very few of our frontier tribes would escape the imputation of cannibalism. Those illiterate and irresponsible persons, greatly delight in the marvellous, and in relating their stories and adventures are sure to confound all dates, and seldom fail, when the climax of a tale requires it, to tax the present race of Indians with all the revolting and savage traits of their ancestors; while they are not over scrupulous in stating the motives which, among barbarian as well as civilized nations, may be urged to pal-: liate so inhuman a practice. Observers who hastily visit our interior tribes, with a disposition to believe all they hear, and to print all they believe, will not fail to be considered interesting. But surely the time has gone by,, when this very fallacious species of information can claim the credence and approbation of the American public. Notwithstanding the two centuries which we have lived in the vicinity of these people, and the number of competitors who have aspired to publish their annals, to describe their customs, and to delineate the prominent raits of their character; we believe but little is yet known of the constitution of their minds, or their moral habits and capacities. And admitting all that can be justly claimed as authentic, and valuable, and praiseworthy, still we believe there is too much truth in the observation of the reviewer, that "our acquaintance with the peculiarities of Indian customs and character, has unfortunately, in general, been derived from the reports of traders— usually the most ignorant, and depraved, and dishonest part of the transatlantic white population: or of persons totally uneducated, who have lived in captivity, or from choice among them; or of well-meaning, but illiterate. and simple missionaries."* Quarterly Review, No. LXI.-Dec. 1824. 1 -No successful effort has yet been made, to classify the numerous tribes of our Indians, by the only standard which can be depended on, their languages. If the merit of philological knowledge is at all proportional to the labour and perseverance necessary to its acquirement, we apprehend it must be considered a work of infinitely inferior merit, to master the Hebrew, or the Greek, than to discourse grammatically in the Wyandot, to teach the decalogue in the Lenelinápe, or to pronounce a sermon in the Chippewa. It is true that the labours of the Moravian Brethren have accomplished much, and that the inquiries conducted under the direction of Mr. Heckewelder evince more severity of research than had, before his time, been bestowed upon the subject. But it is equally true, that much still remains to be accomplished, and that the observations of this pious and worthy missionary, have only opened the door of inquiry. It remains for others to enlarge and compare, to continue and perfect what has been so well begun. To accumulate materials is our first duty. The labour of generalization must follow, but it is a labour for which the whole mass of our present information affords but feeble and doubtful aids. We have a mass of prejudice to remove, before we can arrive at a true conception of the Indian character. Diversity of feelings, sentiments, opinions, habits, education, totally incapacitate us for appreciating, in a just light, the motives which have actuated them in their long continued hostility towards us. Could we place ourselves in their situation, in the middle of the sixteenth, and during the whole of the seventeenth century, could we, politically speaking, be willing that they should do unto us as we have done unto them; we should then, perhaps, have a more accurate conception of the opinions and maxims which have governed the councils of their Pontiacs and Garangulas, their Logans and Tecumsehs. Where did there ever exist a tribe or a people, worthy of the slightest notice on the pages of history, who would not fight for their territory, their sovereignty, their name, their very xeistence ? CHAPTER V. Leave the Forks of the Wabash. Notices of Natural History and Scenery. Mississinniwa Village. Indian Mills. Fire-hunting. A nocturnal Visit from a Party of Pottowattomies. Village of Winemac. Geology. The Canoe, containing Indian Goods, is assaulted and pillaged. In descending Little River, our voyageurs had picked up a large Iroquois, or wooden canoe, which being comparatively stout and capacious, they had employed as a lighter to the other, and found extremely serviceable. Notwithstanding the fine width of the Wabash, at the forks, we found the depth of water so unequal, as to render it prudent to retain this canoe. And with this division of our party, we left, our encampment at an early hour on the morning of the tenth. A The country bordering on the Wabash presents an assemblage of mild and pleasing features, unbroken by any thing harsh or prominent. A rich luxuriance of woods lines either bank. The shores appear to be composed almost exclusively of loamy or mixed soil, sloping gradually towards the water's edge. This soil prevails so extensively as to render an opinion of the inferior strata dubious. In very few places do the rocks present their surfaces above the water. They are sometimes seen in the pellucid current in large, more frequently detached masses; and, wherever examined, these tabular masses consist of compact, bluish-gray limestone-sometimes imbedding nodules of a kind of flint, or rather hornstone. The latter is frequently variegated in its colours. In comparatively few instances seams of calcareous spar, and impressions of fossil organic remains are disclosed by this limestone. We observed, about twelve or fifteen miles below the forks, upon the left bank of the river, a large isolated mass of rock of a tabular form, probably twenty or thirty feet in height, and fifty or sixty in length, which appeared as if the relic of some extensive stratum formerly existing here. We did not, however, stop to examine its specific characters. Landmarks of this kind will remain to impress a character of wildness upon the scene, when every other feature shall be changed by the labours of cultivation, or softened by the arbitrary requisitions of taste. - At twelve o'clock, we passed the mouth of the Salemanee, a broad stream tributary upon the left bank. This stream has been, for several years, one of the boundaries of the Miami reservation. While passing it, we enjoyed the opportunity of seeing a fine red deer,* standing on the banks of the river. This interesting animal, unalarmed by our silent approach, (the men having ceased to paddle,) permitted us to come quite near, so as fully to observe its fine size, and graceful proportions. In descending this river, and observing the gradual developement of the scenery, as point after point is pre * Cervus Virginianus. |