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.4^ 1 GW V •; J«T.0F(Kd. CHEROKEE PHflENIX, MB INDIANS’ ADVOCATE. ==£ P1UNTED UNDER THE PATRONAGE, AND FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE CHEROKEE NATION, AND DEv'oTED TO THE CAUSE OF INDIANS.—E. B CUBING XT, JKDiTGIC. VOL. If. NEW ECIIOTA, WEDNESDAY JULY 22,1829. NO. 18. PRINTED WEEKLY BY JOHN F. IVHEELER, j At $2 50 if paid in advance, $3 in six months, or S3 50 if paid at the end of the year. To subscribers who can read only the Cherokee language th > price will be $2,00 .In advance, or $2,50 t 0 |je paid within the year. Every subscription will be considered as continued unless subscribers give notice to the contrary before the coin ncnccment of a new year,and all arrearages paid. Any person procuring six subscribers, and becoming responsible for the payment, shall receive a seventh gratis. Advertisements will be inserted at seven ty-five cents per square for the first inser tion, am’ thirty-seven and a half cents for each continuance; longer ones in propor- tion. ££3** All letters addressed to the Editor, post paid, will receive due attention. fftvy JiTAHOA AD IiSi JEC.8 J. t?9AV£o5.I TAAT» JIitfBA.1 K4ot>-I. BQAE _Ih<t9h.l<»y KTJl D^P (yMBJt Iv4oea TGr'Z TEAJO-J" D6.IrSo®I v c®.I. TCTZ ftiP Tj30-A TB KT D34 (POJBa Iv4o©a. DSJU5x»EZ TB ytV D0J»5.)t’I v «).I, C-YJIT D.J5P (P6JB.I I*4o®a. Gtvyz (P&.R JhOhacSiy, \VF*V* D*-U (POJBa Iv4(® k I TCTZ TEiSJCHT’ DO* kT^iz d^p o^y-v (ps.ib* vaR Doj^crtiivdea. AGENTS FOR THE CHEROKEE PHOENIX. The following persons are authorized to receive subscriptions and payments for the Cherokee Phoenix. Messrs. Peirce &. Williams, No. 20 Market St. Boston, Mass. George M. Tracy, Agent of the A. B. C. F. M. New York. Rev. A. D. Eddy, Canandaigua, N. Y. Thomas Hastings, Utica, N. Y. Pollard & Converse, Richmond, Va. Rev. James Campbell, Beaufort, S. C. William Moultrie Reid, Charleston, S. C. Col. George Smith, Statesville, W. T. William M. Combs, Nashville, Ten. Rev. Bennet Roberts, Powal, Me. Mr. Thos. R. Gold, (an itinerant Gen tleman.) Jeremiah Austil, Mobile, Ala. Rev. Cyrus Kingsbury, Mayhew, Choc taw Nation. Capt. William Robertson, Augusta, Georgia. Col. James Turk, Bellefonte, Ala. ZUBUGIOUS. TIIE KARENS IN BURMAH. The Karens, a remarkable people in the interior of the Borman province^ are described below. The letter, as it will be seen, is from one of our mis sionaries in India, addressed to the Rev. Dr. Sharp, Boston.—We are kindly permitted to copy it.— Colum- bian Star. Tavoy, Sept. 9, 1828. Re&. and Dear Brother:—I have lately been visited by a company of Ka tens, in whose history I trust you will feel an interest. The Karens arc a race of wild people, inhabiting the interior, dwelling on mountains land in valleys, at a distance from cities, ond living in the most rflral and simple stylo. They « have no written lan* guage, no schools, no religion, no tem ples, no object of worship, no priests, none who even profess to know the way of truth. As were the fathers, so are the children: on the same pa ternal estate, in the same style, with the same dress and manners, the same darkness and ignorance, and conse quently the sapie vice. I am not however aware that the Karens are more vicious than their former oppress ors the Burmans. Among my visiters were one or two who appeared some what above the common level of their countrymen. One of them could read as well as speak Burman. One was a chief and one a pretended sor cerer. The chief was an interesting young man of thirty. His countenance and air bespoke something noble.— But 0 ’tis a sad thing to see power ful intellects immured in chains of perpetual ignorance. This chief as pired after knowledge, but the key of knowledge had been denied him. He had been taught thatman’s great g°°d consisted in eating, drinking, sleepi n Si chewing betel, and conversation. But his soul was not satisfied. He panted for higher enjoyments. “Give us books in our own language, and we will all learn to read. We want to know the true God. We have been living in total darkness. The Karen’s mind is like his native jungle.” The (Ires of this man’s intellect, which prejudice and a national degradation had buried up and smothered, but could not extinguish, demanded vent. It could no longer lie like the unpol ished marble in the quarry. “0,” said I, “what a mournful thing is this.” The generous soul, if nurtured with useful knowledge, might have been allied to angels; but it has been taught to seek a happiness mere ly sensual, and but little higher than that of brutes. ^ The sorcerer was also a superior man. Some 12 years since a Mussul man joger had visited his village, and imprinted on him the mark of the false prophet. “Take this book,” said the joger, “and worship it. It will se cure you from evil, and in the rtext state you will be a man, and not a brute. ‘Touch not, taste not, handle not’ the things forbidden in the koran, and all will be well.” After a few words of admonition concerning what was to be eaten, and what to be re jected, he exhibited a lew of his jug gling tricks, and Initiated the simple Karen into the nefarious rites of the orjler offakcers, and left him in his native darkness, coupled with foreign wickedness. But this contact of wickedness with darkness elicited some scintillations of native, latent light. Ambition was lired. To know the contents of this book has been for 12 years the Karen’s highest aim.— The thought that he had been so much distinguished above his fellow coun trymen as to receive a book—a reve lation., forsooth, from some “unknown God,” raised him, in his own estima tion, into a superior order of beings, and he became a conjurer! Like Si mon, he has given out that lie is some great one, and to him many have giv en heed. Though ignorant of the contents of the venerated book, not knowing even in what language it was written, he has assumed the charac ter of a teacher and expounder of the sacred volume. He has persuaded several of his countrymen to join him in the new religion, and to pay superi or worship to the book. A pitched basket of reeds in which that book, wrapped in successive folds of muslin, was deposited, has been to them what the ark of the covenant was to the Jews—an object of profound venera tion. “A teacher will come, who will explain to us this book,” has been their grand article of belief; and as soon as they heard of our arrival, they sent a deputation to wait upon me, and learn my doctrine. “Let the sorcerer come and sliow ine his book, and I will tell him whether it is good or not. Meanwhile pay no religious veneration to it. Take these books which contain a revelation from the true God in a language which some of you understand, and learn from them the way to obtain eternal life. Wor ship not these hooks, but the God who gave them.” Such was my reply to the deputation. According to my ad vice, the sorcerer, with his train, af ter a journey of three days, reached my house two days since, bringing the pitched basket of reeds with its vene rated contents. They hastened into my presence, and the sorcerer, a se rious well looking man of fifty, stood up before me, while all his train seat ed themselves around us. “What is your business, and what is your wish?” “Your lordship’s humble servant has come to lay a certain book before your lordship’s feet, that your lord- ship may loek at it, unfold its mean ing, and inform your lordship’s humble servants whether it is true or false, good or bad. Your lordship’s servant has heard the Christian Scriptures read, and believes them. .He is con cerned to know whether this book contains the Christian doctrine.” I felt that it was a critical moment.— Expectation was raised to the highest pitch. Several had previously en gaged that they should consider my decision respecting the book as final. A most profound silence prevailed throughout the hall. “Show me the book.” The olcLsorcercr stood forth with the basket at his feet. He un covered the basket and unwrapped the precious deposit, and creeping forward, presented to me an old, tat tered, worn-out volume. It was no other than the “Book of Common Prayer,” with the Psalms, printed at Oxford. “ ’Tis a good book,” said I; “it teaches that there is a God in heaven whom aloi.Te we should worship. Y<pi have been ignorantly worshipping this book. That is not good. I will tsaeb you to worship the God whom the book reveals.” Every Karen countenance was alternately lighted up with smiles of joy, and casP'down with inward conviction of having erred in worshipping a book instead of the God it reveals. I took the book of Psalms in Burman, and read such pas sages as seemed appropriate, and hav ing given a brief and easy explanation, engaged in prayer. I then added, “Your venerated book teaches no such doctrine as you say the joger taught you. Renounce his false instructions, and attend to the doctrine which your book contains.” The people listen ed attentively to our instructions till a late hour in the evening, when I left them to take some repose. They stayed with me two days, and would have staid longer, but our Karen Christian, whom I generally use as in terpreter when conversing with Ka rens, had gone out into the wilderness with the intention of making known the gospel to his benighted countrymen.— During their stay they listened con tinually to our instructions, attended our worship, and seemed pleased with our doctrine and worship. Just be fore leaving us, after they had taken leave of me this morning, the old con- j jurer put on his joger dress, and in j the midst of his former disciples made ! some show of his former grandeur.— j There was surely something imposing in his appearance. But 1 could not I regard it in a favourable light, and ! desired one of the native Christians to ' go and tell him again that if he would be a Christian he must lay aside all his ■ former practices and airs. I listened to hear the native Christian, who dealt with the old man in a very plain and faithful manner. “If,” said the old man, “this dress is not pleasing to God, I am ready to send it afloat on yonder river.” He then “disrobed” himself and put on bij common dress, and presented to bis reprover a large cudgel which had been a badge of his authority for many years. On leav ing, they said, “We will no longer worship any but the true God and iiis SonJesus Christ.” During their stay they expressed a strong desire to re ceive a written language ond books. They said all the Karens would then learn to read, and would come to the knowledge of God. I pitied them from my very heart. Having suffer ed cruel oppression from their Bur man masters, they are averse to eve ry thing Burman, and wish for a writ ten language which the Burman can not understand. Prom an extensive acquaintance with the Karens of this province I judge that as a people they are pleas ed with their new rulers, the English, and have no prejudices against the Christian religion. They seem to be expecting and wishing for a religion of some kind, and it appears to me that the present is the time to intro duce letters and the gospel among them. There are more than two thousand Karens in this province, and Karen villages are dispersed all over the wildernesses of Burmah, Pega, Arracon, and Siam. Is it not exceed ingly desirable that at least one mis sionary should be sent unto them im mediately? Snell a missionary should be acquainted with the modern im provements for ibrnJing a written lan guage, and should be prepared to en dure much privation and hardship from which soiie of his brethren may be exempted He will find that that without alife of self denial and toil he can accomplish but little among these Ample uncultivated for esters. Tin Karen _Christian will form no inconsiderable aid, if he has one to direct his labors; but he is not competent to the work alone. The two Karei boys now in the school, and othe/s who propose soon to enter, will, ifeonverted to the gospel, be in due time powerful assistants. Let us Pray that God may prepare them for thegreat work. bo not all 4 these*things seem like so many intimations that something should be done immediate ly for this people? Tours in our dear Redeemer, GEO. jf). BOARDMAN. INDIANS if"" THE CHEROKEES. It will be seen from a subsequent paragraph, that another slice has been cu! off from the territory of the Cher- okees by their neighbors the Georgi ans, comprising 1824 square miles, or 1,107,300 acres. It is only a few months since the unfortunate discove ry was made that the Georgians bad any right to this land: but the hint be ing once given, there was no difficulty in making out the proof; for according to the laws of Georgia, no Indian or descendant of an Indian can give testi mony in a Court of Justice, and of course the evidence was wholly cx- parte. The new line, it is said, runs direct ly through the estate of John Ross, the Principal Chief of the Nation, who, at the time of the survey, wad absent on some public business. Mr. Montgomery, the U. S. Agent, enter ed a formal protest against the survey, 1. Because the Cherokees positively and unequivocally denied that any such boundary ever did exist between them and the Creeks. 2. Because the evi dence taken by Georgia was wholly cx-parlc. 3. Because the dividing line between the Cherokees and Creeks was definitely settled, and the line run between them several years before the treaty of the Indian Springs, under which the State of Georgia claims.— 4. Because it was tiie province of the General Government to run all boun dary lines claimed under Indian Trea ties, and not of individual States. To all this Col. Wales replied, that lie was acting under the authority of the State of Georgia, and was bound to fulfil his instructions. Whatever the Georgians may think of such conduct, we venture to say the decision of posterity will be, that it was oppressive, cruel, and unjust. Even in the dominions of the Sultan, men are not often proceeded against, without being permitted to be heard in their own defence; but here, in this boasted land of liberty, a State lias the impudence to act as advocate, judge and jury in its own case, and declare a verdict in it3 own favor, without Igranting even an audience to the victims of its oppression. Such proceedings, we confess, awaken our indignation, and lead us almost to wish that the Cherokees had the power to vindicate their rights and chastise their persecutors. Had Jefferson liv ed to see this day, he might have said in reference to such proceedings, as he did on contemplating the horrors of slavery, “I tremble when 1 think God is just!”—Jour, of Com. From the Lancaster (Mass.) Gazette. We have inserted on our first page two interesting and important docu ments touching the lelation of our go vernment with the Indians. The first of these documents is an Indian talk of President Jackson to the Creeks, demanding a surrender ol the murder ers of one of the w'hites, and recom mending to them a removal to the westward of the Mississippi. # The other document is a letter from the Secretary of War to the Cherokee Delegation, in answer to a complaint recently made by tliefn of encroach ments upon their rights by the State ol Georgia. The Indians insist upon being an independent State, and deny the riglit’ot Georgia to claim jurisdic tion over them, and extend over them her Legislative enactments. The Secretary of War informs them, how ever, that the government of the Unit ed States cannot deny to Georgia the light which she claims; and proposes to them as the only remedy for theit* troubles, to remove beyond the Missis sippi, where they will receive protec tion us an independent government.— It is desirable that the unhappy trou bles of the remnant of the Indians of this country should be terminated: but it is very* evident that Georgia will never manifest a more accommodating spirit than she lias done, and that the Indians will never find any mercy at her hands. It may be their policy, there lore, where they cannot obtain justice, to seek peace in a place more remote from their tormenters. Our Indians have been oppressed, and crowded, step by step, from the terri tory of their fathers, till they hav&* dwindled from a powerful to an insig nificant race, and been reduced from the possession of an immense territo ry to a spot barely sufficient to lay the bones of the small number of them that remain, “like the lone column of a fallen temple, exhibiting the sad relics ot their former strength.”— They command our sympathy, and much is due from our government to alleviate the distresses of their declin ing race. The folio wing eloquent appeal is a recent talk of an aged Chief of the Creek nation to Gen. Jackson. Its language goes to the heart:— “sBtot’ier! The red people were very numerous. They covered the land like the trees of the foiest. from the big waters of the east to the great sea, where rests the setting sun. Ti e white,people came—they drove them from forest to forest, from river to liver—the bones of our fathers strew ed the path of their wandering. Bro ther, you are now strong: we melt a- way like the snow of spring before the rising sun. Whither must we now go? Must wo leave the home of our fathers, aud go to a strange land be yond the great river of the West?— That land is dark it desolate—we shall have no pleasure in it. Pleasant are the fields Of our youth—We love the woods where our fathers led us to the chase—Their bones lie by the running stream, where we sported in the days of our childhood—When we are gone, strangers will dig them up—The Great Spirit made us all—you have land enough—Leave us then the fields of our youth, and the woods where our fathers led us to the chase--Permit us to remain in peace under the shade of our own trees—Let us watch over the graves of our fathers bv the streams of our childhood—May the Great Spirit move the heart of our father, the President, that lie may open his ear to the voice of children, for they are sorrowful.” Chtrokee Improvements.—We under stand, that the Appraisers appointed by the Secretory of War, have com pleted the valuation of the improve ments belonging to the Cherokee In dians, in die country recently ceded by that nation to the United States, under the late treaty. The total value of all the improvements, ngree- bly to their appraisement, we are in formed, is between $43,000 and $44,- 000—which is $t>,000 or $7,000 more than the appropriation by Con gress for that object. The principal part of the Cherokees have already removed to the country t-o which theY