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C HEROKEE PHOENIX AttH INDIANS’ ADVOCATE.
POETRY.
INDIAN ELOQUENCE AND GRIEF
Plow with deep’ning gloom,
roll'd o'er age, and every bitter
year
Smote as with wintry frost some plant of
. hope,
Which the poor Indian cherish’d. Still he
*, nurs’d,
UnchillVij uncheck’d, amidst the tempest’s
ir *
His native eloquence. Like the wild
flame
Of some red meteor, o’er the howling
, storm
It flash’d, gilding the dark, skirts of the
clottd
Which curtain’d midnight. A tv fully it
shone
Into the soul of Logan, as he wept
That of his race, cold Treachery had
spar’d
Hot one to mourn for him;-—its darting
Flaw’d from the eye of Corn-Plant, as he
spread
The black’ning transcript ofhis nation’s
wrongs
Before great Washington.—“Thou, at
whose name
Our kindling warriors for the battle arm,
Our women tremble, and our frighted
babes
Cling to their mothers, yet whose gener
ous heart
Btill kind and pitiful, has mov’d our tribes
To call thee father, to thine ear once
v itiore
Our Chiefs appeal.
“They come not in base fear,
Who dread nor toil, nor danger; but they
seek
Feacc for their people, Corn-plant hath
desired .
To guard the tree of peace, and as he
poured
Fresh dew upon its roots, his arm hath
striven
With his own nation. For in wrath, they
ask s
Continually, ‘Tell us! where is that land
On which our children, and our children’s
babes
Shall r&i in peace?—Why then do white
<< men come
And take it from us ?’—
“« What shall fcorfl-plant urge
To this unhappy race? His little store
He has imparted to those wretched men
Whom yours have plundered, and unpi
tying left
Without a garment. All his wealth is
, ' gone,
Yet they remain unsatisfied. His heart
Shudders to think, that when enraged they
rise
To vengeance, llieir unsparing hand will
whelm
Both Innocence and Guilt. The flowery
Spring,
And favoring Summer, while his bretren
tilled
The bounteous Earth, he spent in fruitless
toil,
Labouring for peace. The Autumn now
is past,
But ComVtMant hath no harvest. Sad he
sees
His famished wife, and hears the thrilling
voice .
Of his Vi young children, asking him for
bread,
When he has none to give. His soul is
wrung
With agony for them.—
“ Yet there are wrongs
Heaped on his nation,f which his strug
gling soul
•But ill can l>3ar. Our noblest blood is
shed
By menial bands. Our Chiefs and war
riors fall-
Fall provoked, and in their crimson beds
Sleep unavenged. The haughty murder
er stalks
From his dark deed, unpunished parses
on,
And finds protection. From the earth, a
voice
Demands our vengence. That y6u have a
Dooming the iflah, ^ho sheds his brother’s
blood,
We know. But arc we, Senecas, alone
Cast out from justice? May the restless
swords
Of all malignant rovers drink our blood;
And yet be blameless? Shall the murder
er find
A refujj^in your arms; when our Own
Sanctions the swift avenger to pursue,
And recompense the deed? Father!' to
us,
These are great things. That you are
strong we know t
That you are ttrwe,we hear; but we must
wait
Till you hive answered this, before we
say
That you arejust."
When rising cities shone
In wealth and splendour, the poor natives
roved .
Around their bounds, amazed. Fall’n
Pride renrest
The Words of admiration; but strange
aWe/
Slavish degeneracy, and the dark frown
Of banished men, sat heavier on their
brow.
Once, to the mart which favoring Com
merce reared, < * * "
On ftir Manhattan, their sad Chiefs re-
t. jqra. nee. From a towering
height
They marked the goodly prospect. Ldf-
ty spires,
Vast domes, delightful villas, clustering
root. . -
tyfttis, where the countless thrortg in
cessant poured,.
As pleasure, pomp, or business moved
their tide*
In murmuring fluctuation; distant dales,
Slumbering in verdure; the majestic flood,
Crown,d with U11 masts, and white snow-
Thoug^tful^they view’d. Unmov’d the
, men of wealth,
Who mark’d their own possessions, lightly
ask’d,
“Why are ye sad?” as once Chaldan’s
hands
Inquir’d of wasted Judah, where their
mirth
And songs had vanish’d, when their un
strung harps
.Hung on tne willows, and their exil’d
feet
Roam’d in captivity.
...To them replied
The elder Chief: “We bear upon our
minds
Past times, and other days. This beautc-
ous land
Was tttifce our fathers’. Here, in peace
they diVelt;
For the Great Spirit gave it as a gift
To them, and to their sons. But to this
shore
Once came.a vast car.oc, which white men
steer’d
Feebly, against the blast.
“Driv’nhy rude storms,
They (bright permission on our coast to
land, k.
And how could we refuse?' Their sick r
they brought,
And in tfur soft shades, fann’d by gentle
gales,
Laid then), and they reviv’d. But wintry
winds
Soon swept the waste, and humbly they
besought
Leave to erect a wigwam, while the
frost
And snows were raging. Could our hearts
refuse
The stranger shelter? to our Chiefs the^
said
With solemn words that when the soft’ning
spring
Dissolved the wrath of winter, they would
seek
Their distant hoiiltcs, arid leave us to our
selves; •
And we were satisfied. With pityirtg
eye
Their wasted frames we saw, by Famine
smit;
We gave thch) corn, and fed them. When
fair sipring , .
Shone sweetly on the budding earth, tve
claim’d
Their promise tb depart. But they had
rear’d
Strange iroti ramparts, which at their
command
Breath'd flame and death; Pointing to
these, they said
“We will not!” and indignately they
glanc’d
Defiance on us. Other bands arriv’d
Strength’ning their purpose. Mad, enti
cing draughts
Deceitfully they gave us, till the cup
Reft us of reason. Then they forc’d us
w back
From fiield to field, from forest, and from
flood.
Where our subsistence lay: And you,
their sons,
Still drive us ontvard. You enjoy the
land
Of luxury; while vte, wasted and scorn’d,
Herd in the wilderness. But ye will
cease
Ere long to press us, for our fading race
Will cease to be. Think ye, that wc can
view
These beauteous shores, and yon proud
swelling flood,
And not remember that they once were
ours?
And thus rcmemb’ring, need yc wond’ring
. ask
Why sorrow clothes pur brow r”
Full many a strain
Of native eloquence, simple irid wild,
Has ris’n in our dark forests, which the
winds
Unheeded, swept away. Yct,‘ had it
broke
From hold Demosthenes, when Athens
fear’d
The distant step of Philip, had it burst
From the impetuous Hannibal, whfen Rome
Muster’d at Zama—it had been enroll’d
In History’s choicest annalj the pure
eye
Of taste had trickled o’er it, and the lip
Of the yoriflg student, had been proud tb
pour
Its treasur’d pathos. But thy slighted
words,
Untutor’d Red Min!—Ah! how few will
trace
Their chronicle obscure, "and fewer still
Accord tbe meed of just applause, uni
mix’d
With scorn upon thy nation. Lofty, firm,
And high soul’d honour, mocking at the
pain
Which wastes the body, once thy sires
could boast,
Such as in Rome,' dtnid her better days,
Had been exalted.-*
Traits or Aborioirss or America
MISCELLANEOUS.
CONQUEST OF CONSTANTI
NOPLE BY THE TURKS.
Muhammed distributed at tbe
breach his worst troops, the refuse of
the host. Constrained by the janiza
ries, these poor Wretches were forced
to place laddfirs and mount the first
to the assault. Not one of t‘hetn
reached the walls; they were destroy
ed, or beaten down, and their dead
bodies served to fill the ditcheB.
Tbe S&njaks then led on the troops of
Aiiffflhd of Europe, who fought with
the energy ol despair, impelled by
the more & more redoubtable threats
of their fieroe leader. To those
whom he saw furious, he promised
golden mountains; to the cowardly, he
denounced instant death; ahd execu
tioners were at hand to enforce his
vengeance. For two hours and more
the Christians withstood every effort
of the enemy, and the Voice of the
Emperor was heard ericouragmg to
achieve, by a last effort, the deliver
ance of their city. Adopting the ex
ample pf his race, toialigue and wear
out his foes, at this fearful instant,
Muhammed wielded his mace, and
commanding his drums and warlike
instruments to sound, impelled on
ward, by act and gesture, his janiza-
ries, fresh, vigorous, and invincible.
Similar to lions in chase of their prey
the Turkish writers describe their en
trance into the storm of arrows, stone
balls, and musket bullets, showered
on them. Tljfe dust of tbe combat
darkened the heavens, and as a heavy
veil filled the azure sky, the cannon
thundered on the walls, and the fall of
the queen of nations evidently drew
on. The immediate loss of Constan
tinople, however, as Gibbon judi
ciously states may be ascribed to tbe
bullet, or arrow, which pierced tbe
gauntlet of John Justiniani. The sight
of this blood, and his exquisite pain,
appalled the courage of the chief,
whose arms and councils were the
firmest rampart of the city. As he
withdrew from his station in search of
a surgeon, Ins flight was perceived
and stopped by the indefatigable Em
peror; “Your wound;” exclaimed
Palffiologus; “is slight! tbe danger is
pressing! your presence is necessary!
and whither will you retire? “I will
retire;” said tile trembling Genoeses,
“by the same road which God has
opened for the Turks;” and at these
words hd hastily passed throdgh one
of the breaches of the inner wall.
By this pusillanious act, he stained
the hohors of a military llfp; and the
few dhys which he survived at Chios,
were embittered by his own and the
public reproach. His example was
followed by rhbst of the auxiliaries—
the defence slackened, and the assault
was pressed with ten fold vigor; the
adverse balance vibrated so strongly,
if the besiegers could penetrate by a
single spot, tbe city was irretrievably
lost. That fatal spot, at length, was
the very palace of Constanjtine.
While the Emperor guarded the
breach, thus left exposed by the" re
treat of Justiniani, the Turks per
ceiving a door of the palace opfen, by
which the Greeks made their sal
lies with security, (it being under
ground,) fifty janizaries rushed in,
and mounting the w'alls, cut those
who defended them to pieces; after
which the enemy found no difficulty.
Hasson, a janizary of huge stature,
was the first who ascended the walls
amid the confusion of this fatal event;
he was followed by all the assailants;
and the Greeks Hfcre driven from
them, or burled under overwhelming
multitudes. Acflid these multitudes,
the Emperor, who accomplished all
the duties of a general and a soldidr;
standing in the breach with his sw ord
and buckler in his hand; was heard td
utter these mournful words;—“Is
there no Christian, left alive, td strike
off ray head?” To prevent lus fall
ing alive into the hands of hitr ene
mies, he laid aside his gilded arms,
and fell amid tbe tumult, unknown
and unnoticed, his body being buried
under a mountain of the slab). Dr;
Walsh, when view mg the Spot, ob
serves; “the breaches which remain
in the wall for a considerable extent,
near this gate, and which the Turks
have never yet repaired, attest the
vigorous resistance irtade, and the ut
ter hopelessness of any further effort
to stop the torrent of barbaritfrfs that
poured in through them.” The bo
dy of Constantine was found in one of
them, where he had placed himself
as the last but ineffectual barrier;
and I magfiificient tree (the Cyprus;
turpentine) is now' growing out of it,
to mark, as Clarke says, “the sa
cred spot where the last of tire Paltc-
ologifcll.”—(Ipham's History.
The newspaper of England, 1 believe,
are about 3(K). In the United States
the first published was in 1604.
They for some years increased very
slowly. 9 in J765, 37 in 1760, 358in
1810. Being free from duty, they
are by no means expensive; the week
ly ono from #1 50 or 6s. 9d. per an
num to 11s. 3d.; daily papers frotr
$6 to $8, or 26s. to 36s. per anne. •
They are written, as may be suppose
in various styles; on one subject only ;
Ore they alike, and that one is ,nation
al vanity,’ and full enough they are of
it. Whcu riding this great horse,
they are not over scrupulous about
truth. Some are exceedingly vulgar,
and most abusive and violent, as par
ty tools There being no stamp duty,
advertisements are very cheap, which
it may be supposed induces every
body to advertise from a “handsome
negro for sale,” to a “few dozens of
Day and Martin’s Blacking.'” One
luxury is plentyful Infer!!,' and in' all (tie
large towns and on board of steam
boats; ice of the purest kind, as clear
as crystal, and given by the platefuls.
Surely ihere can be no necessity for
the expense incurred in England for
this luxury. The attendance of ser
vants is not good, particularly on Sun
days, when the greater part are al
lowed to absent themselves. The
paucity of chambermaids is remarka
ble; however none of the servants ex
pect remuneration except “Boots,”
unless, as is some times the case, one
of them attaches himself in a manner
to you. There is generally, next the
barrooms, a washing sink, a great, lux
ury in summer; but the towels
in common, and a comb ami ban-brush
hanging by string or chains from the
wall, are repugnant to English ideas.
Individuality is by no means studied,
and there is no improbability in the
story, that a person w ho w as prevent
ed using a gentleman’s toolh-bru&h in
a steam boat should exclaim, “well,
1 guess, 1 calculated it belonged to
the boat.” Tho bed rooms are gener
ally very small and very naked of fur
niture; the beds, in proportion tb the
rooms little larger than ship births,
and rarely burthened with curtains to
them or the windows; this, however,
is well enough in a country where,
life had departed—his face was under
water, and he bad ceased ito breathe l
Numerous instances have occurred,
of the 1 best swimmers being drowned,
and it is usually attributed to tbe'
cramp. J^fay it not be apbplexy, or <
vertigo, occasioned by tbe temperate
use of spirit previous to going into ,thri
wate«, thus propelling to blooditothA.
brain? If your medical readers will
explain the cause, it may save valua
ble lives, and will oblige your cansfant/
reader. J. T.
> *
THE WAY TO WEALTH:
The property acquired by the late.
Mr. Coutis, the rich banker, was the
produce of a. long life of honest iudus-^
try, and strict attention to business; in
(his, perhaps, he had few equals. On
one occasion, when a gentleman, who
had been one of his school-fellows,
came to town Miv Courts invited him
to dinner; and a large, party was as-.
sembled to do him honour. The next
day the gentleman had some buxines#,,
to tfahsacf at Mr. Coutts’s bankin/"
noticed by our contemporari
following paragraphs arc faithfully
written. • '
■ * “The newspaper system of Ameri
ca has been alluded to; in the state of
New York there jire 161 published,
arid in the United Statqs 857; of w hich
one it Indian, of thfe Cherokee nation
with windows open and a thorough
draft, the thermometer will remain
at 80 during the night. Living iu
public, by which 1 mean either at ho
tels or boarding houses, is so much
the custom, that the best situations
arc occupied by these cstabllsmcnts,
and it is easy to find society of any na
tion you wish for; this mode of living
is by uo means confined to gentle
men.”
If the writer had extended his ob
servations to the taveins of the inte
rior, he would havo found less atten
tion paid to individuality. Not on
ly the towel, but the chambers, and
not unfrequently the beds, are in
common. Half a dozen beds in a
room, and two in a bed—a soft feath
er bed, during the intense heal of the
summer, is a common occurrence.
This is usually augmented and kept up
almost to tbe boiling point by tbe
absence of all means of ventila
tion.
There has, however, been a vast
improvement in the art of tavern
keeping within the last ten years.
But to this time, seperate rooms, hair
mattresses, linen sheets and washing
materials in the chamber, are luxuries
not often to be met with.
[Philadelphia Aurora*
From tbe Journal of Humanity.
AN INQUIRY.
Mr. Editor:—A curious fact was
stated to me, recently, and I wish to
make inquiry of medical men respect
ing it, for a solution of the cause.
Men who drink very moderately of
ardent spirit, before bathing in cold
water, arc often drOtvned; and the
cause has not been understood. Is it
because tbe blood rushes to the head
in plunging into a cold bath, and apo
plexy is produced?
The following fact was related to
me by an eye-witness. A stout,
healthy, sober man, who was un ex
cellent swimmer, recently went into
tho water; but to prevent injury, as
he thought, he took a glass of brandy
“Notes of an English Traveller in
the United States,” in the course of an d water, before he plunged. At
publication at Montreal, have been (W i, e 8 , V ain with great vigorj.but
ries. The sJon liis (ace dipped; lie theq lifted it
and proceeded,’ but soon liis face in
clined again. My informant with oth
ers who were near, sfeeing him Mo
tionless upon the water, obtained,
after a little delay, a boat;and on
reaching him, found bis limbs extend
ed, in' tbe attitude of swimming, but
bouse, when tlierfe was a penny in
change due to Mr. Courts. ‘Well,*^,
said the gentleman, ‘I shall not giy^
you that,* ‘I must have it,’ said Mrj
Courts. ‘Why,’ said his astonished
friend, ‘how singular is this!’ yester
day you gave me a dinner which must
have cost 1001; and to-day you will
not give me a penny!’ ‘True,’ re
plied Mr. Courts; ‘and it is my being
rigidly correct w ith matters of busi
ness, that enabled me to grte you a
dinner.’ Her late Majesty, Queer.
Charlotte, who kept cash with Mr.
Courts, sent notice that she should
withdraw it in three days. Mr. Courts
sent an answer, presenting his Injmble
duty, and assuring her majesty ‘that to
withdraw half a million of money
from the house of Thomas Courts,,
and Co.’ three hours notice was ajj
tha( was necessary.’ It is almost,
superfluous to add, her Majesty, atyer 1
this communication from the priaii;-
pal, did not withdraw her confidence.
London Sun,
ORTHOGRAPHY.
We have seen many f specimens of
the ludicrous produced by rui*-spell-
ing, but the following genuine an
nouncement of lost sheep exceeds any
thing of the kind we ever read:—
“Lost soposed to be astrayefi out of &
fild near Crossy y Cylog of. William
Morgan 19 ships in which was t$> rams
and one blaclj you also a very remark-
nil you that hould her bed a one side
as if her nek was disjoint shoty tails
all but to or three a slit in the left
yearot urn all.”
ORIGIN OF SEALS.
The seals of deeds, thosd import's
out etiquettes which give validity and
effect to the parchment, wbre in the
beginning ciphers, cut for the use of
those who could not write their names,
or badges of cognizance to j identify
the unlettered individual, th^ proto-
types of coats of arms whjybhi were
but hieroglyhics, standing in the placo
of ciphers, such as the North Ameri
can savages still employ for the same
purpose. The plaoing both seal apd
signature to a deed is ihc consequence
of that tendency to surpfaspgp which*
is the besetting sin of lawyert.
t— ■. 4* %
A schoolmaster, while Surrounded
by bis scholars at a night school, was
one evening engaged in writing a copy,
listening at the same timo to songe
young men, apprentices, reciting «.
lesson in the testament, and was fa
voured by one of them with the follow*-
ing reading of Matt. 23, 24:—“Yo
blind guides which strain at a gale,.
apd swallow a sawmill.? “What’s
that!” cried the astonished teacher,
“hoW do you spell gats?”, “,G-u-a-t, ✓
sir.” . “Admirable! well now, sir* if
you please, spell saw-milt for us.”—
“ C-a, saw m-e-1, mill, siuc-mill.^
FEMALE SOCIETY.
He who speaks lightly of female',
society is a numskull or a knave! the
former not having senSe enough to dis-,
corn its benefits, and the latter hating
the restraint it lays on his vices.
Modem Writer.
; „ TIME TO MAURY.;
. Let a younc man wjio wishes to
live long and happy, get married at
twenty, to a young lady of eighteen.,
At these ages both sexes are most ca
pable of lasting attachment. .....
CftkkOKEE CONSTITUTION
printed, in parallel columns for salt
at this Office.