about two 
 miles, and it may be about half a mile in width from east 
 to west. The streets are laid out parallel with the river, in- 
 tersecting each other at right angles, like all our western 
 towns. Main street, running parallel with the river, and 
 nearest to it, is well paved with limestone. In this street 
 are located nearly all the stores, and the buildings in it 
 are, many of them, large and elegant. The ground on 
 which the city is built, descends, perhaps, in the distance 
 of half a mile from the west, down to the water's edge, in 
 low water, one hundred feet. Towards the west, from the 
 highest ground, which is the edge of the town, in that direc- 
 tion, the surface rather declines than otherwise. From the 
 mouth of the Missouri, along the western bank of the Mis- 
 sissippi, for a distance of twenty-five miles southwardly, and 
 from the river, westwardly, twenty miles or more, the sur- 
 face of the earth is sufficiently elevated and level, but none 
 too much so for a city to stand on. 
 
 Limestone underlays the whole surface of this country at 
 no great depth, of exactly the right thickness and texture for 
 building stone. 
 
 This rock lies in strata, about four inches in thickness, 
 and is easily quarried, and cut into fragments of the size of 
 a common brick. 
 
 Springs of pure and wholesome water are found in abun- 
 dance in and near the town, which would supply it with 
 water for every necessary purpose, except for water power. 
 25 
 
214 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 Many persons, however, prefer the dirty water of the 
 Mississippi, and use it for drink and culinary purposes. 
 When that is used, it is settled in tanks; at least, several 
 families thus settle it. The old settlers are almost super- 
 stitious about this water, believing that while they use it, 
 they will enjoy their health. This turbid water comes 
 from the Missouri river, the Upper Mississippi being as 
 transparent and as pure as the Ohio. 
 
 The river here is scarcely a mile in width, running with 
 a pretty strong current, which is crossed every few minutes 
 all day, by a steam ferry boat, carrying passengers, wagons, 
 carriages of all sorts, horses, cattle, and every thing else, 
 which it is necessary to transport from bank to bank of the 
 river. 
 
 An island lies in the river, rather in the way in crossing, 
 and the ferry boat is compelled to go partly round its lower 
 extremity. Should this island increase in length, as it 
 threatens to do, landings on each side of the river, higher up 
 the stream, must be made, or a channel be made sufficiently 
 deep and wide, through the island, for the passage of the 
 steamboat. 
 
 The fuel used in town I should suppose was fossil coal, 
 to a considerable extent, as I saw grates for using it, in 
 nearly every house I entered. This coal comes from Illi- 
 nois, opposite the center of the town, and about four miles 
 east of it. It is found in the highest ridge of rocks bound- 
 ing the American bottom, on the east, near the bottom, 
 and exists in such quantities that it will supply the town 
 with it forever, at twelve and a half cents a bushel. My 
 constant employment by night and by day, while at St. 
 Louis, prevented my visiting this coal bed while I was there. 
 This coal is found almost any where in the ridge I have 
 mentioned, and along the Missouri and its tributaries, in 
 such quantities, and is so easily obtained, that the article 
 itself will, at no future day, ever become scarce or dear, 
 and will supply fuel* either for culinary or manufactur- 
 
ST. LOUIS. 5215 
 
 ing purposes, to any extent which the people, numerous as 
 they must be, will need. 
 
 Land, in and about the town, is cheap; so much so, that 
 good land, on the Missouri side of the river, can be pur- 
 chased now, within sight of the town, for three and four dol- 
 lars an acre; and on the other side, in Illinois, for one dollar 
 and twenty-five cents an acre. 
 
 Farmers and horticulturists may here locate themselves 
 as soon as they please, and make fortunes. General Bissel, 
 who resides in Missouri, about twelve miles from town, and 
 cultivates, I understood him to say, about two hundred acres 
 of land, showed me a book in which he kept an account of 
 the sums he received for articles sent to market here during 
 the then last year; and it amounted to the sum of two thou- 
 sand dollars. I understood him to say that he employed 
 but seven laborers on his farm, and one of them attended 
 the market to sell the articles produced on the farm. 
 
 All the boards and scantling used in building here, that I 
 inquired where they were brought from, came from Pitts- 
 burgh, and were brought down the Alleghany river from the 
 pine groves at the heads of that river and its branches. 
 Though these boards were dearer, of course, than the same 
 articles were at Cincinnati and Louisville, they were much 
 cheaper than I should have supposed, considering the great 
 distance they had been transported from their native forests, 
 and the mills where they had been manufactured. 
 
 Pine trees of every species grow on the head waters of 
 the Wisconsin, and on the Mississippi, above St. Anthony's 
 falls. Very little doubt exists in my own mind as to the ex- 
 istence of this tree on the Upper Missouri, in a high lati- 
 tude. These forests, thus located in a country where water 
 falls exist, will supply for ages, the country below them with 
 pine timber and boards. 
 
 Every other species of timber, except the pine, used hj 
 the house builder, the joiner and cabinet maker, may be 
 found near St. Louis, on the east side of the river, and 
 floated to it in rafts. 
 
 
216 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEil. 
 
 The whole family of walnut trees, paccan and all, are 
 found in Illinois, and may be easily transported by water to 
 this place. They exist on the west side of the Mississippi 
 also, and near it, in many places, on the hill sides, and on 
 their summits, from a short distance above the mouth of the 
 Missouri to the lower rapids, two hundred and forty miles 
 above St. Louis. I was informed too, that pine forests exist 
 on the head waters of the Gasconade river, from which 
 they could be transported without difficulty to St. Louis. 
 As this river rises among the Ozark mountains, the eleva- 
 tion where they grow, on Alpine heights, affords the same 
 temperature for this tree to vegetate in, that a higher lati- 
 tude would, and its growth here creates no surprise in the 
 mind of the botanist. It is true that some species of pine 
 grow in low latitudes where the soil is sandy and sterile, as 
 along our sea coast, in North Carolina, South Carolina, Geor- 
 gia, Alabama 5 and especially in Louisiana ; but the white pine 
 prefers Alpine heights, or a higher latitude. The Ozark 
 mountains, in thirty-seven or thirty-eight degrees north, from 
 their elevation, may produce the white, as well as the yellow 
 pine. Growing near a navigable stream, and much nearer 
 St. Louis than any other forests of this tree, they may supplant 
 all others of this family in the market here. The restless, 
 sleepless activity, enterprise and energy of our western peo- 
 ple, will soon find these forests, if they are on the waters of 
 the Gasconade, and sawing them into scantling, planks and 
 boards, land them safely at St. Louis, where the saw, the 
 plane, and the hammer will assail them, and thus fit them 
 for the use of man. 
 
 The pine growing on the Ozark, I presume, from the 
 latitude of the region, to be the yellow species, as I do not 
 remember ever to have seen the white pine growing below 
 the fortieth degree of latitude in any part of the United 
 States, even on mountains, except in \ery elevated situa- 
 tions, among the Alleghanies. Those elevated positions, I 
 presume, were higher than any summit among the Ozark 
 chain of mountains, so that if the white pine is there, these 
 
ST. LOUIS. 217 
 
 summits must be very lofty, more so than I should suppose 
 them to be, from the information I possess. 
 
 I regret deeply my total want of information, as to the 
 number of schools and churches in St. Louis, though I do 
 know, that the children and youth of both sexes, belonging 
 to the best families, are well bred and well educated, and 
 those I saw in the streets, behaved, at all times and in all 
 places, where my eye saw them, with the greatest propriety. 
 I should hardly suppose though, that schools existed in this 
 city, in which the young ladies of this town had obtained 
 all the education they most certainly had received. I have 
 seen no where, young ladies better educated, and the young 
 gentlemen were very little behind them, in this respect. 
 
 The presbyterian church was well attended on Sunday, 
 and so was a Sunday school also. The state of society is 
 doubtless improving here, as it is every where, west of the 
 mountains. 
 
 The situation of the place, and the whole surface of the 
 country, west of it, indicate health, and there is as much of 
 it here, as can be found any where. 
 
 The westwardly wind, that generally prevails here, does 
 not pass over one drop of stagnant water near the town. 
 The bright sparkling eye, the ruddy cheek, firm, quick and 
 elastic step, indicate health among the people of the place. 
 
 The market is good, and not very dear, though I saw 
 chickens brought to it from the state of Illinois, a distance 
 of one hundred miles. To me it appeared strange and un- 
 accountable, that the whole plain west of the town, wide 
 spread, and not wanting in fertility, nor dear in price, 
 should be suffered to grow up with bushes, instead of being 
 cultivated by the farmer and the gardener. Why gentle- 
 men of fortune should all prefer, in summer, the sight of a 
 heated pavement, to the green grass, the orchard loaded 
 with delicious fruit, the corn field and garden; and why they 
 should all prefer at the same season, the sound of the guns 
 of the steamers arriving or departing, to the lowing of herds, 
 and flocks of their own raising, I cannot divine. It is one 
 
 . <'j* 
 
218 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 of those freaks of taste, for which there is no accounting, 
 and I almost regret the absence of a law which would pun- 
 ish this, and some other of its strange vagaries. 
 
 The Philadelphians would manage these matters much 
 better, if they lived here, I am sure, and so would the Bos- 
 tonians. Let us hope that a people so worthy, deserving 
 every pleasure this earth has to bestow on human beings, 
 will soon build villas and country seats near the town, 
 where they can assemble and enjoy, not only all the plea- 
 sure they now do, under their delightful groves, but even 
 an additional one, the company of their beautiful and ac- 
 complished wives, daughters, sisters, and sweethearts, (a 
 homely expression.) 
 
 At Nashville it is not so, where, in addition to all that a 
 city can afford, beautiful country seats are seen in all direc- 
 tions, where both sexes meet, and enliven the scene; are 
 happy themselves, and make all happy about them. 
 
 The general reader will pardon this digression, I hope, 
 and the people of St. Louis, to whom I feel grateful fortheir 
 hospitality, forgive this suggestion, which forced itself upon 
 my mind at the time, and was then noticed by me, and not 
 condemned by the company, then and there assembled. 
 
 With the French people of the better class, it is different; 
 the old and the young, the rich and the poor, all appear at 
 their parties. The great-grandfather and his lady, if liv- 
 ing, are there; and all their descendant's of a suitable age 
 to appear in company, who are brought forward at a very 
 early age, are not absent. In that case, a large number of 
 families, appear to be only one family. The gaiety of youth 
 adds vivacity to age, while the wisdom and gravity of age, 
 temper the waywardness of youth. The presence of the 
 females, of all ages, puts a perfect extinguisher upon all 
 conversation of an immodest cast of character. Such an 
 assembly is a perfect school of virtue, politeness, good sense 
 and good breeding. This state of things smoothes the rug- 
 ged path of life, softens the temper, improves the manners 
 and meliorates the heart. Such a people will always be 
 
ST. LOUIS. 219 
 
 virtuous, innocent and happy. Gallipolis, on the Ohio, was 
 formerly, when I visited it often, for many years, a perfect 
 example of these parties. 
 
 The English people, and the Americans, who have bor- 
 rowed so much from them, manage things very differently — 
 the men congregate together in little squads, even at 
 assemblies of both sexes, while the other sex are collected 
 by themselves, in similar little groups. Conversations in 
 each group, are held, that are improper to be listened to by 
 the other sex! 
 
 Now to my mind, all this is unsociable, tends to morose- 
 ness, and the female character does not, as it should do, 
 check any impropriety of conduct in the men; nor does 
 the presence of the latter tend to exalt the female mind to 
 a certain degree of manliness of character, which, in some 
 particular instances, it does not possess. The Creator who 
 formed them both, intended them for the society of each 
 other, that thus, what was deficient in each sex, should be 
 supplied by the other, and a perfect human character be 
 produced. These remarks are intended for all, and not for 
 any one place in particular, certainly not for St. Louis, 
 where the state of the intercourse between the sexes is as 
 pure, as agreeable, as good and as exalted, so f%r as my 
 opportunities enabled me to judge of it, as can be found 
 any where. 
 
 TRADE AND COMMERCE. 
 
 Considering the size of the place, these must amount to a 
 large sum indeed. The American Fur Company have here 
 a large establishment, and the furs, skins and peltry cannot 
 amount to less than one million of dollars annually, which 
 are brought down the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. 
 , The company trade over a vast region, occupying all the 
 country north and west of this place, quite to the Rocky 
 mountains, and to as low a latitude as the Arkansaw river- 
 I went through their establishment and examined every 
 
220 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 part of it, and it was well worth seeing. The Indian goods 
 sold by this company, all come from England, and arc of 
 the best quality. 
 
 This town has the trade of nearly all the State of Illinois, 
 along and near the Mississippi; it supplies the retail mer- 
 chants of the State of Missouri, with goods of all sorts, and 
 nearly all the produce of the upper country passes through 
 the hands of the merchants of St Louis. 
 
 The government expends large sums of money in St. 
 Louis, and no small portion of all that is expended for the 
 support of the army, is laid out 'here. The navy depart- 
 ment too, purchases provisions in this place; and the Indian 
 department has expended millions of dollars here. Six 
 military posts come here for every thing almost they need; 
 and the officers of the army are here in greater numbers, 
 than they are at any other one point. It was no uncommon 
 occurrence, for forty officers to sit down at the table to din- 
 ner, at Town's, where I lodged; and I saw them in other 
 parts of the city daily, and in considerable numbers. 
 
 The trade to New Orleans is a heavy business, as to the 
 amount of its value, and steam vessels of the largest class 
 arrive and depart, not only every day, but several of them 
 in eachroay. 
 
 They were always well freighted, both ways. Steamers 
 ply regularly between this place and Franklin, oh Missouri 
 river, <md they often ascend the Upper Mississippi. From 
 New Orleans, they bring European goods, molasses, sugar, 
 cotton, alum, salt, coffee, and every article produced in the 
 States of Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, as well as 
 the productions of the West Indies. From Pittsburgh, 
 Cincinnati and Louisville, they bring whisky, beer, porter, 
 ale, pork, flour, beef, iron in castings, bars, bolts, and nails 
 — indeed, all the articles manufactured of either iron or 
 steel — cabinet furniture, hats, tobacco, gun powder, salt- 
 peter, hemp and cordage. These articles are bought to sell 
 again to the upper-country people. 
 
ST. LOUIS. 221 
 
 The trade in lead, manufactured, either in Missouri, or in 
 the mineral region of the Upper Mississippi, has been a 
 great business. The manufacture oflead, into the form of 
 shot, has been carried on to a considerable extent, at Her- 
 culaneum, below this town. From my imperfect knowledge, 
 having no estimate of any kind before me, of any branch of 
 this trade and commerce, nor the means of obtaining one, 
 from any very authentic source, it may look like presump- 
 tion in me to make one; but were I to do so, I should esti- 
 mate the commerce and trade of St. Louis, at this time, at 
 ten millions of dollars annually. It cannot be less, I think, 
 and may be more, much more. 
 
 This trade is increasing and must increase for ages yet 
 to come, as the country fills up with people, over a surface 
 larger than that of all France — a country, for fertility of 
 soil, and healthy and invigorating climate, equals any other 
 county in the world. At some day, not very distant, either, 
 four or five millions of people, will transact nearly all their 
 mercantile business at St. Louis. When the country is 
 fully settled, and properly improved, on all the Mississippi 
 and Missouri waters, thirty millions of people will trade 
 here. 
 
 Their trade to the UpperMexican Provinces, now amounts 
 to several hundred thousand dollars annually, and that 
 trade will increase in amount and activity, every year. — 
 This place too, will be on the direct route from the Atlan- 
 tic to the Pacific ocean, and when our settlements reach 
 the latter, as they soon will, the trade between this valley 
 and that ocean, will all, or nearly all, pass through this 
 town. If not the first city in the nation, it must be the 
 second in point of magnitude and importance, New Orleans 
 being the first city, on this continent. A surface of territory 
 equal to one thousand miles square, must send its trade here 
 forever, and the next census will place the seat of the Na- 
 tional Government at this place. 
 
 We are often told by eastern scientific empirics, who 
 have seen them, of the sterility of the soil where the prai- 
 26 
 
222 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 ries are; but the very reverse is the fact. All the country 
 lying between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, is the 
 healthiest, most fertile and best watered country in the 
 world, and will one day support as dense a population, as 
 any part of China now does. From thirty-seven to forty- 
 eight degrees north; from the Wabash river or near to it, 
 to the Rocky mountains in the west, in all future time, the 
 people of that whole region, will go to St. Louis to trade; 
 because located as it is, no town can ever grow up, nearer 
 to it than Louisville, and that will add to the business of St. 
 Louis, but never will, and never can injure it, in the smal- 
 lest degree. The same may be said of Cincinnati, the trade 
 of each, adds to each, and not the reverse. 
 
 As a manufacturing State, Missouri will rank very high, 
 having iron ore and fossil coal in its hills, enough to supply 
 the world with those articles, and whatever they can pro- 
 duce. Its lead ore, and its salt water, both abundant, in 
 many places, are not without their value. 
 
 Little minds are apt to envy the prosperity of their neigh- 
 bors, or, in other words, many people are too selfish for their 
 own self interest. The growth of St. Louis will not, can- 
 not prevent the growth of Cincinnati or Louisville, more 
 than it will the growth and prosperity of Boston, New 
 York, Philadelphia or Baltimore. Indeed, the growth and 
 success of our whole western country will add vastly to the 
 prosperity of the eastern section of our union. The politi- 
 cal power of the east, it is true, is departing to the west; 
 but that need not, ought not, to be a cause of heart burning 
 in the east. When they erected this government, they 
 gave it its boundaries, and provided for a representation of 
 the people, wherever they dwelt, within certain limits; those 
 who erected this government, certainly never intended that 
 nine-tenths of the whole country — almost all of ft, that was 
 intended to be the most useful to man, was to remain under 
 the dominion of a few wandering savages, and wild beasts. 
 No, the framers of our constitution intended the whole 
 country to be filled up with civilized people, and then see 
 
ST. LOUIS. 223 
 
 what this vast country would be. This process is going on 
 as rapidly as the heart of the patriot can wish, and that 
 process will make St. Louis, situated as it is, the future cap- 
 ital of a great nation. 
 
 CHARACTER OF THE TEOPLE. 
 
 Although this town was originally settled by the French, 
 und although Spain governed this country awhile, yet the 
 people now are of as mixed a character as almost any town 
 in the Union presents. The character of the people may 
 be safely set down, though, as being nearly the same with 
 the best people of Kentucky, Tennessee, and old Virginia, 
 with one additional trait of character — they have all the 
 hospitality of the old Virginians, Kentuckians and Tennes- 
 seans, and at the same time they are, without doubt, the 
 most enterprising people in the world. Should a whole 
 town in Missouri unite, as they often do, to treat some stran- 
 ger with attention, and even amidst their festivity, should 
 any intelligence be received from Santa Fee, the foot of 
 the Rocky mountains, or St. Peters, that would make it for 
 the interest' of any one present, to be off to any one of those 
 places, or to ail of them in succession, he would be on his 
 way to the place of his destination, in an hour after he got 
 the news. They think no more of a trip to the Rocky 
 mountains, than they do of any daily occurrence, and not 
 a few of them, have been there often, and every where else, 
 almost, in the world. 
 
 I suspect, that for their numbers, the population of St. 
 Louis, in particular, and of Missouri in general, is as intel- 
 ligent, enterprising, active and industrious as any in the 
 world. I confess, that I have seen no people quite equal to 
 them in these respects, any where else. 
 
 It has been, perhaps, justly remarked, that in old French 
 settlements, made in America, the people had very little 
 energy or enterprise, compared with descendants of English- 
 men. That might have been true formerly, but certainly is 
 
224 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 not true now. The Chouteaus, the Menards, Vallis, &c, 
 &c, of Missouri, are as active,, as restless, as stirring and 
 as enterprising, as any people can be. They scale every 
 mountain, swim every river, navigate every stream of wa- 
 ter, they traverse every prarie, and explore every section 
 of country, east of the Rocky mountains, in quest of furs, 
 peltries and skins. They build large houses, and dwell in 
 them — erect large store houses, and occupy them — build 
 vessels, and sail in them to any part of the world. Their 
 spirits are as stirring, their views are as extended, their aims 
 as elevated, their flights as lofty as any one could even 
 desire. 
 
 MY PERSONAL NARRATIVE RESUMED. 
 
 Landing on the morning of the 12th day of June, 1829, 
 at St. Louis, I was introduced to Mr. Town, who keeps the 
 principal tavern in the city. He had every thing in read- 
 iness to convey me and my baggage to his house, where I 
 found myself comfortably lodged in a few minutes; and 
 found there not a few officers of the army. Calling on Col- 
 onel Benton, with whom I was personally well acquainted, 
 I found him surrounded by his large and most interesting 
 and amiable family, at home. As a member of the United 
 States Senate, he knew every thing about my mission, its 
 origin, its objects, and its difficulties. The two former he 
 fully detailed to me, and gave me a glimpse of the last. Ge- 
 neral M'Neil was out of town, somewhere, among the offi- 
 cers of the army, as he almost always was afterwards, when 
 near any military post; and Colonel Menard, the other com- 
 missioner, was at Kaskaskia, where he lived, sixty miles, or 
 upwards, from St. Louis. These gentlemen had met, dif- 
 fered in opinion, and parted without appointing a secretary, 
 or purchasing any goods, or in fact, doing any thing to for- 
 ward the objects of the mission, scarcely. 
 
 On visiting General Clarke, the superintendent of Indian 
 affairs, I was more fully informed of the difficulties so un- 
 
ST. LOUIS. 
 
 225 
 
 expectedly thrown in my way — there was no appropriation 
 of one cent, to carry the mission into effect; whereas, large 
 sums of money must be raised by the commissioners on their 
 own individual credit — the day had passed by when the 
 council was to have been held at Rock island, and the time 
 had been extended to a day too near at hand, to hold it, 
 and the place had been changed to Prairie du Chien. 
 Treachery existed among the officers of the Indian depart- 
 ment, located in the Indian country; and their letters, de- 
 tailing all their plots and manoeuvres, were put in my pos- 
 session ! The politicians opposed to the administration, were 
 loudly proclaiming the total failure of the mission, and con- 
 demning the President and Secretary of War on that ac- 
 count. Discouraging as all these circumstances were, I de- 
 termined to fully inform myself of every thing, before I gave 
 up the mission. General Clark had with him several Sauk 
 and Fox Indians, who had brought in to be redeemed, a 
 Sioux woman, their prisoner. To them I was introduced 
 by General Clark, with whom I sat in council, and held 
 with them several long talks. They lived in the country 
 where I was going, and were well acquainted in it. They 
 knew all the Indians I was going to treat with. Some of 
 them lived near Rock island, and others near Du Buque's 
 mine, not far from Galena, five hundred miles north of St. 
 Louis. The acquaintance I made with these people, proved 
 very useful to us afterwards, and the information I derived 
 from them now, enabled me to take several steps immedi- 
 ately, to counteract an opposition to us, originating in the 
 upper part of Indiana. From them I learned, that the Black 
 Hawk, and his band of Sauks, had gone to Drummond's is- 
 land, to receive their annuity from the British government; 
 and that a principal Sauk had gone to the mouth of Eel 
 river, of the Wabash, whither he had been invited by an 
 officer of the Indian department. 
 
 Gloomy as all these circumstances were, I determined to 
 go forward in the business in which I was engaged, and 
 
226 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 General Clark, Colonel Benton, and others, promised all 
 their aid to carry it into effect- — and they faithfully perfor- 
 med all their promises to me. The former set his clerks to 
 work, to make all the maps necessary for me, and he fur- 
 nished me every book, paper and document I needed, and 
 which he possessed or could obtain. General Clark's col- 
 lection of Indian clothing, manufactures, and everything 
 else relating to the Indians of North America, is probably 
 the best in the world. 
 
 Occupying myself, by night and by day, with my busi- 
 ness, at the end of several days General M'Niel appeared, 
 and after appointing as secretary, Charles Hempstead, we 
 took all the pains we could to select our goods, and finally 
 purchased them, and made ready, as rapidly as possible, to 
 fit out our expedition. The goods were selected with a view 
 to be useful to the Indians, rather than showy ones; and 
 they were the cheapest goods ever purchased in this market. 
 Calicoes cost the Indians but fifteen cents a yard, when de- 
 livered to them at Prairie du Chien, and tobacco but four 
 cents a pound; and every other article was equally cheap 
 and of the best quality. When placed on board the vessel, 
 they weighed forty tons, at least. 
 
 A few days before our departure for the Upper Missis- 
 sippi, Colonel Menard appeared, and approving of all that 
 we had done, as I supposed, we departed from St. Louis on 
 the 30th day of June, 1829. 
 
 The nineteen days which I spent here, were occupied 
 almost every moment, in the public service, and I had no 
 leisure at my command. Sometimes I had company at my 
 room, attending to business there, and at other times I was 
 compelled to traverse the town and make calls at many 
 places. While there, I found the people civil, polite, and 
 as hospitable as I could have wished. My business wholly 
 prevented my accepting numerous invitations to dine, at 
 places where, under other circumstances, I should by no 
 means have declined the invitation. Necessity, stern and 
 
ALTON* 2'27 
 
 unrelenting, prevented me from pursuing a course, which, 
 had I had the command of my time, would have been very 
 agreeable to me. 
 
 At noon, on the 30th day of June, on board the barge of 
 the Missouri steamer, we took leave of Colonel Benton, 
 General Clark, and a large number of friends, who had ac- 
 companied us to the vessel. We had a great number of 
 passengers, male and female, bound mostly either to Galena 
 or to Prairie du Chien. Leaving the shore, we stemmed the 
 strong current of the Mississippi, passed the mouths of the 
 Missouri, and landed before sunset at Alton, on the Illinois 
 side of the river, where we tarried until morning. This 
 town is twenty miles or more above St. Louis, and not far 
 above the mouth of the Missouri. It is located at the point 
 where the ridge of rocks bounding the American Bottom on 
 the east, strikes the Mississippi, and there ends. Alton is 
 owned by Major Hunter, formerly of the army, and the State 
 is building, or rather, perhaps, has built before this time, 
 a State penitentiary here. Several steam mills, &c, are 
 here, and the place is rapidly rising up to some importance. 
 
 Being near the mouth of the Missouri, and the point from 
 whence a road could most easily be made, leading east- 
 wardly, in the direction of Edwardsville, from which it is 
 only about nine miles distant — the abundance of fossil coal 
 on the spot, and many other advantages, give this place a 
 decided preference, in my opinion, over any other between 
 it and any one on the east side of the river, above the 
 mouth of the Ohio. 
 
 Early in the morning of the first day of July, we started 
 again, and passing the mouth of Illinois river, we stopped 
 a moment to land passengers at a nominal village, called, if 
 my memory serves me, Passage des Sioux. Mr. Hempstead, 
 brother of our secretary, and some others who were going to 
 St. Charles, took this route in preference to the direct one, 
 as they had but a few miles to travel across from the Missis- 
 sippi to the Missouri, on the opposite side from St. Louis, 
 where St. Charles stands. 
 
228 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 We again moved forward, stopping at Clarksville, Loui- 
 siana, arid Hannibal, small towns on the Missouri side of 
 the river, and tarried longer in the day time, at a little 
 town called Quincy, two hundred miles perhaps above St. 
 Louis, than any where else, until on the morning of the 4th 
 of July, we landed under a discharge of cannon at Keokuck, 
 two hundred and forty miles north of St. Louis, at the foot 
 of the rapids of Des Moines. 
 
 The towns we had passed were all small ones, and newly 
 built, in which we procured ice, butter, eggs, chickens, and 
 steamboat wood. Generally speaking, the Missouri side of 
 the river was by far the best, and perpendicular rocks not 
 unfrequently formed the eastern shore. Lying in horizontal 
 strata, for miles together, every stratum could be seen to a 
 considerable distance. 
 
 Quincy stands mostly on a high bluff, and contains some 
 forty families of very decent looking people, but paleness of 
 countenance told us the same sad tale, that the low marshes 
 along the river near them, and the wet prairie just east of 
 the town, covered with grasses and weeds ten feet high, 
 might have told them, if properly interrogated. The hill 
 where the town stands is high enough for all the fogs from 
 the marshes along the river, to rest on, and they take the 
 liberty to do so. A land office is established here, but the 
 location is a bad one, and never can be healthy. To me 
 the people appeared better than any I saw in Illinois, as a 
 whole; and my only regret is that such a people should have 
 settled on a spot so insalubrious. 
 
 At the water's edge I saw jasper, in place, though of a 
 poor quality, just below where we landed at Quincy. 
 
 All the rocks I saw along the Mississippi, from the mouth 
 of the Ohio upwards, were of secondary formation, and 
 limestone predominated, though deposites of sandstone were 
 occasionally seen lying in strata for miles together. 
 
 Above the Missouri, on the western side of the Mississippi, 
 the streams putting into the "great water," were quite 
 
KEOKUCK VILLAGE* 229 
 
 small ones, and only valuable for mill streams, until we arri- 
 ved at fort Edwards, on the eastern shore, and opposite the 
 Des Moines river. This river is a large one, compared with 
 any we had passed above the Missouri. It may not be lon- 
 ger than the Illinois river, but I should think it carries in 
 its current more water, though perhaps it is not more than 
 three hundred miles in length. 
 
 Fort Edwards is three miles below the foot of the rapids, 
 on the east side of the river, and the buildings being pain- 
 ted white, located on a high bluff that juts out into the 
 river, looks beautifully from Keokuck village. The rapids 
 are twelve miles long, and in a common stage of the water, 
 present no impediment to steamboat navigation; but low 
 as the river was when we arrived there, it was impossible 
 for any loaded steamboat to ascend them. The river is 
 from half a mile to a mile in width here, without any island 
 in the river, in the distance of twelve miles, an uncommon 
 feature in the Upper Mississippi, which is full of islands 
 and sandbars, in a low stage of water. Keokuck is in lati- 
 tude about forty degrees twenty north, and belongs to the 
 half breeds, whose capital it is, on the western side of the 
 Mississippi. The northern line of the State of Missouri, in 
 running from its northwest corner eastvvardly, is a straight 
 line, until it strikes the Des Moines river; thence following 
 that river to its mouth. A triangle containing one hundred 
 and thirty-six thousand acres of land, north of and adjoining 
 the lower end of the Des Moines river, by treaty, has been 
 given to the half breeds, and is owned by about forty-two 
 persons. Congress have passed an act to divide it into 
 shares for them, and at their own request they are to be- 
 long to the State of Missouri. From the mouth of the Des 
 Moines, along the Mississippi, following the sinuosities of 
 the river, their front on the river may be thirty miles. It 
 is a very fine tract of land, generally well timbered, ex- 
 cept on the bottoms of the Des Moines, which is valuable 
 prairie land. 
 27 
 
230 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 The village is a small one, containing twenty families per- 
 haps. The American Fur Company have a store here, and 
 there is a tavern. Many Indians were fishing, and their 
 lights on the rapids in a dark night, were darting about, ap- 
 pearing and disappearing like so many fire flies. The con- 
 stant roaring of the waters on the rapids, the occasional 
 Indian yell, the lights of their fires on the shore, and the 
 boisterous mirth of the people at the doggery, attracted my 
 attention occasionally while we were lying here. Fish were 
 caught here in abundance. ' 
 
 On the eastern side of the river the lands are all occu- 
 pied by white people, from fort Edwards upwards, for many 
 miles above the rapids. Farms are opening, and log houses 
 appear almost every half mile on that shore. 
 
 On the west side only a few places are opened by half 
 breeds. 
 
 The beach on the western shore is narrow, and the hills 
 of moderate elevation, come quite down to the high water 
 I mark. 
 
 Large blocks of coarse sandstone have been floated down 
 on the ice at different times, from the St. Peters river, and 
 lodged on the beach. The rocks in place are limestone, 
 though great numbers of geodes of quartz cover the beach. 
 
 After making every arrangement for conveying the pub- 
 lic property over these rapids, and seeing every thing done 
 here that could be done by the commissioners, I started on 
 foot to walk over the rough hills skirting the western shore. 
 Our provisions, though started nearly one month before from 
 St. Louis, were scattered along these rapids, and I found 
 a considerable part of them as I ascended the river's edge, 
 lying on the beach and exposed to the hot sun. 
 
 After a tiresome walk of several miles, I reached Philip 
 Blondeau's farm. Him I found sick, lying under a shade, 
 out of doors. He was a sub-agent formerly, and his fam- 
 ily are owners to a considerable extent of this fine tract of 
 land. His wife is an Indian woman, and his daughters 
 
LOWER RAPIDS. 231 
 
 are well educated, well read, and accomplished young la- 
 dies. 
 
 His farm is a fine fertile one, and his dwelling house is 
 on the bank of the river, within a few rods of the water's 
 edge. His corn on the side hill covered a great space, and 
 looked finely. Here I ate as good a dinner as any one 
 ever did, of venison just killed, and offish just caught as I 
 arrived there. 
 
 Highly gratified with the treatment I received from this 
 interesting family, I moved forward again on foot, and 
 reached an island in the river just above the head of the 
 rapids, and opposite an Indian town, where I found a steam- 
 boat lying, and went on board it. 
 
 This vessel was occupied by its owner, who had his wife 
 and children with him. The boat was as poor an one as 
 ever was navigated; it had been up the river and was de- 
 tained here by the rapids. During the night it rained hard, 
 and in addition to getting as wet in my birth as water could 
 make me, a drunken set of fellows, who, in addition to bois- 
 terous mirth, gambling, and blasphemous oaths, finally added 
 quarreling to the turbulent scene. Knowing that one man, 
 by his example, had produced the whole wicked and dis- 
 graceful conduct that so much annoyed us, on the arrival of 
 Colonel Menard next day, I arranged every thing to stop 
 any thing of the kind in future. On learning our determi- 
 nation, the author of all this disturbance, just about dark, 
 inquired of me as to the intended opposition, and I frankly 
 told him that no more such conduct would be permitted 
 either now or hereafter, while I was with him. He told me 
 I might leave the expedition and go home; but I informed 
 him that I would neither go home, nor would I permit him 
 to act as he had done constantly for some time past. Ascer- 
 taining my determination, and that every other person on 
 board united with me, he was compelled to acquiesce, and 
 behave himself better in future. He never ventured again 
 so to conduct himself in my presence, though the effects of 
 
232 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 similar conduct afterwards were but too visible on many 
 occasions. 
 
 I suffered in Washington through his misrepresentations, 
 slanders, and falsehoods, without my ever hinting the cause 
 of his disappointed malignity. No other course was left to 
 me — I took it, and it saved all, though it destroyed me at 
 court. I had done my duty, and felt regardless of any in- 
 jury to myself, and still rejoice that I met the occasion as 
 I did, promptly and efficiently. 
 
 In company with Mr. Johnson, formerly an Indian trader, 
 under the old factory system, I visited Quasquawma's vil- 
 lage of Fox Indians. This town was exactly opposite our 
 island, on the west bank of the river, and consists of perhaps 
 forty or fifty persons. Landing from our canoe, we went to 
 Quasquawma's wigwam, and found him and several of his 
 wives and children at home. These Indians had joined the 
 United States during the last war. The wigwam we visi- 
 ted was a fair sample of all that we saw afterwards in the 
 Indian country, and was covered with white elm bark, fas- 
 tened on the outside of upright posts fixed in the ground, by 
 ropes made of barks, passed through the covering and tied on 
 the inside around the posts. 
 
 I should suppose that this dwelling was forty feet long 
 and twenty wide — that six feet on each of the sides, within 
 doors, was occupied by the place where the family slept. 
 Their beds consisted of a platform raised four feet from the 
 earth, resting on poles, tied at that height to posts standing 
 upright in the ground, opposite each other, and touching 
 the roof. On these poles, so fastened to the posts, were laid 
 barks of trees, and upon these barks were laid blankets 
 and the skins of deer, bears, bisons, &c. These were the 
 beds. Between these beds was an open space, perhaps 
 six or eight feet in width, running the whole length of the 
 wigwam. In this space fires were kindled in cold and wet 
 weather, and here, at such times, the cooking was carried 
 pn, and the family warmed themselves, eat their food, &c. 
 
QUASQUAWMA VILLAGE. 233 
 
 There was no chimney, and the smoke either passed through 
 the roof, or out at the doors, at the ends of the wigwam. 
 On all the waters of the upper Mississippi, no better dwel- 
 ling is to be found among the Indians. Quasquawma was 
 deposing himself on his bed of state when we went into his 
 palace, and the only person at work was one of his wives, 
 at the door, dressing a deerskin. He appeared to be about 
 sixty-five years of age, perhaps he was even older. 
 
 He appeared very friendly to Mr. Johnson, whom he 
 well knew; and we held a long and interesting talk with 
 him. We told him all our business, asked his advice and 
 aid, which he cheerfully promised; and he was of great use 
 to us, from that time forward, until the treaties were con- 
 cluded. His son-in-law, one of the principal civil chiefs of 
 the Foxes, was not at home then, and we did not see him 
 until we arrived at Rock island. 
 
 Quasquawma showed us where he had cut out on a bark, 
 a representation of a steamboat, with every thing belonging 
 to it. This bark formed a part of his dwelling, and was cut 
 on the inner side. It appears, that he had made three 
 attempts before he succeeded to his wishes. He finally 
 succeeded so perfectly, that the cannon was going off, a dog 
 was represented as setting down near an officer of our army y 
 with his chapeau de bras on, his epauletts were on his 
 shoulders, and several privates were seen standing on the 
 boat. Nothing could be more natural than this represent- 
 ation, of which he evidently felt quite proud. We praised 
 it greatly, which did not displease him. A few small 
 patches of corn were growing near by, but poorly fenced 
 and badly tilled, among which the weeds were standing 
 between the hills of corn. 
 
 The chief went around his village and showed us what- 
 ever we wished to see, until we requested him to take u& 
 back to our island in his canoe, ours having returned, which 
 he politely did. Not long afterwards, the chief at the 
 head of all his band, old and young, waited on us, at our 
 steamboat, beside this island. They were dressed in their 
 
234 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CH1EK. 
 
 best manner, and Quasquawma introduced them one and 
 all to Mr. Johnson and myself. One woman gaily painted, 
 the one whom we had seen at work, remained by herself 
 some ten rods off, and would come no nearer to us. On 
 my inquiring the cause of her not approaching us any 
 nearer, after having solemnly assured him and all of them, 
 of none but the most kind and friendly treatment from our 
 whole company; I was informed by Quasquawma that her 
 appearance indicated that the woman so painted and 
 dressed, "was for sale." Not understanding him at first, 
 he explained himself so fully by words and by signs, that 
 there was no mistaking his meaning. Any one determined 
 to believe our Indians to be "the lost tribes of Israel," 
 would have found proof positive, in favor of such an idea, in 
 this custom of sitting by the wayside, painted and dressed 
 as this woman was on this occasion. Parallel instances in 
 the old testament times and manners, are not wanting. 
 
 The visit was continued for some hours, until we had 
 made our guests many presents of flour, meat, and goods; 
 when they returned to their village, highly gratified with 
 the treatment they received from us on this island. 
 
 We were employed seven days in getting the public prop- 
 erty over this rapid, when just before sundown, on the 
 seventh day, we went on board another steamer, the Red 
 Rover, and passed up the river a few miles where we lay 
 by for the night. Next morning we raised the steam and 
 moved forward slowly, being often detained by low water, 
 and sand bars, so that we did not arrive at Rock island 
 until the third day about noon. 
 
 About thirty-five miles below Rock island, the beautiful 
 country on the west side of the river opened to view, and 
 from the first moment we saw it, all eyes were turned 
 towards it. At every turn of the river, as we moved along, 
 new bursts of wonder and admiration were poured out by 
 all the passengers. The ladies were enraptured at the 
 numerous and beautiful situations for dwelling houses, 
 where they wished one day to live in rural bliss. 
 
BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY. 235 
 
 Sometimes the east side of the river offered as beautiful 
 situations as the west, though, as a whole, the west was pre- 
 ferable. 
 
 Nature had done all — man nothing — and not a human 
 being was seen upon either shore, nor a human habitation. 
 That such a beautiful country was intended by its Author 
 to be forever in the possession and occupancy of serpents, 
 wild fowls, wild beasts, and savages, who derive little ben- 
 efit from it, no reasonable man can for one moment believe, 
 who sees it. _The river here, may well compare with the 
 Connecticut, at Northampton in Massachusetts; and take 
 away the buildings and fences from the lovely country 
 about the place just named, and you have the country below 
 Rock island, with this exception — the bottom lands on the 
 Mississippi are wider, they rise more regularly from the 
 river, and the hills are not so high, nor so irregular as 
 those at Northampton. They are as fertile as the bottoms, 
 and as well covered with grasses as those on the Connecti- 
 cut, without one weed intermixed, until you reach the very 
 summits, when the woods, thick, lofty, green and delightful, 
 begin and extend back, west of the hills, to a considerable 
 distance from the river. Adjoining the river is grass, on 
 the western slope of the hills are thick woods. 
 
 The bottoms covered with tall grasses begin on the very 
 brink of the river, above high water mark, and they gradu- 
 ally ascend from one to three miles back, intersected every 
 mile or two, by never failing rivulets, originating in the hills; 
 and the ground between the springs is rounded, as if by 
 art, and fitted for a mansion house and all its attendant 
 buildings. Princes might dwell here, once within a mile 
 or two of each other, fronting the Mississippi and along it, 
 and possess handsomer seats than any one of them can 
 boast of in the old world. We could hardly persuade our- 
 selves, many times, when we first saw any one of these beau- 
 tiful spots, that all the art that man possessed, and wealth 
 could employ, had not been used to fit the place for some 
 gentleman's country seat; and every moment, as we passed 
 
236 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 
 
 along, we expected to see some princely mansion, erected 
 on the rising ground. Vain illusion! nature had done all 
 to adorn and beautify the scenery before our eyes. 
 
 Setting down a pair of compasses large enough to extend 
 thirty-five miles around the lower end of Rock island, and 
 taking a sweep around it, you would have within the circle 
 the handsomest and most delightful spot on the whole globe, 
 so far as nature can produce any thing called beautiful. The 
 island is in latitude forty-one degrees thirty minutes, is two 
 miles in length, containing about two thousand acres of land. 
 The extreme lower end, is occupied by foft%rmstrong and 
 the village of Rock island. After passing through several 
 feet of rich alluvial soil in perforating the earth, you come 
 to lime stone rock, which forms the foundation of this island. 
 Passing around this island, which is long and narrow, you 
 every where see the rock on which the fort and village 
 stand. The lower end of the island is high and dry above 
 the river, whereas the upper end is overflowed in high 
 waters, and all the upper end of the island is covered with 
 a forest of excellent timber trees. The main channel of 
 the river is on the western side of the island, and that part 
 of the Mississippi is half a mile in width; whereas, in alow 
 stage of the water, as when we saw it, the eastern branch 
 of the river is not more than twenty rods wide perhaps, 
 though so deep that it is ferried constantly from -the island 
 to the main land. 
 
 When we were there, the ground where the fort stood was 
 twenty feet or more above the surface of the river, ten or 
 more feet of it were limestone rock, from the water upwards. 
 
 The officers have adjoining the fort a most beautiful gar- 
 den, regularly laid out with graveled walks, in which are 
 cultivated beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, corn, and every 
 vegetable growing in this climate. Nothing could exceed 
 this garden, in fruitfulncss, and every leaf appeared to shine 
 in luxuriance. The gourd-seed corn was fit to roast, the 
 beets had attained a good size, and so had the potatoes, 
 beans and carrots. 
 
ROCK ISLAND. 237 
 
 The village adjoins the fort on the north, and a few 
 families live here, Mr. Davenport, who keeps a store 
 for the American Fur Company, being a principal man 
 among them. The sutler has a store here in addition to 
 the company's store, Mr. Davenport is an Englishman, 
 and formerly lived at Cincinnati, where I became acquaint- 
 ed with him. His son-in-law, and a few others, live on the 
 island. With such persons I was happy to meet in the "Far 
 West," and they were of use to us. 
 
 General M'Niel went to the fort as soon as we landed, 
 and Colonel Menard and myself went to the Indian agent's, 
 Mr. Forsyth, where we were met by the Winnebago pro- 
 phet and about two hundred Indians of that nation. Seat- 
 ing ourselves in the porch of the agency house, we were 
 addressed by five orators in succession, who complained bit- 
 terly of neglect, as they had been here sometime awaiting 
 our arrival, without having been fed as they expected by us. 
 "They wanted flour, hog meat, and whisky." 
 
 We explained to them the cause of our not appearing 
 there sooner. They then complained" of the change of 
 place to Prairie du Chien, from this place, where they had 
 come, but would not go to the latter place. We explained 
 the reason why the place was changed; because Nawkaw 
 had requested the change, and he was the principal chief, 
 whose wishes governed the Secretary of War, in this mat- 
 ter. We immediately purchased eleven barrels of flour, 
 and gave them, with a suitable number of barrels of pork; 
 and we gave them also two hundred pipes, and a plenty of 
 tobacco, which we procured of Mr. Davenport, our stores 
 not having yet reached us here. 
 
 Giving orders to Mr. Forsyth, the agent, to follow us in 
 four or five days, with the prophet, and certain chiefs and 
 warriors, whom we named, we went to rest, not very late 
 in the night. As soon as General M'Niel made his appear- 
 ance in the morning, we moved up the rapids, which begin 
 at the lower end of this island, and extend upwards eigh- 
 teen miles. We had lightened our frail vessel, so that by 
 28 
 
238 TOUR TO PRAIRIE PU CHIEN. 
 
 traveling on foot ourselves, along the shore, in the sand 
 and over the pebbles, slipping back at every step, we made 
 our way up the river very slowly. Colonel Menard, myself, 
 and every man who could walk, and not needed to navigate 
 the vessel, went on foot — General M'Niel and the ladies 
 continuing on board. Sometimes we turned out into the 
 prairie, but the high grass, weeds, marsh and mud, soon 
 compelled us to return to the sandy beach. Sometimes the 
 woods approached quite to the river, on the east side, where 
 we traveled, especially towards the upper end of the rapids. 
 Before sunset the vessel had passed the rapids, and we 
 encamped for the night. The next day we moved on again, 
 without any unusual accident, encamped again at night, 
 and next day reached Fever river, ascended it seven miles, 
 and landed at Galena, five hundred miles above St. Louis. 
 This river is as crooked as any serpent's path need be, and 
 it rises and falls with the Mississippi. Though seven miks 
 by the Fever to the town, yet the village is but about three 
 miles, on a direct line east of the Mississippi. 
 
 GALENA, 
 
 Stands on the land we afterwards purchased of the Indi- 
 ans, and is the largest town in Illinois. When we arrived 
 there, it had been settled about three years. It contained 
 several taverns, a considerable number of stores, about a 
 dozen lawyers, four or five physicians, with little to do, as 
 the country is healthy. There were three religious congre- 
 gations in the place — Methodists, Roman Catholics and 
 Presbyterians. The town is built on the side hill, in the 
 form of a crescent, on the north side of Fever river, and 
 contains, perhaps, one thousand inhabitants. It is a seat 
 of justice of Joe Davis county, Illinois, and is situate in lat- 
 itude about forty-two degrees thirty minutes north. It con- 
 tains, at all times, very large quantities of lead, brought 
 here, either as rent to the government, or for sale to the 
 merchants. The superintendent of the mines, and his assist- 
 
 ■ I 
 
ARRIVAL AT PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 239 
 
 ant, Major Campbell, live here. The latter gentleman and 
 his amiable and interesting lady, had been with us on our 
 passage from St. Louis, and they were happy to find them- 
 selves at the end of as disagreeable a journey as was ever 
 made on these waters. 
 
 Numerous groceries appeared in the town, to us, and two 
 billiard tables were occupied by persons who wished to 
 amuse themselves at billiards. 
 
 Mr. James Barnes, formerly of Chillicothe, Ohio, kept 
 an excellent boarding house, and I found many old acquain- 
 tances in the town, enjoying the best of health, and they 
 appeared cheerful and happy. 
 
 Here we learned, that a large body of Indians had al- 
 ready been assembled at Prairie du Chien, for some time, 
 and were in readiness to meet us. Knowing the necessity 
 of supplying them with food, that ours would not reach us 
 for some time yet, and knowing this to be the last opportu- 
 nity we should find to purchase any food, we purchased five 
 hundred bushels of corn, and loading all we could convey, 
 we left this beautiful town on the next day, and departed 
 for our final destination, where we arrived about the middle 
 of July, 1829. 
 
 As soon as we were discovered by our red friends, a few 
 miles below the fort, opposite to their encampment, they 
 fired into the air, about fifteen hundred rifles to honor us. 
 Our powder had become wet, and, to our extreme mortifi- 
 cation and regret, we could not answer them by our cannon. 
 Having fired their arms, some run on foot, some rode on 
 their small horses furiously along over the prairie to meet 
 us where we landed. Amidst the motley group of thou- 
 sands, of all ages, sexes, classes of society, colors and con- 
 ditions, of men, women and children, who met us on the 
 wharf, Nawkaw and Hoochopekah, with their families, ea- 
 gerly seized my hand, and I was happy indeed, to meet 
 them here. During twenty years, I had seen them several 
 times, and they recognized me in a moment, among the 
 crowd, and assured me of their friendship and good wishes. 
 
240 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 These chiefs of the Winnebagoes, and their families, press- 
 ed around me, and continued close by me until we reached 
 the tavern where we went. There we entered into a long 
 conversation, and they introduced me to their red friends. 
 I assured them of my ardent friendship, and "that they 
 and their people should be dealt with, not only justly but 
 liberally. That the President, their great father, was their 
 friend, a warrior like them, and never would do them any 
 injury: That I wished them all to remember what I now 
 told them, and when we finally parted, if my solemn pro- 
 mise, thus voluntarily made to them, had not been kept to 
 the very letter, I wished them to publicly tell me so." Sha- 
 king me heartily by the hand, and assuring me of their 
 friendship, they then appealed to Colonel Menard, who 
 heartly agreed with me, in assuring them of our good in- 
 tentions towards them. 
 
 Doctor Wolcott, the agent for the Chippeways, Ottowas, 
 and Pottawatimies, here met us, and he had been at incredi- 
 ble pains to get his Indians here, where they had been for 
 nearly a month perhaps. Mr. Kinzy, the sub-agent of the 
 Winnebagoes, whose sub-agency is located at fort Winne- 
 bago, had also come, and with him all the principal persons 
 of that nation, residing in that direction. 
 
 All the Indians with whom we were sent to treat, were 
 represented on the ground, and all that was wanting to be- 
 gin our councils, we urged forward with all the energy that 
 the officers of the government and their numerous friends 
 could muster. The next day, in company with General 
 Street, the agent of the Winnebagoes, resident here, seve- 
 ral sub-agents and interpreters, I met the principal men of 
 the Winnebagoes, and we impressed upon them the neces- 
 sity of keeping their young men under subjection, and ar- 
 ranged with them the outlines of the manner in which our 
 business should be conducted. The talk was a long one, 
 and occupied the afternoon. General Street was very 
 zealous in the service of the government. 
 
FIRST INDIAN COUNCIL. 241 
 
 The officers at the fort erected a council shade near the 
 fort, and in about three days we were ready to hold a public 
 council, when Doctor Wolcott's Indians informed me that 
 they could not meet in public council until an Indian was 
 buried, and inquired of me if I objected to the burial; to 
 which I replied, that I could not object to the burial, cer- 
 tainly. On the next day, to my regret, I learned they 
 would not assemble in council until the Indian was buried, 
 and again inquired whether I was willing to have the per- 
 son buried? To which question I replied in the affirmative, 
 when I was informed that the relatives of the deceased 
 would not consent to the burial of the murdered person un- 
 til they had received a horse, as the compensation for his 
 death. Understanding the difficulty at last, the commis- 
 sioners gave the horse, the deceased was buried, and the 
 Indians agreed to meet in council next day. 
 
 I took some pains to get the murderer and the relatives 
 of the deceased together, in order to have a perfect recon- 
 ciliation between them. They shook hands very cordially 
 in appearance, but the relatives of the deceased person in- 
 formed me privately afterwards, that as soon as the murderer 
 got home with his horse and goods, they would kill him, and 
 take his property, which he could better keep than they 
 could, until then. If I am correctly informed, they did as 
 they assured me they would, after their arrival in their 
 own country. So that compounding for the murder only 
 procrastinated, for a time, the punishment of the crime. 
 
 When every thing was in readiness for the opening of 
 the council, the Indians of all the tribes and nations on the 
 treaty ground, attended, and requested to have translated 
 to them, severally, what we said to each tribe; which be- 
 ing assented to on our part, the Winnebagoes, the Chippe- 
 ways, Ottowas, Pottawatimies, Sioux, Sauks, Foxes, and 
 Munominees, half breeds, the officers from the fort, the In- 
 dian agents, sub-agents, interpreters, and a great concourse 
 of strangers from every city in the Union, and even from 
 Liverpool, London, and Paris, were in attendance. 
 
242 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 The commissioners sat on a raised bench, facing the In- 
 dian chiefs; on each side of them stood the officers of the 
 army in full dresses, while the soldiers, in their best attire, 
 appeared in bright array, on the sides of the council shade. 
 The ladies belonging to the officers' families, and the best 
 families in the Prairie, were seated directly behind the 
 commissioners, where they could see all that passed, and 
 hear all that was said. Behind the principal Indian chiefs 
 sat the common people — first the men, then the women and 
 children, to the number of thousands, who listened in breath- 
 less and death-like silence to every word that was uttered. 
 The spectacle was grand and morally sublime, in the high- 
 est degree, to the nations of red men who were present; 
 and when our proposition to sell all their country to their 
 great father had been delivered to them, they requested an 
 exact copy of it in writing: the request was instantly com- 
 plied with, and the council broke up. Next day we ad- 
 dressed the Winnebagoes, as we had the Chippeways, &c, 
 the day before, and at their request gave them a copy of 
 our speech. 
 
 After counciling among themselves, the Chippeways, &c, 
 answered favorably as to a sale, though they would do noth- 
 ing yet, until they had fixed on their terms. 
 
 The Winnebagoes appeared in council, and delivered 
 many speeches to us. They demanded the twenty thousand 
 dollars worth of goods. "Wipe out your debt," was their 
 reply, "before you run in debt again to us." 
 
 Our goods, owing to the low stage of the water, had not 
 arrived yet, and the Indians feared we did not intend to ful- 
 fill Governor Cass's agreement of the year before. When 
 our goods did arrive, and they saw them, they then changed 
 their tone a little; but in the mean time, great uneasiness 
 existed, and I was often seriously advised by Nawkaw, and 
 other friends, to go into the fort, as General M'Niel had 
 done. Colonel Menard's ill health had compelled him to 
 leave the ground, and go to General Street's, five miles, (the 
 General calls it three,) from the council house. Unless we 
 
INDIAN TIlEA-l'liiS. 243 
 
 left the ground, we were told by the Winnebagoes, that 
 they "would use a little switch upon us." In plain English, 
 they would assassinate the whole of us out of the fort. Two 
 hundred, warriors under Keeokuk and Morgan, of Sauks 
 and Foxes, arrived and began their war dance for the Uni- 
 ted States, aad they brought word that thirty steamboats, 
 with cannon and United States' troops, and four hundred 
 warriors of their own, were near at hand! The Winneba- 
 goes were silenced by this intelligence, and by demonstra- 
 tions, not misunderstood by them. 
 
 When Keeokuk arrived he brought two deserters from 
 the garrison here, whom he had made prisoners on his way 
 up the river. Quasquawma and his son-in-law, Tiama, came 
 with Keeokuk. It was a season of great joy with me, 
 who placed more reliance on these friendly warriors, than 
 on all our other forces. Good as our officers were, our sol- 
 diers of the army were too dissipated and worthless to be 
 relied on one moment. Taking Keeokuk aside, and alone, 
 I told him in plain English all I wanted of him, what I 
 would do for him, and what I expected from him and his 
 good offices. He replied in good English, "I understand 
 you, sir, perfectly, and it shall all be done." It was all done 
 faithfully, and he turned the tide in our favor. 
 
 The goods arrived, and also our provisions; Colonel Me- 
 nard's and General M'Niel's health were restored, and they 
 appeared again at the council house, and every thing wore 
 a new aspect. They approved of all I had done in their 
 temporary absence. 
 
 On the 29th day of July, 1829, we concluded our treaty 
 with the Chippeways, Ottowas, and Pottawatimies. 
 
 On the 1st day of August, a treaty was concluded with 
 the Winnebagoes. 
 
 So the treaties were executed at last, and about eight 
 millions of acres of land added to our domain, purchased 
 from the Indians. Taking the three tracts ceded, and 
 forming one whole, it extends from the upper end of Rock 
 island to the mouth of the Wisconsin — from latitude forty- 
 
244 TOuR TO PllAIRIB ml CHIEN. 
 
 one degrees thirty minutes, to latitude forty-three degrees 
 fifteen minutes, on the Mississippi. Following the mean- 
 derings of the river, it is called two hundred and forty 
 miles from south to north. It extends along the Wisconsin 
 and Fox rivers, from west to east, so as to give us a passage 
 across the country, from the Mississippi to lake Michigan. 
 The south part of the purchase extends from Rock island 
 to lake Michigan. South of the Wisconsin, the Indians 
 now own only reservations, where they live, which, as soon 
 as the white people settle on all the ceded lands, will be 
 sold to us, and the Indians will retire above the Wisconsin, 
 or cross the Mississippi, where the bear, the beaver, the 
 deer, and the bison invite them. The United States now 
 own all the country on the east side of the Mississippi, from 
 the gulf of Mexico to the mouth of the Wisconsin. When 
 I have crossed Rock river, after having passed over the 
 interior of the ceded country, I will describe it more par- 
 ticularly. 
 
 It remains for me to make a few remarks upon the coun- 
 try along the Mississippi, from fort Edwards, upward, and 
 briefly describe Prairie du Chien. 
 
 Ascending the Mississippi, the country appeared to rise 
 up out of the river at fort Edwards, and the hills assume 
 a greater elevation, still, at Du Buque's mine and tomb, not 
 far from Galena. From thence upwards, the bottom lands 
 are narrow, the river turns towards the northwest, and 
 becomes very crooked, bounded by high hills. Cassville, 
 thirty miles below Prairie du Chien, stands on a narrow 
 bottom, where an opening into the mineral country, in 
 the direction of Mineral Point, presents itself. This easy 
 passage down to the river, has located a town here, of a 
 few houses, consisting of a tavern, a store-house for the 
 lead belonging to the United States; and here a govern- 
 ment sub-agent, to collect and receive the government's 
 share of lead, resides, Captain Bell. 
 
 Captain Richard H. Bell was born near Richmond, Vir- 
 ginia, entered the United States army in 1808, served in 
 
WISCONSIN RIVER. 245 
 
 Pike's regiment, at Baton Rouge, in 1808, 9, 10, and 11; 
 served on the Canadian frontier, during the war of 1812, 
 was wounded severely at the battle of Chippeway, was 
 retained at the conclusion of the war, was in the Seminole 
 war, and finally, sub-agent in the mineral country, in 1829, 
 and now in private life, under General Jackson's adminis- 
 tration ! ! 
 
 Opposite to the mouth of the Wisconsin, stands Pike's 
 hill, lofty and abrupt; and just above this place, on the 
 eastern bank of the river, begins the low prairie ground on 
 which fort Crawford, and the village of Prairie du Chien, 
 stand. The town begins to show itself three miles above 
 the Wisconsin, and extends upwards, about nine miles, 
 where it ends. The river is full of islands, and when at its 
 highest altitude in a freshet, is three miles in width, from 
 hill to hill. Originally settled by the French, it was once 
 a place of some importance, as the remains of old cellars 
 and chimneys show. That importance is no more, and 
 probably never will be again. Overflowed by high waters, 
 and but little good land near it, without water power, I see 
 little inducement to build up a town here. On the north 
 side of the Wisconsin, there is no land on which a town can 
 be located near the Wisconsin, and the south side is prefer- 
 able for it, where one will, one day, rise up. The town, 
 though, is a seat of justice for a county of Michigan, and 
 perhaps thirty families, besides those belonging to the gar- 
 ison, reside here. No Indians reside near here, and there 
 is no sort of need of, nor propriety in having an agency, 
 &c, here, for the Winnebagoes, because fort Winnebago 
 is the proper place for the agency. 
 
 General Street, the agent, and near relative of Mr. Barry, 
 the Postmaster General, is the present agent, and his resi- 
 dence I consider to be about five miles above the fort, though 
 I am aware that General Street's estimated distance is only 
 three miles. 
 
 The water found by digging in this prairie, is not always 
 good, and that in our well was the worst I ever tasted, ope- 
 29 
 
246 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CH1EN. 
 
 rating upon the bowels like glauber salts, and I suffered 
 excessively from using it. Even the food cooked in it 
 affected me seriously. The well in the fort is better, and 
 some persons obtain water from springs in the river, when 
 it is low. The river covers all the town, and where the 
 the fort is, in high water. The Mississippi rising late in 
 the season, and subsiding in the summer solstice, this place 
 must be sickly in summer, every year, when a freshet takes 
 such a time to appear. In 1829, there was no rise in the 
 river, of any amount, and the place was healthy. 
 
 The only Indians living on this river, below this place, 
 and near it, are the Sauks and Foxes. The principal 
 town of the former, on the east side of the Mississippi, is 
 situated on the north side of Rock river, near its mouth, 
 and in sight of the Mississippi. Not many years ago, this 
 town contained, it is said, four or five thousand inhabitants. 
 They have sold all the country east of the river Mississippi, 
 and are withdrawing from it, to a new town, some ten miles 
 west of their old town, and about the same distance from 
 Rock island. 
 
 The principal town of the Foxes is on the brink of the 
 river near Du Buque's mine, and in sight of his tomb, which 
 is erected on a high hill, where the cross on his grave can 
 be seen from the river, to a considerable distance from it. 
 Du Buque was an Indian trader, and lived and died here. 
 
 The Fox town contains twenty wigwams, or upwards, and 
 I presume some two hundred Indians. I saw but a few 
 acres of poorly cultivated corn near the town, and the wig- 
 wams looked shabby enough. Morgan is the principal 
 warrior of this village, as Keeokuk is of the Rock river 
 town. 
 
 The Sauks and Foxes were so useful to us as auxiliaries, 
 that I feel grateful to them, and make a few remarks on 
 their principal men, who were with us. 
 
 Keeokuk,* the principal warrior of the Sauks, is a shrewd 
 politic man, as well as a brave one, and he possesses great 
 
 * River Fox, Anglicae. 
 
INDIAN CHIEFS. 247 
 
 weight of character in their national councils. He is a 
 high minded, honorable man^ and never begs of the whites. 
 
 While ascending the Mississippi to join us, at the head 
 of his brave troops, he met, arrested, and brought along 
 with him to fort Crawford, two United States' soldiers, who 
 were deserting from the garrison, when he met them. I 
 informed him that for this act, he was entitled to a bounty 
 in money; to which he proudly replied, that he acted from 
 motives of friendship towards the United States, and would 
 accept no money for it. 
 
 Morgan, is the principal warrior of the Foxes, and 
 resides at Du Buque's mine, on the western bank of the 
 Mississippi. Though less versatility of talent belongs to 
 him than Keeokuk possesses, yet he is a brave man and 
 fond of war. More than a year before we were in that 
 country, this Indian general had gone to the Sioux country 
 and killed a woman and three children of that nation, which 
 act produced the war then raging between the two nations. 
 This act has since been dreadfully avenged by a large 
 party, on some twenty individuals of the Foxes. 
 
 Tiama, a principal civil chief of the same tribe, is an ex- 
 cellent man, and the son-in-law of Quasquawma. Their 
 village is already noticed as being located on the west side 
 of the river, opposite where we lay on an island, at the 
 head of the lower rapids. 
 
 Quasquawma was the chief of this tribe once, but being 
 cheated out of the mineral country, as the Indians allege, 
 he was degraded from his rank, and his son-in-law Tiama 
 elected in his stead. The improvisatori, whose name has 
 escaped my recollection, is a shrewd wit, and a very good 
 man, certainly a very amiable and agreeable one. He is 
 highly esteemed by all his people. 
 
 Tom, a half blood, is a great pet among the whites. He 
 speaks prairie-wolf-French, and a little English, in addition 
 to his knowledge of Indian languages. 
 
 Of the above named individuals, and several others be- 
 longing to these brave and generous allies, I brought away 
 
*: 
 
 248 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 with me as correct likenesses as I ever saw drawn. Grati- 
 tude towards them was my motive for being at the expense 
 of these beautiful paintings, which have gone to London a 
 year since. 
 
 Before I give an account of our parting scene with our 
 red friends, at Prairie du Chien, I proceed to give my views 
 of the Indian nations of the upper Mississippi, in particu- 
 lar, and of the man of America, in general. And I begin 
 with the 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 In order to trace the red man of America to his origin, 
 writers have generally had recourse to the languages of 
 these people, compared with those of other nations, ancient 
 and modern. Some writers have found customs among them 
 resembling those of the Greeks, the Romans, the Turks, the 
 Phoenicians, the Gauls, the ancient Britons, and even the 
 Jews! Some savage tribes, who are cleanly in their hab- 
 its, and dwell in a cold climate, have fair skins, blue eyes, 
 and light colored hair, and are fancifully supposed to be 
 the remains of a Welsh colony, which in truth never sail- 
 ed from Wales, nor any where else, as Winterbottom has 
 proved. 
 
 I propose, as briefly as possible, to remark upon their 
 languages, in the first place, and afterwards examine such 
 of their manners and customs, as some persons have suppo- 
 sed go to prove their origin. I shall be very cautious in the 
 use of vocabularies, so often paraded before us with great 
 ostentation, because I know how extremely incorrect they 
 are. 
 
 Unwritten languages are very imperfect, at best; and un- 
 less great pains are taken, by a good ear, the sounds of the 
 words are not caught correctly. Illiterate interpreters, 
 too, make many blunders, and the same sounds are written 
 down very differently by Spaniards, Frenchmen, and the 
 English. Hence a difference of spelling the same words, 
 
INDIAN LAN«UAGES. 249 
 
 and even when spelt correctly, we Americans have widely 
 deviated in our pronunciation of words, (which were, and 
 still are written correctly,) from the true pronunciation. 
 As an illustration, take the words "Che seepee ake," which 
 signifies, in the Ojibeway tongue, "a town at the mouth of 
 a river."* It was an Indian town, at the mouth of the Sus- 
 quehannah river. We have made one word of it, and with 
 it covered a large bay, which we call Chesapeake! Simi- 
 lar mistakes exist in almost all our names of Indian nations, 
 towns, lakes, and rivers. Not a few of our supposed Indian 
 names, are not Indian names, and never were used by any 
 Indians on earth. Ohio, itself, is not an Indian word at all. 
 "Oyo," a sort of interjection among the Indians, was appli- 
 ed to this river by the earliest French travelers, through 
 sheer mistake, and has acquired a local habitation without 
 Indian aid. The Indians called it "Kiskepeela sepee," or 
 Eagle river. Ojibeway we have changed into Chippeway; 
 Hoatchungara into Winnebago; Ozauke into Sauks; Mus- v 
 quawkee into Foxes; (it means "red earth," and not red fox, 
 as some ignorant interpreter supposed;) Dacota, by some 
 strange fatality, we call Sioux, or as we pronounce it, Soosl 
 
 These mistakes have crept into all our books of travels, 
 of laws, and our common conversation, until they are so 
 sanctioned by use and time, that no one need think himself 
 capable of rectifying and correcting them at this late day. 
 
 Fine spun theories have been erected upon these strange 
 mistakes, and vast learning and ability have been displayed 
 
 * Che, mouth— seepee, water — ake, place; a place, or town, at the 
 mouth of a river. Che uk toh— Che, mouth— uk, river— toh, some- 
 thino- great. These three Indian words we have changed into Che- 
 bucto; made one word of three, and then applied this compound to a 
 whole river! So of Ro an uk, Po torn uc, &c, &c; we have applied 
 these terms, originally belonging to some spot on a river, to a whole 
 river! Manitoo uk, (Spirit river,) is one of the few, very few, Indian 
 names of rivers which we have retained. Moose kinggoom, (Moose 
 eye,) we have changed into Muskingum! Mee aw mee, we have 
 made into one word, Miami! Sawn dustee, is now Sandusky! 
 
250 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 upon a subject, which would have been far better employed 
 on something which had some real existence. In this way 
 the poorest languages and least expressive of any ever spo- 
 ken by man, have been represented as being by far more 
 expressive, than the polished ones of Greece and Rome ! It 
 would lead me too far from my path, were I to follow to 
 their sources, all the errors which have been propagated 
 about the Indian languages. I will content myself by one 
 or two illustrations. The poverty of all the Indian langua- 
 ges, they being unwritten, and being understood by one or 
 two tribes, (except the Ojibeway,) only, combined, possibly, 
 with other causes, have produced a habit among the abori- 
 gines, of speaking by signs, more than by words. Hence, 
 even in labored speeches, that interpreter who interprets 
 merely the words used, gives not the full sense of the 
 speaker. 
 
 Another source of error on this subject, is our taking a 
 considerable number of words for one word, which I have 
 noticed already. Let us suppose for a moment that the 
 English language was an unwritten one, and that a person 
 should say "I love you." And suppose further, that some 
 one, unacquainted with the language, should imagine that 
 "I love you" was only one word. How expressive, he would 
 say, is this language! Should the speaker say, "thou lov- 
 est him," "he loves him, her, it, or them," the ignorant 
 hearer would be in raptures at the expressiveness of a lan- 
 guage, which, by a mere change of a few syllables, at the 
 beginning and ending of a word, would convey in it the 
 nominative, the verb, and the object on which it acted. I 
 hope the illustration is sufficient to expose this error. 
 
 But, it is with our Indians, as it is among all savage na- 
 tions, a common custom, in speaking, not to use either the 
 nominative or objective cases. 
 
 Suppose a savage should approach you, and ask for food, 
 lying on your table — let us suppose the savage to use our 
 own language — pointing to the food, he would make signs 
 to you to go to the table and take the food and then give it 
 
INDIAN LANGUAGES 251 
 
 to him, and he would say, "give.*' How enraptured would 
 the ignorant believer in the expressiveness of savage lan- 
 guages, be, on hearing one word pronounced, which would 
 convey, as he foolishly believed, all the meaning of one 
 whole sentence in a written language. 
 
 If a Winnebago wished me to walk aside, and converse 
 with him by ourselves, as Nawkaw often did, his only way 
 of communicating his wish to me, was to point to his own 
 breast first, then to me next; and finally to that part of the 
 prairie (in which we happened to be standing,) where he 
 wished me to go; he uniformly said, "maunee," [walk,] and 
 that was the only word which was uttered, until we had re- 
 tired to the place pointed out and thus designated. When 
 arrived at the spot, the conversation was carried on between 
 us with as few words as possible, using signs for objects, by 
 pointing to them. With his pipe stem or a stick, he would 
 draw in the sand the lines of demarkation, when the limits 
 of the lands to be purchased of his.people, were in discussion 
 between us, and a stick was struck in the ground to indi- 
 cate a corner in the plat. If he approved of my proposition, 
 "oah," [yes,] was all he said in reply; and I answered him 
 in the same way. If the proposition pleased either of us 
 very much, the reply was uttered with great vehemence, 
 otherwise faintly. 
 
 Should any savage, who used our language, and if he 
 knew no other, call upon you when he was very hungry, 
 and see no food in your house, he would simply say "hun- 
 gry," pointing to himself. 
 
 Though verbs are more used than any parts of speech, 
 except interjections, yet, where signs can easily convey 
 their meaning, verbs are not used in common conversation. 
 Interjections are the first, and only language then used by 
 man. We weep, we smile, and we laugh, and the sounds 
 we convey to express the emotions of pleasure and great 
 joy, of pain and great grief, are the same, in all languages, 
 in all times, and in every place on the globe. Nature, 
 without the dull and insipid aids of art, pours forth the feel- 
 
v. 
 
 : 
 
 252 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CH1EN. 
 
 ings of the heart, spontaneously, in language perfectly in- 
 telligible to every human being. Art may imitate this lan- 
 guage, but any shrewd observer easily detects the counter- 
 feit coin, and nails it to the counter. 
 
 Nearly all the verbs among the Winnebagoes are not 
 conjugated, and when they are, they are very imperfect 
 verbs. "Maunee" is used in all cases without conjugation, 
 for the verb "to walk," in all the moods and tenses, and for 
 the participles, likewise. Not a few of their verbs are 
 equally imperfect, having neither mood, tense, nor par- 
 ticiples. In other Indian languages, I am almost tempt- 
 ed to the belief that either white men, or educated In- 
 dians, have supplied many imperfections originally be- 
 longing to their verbs. So fas as uninstructed nature can 
 go, is all that can be expected, almost, in any language 
 used by men roaming about in small numbers, in quest of 
 food and raiment, and the merest necessaries of nature. It 
 is difficult, nay, hardly possible, for us in Ohio, who seldom 
 see an Indian, to form correct ideas about them on any sub- 
 ject; and yet men who have never seen one, or seen only 
 such as have more of our ideas than they ever had of their 
 own original ones, venture to pronounce opinions about lan- 
 guages, not even one word of which they ever heard cor- 
 rectly pronounced. Such writers have manufactured nearly 
 whole languages, upon philosophical principles, and have 
 then praised them in the highest strains of eloquence. So 
 far as I am able to judge, from my imperfect knowledge of 
 the subject, who feel myself competent to hold a conversa- 
 tion with Indians of almost any tribe in North America, 
 which I know is perfectly understood by both parties, I 
 should say, without doubting the assertion, that those very 
 learned authors, were they present at the "talk," could not 
 comprehend one word that was uttered by us, Such bare- 
 faced imposition, palmed off upon the world, deserves the 
 severest censure. Hypocrisy in religion and politics is bad 
 enough, but in literature, ignorant pretension, so nearly al- 
 lied to hypocrisy, becomes insufferable, and I cannot bear 
 
INDIAN LANGUAGES. &53 
 
 it Thus far, I see nothing, except what Governor Cassl 
 and his coadjutors have brought forward, of these langua- 
 ges, worth preserving. Our Indian names, of all sorts, are 
 so wide of their pronunciation, that no Indian who heard 
 them pronounced, would even dream what Word of his lan- 
 guage was intended to be spoken. Indeed our alphabet 
 does not, and cannot convey the sounds in any Indian lan- 
 guage. It is very amusing to see what attempts our mission- 
 aries have made, to spell Indian words. One word some* 
 times occupies a whole line of the page, that an Indian ut* 
 ters in a moment, by breathing out and in his breain ? while 
 he is uttering it, with his mouth wide open, so ib^t you can 
 see quite down his throat. We need not therefore mourn 
 the loss of their languages, more than the loss of their sav* 
 age manners and customs. The interjections in their lan- 
 guages, never can be lost in the world, and whether the 
 sounds an infant first utters, ought to be incorporated into 
 the European languages, it will be time enough to consider, 
 when such a proposition is gravely brought forward, by 
 some manufacturer of Indian languages. Unless a fair dis- 
 cussion is had on this subject, and a final decision is made 
 in favor of the Indian and other natural languages*, I shall 
 continue to speak and write my own artificial language, de- 
 rived from England, France, Germany, and other modern 
 European nations, and the ancient ones of Greece and 
 Rome. I wish also to take a part in the discussion, when 
 it is seriously brought forward, and pray to be heard in 
 in court on the question, before any decision be had. I 
 shall insist on producing my witnesses in open court, to 
 give evidence viva voce^ and wili most seriously object to 
 the introduction of hearsay evidence, when testimony 
 of a higher grade is in the power of the parties, to pro- 
 duce before the court. When I appear as counsel for 
 the defense, I will bring into court, with me, all the 
 distinguished orators of the Northwest, These men shall 
 address the court, but no book shall be read, nor any 
 vocabulary of any Indian language, unless it be for the ex- 
 30 
 

 
 254 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 press purpose of showing it to be a most perfect failure, to 
 convey the true pronunciation of the words intended to be 
 conveyed, by the letters used by the authors of the afore- 
 said vocabularies. 
 
 Writers on language, have all run in the same channel—* 
 they have traced artificial languages up to their source, na- 
 tural language, but that fountain has never been sufficient- 
 ly analyzed by any author, ancient or modern. Any one 
 who is a mere scholar, never going out of his closet, is in- 
 competent to handle the subject of natural language. Such 
 writers have erred, and all the world has run into these er- 
 rors. I wish to induce men of genius, learning and science, 
 to go to the fountain head of all human language, and to 
 analyze the waters where they first appear. No one natu- 
 ral language is derived from any other language, but from 
 nature. What is derived from nature, and what comes from 
 art, should be carefully separated. Natural language is one 
 thing — artificial language another— between which, the 
 chain that connects them should be thoroughly examined by 
 persons well acquainted with both languages, and with the 
 whole subject. Books may aid us in the examination of 
 artificial languages, but do not, cannot aid us much in na- 
 tural languages; because man has not yet done much to- 
 wards conveying the natural sounds of the human voice; at 
 least, there is not in the world a very perfect alphabet of 
 syllables. I am not unacquainted with all the alphabets in 
 the world, ever used by man. I have examined them all 
 carefully. 
 
 When the time arrives, that we have perfect alphabets, 
 such as convey every sound correctly, of every language, 
 then we can pronounce a correct opinion on the whole sub- 
 ject, but not until then. The British nation could procure 
 such alphabets; but if that nation does not, this nation may 
 do it some day. 
 
 The Germans have done a great deal, in examining arti- 
 ficial language, but they have made great mistakes, I know, 
 and some of them I feel surprised at, they are so obvious. 
 
INDIAN LANGUAGES. 255 
 
 Their own language is more, much more artificial, than 
 they are aware of, I feel assured. 
 
 On a subject so complicated, so vast, so deep, I can only 
 glance an eye, as I proceed in my rapid march over a cor- 
 ner of the field. As I pass along, I point the finger to the 
 fountain heads, and pray others, who have more leisure, to 
 visit them and thoroughly analyze their waters, and inform 
 us what the ingredients are, held in solution by them. 
 
 Although a savage has but a few words, by which to con- 
 vey his ideas, yet he does not often use one half of these in 
 his conversation. Generally grave and sedate, and too 
 indolent to use many words, he converses by signs. Be- 
 sides, he believes that a great talker is a man of no great 
 consideration. I noticed, frequently, that when I received 
 their whole council, with a very few expressions of friend- 
 ship, seated them, gave them pipes and tobacco, and smoked 
 a long time with them, in profound silence, they went away 
 from me highly gratified with the treatment they received. 
 
 Having briefly, I hope sufficiently, exposed the fountains 
 from whence numerous and copious streams of error have 
 flowed, until they have spread overall the plains below 
 them, I proceed "to state, that the Ojibeway tongue is the 
 most universal of any, and must have been the language in 
 former times, of most of the Indians inhabiting the country 
 now belonging to our eastern and middle States. It is, in 
 fact, the court language among the Indians. True, there 
 are individuals among the Sauks, Foxes, Munominees and 
 Soos, who do not understand it, but among any twenty of 
 them assembled together, were they addressed by any per- 
 son in it, and an inquirj made for one to interpret the 
 speech, some one wov»M immediately come forward, and act 
 as an interpreter. As this is confessed by the Indians, to 
 be the oldest language, and the people who speak it to be 
 their "eldest brother," it deserves considerable attention. 
 It has been called by different names, and several tribes 
 have derived their origin from the Ojibeways, such as the 
 Ottowas, Pottowatimies, &c. Governor Cass, and those 
 
 
256 
 
 TOUR TO rnAiniB x>tr oiiibn. 
 
 
 whom he engaged to furnish him information as to this, and 
 other Indian languages, deserve great credit for their labors, 
 and it is to be hoped those labors may be continued, and 
 amply rewarded. I place great reliance on their labors, 
 because, so far as I have had opportunities of judging, they 
 are perfectly correct. Whether other American writers 
 on Indian languages, have, on the whole, been of any ser- 
 vice to the cause of letters, is, with me, to say the very 
 least, very doubtful. It would require more knowledge of 
 the subject than I pretend to have, to enable me to separate 
 truth, (if there be any,) from falsehood, in their ostentations 
 displays of pretended learning, since the monstrous errors I 
 have indicated lie at the bottom of it. 
 
 Guttural sounds are almost the only ones which a sav- 
 age utters, and all the time while he is speaking, his mouth 
 is kept wide open — he speaks from his throat. It must be 
 an extremely laborious operation, for him to deliver a pub- 
 lic harangue on any important subject. From the situation 
 I always occupied in the public councils, I had a fine oppor- 
 tunity to observe every public speaker who addressed the 
 commissioners. Doubtless, there are sounds which occur 
 quite too frequently to please a nice ear, in every human 
 language. Foreigners complain of the constant "hissing" 
 in the English language; and the "ong," of the French, is 
 not very agreeable u my ear. In all the Indian langua- 
 ges, the sounds which occur too often to please the ear, 
 are— ah, gah, tah, rah, hah, dah, mah, nah, neeh, weeh, seeh, 
 goh, yoh, cawn, sawn, tso, tsi, en, tsen, chen, hai, whang, 
 hoo, woan, eeh, kai, quang, kon, tung, keen, &c— These 
 sounds are found in the Wn^ebago language, and they 
 belong to all primitive languages. The Chinese employ 
 the selfsame sounds. 
 
 Let us examine the names of districts of country in China, 
 and we shall find Quangsi, Hooquang, Shantang, Nant- 
 chang, Kiangsee, Shensee, Tungkeen, Tonkeen, Nankeen. 
 So of districts of ocean around China — Whanghai, or Yel- 
 low sea; Tunghai, or Eastern sea. Nan, is a place in 
 
INDIAN LANGUAGES. 257 
 
 Winnebago, so it is in Chinese; and Hai nan, (literally sea 
 land,) is the name of an island in our maps, lying south of 
 China, and near the continent. The same alphabe't of syl- 
 lables, with a very few additions, would express every sound 
 in both languages. 
 
 So of the languages of Hindustan, Lahore, Gurwal, Agrah, 
 Bahar, Mysore, Oudah, and other names of large districts, 
 in India, beyond the Indus, and in and near the Ganges, 
 are words among the Winnebagoes. 
 
 "Khane ke waste kooch chees do," Hindostanae — 
 * ; Give me something to eat," Anglican — 
 Sounds exactly like Winnebago, so much so, that the 
 nicest ear cannot detect the difference between them. Ali 
 Kawn, is the name of a man among the Winnebagoes, as it 
 was among the Hindoos. Kawrawkaw, (crow killer,) is an 
 Indian chief, so are, Maunkawkaw, Wawnkawshaw, (whirl- 
 ing thunder.) Nawkaw, (wood.) Hoochopekah, (four legs,) 
 Kayray mawnee, (walking turtle,) Wawtche a kaw, (big 
 canoe,) Wawrootshekaw, (yellow thunder,) Chahwaw saip- 
 kah, (black eagle.) But although these sounds are common 
 to the languages of India and North America, and, indeed, 
 although individuals of both countries bear precisely the 
 same names, and are pronounced exactly alike, yet the 
 meaning of these names is not the same, nor at all alike in 
 the different languages. The Winnebago utters the sounds, 
 only, which nature gives him, from the moment he first sees 
 the light of day, and the first sounds he utters, are words, in 
 his langnage, full of meaning. Augoo, is the name applied 
 to the mother's breast, among some nations of the north- 
 west. Gah, is a sound uttered by every infant as soon as it 
 begins to creep about the floor. In the language of the 
 Sioux, gah, means there. Shah, is a sound uttered by the 
 infant before it can speak an English word, and in the 
 Sioux tongue, it means red. Toh, in the same language, 
 means green, (a color;) shah, (white;) pah, (the head;) eah, 
 (no;) tokehjah, (what for?) chaah, (penis.) An English 
 child, before it can speak even one word of its own Ian- 
 
 
 
258 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 guage, would make precisely the same sound, on handling 
 the same part of the human body. Ahzah, (the nipple,) is 
 a word among the earliest the infant utters. 
 
 Mamma, in both Greek and Latin, means breast, and the 
 same word is used for mother, in English; and there is not, 
 perhaps, a language in North America, in which mahmah, 
 is not a legitimate word, but it never means the same thing 
 it does in the languages of Greece and Rome. So pappa, 
 is used in most of the European languages, for father, and 
 the same word is probable used by nearly every Indian na- 
 tion, but means in no two languages the same thing. 
 
 Some persons draw a very learned argument from the 
 pronouns, (personal ones.) being nearly the same, in many 
 languages. 
 
 SINGULAR. 
 
 In Sioux — Mea, vel, mish— I; 
 Nea, or nish — thou; 
 Eah, or ish — he. 
 
 PLURAL. 
 
 Okeah, or okish — we; 
 Neahpe — ye; 
 Eahpe — they. 
 
 RELATIVE PRONOUNS. 
 
 \ Takoo — what; 
 
 Tooktah — which ; 
 
 Tooah — who; 
 
 Kah — that; 
 
 Dah — this ; 
 
 Oo-mau — the other. 
 Instead of deriving these words from any other source 
 whatever, I go no further than the sounds uttered by man 
 in his earliest infancy, as the true fountain from whence 
 all human languages are originally derived. The most 
 ancient languages of the Chinese, of the Hindoos, the Celts, 
 &c. will be found to contain nearly the same sounds, and 
 the same words, with our Winnebagoes, Sioux, Sauks, Ojibe- 
 ways, &,c, of the northwest; but the same sounds, and the 
 
NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 259 
 
 same words, will in no case mean the same things, in anj 
 two different languages. The present languages of Europe 
 have become, like their state of society, quite artificial, or 
 in other words, unnatural; so that interjections seem almost 
 all of our modern languages, that art has not either banished 
 or, as we moderns deem it, improved. 
 
 On the whole, I am free to confess, that I find no proof 
 in the languages of North America, of any origin of the 
 red man, other than that he possesses the same colloquial 
 powers as the man of the eastern continent, and that man 
 in every part of the world is the same being, in every essen- 
 tial power of body and faculty of mind. 
 
 Not a few learned and ingenious men, have found the man 
 of America agreeing with the man of the eastern continent, 
 in his manners, habits, customs, form of government, &c, 
 &c, and have drawn such conclusions from their premises, 
 as best suited their preconceived theories. The author of 
 this essay has no theory to support, and no wish on the sub- 
 ject, but to arrive at a correct conclusion. The Indian of 
 North America, so far as I am able to judge, draws his 
 manners, customs, habits, form of government, and laws, 
 from the nature of man, his situation and its attendant cir- 
 cumstances, and the traditions and usages of his ancestors. 
 
 Polygamy is common to the North American and the 
 Asiatic; but, so far as I can judge of this custom, for its true 
 origin, we need only look into the nature of man, and hav- 
 ing been at first adopted, in a state of nature, by a law of 
 the strongest, and having been established and found useful 
 in a state of nature, in order to form a community strong 
 enough to protect itself, it is now too firmly established to be 
 easily got rid of, in such a state of society as the one where 
 it exists. Mahommed did not originate this custom among 
 his followers, but merely sanctioned, and indeed, restrained, 
 what he found already established among them. The Arabs 
 then, and now, led a wandering life, in a country not very 
 dissimilar to our prairie country, in the northwest. The 
 law of the strongest prevails among both people, and an 
 
 111] 
 
260 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 erratic course of life produces and continues in existence 
 nearly the same results. A more condensed state of socie- 
 ty, the possession of more property, more equally divided, 
 too, among the great mass of the population, more wants 
 and more difficulty in supplying them, more art, and less na- 
 ture, and above all a fixed habitation for every family, and 
 every individual, would do considerable, at least something, 
 towards the abolition of this and other customs. But after 
 all, I doubt whether polygamy will cease to exist in the 
 world, until the influence of Christianity eradicates it. So 
 long as the nature of man is what it is — in countries, too, 
 where custom sanctions it, and the state of society seems to 
 call for it, so long it will exist in every part of the world, 
 where we now find it. I derive this custom then from no 
 particular climate, from no one nation, but from man as he 
 is by nature, by habit, and almost by necessity, when pla- 
 ced in a state of nature, or in one nearly approaching it. 
 
 The law of retaliation for injuries received from an ene- 
 my, as it exists among our Indians, has been brought forward 
 as a proof that our red man of America sprung from the 
 Jews. Moses has taught us that we have a right to exact 
 "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;" but that doc- 
 trine, so far as self-defense is concerned in it, was first writ- 
 ten in an older book than the five of which Moses was the 
 author — it was written, too, by the finger of Him whose hand 
 made the Universe, on the heart, not only of man, but of 
 every fowl of the air, beast of the field, and fish of the sea. 
 Moses found this law of self-preservation, and self-defense, 
 inscribed on the human heart, by the finger of God, and 
 did not, (because he could not,) blot it out. Our Savior 
 himself, so intimates to us, of this custom, as he does of po- 
 lygamy likewise, and until the sublime and Godlike pre- 
 cepts of Christianity, abrogate or modify these customs, they 
 will exist among men forever. Self-defense and self-pre- 
 servation will exist forever, all over the world. Their ori- 
 gin is divine. The avenger of blood, as he was called 
 among the Jews, that is, some near relative of the murdered 
 
INDIAN CUSTOMS. 261 
 
 person, (whose duty it is to avenge his death, unless the mur- 
 der be compounded for by the murderer, or his relatives or 
 friends,) has been seized on by writers who are determined 
 to find among oar Indians, "the lost tribes of Israel." 
 
 This custom among men, is also older than Moses, and 
 all he did was to lay down rules by which to regulate it. 
 He wished to mitigate what he felt himself unable to en- 
 tirely abrogate, and with that view established certain 
 towns, called "cities of refuge," where, (not the willful and 
 deliberate murderer,) the person who had committed what 
 we term "manslaughter," could fly to, and be safe from the 
 hand of the avenger. Though our Indians have their aven- 
 ger of blood, jet they have no cities of refuge — no sacred 
 places to which the unfortunate man can fly and be safe 
 from the avenger of blood. Where a city of refuge is found 
 among Indians, it is easily traced to Catholic missionaries. 
 Had our red man been once in the possession of the idea of 
 a city of refuge, in cases of this kind, would he have lost it? 
 I suspect that he would not. Moses probably found the 
 Israelites in the use of exactly such customs as existed every 
 where in the world, at that day. Some of them he strictly 
 prohibited, such as the practice of idolatry; others he reg- 
 ulated by sumptuary laws, and his object was, as he has in- 
 formed us, to render his nation "a peculiar people, zealous 
 of good works." What he intended to do, he actually ac- 
 complished, though had his people been better informed, he 
 doubtless would have attempted more than he did. I enter- 
 tain very serious doubts whether even one custom, which 
 is no older than the time of Moses, can be found among our 
 Indians. Circumcision is older than Moses, by four hundred 
 years, and yet it is not practiced on this continent. Had 
 our red man derived his origin from the lost tribes, would 
 not this practice have been handed down from age to age 
 to the present time? 
 
 But the green corn dance, and other feasts, are by some 
 persons traced back to the time of Moses. When the corn 
 is just fit to eat, and they possess, for the time being, an abun- 
 31 
 
362 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIfiN. 
 
 dance of food, after almost a famine, the Indians feast, and 
 sleep, and dance, and give a loose to joy and gladness of 
 heart 5 and so they do when they kill a fat bear, or a good 
 fat deer, or take an abundance of fish. I see nothing in 
 this custom either unnatural or traditional. 
 
 The practice of having a standard bearer for every tribe, 
 when going to war, or while met in national council, and, 
 indeed, while our natives are traveling as a nation, has been 
 violently dragged into the argument, in favor of a Jewish 
 origin. Carrymaunee, (walking turtle,) a Winnebago chief, 
 carries a large tortoise, fully extended and beautifully 
 painted, perfect in all its limbs, on his back, as he marches 
 onward at the head of the Turtle tribe. In the same man- 
 ner, Snakeskin marches at the head of the Snake tribe, with 
 the skin of a large snake tied around his neck. In fine, 
 every tribe has its standard bearer, with appropriate em- 
 blems. Is this custom derived from the Jewish one of 
 bearing the ark? In what part of the whole world, and in 
 what age of it, did not this custom exist? This argument 
 proves too much, then, because it proves, if it proves any 
 thing, that all nations, ancient and modern, now are, and 
 always were Jews. Every tribe of savages on the globe 
 has its standard, and every civilized nation its national 
 colors, in the defense of which oceans of human blood have 
 flowed, and will flow again, until man ceases to be man. 
 This custom goes for nothing, except to prove that man is 
 man. 
 
 So the division of our aborigines into tribes, has been 
 brought forward to prove them Jews! The same argument 
 would prove the original inhabitants of Scotland, of France, 
 of Rome, too, and indeed of all the countries on earth, 
 originally Jews. No one pretends to believe that the 
 "Scots wha ha wi' Wallace bled, the Scots whom Bruce 
 has often led," were of Jewish origin. It is as natural a 
 division of mankind into tribes, as it is to divide them into 
 families; and a tribe necessarily results from the increase 
 of a family. So far as I know, almost every Indian tribe 
 
INDIAN TRADITIONS. 263 
 
 originally sprung from some one family. Additions to it, 
 by intermarriages with persons not originally belonging to 
 it, by captives taken in war, and by persons born in it, very 
 naturally, in time, produce too great a number to belong 
 to one family, and to be controlled by one head; and ano- 
 ther family is set up, and so on, until a tribe is formed. 
 In the northwest, there is a most striking family likeness 
 among the individuals belonging to any one tribe; so much 
 so that the individual is easily recognized, as to what tribe 
 he belongs. 
 
 The traditions of our Indians have furnished proofs, to ma- 
 ny persons, of an Asiatic origin. Any tradi tion among them, 
 almost, of what took place more than a century since, must 
 be dark and doubtful. 
 
 I have often listened to their traditions with pleasure, be- 
 cause they appeared very anxious to obtain from me a satis- 
 factory explanation of them. 
 
 The furthest back I was able to trace their traditions, 
 was up to the time when our European ancestors first set- 
 tled on this continent. That story every Indian can tell, 
 and the Sauks have some traditions as to their living, as I 
 supposed, in Rhode Island, and of king Philip's wars. Mus- 
 quawkee, (red earth,) is the name of the Foxes, who, ac- 
 cording to their account of themselves, must have resided 
 in Rhode Island, originally, and have been driven away 
 from thence on the death and overthrow of king Philip. 
 I arrived at this conclusion very unexpectedly to myself, 
 from the very correct description of the physical features of 
 that district of country, and the clear and interesting ac- 
 count they gave me of those wars. Beyond that period of 
 time they know nothing. 
 
 A belief in the existence of a God, and of a future state 
 of existence for man, not a few persons suppose, are derived 
 exclusively from tradition. I confess myself to be of a dif- 
 ferent opinion. The existence of a great first cause, 
 and his superintending providence, are too clearly Written 
 
964 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 on all the works of creation, not to be read and understood 
 by every human being. 
 
 The Indian is exposed to every change of season, and 
 feels, more than we do, the immediate effects of every 
 change of weather. 
 
 He trusts more than we do, to the bounty of Providence, 
 for his daily support. His modes of living in the open air, 
 oblige him to notice every prognostic of any change of 
 weather. The sun, the moon, the stars, or in their absence, 
 the clouds are carefully observed by him at all times. His 
 leisure enables him to contemplate on the works of creation, 
 more than we do. 
 
 The evident marks of intelligence, design, wisdom, and 
 power of the Creator, are every where so evident, and are 
 written in characters so legible, that even the savage reads 
 them. Not a savage roams over the prairies and forests of 
 the northwest, but very naturally inquires of himself, and 
 reasons thus: 
 
 "Why did the fiat of a God give birth 
 To yon fair sun, and his attendant earth! 
 And when, descending, he resigns the skies, 
 Why takes the gentler moon, her turn to rise? 
 Why do the Seasons still enrich the year, 
 Fruitful and young, as in their first career? 
 Spring hangs her infant blossoms on the trees, 
 Rock'd in the cradle of the Western breeze; 
 Summer in haste, the thriving charge receives, 
 Beneath the shade of her expanded leaves; 
 Till Autumn's fiercer heats and plenteous dews, 
 Dye them at last, in all their glowing hues. 
 Look where he will, the wonders God has wrought, 
 The wildest scorner of his Maker's laws, 
 Finds in a sober moment, time to pause; 
 To press th' important question on his heart, 
 Why form'd at all, or wherefore as thou art? 
 
 Truths, that the learn'd pursue with eager thought, 
 Are not important always, as dear bought, 
 Proving at last, though told in pompous strains, 
 A childish waste of philosophic pains: 
 

 INDIAN CUSTOMS. 365 
 
 But truths, on which depends our main concern, 
 That 'tis our shame and mis'ry not to learn, 
 Shine by the side of every path we tread 
 With such a lustre, he that runs may read." 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 Abstruce writers, little acquainted with man, as he is by 
 nature, have run into extremes; one party decrying human 
 reason below, and the other exalting it above, is true value. 
 I run into neither extreme, and feel assured that I am per- 
 fectly correct. 
 
 Revealed religion is merely an addition to natural reli- 
 gion. The former also corrects the mistakes men run into, 
 in construing natural religion; it modifies sometimes, and 
 often explains, but never contradicts natural religion. The 
 light of nature is good, as far as it goes; but does not shine 
 bright enough, nor throw its beams far enough into the 
 gloom covering futurity, and indeed this life also, to enable 
 us happily and usefully to pass through the wilderness of 
 this world. 
 
 Which of these religions has been most corrupted by bad 
 men, I cannot say, and I regret that I am acquainted with 
 no book, impartially written, on the subject, nor one where- 
 in justice is done to it. The church of England ought to 
 produce such a work, and the learned divines at the head 
 of it, are fully competent to do so. 
 
 For learning and talent, they stand foremost in the world, 
 at this moment. 
 
 For pure gospel simplicity of doctrine and practice, I 
 give them a decided preference over all other christian 
 sects. 
 
 I do not believe a nation can be found on the earth, who 
 are atheists, nor one who deny the immortality of the soul. 
 Human societies could not be held together without such a 
 belief, and it is as natural for us to believe in these truths, 
 as it is for us to breathe the vital air. 
 
 It is true, that the Indians of the northwest have no ideas 
 of a trinity — none, as I could learn, of sacrifices, and of 
 
 
me 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 'JO. V 
 
 
 many other notions, which the Six Nations of New York 
 have, and so have our Indians in Ohio; but the latter most 
 evidently derived those notions from Catholic priests sent 
 to them from Canada. 
 
 The religion of the Winnebagoes is the simple unsophis- 
 ticated religion of nature, unadulterated by any foreign 
 mixtures whatever. The prophet on Rock river is endea- 
 voring to raise himself into consequence, by his craft, but 
 how he will succeed, time must tell us. This reverend and 
 learned doctor is trying to join church and state together. 
 
 The religion of the people of the Upper Mississippi, con- 
 sists of a belief in the existence of a God, in the immortali- 
 ty of the soul, and in a state of rewards and punishments 
 after death. I see no necessity for traveling any great dis- 
 tance, either into times past, or into any other country,, for 
 the origin of these simple, and nearly self evident truths. 
 The Indian has no traditions as to when or where his an- 
 cestors first received these truths, nor does he even suspect 
 that any human being ever disbelieved them. 
 
 Had our red man sprung from ancestors who had imbibed 
 any of the religious ideas peculiar to the Jews, the people 
 of China, Persia, Egypt, or of India beyond the Ganges, 
 traces of such ideas would be found among the people of 
 this day: There are no such traces in existence. I am 
 speaking of the wild man of the northwest, be it understood. 
 
 I see nothing among the traditions of these people, which 
 would lead us to Asia for their origin. 
 
 Had our red man descended from Jewish ancestors, that 
 is the lost tribes, he would have retained idolatry, the rite 
 of circumcision, and the sabbath; but he has none of these. 
 
 The sound of the church-going bell. 
 His rocks and his vallies never heard, 
 Never sigh'd at the sound of a knell, 
 Nor smil'd, when a sabbath appear'd. 
 
 In fine, being an Israelite, he would not have abandoned 
 these customs if he could, and could not if he would. No 
 
INDIAN CUSTOMS. 267 
 
 Indian of North America, unacquainted with the whites, 
 ever heard of a single rite derived from the Jews. 
 
 It is true, because I know it to be a fact, that individuals, 
 Conkapot and others who were educated at Dartmouth col- 
 lege, taught a few of their brethern to assist them to im- 
 pose on Dr. Boudinot, by singing parts of David's psalms, 
 in the Hebrew language, but no uneducated Indian ever 
 did so. For myself, I disapprove of such a trick, to impose 
 on such unsuspecting credulity. It produced a book — 
 "The Star in the West." 
 
 It is time to bring the present inquiry to a close, as to 
 the origin of the red man, which I cannot better do than 
 by repeating several of the ideas already brought forward, 
 with such additional ones as naturally present themselves 
 to us. 
 
 The Indians whom our ancestors found when they landed 
 on the shores of the Atlantic ocean, within the limits of the 
 United States, were evidently a race of men differing in 
 no important particular from the tribes then, and now, re- 
 siding in high latitudes, on the western side of the Pacific 
 ocean. Their dogs were the same, among both people; all 
 the habits of the people were the same ; their languages 
 contained in them the same sounds, and there was, and still 
 is, a constant intercourse between the tribes living on each 
 continent, a Behring's straits, and at the Fox islands. In 
 color and appearance, they are one people; and it is quite 
 immaterial, in my view of the subject, whether the red man 
 of America originally inhabited Asia or America. It is 
 enough for us to know, that they are one and the same 
 people. 
 
 If Asia was the original birth place and home of man, 
 and there is nothing which proves very decisively to the 
 contrary, then the ancestors of our Indians emigrated from 
 Asia in the very earliest ages of the world, before they had 
 learned any one art, which has since added to the comforts 
 and conveniencies of human life. It must have been, too, 
 before men had domesticated the ox, the horse, the hog, 
 
268 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 the sheep, the goat, or any beast of the field, or fowl of the 
 earth, or of the air; before any of the grasses, by culture, 
 had been changed into grains, such as our wheat, rye, oats, 
 millet, or barley. Wheat and rye, in their wild state, 
 grew within the limits of our territory — so they do still. 
 Rye, in its wild state, is a biennial plant in Ohio, Virginia 
 and New York. Cultivation has made it an annual, and 
 rendered it less hardy than it was in its wild state. The 
 wheat grows in wet places, and the rye in dry ones. 
 
 The maize, or as we call it, Indian corn, had been reclai- 
 med by our Indians, and originally belonged to this conti- 
 nent, and not to Asia. Our Indians had learned to culti- 
 vate the maize and the tobacco plant only. I speak of 
 Indians originally inhabiting our Atlantic States, and not of 
 those living within the tropics, where many other plants 
 were cultivated, and many animals were domesticated, not 
 -even known to our Indians. 
 
 I have said that if our red man came here originally from 
 Asia, it must have been before the ox, horse, &c, were do- 
 mesticated, because, had he once been in possession of these 
 animals, in their domesticated state, he would have con- 
 tinued to make use of them — would have brought them 
 along with him. These animals were in use among men, 
 at a very early age of the world. In the days of Abraham 
 and of Lot, the ass, the ox, the sheep, and the goat, were 
 domesticated in Asia, and they formed no inconsiderable 
 portion of men's wealth. Large droves of these animals 
 were in the possession of the men of that day. Once in 
 common use, no people would forego the privilege of own- 
 ing and of using them; so that if our red man came here 
 from Asia, his emigration must have been in the very ear- 
 liest ages of the world. 
 
 The same reasoning holds good as to the use of iron, of 
 copper, and of all the metals of which our Indians knew 
 nothing. They used neither candle or lamp in their dwel- 
 lings; they cultivated neither beans, peas, squashes, or 
 pumpkins, of which they are now so fond that they cultivate 
 
NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 269 
 
 them. Their clothing was made of the skins of beasts, or 
 of cloth made of the wild nettle. They slept upon mats 
 manufactured from the bark of the- elm tree, or of rushes. 
 Their wigwams were covered with the barks of trees; their 
 canoes were made mostly of similar materials; their dishes 
 were wooden bowls; their axes were made of stone; their 
 arms used in hunting and war, were cross-bows, whose 
 strings were the sinews of wild animals; their arrow heads 
 were sharp stones of the flint, and so were the heads of 
 their spears. The Sioux are but one step in advance of 
 man, as we have found him first in America. 
 
 If we suppose America to be the birth place of our red 
 man, I know nothing that contradicts the supposition; and 
 perhaps circumstances rather favor that idea. If our red man 
 came from Asia, (I mean our northern Indian,) he brought 
 nothing with him from that continent — not even one ani~ 
 mal* — not a single plant — no one art — nor any thing in- 
 deed, but himself, naked and destitute. 
 
 For what he was when we found him here, he owed only 
 to himself, to the climate in which he lived — to the soil 
 which he partially cultivated, and to the forests, the rivers, 
 the lakes, and the ocean, which supplied him with food* 
 For all these he thanked the Great Spirit, and Him only,, 
 and was glad. 
 
 Any people who emigrate from one country to another, 
 may forego the use of luxuries which they have left behind 
 them, especially for a season, until they can, with ease, 
 
 * I have said, in the text, that the North American brought not 
 even one animal from Asia; I mean though, in a domesticated state. 
 Many of the wild animals are precisely the same in both continents, 
 to wit: the mountain ram, of the Rocky mountains, and the same ani- 
 mal in Tartary— -the prairie wolf and the chacal — the antelope of both 
 continents — the bears, the beavers, and indeed the whole deer family 
 are the same; so are the ermines, the seals, and several other ani- 
 mals. It is a striking fact, that the men and animals, on both conti- 
 nents, where they approach each other the nearest, are so exactly 
 similar to each other, that the difference between them is almost im- 
 imperceptible. 
 32 
 
270 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEJ*. 
 
 procure them. The settlers in our new countries furnish 
 an example in point. But when or where did men forget 
 the use of iron tools, who- had ever learned to manufacture 
 them? What people, who had used lamps or candles in 
 their dwellings, ever forgot their use? This continent cer- 
 tainly furnished oil and tallow as well as Asia. What peo- 
 ple on earth, who had domesticated any animals that were 
 very useful to them, forgot their use, or left them behind, 
 when emigrating to another country? Plants or animals 
 might be left behind by emigrants who were removing from 
 a climate which was congenial to them, to one that was not 
 so. This consideration weighs nothing in this case, be- 
 cause our climate is as favorable to the plants and animals 
 as that of Asia. 
 
 So far as history informs us, man's knowledge of every. 
 thing useful to him, has always been progressive. Like the 
 Hugunots of France, men have been driven away from their 
 native country, but when they went, they carried all their 
 arts along with them. The Spitalfield weavers introduced 
 the manufacture of silk into England. The arms of Rome 
 conquered Greece, but the arts of Greece captivated Rome. 
 The Turks took Constantinople, but the learned men, dri- 
 ven away from the conquered city, spread their learning 
 over Europe, and produced a revival of letters wherever 
 they went. Learning, commerce, science, and the arts, 
 and even liberty, may be expelled by force from one coun- 
 try, and be compelled to take refuge in another: but, like 
 seed sown in good ground, they will produce an abundant 
 harvest in the field where they are sown. All history 
 proves that we have advanced on this matter, and exhibits 
 in a clear light, the wisdom and goodness of Providence, as 
 they are manifested in the government of human affairs. 
 Human knowledge, and consequently human happiness and 
 power, have, on the whole, almost always been progressive. 
 It argues nothing agciinst this proposition, that the red man 
 of our country had learned so little, when we first found him 
 on this continent. He knew all that he absolutely needed 
 
NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 271 
 
 to know — all his wants were easily supplied, as he was sat- 
 isfied. He inhabited a vast country, but thinly settled ; 
 constant war among the different tribes left him little lei- 
 sure either to improve his mind or his condition, and he 
 continued stationary in knowledge, until all his habits were 
 fixed and fastened upon him. Under the existing customs 
 of our Indians, certain persons have acquired rights, just as 
 we have under our laws and our constitution, and who dare 
 incur the dangerous consequences of disturbing them ? The 
 punishment of the crime of treason, is death, in each state 
 of society, and he who would change the customs of the In- 
 dians, would overturn their very form of government, and 
 thus commit treason. To teach the arts of civilized life, 
 stands on a different footing, in both states of society. 
 
 When the red man first came into America, no one knows, 
 nor ever will know; indeed, I see no use to be derived from 
 such a knowledge, if attainable. At all events, its use 
 v>ould be small. The united evidence of all the circum- 
 stances with which our red man is surrounded, proves, at 
 least to me, that this continent is either his original birth 
 place, or that he emigrated from the other continent at so 
 early an age of the world, that he knew at the time little, 
 indeed, of the arts, the sciences, the comforts and conve- 
 niences of life, which are now so widely diffused, so gene- 
 rally known and appreciated, in every other country almost 
 on the globe. The eagerness and celerity with which he 
 learns to use the hoe, the axe, the gun, the steel trap, and 
 the brass kettle of the European, show conclusively his capa- 
 city to understand their use, and his anxiety to obtain them. 
 At any preceding period of time, had he ever manufac- 
 tured and used any of these things, he never would have been 
 found here without them. 
 
 It would lead me too far from the narrow path in which I 
 am traveling, to examine into the geological facts which 
 the great valley or the Mississippi presents, and which 
 go to prove that man dwelt here before the flood. Time, 
 and a greater accumulation of such facts, will either con- 
 
m$ 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 firm or overthrow such an opinion. The task of examining 
 this vast cemetery of ages past, I leave to some future 
 Cuvier. A fame as enduring as the world itself, will be 
 his, while every leaf on which I write will be swept away 
 by the hand of time, and buried, with the name of the au- 
 thor, in everlasting oblivion. 
 
 Some persons have supposed that man, a genus, was divi- 
 ded into several species. I will not repeat, no, not repeat, 
 what such persons have brought forward as arguments in 
 favor of such an hypothesis. The color of the skin is cer- 
 tainly nothing, because among the tribes of North America, 
 who are unmixed with European blood, I can find thousands 
 with as blue eyes, light colored hair, and as fair skin, were 
 it kept clean, as Europe can boast. Indeed, I have seen red 
 hair, and a freckled skin among them. And as to the form 
 of the body, and the shape of the face, I have seen among 
 them as perfect Romans, and as good Greeks, as all anti- 
 quity could boast of, either in Rome or Athens. 
 
 No matter in what country we find man, he has the same 
 sounds in his language, if it be a natural one; he possesses 
 the self-same corporeal powers; is moved by similar hopes 
 and fears*, he loves, and he hates; he weeps and he laughs, 
 sings and dances. And he has every where the same powers 
 of body, and the same faculties of mind. 
 
 All the varieties of shape, form, and the size of his body, 
 found any where in the world, are seen among the pure, una< 
 dulterated natives of the northwest, except the bandied leg, 
 thick lip, and deep colored skin of the African; and they 
 actually existed in perfection, in the tropical regions of Amer- 
 ica, when first discovered by Columbus. 
 
 Theories, without one single particle of proof, are brought 
 forward as the besom with which to sweep away these indu- 
 bitable facts! It will not do. Prove to us an African ori- 
 gin of the black Indians of the West Indies; and prove to us 
 the foolish and unfounded reverie about Welch Indians, 
 When we throw a whole continent and all its people into 
 one scale, do not think to weigh it down by throwing into 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 273 
 
 the other scale, two or three small feathers, plucked from a 
 humming bird's wing. 
 
 We offer proofs equal to mathematical certainty, and are 
 met and rebutted by dreams, reveries, suppositions, and 
 unfounded theories! I beg pardon of the reader for occu- 
 pying a moment of his time on this subject, so plain, so 
 easily understood, and perfectly certain, sure, and incon- 
 trovertible, that no tongue nor pen can render it plainer, 
 or more certain than it now is, and so forever will remain. 
 The subject is of too grave a character for ridicule, oth- 
 erwise I might be tempted to to use that weapon upon the 
 puerilities of learned fools, and skeptical babes of fifty 
 years old. 
 
 INDIAN FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Their form of government is aristocratical, and the whole 
 structure of their society is equally so. The Winnebagoes 
 are divided into seven tribes, or bands; some of these are 
 named after animals, such as the Turtle tribe, the Snake 
 tribe, Wolf tribe, &c, and others are named after inani- 
 mate things, as the Thunder tribe. 
 
 These tribes dwell in different places, in towns or villa- 
 ges; in each one of which, there are two civil chiefs, who 
 govern that town — for instance, Du Corri and Winnesheek 
 are at the head of the government, of the Le Croix village, 
 situated near the Mississippi river, on its eastern bank, 
 eighty miles north of Prairie du Chien. So of all the other 
 tribes, each of which has its town or seat of government, 
 and is governed by its two civil chiefs. The civil govern- 
 ment of the Winnebagoes is in the hands of fourteen civil 
 chiefs, and when they are all assembled in one council, it 
 is the grand national council. 
 
 In each village, the two civil chiefs appoint all the offi- 
 cers deemed necessary, civil and military, who obey them 
 implicitly. There are two ways of arriving at these high 
 stations, by birth and by election. When the father dies, 
 if he has a son who has arrived at the age of manhood, and 
 
 
374 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 I 
 
 Who bids fair to make a good chief — that is, if he possesses 
 a good form, has good bodily powers and mental faculties 
 — is brave, sedate, wise and prudent, he generally suc- 
 ceeds his father in the goverment, on his father's demise. 
 If the chief, at his death* leave no son who is qualified for 
 the high office of chief, but wills it to some other person,, 
 he succeeds to the government. If the chief has no son at 
 his death, it is commonly the case that his brother's son 
 succeeds him. The line of succession may run out for want 
 of a lawful heir, which is always supplied hy an election. 
 It may be changed too* where the heir is unqualified for 
 the station. Great deference is always paid to the will of 
 the dying chief, but every such case is always laid before a 
 full national council, whose decision is final. 
 
 A chief may be degraded from his rank for bad conduct; 
 as Quasquawma was for signing a treaty with General 
 ****** ? relinquishing the mineral country for no good con- 
 sideration, and which the General gave away again, for as 
 little as he gave for it, to the very Indians, of whom the 
 United States Were compelled to purchase it at a vast ex- 
 pense, in July and August, 1829. When Quasquawma 
 was degraded from his rank, of chief of the Musquawkee 
 tribe, his son-in-law, Tiama, was elected in his stead. 
 
 There is, in every tribe, what answers to a standing army 
 among us. The profession of aYms holds out, to the great 
 mass of the common people, the only road to the temple of 
 fame, and no one can find a place in the army, unless he is 
 well formed in body, of a good size, and possesses a good 
 mind. He must be brave, artful, cautious, patient of fatigue 
 and of hunger, and he must know no such thing as fear, 
 where duty calls him to press forward. Death has no ter- 
 rors for him, and cowardice is more despised than any one 
 acquainted with them can imagine. The young man who 
 aspires to the honorable distinction of a "brave," or warrior, 
 must exhibit such traits of character as are deemed neces- 
 sary for a soldier to possess, before he can be admitted into 
 the army. When admitted, he wears on his head just as 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT* 275 
 
 many feathers of the bald eagle, as he has slain human 
 beings, and the size of the feathers indicate the size of his 
 victims. If he has slain a whole family, the father, the 
 mother, and five children, for instance, we wears two large 
 feathers and five smaller ones. The feather denoting the 
 father, in that case would be the largest, the one worn for 
 the mother a size less, and the five for the children would 
 vary in size to correspond with the size of each child. I do 
 not remember one warrior of any nation, who did not wear 
 at least, one feather, and some displayed a great number of 
 them. If the warrior has taken a captive, he has a human 
 hand as large as life, painted either on his face, or on some 
 part of his body, or on his blanket. Some individuals have 
 several such hands painted on them. 
 
 At the head of the army, belonging to each tribe, there 
 is a person who occupies the same station as a general does 
 with us, and he appoints all the inferior officers. The 
 chiefs, when met in council, call into it their warriors, with 
 whom they consult, but frequently they are called to receive 
 the orders which are obeyed to the letter. This council 
 call before them persons who are interested in the trial, if 
 it be one, to hear/nis allegations and his proofs, in his 
 defense. They call in persons who can afford information 
 on the subject under consideration; but in all such cases, 
 when these persons are heard, they retire from the council, 
 who debate on all matters by themselves. 
 
 Seated on mats, in the eastern manner, like the Turks, 
 around the wigwam or the lodge, no one rises to address 
 his fellow chiefs, nor does he speak in a high tone of voice 
 generally, but what he delivers, is in a low tone of voice, 
 and all he utters is listened to in the profoundest silence. 
 No speaker is ever interrupted in the midst of his discourse,' 
 and no calls to order, as in our public councils, are ever 
 heard or needed. 
 
 If the senate of the United States is the mildest, the 
 most patriotic, and wisest legislative assembly in the civil- 
 ized world, as it truly is, the Winnebago council is >deci- 
 
 
 
■ 
 
 276 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CH1EN. 
 
 dedly at the head of the savage world. Wisdom personified, 
 either as a civilized man or as a savage, is seen in the deport- 
 ment and conduct of each legislative body. Like the court 
 of Mar's Hill, at Athens, the Indian council generally sits 
 at night, when the mass of the nation is asleep. They 
 sometimes sit in council nearly all night, deliberating on 
 some important matter, without coming to any result, which 
 is again and again resumed, in the night, until a final vote 
 is taken and the cause decided. In many instances further 
 information is needed, and in cases of difficulty, more time 
 for reflection is wanted, or the council may be equally divi- 
 ded in opinion. Where the majority is small, and some mem- 
 bers seem to be at a loss how to decide, the minority get a 
 final decision of a question postponed, in order to gain more 
 strength, so as finally to succeed. I always ascertained, at 
 early dawn, the result of each night's council, through my 
 friends, who belonged to it, and how each man had voted* 
 The great body of the people have little influence, almost 
 none, with this council, and they never appear before it 
 unless they are summoned to attend it. They have no 
 voice in electing the chiefs, and in fact no political influ- 
 ence. The civil chiefs and the chief warriors, have in 
 their hands the whole government of the community, and 
 they govern as they please. Disobedience to the orders of 
 the rulers is punished with death, though, like the British 
 nation, the Indians are not savages enough to cut the trai- 
 tor into quarters after hanging him until he is dead. 
 
 Though I have been describing the form of goverment 
 among the Winnebagoes, yet the Sauks and Foxes have the 
 sejf-same aristocracy among them. How much of this form 
 of government has been borrowed from the English and 
 French,! cannot say,but the Indians have no tradition of any 
 other, ever in existence among them. If they had a house 
 of commons, elected by the people, I should suspect they 
 had borrowed it from the English traders who have visited 
 them. Considering them as savages, and if they are to 
 continue such, these are some of the advantages attending 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 277 
 
 their form of government. It is an efficient one, acts 
 promptly, and many times wisely. The person who is horn 
 to be a ruler, from his earliest years, knows it, and studies 
 to prepare himself for it. He is more grave, sedate and 
 dignified in his manners, if a young man, than others of his 
 age. He exhibits a noble and dignified deportment in his 
 intercourse with the world, he appears more thoughful and 
 less frivolous than other persons of his years. He acts up 
 to his destination in society. In his whole conduct he is an 
 example of obedience to "the powers that be," and towards 
 his equals, he is polite and conciliating, but always shows 
 that he feels above the common mass of the people. The 
 same remarks apply to the whole family of the chiefs, who 
 always act as if they know their full value. The female 
 part of it exercised the same influence among the women 
 that the chiefs did among the men, and the presents they 
 expected from us had to be better than those given to the 
 common people. The daughter of. a chief never marries 
 into a family below hers in dignity. The pride originating 
 in birth, is as deeply seated in the hearts of those who are 
 nobly descended, among the natives of the northwest, as it 
 is among the petty princes of Germany. 
 
 It is customary for the chiefs to appoint two soldiers in 
 each village, to keep order in it; and they faithfully do so. 
 
 In each tribe, some one man acts as a divider, by order of 
 the civil chiefs, and by general consent. Whenever we 
 made the men any presents, of pipes, paints, tobacco, or 
 any thing else, the selfsame seven men, if the Winnebagoes 
 were the Indians receiving the presents, appeared, took 
 charge of the property, and divided it in the most equita- 
 ble manner, among all present at the time. They reserved 
 nothing for themselves, generally, but held up their empty 
 hands, at the conclusion of their labors, to show their dis- 
 interestedness. 
 
 If the Sauks and Foxes received presents, two men, one 
 for each tribe, acted as dividers, and the same individuals 
 always performed the same duty. 
 33 
 
 
 ; 
 
278 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CIIIEN. 
 
 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE INDIANS. 
 
 In their manners, the aborigines of the northwest resem- 
 ble the people of the earliest ages of the world. The fe- 
 males pay the greatest respect to their husbands, children to 
 their parents, and both sexes to the aged and infirm. 
 
 After preparing his food, the wife and her daughters nev- 
 er sit down to eat with the head of the family, but stand 
 around him while seated on his mat, in order to supply his 
 wants, and anticipate them, if possible. If he appears to 
 be pleased with his food, every female face wears a smile 
 of satisfaction, but if otherwise, visible signs of regret cloud 
 every female's brow. The women are modest, silent and 
 submissive, in the presence of the men, who, in return, never 
 act harshly towards their wives and daughters. — The gene- 
 rally received opinion, that the men tyrannize over the wo- 
 men, I am satisfied, has no foundation in fact. According 
 to their ideas of correct conduct, I am persuaded, the men 
 treat their wives and children with kindness and attention. 
 All the children belong to the women, (their mothers,) and 
 they assist in raising the corn, cutting and carrying the 
 wood for fuel, either for cooking their food, or for warming 
 their wigwams in cold or wet weather. 
 
 The wood being generally at some distance from their 
 . dwellings, as the women cut it, the children carry it home, 
 except such sticks as are too large for them, when the wo- 
 men themselves, or the younger men carry it for them. The 
 fire once made, in winter, in the center of the wigwam, or 
 in summer, just at the end of the lodge, the kettles in which 
 the food to be prepared for eating is placed, are hung in a 
 row over the fire. 
 
 When they have it, a great quantity of food is cooked, 
 five times as much as the same number of persons would eat 
 among us. They eat most voraciously, and they continue 
 to eat all they can swallow, as long as it lasts. 
 
 The women contrive to hide some of the food, when they 
 have an abundance, so as not to be at any time entirely des- 
 
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 279 
 
 titute. While at Prairie du Chien, I inquired for some 
 wild rice, and to my surprise, a squaw produced several 
 quarts of it, which had been gathered the autumn before, 
 near lake Puckaway, kept until then, and brought one hun- 
 dred and fifty miles, for fear of needing it while away from 
 home, attending on the council. 
 
 They parch their rice and corn, in order the better to 
 preserve them, and sometimes bury them in the ground to 
 keep them from being stolen. The thief who wishes to find 
 it, goes about with a sharp stick, piercing the earth, until 
 he strikes upon the hidden treasure. Their parched 
 grains would not be spoiled by lying in the ground for a 
 considerable length of time. 
 
 Their food consists of fish, either fresh or dried in the 
 smoke, of the meat of wild animals, and wild rice or Indian 
 corn. They are fond of soup, to make which they use meat 
 and corn meal. They boil a kettle full of corn in water and 
 wood ashes, until the hull will come off, when they wash 
 off the ashes in pure water, and lay the corn on mats in the 
 sun to dry. That operation being performed thoroughly, 
 they pound it quite fine in a mortar and put it in a kettle 
 with the flesh, and boil it a long time, until the meat is boil- 
 ed into rags, when the soup is placed in large wooden bowls 
 for eating. 
 
 Though they have their likes and dislikes as to food, yet 
 they eat almost any animal they kill. Not over nice about 
 any part of the animal, they eat entrails and all. Of the 
 entrails of the oxen we killed for them, they made soup, of 
 which they appeared excessively fond. They change their 
 diet as often as they conveniently can, and every season 
 produces a change of food. Their dog feasts are greatly ad- 
 mired by them, and no epicure among us can find any food 
 more to his liking, than the flesh of a fat dog is to an In- 
 dian. They generally live on flesh of some kind, yet they 
 prefer that which is fresh, to salted meats, but they often 
 mix the two sorts in cooking. The meats they eat being 
 wild and tender, easily digested, and so thoroughly boiled, 
 
 ! 
 
I ! 
 
 t I 
 
 ggO TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 broiled, roasted or fried, that they can eat large quantities 
 of them without injury. 
 
 Their tenderness towards aged persons of both sexes, is 
 very common, and places them in. an agreeable pointof view. 
 When we delivered them their goods, we requiied every 
 person among the Winnebagoes to be present at the deliv- 
 ery of them, so that each one should receive his or her fair 
 proportion of them. Until that day, the most aged and in- 
 firm persons had never appeared out of their camp. It was 
 quite satisfactory to see the kindness with which these per- 
 sons were treated by their young relatives and friends. 
 Over these infirm persons, temporary lodges were erected 
 to screen them from the heat of the sun. Food and water 
 were tendered to them frequently, and every comfort admi- 
 nistered to them, in the power of their friends to furnish. 
 This conduct evidently sprung from benevolent hearts; yet 
 those Indians are the wildest and most savage of any in 
 North America. Respect and sympathy for the aged and 
 infirm are found among all savage nations. 
 
 The custom of giving presents as tokens of friendship, is 
 universal among all savage nations, as well as among our 
 Indians. It is a custom springing from the best impulses 
 of the human heart, common in every nation, ancient and 
 modern, and will last as long as the world is inhabited by 
 man. Such mementoes of friendship are as highly prized 
 by an Indian as by a civilized man; and no earthly consi- 
 deration will induce him to part with him. Whenever I 
 wished to purchase a war club, a sword, or medal, which 
 had been presented to the owner as a token of friendship, 
 the reply always was, that it was "a great medicine." He 
 would make me an article that by far excelled it, but would 
 on no terms part with the present. 
 
 Like all savages, our red men of America are extremely 
 fickle, and ready to change their minds in a moment. This 
 trait of character renders it extremely difficult to treat with 
 them. Some idle report of danger to be apprehended from 
 some quarter, an earthquake, an eclipse, a violent thunder 
 
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 281 
 
 storm, or any thing unusual in the course of events, unless 
 instantly explained to them, would break off a council, and 
 they would be off to their coverts and their hiding places. 
 So it was with the Greeks and Romans, and would be with 
 us, were it not for the lights of science, which have dispell- 
 ed the darkness that once rested on the phenomena of na- 
 ture all over the world. Wherever man is unenlightened 
 by science, he is as fickle and as superstitious as our own 
 Winnebagoes! Ignorance is the parent of superstition, and 
 this again begets fears, which among the crowd create sud- 
 den panics. The early histories of all unenlightened na- 
 tions, record accounts of such panics, often produced, espe- 
 cially in war, by any occurrence almost, not strictly belong- 
 ing to every day's events. The early histories of Greece 
 and Rome are full of these sudden panics, produced by 
 some uncommon events happening at the moment, which 
 produced the most disastrous results among the crowds that 
 followed the army* 
 
 Our red man of America is excessively fond of smoking 
 tobacco, the leaves of the sumach, (kinne kennick,) and of 
 some other plants. Every Indian, arrived at the age of 
 manhood, has his tobacco pouch, his pipe and tobacco, and 
 when he has the leisure, he smokes so much that he is per- 
 fectly saturated with the scent of tobacco and kinne ken- 
 nick. So strong is this disagreeable scent, that the rooms 
 much frequented by Indians, partake of it enough to ren- 
 der them unpleasant to one not habituted to such noxious 
 effluvia. The pipes used by the Indians of the northwest, 
 are generally made of stone, on which great labor is bestow- 
 ed. The Soos (Sioux) use a pipe made of jasper, red as 
 blood, found any where on the margin of the Mississippi, 
 from Rock island to its native beds, high on the St. Peter's 
 river. The Winnebagoes use a black stone which they 
 color a deep black, and both the Soos and Winnebagoes 
 polish their pipes so as to make them look very well. The 
 pipe stem is generally long, from two to six feet in length. 
 Some pipes are beautifully carved, so as to represent some 
 
 :% 
 
28£ TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 living object. The principal civil chief of the Winneba- 
 goes, had a very good likeness of himself cut upon the front 
 of a war pipe, which he forwarded by me to the President, 
 with the request that it might be suspended under the Pres- 
 ident's looking glass. The request, I believe, was com- 
 plied with. 
 
 They are the most ingenious beggars in the world.* One 
 or two illustrations will be offered to the reader. 
 
 While I was at Rock island, I inquired of the Sauks and 
 Foxes, the name of Rock river, in their language, what it 
 meant, and also the name of their village, near the mouth 
 of that river, and its meaning in our language? To these 
 inquires, at the time they were made, no answer was given. 
 
 After our arrival at Prairie du Chien, one morning at 
 early dawn, the principal chiefs and warriors of both tribes 
 entered my room, seated themselves for some minutes, and 
 their speaker arose, and repeating my former inquiries, as 
 to the names of their river and principal, town, he wished to 
 know "whether I still wanted the same information?" On 
 my replying in the affirmative, he informed me what they 
 called Rock river in their language, and that it meant 
 "Beard river;" and what they called their town, and that it 
 meant in English, "Beard's town." I naturally inquired 
 why they so called their river and town? Instantly, all 
 present arose, and adjusting their blankets, the speaker 
 told me, "they so called the town and river because the 
 people who lived there had beards, and expected me to give 
 them razors!" which I was obliged instantly to purchase 
 for them, as I had not supposed they ever used them. These 
 men had ascertained that we had no razors among our 
 goods, and they had recourse to this expedient to procure 
 them from us. They knew too, how much depended on 
 their aid, at that moment, and that I dare not refuse to 
 grant them any request, almost, they might make of us. 
 The men received their razors with smiles, which, by the 
 
 *Office seekers at Washington city only excepted. 
 
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS* $83 
 
 time they had departed about ten rods from me, became a 
 loud laugh, at their own ingenuity and success. 
 
 In a few minutes afterwards, as I expected, their wives 
 and daughters made their appearance, and complaining that 
 the men had received razors, while they had none, I was 
 compelled to purchase some for them. Departing from me 
 with their presents, as soon as they thought themselves out 
 of my hearing, they laughed most immoderately at their 
 success. 
 
 Another instance will suffice. I had procured a Winne- 
 bago war song, with the words of it accompanied with the 
 musical notes belonging to it, which I had exhibited to the 
 Sauks and Foxes. At the setting of the sun I had attended 
 on these Indians, at their request, to see acted a particular 
 dance, which pleased both actors and spectators, and I had 
 expressed a wish to see another dance, hear another song 
 of theirs, and take down the words of it in writing, accom- 
 panied by its musical notes. No answer was rendered over 
 night to my request, but at early dawn they called upon 
 me with it. 
 
 After being seated some fifteen minutes, in silence, Mor- 
 gan, their speaker, stood up and repeated every word I had 
 said on leaving them the night before, and he wished to 
 ascertain from me, whether I still was of the same mind. 
 "Do you still wish, (said he,) to hear us sing another song?" 
 Answer; "yes." "Do you wish to see another and a diiFer- 
 ent dance?" "Yes." "Do you wish to take down the words of 
 it, and its musical notes in writing?" "Yes." "Do you wish 
 a table to write on?" "Yes." "Do you want a seat to sit 
 on by the table?" "Yes." "Do you wish for pen, inkstand 
 and paper on the table?" Answer; "yes." At that moment, 
 every Indian present rose up and adjusted his blanket, in 
 readiness to leave me; Morgan concluded the interview by 
 remarking — "at the setting of the sun, this evening, at our 
 camp, you shall have a seat to sit on, a table to write on, 
 pen, inkstand and paper, and you shall hear two new songs, 
 and see two dances, but we shall expect to see, placed on 
 
284 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CH1EN. 
 
 the table by you, something to make us merry, so that we 
 can sing and dance to please you." His proposition was 
 acceded to promptly, and they all instantly left the room, 
 filled with joy at their success, which, as soon as they had 
 left me, showed itself in loud and repeated bursts of laugh- 
 ter. 
 
 As soon as they reached their camp, the female dancers 
 hastened to appear before me, and presenting themselves in 
 rags, and the very worst garments they owned, or could 
 procure, they urged the great impropriety of dancing be- 
 fore me, dressed as they were! They affected great distress 
 of mind, at the sorry appearance they should present to me 
 on an occasion when they should dance merely to do me 
 honor. 
 
 •\ 
 
 They wanted "the best of paints for their faces, ostrich 
 feathers to adorn their heads, the best of beads for their 
 neck, large silk shawls on their shoulders, beautiful leggins, 
 and calico shirts to adorn their persons." All these requests 
 were instantly granted, and they departed highly gratified 
 at their success. 
 
 At the appointed time I went to their camp, where I 
 found assembled, all the Indians belonging to every nation 
 on the treaty ground. The actors in the comedy, for so I 
 considered it, were dressed in the most splendid manner, 
 and acted their several parts to admiration. Universal joy 
 diffused itself among the multitude; but exhaustion from 
 continual fatigue, for weeks past, prevented my taking down 
 either the notes of their music, or the words of their songs. 
 Professing to be carried away with their acting, I abruptly 
 left the seat by the table where I was seated, and took my 
 station between the two principal civil chiefs, near the per- 
 formers. They were highly delighted with the supposed 
 effect which their acting had produced on me, and my leav- 
 ing the table as I did produced a burst of applause from 
 all present. No people could have been happier than they 
 were, for several successive hours. 
 
POLYGAMY. 285 
 
 The improvisator! had prepared himself in his best mari- 
 ner, for the occasion; the tamborin and several good natural 
 singers, made very good music, and all was animation, life 
 and glee. Enough wine and small beer were drank to 
 make them all very merry, but no one drank to excess. At 
 an early hour each retired to his lodge, well pleased at 
 what had passed, and the meeting produced the best effects. 
 
 POLYGAMY. 
 
 This practice prevails among all the Indian nations of 
 the Upper Mississippi. I do not recollect to have become 
 acquainted with any one family, where the man was fifty 
 years old, who had not at least two wives, and the princi- 
 pal chiefs and warriors have from two to five. The eldest 
 woman, generally, was nearly of the same age with the 
 husband; the others appeared to have been married at dif- 
 ferent times, and were of different ages. The eldest, as in 
 Asia, has the control of the household affairs, and the others 
 obey her. The consequence of the man is rated, in some 
 respect, by the number of wives belonging to him. 
 
 The number of wives, guns, medals, dogs, traps, horses, 
 children, and slaves, show the wealth and consequence of 
 the possessor. This state of things naturally reminds one 
 of the patriarchal ages. In a rude state of society, where 
 the laws of nature govern, polygamy always has, and always 
 will exist. This custom has often been supposed to be 
 derived from Asia, whereas, I derive it from the nature of 
 man, who is always the same by nature. Christianity, in 
 Europe, and among the descendants of Europeans, every 
 where, has counteracted a natural propensity. Lawgivers 
 have acted as moral philosophers have taught them, in pro- 
 hibiting polygamy. Nature produces among the human 
 family, thirteen males to twelve females. The excess of 
 the males over the females, philosophers have told us, was 
 intended to supply the losses by casualties, in war, naviga- 
 tion, &c, to which the males were more exposed than the 
 34 
 
286 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 other sex. Deducting those losses in war, and by various 
 casualties, the number of the two sexes being equal, our 
 laws prohibit polygamy for reasons of state. This leveling 
 and truly republican principle, ill accords with the aristo- 
 cratic practice of the chiefs and warriors of the Upper 
 Mississippi. I discovered no evils growing out of this cus- 
 tom, and on the whole, I suspect, that in their state of soci- 
 ety it is productive of good effects. It tends to create a 
 little community, which is capable of supporting, protecting 
 and defending itself. I have seen forty persons belonging 
 to one family. It is easy to see, that in a savage state of 
 society, polygamy tends to produce a little community hav- 
 ing one interest; directed by one head, strong enough to 
 support itself in times of sickness, famine and war. The 
 father of it appears, like the patriarchs of old, to be beloved 
 by all the members of the family. When the stranger 
 approaches his wigwam or his lodge, the patriarch goes out 
 to meet and welcome him to his humble mansion. More 
 hospitable than we civilized men are, he offers to his guest 
 all he has — food for himself, his horse and dog; a mat for 
 him to sleep on, skins for his covering, and a bed fellow. 
 When the stranger leaves him, he is accompanied a short 
 distance on his way, his course is correctly pointed out to 
 him, and even protection on his journey is offered him, pro- 
 vided any danger is apprehended from enemies on his route. 
 All this is done without arrogance, or any airs of self-com- 
 placency in the host, and no pay is expected from the guest. 
 
 No parents on earth are fonder of their offspring, than 
 the Indians of the northwest. I might mention numerous 
 instances, in my intercourse with these people, where deep 
 paternal fondness for their children appeared to great advan- 
 tage. Kindness to their wives and children always concil- 
 iated the chiefs whom I wished to please. 
 
 It became my duty, in order to effect the views of the 
 United States' government, to gain over to our interest, 
 Winnesheek, the principal chief of the Prairie le Cross, 
 lying eighty miles north of Prairie du Chien. As the readi- 
 
POLYGAMY. 287 
 
 est way to effect my object, 1 sent for his son, gave him, 
 many presents, of clothes, fish hooks, paints and jewelry. I 
 showed him some cornelians, and employed him to find 
 them on the shore of the Mississippi. He attended on me 
 daily every morning, with the products of his labor the day 
 preceding, and received his daily presents. His father al- 
 ways accompanied him to my window, on such occasions, 
 and though he never told me it was his son, he showed in 
 his countenance strong marks of pleasure, at the kindness 
 extended to his boy. The day was set for the departure of 
 the band to which the boy belonged, and the morning had 
 arrived when Isaac Winnesheek was to visit me for the last 
 time. At early dawn, dressed in the clothes he had received 
 from me, painted in the best manner, and his hair filled 
 with white clay, he made his appearance at my door, and 
 was admitted. He took his seat, after the Indian manner, 
 in silence, for fifteen minutes. He was filled with grief, in 
 which, I confess, I largely participated. At length he rose, 
 and presented to me as a parting memento, the largest and 
 handsomest cornelian I ever saw. The tears ran freely 
 down his cheeks, and I could not prevent mine from ming- 
 ling with his. Having kept until then, for him, the choicest 
 articles I had, while handing them to him, glancing my eye 
 towards the window, I saw his father, (who had secreted 
 himself there until this moment.) covered with tears, and 
 convulsed with grief. His likeness, taken in the most cor- 
 rect manner, preserves the recollection of him. 
 
 When Du Corri, of the same band, presented his son to 
 me, he shed tears; on inquiring the cause of his grief, he 
 replied that, that son's mother was dead. On further inqui- 
 ry, I learned that she had been dead ten years. Conjugal 
 affection is not wanting, even in savage life, and paternal 
 tenderness is as common among Indians as it is among us. 
 
 In appreciating the happiness and virtue of a community, 
 says Dr. Currie, there is perhaps no single criterion on 
 which we can place so much dependence, as on the state 
 of the intercourse between the sexes. Where this display! 
 
288 
 
 TOUR TU PRAIRIE DU CHIEff. 
 
 ardor of affection and attachment, accompanied by purity 
 of conduct, the character and influence of women rise in 
 society; our imperfect nature mounts high in the scale of 
 moral excellence; and from the source of this single affec- 
 tion, a stream of felicity descends, branching into a thou- 
 sand rills, as it rolls onward, fertilizing and adorning the 
 whole field of life. Where the attachment between the 
 sexes sinks into an appetite, the heritage of our species is 
 comparatively poor, and man approaches to the condition 
 of the beast. In any country where polygamy exists, it is 
 doubtful whether love, in a refined sense, is very common. 
 The operation of physical causes on this attachment, is 
 small, because it is modified chiefly by moral ones. 
 
 An Indian family, of a distinguished chief, consists gen- 
 erally of the man, who is called the father of it; his wives; 
 his sons, who mayor may not have wives; his daughters, 
 and their husbands; and the children, belonging to all the 
 family. The captives taken in war, if any, may form a part 
 of it, and the whole constitutes a little community within 
 itself. 
 
 Caesar, when he was in Britain, found, doubtless, exactly 
 such a state of things existing on that island, as now exists 
 among our Indians of the northwest, and like too many 
 others since his time, who decided before they compre- 
 hended the case fully, in all its relations and bearings, con- 
 cluded, that all the males and females in the wigwam, had 
 a promiscuous sexual intercourse, and that the children 
 considered all the men as common fathers to them! I do 
 not believe this statement of Caesar. It is contrary to hu- 
 man nature, so much so, that no such community of men, 
 women and children, ever did, or even could exist, even 
 one day. To say the contrary, is to slander human nature 
 and its Author, who has, for the wisest and the best of pur- 
 poses, so stamped the human heart with affections, connu- 
 bial, paternal and material, that they never were, and never 
 can be blotted out. Human society, without the full oper- 
 ation of these affections upon their desired objects, would, 
 
INFLUENCE OF WOMEN. 289 
 
 in a moment, dissolve like the baseless fabric of a dream, 
 and disappear from the earth. 
 
 That it is so, we ought constantly to thank the Author of 
 all things; because, had it not been so, the cup of human 
 misery would have been full and running over, without 
 even one poor, small drop of pleasure or of happiness in it. 
 
 Caesar, traveling in Britain, and British travelers in the 
 United States, have outdone all others in slandering man- 
 kind, against which all nature cries aloud, in a voice that 
 reaches the heavens, and is approved there. 
 
 CHARACTER AND INFLUENCE OF WOMEN. 
 
 The character and influence of women, among our red 
 men, have been, and still are greatly misconceived. The 
 females have been often represented as mere slaves of the 
 men; whereas, they are not. Each sex has appropriate du- 
 ties to perform, and according to their ideas of things, the 
 hardships, the labors, and pleasures of life, are equitably 
 divided between them. Among civilized people, the females 
 share with their male connections in the same manner. 
 A soldier's or a sailor's wife, expects to fare harder, and to 
 suffer more than the wife of a man of wealth, who lives at 
 ease, and is always with his family. Whatever be the con- 
 dition of the husband, his wife participates with him in its 
 pleasures and pains. So it is in savage life, and in every 
 condition in which man is placed. Her animating voice 
 rouses up all the energies of his soul, when desponding — 
 soothes him in affliction, and she affords him all the real 
 happiness which this world contains. For her and her chil- 
 dren, he undergoes all sorts of hardships with cheerfulness. 
 For his wife and children, the savage traverses every hill 
 and every dale in quest of game. For them he is willing to 
 encounter every difficulty and every danger, which the 
 earth, the waters, or the elements present. In their defense 
 he goes to war, conquers or is conquered — lives or dies 
 

 290 TOUR TU PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 in honor. They share with him all his renown or glory, 
 or sink in ignominy, as he merits either. 
 
 A consciousness of his situation in society, and the conse- 
 quences, not only to himself, but to those whom his heart 
 holds most dear, which must follow his conduct, influences 
 his mind in a powerful manner, in every situation in life. 
 
 The influence of women is as great among the savages of 
 the northwest, as it is among us. While the national coun- 
 cil is deliberating about the fate of a prisoner of war, it is 
 not an uncommon event for the prisoner to be killed by the 
 young men, if the women do not wish to preserve his life. 
 The women may be said to govern the young men as they 
 please, and while the council is deliberating in a grave de- 
 bate, if the women wish it, any act which the old men hesi- 
 tate to do, is done promptly by the young men. 
 
 Some women rise into great consequence in their nation, 
 by their wisdom, courage, fortitude and energy. Musquaw- 
 benoque, among the Pottawatimies, exercises all the autho- 
 rity, and possesses all the influence of a chief. She signed 
 a treaty with us, as such, and the nation paid the greatest 
 deference and respect to her. 
 
 Some of them, I regret to state, are great scolds, taking 
 their husbands to task for every trifling incident, and scold- 
 ing their children almost incessantly. I suspect, however, 
 that circumstance is generally owing to the delicate state 
 of their health, at the time. While scolding, their voices 
 are as disagreeable, as harsh, and as grating on the ear, as 
 can be imagined; whereas, when good nature prevails, as 
 it generally does, no earthly sounds can be more harmoni- 
 ous, more soft, more soothing, more melodious. As there 
 is more elasticity in the mind of a female, than in the mind 
 of the male, so there is in their voice, which can either 
 grate harsh thunder, or produce sounds as agreeable as the 
 music of the spheres. 
 
 So far as I could learn, from all I saw and heard, I should 
 suppose that the Indian women are faithful wives and kind 
 mothers. 
 
INFLUENCE Of WOMEN. 291 
 
 I suspect there is no marriage ceremony among them; 
 an agreement between the parties, (if sanctioned by the 
 parents of the woman,) to live together in a state of matri- 
 mony, is all that is necessary to constitute a marriage. 
 
 One of the Winnebago chiefs pressed me very urgently to 
 give him a hoe, which request I could not comprehend, as 
 every one of his females who used one, had been already 
 presented with a hoe. I therefore refused to give him the 
 wished-for present, until he would inform me for whom he 
 intended it. He repeated his request every day, and every 
 day received the same answer. At length, when he ascer- 
 tained that he could obtain the hoe on no other terms, he 
 informed me that there was a young woman about thirty 
 miles off, whom he had purchased of her mother for a hoe! 
 On the receipt of this intelligence, I cheerfully gave him 
 the present, and suitable clothes for her to wear. Three 
 days afterwards the chief returned to me with his new bride 
 dressed very elegantly, according to all his ideas of things. 
 After introducing her to me, and to his whole family, with 
 each one of whom she shook hands very cordially, her new 
 clothes were laid aside for old ones, and I saw her at work 
 pounding corn in a mortar, and preparing food for the family. 
 She took the place of the youngest wife, waited on those who 
 were her seniors in matrimony, and the whole family appear- 
 ed to rejoice in the addition which she made to their number, 
 I saw no other ceremony than I have mentioned. After the 
 marriage of the daughter, I frequently saw her aged mother 
 visiting the family of the chief, to whom she was now hon- 
 orably and happily allied. All parties were well pleased 
 with the match*, the elder wives were relieved, in part, of 
 their daily labors, the young woman was honorably allied to 
 a distinguished family, her mother now had a good home in 
 her declining age, (she was a widow,) and the old chief, as 
 he believed, a handsome young wife. 
 
 The females belonging to poor families, marry quite too 
 young, which is very injurious to them. It is not uncommon 
 among them to marry at the early age of twelve years. 
 
292 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEtf . 
 
 The consequence is, that they never attain to the size they 
 otherwise would, but are dwarfish, which in many instances 
 belittles their offspring. The daughters of chiefs rarely 
 marry until they arrive at the age of maturity. This may 
 be one reason why those belonging to the families of chiefs, 
 are larger in their persons, better formed, well proportioned 
 in their limbs, and are more perfect in body and mind than 
 the common people. If it be an evil, and it certainly is one, 
 to be compelled to marry off their daughters at too tender 
 an age, it is one which cannot be avoided by persons in 
 their condition. Whereas, the chiefs can and do wait, un- 
 til some man, equal to them in dignity, wishes to marry 
 their daughters, before they permit them to marry. 
 
 If the father-in-law be a chief, his son-in-law generally 
 after marriage belongs to his family, and the husband be- 
 comes one of the tribe to which the wife belongs. I know 
 of some exceptions to this rule, though it is a general one. 
 I am persuaded that no chief expatriates himself by marry- 
 ing, but that a common man may do so, and when he marries 
 out of his own tribe he does so. 
 
 It is not uncommon for a chief, on the marriage of his 
 daughter to any distinguished man, to give with her a very 
 liberal dower. The bride is dressed in the best manner; 
 she has a horse to ride, and blankets and skins, clothing 
 and food. Painted in the best and most fashion-able man- 
 ner, gaily dressed, meek, modest, unassuming, and submis- 
 sive to her husband, she is all that nature, assisted by all 
 that her parents could instruct her in, can do for a female, 
 to prepare her to become a wife and a mother. If her hus- 
 band have older wives, she cheerfully obeys them, and learns 
 every art which they can teach her. The half-breed wo- 
 men generally marry either half-breeds or white men. In 
 either case, they make excellent wives, and many of their 
 children are beautiful. While in the Indian country, I al- 
 ways rejoiced when I came in sight of one o£ their houses, as 
 I felt assured of experiencing under their roofs, hospitable 
 and kind treatment. The half-breeds are excellent cooks, 
 
BUCKTAIL BACHELOR. 293 
 
 and many of them have been well educated in some catholic 
 seminary, either in Canada or Missouri. 
 
 After traversing a wild waste, and seeing no human be- 
 ing, or such only as are the wildest barbarians, to be sud- 
 denly introduced to persons of a refined education, whose 
 only wish is to do all they can to promote our comfort, 
 operates with great, almost magical force upon the mind, 
 and leaves an impression, which no length of time can ob- 
 literate. The Catholics deserve great praise for educating, 
 as they have done, a great number of half-breeds. The 
 women thus educated, in every instance, have done ex- 
 tremely well, and so have such of the men as have not be- 
 come dissipated. The females thus educated, are as well 
 instructed in every thing, as any young women in the 
 United States — they make as good wives too, and as good 
 mothers. 
 
 BUCKTAIL BACHELOR. 
 
 Where a plurality of wiv^s is allowed, there will always 
 be many old bachelors. While Colonel Menard and my- 
 self, were sitting in the porch of the Indian agent, at Rock 
 island, listening to several Indian speeches, my attention 
 was frequently drawn towards a man belonging to the Sauk 
 tribe, who, by his parade, singular and most disagreeable 
 conduct, disturbed the repose of the Indian women and 
 children, so much that I was compelled, finally, to interfere 
 and order him off the ground. Neat to the very extreme 
 for an Indian, in his person and dress — every hair of his 
 head, was placed exactly where he wanted it to lie, filled 
 with white clay and red ochre, in order to set off his person 
 to the best advantage. His moccasons were the nicest I saw 
 in all my tour, and beautifully ornamented with porcupine 
 quills. His beard was every hair of it carefully pulled out 
 by the roots, his face painted in the most fanciful and fan- 
 tastic manner imaginable, his blanket was of a deep red, 
 ornamented with broaches and with many strange and 
 35 
 
294 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CH1EN< 
 
 most unnatural objects, painted on it, in a green color. As 
 he walked so nice and prim, he occasionally threw his head 
 back, and strutted backwards and forwards, north and south, 
 or east and west, near us, jingling a great number of small 
 bells which were fastened around his ankles. A .large 
 buck's tail descended down his back, from the crown of 
 his head where it was fastened very nicely. Of his appear- 
 ance and dress I do not complain, but, what gave me great 
 uneasiness at the time, by disturbing the peace so as to al- 
 most break off our council, was his kicking at every inno- 
 cent child, among our red friends, as it came any where 
 near him; and he either looked excessively angry at every 
 Indian girl about him, or looked askance, (oh, how loving- 
 ly!) by stealth, at every handsome one he saw any where 
 near by. I felt vexed at the continual interruption occa- 
 sioned by his most singular and highly exceptionable con- 
 duct, towards the women and children; but on inquiring 
 who he was, and what could be his inducement for so treat- 
 ing the women and children of his own tribe, I was inform- 
 ed by those around me, that he was a bachelor, sixty 
 years old, who had been so proud in his youthful days,, 
 that he would not marry any young woman who did not be- 
 long to some distinguished family, and that the daughters 
 of chiefs refused to marry him, who was. but a mere ple- 
 bian himself; and that now, he spent his time, as I saw he 
 did, to our great annoyance. It appeared also, that he was 
 excessively avaricious, almost starving himself at times, in 
 order to save his furs, until he could get the highest price 
 for them — and that when he received the money for them, 
 he would hide it in some cave in the rocks, or some hole in 
 the ground; and in that way had lost it, either by having it 
 found, and stolen by some thief, or else he forgot, (as he of- 
 ten did,) where he had hidden or buried it. 
 
 Determined not to be disturbed any longer, by this Buck- 
 tail Bachelor, I drove him from among us, and even off 
 the island; and we had peace and quietness during the con- 
 tinuance of our council, and indeed, all the remainder of 
 
BUCKTAIL BACHELOR. 295 
 
 our stay at Rock island. His name I never learned, as I 
 strictly forbid its mention, by those who offered, for a 
 drink of whisky, to tell it to me. For this course, I felt 
 justified by my determination to suppress intemperance; 
 and had his name been mentioned, I was rather fearful 
 that I should remember it. In remarking upon this mise- 
 rable bachelor, it may not be* improper to state, that the 
 Indians will rarely tell you the name of any person against 
 whom they speak. I once inquired in their encampment, 
 for the name of the person who had introduced whisky 
 among them- on the preceding night, and which had made 
 thirty of them drunk, and perfectly crazy. Every one of 
 my friends among the Indians, utterly refused to disclose 
 the name of the guilty individual, but they cheerfully vol- 
 unteered to go a mile or more with me, until we came upon 
 the person, when they, one and all, pointed their fingers to- 
 wards him. In all similar cases they never would implicate 
 any one, by naming him to me. The offer therefore, at 
 Rock island, for a drink of whisky, to disclose to me the 
 name of the Bucktail Bachelor, is the more to be wondered 
 at, because it was entirely aside from their common habit. 
 I presume though, that his conduct towards the women and 
 children above described, is an ample apology for this ex- 
 traordinary departure, from a common custom among them. 
 I fully agree with them in the opinion, their offer to dis- 
 close a name jgarowerfully conveys, that any being, (he 
 cannot be a ml|^Brho treats women and children unkindly, 
 by such conduct, puts himself outside of the circle of com- 
 mon civility, and deserves no sort of forbearance. I have, 
 on the whole, after much reflection on this matter, finally 
 concluded, (though I have no positive proof of the fact,) 
 that this cross, neat, foppish old bachelor, with all his ava- 
 rice, must have been a party politician, of some sort, oth- 
 erwise he never would have slandered, several women, as 
 I was credibly informed, he did! If such a being, any where 
 in the world, among any people, has any name, I hope nev- 
 

 -*■ 
 
 
 
 
 
 296 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 er to be informed of it, for fear I should remember it, and 
 place it on record. I say, let his name sink into oblivion. 
 
 GAMBLING. ' 
 
 Gambling is very common among the Indians. On visit- 
 ing the camp of the Winnebagoes, for the first time, I found 
 nearly every individual of mature age engaged in some sort 
 of game. The young men were playing, the game of "old 
 sledge," with exactly such cards as our gambling gentry 
 use. They bet largely, and lost nearly all they had to lose, 
 in some instances. Whether the winner always keeps what 
 he gets in that way, I cannot say, though on rising from 
 play, I have sometimes seen all that was won redelivered 
 to the losers. The women play a game among themselves, 
 using pieces of bone, about the size, and which have the ap- 
 pearance of a common button mould. They are so cut out, 
 that one side is blackish, and the other white. A conside- 
 rable number of these button moulds are placed in a small 
 wooden bowl, and thrown up in it a certain number of 
 times, when the white sides up, are counted. 
 
 Athletic games are not uncommon among them, and foot 
 races afford great diversion to the spectators. The women 
 and children are present at these races and occupy promi- 
 nent situations, from which they can behold every thing 
 that passes, without rising from the ground where they are 
 seated. Considerable bets are frequently made on the suc- 
 cess of those who run. 
 
 They also play ball, in which sport great numbers en- 
 gage on each side, and the spectators bet largely on each 
 side. The articles played for, are placed in view of those 
 who play the game. These consist of beads, paints, jewel- 
 ry, &c. This game is a very animated one, and excites 
 the greatest interest. 
 
 The game of cards must have been introduced among 
 them by the white men who have visited them, from time 
 
GAMBLING. 297 
 
 to time. It is the only game they practice, thus derived, so 
 far as I could learn. 
 
 On a day when there was to be no council held, the 
 young men of the Winnebagoes and of the Chippeways, 
 Ottowas and Pottawatimies, requested the commissioners, 
 that instead of delivering to them the beef of two oxen, that 
 morning, as had been the case every day previously, that 
 two living steers might be delivered to them, to be hunted 
 as bisons are. The request was granted, and early in the 
 morning, the young Indians, on horse back, to the number 
 of sixty or seventy, each equipped with a bow and a bundle 
 of arrows, started the oxen, about three miles below the 
 fort, and pursued them over the prairie on which the town 
 of Prairie du Chien stands, in the direction of the town. 
 The spectacle afforded us a fine opportunity, of seeing the 
 manner of the buffalo hunt, which it resembled exactly. 
 The running of the oxen, sometimes piteously bawling, pur- 
 sued by the Indians on their small horses, painted in the 
 best manner, riding at full speed, bending forward, occa- 
 sionally shooting at the oxen and wounding them on the 
 side, just back of the fore shoulder, exhibited a scene more 
 easily conceived than described. Sometimes the pursuers 
 would cluster together as they pressed forward, and then 
 again they would spread out over the undulating surface of 
 the prairie, covered with grass and a profusion of wild 
 flowers. The spectators were numerous, and occupied pla- 
 ces which commanded a good view of the sport. The oxen 
 were not killed until they had run about three miles. Our 
 red friends were highly gratified by the indulgence which 
 had been given them, and the white people were not less 
 pleased at the exhibition. 
 
 The chiefs and warriors have a great thirst for fame and 
 for glory, and I doubt whether any man, in any age or in 
 any country, exceed these people in that particular. To 
 acquire "the bubble reputation," they will undergo any 
 privations or sufferings, whatever, even death itself. 
 
^98 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CfHlEST. 
 
 Nothing pleased them so much as to tell them, that their 
 likenesses were in the war department, and that their fame 
 was spread through the world. Carrymauny, the elder, 
 three times repeated to me his history, and requested me to 
 wrffce it in a book. He complained to me that in all our 
 accounts of Tecumseh, we had only said of him, "that Win- 
 nebago who always accompanies Tecumseh," without call- 
 ing the Winnebago by his name — Nawkaw Carrymauny. 
 
 INDIAN ELOQUENCE. 
 
 The poverty of their languages tends strongly to excite 
 exertions to express ideas by figures, which their language 
 is not copious enough to enable them, by words, to convey. 
 Hence, their violent gestures, and their repetitions, in their 
 public speeches. Their ideas are all drawn from sensible 
 objects; and being comparatively few in number, gives a 
 character to their eloquence, differing materially from ours. 
 Like the rays of light, brought to a focus by a lens, their 
 ideas being few, and with only a few words to express them, 
 Byron would call them "ideas of fire." Unaccompanied by 
 enthusiasm, genius produces only uninteresting works of art. 
 Enthusiasm is the secret spirit, which hovers over the elo- 
 quence of the Indian. Can there exist any where, and 
 among any people, high wrought eloquence, without this 
 enthusiasm? All the senses of the Indian, from his modes 
 of living, from necessity indeed, exist in the greatest pos- 
 sible perfection. Their persons are the finest forms in the 
 world. Standing erect, with eyes flaming with enthusiastic 
 ardor, with a mind laboring under an agony of thought, the 
 Indian is a most impressive orator. He speaks, too, before 
 his assembled nation, on some great national subject, and 
 shows most manifestly, that he feels an awful responsibility. 
 At Prairie du Chien, in the summer of 1829, while listening 
 to several Indian speeches, I was forcibly struck with the 
 evident marks the chiefs exhibited of the deep sense im- 
 
 I 
 

 INDIAN ELOQUENCE. - 29$ 
 
 pressed upon their minds, of the awful responsibility they 
 felt. I have seen a chief, when he approached the sub- 
 ject of a sale of his country, in his speech, turn pale, trem- 
 ble with fear, and sit down perfectly exhausted in body, 
 from the operations of his mind. His audience is never less 
 dignified, than his whole nation — frequently several other 
 nations, and when the object of the council is the sale of 
 his country; the officers of the United States, and : an army 
 drawn up in military array, with all its pomp and splendor. 
 The Indian orator, according to all his ideas of things, is 
 placed in a situation the most favorable I can conceive of, 
 to be in the highest degree eloquent. Before him sit the 
 United States' commissioners, attended by a great number 
 of military officers, in full dresses, the Indian agents, sub- 
 agents, interpreters, and an army of soldiers under arms.. 
 The cannons with lighted matches, and indeed all the 
 proud array of military life, so fascinating to men in all 
 ages of the world, are presented to his near and full view. 
 
 On each side of him sit all the chiefs and warriors of his 
 nation, while behind him, sit in the full hearing of his voice, 
 all the women and children of his people. His subject is 
 one, then, of the highest conceivable importance to himself, 
 and his whole nation. His country, which he is called on 
 to sell and quit for forever, countains the bones of his an- 
 cestors, the remains of numbers who were endeared to him 
 by a thousand tender recollections. The heart, perhaps, 
 that loved him most dearly, lies buried in that soil. His 
 wives and his children listen in breathless silence to every 
 word he utters, every 1 eye among the assemblage, vast and 
 imposing, to his mind, watches every gesture he makes. 
 
 Placed in such a situation^ the character of his eloquence 
 is easily conceived. It abounds with figures drawn from 
 every object which nature presents to his eye. He thanks 
 the Great Spirit, that he has granted them a day for hold- 
 ing their council, without or with a few clouds, as the case 
 may be — that their several paths between their homes and 
 the council fire, have been open and unattended with dan- 
 
 tt 
 
300 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 ger— that the storm is passed away and gone— and he hopes, 
 that during the time he may be detained from home, the 
 beasts may not destroy his corn, nor any bad birds be suf- 
 fered to fly about the council with false stories, All this is 
 uttered without much gesticulation, and without enthusiasm; 
 but should he touch upon the subject of a sale of his coun- 
 try, his whole soul is in every word, in every look, in every 
 gesture. His eye flashes fire, he raises himself upon his 
 feet, his body is thrown in every variety of attitude — every 
 muscle is strained — every nerve is exerted to its utmost pow- 
 er, and his voice is loud, clear, distinct and commanding. 
 He becomes, to use his own expressive phrase — a MAN. 
 
 He recalls to the minds of his audience the situation and 
 circumstances of his ancestors, when they inhabited the 
 whole continent; when they, and they only, climbed every 
 hill and every mountain, cultivated in peace the most fer- 
 tile spots of earth, angled in every stream, and hunted over 
 every plain in quest of game, and glided along in their ca- 
 noes, on every river and every lake. He tells his auditors 
 that his ancestors had their lodges in the coolest shades in 
 summer, beside the purest fountains, where an abundance 
 of food was always at hand and easily obtained; that all the 
 labor they had to perform, was ^nly what the white man 
 calls sport and pastime. That in winter they dwelt in the 
 thickest forests, where they were protected from every 
 piercing wind. 
 
 The white man came across the great water — he was 
 feeble and of small stature — he begged for a few acres of 
 land, so that he could, by digging in the earth like a squaw, 
 raise some corn, some squashes, and some beans, for the 
 support of himself and family. Indian pity was excited by 
 the simple tale of the white man's wants, and his request 
 was granted. He who was so small in stature soon became 
 so great in size, that his head reached the clouds, and with 
 a large tree for his staff, step by step he drove the red man 
 before him, from river to river, from mountain to mountain, 
 until the red man seated himself on a small territory as a 
 
INDIAN ELOQUENCE. 301 
 
 1 
 
 final resting place, and now, the white man wants even that 
 small spot. 
 
 To continue to use the language of the "Little Elk," 
 at Prairie du Chien, in July, 1829 — "The first white man 
 we knew, was a Frenchman — he lived among us, as we did; 
 he painted himself, he smoked his pipe with us, sung and 
 danced with us, and married one of our squaws, but he 
 wanted to buy no land of us! The "red coat" came next; 
 he gave us fine coats, knives and guns, traps, blankets, and 
 jewels; he seated our chiefs and warriors at his table ; with 
 himself; fixed epaulets on their shoulders, put commissions 
 in their pockets, and suspended medals on their breasts, 
 but never asked us to sell our country to him? Next came 
 the "blue coat," and no sooner had he seen a small portion 
 our country, than he wished to see a map of the whole of 
 it; and, having seen it, he wished us to sell it all to him. 
 Governor Cass, last year, at Green bay, urged us to sell all 
 our country to him, and now you, fathers, repeat the request. 
 Why do you wish to add our small country to yours, alrea- 
 dy so large ? When I went to Washington to see our great 
 father, I saw great houses all along the road, and Washing- 
 ton and Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York, are great 
 and splendid cities. So large and beautiful was the Presi- 
 dent's house, the carpets, the tables, the mirrors, the, chairs, 
 and every article in it, were so beautiful, that when I en- 
 tered it, I thought I was in heaven, and the old man there, 
 I thought was the Great Spirit; until he had shaken us by 
 the hand, and kissed our squaws, I found him to be like 
 yourselves, nothing but a man! You ask us to sell our coun- 
 try, and wander off into the boundless regions of the west. 
 We do not own that country, and the deer, the elk, the 
 beaver, the buffalo, and the otter, now there, belong not to 
 us, and we have no right to kill them. Our wives and our 
 children now seated behind us, are dear to us, and so is 
 our country, where rest in peace the bones of our ancestors. 
 Fathers! pity a people, few in number, who are poor and 
 helpless. Do you want our country? yours is larger than 
 36 
 
302 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHlEN. 
 
 ours. Do you want our wigwams? you live in palaces. Do 
 you want our horses? yours are larger and better than ours. 
 Do you want our women? yours, now sitting behind you, 
 (pointing to Mrs. Rolette and her beautiful daughters, and 
 the ladies belonging to the officers of the garrison,) are 
 handsomer and dressed better than ours. Look at them, 
 yonder! Why, Fathers, what can be your motive?" 
 
 Such is the substance, and almost the very words, of 
 Hoowaneka, in council. His gestures were very graceful, 
 but in those parts of his speech where he felt deeply what 
 he said, his gesticulation was violent, and his whole soul 
 appeared to be agitated in the highest degree. 
 
 Among the Sauks and Foxes, Keeokuk and Morgan, the 
 head warriors of the two tribes, were their orators, who ad- 
 dressed us. They always consulted the civil chiefs, as to 
 the matters to be touched on in their speeches. A solemn 
 national council was called upon the subject, and t-hae result 
 of their deliberation was communicated to the orators. 
 
 Among the Winnebagoes, they generally put forward as 
 orators, half-breeds, such as Snakeskin and the Little Elk, 
 but on great occasions the principal chiefs appear as ora- 
 tors. Among them, orators do not, as such, stand as high 
 as they do among civilized nations. Under an aristocracy, 
 birth is esteemed of great consequence, and in a savage 
 state, bodily powers and prowess are considered of greater 
 value than among us, who are more intellectual than man 
 in his natural condition. The Indian word for an orator, is 
 "babbler." Thus, we see, that our red men are not suffi- 
 ciently advanced in the arts, either of life or of government, 
 to give an orator all the consequence which our condition, 
 as a people, affords. Could the man of America throw off 
 his aristocracy, his love of war, his indolence, which has its 
 origin partly in these sources, and adopt all the new wants 
 of civilized life, which are the true fountain heads of all 
 our industry, he might excel as an orator at the bar, on the 
 stage, in the desk, in the mixed assembly, and in the senate 
 hall. Until then, he will rise no higher than he now is; 
 
INDIAN POETRY. 303 
 
 his speeches will be vehement, his gesticulation violent, 
 and repetitions, and darkness, and obscurity, mixed with 
 some beautiful allusions to nature, and vague traditions, 
 handed down from ages gone by, will be found in all his 
 harangues. Logan's speech was simplicity itself, and was 
 and is admired all over the world; but Logan had spent the 
 most of his days among the whites, whom he more resem- 
 bled in all his ideas, than his own people. Such a speech 
 as Logan's never was delivered by an Indian, who never 
 saw a white man. There are in it a clearness, a direct- 
 ness, a point, a simplicity, which belong to the speech of a 
 civilized man, who at the same time, is a full blooded sav- 
 age in his heart. 
 
 INDIAN POETRY. 
 
 Having examined their eloquence, it is natural to inquire 
 whether they have any poetry? Among the people of the 
 eastern continent, poetry existed before prose composition 
 was invented. Among all savage nations, so long as the 
 human mind remains unenlightened by literature aud sci- 
 ence, the darkness which rests upon it is favorable to the 
 workings of the imagination. The lofty mountains, the ca- 
 taract rushing with its mighty volume of waters, the flood, 
 the lake convulsed by the tremendous storm, the tornado's 
 fury, the whirlwind's force, the thunder's awful voice, and 
 the zigzag vivid lightning's flash, agitate the savage mind 
 with the most awful and sublime emotions. These are con- 
 trasted in his mind, with the peaceful, wide spread prairie, 
 the gentle river, moving noiselessly along within its banks, 
 the placid lake unruffled by a breath of air, and the clear 
 sky without a cloud in view. Ignorant of all secondary 
 causes, the savage looks only to the grat first cause, as 
 the only and immediate Author of all things, and all events, 
 and his soul is filled with dread, awe and wonder. The 
 very names of individuals, nay, of whole tribes, fortify this 
 position. The "Rolling Thunder," the "Yellow Thunder," 
 
301 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CH1EN. 
 
 the "Distant Thunder," &c. are individuals among the 
 Winnebagoes, who possess great weight of character; and 
 that tribe to which belong men who stand high on their 
 roll of fame, for their distinguished valor in war, for their 
 consummate prudence^ experience and wisdom in the na- 
 tional councils, is emphatically called, "the Thunder tribe." 
 In all former ages, and in all other countries, placed as 
 our natives are, man has been a poet; and why should he 
 not be one, who roams over the vast regions of the west? 
 The friendly Creeks are as far advanced in many of the arts, 
 as the Greeks were in the age in which the Homeric poems 
 were produced. It is immaterial, in my view of the subject, 
 whether such a person as Homer ever had an existence, in 
 reality, because I doubt on that subject; but certain poems 
 were produced in a certain age, by certain Greeks, though 
 collected, polished, connected and corrected, by other per- 
 sons in a succeeding age, and we ascribe them to Homer. 
 The ancient Greeks and Romans have long since gone down 
 to the tomb — their languages are no longer living ones — 
 their poets, orators, warriors, statesmen, artists and histori- 
 ans, together with their laws, their institutions, civil, moral 
 and religious — even their very gods, have perished from off 
 the face of the earth. But let any one at this day make 
 himself acquainted with these ancient nations, through 
 their writings which have escaped the ravages of time, 
 and which go to show us what they were; ambitious of 
 glory and renown, in all the pursuits of life, which lead to 
 the temple of fame; avaricious of wealth, luxurious, indo- 
 lent, bold, daring, industrious, enterprising, cunning, artful 
 or artless, and possessing indeed not only every power of 
 body, but every faculty of mind, now belonging to man — 
 and I might add, that the satires of Horace, and the beauti- 
 ful passage of Virgil, beginning with "Oh, fortunatos ni- 
 mium," &c, and the Greek comedies, should we go no fur- 
 ther, prove that even the pursuits of men were formerly, 
 and always, the same as now; so that looking on all the 
 people around us, at this moment, we find Greeks and Ro- 
 
INDIAN POETRY. 305 
 
 mans every where. It follows conclusively, does it not? 
 that in all ages and in all countries, when surrounded by 
 circumstances precisely similar, man was and is exactly 
 the same being. 
 
 That he is a poet in America, his songs of war and of 
 love attest. But if the American in his wildest state, in 
 the northwest, is not as good a poet as the Greeks were of 
 the heroic age, neither is he as far advanced in the arts of 
 life; he has no buildings, either of wood, of brick, or of 
 stone; his wigwam is a shelter made of barks; and his mov- 
 able lodge consists of mats, which are moved about as he 
 moves, from spring to spring and from grove to grove, or 
 transported in his canoes, with his wives, his children, his 
 aged parents and servants, accompanied by his dogs; or 
 they are carried on his horses along with his traps and oth- 
 er movables. The country is too large, the population too 
 sparse, and the mere wants of nature too few, too easily 
 supplied also, and his habits of too fixed a character, to 
 render any change in his modes of living, acting and think- 
 ing, absolutely necessary, and therefore desirable to him, 
 in his views of human life, and of his own condition. The 
 Greeks were more pent up for want of room to move about 
 and act in ; so were the Romans. We must not forget either, 
 that we hear first of the ancients, through the aid of letters; 
 and before the period of their introduction, we have too 
 much reason to doubt the truth of their histories. For my- 
 self, I confess that I piace little, almost no faith, in them. •* 
 Certainly all Roman history, before the destruction of Rome, 
 and all the public records by the Gauls, under Brennus, are 
 fabulous, made up in after times, so as to flatter the vanity 
 of certain families, then possessing power and influence in 
 the state; just as the artful office seekers of the present day, 
 flatter the vanity, deny the vices, hide the follies, and var- 
 nish over the miscalculations, negligences and blunders of 
 the men now in power, all over the world. So that in fact, 
 history shows us no people in ancient times, placed in cir- 
 cumstances quite so unfavorable to mental development, 
 
306 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 as those in which the Indians of the Wisconsin are now pla- 
 ced. The Indians further south, the Creeks, the Cherokees, 
 &c, compare better with the heroic ages of the ancients, 
 and Guess is among them, what Cadmus was among the 
 Greeks — he has invented an alphabet of syllables, superior, 
 in every point of view, to any ever used by Cadmus. 
 
 This alphabet, with a few corrections of some errors and 
 the addition of a few more well defined characters, would 
 suit and fully convey all the sounds of every Indian lan- 
 guage in America. It possesses some advantages over the 
 English t and French alphabets, inasmuch as it is more com- 
 prehensive, occupies less space in a book, and conveys with 
 more certainty the sounds of the language. It is learned 
 with ease, and one acquires the arts of spelling and reading 
 through the use of it, sooner than he could if he used ours. 
 It approaches our short-hand writing. 
 
 The Indian languages, though abounding rather too much 
 in guttural sounds for rhyme, yet all their public harangues 
 abound with tropes and figures of speech, and the ideas 
 conveyed are glowing, and originate in a fervid imagina- 
 tion. Nothing can be more poetical than many of their 
 speeches, whenever the speaker alludes to the wonders 
 either of nature or of art. The very ignorance of the phe- 
 nomena of nature, the causes of which, to him lie buried in 
 darkness, keeps his imagination in a continual glow of won- 
 der and admiration. Some ignorant writer, long since, first 
 propagated the idea, that the red man expressed no sur- 
 prise at any thing he saw, and all the servile herd followed 
 after him, in the same track. More error was never con- 
 veyed in so few words. The Indian wonders at almost eve- 
 ry thing he sees. I saw crowds of them examining every 
 part of the machinery about our steam boat; and nothing 
 could more attract their admiration than the sight of a clock 
 or of a watch. 
 
 In saying what I have of the savage, in order to prove 
 that he possesses within himself the sources of poetry, no 
 thing is further from mv intention than to undertake to 
 
INDIAN POETRY* 307 
 
 prove that the civilized man may not be a poet also. As a 
 people, savages are more poetical than civilized men. En- 
 thusiasm will throw any mind into a poetical state of ex- 
 istence. It throws the man of genius into those reveries, 
 where amidst nature, he sees nothing but nature, even 
 among the greatest perils, and he remains unterrified by 
 them! 
 
 Franklin, without a particle of fear, could go out into 
 the most terrible thunder storm, in order to try an experi- 
 ment with his electric kite. Enthusiasm in the pursuit of 
 the wonderful discovery be made, took away all fear from 
 his mind. 
 
 Pliny, that he might be able, correctly to describe a vol- 
 cano, fearlessly approached one so near that he lost his 
 life in it. 
 
 Vernet, the painter, went to sea, with the hope of being 
 in a tempest, so that he could paint one! When the much 
 desired tempest came, while others were distracted with 
 fear, and gave up all hopes of being saved from immediate 
 death, the captain of the vessel found Vernet, calmly sketch- 
 ing the terrible world of waters, and studying the waves 
 that were threatening him with destruction. But though 
 the civilized man is many times highly enthusiastic, yet his 
 mind is not always so excited, nor as often, as the mind of 
 the savage is. 
 
 I was unable to discover any love songs among the Win- 
 nebagoes, the wildest savages of the northwest, yet I obtain- 
 ed, through Mr. Kinzey, the sub-agent, at fort Winnebago, 
 a war song, the words of which are subjoined. 
 

 
 308 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 HOATCHUNK NARWOANAR, OR WINNEBAGO WAR-SONG. 
 
 Hyeeheenartsheezhee, Hyeeheenartsheezhee, Hyeeheenartsheezhee, 
 / am not to be trifled with — I am not to be, &c. 
 
 Hyeeheenartsheezhee, Hyeeheenartsheezhee; 
 Koa'rar woankeezhun mau'nee tshee'reerar, 
 Friends man a walks village. 
 
 Hyeeheenartsheezhee, Hyeeheenartsheezhee, Hyeeheenartsheezhee, 
 / am not to be, &c. 
 
 Translation. 
 I am not to be trifled with, &c. 
 Friends! a man walks thro' this village. 
 
 1. 
 Who shall dare to sport with me? 
 Friends! 'tis a warrior chief you see. 
 
 2. 
 Who shall dare contend with me? 
 Friends! 'tis the chief of chiefs you see! 
 
 The notes for the drum are struck short and abruptly, 
 and the first and every alternate note in a bar, is sounded 
 loud and strong; the intermediate ones lightly. 
 
 When this tragedy was acted, the actors were so painted 
 as to show with great effect every wound which they had 
 ever received in battle. Broken Arm, who had been se- 
 verely wounded in the attack on fort Meigs, in the late war, 
 was particularly conspicuous. The wound was so painted, 
 and the blood which run from it was so well represented 
 by the painter, as to look like the reality itself. At a short 
 distance from him, on a first view, I thought he had recent- 
 ly been badly wounded. 
 
 Like all the tragedians whom I ever saw play, the actors 
 went beyond nature, or, as was once well said of Garrick, 
 he over-acted Garrick. They worked themselves into eve- 
 ry attitude of gesture, and looked more like devils than like 
 men. Though considering their advantages of education, 
 they no more over-acted their parts than the very best 
 players on our theatrical boards do. On the whole, I give 
 the Indians the preference, as over-stepping simple nature 
 
INDIAN POETRY. 309 
 
 less than the most celebrated players, in our Atlantic cities. 
 Fashion, sole arbitrcss, saves them from deserved ridicule 
 and scorn, as actors, musicians, and singers. 
 
 The Sauks and Foxes, who have resided near Rock isl- 
 and, where the French located themselves seventy years 
 since, have tunes evidently of French origin, and love songs 
 of considerable length. These Indians have among them, 
 what answers to the Italian improvisatori, who make songs 
 for particular occasions, and one of them makes it his busi- 
 ness to take off with great effect, the warriors, when they 
 boast of their exploits in the intervals, in the music and 
 dancing at the war dances. He is a great wag, and dresses 
 himself in a manner as grotesque as possible. On his head, 
 on such occasions, he fixes two horns of the antelope, and 
 nearly covers his face with the bison's hair, dyed red. 
 
 The tune he usually sings his song in, contains only three, 
 or at most, five notes; but is as good a song probably, and 
 the music quite equal to the poetry and music, used by Thes- 
 pis, in the infancy of tragedy, among the Greeks. Whether 
 these improvisatori are of Indian or European origin, I can- 
 not certainly say; though from the circumstance of their 
 existence among most of the Indian tribes, nearly or quite 
 all the way to the Rocky mountains, and high on the Mis- 
 rouri river, I am induced to believe those improvisatori de- 
 rived their profession, as they have their origin, from the 
 natives of the country. 
 
 That the Sauks and Foxes have a considerable number 
 of songs, suited to a great many occasions, in their own lan- 
 guage, I know, and have heard them sung frequently, and 
 regret that my avocations prevented my taking them down 
 in writing, at the time they were sung. When no farther 
 advanced in the arts of civilized life, than these tribes are, 
 I doubt much whether the Greeks or Romans had more 
 poetry, or better, than the aboriginals have at this moment. 
 And as to music, the Romans were inferior, in the days of 
 Augustus, to the Sauks and Foxes of the Upper Mississippi. 
 37 
 
 1 
 
§1 
 
 310 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEfi, 
 
 
 Our Indians have no such thing as rhyme among them* 
 though that can be matter of no surprise to us, when we 
 consider that no nation of antiquity had it. Neither the 
 Greeks nor Romans had any such thing as rhyme among 
 them, .nor was the art of punctuation known to these na- 
 tions, who made such great progress in the arts of painting, 
 statuary and architecture. That the modern art of rhym- 
 ing should be unknown to the most polished nations of an- 
 tiquity, is no more surprising than it is that they knew no- 
 thing of the mariner's compass, the art of printing, the tel- 
 escope, the power and the uses of steam, as now applied to 
 navigation, and in the manufactories of Europe and Amer- 
 ica. Rhyme, then, is a modern invention, which has not yet 
 reached the natives of America, but their poetry is sung 
 and accompanied by musical instruments and the dance. 
 So it was in the best days of Greece and Rome, among 
 them. They set all their comedies and tragedies to music, 
 and accompanied the acting of them, with the human voice, 
 and with musical instruments! One actor frequently spoke 
 the words, while another acted them! and we are told, that 
 it often happened, that the one who gesticulated gained 
 more applause than the speaker. 
 
 As among our Indians, the Roman actors sung their plays, 
 and both actors and chorus danced as they sung. Though 
 our Indians, when they act their comedies and tragedies, 
 (because I consider their dances as such,) have not gone as 
 far, in some respects, as their prototypes, the Greeks and 
 Romans, yet they so change their common appearance when 
 they appear as players, by painting and dressing, that on 
 several occasions I hardly knew them, as individuals. But 
 our native actors never appear in buskins. The Romans 
 wore masks, lined with brass, to give an echoing sound to 
 their voices, and these masks were marked with one passion 
 on one side, and with a contrary passion on the other; and 
 the actor turned that side towards the spectators, which 
 corresponded with the passion he was acting. This account 
 of the acting on the stages of Greece and Rome, is drawn 
 
INDIAN POETRY. 311 
 
 from the united voice of all antiquity, which no one will 
 dispute, who is at all conversant with classical literature. 
 
 Among the Indians of the Upper Mississippi, the Sauks 
 and Foxes are decidedly the best actors, and have the great- 
 est variety of plays among them. Their war dances may 
 be viewed as tragedies in the rudest state, and those dan- 
 ces wherein both sexes appear, are truly comedies of no 
 mean cast, considering their origin and their authors. Each 
 person who acts, is painted and dressed in a manner entire- 
 ly proper, for the part to be personated by the actor or ac- 
 tress. To see a play acted, of a ludicrous cast of character, 
 I have seen a thousand Indians present, who were highly 
 delighted with the acting. Thunders of applause followed 
 some antic prank, while a visible displeasure would some- 
 times punish a failure to act well. To raise up a company 
 of good players among them, they only need a settled state 
 of society, fixed habitations, and an acquaintance with the 
 use of letters. To accom^iisn this for them,, individuals or 
 societies must <*« It; > n °t the United States' government, 
 whose vast advances of money, goods, &c, never reach 
 their object, in a way to be of much service to them. 
 
 As to the tunes of most of the Indians, it is scarcely ne- 
 cessary to add, that they are dull and monotonous, because 
 with only from three to five musical notes, they must neces- 
 sarily be so, yet, even such tunes sung by some clear, soft 
 and melodious voices, both of males, and especially of fe- 
 males, the music in them is quite agreeable, and even en- 
 chanting. Though the human voice is nearly the same in 
 all ages and in all countries, in its unimproved condition, 
 and nature herself has given voices almost angelic, to a fa- 
 vored few, yet it is not to be dissembled that art has done a 
 vast deal to improve it among Europeans and their descen* 
 dants of the present time. What nature has done for man, 
 in giving him musical powers, the Winnebagoes showed us 
 at Prairie du Chien, in July and August of 1829; and what 
 art could add to nature, in that line, was exhibited to us, 
 
tl 
 
 312 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 while listening to the singing of the accomplished Miss 
 Roletta, of that place. 
 
 In 1782, there were published at the English University 
 of Oxford, three ancient Greek hymns, composed by one 
 Dionysius, accompanied by the notes of music, in which 
 they were once sung in the best days of Greece. The music, 
 read it as you will, either backwards or forwards, is not one 
 whit better then the Winnebagoes possess now. It may 
 be said, that the Greek and Roman languages, were so mu- 
 sical in themselves that they needed not the aid of music. 
 Be that as it may, I think it quite clear, that in those times, 
 when Greece and Rome flourished most, their music was 
 extremely poor. We, in the United States, are running 
 into the opposite extreme; so singing every thing in public 
 and private, that not a sentence can be heard; while our 
 Indians, Kk© the ancients, rely almost wholly on the sense 
 of the words for effect. J>ovLhtless, it would be a vast im- 
 provement, if the auditor could distinctly hear and under- 
 stand both the words and the music. If but one of these 
 advantages can be attained, I am decidedly in favor of the 
 Indian mode of singing. Even if the tune be monotonous, 
 let the human voice be in a fine tone, and this tone impas- 
 sioned, it will, as the great Milton expresses it, 
 
 « take the prisoned soul, 
 
 And lap it in Elysium- 
 
 As to musical instruments, the Winnebagoes use a great 
 number of gourd shells, with pebbles enough in them, to 
 make them very good rattles. These are shaken so as to 
 keep time with the everlasting daw, daw, daw, of their sing- 
 ing. They have a flute of their own invention, which pro- 
 duces the most melancholy music in the world. 
 
 When the musician is playing his mournful tune, of three 
 notes, only four rods from you, you would conclude, unless 
 you actually saw him, that he was forty rods from you. 
 
INDIAN POETRY. 313 
 
 It is played at war dances, and at those executions of hu- 
 man beings who are burned at the stake. It is, I believe, 
 always used by disconsolate lovers, to soften the hard hearts 
 of their cruel fair ones. 
 
 Among the Sauks and Foxes, they have the tambourin, 
 as a musical instrument. This instrument is derived from 
 the early French settlers on the Mississippi, I doubt not. 
 
 As the musical instruments are few in number, so they 
 are very imperfect, and rude in their construction. 
 
 SPECIMEN OF THE POETRY AND SINGING OF THE OSAGES. 
 
 The following was sung in the Osage tongue, at Dr. Mit- 
 chill's, in Washington; translated into French by Mr. Cho- 
 teau, the interpreter; and rendered into English immedi- 
 ately, January 7, 1806. 
 
 1. Subject of the first, friendship ; their journey to Wash- 
 ington, to have an interview with the President of the 
 United States, and their satisfaction on meeting their Great 
 Father. 
 
 1. 
 
 My comrades brave, and friends of note, 
 You hither came from lands remote, 
 To see your grand exalted Sire, 
 And his sagacious words admire. 
 
 2. 
 "The Master of your Life and Breath"* 
 Averted accidents and death; 
 That you might sueh a sight behold, 
 In spite of hunger, foes and cold. 
 
 3. 
 Ye Red Men! since ye here have been, 
 Your Great White Father ye have seen, 
 Who cheer'd his children with his voice, 
 And made their beating hearts rejoice. 
 
 *The Great Spirit, or Supreme Being, is called by several savage 
 tribes, "The Master of Breath, or the Master of Life." 
 
 
^^■—9 
 
 314 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEWt 
 
 
 Thou Chief Osage! fear not to come, 
 And leave awhile thy sylvan home; 
 The path we pass'd is clear and free, 
 And wide and smoother grows for thee. 
 
 5. 
 Whene'er to march thou feel'st inclin'd, 
 We'll form a lengthening file behind; 
 And dauntless from our forests walk, 
 To hear our Great White Father's Talk. 
 
 II. Subject of the second, War. Wanapasha, the chief 
 of the expedition, encourages his associates to despise death, 
 and be daring and valiant in arms. 
 
 1. 
 
 Say warriors, why, when arms are sung. 
 And dwell on every native tongue, 
 
 Do thoughts of Death intrude? 
 Why weep the common lot of all? 
 Why think that you yourselves may fall, 
 
 Pursuing or pursued? 
 2. 
 Doubt not your Wanapasha's* care, 
 To lead you forth, and shew you where 
 
 The enemy's conceal'd; 
 His single arm shall make th' attack, 
 And drive the sly invaders back, 
 
 Or stretch them on the field. 
 3. 
 Proceeding with embodied force, 
 No nations can withstand our course, 
 
 Or check our bold career; 
 Tho' if they knew my warlike Fame, 
 The terrors of my form and name, 
 
 They 'd quake, and die with fear. 
 
 To these specimens of Osage poetry, I subjoin two Cher- 
 okee songs of friendship. These consist of but one sentence 
 each, with a chorus. Nothing of greater length seems to 
 
 ♦This man died suddenly at Washington, a few nights after having 
 ■ung this song to the translator. 
 
COMPARISON. 315 
 
 exist among them. They repeat the song and chorus until 
 they are tired. — The words of hoth of them were written 
 by Mr. Hicks, a Cherokee of the half blood, with his own 
 hand, both original and version, on the twenty-first of De- 
 cember, 1805, in the presence of Colonel Benjamin Haw- 
 kins, Colonel R. J. Meigs, General Daniel Smith, of Ten- 
 nessee, General Stephen R. Bradley, of Vermont, and 
 Double Head, the famous warrior. 
 
 Neither among the Osages nor the Cherokees, could 
 there he found a single poetical or musical sentiment, foun- 
 ded on the tender passion between the sexes. Though 
 often asked, they produced no songs of love. 
 
 Song- the fast. 
 Can, nal, li, eh, ne-was-tu. 
 A friend you resemble. 
 Chorus. Yai, ne, noo, way. E,noo,way,ha. 
 
 Song- the second. 
 Ti, nai, tau, na, cla, ne-was-tu. 
 Brothers I think we are. 
 Chorus. Yai, ne, noo, way. E,noo,way,ha. 
 
 THE LIFE OF A CIVILIZED MAN AND A SAVAGE COMPARED 
 TOGETHER. 
 
 Who enjoys the greatest sum of happiness, the savage or 
 the civilized man? 
 
 By happiness, I mean mental and corporeal enjoyment. 
 And in order to arrive at a conclusion in any wise satisfac- 
 tory to the inquirer, it is not only necessary to examine the 
 situation of whole tribes, but individual cases must be pla- 
 ced in our scales, and carefully and correctly weighed. 
 
 It would be too tedious, though, to compare the situation 
 in each nation, of every officer, civil and military. In both 
 states of society, the military is subordinate to the civil 
 power. Fame — the love of glory, in all states, and in all 
 ages, has made heroes ; and the Indian warrior Keeokuk, 
 who commands the Sauks, adorned with his hundred feath- 
 
II'! I 
 
 1 1 
 
 1 ' 
 I 
 
 
 316 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 ers of the bald eagle, to denote the number of his victims, 
 is as happy as any officer in our army or navy. 
 
 Let us descend into private life, the common lot of 
 nearly all persons in the world; and begin with the lover 
 — "sighing like a furnace, and making ballads to his mis- 
 tress's eye-brow," among us — and in a no less pitiable con- 
 dition among the Winnebagoes!!! The pitiful dandy, mea- 
 ger, gaunt and pale faced — with a waist like a wasp — with 
 a watch in the pocket of his scanty vest, accompanied by 
 chain enough to hang him up by the neck, cuts not as good 
 a figure as the young Winnebago, painted in his best man- 
 ner, his hair filled with white clay, and a flute in his hand. 
 Our fop has as few ideas in his head as the savage. He is 
 pale, emaciated, fanciful and foolish, while the Winnebago 
 looks brave and manly, on all around him. The dandy 
 crawls along to the church, the theatre, or the ball room, 
 to see his adorable, fanciful, fickle, silly fair one; whereas, 
 the young Indian, if his fair idol move from one place to 
 another, lightly wends his way along, not far from her, un- 
 til she stops, when he seats himself on a stump, a log, or a 
 rock, and begins his mournful and heart rending tune of 
 three notes! He plays for hours together, without cessation, 
 while the cruel fair one seems not to know that her afflicted 
 lover is near her! Thus, from morn till night, the lover con- 
 tinues his suit, and from day to day, until the young lady's 
 parents — I ought to say mother — consents to the marriage, 
 or rejects him and his music. Once rejected by the mother, 
 he seats himself near some other beautiful belle, and begins 
 anew his mournful ditty. Thus he labors on in his vocation, 
 until he succeeds in making some blooming beauty his 
 bride. 
 
 As the Indian girls, in matters of love, implicitly obey 
 their mothers, they generally marry well, though they are 
 sometimes sold to the highest bidder. A goodly person, to 
 be a good hunter, to be possessed of good dogs, a good gun, 
 good traps, and above all, to be allied to one of the princi- 
 pal families in the nation, are the best passports to an hon- 
 
COMPARISON. 317 
 
 orable matrimonial connection. The mother who is poor, 
 expects a present for her daughter, while the chiefs present 
 very handsome gifts to their sons-in-law. I leave the ques- 
 tion to the readeT to decide, between the savage and the 
 civilized man as a lover. 
 
 The common people, such as are neither chiefs nor war- 
 riors, have no political influence, and more resemble, in 
 their condition, the poorer people of England, than our 
 citizens. They are generally poor, even for savages, and 
 are more unhappy than any other portion of people in the 
 United States, slaves not excepted. A prophet had col- 
 lected into one body on Rock river, about two hundred 
 persons, who appeared to be a wretched people. They 
 consisted of men and women who were either deformed in 
 their persons, or were mere dwarfs in size. These were 
 governed by this priest, through their hopes and fears, and 
 this little band of Winnebagoes were kept together by a 
 common interest. Cut off from all opportunity of ever 
 rising into any important station in their nation, by circum- 
 stances beyond their control, they naturally associated 
 together under such a teacher. According to their ideas 
 of happiness, this world offered very little to them, and they 
 naturally followed the man, who promised them all they 
 could desire in a future state of existence. This prophet 
 carried with him a wand about three feet in length, divi- 
 ded into parts somewhat like a common yard stick, and 
 from this he professed to deliver to his people the most aw- 
 ful denunciations, provided they disobeyed him. His dreams 
 he professed were sent directly from heaven, and he de- 
 nounced the most awful judgments against every sinner 
 who doubted his divine mission, or disobeyed his injunctions 
 Whether he went so far as to represent the Great Spirit 
 malignant enough to inflict eternal punishment for every 
 little fault; or whether he was weak enough to inculcate 
 the doctrine of everlasting happiness, as a reward for the 
 little, the very little good, which even the best man can 
 effect in his life time, I cannot say. 
 38 
 
318 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 
 I draw no conclusion from a comparison between these 
 religious people and ours, which is the most happy. That 
 the savage mingles fewer wordly motives with his religion, 
 than many who join our churches, I sincerely believe, and 
 as yet the savage has made no open attempts to join church 
 and state, in order to rise into wordly power and influence. 
 
 The condition of females among the savages, is certainly 
 less favorable to happiness, than our state of society affords. 
 The want of comfortable habitations among the aborigines, 
 is felt more by women and children, aged and infirm per- 
 sons, than with us. Their hardy habits, however, enable 
 them to bear this evil better than one would suppose; and 
 between their condition and ours, there is very little more 
 disparity, than between our earliest white men in our fron- 
 tier settlements, and the wealthier inhabitants of our Atlan- 
 tic cities. The first settlers of Kentucky and Ohio, probably 
 suffered more from the want of roads, mills, bridges, schools, 
 and all the institutions and comforts of civilized life, to 
 which they had been accustomed from their infancy, than 
 the Winnebagoes do now. Habit it almost every thing 
 that a person needs in such a case. 
 
 When I crossed Rock river at Ogee's ferry, September 
 1st, 1829, there was a lodge of Indians there, consisting of 
 an old man, his son-in-law, daughter and several children. 
 They waited on me, as soon as I stopped for the night, at 
 the house of Ogee, who had married a half-breed, and own- 
 ed the ferry. They addressed to me a speech which I an- 
 swered in the same friendly spirit with theirs, gave them 
 presents of pipes and tobacco, and visited their lodge. Af- 
 ter receiving some sugar, as a present from the lady of the 
 family at the lodge, and after obtaining a promise from her 
 to make a small bag, out of some nettles which had been 
 prepared by rotting and dressing, so that they resembled 
 dressed hemp — I retired to rest at an early hour, and saw 
 my friends no more, until day light, at which time, on walk- 
 ing out at the door, I saw the two Indian men at the lodge, 
 painting and dressing themselves in their best manner. In 
 
V » 
 
 COMPARISON. 319 
 
 this way they were preparing to wait on me, before my de- 
 parture, to deliver a speech and some presents to me. Not 
 seeing the woman at the lodge, my attention was directed 
 towards an adjoining grove, from whence the sound' of an 
 axe proceeded. The woman was cutting wood there, and 
 soon she raised a log from the ground, a load for almost any 
 man, and carried it to the lodge. A regard to delicacy for- 
 bade my visiting them, until the family were in a situation 
 to receive me. As soon as the men were completely dres- 
 sed, I took an opportunity, to upbraid them for not cutting 
 and carrying the wood, instead of laying that labor on the 
 woman. 
 
 The men showed in their countenances, strong marks of 
 grief at what they evidently considered a most unjust impu- 
 tation on their character. It was true, they said, that the 
 squaw had set up nearly all night to make the bag for me, 
 but the money she was to receive for it would be her own, 
 of which they would receive no part. The old man said 
 that while he and his son-in-law many times would rise ear- 
 ly in the morning fasting, and hunt all day and return home 
 at night faint, weary and almost famished for food, and so 
 continue on from day to day, perhaps suffering all that they 
 could endure until success crowned their efforts at last; all 
 this time the squaw and her children remained at the lodge, 
 where they could be comparatively comfortable, by a good 
 fire, when the weather was bad, and suffered much less 
 than the men who bore all the fatigues, without a murmur 
 of complaint. In war, the men fight all the battles, suffer 
 from wounds, from hunger and privations of every kind. 
 "Father," said the old man, "we do not like some of your 
 customs; at your forts we see young men, almost boys, act- 
 ing as officers, and beating and abusing older men than 
 they, compelling them to carry on their shoulders large 
 poles all day, marching "backwards and forwards, to answer 
 no purpose, but to gratify their young officers. All this is 
 imposed upon them, merely because these old men have 
 drank too much whisky, which their officers first give them 
 
'B 
 
 320 TOUR TO PRAIRIE I)U CHTEN. 
 
 to drink, and then punish them for drinking it! We endea- 
 vor to keep the whisky from our soldiers, and if they get it 
 by any means, we do not punish them for drinking it. We 
 have only old men like you, for our officers, and we teach 
 our young men to obey them. Our women own all the chil- 
 dren — the lodge and the wigwam are theirs, and all the 
 household furniture. The men own the guns, the traps, the 
 powder and lead, the horses and the canoes. The women 
 and children own the fishing lines and hooks, the axes and 
 the hoes. We kill the deer, the bear, the otter, the mink 
 and the muskrat; the women and children sometimes catch 
 the fish, kill the birds and raise the corn.*' 
 
 According to their ideas of things, they are, doubtless, 
 kind and indulgent husbands, and the mother has the whole 
 education of the children on her hands. The son she teaches 
 to reverence and obey his father— to be brave and intrepid 
 in danger — to be a man patient of fatigue; and when old 
 enough, he learns the arts of a hunter, from his father, who 
 takes him out into the forest for that purpose. From his 
 earliest years he, uses the bow, in killing birds and other 
 small game. The daughter is taught by her mother, the 
 culinary art, in all its branches — to be modest and submis- 
 sive — to make mats of rushes and various kinds of bark — to 
 dress skins and make them into moccasons. One squaw will, 
 in one day, dress a deer skin, and work it up into moccasons, 
 unless they are ornamented with porcupine quills, when I 
 have known a squaw occupy herself during four or five days, 
 on one pair of moccasons, or a shot pouch. 
 
 The savage who inhabits a country blessed with a fertile 
 soil and temperate climate, whose rivers, ponds and lakes 
 contain an abundance of fishes — whose forests and natural 
 meadows contain a plenty of wild game of many kinds, is 
 placed in circumstances the most favorable which savage 
 life presents to man. His labors are such, and such only as 
 we call "sport." Free from anxiety of mind, as the. fowls of 
 the air, or the beasts of the forest and the field, when he 
 has brought home his game, he feasts on it, and sleeps and 
 
COMPARISON. 321 
 
 enjoys every pleasure he knows or needs, until it is all 
 gone. Then he starts again in quest' of game. Sometimes, 
 it is true, he toils all day without success, returns home at 
 night, faint, weary and hungry, but he trusts in his success 
 on the coming day, and sleeps soundly until morning. Free 
 from imaginary wants, and a thousand artificial ills which 
 are the great bane of civilized life, he passes through time 
 without much care; but, it must be confessed, that his im- 
 providence for the future frequently, (especially in winter,) 
 exposes him to sufferings for food and raiment, and from the 
 inclemency of the seasons, and unforeseen accidents, for 
 which the civilized man provides, and thereby escapes. 
 The poorest white man in Ohio, who enjoys his health, 
 unless it be his own fault, enjoys more happiness than al- 
 most any Indian of the northwest. For the aged, sick, and 
 infirm, there is provided no minister of religion to console 
 them in their distresses, and there is no regular physician to 
 heal them. Though they have physicians who use some 
 remedies, yet they are scarcely better than our "quack doc- 
 tors," and the "water doctors," of our German population. 
 
 The enlarged views of the universe, and the works of na- 
 ture, derived from books, never reach the savage mind, and 
 of course, his pleasures and pains are corporeal, rather than 
 menial. More exposed than we are, to bodily suffering, he 
 is taught from his infancy, to bear it with stoical indiffer- 
 ence. Compared with ours, his wants are few and easily 
 supplied, unless, as in many places, the population is too , i ;l •« 
 
 great for the country around them to supply enough game. 
 In that case, war is made on the tribes where the greatest 
 abundance of game is found. Hence, the origin of the 
 wars almost always carried on between savage nations. 
 War produces the same evils among them which it does 
 among civilized nations — it does more, because the prison- 
 ers of war, among savages, as in the earlier ages of the 
 world, every where, are liable to be put to death in the 
 most cruel manner, or sold into perpetual bondage. Civil- 
 ized man, in war, enjoys a vast advantage over the savage, 
 
' 32*2 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 on many accounts. In modern warfare, among Europeans, 
 non-combatants, women and children, are not warred upon, 
 nor is private property liable, in most cases, to be taken by 
 an enemy. In modern times, since the use of gun-powder 
 and the invention of guns, the combatants, generally, do 
 not, as formerly, fight hand to hand, so that less passion is 
 infused into the contest, and less carnage and death ensue. 
 Modern wars, among Europeans, produce not the same hos- 
 tile feelings towards each other, that ancient ones did, and 
 civilization has achieved, in this way, a great deal of real 
 good for mankind, or what is the same thing, avast amount 
 of human misery is prevented. Prisoners are exchanged, 
 not sold into slavery — protected from injury, and not burn- 
 ed at the stake, surrounded by demons of cruelty. So that, 
 if we may safely conclude that savage man, in most cases, 
 is less happy than the civilized one, in times of peace, the 
 contrast is still greater in times of war. And what adds to 
 this view of the subject, is the fact, that among barbarous 
 nations, there is more war than peace. 
 
 As an argument in favor of the savage state, we hear it 
 urged, that men have left all the blessings of civilized life, 
 and have taken up their abode among the savages. They 
 have so, moved by various considerations. Some such men 
 were outcasts from civilized society; others, again, wished 
 to live in a state of society where poligamy exists. 
 
 Thomas Jefferson, and a distinguished French writer, 
 once had a dispute about the man of America, in which it 
 seemed to be admitted, that the Indian was less amorous 
 than the European! Now, from what I have seen, myself, 
 I should say, not doubting the fact, that, excepting the no- 
 bility and gentry, perhaps, of Europe, our Indians are more 
 amorous than any other people in the world. I shall give 
 no instances, of course; but I suspect, that not a few white 
 men, who adopt savage life, do it because, in that state of 
 society, they can indulge all their passions with impunity, 
 to any extent they can even desire. Fondness for the 
 chase, may attract others; while the honors and distinc- 
 
' f 
 MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS. 323 
 
 tions other men think they can acquire among the savages, 
 draw them into savage life. Other men are naturally mere 
 savages in disposition, and unfit for civilized life, in any of, 
 its forms or modifications. Such persons ought, by all 
 means, to join the savages. 
 
 I am fearful that another class of men unite themselves 
 to Indian tribes, from mercenary motives, without intend- 
 ing always to remain with them. They wish to get the 
 management of the property of the Indians, to handle 
 the money and goods annually delivered to them by the 
 United States. They may wish, perhaps, (as many of 
 them do,) to get possession of valuable tracts of land, and 
 keep them in their families. Some traders, who settle 
 among the Indians, marry among them, and by that means 
 get rich. 
 
 These are the principal inducements, doubtless, with 
 those who take up their abode among our Indians; and, in 
 my humble opinion, they prove nothing more, than that 
 some few persons, for a time, prefer to be savages, just 
 as the owl prefers the darkness of the night, to the bright 
 light of the sun, by day. 
 
 Those European writers who seem to have preferred 
 savage to civilized life, show clearly that they have not 
 one correct idea of savage life-, and the reality would soon 
 make them recant their opinion. If any one ever repre- 
 sented only the fair side of the picture of savage life, I have 
 done it in this volume, carefully avoiding all that was un- 
 sightly, in drawing my picture. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS remarks. 
 
 Some few persons in the United States, are actuated by 
 a hatred of the Indians, bordering on madness, who would 
 destroy them at once, if they possessed the power. Such 
 men have lost relatives, slain in combat, or otherwise, by 
 the Indians; or they have warred with them, and have 
 seen their cruelty to their prisoners. If such persons should 
 
324 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 
 ever be permitted by Congress to do so, they might, by 
 their honest prejudices, be led to treat our red men in such 
 a manner, as to bring down upon us, as a nation, the exe- 
 crations of the whole civilized world. As a nation, we 
 have intended to treat these people with the greatest kind- 
 ness. Congress have yearly appropriated large sums of 
 money, to defray the expenses of the Indian Department; 
 they have established, as they suppose, blacksmith's shops 
 among the Indians, in order to mend their traps and their 
 guns, and to make axes and hoes for them. Farms have 
 been improved, in order to teach them the arts of agricul- 
 ture. These shops, with a blacksmith and his assistant 
 blacksmith; a farm, a farmer, and assistant farmer, to each 
 agency; an agent, assistants or sub-agents; and several in- 
 terpreters — each with a handsome salary, paid by the Na- 
 tional government; besides annual appropriations for iron 
 and steel, for farming utensils, and no small sums for beef, 
 pork, flour, powder, lead, medicines, goods, wares, and mer^ 
 chandise, suitable for the Indians: — all these things bespeak 
 a nation's benevolence. The nation annually pays large 
 sums of money for all these things, which Congress presume 
 the Indians receive, or are benefited by them. If, how- 
 ever, the farm should be situated where no Indian ever 
 sees it — if the blacksmith's shop is on the farm — if no In^ 
 dian ever obtains even one article of the goods intended to 
 be given to him for nothing, without paying four times its 
 value — if the iron and steel are worked up, and sold out to 
 the white people of the neighborhood — if the productions 
 of the farm, and the shop, and the store, all go to enrich 
 one man; then the benevolent intentions of government 
 are frustrated. 
 
 That about one hundred men disburse about a million of 
 dollars every year, which are charged to the Indian depart^ 
 ment, we know; but how much of that large sum is so dis* 
 bursed as to answer all the benevolent intentions of Con- 
 gress, I do not know. From all that I saw, and from all 
 I heard from men of truth and good character, who reside 
 
MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS, 325 
 
 in the Indian country, I am thoroughly convinced, that great 
 abuses exist in the Indian department, which need legislative 
 interference. Annuities, due the Indians by treaties, ought 
 to be regularly paid; but the agencies, sub-agencies, the 
 farmers, assistant farmers, blacksmiths and their assistants, 
 might be forthwith dispensed with, without doing any in- 
 jury to the Indian. By such a reform, a large amount of 
 money might be saved to the nation. 
 
 The causes which produced the abuses above referred to,. 
 will continue them, I fear, under the pretext of benevolence 
 to the Indians! 
 
 A feeling exists among the nation at large, towards our 
 red brethren, which is highly honorable to our people; and 
 my only regret is, that such a feeling is so greatly abused, 
 by the very persons whose duty it is to act very differently 
 from what some of them do. 
 
 If the time should ever arrive, that our Indian agents and 
 all their sub-officers should so manage matters entrusted to 
 them, as to contrive every year to add largely to the ex- 
 penses of the Indian Department — to use all their influence 
 to keep the Indians where they are, in ignorance, poverty 
 and dependence, they will become a curse and a scourge 
 to their own country, and to the people committed to their 
 charge. Let us hope for better things. 
 
 That the Indians will recede farther, and farther west, 
 until they reach the Pacific ocean, and finally become ex- 
 tinct, as a people, no one acquainted with their present 
 condition and prospects, can doubt. That many efforts will 
 be made through Congress, to procrastinate their £nal 
 doom, I clearly foresee. 
 
 Such large sums of money, to be disbursed among the 
 Indians on the frontiers, where all is left to the honesty of 
 those who handle the money, present a temptation to com- 
 mit frauds. The poor Indian's voice is too feeble to be 
 heard by the government, and all the white people who 
 could complain loud enough to be heard, are interested in 
 keeping their own secrets. 
 39 
 
 • f 
 
 
32f3 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CIIIEN. 
 
 The old Factory system, as it was called, was too good & 
 one to last long, and it was swept off by Congress some 
 years since. Under that system, goods were sold to the In- 
 dians by the United States, through agents duly appointed 
 by the executive department. Something was received by 
 the United States for the goods delivered to the Indians. — 
 Taking advantage of frauds committed on the Indians, by 
 persons connected with the Indian bureau, the Factory sys- 
 tem gave place to the present system, of giving away the 
 goods without any pay being exacted for them — as the law 
 supposes! All appears fair on the face of the law, but how 
 many goods are thus delivered, not knowing, I cannot say. 
 The American Fur Company, so far as I am imformed and 
 believe, deal fairly and honorably with the Indians, and are 
 of great service to them, and to the United States. They 
 sell on a credit, in the autumn, to the hunters, before they 
 start out on their annual hunting excursions, and receive 
 their pay when the hunters return home. The families of 
 the hunters procure many necessaries from the company's 
 stores, during the autumn and winter, and so far as I could 
 learn from the Indians themselves, the American Fur Com- 
 pany deserve well the fair reputation they now enjoy. 
 
 This company do more to keep peace among the Indians, 
 than all our army in that region: — it is their interest to do 
 so. The agents of this company have no interest in keep- 
 ing the Indians where they are, and throw no obstacles in 
 the way of the government, to prevent a sale of the Indian 
 land where the game is all destroyed. Wherever I found 
 an agent of this company, I found a friend ready, willing, 
 and even anxious, to aid me in carrying into effect the views 
 of the United States' government. Without such aid, at al- 
 most every step, as we proceeded on our mission, it must 
 have wholly failed. 
 
i* 
 
 32? 
 
 CIVILIZATION OF THE INDIANS. 
 
 How can we prevent the final extinction of the red man 
 of America? By making him in all respects a civilized man. 
 In the first place, the Indian must be taught to build him a 
 house, and to dwell in it, with his family — to give up the 
 chase as a means of subsistence, and to cultivate the earth. 
 To bring about this great revolution in his habits, we must 
 begin with the children and youth; the habits of the full 
 grown man are of too fixed a character to be changed. A 
 school in which the art of farming lands, and the mechanic 
 arts, should be taught, might be extremely useful to the 
 males. The younger females ought to be placed in families 
 where they would learn all their appropriate business for 
 life. A small village, settled by persons thus educated, 
 would form a nucleus around which others would collects 
 Other similar towns would grow up, if placed in the heart 
 of the Indian country, and civilization would extend, if pro- 
 perly fostered by the government, until the whole mass of 
 aborigines became civilized, prosperous and happy. Such 
 schools and such villages, must not be located on the verge 
 of the Indian country, but far in the interior, otherwise they 
 would prove a curse. The reason is found in the fact, that 
 outcasts from us, who have lost their character by their 
 vices, and by the commission of high crimes against our 
 laws, locate themselves in the edge of the country, among 
 the Indians, where they continue their vices and their 
 crimes, and so render themselves a curse to the human race. 
 They are the most embittered enemies we have, and stir 
 up all the strife they can between us and the Indians. 
 They contrive too, many times, by intermarriages with fe- 
 males belonging to distinguished Indian families, to ac- 
 quire great influence over the natives, which is always turn- 
 ed against the country which gave them birth, but which 
 has repudiated them, on account of their bad conduct. Such- 
 men are frequently persons of the finest natural abilities, 
 who have been educated in the best manner. They must. 
 
 
 1 1 
 
 1 
 
328 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CKIEN. 
 
 not be permitted to settle among the educated Indians. It 
 is with all the virtues, as it is with grain and our garden 
 vegetables, (to use a homely figure,) it requires great labor,, 
 care and diligence, to rear them into maturity; whereas, 
 all the vices, like noxious weeds, grow spontaneously, with- 
 out care or cultivation, and almost in despite of all our ex- 
 ertions to prevent their growth. Following the course I 
 have hinted at, I see no great difficulty in the way of civi- 
 lizing our Indians. They are now savages, but so were all 
 men originally. They are as white as we should have been, 
 reared as they have been, and as their ancestors have 
 been during unknown ages past. Many of them have light 
 hair, blue eyes, and a skin as white as ours. Nature has 
 done as much for them, as she has for us. Civilization, with 
 its. arts, its wants, and its views — Christianity, with her be- 
 nevolence, and the hopes she holds out to man, if he follows 
 her precepts and obeys them, with her threats of punishment 
 if he disobeys the laws of God — the lights of science too, 
 and the force of habits, long since acquired by our ancestors, 
 and handed down to us through a hundred generations, 
 make us to differ from the red men of America. 
 
 A republican form of government might be gradually in- 
 troduced among them, and so might also the lights of re- 
 ligion and of the arts and sciences. I see nothing in the 
 nature of the savage, which belonged not once to the whole 
 human race. His indolence, and his fondness for war and 
 the chase, are seeds sown, broad cast, in human nature it- 
 self. So is his love of fame and of glory. His love of en- 
 terprise is great also, and in a state of civilization, it would 
 run in new channels, and produce results that would add 
 to the usefulness, the honor, and the dignity of man. 
 
 Placed as we are, by Providence, in the immediate vicir 
 nity of these people, and occupying the very country on 
 which, during unknown ages, they dwelt, until we dispos- 
 sessed them of it, justice arid the precepts of our holy re- 
 ligion, seem to call on us to use our best endeavors to re- 
 claim them from their savage state. Every moment is val- 
 

 CIVILIZATION OF THE INDIANS. 329 
 
 uable, quite too much so to be lost, if we mean to save, 
 from final extinction, our red brethren. 
 
 Thus far, all plans have failed of success, and unless oth- 
 ers are substituted for them, the Indians will soon disappear 
 from the earth, or exist only like the Gypsies in Europe, as 
 strolling beggars. Such is now their condition in New 
 York, where they are seen upon the roads, as mendicants, 
 from Buffalo to Utica. Such was their condition three years 
 since, when I traveled in that region of country. 
 
 The object of some persons now appears to be, to collect 
 all the Indians on this side of the Rocky mountains, into 
 one territory, as soon as possible. But, without more know- 
 ledge of the arts of civilized life than they now possess, I 
 suspect that no good, either to them or to us, will result 
 from such a scheme. It will be productive of vast expense 
 to us, and will make court favorites wealthy, but the effects 
 on the condition of the Indians, I fear, will be bad, if not 
 ruinous. The game in the Indian country will be destroy- 
 ed in a very few years, should the whole Indian population 
 be thrown together, when the Indians must either perish 
 with hunger, or be fed and clothed by us at a vast expense. 
 
 But, what I more dread, is such an Indian war on our 
 frontiers, as never was waged since this continent was dis- 
 covered, and which would cost millions of dollars, and 
 rivers of blood. Our whole western frontier would proba- 
 bly present one vast field of conflagration and human 
 butchery. Thousands of our western people would perish 
 under the tomahawk and the scalping knife of the savage. 
 The war whoop would wake the sleep of the cradle — the 
 mother and her babe would be slain together, while the fa- 
 ther would burn at the stake. A large standing army 
 would be raised — millions of dollars would be poured out 
 of the national treasury — renown and glory would be won 
 by our military officers — the Indians would be conquered, 
 and swept fro'm off the face of the earth. But would all 
 these events add any thing to our true glory, as a nation^ to 
 .our reputation as christians, or to our character as men? 
 
330 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 Something like such a scheme was first devised by Tecum- 
 seh; and if he wished, as he did, to carry on a war upon 
 us, with effect, his plan was the best that could have been 
 devised by man. 
 
 Congress will, no doubt, seriously consider this subject, 
 and deeply, too; and remember the character which Spain 
 acquired by her conduct towards the people of the coun- 
 tries she conquered in America — a character that will at- 
 tach to her name forever. Character is as dear to a nation 
 as it is to an individual, without which, who wishes to live 
 a day, or even one hour? 
 
 In order to civilize our Indians, some of their customs 
 must be changed — their love of war must be eradicated, 
 and to effect that object, polygamy must cease to exist 
 among them. Introduce this custom among us, or among 
 any European nation, and we or they would soon become 
 as savage in our manners as any Indians in the north- 
 west. Take away from us, or from a large majority of us, 
 the relations of husband and wife, brother and sister, lover 
 and friend, and we should become at once the veriest sa- 
 vages on the globe. We are indebted for our humanity, 
 kindness, friendship and benevolence, (now such promi- 
 nent traits in our national character), to the influence of 
 our females upon us. The female sex are the true tamers 
 of our natural ferocity, otherwise the Europeans and their 
 descendants would be as fierce, as savage, as wild and fe- 
 rocious, as the inhabitants of the other quarters of the 
 world. Christianity has raised up woman to the level 
 where God intended she should stand in society, and she 
 has civilized the world, as far around her as she has had 
 her due share of influence. Until polygamy is abolished 
 among our Indians, they will remain savages. 
 
 So long as no man is considered any thing among our 
 Indians until he has murdered at least one human being, 
 so long civilization will achieve little indeed among them: 
 and, until polygamy is abolished, savage ferocity will in- 
 evitably prevail among them. 
 
CIVILIZATION OF THE INDIANS. 331 
 
 . My own opinion is not in favor of crowding all the In- 
 dians within our limits, into one territory. The people 
 who were born in latitude forty-eight north, ought by no 
 means to be located in latitude thirty-five north — nor vice 
 versa. The southern Indians ought to be moved along 
 westward, in nearly, the same latitude in which they were 
 born— so of the northern ones. A change of latitude of 
 more than four degrees, would, for a number of years, se- 
 riously affect their health. 
 
 To point out the precise spots where the Indians should 
 be located, is impossible, without a thorough examination 
 of the country, made by disinterested and competent men. 
 So long as the nation manages this matter, so long we shall 
 fail to accomplish any lasting good for the Indians. 
 
 I repeat my melancholy foreboding, and say — as the tide 
 of emigration rolls westward, our red brethren will be dri- 
 ven from river to river, from mountain to mountain, until 
 they finally perish on the shore of the Pacific ocean. 
 
 But my heart is sick of this idea. My poor veto against 
 the wasteful and villainous expenditure of millions of dol- 
 lars under the hypocritical pretensions of benevolence and 
 pietv, and even of charity towards the Indians, when we 
 all know that not one cent of this money benefits the In- 
 dians; is of no avail against the united efforts of a corrupt 
 set of men, who contrive to plunder the treasury every 
 winter, under the solemn sanctions of law. 
 
 Reflecting on this subject in all its bearings, my head 
 aches, and my heart is pained; I feel ashamed of my coun- 
 try, and I conclude by reminding our rulers and our peo- 
 ple, that the red man is on our borders — that he is wholly 
 in our power, either to save or destroy him — that the whole 
 civilized world of this day — that all posterity, will judge 
 us impartially. Be it our study, then, so to conduct our- 
 selves towards our elder rrother, as to deserve and re- 
 ceive a favorable verdict, when on our trial at the bar of 
 reason, of humanity, and of God. 
 
I '. 
 
 332 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 DACOTA INDIANS. 
 
 The Dacota, or as we call them, the Sioux Indians, in- 
 habit a large territory on the west side of the Mississippi,, 
 from the upper loway river, to the Frozen ocean in the 
 north, and to the Rocky mountains in the west. The Up- 
 per loway empties into the Mississippi on its western side, 
 thirty miles above Prairie du Chien. The extent of this 
 region of country, must be equal to all our States border- 
 ing on the Atlantic ocean. This country is filled with 
 wild animals, the bison, the bear of different species, the 
 deer of several species, such as are common in Ohio, and 
 also the antelope, the elk, &c. The wolf of several spe- 
 cies too, and the mountain ram are there. From the great 
 extent of country occupied by these Indians, their numbers 
 and warlike character, the abundance of wild game of all 
 sorts, and their remote situation from our settlements, as 
 well as the coldness of the climate in which they live, ren- 
 der it probable that these will be the last Indians, to leave 
 the country where they now are. Those men belonging 
 to the Sioux, who were with us, were proud samples of men 
 in a savage state. In the form and size of their bodies, 
 they were perfect, and as to mental faculties, they were 
 not less so. One of them acted as a confidential runner, 
 during our last war with England, carrying intelligence for 
 us between the Upper Mississippi country and St. Louis. 
 He was greatly attached to our contractor, who formerly 
 belonged to the United States' army, and commanded at 
 Prairie du Chien. His attachment to Major Kennedy, in- 
 duced the whites to call him George H. Kennedy, by 
 which name he was always called by us. 
 
 He was a true friend to us, and as shrewd and politic an 
 one, as need be. From this worthy man, I drew a great 
 deal of useful information, relating to his country, his peo- 
 ple and every thing else, about which he had informed 
 himself. 
 
masssssss^^smm 
 
 333 
 
 OLD MAID OF THE WISCONSIN, AND PARTING WITH THE 
 INDIANS. 
 
 On the day we delivered the goods to the Winnebagoes, 
 after the Indians were all seated on the ground in rows, 
 the chiefs on the highest spot in the center, on benches,, 
 clothed in the most sumptuous manner, where they could; 
 see and be seen to the best advantage, every tribe by it- 
 self, the half-breeds in one place, the full whites in ano- 
 ther; as I passed through the open spaces between the 
 ranks, my attention was forcibly drawn to a particular spot* 
 by a constant snarling, hissing noise of some miserable 
 human being, whom, on approaching her, I ascertained to 
 be an Indian woman, shriveled, haggard, and old, though 
 remarkably neat in her person and dress. 
 
 She appeared to be about sixty years of age, and scolded 
 incessantly. Some of the goods placed before her, as her 
 share, she complained of as being too fine; others, as being 
 too coarse; some cost too much, while others were quite 
 too cheap; and none of them seemed to please her.; 
 
 Wishing, if possible, to please all of them, and especially 
 the ladies, actuated by the best of motives, I endeavored 
 by every argument in my power, to satisfy her, that so far 
 as I could do any thing towards it, great care had been 
 taken in the distribution, to do justice to every individual. 
 I told her, that her Great Father, the President, had spe- 
 cially ordered me, so far as in me lay, to please all, and to 
 see that no one went home dissatisfied. At that moment, 
 she returned upon me a volley of epithets, too degrading to 
 be repeated, even though applied to myself, as I felt con- 
 scious of not deserving them. Turning around to some fe- 
 males who were politely sitting on the ground behind rae, 
 I learned the fault-finder was an old maid, (unmarried men 
 at sixty years of age, I will call bachelors, but ladies never) 
 and that the only distinguishing mark of attention she had 
 ever received from any man, was a smart blow, with a flat 
 hand, on her right ear! 
 40 
 
 
334 
 
 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 As there is no law regulating taste, and sometimes no ra- 
 tional way of accounting for some of its freaks, and as some 
 sights are the aversion of some persons, while the appear- 
 ance of other objects is equally disagreeable to others*, and 
 as I never could endure the ideas conveyed to my mind, by 
 a rattlesnake, a heartless politician, an iceberg, and a cold 
 hearted woman; I turned away from her in disgust, and 
 never saw her more, nor inquired her name, for fear I should 
 remember it. She was the only person who left the treaty 
 ground, dissatisfied with the commissioners. To please her, 
 was utterly impossible. 
 
 Seated, as I said, upon rising ground, on benches; clad 
 in blankets, either green or red; covered with handsome fur 
 hats, with three beautiful ostrich plumes, in each hat; dress- 
 ed in ruffled calico shirts, leggins and moccasons — all new, 
 and faces painted to suit the fancy of each individual, who 
 held in his hand a new rifle — adorned too, with silver 
 broaches, silver claps on every arm, and a large medal sus- 
 pended on each breast — the chiefs, principal warriors and 
 head men, to the number of forty-two, sat during two hours, 
 after all the goods had been delivered to the nation. 
 
 Every individual, of both sexes, in the nation, had, lying 
 directly before the person, on the ground, the share of the 
 goods belonging to the individual. Great pains had been 
 taken to give each, such, and just so many, cloths as would 
 be suitable for the owner to wear, during the year to come. 
 The cloths were cut so as to correspond exactly with the 
 size of the owner. The pile of cloths, for each person, was 
 nearly two feet in thickness, the sight of which entirely 
 overcame with joy, our red friends, and they sat during two 
 hours, in the most profound silence; not taking off their 
 eyes one moment, from the goods, now their own. For the 
 first time, during my constant intercourse of several weeks, 
 with these interesting sons and daughters of the forest, as I 
 passed repeatedly through their ranks, not an eye appeared 
 to see me; — not. an ear, to hear my heavy tread; — not a 
 tongue, as always heretofore, repeated the endearing name 
 
DEPARTURE OF THE INDIANS. 335 
 
 of — "Oconee kairakee," (the good chief,) which their kind 
 partiality had given me, on my first landing at Prairie du 
 Chien. Their minds were entirely overcome with joy. 
 
 The day being far spent, and as the loading of the ca- 
 noes, in which they were about to depart, would necessa- 
 rily occupy some little time, I informed the chiefs and prin- 
 cipal men, that the time had arrived, when we should part 
 to meet no more — that the great gun at the fort would soon 
 be fired, to do them honor. With one accord they all arose, 
 and shaking me heartily by the hand, many of them shed- 
 ding tears on the occasion, they one and all invited me to 
 visit them, at their respective places of abode. In a shrill 
 tone of voice, Nawkaw issued his orders for every individ- 
 ual to arise, take up his or her goods, and repair to the ' 
 beach of the river near at hand, and there await the signal 
 from the fort, for their embarkation. 
 
 In fifteen minutes they were all seated on the sands, by 
 the river's edge, where they all sat in breathless silence, 
 awaiting the signal, which was soon given. As soon as 
 that was given, each chief came forward, shook me again 
 cordially by the hand, accompanied by the warmest protes- 
 tations of friendship. In a few moments more, they were 
 off, covering a considerable surface with their canoes, each 
 one of which carried its flag, of some sort, floating in the 
 gentle breeze which ruffled the surface of the Mississippi. 
 
 The Chippeways, Ottowas, and Pottawatimies, had re- 
 ceived their goods in the same manner as the Winnebagoes; 
 had been treated precisely in the same way, and three 
 guns, one for each nation, "had given them a signal to de- 
 part, and they had parted with me in the same kind and 
 affectionate manner. 
 
 Having completed all our business of a public nature, so 
 far as we could at this place, about the middle of August, 
 as near as I now remember, we concluded to give our 
 friends here, a ball on the evening preceding our leaving 
 them. It was attended by all the respectable part of the 
 people in the garrison and in the village. 
 
336 TOUR TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 
 
 It was a most interesting scene. Within the council 
 house, where the civilized people were assembled, might be 
 seen persons of both sexes, as polished and as refined in 
 their manners, as well bred, and educated as well too, as 
 any persons in the United States; and at the same moment, 
 might be seen on the outside of the house, at the doors and 
 windows, looking on, and occasionally dancing by them- 
 selves, by way of experiment, or to show what they could 
 do as dancers, in the open air, as motley a group of crea- 
 tures, (I can scarcely call them human beings,) as the world 
 ever beheld. They are a race peculiar to those parts of the 
 Upper Mississippi, where settlements were originally made 
 by the French, soon after the conquest of Canada by the 
 English, under General Wolf. They are a mixed breed, 
 and. probably more mixed than any other human beings in 
 the world; each one consisting of Negro, Indian, French, 
 English, American, Scotch, Irish, and Spanish blood! And 
 I should rather suspect some of them to be a little touched 
 with the Prairie wolf. They may fairly claim the vices and 
 faults of each and all the above named nations and animals, 
 without even one redeeming virtue. 
 
 The reader will see that we were on the very confines of 
 civilized and savage life. 
 
 The officers and their families, from fort Crawford, and 
 the best families in the Prairie, were all very happy, and 
 we parted with them all in friendship, and retired to rest at 
 about midnight. 
 
337 
 
 i 
 
 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 Next morning, I busied myself in making preparations 
 for my departure, by land, to Dodgeville, Gratiot's Grove, 
 and Galena. Many little obstacles were thrown in my way, 
 as always is the case, when endeavoring to do any business 
 with this motley group of creatures; but towards night, in 
 company with Mr. Henry Gratiot, in a dandy wagon, in 
 which were placed our mats, blankets, cooking vessels, pro- 
 visions and arms, I bid adieu to Prairie du Chien. Making 
 our way over the prairie, in a southeast direction, over a 
 surface, in some parts very rough and uneven, we struck 
 the Wisconsin about three miles, I should suppose, above 
 its mouths; and having crossed the river in a ferry boat, we 
 encamped just before sunset, on the south bank of the 
 stream, near the water's edge. 
 
 WISCONSIN RIVER. 
 
 The Wisconsin, where we crossed it, was very shallow, 
 full of sand bars and small islands, and at that low stage of 
 the water, not more than forty rods in width. Its average 
 depth was not more than three feet, perhaps even less. The 
 numerous little islands and sand bars, in height only a foot 
 or two above the surface of the water, far as I could see the 
 stream, above and below where we crossed it, presented to 
 view wild rice in bloom. That plant grows on the islands 
 and sand bars, and in the water near them, to the height of 
 three or four feet; and when in full bloom, reminds one of 
 our cultivated fields at home. The grain itself looks more 
 like oats than rice, and has a sweet taste, like our oats. In 
 this region it affords food for large flocks of wild fowls, as 
 
 

 338 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 well as for man. Lake Puckaway, and the ponds and small 
 lakes about Fox river, produce a great deal of this grain. 
 
 The Wisconsin has worn itself a deep basin, from one to 
 three miles in width, though in some places it is. twelve 
 miles wide, probably; but the river itself, from appear- 
 ances, rarely occupies more than half a mile in width, even 
 in high water. It rises in an unknown region, not far to the 
 south of lake Superior, about halfway between the extreme 
 ends of that inland sea. I saw one man, who supposed he 
 had ascended this river about three hundred miles above 
 fort Winnebago, and from his statement, my account of 
 that part of the river is derived. It rises among mountains 
 of considerable elevation, and runs in deep basins, in several 
 branches, until finally it becomes a considerable river, with 
 considerable descent in its current. Thence onward, it 
 runs almost south, until it reaches fort Winnebago, where a 
 portage of only a mile or two over, intervenes between it 
 and the Fox river of Green Bay. — These rivers rise near 
 each, other, run side by side, and not far apart, until they 
 reach for Winnebago, where each breaks off from the other: 
 the Fox descending nearly northeast into Green Bay, and 
 the Wisconsin almost due west, until it falls through several 
 mouths, into the Mississippi, five miles below fort Crawford, 
 at Prairie du Chien. 
 
 Like all the rivers of this region, there had been no 
 freshet in it during the year I saw it, and it was unusually 
 low, but keel boats carrying fifteen tons freight, ascended 
 it from its mouth to fort Winnebago, and the whole fleet of 
 Indian canoes, after the treaties were made, went up it 
 without impediment. 
 
 As to size, it compares with Connecticut river, nearer 
 than any one I am acquainted with in the east, and with 
 the Tennessee in the west, though not so long as the latter; 
 the Wisconsin being only about six hundred miies in length. 
 It rises in perhaps about latitude forty-six degrees thirty 
 minutes, and enters the Mississippi in latitude forty-three 
 degree fifteen minutes. 
 
I 
 
 THE WISCONSIN RIVER. 339 
 
 Along its banks, many impressive views present them- 
 selves; sometimes, and indeed often, lofty and huge piles 
 of rocks, standing erect, in a perpendicular position, are 
 seen from the river, on one side, and a thick forest of tim- 
 ber trees, growing on the bottom lands, on the other side. 
 The trees I saw, were sugar maple, beech, white ash, linn 
 or bass wood, and oaks of different species. On the tall 
 cliffs, I saw the red cedar and the arbor vitse. Some of the 
 bottom lands were natural meadows, in which the grass 
 grew to the height of seven feet. Vast forests of pine trees 
 grow on all the head waters of this river. 
 
 After kindling our fire, cooking our breakfast and eating 
 it, we started in the morning, just after sunrise, and making 
 our way as well as we could, sometimes through thick-set 
 and tall grass — sometimes through as impervious a growth 
 of bushes, as I ever saw. 
 
 By the aid of our knives, having no axe with us, we trav- 
 eled up the river, diverging gradually from it, towards the 
 southern point of the compass, until about mid day, and with 
 the greatest difficulty we succeeded in ascending the high 
 hills, and lofty precipices which bounded the Wisconsin 
 basin, on its south side. We supposed that we had traveled 
 twelve miles that forenoon, and that we were four or five 
 miles south from the river, when we entered the high plain 
 where we stood. I should think we had ascended twelve 
 hundred feet from the place where we tarried during the 
 night. 
 
 In traveling this distance, where it was prairie, one of us 
 went before and led the horse, while the other followed the 
 wagon, to lend a hand, when we met with any obstacle in 
 our way, as we often did. 
 
 Where we had to pass a thicket, and we had many of 
 them in our way, we were compelled to cut a road with our 
 knives, and bend down, and one of us keep down, the 
 largest bushes, while the other led the horse and wagon 
 over them. 
 
340 
 
 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 
 At last, however, as I said, with difficulty, we ascended 
 the high hills, and escaped from the prairies and the thick- 
 ets, and clambered up among the piles of rocks skirting the 
 southern side of the Wisconsin, and stood six feet within 
 the open wide spread prairie, whose surface was more than, 
 one thousand feet above the bed of the river, and nearly 
 two thousand feet above the ocean. Not an animated being 
 beside ourselves was to be seen, nor a sound heard. An 
 aw r ful silence reigned, as to us, throughout creation. Before 
 us lay spread out in all directions, except towards the deep 
 and gloomy basin of the Wisconsin behind us, a boundless 
 prairie, or bounded only by the horizon. Above us was a 
 flaming sun at noon day, and the pale blue heavens; the 
 sky looked as pure as the Spirit who made it, and not even 
 one breath of air was in motion, not a spear of grass, nor a 
 dry leaf rustled in the plain or among the trees, nor did 
 even one grasshopper, by his heart cheering song, break the 
 awful silence which reigned over this vast plain. Before us 
 we saw sun-flowers, standing here and there, of the same 
 species and appearance, and of as large a size, as those in 
 our gardens. We saw too, the mineral plant, with its blue 
 leaves and most beautiful flowers, growing in clusters, in 
 bunches and rows, indicating where beds or veins of lead 
 ore existed, beneath the surface. Here, too, for the first 
 time, I saw that species of helianthus, (sun-flower,) called 
 the rozin plant, whose leaves, springing from the root, are 
 so disposed as to indicate with mathematical certainty the 
 northern and southern points of the compass. 
 
 We stood in breathless silence several minutes, looking 
 on this diluvial plain, absorbed in deep contemplation, un- 
 til instinctively turning right about and facing the Wiscon- 
 sin basin, north of us, we could distinctly see that wizzard 
 stream, glistening like the brightest silver, here and there, 
 where the absence of the trees permitted us to behold it, 
 in width to the eye, only a few inches. Ruggedness, was 
 a striking feature of this aspect, from the vast piles of rocks 
 
WISCONSIN COUNTRY. 341 
 
 which had fallen down from their original position into the 
 basin, in every age, since the sun shone, or had stood un- 
 moved, during unknown ages, defying all the fury of the 
 elements, and all the ravages of time. Some of them threat- 
 ened to tumble down on the very first man who dared to 
 approach their bases, while others, in appearance, seemed 
 resolved to remain unmoved, where they were forever. — 
 The contrast between the views which the plain and the 
 basin presented to us, was perfect; the former was as peace- 
 ful as the letter was warlike, and both of them appealed in 
 a powerful manner to the feelings of the inward man. A 
 flood of absorbing sensations rushed into the soul. Adora- 
 tion of the great Author of nature, deeply impressed on the 
 heart, spontaneously ascended to heaven. 
 
 Having recovered ourselves from the reverie of deep and 
 impressive contemplation, which such contrasted views na- 
 
 
 v ■■, 
 
 turally produced, we once more, and for the first time to 
 
 day, ascended our little wagon, out of which had been 
 thrown out and lost, several articles of prime necessity in 
 our toilsome march. Directing our course, over the prai- 
 rie, in an eastern direction, along a dividing ridge between 
 the waters falling into the Mississippi, and those descend- 
 ing into the Wisconsin, we moved forward at a brisk rate, 
 until we came into the trace which Dr. Wolcott and his 
 Pottawatimies had made, on their journey home, after the 
 treaties were concluded. The horse traveled along in the 
 trace, or trail, as it is called in this country, and the wheels 
 of our wagon easily moved forward in the grass, which grew 
 only a few inches in height, on this high and dry ground. 
 After traveling an hour or two, we turned off to the right, 
 to look for water, and soon found a beautiful rivulet and se- 
 veral pure springs. They were in a ravine, where we easily 
 found them, by that never failing sign of water, trees and 
 bushes. Here we tarried an hour or more, fed and rested 
 our horse and ourselves, until we moved forward again, at 
 the rate of four or five miles an hour; and so continued to 
 press forward until thick darkness covered the heavens. 
 41 
 
34 fc 2 TOUR TO "WASHINGTON CITY* 
 
 We had not until then been able to find a place to encamp 
 upon, under trees and near water. Kindling a fire, we fast- 
 ened our horse to a tree, with a rope long enough to allow 
 him to eat what grass he wanted, in addition to the corn we 
 gave him, from the store in our wagon. Spreading our 
 blankets upon the earth, under an oak tree, having lost our 
 mats, which Nawkaw and his ladies gave me; we had but 
 gotten into a good slumber, when a cold rain descended in 
 considerable quantities, and wet me through and through. 
 I awoke in the utmost agony of pain, and so severely affect- 
 ed by a paralysis in my right side and limbs, as to render 
 me unable to move myself, and but just able to speak. From 
 sunrise until noon, I had been wetted to the skin, by the 
 plentiful dews on the grass and the shrubbery, through 
 which I had forced my way; from noon until sunset, we had 
 traveled over an open prairie, upon which the sun shined 
 intensely, in the hottest day of August; and now a rain 
 from the northwest, cold as a November shower in Ohio, 
 drenched me to the very skin. These sudden and great 
 changes of temperature, were too much for my system to 
 bear with impunity, and a palsy was the result. 
 
 As soon as the dawn of day appeared, Mr. Gratiot placed 
 me in the wagon and drove with all the speed he could, to 
 Dodgeville, where we arrived nearly about the middle of 
 the day. The distance between Prairie du Chien and this 
 place is variously estimated, from sixty-five to ninety miles. 
 There is no settlement between them. 
 
 Had we started eaHy in the morning, on the first day, and 
 had we been successful in crossing the Wisconsin, and in 
 getting out of its basin, we might have reached Dodgeville 
 without lying out more than one night. As it was, we had 
 lain out two nights on the route. The country we had pass- 
 ed over, after we reached the prairie, south of the Wiscon- 
 sin, is easily described, its physical features being few. 
 Being at that time new, to me, their impression on my me- 
 mory was the deeper at the time, and they remain vivid 
 on it now. 
 
M , 
 
 WISCONSIN COUNTRY. 343 
 
 Traveling up the Wisconsin, and near enough to it, so as 
 just to avoid the deep ravines made by every little stream 
 that runs into it, from the south towards the north; and we 
 avoided also the ravines along the streams descending into 
 the Mississippi, in a southern direction. When we wanted 
 water, we had only to turn either to the right or left hand, 
 until we came to a ravine or a point of woods, which, at 
 unequal distances from each other, stand out into the 
 prairie. 
 
 These points of woods and these ravines were our guide 
 boards; and told more truth than some of their namesakes 
 do, on our roads. Keeping clear of these, or turning up to 
 them, as we wished either to move forward or to stop, we 
 found our way along, as well almost, as if on a good road. 
 Besides, we generally followed a trail where the Indians 
 had recently passed along this route. 
 
 The surface of the prairie consisted of hill and dale, 
 short grass covering the hills, and tall grasses and flowers 
 the vales. The Wisconsin, all the way, hid itself from our 
 view, in its gloomy and secluded basin, on our left, and the 
 prairie always showed us its vastness, on our right hand. 
 At a great distance, in the prairie, we saw several mounds, 
 some nearer, others further off, rearing their tall summits, 
 in appearance, to the sky, near the horizon. Occasionally, 
 we saw the dense smoke of some lead furnace, near these 
 mounds, slowly ascending upwards, of a leaden color, or 
 moving as slowly, horizontally, at a low elevation, along in 
 the air. 
 
 The Wisconsin snow-birds, in great numbers, rose up 
 before us, as we moved along over the prairie; and not un- 
 frequently, the prairie hen slowly ascended from the ground, 
 just high enough to be above the grass, and sailed along, a 
 short distance in the air, and alighted on the earth. 
 
 In order to relieve the reader from these small matters, 
 though so interesting to my eye at the time I saw them, yet, 
 possibly from my imperfect painting, not so to the minds 
 
344 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 of my readers, I briefly notice Dodgeville, where I now am 
 in my narrative. 
 
 I 
 
 DODGEVILLE 
 
 Is located, as nearly every other town is, in the mineral 
 country, near a grove, a dense forest, of no great extent. 
 Its latitude is forty-two degrees fifty-five minutes north; 
 twelve miles south of Helena, on the Wisconsin, and six 
 miles northeastwardly of Mineral Point, where the copper 
 mine is. It is about forty-five miles northeastwardly from 
 Galena, and thirty miles, perhaps, northwardly from Gra- 
 tiot's Grove. The number of families in Dodgeville, I did 
 not inquire — there may be twenty, or more, but the village 
 is small. The principal citizens of this place, General 
 Henry Dodge, and George Madeira, Esq. late of Cbilli- 
 cothe, Ohio, are best known to me, and in their amiable 
 and kind families, I was nursed while sick. For all their 
 kindness and attention to me, they neither did, nor would, 
 receive any remuneration. It is true, money could not have 
 paid for it; so it stands credited on a leaf of a book, called 
 the heart, and there it will remain forever. 
 
 As soon as I was able to walk, I went out to examine the 
 lead mines here, situated in the very town. There are two 
 veins of lead ore, a sulphuret, one running north and south, 
 the other east and west. 
 
 The surface of the earth is prairie, and fertile, but after 
 passing through it a few feet, a rock is found, lying in hori- 
 zontal strata, and in this rock the mineral exists in veins. 
 This rock is composed of lime, in which are embedded peb- 
 bles of cornelian, topaz, the common flint, and sand of 
 quartz. Wherever this rock is exposed to the action of 
 the atmosphere for a long time, as along the Wisconsin, 
 and in ravines, and on hills, there is so little lime in it act- 
 ing as a cement, that the pebbles and sand in it, such as I 
 have described, fall out of the rock, and the remaining ruin 
 
DODCEVILI.E. 345 
 
 is as full of holes as a honey-comb, and as rough as a chest- 
 nut bur. This rock, unequally varied in the proportions 
 which the components bear to each other, is the prevailing 
 rock of a region of country, equal to one hundred miles 
 square. From Rock river to the Wisconsin, and from the 
 Four lakes, to a considerable distance west of the Missis- 
 sippi, this is the prevailing rock; sometimes it approaches 
 to a good limestone; sometimes, nearer to a sandstone, and 
 I saw, at Galena, water limestone, beautifully variegated 
 with reddish streaks. The abundance of pebbles and sand 
 in it, with little cement of lime, causes holes in the rock, 
 and these cavities are filled, where the rock remains under 
 the earth, with a sulphuret of lead. What occasioned rents 
 in the rock, running either north and south, or east and 
 west, I pretend not to say, but cracks do exist, and these 
 cavities are filled with ore. These rents, under ground, 
 might have been produced by earthquakes; or, if we sup- 
 pose this rock formation to have been deposited from a su- 
 perincumbent ocean, when the lime, pebbles, and sand were 
 moist, and, in process of time, when the ocean subsided, the 
 rents and cracks in them would be produced by heat and 
 drying. How deep these rents descend into the rock, I do 
 not know, as the miners leave a mine, when they have de- 
 scended ten feet or more. One vein of lead is said to be 
 fifty (eet in width, twenty rods long, and has been dug out 
 forty or fifty feet in depth. It is not at Dodgeville, though. 
 All the veins I saw, any where in the country, were left by 
 the miner as soon as the water was found in them. The 
 water mineral, as they term it here, is much the richest, 
 and looks as if it was still growing rapidly. 
 
 The two veins at Dodgeville, are twenty rods long, each; 
 and although millions of pounds of ore have been taken 
 from them, yet they are unnexhausted. 
 
 Two ideas force themselves upon the mind in an instant, 
 on viewing the habitations outside and within, at this place. 
 General Dodge has surrounded his houses by a picket twen- 
 ty feet high, perhaps, and this has been done by planting 
 
 
346 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 firmly in the earth close together, long logs, with port-holes 
 for muskets, a large number of which are in the dwelling 
 house, loaded with balls and ready for use, at any moment, 
 when necessary. This picket serves also to protect the fa- 
 mily from the piercing cold of winter. 
 
 Mr. Madeira, in addition to chinking and daubing with 
 mortar, his log dwelling house, has raised a wall of turfs 
 and sods from the prairie, a foot or two in thickness, around 
 his dwelling house and wall, with room enough between the 
 house and wall to lay his firewood. The very roofs of hous- 
 es and stables are covered with turfs and sods. 
 
 The vicinity of large numbers of the wildest and most 
 barbarous savages, renders the arms and pickets necessary; 
 and the severity of the winter renders it necessary to pro- 
 tect men, and even domestic animals, by every precaution 
 in the power of the people here to use. 
 
 The same ideas force themselves upon us every where in 
 this country. 
 
 Leaving Dodgeville, in company with Mr. Gratiot, we 
 traveled over the undulating surface of the prairie country, 
 between this place and Gratiot's Grove. After traveling 
 about three miles, we ascended the highest ground between 
 the two places. From this eminence, we could distinctly 
 see the village of Gratiot's Grove, and the smoke of a lead 
 furnace there. The distance must be more than thirty 
 miles, as the road runs. As we moved along rapidly in our 
 little wagon, we could see over a country thirty miles in 
 extent. Here and there we saw lofty mounds, surrounded 
 by thick woods from their bases to their very summits. In 
 these woods, the lead furnaces are located, which sent 
 forth, each, slowly rising, of a leaden hue, a stream of dense 
 smoke. The country consisted of hill and dale, covered 
 with grasses and flowers. Passing through this region, at 
 unequal distances, we beheld different branches of the 
 Pickatolica, a large tributary of Rock river, glittering like 
 the brightest silver, running in deep basins, and stored 
 
IS 
 
 gratiot's grove, 347 
 
 with the finest fishes. We passed the main river, not many 
 miles from 
 
 gratiot's grove. 
 
 We arrived at the Grove towards night, and I was set 
 down at Mr. Gratiot's door. Here I was received into this 
 interesting family as a welcome guest. 
 
 Affected . still, to a great degree, by a paralysis, the atten- 
 tions, kindness and nursing I received here, changed my 
 disease into an intermittent fever. 
 
 About twenty families reside in this secluded Grove. 
 Among the interesting, innocent and virtuous people here, 
 the lady of Mr. Henry Gratiot, was born and educated in 
 New London, Connecticut; Mr. Gratiot's brother's lady, 
 was born and educated in Paris; and a daughter of John 
 Bradbury, the botanist, was born and educated in London; 
 and they all lived within a few rods of each other. They 
 are fair and proud samples of the best educated portion of 
 the virtuous females in the cities where they were born. 
 Unable to move my right arm, and scarcely able to walk; 
 a stranger, far, far from home, and the objects most dear to 
 my heart, I felt as if nature must sink, and soul and body 
 dissolve like water, when I was assisted to enter Mr. Gra- 
 tiot's house. I was instantly surrounded, welcomed, and 
 received, by the persons I have named, and their innocent, 
 beautiful and interesting children. No words can do jus- 
 tice to them for their kindness to me, on this occasion. 
 
 My health improving every day, I examined the country 
 and every thing about this Grove, as I was able to do, a 
 part of each day. 
 
 There is a post-office here, and a weekly mail passes 
 through the place, to and from Galena. 
 
 Mr. Gratiot has a large lead furnace here; and there is 
 a store of dry goods, but no doggery* in the village. 
 
 *I do not call them groceries, wherein nothing but new whisky is 
 sold in small quantities, corrupting the morals of the community. A 
 new term for them seems necessary— they are doggeries. 
 
 
348 
 
 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 As soon as my strength enabled me to ride, I went to Ga- 
 lena, where I tarried a few days, visiting my friends there. 
 Gaining health and strength, I fell into the company of a 
 Mr. Gill, a merchant of St. Louis, and with him arranged 
 every thing, to travel with him in a two-horse wagon, across 
 the country, to his place of residence. This gentleman was 
 the brother of Mrs. Campbell, the lady of Major William 
 Campbell, whom I have already mentioned. Mr. Gill and 
 his sister were born and educated in Philadelphia, where 
 their respected relatives reside. 
 
 Considering the newness of the country, at Galena, and 
 about it, I found the state of society excellent. I attended 
 the Presbyterian church here on Sunday, and was highly 
 gratified with the preacher, Mr. Kent, and his people of all 
 ages and both sexes. 
 
 The professional men, the merchants, and, indeed, the 
 people generally, appeared to be moral in their habits, kind 
 to each other, and to strangers particularly so. 
 
 Major Campbell and his accomplished lady, accompanied 
 Mr. Gill and myself about fifteen miles on our way, when 
 we left them, on our journey. 
 
 Traveling about fifty miles a day, after crossing Rock 
 river, we reached Edwardsville, twenty miles north of St. 
 Louis, where we parted. 
 
 Before I proceed further in my personal narrative, I take 
 the liberty to remark briefly upon every thing I can, worthy 
 of the reader's notice, especially in the mineral country. 
 
 The climate of this region is equal to that of any part of 
 Italy, such is the purity of the air. When traveling, along 
 from Dodgeville to Gratiot's Grove, I saw, with the naked 
 eye, a wagon and team five miles from me. This purity of 
 the atmosphere may be attributed to the total absence of 
 marshy ground, and to the elevation of the country, which 
 is, in many parts of it, two thousand feet above the sea. 
 We may fairly take into consideration, also, the absence 
 of dense forests, all the way from the western shore of lake 
 Michigan, to the Rocky mountains, in the west, and to the 
 
MINERAL REGION. 349 
 
 Frozen ocean, in the north. The prevalence too, of west- 
 wardly winds, or northern ones, passing over no large bo- 
 dies of water, during all the year, except a short time in 
 the summer, and even then, the distance between this 
 region and the gulf of Mexico, from whence the winds 
 ascend the Mississippi, is so great, that even southerly 
 winds, are not loaded with moisture, may fairly come into 
 our estimate, of the causes of this singular purity of the 
 air, in the mineral country. 
 
 Its latitude too, is favorable to purity of air, as well as 
 of healthful climate. In all the country, every person I 
 saw, was a picture of health, except one person who had 
 emigrated from Missouri, and had brought the ague along 
 with her — she was an amiable daughter of General Dodge. 
 And I saw one or two persons, whose health had been in- 
 jured by working at a lead furnace, the smoke of which is 
 highly injurious to the lungs. 
 
 The streams of this region, run over pebbles of quartz, 
 topaz, cornelian, agate and opal; they are copious, glide 
 along briskly, and are cool enough for drinking in August. 
 They all originate, either in pure springs, or cool, pellucid 
 lakes. The fishes in them, are the finest fresh water ones 
 in the world. 
 
 Rock river, and its numerous tributaries, irrigate and 
 fertilize, I should suppose, about six millions of acres of 
 territory. Its main branch, rises in Four lakes, with only 
 short outlets between them. The Pickatolica branch, rises 
 entirely in springs, the head one being only a few miles 
 south of the Wisconsin river. The Four lakes, are nearly 
 east of Dodgeville, and parallel with the heads of the Pick- 
 atolica branch. These streams descend, in a southern di- 
 rection, until they are sixty miles or more in length, when 
 they turn around, towards Rock island, just below which, 
 they enter the Mississippi. There are other branches of 
 this river, (Rock river,) which originate in lakes, a degree 
 and a half of latitude, perhaps, south of Four lakes. The 
 heads of several of these branches, being in lakes, that are 
 42 
 
^^ 
 
 350 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 surrounded by high hills, they never rise very high nor sink 
 very low, during the year. Like reservoirs on our canal 
 summits, these lakes keep the water in them, until it is 
 needed in a dry time. 
 
 Rock river, when I crossed it, on the first day of Septem- 
 ber, 1829, at Ogee's ferry, ninety miles, by water, from its 
 mouth, was twenty rods wide, four feet deep, and run at 
 the rate of five or six miles an hour. The Mississippi and 
 Wisconsin, I have noticed already, and the other streams 
 are all short ones, originating in springs, and running in 
 deep ravines, with falls in them, in places, and they all run 
 with great velocity, until they descend to the level of the 
 Mississippi, which receives them into its bosom. 
 
 Within the United States, I suspect, that for pure, whole- 
 some water — for the number and durability of the springs, 
 no part of the Union is superior to the mineral country. 
 
 The fall in all the smaller streams, is so great, that sites 
 for mills and manufactories, exist every where, almost, 
 throughout the whole region of the mines. Nearly every 
 stream originates in a large spring of pure water, copious 
 enough, and with fall enough within a few feet of the spot 
 where it first appears, to carry a mill of any sort. The wa- 
 ter, so near its source, does not freeze so as to prevent its 
 being used for mills and manufactories, all the winter 
 months. 
 
 The soil, except on the highest hills, at their very sum- 
 mits, and on the sharp edges of them, near some deep ra- 
 vine, where some stream dashes rapidly along among the 
 rocks in its bed, is a deep black loam, like the intervales 
 along our large rivers. No lands can be more fertile than 
 those in the mineral country, producing potatoes, oats, In- 
 dian corn, and all the vegetables common in gardens, in the 
 same latitude, in vast abundance. 
 
 That wheat will succeed here, equal in quality and quan- 
 tity, to that of any other part of the United States, I can- 
 not doubt. 
 
MINERAL REGION. 351 
 
 There is grass enough now growing in the country, to 
 supply all the domestic animals the people may wish to 
 raise. Finer meadows, of good grass, I never saw any 
 where, than I saw along all the larger water courses. 
 
 Of fishes, of the finest flavor, the rivers, ponds, lakes and 
 rivulets are literally full. The Pickatolica river, takes its 
 name from a fish, about the size of, and equal in its flavor, 
 to the rock fish, caught in the Delaware, at Philadelphia. 
 
 The only diflference between the Philadelphia rock fish, 
 and the pickatolica of the Upper Mississippi, that I could 
 perceive, was in the former having scales, while the latter 
 has none. 
 
 The different species of cat fish, of pike, and of perch, 
 are excellent. They are abundant in quantity, too, and 
 easily taken, in all the different modes of taking them. 
 
 The salmon trout of lake Michigan, has acquired a wide 
 spread celebrity. 
 
 The surface of the country is undulating, sometimes gent- 
 ly, sometimes greatly; and in most places, is covered with 
 a succession of flowers, from early spring, to late autumn. 
 One week, nay, even one 4ay, you see, far as your delighted 
 eye can reach, flowers of a reddish hue — the blue— the 
 white — the yellow, and of every intervening shade, indeed, 
 follow in succession, day after day, and week after ^eek, 
 ever varying, ever new, and always delightful. Ascending 
 any little eminence, my eye was always rivet^ f° r many 
 minutes, on the vast, the charming, and the oeautiful pros* 
 pect before me — spread out immense, intersected by glitter- 
 ing streams, with here and there a grove of woods, and at 
 all times, several mounds, some nearer, o^ers further off; — 
 some of them, from their nearness, s^wed their dark green 
 forests, while others, from their distance, showed their pale 
 blue summits, in the very edge of the horizon, resting on 
 the earth, and touching tfc heavens above them. Gene- 
 rally, too, I saw a clou^ess sky, a flaming sun by day, 
 and brilliant heavens a night. 
 
352 
 
 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 Sometimes I traveled, during four or five hours, either 
 by day or by night, across some prairie, without seeing 
 even a bush, or a tree. Above me, were the wide spread 
 and lofty heavens, while the prairie, with its grasses and 
 flowers, extended in all directions around me, far beyond 
 the reach of my vision. 
 
 In such a situation, man feels his own littleness in the 
 immensity of space; he feels alone too, in this loneliness, 
 universal silence, and repose. 
 
 I was delighted at the sight even of a prairie wolf, and 
 the chirping of a grasshopper was music to my ear. 
 
 The trees of thir region are confined, mostly, to the 
 streams, and to rough places; and oaks, black, white and 
 red, are the forest trees; in high grounds, at least, they are 
 the principal ones, while, in wet places and low grounds, 
 the botany is richer. Along Sugar creek, a large branch 
 of the Pickatolica river, extensive groves of the sugar 
 maple exist near its mouth, and for many miles upwards. 
 On naked cliffs, I sometimes saw the red cedar tree. 
 
 Of flowering plants, among the millions of them, the 
 helianthus offers the greatest variety, in all seasons of the 
 year. 
 
 As I traveled south, after crossing Rock river, I fell in 
 with -s^ew plants daily — some disappearing, and others ap- 
 pearing, q S we moved rapidly onward. 
 
 The rozih plant has a tall, slender stalk, and grows in vast 
 abundance in tv e prairie south of, and adjoining Springfield, 
 in the Sangamon country. Its juice resembles, in appear- 
 ance and smell, tar water, from which circumstance it de- 
 rives its name. Kave already described it. 
 
 The moccason flo*o T i s a most beautiful plant, and I re- 
 commend it to the Philadelphia horticulturists, as worthy of 
 their attention. Judge Sawyer, of Edwardsville, Illinois, 
 or Colonel O'Fallon, of St. Logs, would, I doubt not, with 
 pleasure, transmit some of its seefo to them. 
 
 I recommend to my friend, Mr. Prince, of Long Island, 
 a beautiful red flower, growing on a creeping vine, six feet 
 
& ',' 
 
 MINERAL REGION. 353 
 
 in length, on the eastern hank of the Mississippi, just above 
 Rock island. Mr. Davenport, the postmaster, would cheer- 
 fully forward some of its seeds. 
 
 From a careful examination of all the works on botany, 
 for this flower, I found it correctly described in a volume 
 formerly belonging to Mr. Jefferson, now in Congress li- 
 brary. The one described in that volume, was found grow- 
 ing just on the brink of the Nile, at its falls. 
 
 The artichoke, a helianthus, grows in almost every prai- 
 rie in the west, but in Illinois I have seen ten thousand acres 
 thickly set with this plant, at one view. Four acres of 
 them will feed and fatten one hundred hogs every year. 
 
 Of wild plums there is a vast variety, though the large 
 striped ones are the best. This tree grows in moist places, 
 in bunches and groves. 
 
 There is a wild apple, of the size of a hen's egg, not 
 very sour, which, on being buried in the earth, turns a pale 
 yellow, and is by no means a bad substitute for the common 
 apple. The tree has no thorns on it, and it never grows 
 more than six or seven feet in height. Patches of hazle 
 bushes grow near the plum bushes. 
 
 The pacawn-bearing walnut, though growing as high 
 north as latitude forty-one degrees thirty minutes, I did 
 not recognize above that latitude. I saw groves of it on 
 the waters of the Illinois river, and in the vicinity of Rock 
 island. In appearance, at a distance of forty rods from 
 you, it would be taken for the common black walnut, but 
 on approaching it, its willow-shaped leaves undeceive you. 
 The tree grows to a great height, and its size is large. Its 
 habitat, as a botanist would say, is near a stream of water, 
 and in the very richest soil. It might be raised in the vi- 
 cinity of Philadelphia, and I beg leave to introduce it to 
 the attention of horticulturists of that city. 
 
 The mounds in the mineral country, are lofty piles of 
 rocks, lying in horizontal strata, except such of them as 
 have fallen down from their original position, and lie in 
 ruins, from the surface of earth, extending upwards to near 
 
 
 
^■p 
 
 354 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 the summits. Some of these mounds are three miles in cir- 
 cumference, at their hases, and three hundred feet in height. 
 They serve as land marks, and may be seen thirty miles 
 off. 
 
 These lofty elevations serve as land marks, which, being 
 perfectly well known to the people of this region, not only 
 by name, but in appearance, on a first view; and one or 
 more of them always being in sight, no one ever loses his 
 way, when traveling in the country of the lead mines. 
 
 These mounds are surrounded, except such parts of them 
 as stand in perpendicular masses of rocks, by thick groves 
 of timber trees; here, in these groves, the lead is smelted, 
 and the prairie country, near them, supplies the ore for the 
 furnaces. 
 
 The beasts of this region are few in number, having been 
 destroyed by the Indians, except the black wolf, the prai- 
 rie wolf, and the muskrat. The black wolf is confined to 
 the groves and the ravines, along the streams — the muskrat 
 lives about the rivers, but more still about the Four lakes 
 and the ponds, southeast of Rock river. 
 
 The prairie wolf, in size, color, and disposition, is half 
 way between the black wolf and the gray fox. His food 
 consists of almost every thing within his reach — grasses, 
 birds, and their eggs— pigs and poultry. He is the greatest 
 thief, on a small scale, in the world. He can live on grass- 
 hoppers, crickets, and bugs — he can steal from a hen coop, 
 or a barn yard, and when pinched with hunger, he will even 
 venture into a kitchen, and steal a crust of bread. He is 
 the Indian dog of the northwest, and the jackal of Asia. 
 He often approached within a few feet of me, at night, 
 when I lay out in the prairie, and barked at me with great 
 earnestness. He is, for his size, the most mischievous ani- 
 mal in the world. He is easily domesticated, and mixes 
 with the common dog family; and the mixed breed propa- 
 gates this new species of dog, which is easily recognized by 
 ils white eyes, pointed and erect ears. 
 
MINERAL REGION. 355 
 
 Besides this mixed breed, the Winnebagoes have a spe- 
 cies of lap dog, which they fatten, and feed upon at their 
 dog feasts. These dogs have been derived from Canada, I 
 should suppose, with which all the Indians of the Upper 
 Mississippi keep up an intercourse still, and from which 
 they receive large presents annually. 
 
 Having briefly described what appears on the surface of 
 the earth, in the mineral country, it remains for me, as 
 briefly, to describe what is found beneath the surface. 
 
 This region contains the richest lead mines in the known 
 world. When I was there, these mines had been worked 
 but about three years, by, comparatively, but a few persons, 
 who were ignorant of the business they followed; and they 
 labored under every disadvantage almost; yet, they had 
 manufactured, in that time, more than thirty millions of 
 pounds of lead. This had been carried to the Atlantic 
 cities, and had reduced the price of lead in all its forms, 
 one half ! In the mineral country, it was selling at the 
 mines for one cent a pound — at Philadelphia, for three and 
 a half cents a pound. 
 
 Though I brought away from the mines, specimens of 
 every sort of lead ore, accompanied by statements showing 
 where and how procured, the quantity made at each smelt- 
 ing establishment, and other information relating to it, and 
 all thrown, too, into a tabular form; yet, in a popular book, 
 like this, it might not be interesting to the general reader, 
 such as read what I am now writing, and I pass it by. 
 
 The lead region, in the United States, lies nearly par- 
 allel with the Atlantic ocean, from northeast, towards the 
 southwest. Or in other words, this region occupies the 
 same space that the Alleghanies do. It begins in the same 
 latitude. From the Wisconsin in the north, to Red river, 
 of Arkansaw, in the south, and in breadth, from east to west, 
 the lead region occupies about one hundred and fifty miles 
 of longitude. In some places, it lies very deep in the earth; 
 and it lies the deepest about half way between its extreme 
 ends. At its northern and southern terminations, it ascends 
 
356 
 
 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 to the very surface of the earth, and is there found, even 
 on the surface, either on the highest grounds, (except the 
 mounds,) or in ravines. On the little eminences, I could 
 have filled our little wagon often, as we passed over them, 
 with beautiful specimens of the phosphate of lead. 
 
 The Mississippi passes through this region, from latitude 
 forty-three degrees thirty minutes north, to latitude thirty- 
 eight degrees north. 
 
 On the western shore of the Mississippi, opposite Rock 
 island, and extending north, one hundred miles, from indu- 
 bitable appearances, every where, as I passed along, all that 
 country must contain exhaustless lead mines. 
 
 From the vast region where this mineral exists, extend- 
 ing through ten degrees of latitude, in width too, in places, 
 three degrees of longitude — from its richness, (it being in 
 many places, nearly pure lead,) considering, also, the ease 
 with which it is obtained, and its vast abundance, we may 
 safely conclude, that we have lead ore enough for all man- 
 kind, forever, within our own territory. 
 
 COPPER ORE, 
 
 Is found in the mineral region, and one hundred and 
 seventy tons of it, (a sulphuret,) had been dug at Mineral 
 Point, before I left the country. Its richness had not been 
 sufficiently tested at that time. 
 
 Fossil coal exists near the head of Rock island, on the 
 western side of the hill, where I saw it, in place, and my 
 information enables me to say, without doubt, that great 
 bodies of this coal exist on a branch of Rock river, rising 
 southwest of the main river, more than one hundred miles 
 from its mouth. This coal may be reached by boats, and 
 easily floated down the river, to Rock island. 
 
 The water limestone, near Galena, indicates salt water, 
 in the earth, where it comes in contact with this rock. 
 
 This limestone, if thrown into water, becomes incrusted 
 with common salt, and I know of no salt water, in the inte- 
 
 
THE NORTHWEST. 357 
 
 rior of our country, which does not lie below this rock. It 
 depends entirely on the quantity of this rock, near Galena, 
 whether salt water, in considerable quantities, exists there. 
 By perforating the earth a few hundred feet, with an au- 
 gur, the citizens can ascertain whether common salt can 
 be made in this neighborhood. 
 
 A few general remarks on the country west o( lake 
 Michigan, and north of Missouri and Illinois, seem neces- 
 sary here. 
 
 Were all the country, south of Fox and Wisconsin rivers, 
 having for its eastern boundary, lake Michigan and the Il- 
 linois river, to its mouth, and the Mississippi, for its western 
 boundary, thrown into a territorial government, it would, 
 in a few years, become a respectable State. Nature seems 
 to have intended this country should form a State by itself; 
 but man has determined otherwise. 
 
 North of the Wisconsin and Fox rivers, another State 
 might be formed, on the east side of the Mississippi, which 
 would be about as large as Virginia. 
 
 On the west side of the Mississippi, above the State of 
 Missouri, there is territory sufficient for two States, each 
 larger than Virginia. If the upper country should be form- 
 ed into four States, they would eventually be the most pop- 
 ulous and powerful, in the whole confederacy. Nature has 
 intended that vast region for thirty millions of human be- 
 ings, at some not very remote period of time. For purity 
 of air and of water, for mineral wealth, fertility of soil, 
 healthiness of climate, and almost every other thing valu- 
 able to man, the whole country is equal to any other por- 
 tion of the earth's surface. 
 
 The future population of this vast region, dwelling, as 
 they will, on the highest table land in the United States, 
 can easily descend the water courses, either northwardly, 
 down Red river, to Hudson's bay; or southwardly, down 
 the Mississippi, to New Orleans — eastwardly, down our 
 northern lakes, to New York; or down the St. Lawrence, 
 to Quebec. Nature has opened these roads, to and from 
 43 
 
 k * 
 
 ] m 
 
358 
 
 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 
 this region, and man is now using them. During the next 
 hundred years, Ohio, as a State, will take the lead, in 
 wealth and business, and in the number of her people, com- 
 pared with any State west of the Alleghanies; but even- 
 tually, Missouri and any one of the States, yet to be form- 
 ed, on the Upper Mississippi, may surpass us in numbers, 
 Wealth and political power. Should not one of the States 
 I have referred to, eventually become the most powerful, 
 then Ohio must be at the very head of our confederacy, 
 ibrever. 
 
 Should our people never settle the country west of the 
 Rocky mountains, (though I feel assured of a row of States 
 on the Pacific, equaling our Atlantic ones, within a century 
 to come,) yet there will be, at no distant day, a tier of 
 States, north, northwest, and west, of Illinois, Missouri, and 
 Arkansaw, which will eventually become populous, wealthy 
 and powerful States. 
 
 To all human appearance, the census of 1840 will place 
 the national government in the hands of the people in the 
 valley of the Mississippi. To resist this event, would in- 
 volve the necessity of preventing the revolution of the earth 
 around the sun and upon its axis, and the^hole course of 
 nature. To mourn over it, involves the extreme folly, of 
 repining at the happy lot of a majority of the nation, and 
 of our posterity, forever. From the growth of this nation, 
 the lover of liberty has nothing to fear, because our people, 
 from their cradles, are taught to be republicans. They are 
 such, as if by instinct; and all those principles which tend 
 to make them MEN, are taught them from the first mo- 
 ment they see the light, breathe American air, and taste 
 their mother's milk. 
 
 Our people are not — they never can be — any thing but 
 republicans. Sweep away at one swoop, could it be done, 
 every constitution of government and e\ery republican in- 
 stitution among us, and we should instantly rear upon their 
 ruins, other constitutions exactly like our present ones — 
 every republican institution would immediately follow, be- 
 
VINCENNES. 359 
 
 cause they flow from republican hearts. Originating in 
 such fountains, . these republican streams will flow until 
 the end of time. 
 
 In resuming my personal narrative, I have little to say 
 about Edwardsville, where the reader left me. Its location 
 is nine miles east of Alton, on the Mississippi, and twenty 
 miles north of Si. Louis. 
 
 The people of the town were healthful when I was there, 
 and they appeared to be an agreeable, well informed and 
 moral community. It is a seat of justice, has a number of 
 stores and taverns, and a suitable number of mechanics. 
 Lands are cheap in the vicinity, and fortunes might be 
 made by farmers here. 
 
 Leaving this town after tarrying here two or three days, 
 I passed rapidly across the State, to Vincennes, in Indiana, 
 where I arrived the third day from Edwardsville. The 
 country between Edwardsville and Vincennes is mostly 
 prairie, and thinly settled. I passed through several seats 
 of justice, and the capital of the State of Illinois, but saw 
 nothing worthy of remark, on my route. The whole State,, 
 except in places where the water courses are, or the sur- 
 face is verv rough, abrupt, broken or greatly undulating, is 
 one vast prairie. Its soil, on the surface, is nearly the same 
 as the richest alluvial lands along the larger rivers, any 
 where in the Union east of the Wabash river. 
 
 VINCENNES 
 
 Stands on the east bank of the Wabash, surrounded by 
 fertile lands. It is an old town, for the western country, 
 having been settled about the same time, with St. Louis, 
 Rock island, Prairie du Chien, and Kaskaskia. Vincennes 
 contains more than fifteen hundred people, who certainly 
 appear very well to a stranger. The houses were mostly 
 new ones, and every thing I saw here made a very favor- 
 able impression. I tarried at Clark's Hotel, and take a 
 pleasure in recommending the house to other travelers. 
 

 360 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 Leaving this beautiful town, in the stage for Louisville, I 
 reached that town in two days. The first twenty miles 
 from Vincennes, was over a good road, and through a de- 
 lightful country — the remainder of the route was over as 
 undulating a surface as I ever saw. 
 
 Indiana is rapidly settling with an excellent population. 
 The face of the country is undergoing a change in its ex- 
 ternal appearance — the forest is disappearing before the 
 industrious husbandman — the state of society, considering 
 the newness of the country, is good; and in numbers, wealth, 
 and improvements of all kinds, Indiana is only ten, or at 
 most, only about twelve years behind Ohio. Next to the 
 latter, Indiana is more rapidly improving than any other 
 western State, at this moment. To any one emigrating 
 from the Atlantic States westwardly, though Ohio would 
 best suit him, in all respects, yet Indiana is decidedly next, 
 in advantages of all sorts. The soil and climate are about 
 the same in both States — the people nearly the same, and 
 their interests, feelings and views, precisely the same. 
 These States may be considered as Pennsylvania and Ma- 
 ryland, extended from the Atlantic ocean to the Wabash 
 river. They are one and the same people, and so may they 
 ever act and feel towards each other, in Congress, at home 
 and abroad. 
 
 Leaving Louisville the next day after my arrival, in a 
 steam boat, I arrived at Cincinnati the same day, and glad- 
 ly set my feet on the soil of Ohio once more. This was on 
 the 24th day of September, 1829. 
 
 Between Louisville and Cincinnati, fifty miles above the 
 former and a hundred below the latter, stands the beautiful 
 town of Madison, on the north side of the river. It con- 
 tains more than a hundred beautiful brick houses, a suitable 
 number of stores and taverns, and is a very thriving town. 
 
 Vevay, with its beautiful vineyards, is higher up the riv- 
 er, on the same side with Madison. The Indiana side of 
 the river is fast improving. 
 
MIAMI COUNTRY. 361 
 
 Forty miles below Cincinnati, and on the Kentucky 
 shore, resides Colonel Robert Piatt. His farm is one of 
 the best on the whole river — his orchard is stored with the 
 best fruit, and he and his family are the best people in the 
 country. His house is within a few rods of the river, and 
 only about six miles from Big-bone-lick, in Kentucky. At 
 that lick, large quantities of bones have been dug up, at 
 different times, belonging to the great mastodon, of Cuvier 
 — the Asiatic elephant — the megalonix, and, latterly, of 
 the common horse. No naturalist should ever pass by, 
 without calling to see this celebrated place. Colonel Piatt's 
 is the proper place of debarkation, for such as wish to 
 visit it. 
 
 On my arrival from the steamer, at Cincinnati, I met 
 numerous friends, on the landing, and in Main street, who 
 informed me of passing events, of which I had remained as 
 ignorant, as if I had been in China, ever since I left the 
 State. Anxious to see my family, I took a passage in a 
 private carriage next morning, and went as far as Lebanon, 
 the seat of justice for Warren county, Ohio, thirty miles 
 from Cincinnati. 
 
 Lebanon is situated four miles west of the little Miami, 
 and a few miles east of the Miami canal. It contains per- 
 haps a thousand inhabitants, who are a moral, industrious, 
 well informed people. Its latitude is thirty-nine degrees 
 twenty-five minutes, and is about seven degrees west from 
 Washington. 
 
 The country about it is as fertile as need be, and well 
 cultivated, and well settled by a good people, who are as 
 happy as any farmers can be, any where. The country is 
 well watered, too, and the land rather undulating. The 
 people are wealthy, and at their ease upon their own lands. 
 
 Like all the Miami country, fruit trees flourish here, and 
 great attention is bestowed on their culture. 
 
 The people bestow great attention on the education of 
 their children. 
 
 
362 
 
 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 What is generally termed the Miami country, having 
 the great Miami river for its center, is one hundred miles 
 in length, from north to south, and about eighty miles in 
 breadth, from east to west. It comprehends, within it, a 
 strip of Indiana, and the whole of it, for so large a tract of 
 land, lying in one body, is the most fertile region for its 
 size, to be found any where in the Union. Within it, are 
 located the towns of Bellefontaine, Urbana, Springfield, 
 Xenia, Dayton, Hamilton and Cincinnati, east of the Great 
 Miami river. On the west side of this river, lie Troy, 
 Greenville, and Eaton, in the State of Ohio, and several 
 towns in Indiana; and all of them are flourishing and beau- 
 tiful towns. Dayton contains more that three thousand in- 
 habitants, located at the head of the Miami canal. It is 
 rapidly rising up into importance, and will soon contain 
 ten thousand inhabitants. 
 
 Springfield is situated on a side hill, and is one of the 
 most romantic and beautiful towns in the State. The na- 
 tional road passes through it, from east to west. 
 
 Hamilton and Rossville, lying on opposite sides of the 
 great Miami, are connected by an excellent bridge. These 
 are beautiful and thriving places. They are. about twenty- 
 five miles northwest of Cincinnati. Hamilton is the seat 
 of justice, for Butler county. The town is connected with. 
 the canal, by the largest and the best canal basin in the 
 Union. 
 
 The Yellow Springs, situated nine miles north of Xenfay 
 and the same distance south of Springfield, on the great 
 mail route from Columbus to Cincinnati, are quite cele- 
 brated as a watering place in summer. The proprietor of 
 these springs, has been at great expense to furnish accom- 
 modations for his guests. It is a delightful place, at all 
 seasons of the year. 
 
 Leaving Lebanon, early in the morning, we passed 
 through Clinton and Fayette counties, and the western 
 part of Pickaway county, and arrived at Circleville, the 
 
SCIOTO VALLEY. 363 
 
 third day from Cincinnati, about mid-day — the distance is 
 one hundred miles, over a beautiful country. 
 
 Wilmington is the seat of justice for Clinton county, and 
 contains more than six hundred inhabitants. It was laid 
 out in 1810. It is a thriving town, and settled by excellent 
 people. 
 
 Washington is the seat of justice for Fayette county, and 
 is nearly of the size of Wilmington. 
 
 Circleville is the seat of justice for Pickaway county, 
 ^nd contains, at this time, about fourteen hundred people. 
 The Ohio grand canal passes through the western edge of 
 the town, to its lower end, when turning west, it crosses 
 the Scioto river, on an aqueduct about thirty rods in length. 
 This canal is navigated by boats, constantly, from lake 
 Erie to Portsmouth, on the Ohio river, a distance of about 
 two hundred miles. 
 
 The town is rapidly growing up, and will soon contain 
 five thousand inhabitants. 
 
 Circleville will soon be, to our canal, what Rochester is 
 to the New York canal. 
 
 The Scioto country, from Chillicothe to Delaware, inclu- 
 sive, a distance of seventy miles from south to north, is 
 equal, in fertility, to any portion of the earth's surface. In 
 summer, when covered with grass and grain, of all sorts, 
 which this delightful climate produces, the Scioto country 
 is, in appearance, a perfect paradise. 
 
 After tarrying at home a few days, I left it, in the stage, 
 and arrived at Zanesville the same evening; the distance is 
 fifty-eight miles. To arrive here, I passed through Lan- 
 caster and Somerset, seats of justice for Fairfield and Perry 
 counties. 
 
 Leaving Zanesville, in the stage, at two o'clock in the 
 morning, I was rapidly carried forward to Wheeling, on 
 the Virginia side of the Ohio river — distance seventy-four 
 miles. 
 
364 TOUR TO WASHINGTQN CITY. 
 
 The road had been recently completed by the United 
 States, and was, and still is, one of the finest roads in the 
 Union. 
 
 Landing at Wheeling, and stopping at the stage house, 
 I fell into the company of several excellent persons, Dr. 
 Caldwell, and others, whom I was happy to meet here. 
 Wheeling contains eight thousand inhabitants, who are 
 exactly like the people of Ohio. 
 
 Leaving this town in the night, in the stage, I arrived at 
 Washington, (Pennsylvania,) in the morning, where we 
 .took breakfast. 
 
 Here the eastern prices, at taverns, begin to be charged. 
 Those who travel eastward, from the State of Ohio, go 
 away from the stage house here, in a pet; not so, with 
 those who come on from Washington city. 
 
 Leaving Washington, we rapidly passed onward to Cum- 
 berland, in Maryland. Here I tarried a few hours, at the 
 stage house owned by Mr. Shrives, who was the superin- 
 tendant of the Cumberland road. He does not keep the 
 house, but he lives in a part of it, with his aged lady, and 
 interesting son, a fine, agreeable and good hearted young 
 man. While at their house, I am always happy. I was in- 
 troduced to many worthy citizens of this delightful town, 
 and parted with them, as I always do, with regret, because 
 I can tarry no longer with them. 
 
 Moving onward, we stopped a few hours at Hagerstown, 
 at the stage house, where we were treated as kindly as 
 heart could even, desire. 
 
 Moving forward again, we stopped at Talbot's, in Fre- 
 dericktown, forty odd miles west of Baltimore. 
 
 This place is equi-distant from Washington city and Bal- 
 timore. The stage to Washington will not leave this place 
 for many hours, yet to come; I take a room, in this well 
 conducted inn, which is furnished in the best manner. 
 With an excellent pen, made ready for me by the bar- 
 keeper, and on fine paper, without even a tinge of any 
 
ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS. 265 
 
 color, but a pure white, I will endeavour to lay before my 
 readers, my views of the Alleghany mountains; — aye, and 
 while 1 think of it, the Rocky mountains too. 
 
 During twenty years of my life, I have been acquainted 
 with the Allegnanies, and have crossed them — have trav- 
 eled among them and upon them, from their northern end, 
 in western New York, to North Carolina, inclusive. I 
 have seen them, mostly in summer, but have crossed them 
 in -all seasons of the year, in all the modes of traveling used 
 by any one who has ever crossed them. 
 
 The view that I present of them, will be, from choice, 
 one that is merely popular, not scientific — so I proceed to 
 my task. 
 
 THE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS, lie from the 
 northeast, to the southwest, parallel with the shore of the 
 Atlantic ocean, like almost every other geological boun- 
 dary, on this part of North America. They rise in the 
 southern part of western New York,* and extend quite 
 across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, 
 Tennessee, and into South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. 
 They present some of the grandest and most sublime fea- 
 tures of this globe. This chain of mountains has been 
 raised to its present elevated position, by a force of vast 
 and almost inconceivable power, operating upon, and be- 
 neath them; which force has ceased to exert itself, in this 
 part of our earth. These mountains consist of thousands 
 of hills, (if the reader will pardon that poor term, thus ap- 
 plied to loftly eminences, some of them four thousand feet 
 high, and whose diameter, at their base, '^frequently twenty 
 miles, or more.) They are composed of rocks, which, when 
 created, lay in horizontal strata, but, by the operation of a 
 
 *Eastward of the Susquehanna basin, I do not consider those 
 mountains as the Alleghanies. The valleys of the Susquehanna 
 and Delaware rivers, separate the western and eastern mountains 
 so widely, that I call them different and distinct chains, though 
 formed in the same period of time, and produced by similar causes. 
 44 
 
366 
 
 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CFPY". 
 
 ! 
 
 force beneath them, have been elevated and thrown abouf f 
 in the same utter confusion in which they now lie. Some- 
 of these elevations present us with rocks, lying in one posi- 
 tion, and some in another; and I never saw but one hill, 
 now lying in the exact position where it was originally 
 formed. That unmoved hill lies near the turnpike, on the 
 way from Baltimore to Cumberland, about one hundred 
 miles west of the former place. 
 
 Had Milton resided near these mountains, or even seen 
 them, some shrewd, wise and learned critic would, long 
 since, have accused that great poet of borrowing his des- 
 cription, in part, of the battle between the angels, from the 
 aspect which the whole chain of the Alleghanies offers to* 
 the spectator. The world would have agreed in opinion 
 with the critic, and would have torn a sprig of laurel 
 from the poet's brow. 
 
 These mountains, consisting of the fragments of a former 
 world, answer a thousand useful purposes to man. This 
 lofty ridge, or rather, succession of ridges, about one hun- 
 dred and fifty miles in width, from east to west — in some 
 places wider, and in others narrower, is elevated so high, 
 and their base is so broad, that they arrest the further pro- 
 gress, westward, of those chilling, blighting, furious, and 
 sometimes tremendous eastwardly storms, which, after 
 having crowed the wide Atlantic, spread destruction 
 among our shipping, on the sea coast, and produce dis- 
 asters on the land. These mountains receive upon their 
 brow, without injury to themselves, "the pitiless fury of 
 these pelting storms." It often happens, that while the 
 Atlantic border is assailed by all the horrors which an 
 eastwardly storm can, produce, the whole valley of the Mis- 
 sissippi smiles in peace, without feeling even one gentle 
 puff of air from the east. There, then, let the Alleghanies- 
 stand, to defend us from the rude eastern blast. 
 
 In the same manner, the Alleghanies put their veto upon 
 the further progress, in that direction, of our southwestern 
 storms, coming from the Mexican gulf. 
 

 AlttfeGHANY MOUNTAINS. 367 
 
 The great cavities in the earth, necessarily existing 
 among such vast fragments, thrown out of their original 
 position, are so many reservoirs, into which the waters, in 
 every form of rain, snow, sleet and hail, descend. There 
 they are preserved for future use, and poured out, east- 
 wardly and westwardly, as they should be, to water the 
 Atlantic States, and to irrigate and fertilize the western 
 ones. The mean height of these mountains as a whole, I 
 should suppose to be about three thousand feet above the 
 surface of the ocean. I am satisfied that I have been on 
 one. elevation, in a beautiful moonlight night, which was 
 four thousand feet in height. Every object in the whole 
 heavens, assumed an aspect of brilliancy and splendor, that 
 I shall not attempt to describe. The purity of the air, its 
 rarity, and the clearness with which every object in view, 
 is painted on the retina of the eye, cannot be so described 
 to any one, who never was placed so high above the com- 
 mon surface of the earth, that he would perfectly compre- 
 hend or believe me. The moon and every star, appeared 
 to throw out flames of yellow fire, in waves, that exceeded 
 any thing of the kind I ever saw before or since. To be- 
 hold such a sight, it is well worth all the labor of attaining 
 to such an elevated height. 
 
 These mountains collect the water that descends from 
 the clouds, furnish reservoirs in which it is kept, and from 
 which it is poured out, east and west, as it is needed, to 
 irrigate, fertilize, and adorn the earth with trees and 
 plants, and to give drink and to afford food for man, bird, 
 beast, fish, and every animated being whose home is either 
 in the water, on the land, or in the air, near the streams as 
 they descend towards the sea. 
 
 These mountains are sufficiently elevated, to contain 
 fountains and heads of rivers, with descent enough in them, 
 not only to carry off the waters to the sea, but to afford 
 thousands of scites for mills, and every sort of, machinery 
 used in manufactures. And these streams are as durable 
 as the world itself. 
 
363 
 
 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 These eminences, called the Alleghanies, thrown about 
 in such utter confusion, with every possible inclination 
 towards the horizon, some descending towards the east, 
 others towards the west, are so disposed of, as a whole, 
 that the streams flowing from them, interlock each other. 
 The head waters of the Alleghany river, for instance, rise 
 in Pennsylvania, not a very great distance from the center 
 of that State, and running into New York, quite around the 
 north end of the Alleghany mountains, turn in a south- 
 western direction, disliking New York, they pass through 
 Pennsylvania, and visiting Pittsburg, descend into the Mexi- 
 can gulf, at the mouth of the Mississippi. 
 
 The great western branch of the Susquehanna rises fifty 
 miles, perhaps, west of the head waters of the Alleghany, 
 and running nearly parallel with the latter, finally enters 
 the Chesapeake, near Baltimore. Another branch of the 
 Alleghany interlocks, and runs parallel with the Juniata 
 branch of the Susquehanna. The head waters of the Mo- 
 nongahela interlock, in the same manner, with the waters 
 of the Potomac; and so of all other rivers, arising in these 
 mountains, and descending from them, either east or west, 
 into the sea. Their heads are near each other, they run 
 side by side, for a considerable distance, offering to man, 
 scites, where their constant force can be used by him, and 
 applied to a thousand useful purposes, until the end of time. 
 
 These mountains are shaded by groves of timber trees, 
 equal in size, grandeur and usefulness, to any in the world. 
 The pine, the oak, and indeed, almost every species of ship 
 timber, except the live oak, here grow for the use of pos- 
 terity, long after all our other forest trees in our whole 
 country, are swept away and destroyed. 
 
 These forests now shade, nourish, and sustain — but not 
 always conceal from our view — great numbers of deer, 
 bears, wolves, and other wild animals. As I walked over 
 the very summit of Laurel hill, in October 1829, in a 
 bright moon-light night, to enjoy the resplendent scene 
 which the heavens then showed me, a large deer, with lofty 
 
ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS. 269 
 
 and wide branching horns, stood in the road before me, 
 until I came close upon him; when, stamping with his foot, 
 he showed me as little ceremony, and no more respect, than 
 an independent western farmer, would the courtiers and 
 courtezans who assemble in Washington every winter! 
 Snorting and stamping at me, he took his latitude and 
 departure, and in a few moments more, was off, out of my 
 sight and hearing! 
 
 The Alleghanies contain inexhaustible stores of iron ore, 
 of the best quality, and wood and coal enough to manufac- 
 ture this ore. On the eastern side of these mountains, we 
 sometimes find the anthracite interspersed, indeed, with the 
 bituminous coal, while on the wertern side, the latter pre- 
 dominates. Of both species, there is enough, and more 
 than enough, to supply this nation with fuel, as long as 
 the sun shines upon the globe. Here, then, in these moun- 
 tains, are sources of natural wealth, of national prosperity, 
 private and individual happiness, that will endure forever. 
 The Alleghanies contain, not only reservoirs of water, for 
 the use of a great number of people, but they are a vast 
 store house, containing within it, all the elements, for the 
 same people, of industry, in every modification of it, of 
 wealth in all its shapes, of health, happiness and prosper- 
 ity, in all their forms and modes of existence, either corpo- 
 real, mental, or mixed. Who, then, can sufficiently admire 
 and adore the great Author of them, who has thus created 
 them, stored them with wealth, and cast our happy lots 
 near them? 
 
 Should the despots of Europe, combined in arms, trans- 
 port all their armies across the Atlantic, to put down free 
 government in this country, these mountains are the CITA- 
 DEL, where liberty would take refuge, and rushing thence, 
 drive the invaders into the sea. 
 
 The Alleghanies stand as proud and lofty monuments of 
 creative wisdom, goodness and power; they are stamped, 
 too, with characters so legible, that no human being can 
 fail to read and understand them — and there they will stand 
 
370 
 
 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY 
 
 forever. They offer the grandest, the most simple, and 
 sublime objects in the world, for the investigation of the 
 geologist, mineralogist, botanist, and natural historian. — 
 Inhaling the purest mountain air, drinking the coolest, 
 purest water, viewing, too, the greatest variety of scenery, 
 from the mildest, the most peaceful and still, to the wildest, 
 most rugged, abrupt, lofty or depressed, awful and sublime, 
 among these mountains, the lover of nature would here, 
 during the summer months, acquire health, knowledge and 
 happiness. To the scholar^ the man of business of any sort, 
 whether an industrious one, or an idler, these mountains 
 hold out inducements to visit them, in summer, and ramble 
 about among them, and use the gun, the fish-hook, the 
 telescope, the thermometer, the compass and the barometer. 
 Here, the corporeal powers and mental faculties, worn 
 down by severe toil, might be improved and renovated. If 
 the tourist be an invalid, or feels anxious to enjoy the plea- 
 sures of good living, of polished society, consisting of both 
 sexes, of all ages, the old and the young, the grave and the 
 gay, intelligent, polite, civil, friendly, kind, learned, manly, 
 pious,, active, vigorous, liberal, free from prejudices, except 
 such as a republican cherishes in his heart, and exhibits in 
 all his intercourse with the world, Cumberland, on the na- 
 tional turnpike, or rather where it begins, Hagerstown, 
 and Fredericktown, in Maryland, all of them, or any one 
 of them, may be his home during the summer months. He 
 will here find all he wants, and from these places, he may 
 see nature either in her wildest or most cultivated forms. 
 Beauty and sublimity in nature — all that art can do, in 
 agriculture, to improve the soil, the breed of domestic ani- 
 mals, and the growth of plants; all she can do to prepare 
 the mind of men and women, for the business of human life, 
 as correct, appropriate, and necessary, for moral agents to 
 pursue, the tourist will find in, near, and about these towns. 
 The morals and habits of the people, are as pure as their 
 own mountain air and streams of cool water, and while 
 the former will refresh his soul, the latter will renovate his 
 
ROCKY MOUNTAINS, 371 
 
 "body. To these places, and the country around them, to 
 these people, and their habits, morals, customs, modes of 
 thinking and acting, I commend all my readers. 
 
 On the western side of this continent, and from three to 
 six hundred miles from the eastern shore of the Pacific, and 
 parallel with the Alleghanies, rise into view, 
 
 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 
 
 Though, as yet, but imperfectly known to us, but we do 
 know, that they extend from latitude fifty degrees north T 
 to latitude thirty degrees north — that in width, from east 
 to west, they occupy about one hundred and fifty miles of 
 longitude — contain many valleys, one of which passes quite 
 through them — send out many streams of pure water, which 
 on the west side of the mountains, and at unequal distances 
 from their sources, like our Atlantic rivers, have many falls 
 and rapids in them — that the streams running westwardly 
 are shorter, more durable, and better adapted to manufac- 
 turing purposes, than those are that issue from the eastern 
 base of these mountains. And we know also, that these 
 mountains are shaded with forests, in many parts of their 
 lofty summits and low valleys, and we doubt not, though 
 we do not positively know the fact to be such, that these 
 mountains contain ores and minerals which are valuable, 
 and the necessary fuel, to aid in the manufacture of them. 
 
 These mountains, too, present a barrier which protects 
 and defends our Mississippi valley, from the storms and 
 winds which sometimes sweep, with destructive fury, across 
 the wide, the vast, but not always Pacific ocean. — They 
 collect the water that descends from the heavens, in all its 
 forms and modifications, keep it in reservoirs, and pour it 
 out as it is needed, on both sides of them, to water the 
 earth, fertilize and adorn its surface, and to afford drink and 
 food for man, and all the inferior animals, that swim in the 
 water, walk upon the earth, or fly in the air. 
 
 
TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 We also know, that somewhere on the head waters of 
 the Missouri, there has been, and now is a volcano, in ac- 
 tive and actual operation, because, every considerable rise 
 of that river, brings down, floating on its surface, pumice 
 stone, newly produced, in one of Nature's laboratories. 
 
 Such mountains, located as the Alleghanies and the 
 Rocky mountains are, in the interior of a continent, pro- 
 duce a coolness in the atmosphere, and send off currents 
 of cool air, into the adjacent regions. 
 
 As the Rocky mountains are longer, so they are higher, 
 by a great deal, than the Alleghanies, presenting their 
 snowy-white summits to the spectator's view, at a great 
 distance from their bases, near to which, on each side, the 
 wide spread prairies are covered with grasses and flowering 
 plants. Here the bisons and wild horses, in herds, and 
 flocks, and droves, roam, and feed, grow, and fatten, all 
 the year round. 
 
 But few men are seen here, because, who can dwell in a 
 prairie, without a single shade tree to protect him from the 
 intense heat of the burning sun, in summer, or, from the 
 intense cold and piercing winds, in the winter? Why are 
 there no trees here, in a soil so rich, so fertile, consisting 
 of black vegetable earth, to a great depth? If we suppose 
 that the prairie country is diluvial — that grasses took pos- 
 session of it, and completely covered it, before the seeds 
 which produce trees, fell on its surface, it is easy to con- 
 ceive, that if any seeds of large forest trees should after- 
 wards be scattered about upon the earth, the grasses and 
 plants already in full and complete possession of the sur- 
 face, would eifectually prevent the taking root of any tree, 
 except in rough places, where the earth was accessible to 
 the seeds — or along water courses, large enough to over- 
 flow their banks and cover with earth, any seeds there 
 scattered, either by the fowls of the air, beasts of the 
 forest and the field, or floated along, either by the 
 winds, or on the surface, or in the current of the river, 
 the brook or the rivulet. 
 
ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 373 
 
 From the Wabash river to the Pacific ocean, in the 
 west, and to the Frozen ocean in the northwest, that vast 
 region presents an argument in favor of such an opinion, 
 as to the original formation of these natural meadows, and 
 their continuance to be praries — an argument so conclu- 
 sive with me, that I cannot get over it. East of the Wa- 
 bash, the country between that river and the Alleghanies, 
 is generally rolling, intersected every where, almost, with 
 runs, rivulets and rivers, and in any and every considera- 
 ble spot of earth, as to size, where these waters do not often 
 occur, and the surface is a dead level, there is a prairie, in 
 nearly every instance. West of the Wabash, where the 
 surface, under this idea of the origin of a prairie country, 
 would indicate a timbered country, fires, annually, in some 
 dry season, during cold weather, burn the dry grasses, 
 plants and shrubs. 
 
 The Rocky mountains, not only defend us from the 
 storms which cross the Pacific, but they occupy a military 
 position, and are a CITADEL, in which liberty may one 
 day take up her residence, for a season, should all Asia 
 assail our favored country, dressed in the habiliments of 
 warfare. 
 
 These mountains are precisely, so far as we can judge* 
 from our present limited knowledge of them, to the future 
 Pacific States, what the Alleghanies now are, and forever 
 will be, to our Atlantic states. We doubt not, that the 
 greater comparative length and height of the Rocky moun- 
 tains, over the Alleghanies, answer the wisest and: most 
 benevolent purposes towards his creatures, which the great 
 Author of them had in his mind when He created them. 
 Many of these lofty piles rise above the ocean, ten thou- 
 sand feet, and present to view, imposing, grand and sub- 
 lime objects for the contemplation of man, and exhibit a 
 proof of the tremendous and awful power employed by 
 their Author, to raise them to the elevated position where 
 they stand. The more we become acquainted with them, 
 and the better, the more we shall, doubtless, find in and 
 45 
 
374 
 
 TOUR TO WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 I 
 
 
 about them, to make the wisdom and benevolence of the 
 Creator more and more apparent to us. 
 
 Placed as the Alleghanies and the Rocky mountains are, 
 on each side of this continent, leaving such a wide valley — 
 the widest one in the world — between them, they govern 
 the winds, and affect, in a great degree, the climate of the 
 whole vast space between these mountains. North of this 
 valley, lie the Frozen ocean, Baffin's bay, Hudson's bay, 
 and those large bodies of fresh water, called the northern 
 lakes. South of this valley, lie the Mexican gulf and the 
 West Indian seas. Descending from the north, currents of 
 cold air sweep over this valley, in autumn, winter and 
 spring, while the trade winds of the West Indies ascend 
 the Mississippi and all its branches, in summer. — Hence, 
 the extreme cold of winter, and the warm weather of sum- 
 mer, in the valley of the Mississippi. The same spot ex- 
 periences the cold of Nova Zembla in winter, and the heat 
 of Algiers in summer. 
 
 The stage, which is to carry me to Washington, is at the 
 door; so I throw down my pen, call for my bill, pay it, and 
 am off, to the place where I am bound. 
 
 After crossing the Monocasy, we traveled over a poor, 
 miserable country, until we came to Rockville, twelve 
 miles from Washington, where we took supper. Taking 
 my seat again in the stage, I reached the city, at two 
 o'clock in the morning. Stopping at Brown's, the head 
 quarters of the general post-office, in Washington, I left 
 the tavern, as soon as the day dawned, for the white house. 
 General Jackson was in his room, at that early hour, doing 
 business, and he received me, as he always would have 
 done at the Hermitage, with smiles and with kindness. 
 Tarrying with him and his amiable family, to breakfast, I 
 spent my time very laboriously, during two weeks, in ex- 
 plaining every thing connected with the treaties we had 
 negotiated. These explanations, made to the President 
 and secretary of war, being ended, I felt myself at liberty 
 to devote a few weeks to the improvement of my health, 
 
SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES. 375 
 
 now, still, greatly impaired by the fatigues, exposure and 
 sufferings of all sorts, which had fallen to my lot during the 
 four preceding months. Not knowing whether I should 
 ever have such an opportunity again to see our eastern 
 cities, I concluded, to travel eastward as far as Boston, 
 making a stop in Philadelphia; and having tarried in this 
 city five weeks, I abandoned the idea of visiting Boston, 
 and returned to Washington city, where I arrived, on the 
 twentieth day of November, 1829. I traveled this distance 
 in twenty-four hours, leaving Philadelphia at noon, one 
 day, and arriving at Washington, at the same hour next day. 
 
 I traveled in company with many members of Congress, 
 and others, who were going to spend their time and money, 
 in the coming, gay and giddy season, in this District. 
 
 On the Saturday before the session of Congress com- 
 menced, it was ascertained that a quorum of both houses, 
 was in attendance, and I saw all the preparatory steps 
 taken, to organize both of them. 
 
 The evening before the session commenced, the door- 
 keeper of the Senate waited on me, and delivered to me 
 the cards of thirteen Senators, accompanied by the request, 
 that I would attend on that body, at nine o'clock next morn- 
 ing, at their chamber, to be introduced to every Senator 
 not already known to me. This, I was assured, was the 
 wish of every Senator whose card was not sent. It was 
 their wish to hear any explanations I might feel a wish to 
 make, in relation to the treaties. At the appointed hour, 
 I attended at the Senate chamber, and was introduced by 
 Messrs. Ruggles and Burnet, Senators from Ohio, to such 
 members as I was a stranger to. I was present at the open- 
 ing of the session, and saw the Senate organized, by elect- 
 ing their officers, and by swearing in the newly elected 
 members, Messrs. Troup, of Georgia, and Grundy, of 
 Tennessee. 
 
 I had heard of this body, all my life time, as being the 
 wisest legislative assembly in the world, and I found it all 
 that I expected, and even much more. Circumstanced as 
 
 I 
 
 ■ 
 ■ 
 
376 
 
 WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 I was, alone, before the Senate, to explain to them every 
 thing relating to our treaties, I felt a kind of awe, an un- 
 easiness, and a dread, when I thought of approaching such 
 a venerable and august body, but their cards of invitation 
 cheered me, and on being presented to them, the manner 
 in which they received me, their kindness, politeness and 
 attention, swept away, instantly, from my mind, every dis- 
 agreeable emotion, and they seemed more like old friends 
 than strangers* 
 
 They treat all in the same manner, who come before 
 them. No person ever appears before the Senate, without- 
 going away from them, their warm friend. 
 
 The committee being elected, to whom our treaties were 
 to be referred, I was invited by their chairman, and, in- 
 deed, by every member of the committee, to attend their 
 meetings, twice a week, at their room — at their lodgings, 
 and every morning, at nine o'clock in the Senate chamber. 
 
 All these facilities were afforded me, in order to expedite 
 my business, as much as possible, and dismiss me as soon as 
 they could. 
 
 I availed myself, daily, of these opportunities, and on the 
 day of December, 1829, both tbese treaties were rati- 
 fied by the unanimous vote of the Senate. The President 
 approved of them, instantly. 
 
 Living for months together, amidst a great number of 
 office seekers and office holders; and reading more than 
 once, during that period, Dr. Channing's remarks on "the 
 love of power," induced me to throw together a few re- 
 marks on the same subject. The universality of this pas- 
 sion, shows it to be innate in the soul of man, and when di- 
 rected to proper objects, and pursued by correct means, 
 this passion is highly laudable. There is a power over 
 ourselves — over our passions — over our inward man, highly 
 desirable, without which, we cease to be useful to others, 
 or happy in ourselves. Let us all obtain and always exert 
 such a power as this. 
 
THE LOVE OF POWER. 377 
 
 But, the power over our fellow men, is now, and always 
 lias been, quite a predominant object of pursuit, among the 
 ambitions spirits of all nations. Pursued as this object 
 generally has been, by means the most selfish and corrupt; 
 and when obtained, abused as it has been, by the possessor, 
 makes it our duty to protect ourselves, as far as may be, 
 against it. 
 
 In countries governed by despots, the offices belong to 
 the few, who monopolize them; but in a republic, where the 
 doors of office are all thrown open, crowds rush in, at the 
 conclusion of every election, for what they consider the 
 spoils of victory. Under our system of government, all 
 can be candidates for office, and hosts of office seekers flock 
 to the city of Washington. As I mean to give no offense 
 to a single human being, so I descend to no particulars in 
 the remarks I am about to make. I do not believe, that, 
 all things being well considered, the very highest offices in 
 the nation are at all desirable. The office of chief magis- 
 trate, is certainly the most laborious, profitless and thank- 
 less in the nation. While in power, there is a glare around 
 it, which soon vanishes into thin air. While in office, the 
 President may be well compared to one of his own large 
 chandeliers, on a levee night, shining on the diamonds of 
 his guests; but no sooner is he out of office, than he resem- 
 bles the same chandelier, broken into ten thousand frag- 
 ments, and trodden under foot, in the streets. And what 
 must convince all well balanced minds, that no fame is to If 
 
 be gained by holding this office, is the striking fact, that no 
 American President, now out of office, has added even one 
 to the number of his friends, a cent to his property, or a 
 leaf of laurel to his brow. General Washington is grate- 
 fully remembered, as General Washington; Mr. Jefferson, 
 as the author of the Declaration of Independence; the 
 elder Adams, for his revolutionary services, at home and 
 abroad. Mr. Monroe, by far the most popular President 
 while in office, we ever had, and deservedly so, in my 
 opinion, is remembered as Colonel Monroe, of the revolu- 
 
 
378 
 
 WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 tion, and our minister to England! Mr. Madison, learned, 
 wise and good, is remembered as one of the authors of the 
 Federalist — as a member of the first congress, and as sec- 
 retary of state. 
 
 I say nothing of the present and last chief magistrates, 
 to avoid every thing calculated to wound the feelings of 
 any one. 
 
 This office, then, is not to be coveted. 
 
 To be a secretary is still less desirable, unless the object 
 be to get one's near relatives into office. That object is al- 
 ways attained. 
 
 To be a member of congress, if he be a man having a 
 family — any business, much property, or fond of peace of 
 mind, is bad indeed. 
 
 To be a foreign minister, takes a man from his home, 
 his country and friends, and restores him to them, very 
 often, out of business, out of health, poor and persecuted, 
 the rest of his days. 
 
 To be an officer of the army, carries him to the Indian 
 frontier, where he lives a dog's life, lays up nothing, and 
 he either lives without a wife, or he dies, leaving a family, 
 poor, pennyle>s and unprovided for. 
 
 To be an officer in the navy, carries him over the world, 
 and he dies on some foreign shore. 
 
 To govern men is not as high a sphere of action as is 
 generally imagined. Any one can do it, who can write,, 
 print, and circulate his opinions. An obscure individual, 
 dwelling in a garret, or in a cave, if you please, can send 
 forth opinions, which shall shake down thrones and even 
 empires in the dust. The mightiest revolutions, in religion, 
 politics, science and literature, (since the discovery of the 
 art of printing, the mariner's compass, and the late improve- 
 ments affecting the social intercourse of mankind,) have 
 been effected by humble individuals, and by the humble 
 means I have referred to above. Such a man, by his writ- 
 ings, may change the face of the whole world, in any one 
 of many ways: — by introducing new modes of agriculture. 
 
THE LOVE OE TOWER. 379 
 
 new modes of navigation — by introducing new tactics, or 
 new weapons of warfare into our navies and armies. Any 
 new idea, on any subject, useful to man, once laid before 
 the world, through the press, no matter how humble its au- 
 thor, or where he lives, almost instantly spreads far and 
 wide — -crosses every sea and every ocean — ascends every 
 mountain's height — dives down into the bowels of the 
 earth, and finally pervades every portion of the habitable 
 globe. Who would not covet such a power as this! The 
 art of printing has given an author these vast means of 
 doing either good or harm in the world. 
 
 There is another aspect of this subject, well worthy of 
 consideration, if we wish to Compare the power, the fame, 
 as well as the usefulness of ancient and modern authors. 
 Ancient authors made no small use in their writings, of the 
 fabulous gods of their times; but those gods, and their wor- 
 ship, have long since gone down to the tomb and perished 
 forever. Archimedes wanted nothing, as he thought, but 
 another world to stand on, to enable him, with his lever, to 
 move this! What he wanted, the modern author has, if he 
 wishes to use it — a world — an eternal world to stand on. 
 
 If the author wishes so to write, that all he writes shall 
 live forever, he must be guided by the unerring Cynosure 
 of Christianity — his aim must be to be useful to his fellow 
 men, and that being the case, no portion of what he writes 
 need be cast aside as puerile, foolish or false, in any suc- 
 ceeding age of the world. Our authors, unless they have 
 a moral aim, will not long be read. The time cannot be 
 far distant, if I can foresee correctly, when all books not 
 containing useful information, will find no readers. 
 
 Christianity proposes to us, as a model for our imita- 
 tion, its Author, whom, let us look at, a moment, instead 
 of viewing the hosts at a Presidential levee. He went 
 about doing good to mankind. He exacted no personal 
 service from his friends — no, he even washed their feet! 
 He fared as they did; traversed the country on foot; fed 
 upon the fish which he and they caught, and slept in a 
 
 
 1 
 
81 
 
 380 
 
 WASHINGTON CITY 
 
 
 fishing boat. He sought no office— no wealth— no pomp, 
 show or parade. 
 
 His example teaches us, that in order to build up a repu- 
 tation, which shall last forever, we must strive to be useful 
 to mankind. We may stare for a moment, at the exploits 
 of the warrior, or at some new turn in the zigzag course of 
 the politician ; but we are warmed, cheered and invigorated, 
 when we contemplate the character of some benefactor 
 of the human race — some Washington, some Franklin, 
 Locke, Milton, Bacon, Fenelon, Penn, Wilberforce, How- 
 ard, Newton, Boyle, Clinton, Fulton, Whitney, and other 
 useful men. Unstained with blood, vice or crime, their 
 fame will endure forever, increasing in brightness, and ex- 
 panding, until every eye in the world shall see it, and 
 every tongue in the world, sound their loud praises. 
 
 The plaudits of fame, now every where heard, all over 
 the world, bestowed upon such men, are an earnest, a pre- 
 cursor, of a brighter day, a clearer sky, and a purer atmos- 
 phere, in the moral world, in future times. We cannot 
 mistake these sure prognostics of approaching future good- 
 ness, greatness and purity, yet in reserve for the human 
 family. 
 
 The longings of good men in all ages, for greater happi- 
 ness, more peace, less war, less strife, more liberality and 
 more benevolence among mankind, are about to be realiz- 
 ed; and the admiration and applause, so generally bestowed 
 on those only, who have been useful to mankind, are the 
 signs, the infallible forerunners, of this more perfect day. 
 I am aware that it needs not the spirit of prophecy, to fore- 
 see all this; because these indications are too palpable not 
 to be foreseen by all eyes, and felt by all hearts. A sun, 
 more glorious, than yonder orb of day, is ascending to 
 his meridian height, and by his vivifying rays, warming all 
 hearts, enlightening all eyes, and dispelling all darkness, in 
 the moral world. That Sun will never go down. The men 
 I have mentioned, are the planets, that continually revolve 
 around this great and glorious luminary, dispensing light 
 
THE LOVE OF BOWER. 381 
 
 and heat on the moral world. Let the politician resemble 
 the ignis fatuus, flash and expire in an instant; let the war- 
 rior, for a time, in his excentric orbit, moving either slowly 
 or swiftly, by his glare, spread consternation and alarm 
 over half the nations, since we feel assured, that the time 
 is hastening on, and now not far distant, when all such 
 comets will leave our system, never to return to it. 
 
 We see the operation of the same benign spirit, creating 
 asylums for the deaf and dumb — for the blind — hospitals 
 for the sick, the aged, and the infirm, for those bereft of 
 their reason, and other kindred institutions. Societies for 
 propagating the gospel, and for increasing and diffusing 
 every -species of useful knowledge, all belong to these times. 
 
 The author who publishes cnly what will be forever useful 
 to mankind, will be read, eventually, all over the world; 
 and he enjoys what no other one can — inasmuch as to his 
 readers, he is always present with them. Whether he 
 wrote one year, or one thousand years before, it makes no 
 difference. His spirit hovers around us, and takes possession 
 of our souls. The pursuits of private life, are far preferable 
 in ray mind, to the holding of any office, civil or military. 
 
 If fame be the object, better be a historian, and narrate 
 the rise and fall of states, and assign the causes. There is 
 ample room in such a field, to display the greatest talents, 
 either natural or acquired. He may condemn vice, expose 
 the folly, or praise the wisdom of rulers. He may, as a 
 judge, arraign before his bar, try, condemn or acquit, not 
 only the mightiest warriors, kings and statesmen, but 
 whole nations, either near or remote, as to time or place; 
 and if his reasons for passing judgment, are good, sound 
 and correct, all mankind will honor the judge, and carry 
 his judgment into execution. Heretofore, historians, poets 
 and orators have done little indeed, for the good of the 
 great mass of the people. They have employed themselves 
 in placing on the very front of the stage, the warriors, the 
 kings, the nobles, the rich, the proud, the haughty, standing 
 46 
 
 I 
 
382 
 
 WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 ii I 
 
 on stilts or in buskins, while the common people were 
 seated, out of our sight, behind them. 
 
 Better be a poet — -and describe either the external face 
 of nature, or dive into the inmost recesses of the human 
 heart, and expose them to our view. By giving a moral 
 aim to his poetic effusions, he may by far outshine Homer, 
 Virgil, Horace, and all the poets of Greece and Rome. 
 
 Our own poets have advantages over all others in the 
 world. Within our own territory, we have the longest and 
 the largest rivers; we have the loftiest mountains and the 
 lowest vales; we have the largest lakes; the boundless prai- 
 rie and the boundless ocean; the largest bays; the savages 
 of the Rocky mountains and the most polished people in our 
 eastern cities; we have people of every shade of color, 
 from the four quarters of the globe. Among us is to be 
 found, in use, not a few languages; and certainly, every 
 opinion in religion, morals, politics, science and literature. 
 We have wild animals, not yet described; we have a 
 scenery, and vast tracts of country, which no painter ever 
 beheld, and which no pen and no tongue have described. 
 Our state of society — our very form of government, are al- 
 most unknown to the rest of the world. Our past history, 
 our present condition and our future prospects, have had 
 very little justice done to them, by any author. Here are 
 materials sufficient for the greatest geniuses in the world — 
 for the poet, the painter, the engraver, the natural histo- 
 rian and the novelist. Our common English language, too, 
 is one, which will be spoken and written forever, over one 
 half the globe. What a vista is this, for our authors and 
 our artists to look through? Away with, the pitiful business 
 of office seeking, the bane of our republic. 
 
 In addition to this vast mass of materials, always at hand, 
 and ready to be used by our authors, we have all the ideas, 
 in our possession, of former times. 
 
 Those who have gone before us, have erected, for us to 
 stand on, a broad, durable and lofty tower. Standing on 
 this lofty monument, more durable than adamant, the ma- 
 
 
THE LOVER OF POWER. 383 
 
 ierials lie near, and all around its base, with which we, 
 and all who come after us, can, if we will, raise this struc- 
 ture, finally, high as heaven; from whose summit, men, in 
 every succeeding age, as this tower is raised higher and 
 higher, can see further and further, clearer and better all 
 around them. 
 
 If we look around us, all over the world, at this time— if 
 we look into the writings of the Mackintoshes, the Cuviers, 
 the Chateaubriands, the Humbolts, the Malte Bruns, the 
 Goethes, the Channings, the Everetts, the Websters, the 
 Clintons, and a long list of modern authors, we shall not 
 only be struck with surprise, but even with astonishment, 
 at the vast strides they have made in every branch of lite- 
 rature and science, compared with their immediate prede- 
 cessors. But compared with the ancient Greeks and Ro- 
 mans, how vast the difference between them! The authors 
 of antiquity appear really puerile, as well as narrow mind- 
 ed, in their ideas, when compared with the pure, liberal, 
 noble, philanthropic, sublime, exalted and lofty conceptions 
 of our best modern authors. 
 
 If Addison, Johnson, Pope, Dryden, Swift, &c, produced 
 our present authors, what may we not expect, from the 
 authors of the next age? Onward — onward — is the impe- 
 rious order of this day. The march of mind, is the grand- 
 est, the most morally sublime object, in the world. The 
 human mind has become a great and mighty giant, whose 
 head reaches up to heaven, under whose tread the earth 
 trembles to its center, at every step he takes; before whom 
 the mountains of error are bowing, shaking, and crumbling 
 into dust. Thrones are falling, down before him, as he 
 approaches them. With his staff, he smites the scepter 
 and the miter, and they vanish from our sight. This giant 
 is irresistible in his progress, and will one day prostrate in 
 the dust, never to rise again, every obstacle to human hap- 
 piness and true glory. 
 
 Until very recently, kings and priests have quite too 
 often, in their exercise of power, been the very worst foes 
 
 
384 
 
 WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 of mankind. The priest has always represented himself as 
 the vicegerent of some cruel god — has represented man, 
 very little better than a brute, made to bear all the burdens 
 which he wished this beast to carry. Kings pretended to 
 rule by divine right, and the priests taught the people to 
 acknowledge the right, and obey the kings. .The one en- 
 slaved the soul; the other the body; and hence the perfect 
 union between church and state. This game is nearly out, 
 in which the people were always losers. The kings and 
 priests of England and France, govern their people, at pre- 
 sent, very well, because the people will not permit mis- 
 government. 
 
 The increase of knowledge, is improving government 
 every where, except, perhaps, in our own beloved country. 
 As knowledge increases in the world, offices, either in 
 church or state, will become less and less coveted, as less 
 and less honorable and lucrative. And as the people all 
 become enlightened, more and more, the ruler will have 
 less and less to do, until his occupation will be nearly gone. 
 The government of mankind, like the government of God, 
 should resemble the fence about our farm; inclose it, with 
 a high, well laid, strong wall, so as perfectly to protect all 
 things in the field, and then leave it entirely to the occu- 
 pant, whether it should become a paradise or remain a 
 waste. The best government is this mere fence — nothing 
 more. 
 
 Which is preferable, to be a stone in a wall, or a rail in 
 a fence, or be a man, the owner, the occupant of the para- 
 dise inclosed by the wall or the fence? 
 
 According to the very spirit of our constitution, our rul- 
 ers are our servants, not our masters. The people are the 
 only sovereign in this country. 
 
 Besides, unless speedily checked, office seeking may over- 
 throw our form of government. I consider it one of the 
 most dangerous enemies to our liberty. Suppose, for in- 
 stance, that all the officers of the general government, unite 
 together, get up a caucus, nominate some tool of theirs, as 
 
TKE LOVE OF POWER. 385 
 
 a candidate for President, who will perpetuate them in 
 power. Suppose that he nominates his successor, to his 
 officers, and they give in, to his dictation, and so on, from 
 age to age, still calling this a republic ! Where is the 
 difference between such a government, and the worst aris- 
 tocracy in the world, except in the mere name of it? Our 
 President exercises, in reality, more power than a king of 
 England. But I forbear to press this idea upon the reader, 
 who can make his own comments on a subject of so great 
 political and moral importance, and I leave it to the people 
 to act on. 
 
 Better be a physician, than hold any office, heal the sick, 
 comfort the afflicted, and bind up the broken hearted. In 
 his occupation, our modern, well informed, well bred and 
 well educated physician, more nearly resembles the Saviour 
 of the world, than any other man, of modern times. He 
 often, as I well know, not only gives his services, his time, 
 his attention and his heart, but pays out considerable sums 
 of money, where he well knows, he can never receive a 
 single cent in return. It is but doing the men of this pro- 
 fession, mere justice, to say all this; I have often seen it, and 
 I know it. 
 
 Our physicians who are regularly bred to their profession, 
 are our most worthy, well informed, well bred, kind, benev- 
 olent and most useful citizens. They see, feel for, and 
 relieve more distress and suffering, than any other class of 
 men. In return, they receive, as their reward, in addition U 
 
 to their self approbation, the heart-felt applause, of all the 
 good, the great and the wise men of our day. Better, then, 
 I say, be a physician, than hold any office. 
 
 Better too, be a lawyer, defend the cause of the poor, 
 the persecuted, the oppressed, the widow and the orphan. 
 This profession, in all civilized countries, has always been 
 highly honorable in the estimation of society. It has always 
 led to honors, sometimes to the very highest offices. All 
 our Presidents, except Washington, were originally law- 
 
 t 
 
 i 
 : 
 
 
 
386 
 
 WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 yers; — so of almost all the members of congress, especially 
 in the senate. • 
 
 They have, every where, generally, been the strenuous 
 advocates of liberal principles and of free government. 
 
 Men of this profession have shone, in every station, civil 
 and military. Their eloquence, energy and exertions, have 
 moved, not merely courts, juries, mixed and legislative 
 assemblies, but whole nations. They have commanded 
 armies, presided in cabinets, conducted the periodical press, 
 and every where enlightened the public mind on almost 
 every subject of great importance. Their studies and pur- 
 suits, sharpen the intellect, and prepare them for every 
 thing great, daring and noble, and liberty and free govern- 
 ment owe them much. 
 
 By their labors, they are now moving human society 
 forward, with an irresistible force, all over the world. 
 There is a voice heard throughout the whole world, 
 sounding louder and louder, calling on men to be free, vir- 
 tuous and happy. The lawyer's voice forms a portion of 
 this public voice, which is rousing mankind from the sleep 
 of ages, to be up and doing all they can, to shake off the 
 leeches that have so long been sucking their blood. The 
 warrior who desolates whole countries and lays them waste, 
 and fills the world with grief and misery, is welcome to his 
 bloody fame; but give me a fame as pure as his, who lately 
 traversed Ohio, in 1833, at whose coming, a whole people, 
 of all parties, rose up to receive him, as their guest, their 
 friend and benefactor. An enlightened, moral and patriotic 
 people know how to treat, cither a Clinton or a Webster. 
 Such hospitality, extended to such strangers, like charity, 
 blesses the giver and receiver. Such treatment, of such 
 men, makes me proud of Ohio. Better be such a lawyer 
 as Webster, who stands upon his own feet, acting upon 
 broad, liberal and national principles, and receive in return, 
 the well earned applause of all good men; than hold any 
 office, in the gift, even of our principal public servant. 
 
THE LOVE OF POWER. 387 
 
 The greatest gift of God to mankind, is great original 
 thinkers — they are the lights of the world, shining on our 
 path, and cheering us as we move forward, on our way. 
 Such a light is Daniel Webster. 
 
 But, better be an instructor of youth, than an office 
 holder. It is from the mother and the early instructor, 
 that we draw cur earliest, most durable and permanent 
 ideas; hence, the necessity of giving these future mothers 
 and instructors, a good, sound, liberal education. If we wish 
 to make mankind better, wiser and happier, we must begin 
 With the future wife, mother and matron — the future phi- 
 losopher, scholar, statesman, general, admiral, bishop, law- 
 yer, doctor, farmer, mechanic, merchant, and man, in the 
 cradle. Fame, as lasting as the world, has been acquired 
 by the mothers and early instructors of the most distinguish- 
 ed men. Who thinks of Alexander, without remembering 
 his instructor? And so of all other distinguished men; we 
 naturally inquire, who were their mothers? and what 
 methods were used to instill goodness and greatness into 
 their minds, in early life? A lofty monument perpetuates 
 the memory of the mother of Washington, a lonely widow, 
 to whose kind care and admonitions, impressed by maternal 
 affection, on the tender mind of her darling son, this coun- 
 try—no, the world — is indebted for George Washington, 
 as he was, great and good. 
 
 To this class of persons, we must look for the advance- 
 ment of knowledge in the world. Unless the seed is sown U 
 in the spring of the year, we can reap no harvest in sum- 
 mer, fill with sheaves no barn in autumn, and have no store 
 to go to, in winter. Just so it is, with the education of our 
 children — unless their minds are early imbued with good, 
 great, and useful principles, we cannot expect to reap any 
 thing valuable, where nothing is sown. This age will soon 
 pass away, and another succeed it. Let us, then, prepare 
 our instructors of every kind, for the performance of their 
 high trust. Let us raise up a race of teachers, who will 
 elevate higher and higher, the human mind; purify and ex- 
 
 i 
 
388 WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 alt it, by instilling into it, higher, nobler, and better con- 
 ceptions of God, man, and things. In this way, men may 
 finally be enabled, to trace, not only every river, every 
 brook, but every rivulet of human knowledge, to the clear 
 fountains where they first appear. It is the business of the 
 instructor to so purify and strengthen the intellectual eye, 
 that it will be able to clearly see every pebble at the bot- 
 tom of these waters. It is his business and his province to 
 purify the waters themselves, when necessary to be done. 
 
 The efforts now making to raise up better teachers, are 
 highly commendable — may success crown them. Common 
 schools, especially in our republic, deserve the most atten- 
 tion, and our higher literary institutions cannot perform a 
 better service to their country, than by preparing teachers 
 for the great mass of the people. Heretofore the business 
 of an instructor of youth, has been estimated quite too low; 
 their pay has been worse still; and the result has been 
 highly injurious to the country. When our youth are all 
 taught by men who never have been engaged in any other 
 profession, and never expect to be so engaged, much good 
 may be anticipated from their labors. The following any 
 profession, cramps the human mind, too much, for a general 
 instructor. The foundation of knowledge should always be 
 laid on a broad basis. Its superstructure may be narrowed, 
 without endangering the safety of the pile. 
 
 Better be a painter or engraver— and delineate nature, 
 as it appears, in its scenery; or he may so depict historical 
 events, as to promote virtue, and, by his art, aid the cause 
 of morals. Who^does not covet such a fame as that of West? 
 
 Better be a farmer, and follow the earliest and purest 
 occupation of man. It leads to health, competence, inde- 
 pendence and peace. 
 
 Better be a merchant; open new channels of trade, and 
 push his enterprising and daring keel, up newly discovered 
 rivers, like Lander; become acquainted with hitherto un- 
 known people, and bring home new articles, which will 
 add to our wealth, our stock of knowledge, and our means 
 
THE LOVE OF POWER. 389 
 
 of enjoyment. With his canvass, he can aid in whitening 
 every river, every lake, sea and ocean; carrying the arts 
 of civilized life, to every people under heaven. The com- 
 mercial intercourse of nations has done avast deal of good, 
 in a great variety of ways; it has promoted peace, friend- 
 ship, enterprise, industry, good morals, and good govern- 
 ment, all over the world, where it has appeared. It is one 
 of the great mass of means, a locomotive engine of great 
 power, which is now moving mankind onward in the road 
 towards perfection, in morals, literature, science, grandeur, 
 and glory. 
 
 Commerce has made Great Britain what she is, in a 
 great degree; it has extended her language, her moral, 
 literary, and political ideas, to every quarter of the globe; 
 settled her people on both continents, and upon every island 
 in the ocean; and, indeed, spread her empire so widely, 
 that the sun never ceases to shine on itl 
 
 Two thousand years ago, Great Britain, now one of the 
 most powerful nations in the world, was a mere little island, 
 lying in a cold, dreary climate — occupied by barbarous, 
 painted savages, who were engaged in petty warfare among 
 themselves. By her arts and her arms, her trade and her 
 commerce, she has become an object, grand and sublime, 
 for the contemplation of man. 
 
 Better be a minister of religion, and go about doing good 
 — setting an example of meekness, kindness, and benevo- 
 lence, before the world. I will not decide the question, so 
 much doubted by the very best men in Christendom, wheth- 
 er it ever was intended by Jesus, to have a hired priest- 
 hood, living in palaces, on large salaries, without earning 
 them in any wise whatever; but, where a minister of reli- 
 gion devotes up all his time and his talents to his people, 
 doing them service, there certainly ought to be liberality 
 enough among the same people, to place their minister 
 above perplexity and want. If there be a vast difference, 
 in the moral condition of the citizens of Ohio, and the 
 people of some other States, our clergymen must have a 
 47 
 
390 
 
 WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 credit for it. Their labors are great, constant and severe; 
 but no one will accuse any one of them, in this State, of 
 being wealthy. And, throughout the whole nation, how- 
 ever useful they may be, their salaries are no where large. 
 From the charges every where made against their Bible 
 Society, I had honestly entertained the idea, that this socie- 
 ty had accumulated millions of dollars, which might be 
 used, at no distant day, to carry into effect some wicked 
 design upon the liberties of this country. I am fully satis- 
 fied, that this society have no such funds; and we all ought 
 to know, that our ministers of religion have not the power 
 to do any great evil. 
 
 That our most talented men, every where, entertain very 
 strong prejudices against our clergy, is certainly true. This 
 may be owing to many circumstances. Some of them are 
 so poorly educated, in all respects, as to bring the whole 
 profession into disrepute. Such men misunderstand the 
 main design and whole scope of the christian system; and 
 we need not wonder at the awful havock they certainly make 
 of the scriptures. They misrepresent the whole gospel. 
 Lingering on our frontiers, they never should venture into 
 our settlements. The true, well informed, well bred minis- 
 ter, who represents our Creator, as he represents himself, 
 as our Father, and all men as his children, and that they 
 are brethren; follows a profession far preferable, in my 
 mind, to that of our office holder. Such a man sets an ex- 
 ample, if followed, that will safely carry us through this 
 world, and finally present us before that Being, around 
 whose throne, trees of life wave their ambrosial tops, and 
 from under which, rivers of life, of love, and of glory, issue. 
 
 Means are using to give this class of our citizens a better 
 education, in our country. Let us hope, that these means 
 may succeed — that none but wise and good men may ever 
 officiate at the altar, or undertake to teach, who have never 
 learned. 
 
 Any teacher of Christianity, who is well educated, knows, 
 that although man has fallen — that his orb is partially 
 
THE LOVE OF POWER. 391 
 
 eclipsed, yet it is not wholly obscured. There are faculties 
 of the soul, if appealed to by a master of eloquence, which 
 can be raised, purified and exalted: — such as our natural 
 love of justice; our sympathy with the afflicted; our admi- 
 ration of the beauties and sublimities of nature, and of 
 great and noble actions. These are all faculties of the soul 
 of man, and he is but a poor preacher, who never addresses 
 himself to them. Varying his subject of discourse, he can 
 draw from the wells of Greece and Rome, or the fountains 
 of Zion. He can lead out his flock, sometimes into flowery 
 meads, refreshed, rendered g r een and delightful by pure 
 streams, and not always among thistles, briars and thorns. 
 At all events, we have no animal, a native of this continent, 
 which makes such brambles its food. The mountain ram 
 would not thrive on them, and if compelled to eat them, I 
 suspect, that the mellifluous tones of his American voice, 
 would soon be changed into the braying of an ass. Such 
 brambles are unfit for food, and even for litter to lie down 
 on. On the whole, we are cheered with the prospect that 
 is now opened to our view, when our clergymen, every 
 where, will become more and more learned and wise; be 
 better supported, and better paid — be more and more use- 
 ful, and greatly assist, in rendering society more moral, 
 more enlightened, happier, and better. So may it be, until 
 every soul is elevated to that lofty eminence in virtue, 
 morals and religion, for which it was originally designed 
 by its Author. 
 
 In saying what I have, on this subject, nothing has been 
 further from my mind, than the wish to say ought against 
 any one man now in office. Not a few of them are my 
 friends and my patrons, for which I feel grateful. I am 
 aware, though, that their stations are neither very lucra- 
 tive, nor very desirable. The uncertain tenure by which 
 they hold their offices; the laborious duties attatched to 
 them; the envious feeling towards the holders of them, in 
 the breasts of many persons; the great responsibility belong- 
 ing to all high trusts, especially under this government; are 
 
 
392 
 
 WASHINGTON CITY. 
 
 
 considerations not to be overlooked, in estimating the value 
 of such places of power. Very few lay up wealth, who hold 
 offices, which is not the case with men who follow almost 
 any of the occupations I have been recommending. And, 
 who is there among all our highest officers, who sighs not 
 for the quiet, the ease, and the solid enjoyment, he has 
 left? How does his eye glisten, when he recollects the 
 pure pleasures of his childhood and youth? The knees on 
 which he was dandled, and the arms that encircled him 
 when a child? 
 
 It was in private life he was born, educated and brought 
 forward in the world; and he fondly looks forward to the 
 shades of private life, as a shelter — as a retreat, in his old 
 age. That all our officers, civil, military and naval, may 
 serve their country faithfully and efficiently, and be con- 
 stantly rewarded for their services by the community, is 
 the fervent wish of him who writes these lines. 
 
393 
 
 FRANKLINTON, OHIO. 
 
 The beautifully situated town of Franklinton, lies on the 
 west side of the Scioto river, one mile from, and west of, 
 the State capitol. It was, originally, a dry prairie, covered 
 with tall grasses, and wild flowering plants, excepting when 
 and where the Indians raised corn. About the year 1798, 
 Lucas Sullivant, originally from Mecklenburgh county, 
 Virginia, located a town here, and named it in honor of Dr. 
 Franklin. Mr. Sullivant came into Kentucky in 1791, and 
 being an excellent surveyor, he spent several years in sur- 
 veying the Virginia military lands, and locating land war- 
 rants. He settled in his then new town, in 1800, where 
 he resided until his death, which happened in 1823. He 
 has left behind him, three sons, who reside in the town, in- 
 herit their father's estate, his fame, and his virtues. 
 
 Franklin county was organized in 1803, and Franklinton 
 became its seat of justice, and so continued to be, until 
 about 1827, when the seat of justice was removed to 
 Columbus. 
 
 COLUMBUS, 
 
 4 
 
 The seat of government for the State of Ohio, is situated 
 on a high bank on the east side of the Scioto river, in lati- 
 tude about thirty-nine degrees fifty minutes north. In the 
 winter of 1812, the General Assembly passed an act, fixing 
 the seat of the State government here permanently, after 
 December, 1816; until which period, it was to be in Chilli- 
 cothe. The scite where the town of Columbus now is, was 
 known by the appellation of "the high bank" of the Scioto, 
 east of Franklinton, In June, 1812, it was owned by Co- 
 lonel James Johnson, John Kerr, Alexander M'Laughlin. 
 
 I 
 
394 
 
 COLUMBUS. 
 
 and Lyne Starling, Esquires, who severally owned portions 
 of the land. They joined in laying out the town, and pro- 
 ceeded to sell out a part of the lots, and their first sale was 
 on the day congress declared war against Great Britain, in 
 June 1812. At that time, the ground now occupied by the 
 town, was covered with as dense a forest, as any in the 
 State — of beach, oak, walnut, and sugar-maple. The trees 
 were of great size, and very lofty in height. 
 
 In 1813, the town began to improve, a few buildings 
 were erected, and preparations were made to erect more. 
 The State penitentiarj", the capitol, and the public offices, 
 were built, in the order here mentioned, but they were 
 scarcely completed, until, in December, 1816, the State 
 legislature commenced its first session here. In 1818, the 
 town was incorporated, and Jarvis Pike, Esq. was its first 
 mayor. Its increase, in business, population, and improve- 
 ment, has been steady, if not rapid; and, from its location, 
 and natural as well as artificial advantages, it certainly 
 will always be a place of considerable magnitude and im- 
 portance. 
 
 It now contains about four thousand people, its immedi- 
 ate vicinity being included in this estimate. Among its 
 advantages, are, its being the seat of government for the 
 State; the national road passes through it, from east to 
 west; the canal ends here, as to the northwestern counties; 
 the soil, far and wide about it, is of the best quality; and, 
 finally, its inhabitants are among the best informed, most 
 intelligent, industrious, enterprising and moral, in the wes- 
 tern States. Great attention is bestowed on the education 
 of their children, and the teachers of youth, of both sexes, , 
 are among the very best in the State. 
 
 THE ASYLUM TOR THE DEAF AND DUMB, 
 
 Is located in this town. Here, the Deaf and Dumb are 
 received, and that mental and moral cultivation is bestowed 
 on them, which raises them to the occupations of society, 
 
DEAF AND DU3IB ASYLUM. 395 
 
 and the enjoyments of social life, of which they were natu- 
 rally deprived. It is one of those benevolent institutions, 
 to which this age has given birth, and which does honor 
 to human nature. 
 
 This Asylum has been in operation nearly four years. It 
 owes its origin to the philanthropy of the State legislature. 
 The present number of pupils is thirty-five; twenty-seven 
 of whom, are supported by the bounty of the State. It is 
 an additional misfortune to many of this class of persons, 
 not only to be deaf and dumb, but poor. 
 
 The Asylum is managed by a board of Trustees, appoint- 
 ed by the Legislature. It is at present under the imme- 
 diate superintendence of a Principal, and two Assistants. 
 The expense attending a year's residence at the Asylum, 
 is seventy-five dollars. This sum covers all expenses at the 
 institution, except those for clothing. Pupils remain at 
 school four or five years, during which time they study 
 Arithmetic, Geography, History, &c, and become able to 
 do business for themselves. The system of instruction is 
 that of the Abbe L'Epee, and perfected by his celebrated 
 successor, Abbe Sicard. The eye is the avenue through 
 which the instructor communicates with the minds of his 
 pupils. Signs are substituted for sounds; and they are 
 found sufficiently copious and expressive, to teach written 
 language, or any branch of education. 
 
 There is now erecting in the vicinity of Columbus, a 
 building for the accommodation of the pupils. Its dimen- 
 sions on the ground are eighty feet by fifty. There is some 
 land belonging to the Asylum, on which it is expected the 
 male pupils will labor. 
 
 In this Institution, the unfortunate Deaf and Dumb chil- 
 dren of our State will for a time find an "asylum," and will, 
 through its means, have light shed on their darkened minds. 
 H. N. Hubbell, A. M., is the Principal. 
 
396 COLUMBUS. 
 
 THE GERMAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, 
 
 Was founded in September 1831, by tbe German Lu- 
 theran Synod of Ohio. Its object is to teach, not only 
 -the German, but the English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew 
 languages; to prepare young men for the ministry; to be- 
 come instructors of youth, and for the several learned 
 professions. 
 
 The principal building is a handsome structure of brick, 
 situated in the south part of the town. It is under the 
 government of a board of directors, consisting of eight 
 members, appointed, one half of them, every three years. 
 It has no funds, as yet, except such as have been contri- 
 buted, by its friends. 
 
 At present, the Rev. William Smith is the Principal, and 
 there are two professors. It has had about twenty students, 
 and their number will, doubtless, rapidly increase. Having 
 been present, frequently, when the students were examined, 
 I can say, that they have made great progress in their sev- 
 eral studies; and that the principal is a learned, industrious, 
 pious, and worthy man. 
 
 The library is but small at present, but is constantly in- 
 creasing, and it consists of useful and well chosen books. 
 
 The directors are about to apply to the General Assem- 
 bly for a charter, and it is to be hoped, that the Legislature 
 will bestow funds on it, likewise. 
 
 Considering the tide of emigration from Germany, into 
 this State, of late years, this institution is greatly needed, 
 and, if conducted as it has been, thus far, and is properly 
 fostered by the legislature and the public, it must be of 
 vast utility to the State. Its protestant character, it is 
 hoped, will not be overlooked by our citizens or by Ger- 
 mans who imigrate into this country. It forms a nucleus, 
 around which, protestant Germans will naturally settle 
 down. But, by its constitution, this institution is equally 
 open to all denominations of christians. This school opens 
 to our citizens, the rich stores of German literature. Ger- 
 
COMMON SCHOOLS. 397 
 
 many is the country, from whence originated, clocks, 
 watches, the art of printing, the reformation of Luther, 
 and all the civil and religious liberty in the world. The 
 Germans have excelled in every branch of science and 
 literature. They and the French, have always treated us, 
 in all their writings, not merely with justice, but with a 
 noble and generous liberality. Their kindness to myself, 
 on all occasions, will never be forgotten, until the heart 
 that now feels it all, and the trembling hand, that traces 
 these lines, shall lie cold and lifeless, in the grave. 
 
 COMMON SCHOOLS. 
 
 There are about fifteen common schools in Columbus, 
 all of which are well conducted; and receive liberal encou- 
 ragement*, besides a high school, for young ladies, in which 
 they may acquire the various branches of a polite and re- 
 fined education. 
 
 48 
 

 398 
 
 APPENDIX A. 
 
 GENERAL DUNCAN MACARTHUR. 
 
 
 General Duncan Mc Arthur, late Governor of the State 
 of Ohio, was born on the fourteenth of January, 1772, in 
 the county of Dutchess, and State of New York. He was 
 of Scottish parentage, and his mother's maiden name was 
 Campbell; several of her cousins were actively engaged in 
 the war of the Revolution, and some of their descendents, 
 in the late war with Great Britain. The General's father 
 removed from the State of New York, in 1779, to Northum- 
 berland county Pennsylvania, and there settled on the 
 frontier, where his family and neighbors were harrassed 
 by Indian depredations, and "forted" during the summer 
 months, until the year 1784, when he again journied fur- 
 ther west, and settled in Washington county, Pennsylvania, 
 first on a creek called Ten mile, and afterwards on Wheel- 
 ing. In the spring of 1793, he descended the Ohio river, 
 and settled in Flemming county, Kentucky, spending the 
 most of the summer months, until the treaty of Greenville, 
 in 1795, in forts and block-houses. Thus was General 
 McArthur, in early life, deprived of the means of acquir- 
 ing a liberal education. He possessed strength and activity 
 of both body and mind, and was reputed, when a mere lad, 
 an active woodsman, an excellent marksman, and a bold 
 and daring Indian hunter. In 1790, he volunteered his 
 services to his country, and served as a private on General 
 Harmer's campaign, in the Pennsylvania line, in a bat- 
 talion commanded by Major James Paul, of Uniontown. 
 General Harmer's army rendezvoused and organized on 
 
APPENDIX. 399 
 
 the south bank of the Ohio river, below the mouth of Lick- 
 ing, opposite Cincinnati; crossed the Ohio at that place, 
 and marched on the old Indian war path, by the Chilli- 
 cothe on the Little Miami, Piqua, on the Great Miami, 
 Loramie's, and St. Mary's, and burned and destroyed five 
 Indian towns, near the confluence of the St. Mary's and 
 St. Joseph's rivers, and returned to Cincinnati with the loss 
 of about one hundred and eighty men. It is believed that 
 the Indians were not apprized that General Harmer's army 
 was in their country, until it arrived at Loramie's, where, 
 in the morning, three Indians were discovered viewing his 
 encampment. They were pursued by some mounted men, 
 one of them taken prisoner, and the other two made their 
 escape and alarmed the towns. The next morning, at the 
 crossing of the St. Mary's, Colonel John Hardin, of the 
 Kentucky volunteers, and Major Paul, of the Pennsylvania 
 volunteers, by permission of the General, beat up for men 
 to volunteer and go forward, in advance of the main army, 
 to the Indian towns, which were estimated to be about forty 
 miles from the crossing of St. Mary's. About six hundred 
 tendered their services, of whom McArthur was one. This 
 detachment arrived at the Indian towns on the evening of 
 the second day, and found that the Indians had fled on that 
 day, having set fire to some of their houses, or wigwams. 
 A few warriors remained, however, and a few shots were 
 exchanged. Colonel Hardin and Major Paul, with their 
 detachment, remained in possession of the Indian towns, 
 for four days, before the arrival of General Harmer, with 
 the main army. He afterwards remained a week, during 
 which time, the Indian warriors were collecting from all 
 quarters, and frequent skirmishing ensued; almost every 
 detachment sent out from the main army, were waylayed 
 and defeated. A detachment under the command of Colo- 
 nel Hardin fell into an ambuscade, and many of his men 
 were killed by the Indians. After General Harmer had 
 returned on his way to Cincinnati, he encamped the first 
 night, about eight miles from the Indian towns. It was 
 
400 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 understood that the Indians had taken possession of their 
 towns immediately after our army had left them* Colonel 
 Hardin again beat up for volunteers, to go back and attack 
 them, and a considerable number of men again turned out, 
 and returned in the night, and attacked the Indians, by the 
 break of day, in their encampments. Colonel Hardin 
 crossed the St. Marys, with his command, and attacked the 
 Indian camp, in the forks between that river and the St. 
 Joseph's. McArthur was under a Captain William Craw- 
 ford, of the Pennsylvania volunteers, from Muddy creek, 
 who crossed the Maumee river, below the junction of the 
 St. Mary's and St. Joseph's, and attacked the Indians, who 
 were encamped on the east bank of the St. Joseph's; de- 
 feated them, and pursued them for miles up that river, 
 whilst Colonel Hardin and his command were cut up and 
 defeated, with great loss. It was the success of the party 
 with whom young McArthur fought on that day, which 
 gained him the first reputation of a soldier. Upon return- 
 ing to his father's, on the head of Wheeling, he was the 
 next spring elected an ensign of a militia company, at the 
 age of nineteen years— immediately after which, he obtained 
 a place in a company of rangers, who were stationed on 
 the Ohio river, below Wheeling, to guard the frontier in- 
 habitants from Indian depredations. 
 
 On the third day of May, 1791, he, with fourteen others, 
 under the command of Captain William Enoch, now a cit- 
 izen of Clark county, Ohio, whilst scouting on the north- 
 west side of the Ohio, about twenty miles below Wheeling, 
 fell in with the trail of a few Indians, which they followed, 
 with a view to give them battle, and were led into ambus- 
 cade, fired on by a party of thirty-three Indians, from a 
 high, steep bank; six of their party were killed, and one 
 wounded and taken prisoner — the other eight escaping, by 
 out-running the Indians. He was afterwards in Baker's 
 station, on the Ohio, below Wheeling, when it was attack- 
 ed by the Indians about the latter end of the same month. 
 In 1793, he removed with his father to Kentucky; and in 
 
APPENDIX. 401 
 
 October, accompanied General Nathaniel Massie, as a 
 chainman, on his first surveying tour, up the Scioto river, 
 and Paint creek. General Massie's surveying party were 
 driven out of the country by the Indians, and returned to 
 Manchester, where they remained about ten days, until 
 the Indians resumed their hunting, when General JMassie 
 and his party returned to Paint creek; and resumed their 
 surveying business, as may be seen by the records of the 
 Virginia military surveys. 
 
 In the spring of the year 1794, McArthur, by the in- 
 fluence of Genera] Massie, Captain Peter Lee, and those 
 who became acquainted with him on his surveying tours, 
 was appointed a spy, for the State of Kentucky, in which 
 business he conducted himself with credit, until the Indian 
 war was ended, by the treaty of Greenville, in 1795. 
 
 During the time which he accompanied the surveyors, 
 and guarded the frontier inhabitants, as a ranger, he had 
 many rencounters with the Indians, and hairbreadth 
 escapes, and was often indebted to his heels and to mere 
 accident, for the preservation of his life. At Captina, in 
 1791, he had several rifle balls shot through his clothes; 
 and when a platoon was fired at him, his life was saved by 
 accidentally falling down. In 1795, whilst watching a 
 deer lick opposite the mouth of the Scioto, a party of 
 several Indians came to the lick, and he only saved himself 
 by shooting one of them, and taking to flight at the moment 
 of the confusion of the others, but not without having seve- 
 ral guns fired at him, and the ball of one passing through 
 his powder horn and clothes. 
 
 At the close of the Indian war, he abandoned the use of 
 the rifle, purchased a surveyor's compass and chain, and 
 commenced the surveying business, first as an assistant to 
 General Massie; and shortly afterwards he received a de- 
 putation from Colonel Anderson, principal surveyor of the 
 Virginia army lands. In this business he has been success- 
 ful, and indeed more than fortunate. Although his educa- 
 tion was but limited, his entries and surveys were made so 
 
 
402 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 special, and correct, that they always bore the strictest in- 
 vestigation, and he often succeeded in recovering and hold- 
 ing lands which he located on prior vague claims. He also 
 located lands, which had been surveyed and sold by the 
 officers of the United States, as government land, and after 
 several tedious and expensive law suits, proved, to the sat- 
 isfaction of several juries, to the State and United States' 
 courts, and to congress, that his titles were better than 
 those of the United States, and received a large sum from 
 the general government, for the relinquishment of his titles. 
 His land suits, and general success, have brought down on 
 him the hatred, ill will, and resentment, of some, and the 
 envy of others. He is considered honorable, fair and punc- 
 tual in his dealings; and as a land jobber, his land titles 
 are believed to be good and valid. 
 
 In the spring of the year 1796, he assisted General Massie 
 in surveying and laying out the town of Chillicothe, and it 
 is said that he assisted in erecting the lirst bark tent, or 
 eamp, built by white men, in that town. The next year, 
 he married, and settled on Fruit Hill, where he now resides, 
 two miles west of Chillicothe. Since that time, his career, 
 both civil and military, is well known to his contemporaries. 
 In 1798 he was elected captain of a company of militia, 
 in 1801 a major, and shortly afterwards a colonel. In 
 January, 1808, he was appointed lieutenant colonel of a 
 regiment of volunteers, tendering their services to the Presi- 
 dent of the United States, agreeably to the act of congress 
 of the twenty-fourth of February, 1807, for the purpose, if 
 it should be found necessary, of taking possession of New 
 Orleans. In February, 1808, he was, by the legislature, 
 elected major general of the second division of the militia 
 of the State of Ohio. In the spring of 1812, he raised from 
 his own division, the first regiment of Ohio volunteers 
 which entered into the service of the United States, in the 
 late war; and was, at the town of Dayton, unanimously 
 elected to its command; and accompanied General Hull to 
 Detroit, and into Canada. Two days before Hull's sur- 
 
APPENDIX. 403 
 
 render, and when the enemy was erecting his batteries, in 
 plain view, on the Canada side of the river, opposite De- 
 troit, he and Colonel Cass, now secretary of the department 
 of war, were sent off by General Hull, with three hundred 
 men, some thirty miles from the fort, and recalled in time 
 to return a few hours after the surrender. In October, 
 1812, he was elected to congress by the unanimous vote of 
 the electors of the district; but, in the spring of 1813, re- 
 signed his seat in congress, in consequence of his having 
 been appointed by the President of the United States, by 
 and with the advice and consent of the senate, a colonel in 
 the regular army of the United States. In the same year 
 he was appointed by the President, brigadier general, and 
 continued to serve in that office, until the end of the late 
 war, in 1815. 
 
 At the time fort Meigs was besieged by the British and 
 Indians, in 1813, he was at Urbana, on the recruiting ser- 
 vice, and within thirty hours after receiving the news of 
 the nege, he, with his friends in that neighborhood, raised 
 a volunteer corps, of between three and four hundred men, 
 who immediately marched on Hull's road, as far as fort 
 Findlay, where they were met by an express from General 
 Harrison, informing them the siege had been raised, and 
 requesting the volunteers to return. So soon as he received 
 notice of his exhange he joined General Harrison, at Sen- 
 eca, on the Sandusky river, and actively assisted in build- 
 ing the block-houses and breastworks, at that place. When 
 it was ascertained that the combined British and Indian 
 forces, under General Proctor, were about to attack the 
 small fort at Lower Sandusky, then commanded by Major 
 George Crogan, McArthur requested permission to rein- 
 force Croghan with a part of his brigade, but the request 
 was refused by General Harrison. Shortly afterwards, he 
 was sent to fort Meigs, to take the command of the garri- 
 son, at that place, General Green Clay being sick. He 
 contributed much to the success of Captain Perry, as he 
 afterwards acknowledged, by sending from the garrison, at 
 
404 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 fort Meigs, about twenty active seamen, who had, in con- 
 sequence of the embargo and non-intercourse, found their 
 way to the western army. Those brave men, with about 
 an equal number, sent from Seneca, formed a considerable 
 part of Captain Perry's force, when he captured Captain 
 Barkley's fleet, on lake Erie. McArthur, with his brigade, 
 accompanied General Harrison and Governor Shelby into 
 Canada, in the autumn of 1813 — was left in the command 
 oi Detroit, when Shelby and Harrison pursued General 
 Pioctor up the Thames, and at Moravian town captured 
 his army. After which, McArthur with his brigade, em- 
 barked on board Captain Perry's fleet, and sailed to Buf- 
 falo; from thence, they marched to fort George, and from 
 thence sailed to Sackett's Harbour. The General was, at 
 that time, ordered to attend the court martial, for the trial 
 of General Hull, at Albany; and from thence, in the spring 
 of 1814, he was ordered back to the west, to the command 
 of the new recruits, volunteers, and militia. In the summer, 
 the recruits made in Ohio, were, under the command of 
 Major William Trimble, ordered to the Niagara. In the 
 autumn of 1814, General McArthur, with about six hundred 
 and twenty-five mounted volunteers, from Kentucky and 
 Ohio, and seventy-five friendly Indian, principally Shaw- 
 nees and Senecas, made an expedition of about two hun- 
 dred, from Detroit, into Canada, with a view to join Gene- 
 ral Brown's army, on the Niagara. When at Grand river, 
 twenty-five miles from Burlington heights, at the head 
 of Lake Ontario, he there, on the sixth of November, 
 learned that General Izard had with his command, recross- 
 ed the Niagara, and that his small command consisting of 
 about seven hundred, militia and Indians, were the only 
 American troops then in Upper Canada. He also learned, 
 that the British quartermaster had taken possession of all 
 the best mills between Grand river and Long point, and 
 was supplying the army with flour from those mills — that 
 he was also preparing and storing up flour for an expedi- 
 tion against Detroit, so soon as the ground and streams 
 
APPENDIX, 405 
 
 should become frozen, and the roads fit for sleighing. He 
 therefore destroyed those mills, and at one of them, called 
 Malcolm's mill, captured and paroled about five hundred 
 of the Canadian militia, who had broken up the bridge 
 across the stream, below the mill, and formed a breastwork 
 across the road, with a view to prevent his return. The 
 waters were high, the country flat and swampy, and the 
 roads and forests over which they passed — for they some- 
 times traveled days without a road, or even an Indian 
 path — were, in many places, almost impassable, and would 
 have been entirely so, to any men other than those who 
 were real woodsmen, and accustomed, from their youth, to 
 penetrate the deepest recesses of the forest. But Mc Arthur, 
 with his Spartan band, returned to Detroit, just in time to 
 recross the river before it was closed with the winter's ice. 
 He there found that the contractor had failed to procure 
 provisions for the support of the army during the winter, 
 or indeed for a single week, and as no supplies could at 
 that season be had, by water, the river and lake being 
 blocked with ice ; he therefore was compelled to hasten to 
 the Scioto valley, and make himself personally responsible 
 for fat cattle and hogs to the amount of ten thousand dol- 
 lars, and have them driven out to Detroit, to save the gar- 
 rison and the inhabitants from starvation. 
 
 After the close of the war, he, with General Harrison 
 and Mr. John Graham, were appointed commissioners to 
 treat with the Indians, under the provisions of the treaty 
 of Ghent; and in the latter part of the summer of 1815, 
 they met the Indians, and held their treaty at the Spring 
 wells, about three miles below Detroit, where they went 
 through all the Indian ceremonies of burying the toma- 
 hawk; and of restoring the Indians, who in the late war 
 had taken sides with the British, to their former possessions 
 within the United States. 
 
 In 1817, he and Governor Cass, were appointed commis- 
 sioners to treat with the Indians, for their lands within the 
 limits of the State of Ohio. This treaty was held at the 
 49 
 

 406 APPENDIX. 
 
 foot of the Maumee Rapids. Although this treaty was 
 concluded precisely agreeably to the instructions of the 
 President, in allowing each Indian family to hold a section 
 of their own lands in fee, yet the senate made objections 
 to that part of the treaty, and Messrs. McArthur and Cass 
 were sent back, in 1818, to treat with the Indians for an 
 alteration in that article of their treaty of the previous 
 year. This treaty was held at St. Mary's, and the altera- 
 tion desired by the senate, procured, by enlarging their In- 
 dian reserves, and adding to their annuities. 
 
 He was first elected to the State legislature in 1804, and 
 has served in the house of representatives and senate, in 
 all, about twenty sessions. In 1822, he was a second time 
 elected to congress, and served in the eighteenth congress. 
 In 1830, he was elected governor of the State, served two 
 years, and in 1832 declined a re-election. His politics have 
 been uniformly republican, and liberal; he was a supporter 
 of Thomas Jefferson, in opposition to John Adams; a sup- 
 porter of his country, and the equal rights of man; in favor 
 of internal improvements, both by the State and the United 
 States; in favor of the protection of home manufactures 
 and honest industry of every kind — is himself a farmer, and 
 extensively engaged in raising fine horses; indulgent to 
 those indebted to him, especially to those who have pur- 
 chased lands, true to his friends, kind and liberal to his 
 relations and neighbors, and charitable to the poor. 
 
 GENERAL ROBERT LUCAS. 
 
 General Robert Lucas, the present Governor of Ohio, 
 was born on the first day of April, 1781, in Jefferson coun- 
 ty, and State of Virginia. He received a common school 
 education, and was instructed in the mathematics by a Mr. 
 M'Murrin,of Shepherdstown. In 1802, he moved with his 
 father, and family, nnd settled near the mouth of the Scioto 
 river. The next yea*, shortly after the organization of the 
 State government, he ttas commissioned a lieutenant of 
 
APPENDIX. 407 
 
 volunteers, directed by the President of the United States, 
 to be raised in Ohio, and held in readiness, to march and 
 take possession of Louisiana, in case the officers of the 
 Spanish government should refuse to give possession of that 
 country, in accordance with our treaty with France. For 
 several years following he held numerous offices, both civil 
 and military; and in 1808, while a lieutenant colonel of 
 the militia of the State, he raised a company of volunteers, 
 from his regiment, under the act of congress of the 18th 
 of April, 1806; and was elected and commissioned captain 
 of the same. 
 
 In 1812, having previously been commissioned a briga- 
 dier general of a brigade composed of the counties of 
 Scioto, Pickaway and Ross, he raised a battalion of vo- 
 lunteers, therein, marched to Dayton, and organized there, 
 under the command of Major General James Denney, and 
 while at Dayton, was employed by Governor Meigs, as a 
 special messenger to Detroit, and performed the duties re- 
 quired of him to the satisfaction of the governor. He met 
 General Hull's army in the wilderness, attached himself 
 to the spies, marched into Canada with the first detachment 
 of troops, and was one of the "forlorn hope." General 
 Lucas was the first man that crossed the river Aux Can- 
 ards, when Colonel Cass dispossessed the British of the 
 bridge over that river. He was with the spies during the 
 whole of Hull's campaign, and with Major Vanhorn's de- 
 tachment at Brownstown, at the battle of which, he had a 
 horse shot under him. 
 
 In the year 1813, he marched with his brigade to the 
 relief of fort Meigs and Lower Sandusky, under the imme- 
 diate command of Governor Meigs. 
 
 After the close of the war, he was elected, by joint ballot 
 of both houses of the general assembly, a major general 
 of the militia of the State; which office he held at the time 
 he was elected governor. 
 
 General Lucas's public services, in a civil capacity, have 
 been as valuable to his country, as those rendered during 
 
408 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 his military career. As early as the year 1808, he served 
 in the house of representatives; and was, subsequently, re- 
 peatedly elected to the senate, in which body he presided, 
 as speaker, several sessions. In 1820, he served as an 
 elector of President and Vice President of the United 
 States, and voted for Mr. Monroe and Mr. Tompkins; and 
 in 1828, acted in the same capacity, voting for General 
 Jackson and Mr. Calhoun. He was elevated to the dis- 
 tinguished station he now holds, in the autumn of 1832. 
 
 Governor Lucas is now and always has been, a warm 
 friend to internal improvements by roads and canals — he is 
 friendly to common schools, and to the cause of education 
 generally; and has voted for every appropriation which 
 has ever been made by the legislature, (while he had a seat 
 in that body,) for the benefit of education. In his man- 
 ners, he is a plain, modest, gentlemanly man, moral in his 
 habits, and benevolent in his disposition. He has been a 
 surveyor of lands, and a farmer all his days. It is scarcely 
 necessary to add, that his immediate neighbors have al- 
 ways testified strongly in favor of his merits, as a man, and 
 as a public officer. Though in very comfortable circum- 
 stances, as to property, he has been too much in office to 
 be very wealthy. He has beeu twice happily and respect- 
 ably connected in marriage, and is now surrounded by a 
 large and interesting family of children. 
 
 The above brief sketch is all that my leisure now ena- 
 bles me to give of the life of my friend Robert Lucas; 
 but, as soon as I find the leisure, I will endeavor to fill it 
 up, with such incidents as my long personal acquaintance 
 with him, enables me to furnish hereafter. And, I have 
 long been collecting materials for biographical sketches of 
 a large number of our first settlers; — such as Governors 
 Meigs, Morrow, Trimble, and Worthington; of our mem- 
 bers of congress; of the general assembly; judges of the 
 supreme court; our most distinguished lawyers, physicians, 
 and divines. A future edition of this work, will offer me 
 a place for all such sketches. 
 
 FINIS 
 



 
 
 
 ,0* 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 ; 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
 Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
 Treatment Date: March 2010 
 
 PreservationTechnologies 
 
 A WORLD LEADER IN COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION 
 
 111 Thomson Park Drive 
 Cranberry Township, PA 1 6066 
 (724)779-2111 
 

 
 
 •