observation, the amount paid for these cessions has been more valuable to the Indians than all the animals existing there whose flesh and furs are sought by them.

"We come now to other topics. 'It is not necessary to prove in this place, for the fiftieth time,' says the reviewer, that our cause was common with that of the Indian nations. Against them, as against us, the Americans had been the real aggressors.' With what truth these assertions are advanced, will be best determined by a brief examination of the various acts of the American government towards the Indians, and by a comparison of these with the course which has been pursued by the British government. Our attention has already been called to the unremitting exertions of the republican government to restrain the Indians from hostilities; to induce them, whenever a contest between their white neighbors appeared unavoidable, to remain in their own country and suffer the storm to pass away without exposing themselves to its violence. In the same spirit hostile tribes have been brought together, and the tomahawk buried beneath the ashes of the council fire."

He then proceeded to point out the various measures of the British government, and he clearly demonstrated that, in all instances, the mere love of worldly gain was the incentive; that the well-being of the poor Indian never was taken into consideration. And to satisfy the inhabitants of other portions of our country, that the American government not only acted from motives of humanity, but fully comprehended the labor, he posted the reading public with the locality and disposition of all the many tribes west of the lakes, and their attitude with the whites; and then, with the confidence of truth, commended to the final judgment of the world the conduct of his government. By this verdict he was content to abide.

The councils held by General Cass with the Indians were for the purpose of removing difficulties with them and of securing their attachment to the United States, and eventually for the purchase of land. The progress of our settlements rendered necessary the acquisition of new districts, while, at the same time, the diminution of game and the reduction of the number of Indians, made the district adjoining our improved frontier of little value to the aborigines; for, in those days, they had no permanent occupation of land, and subsisted principally by the chase,

living upon the meat and selling the furs to the traders, and thus procuring the indispensable supplies of guns, powder, lead, and blankets, and some other articles.

war.

The mode of life of the Indians has undergone little change since they became known to us, unless in those cases, (and till recently there have been but few of them,) where they have abandoned their primitive habits and become stationary agriculturists. According to their primitive habits, in the spring the families of the Saint Totem,-the subdivision of a tribe marked by the figure of some tutelar animal,-seek a pleasant spot of fertile ground upon some stream, and there they erect rough cabins, forming a little village, marked by its council house and its surrounding green for amusements, and in its vicinity they plant a little corn, which is scratched around, rather than cultivated, by the women. There are but two occupations an Indian warrior can honorably pursue. One is to hunt and the other is to go to All other labor devolves upon the women; and this point of honor, made such by early training which fosters their natural indolence, is one of the most formidable obstacles to the improvement of the Indians. As soon as their corn is fit for roastingears, before, indeed, they begin to eat it, and to waste it with true Indian improvidence, for they have less foresight than many of the animals' around them, and by the time their little crop is ripe, it is all consumed. A few pumpkins and beans, plants indigenous to the country, were also, and yet are, raised. During the summer the game is poor and the furs bad, and they are able to kill but little, for the assemblages in the villages drive away the animals. They kill what they can, and when there are no war parties, the season is passed in indolence and amusements, -in eating, (gorging, rather, when they have the means,) dancing, singing, smoking, and telling stories. In the fall they repair to the hunting grounds. Each family has its own, which is not encroached on by others, or, if so encroached on, a deadly feud is the consequence. There they encamp, and spend the winter in hunting and in the collection of furs, to enable them to satisfy their traders. In the spring they return to their traders; and thus passed the life of an Indian when the race first becaine known to us, except that bows and arrows were used for weapons, and furs and skins for clothing,-and thus it passes yet, where they have not followed our example.

CHAPTER XIV.

Effect of the Article in the Review-The Lake Communication-General Cass' Literary Efforts-Treaty of Green Bay-His Labors-Historical Society of Detroit-His Address-Hamilton College-Oration before the Alumni-Degree of LL.D.

The article extracted from, in the preceding chapter, electrified the public mind. In addition to the many stubborn facts brought out, showing clearly and concisely what policy had been pursued and what measures imitated by the several christian nations, in their intercourse with the wild aborigines of America, General Cass, for the first writer, had had the manliness to speak plainly to Europe, and to proud England in particular. The effect was, that the latter nation became more chary of their baseless charges against the philanthropy of the United States, and began to look about and see how well they might get off from the inroads of benevolence, and best preserve the residue of their North American Indian possessions. Their traders saw that it would be a profitless task further to prosecute annoyance, and that the only alternative was now to be at peace with the American authorities. A new era in British diplomacy dates from this time. Directing their attention to the innumerable tribes of Indians scattered far and wide, from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Nootka Sound, they withdrew their busy agents from lands farther south, and allowed the banner of "the brave and the free" to go on in the fulfillment of its high mission.

Nor was this all. The example set by General Cass encouraged other writers, and gave them confidence to speak out, and, on all proper occasions, defend the dignity and character of republicanism from the assaults of pampered royalty. It also restored confidence to the young farmers and mechanics of New England whose thoughts were upon lands to the westward, and hastened their vigorous footsteps. This elucidated argument familiarized their minds with the dreaded natives, neutralized fear, and reanimated them with high and exhilarating hope. More than

ever did the broad prairies and dense and lofty forests, stretching from the chain of inland seas that washed the northern frontier away to the majestic rivers that emptied the surplus waters of millions of acres into the southern ocean, seem to be the land of promise. And hitherward did they now begin to go. Not singly, and as exiles banished from their native land, but in caravans and of their own volition, there to take their parts in the unending drama of life. Noble resolution! And their steady efforts to subdue the wilderness, beyond the language of praise.

The Walk-in-the-water was too slow, and of insufficient capacity, to accommodate the travelers and their luggage over the rough waves of Erie, and enterprise built the Henry Clay and other steam vessels, to supply the wants of emigration. To meet the demand for land, increasing with every arrival of the boats in the Straits, other and larger tracts were surveyed and brought into market, and quickly taken up by the settlers. The capitalist, too, came, and made investments. Improvements, local and general, were made; the small settlements began to swell into villages; edifices, public and private, were projected and built; the echo of the woods was supplanted by the hum of commerce; rich fields of grain and other products of agriculture met the eye in every direction, and were shipped to the seaboard. To this complexion had Michigan come at last, under the judicious piloting of her faithful and far-seeing Chief Magistrate. Her people saw and appreciated it, and their confidence in his wisdom and action was greater than ever. Not vainglorious or overweening of his own efforts, he was deeply sensible of how much of their almost unprecedented prosperity was due to the favor of an all-wise and beneficent Providence; and to him, in meekness, did the Governor invite the people to set apart a day of public thanksgiving and praise.

The mines, both copper and lead, began to pour forth their wealth; and the excavators and smelters reported large quantities for market. In this season of prosperity, and the wheels of government, over which he presided, moving with harmony and regularity within their appointed orbits, General Cass found leisure to add to the literary wealth of our common country, and enrich its stores with his views on the important topics of the day. He wrote several essays and reviews for the magazines, exhibiting as well great research as beautiful thoughts, and clothed

in elegant and apt language. His contributions hold high rank in the world of letters, for their clearness, comprehensiveness, and felicity of expression.

He was again called upon, however, in the summer of 1828, to visit the Sacs and Foxes, Winnebagoes, Pottawatomies, Ottawas, and Chippewas, in grand council at Green Bay. He concluded a treaty with these tribes on the twenty-fifth of August, acquiring for the United States many millions of acres of land; and on the twentieth of September in the same year, he negotiated a treaty with the Pottawatomies at St. Joseph's, by which a large cession was procured for the State of Indiana. Regardless of personal comfort, he was always ready to execute the wishes of the government. The imminent perils which he often encountered, and his hair-breadth escapes from danger and death, would fill volumes to relate. Incident upon incident, in his travels upon the lakes and rivers, and through the solitary forests, it would afford pleasure to give, and instruction to hear. No man living has seen and experienced more of border life, with all its excitement and danger, than he. There is scarcely a river in all the country north-west of the Ohio, of any magnitude, that he has not seen; and he is familiar with all the bays, inlets, and promontories, that line the lake coast from Buffalo to the head waters of the Father of Rivers, away in the far-off, northern wilderness. And in all his multiplicity of business with the Indians, he has, in every instance, so acted as not to leave the slightest consciousness on his mind, that he has aggravated the lot of a single tribe, or in any other manner than to the promotion of their own good and happiness.

In July of this year, a Historical Society was organized at Detroit, under the advice of General Cass, for the purpose of collecting and preserving such materials, both traditionary and authentic, as might enable its members to trace the history of that portion of the United States, and mark the changes it had undergone. By judicious exertions, they hoped to rescue from oblivion many important documents; to disclose many facts and transactions, either wholly unknown or imperfectly remembered; and elucidate what was confused and contradictory in the earlier annals of those regions. The field of labor was sufficiently interesting and extensive for all their industry and zeal. Experience has shown that, however ardently individuals may devote their energies