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more. Two centuries ago, the smoke
el their wig wains ami the ures oi inei
councils rose m every valley iioiu
Hudson s Bay to ihe farthest Fiorina,
from tin* Ocean to ike Mississippi and
the Lukes. The shouts ol victory and
the war-dance, rung through the mouii-
tai.is and the glades. The lithe ar
row and uie deadly tomahawk whis
tled through the lorest; and the hun
ter s trace and the dark encampment
slariied the wild beasts in their lairs.
The warriors stood forth in their glo
ry. The young listened to the songs
of oilier days. The mothers played
with their infants, and gazed on the
see.le with warm hopes of (lie future.
T ie aged sat down; but they wept
n They should soon be at rest in
1 * r regions, where the Great Spir
it dwelt, in a home prepared lor the
brave beyond the skies. Braver men
never lived; truer men never drew a
bow. They had courage, and forti
tude, anti sngat ity, and perseverance,
beyond uioaj. of the human race! i hey
shrunk from no dangors, and they leaf
ed no hardships.
“If they had the vices of savage life,
they had the \irtuts also. They
were true to their homes. It they
forgave no injury, neither did they ior-
get kindness, if their vengeance w as
terrible, their fidelity and generosity
was unconquerwhle also. Their love,
like their hate, stopped not on lies
side of the grave, but where are the
villages, and warriors, and youth';—;
The sachems and the tribes' The
hunters aiul their families'? They
have perished. They are consumed.
The wasting pestilence lias not alone
done the miglny work. No—nor fam
ine, nor war. There has been a migh
tier power, a moral canker, which
hath eaten into their heart-cores—a
plague which the touch ot the white
man communicated—a poison which
betrays them into a fingering ruin.—
The w inds of the Atlantic fan not a
single region which they may notv call
their own. Already the last feeble
remnants of the race are preparing
for their journey beyond the Mississip
pi. I see them leave thei miserable
homes, the aged, the helpless, the wo-
men, and the warriors, ••few' and faint,
yet fearless still.” The ashes are
eoid on their native hearths. The
smoke no longer curls round their low
cabins. They move with a slow un
steady step. .The white man is upon
their heels, for terror or despatch;
’jut they heed him not. They turn
to take a Inst look of their deserted
villages- They east a last glance up
on the graves of their fathers. 1 hey
shed no tears; they utter no cries;
they heave no groans. There is some
thing in then* hearts which passeth
speech. There is something in their
looks, not of vengeance or submission;
but of hard necessity, which stifles
both; which elioaks all utterance;
which hath no aim or method. It ia
courage absorbed in despair. . They
linger but for a moment. Their look
is rimvard. They have passed the fa
tal stream. It shall never he repass
ed by them—no, never. Vet there
lies not between us and them an im
passable gulf. They know and feel
that there is for them still one remove
farther, not distant, nor unseen. It is
the general burial ground of their
race.
“Reason as we may, it is impossi
ble not to read in such a fate, much
that we know not how to interpret;
much of provocation to cruel deeds
and deep, resentments; much apology
for wrong 1 and perfidy; much of pity,
mingled With indignation; much ..of
doubt and misgiving as to the past;
much of painful recollection; much of
dark foreboding.”
A late number of the National In
telligencer contains an aec ount of an
interview of the Winnebago Chiefs
with the President of the United
States. The deputation preceded by
an interpreter, in full feather and paint,
filed into the apartment, and stalking
One by one to the President, grasped
his hand with rude cordiality. Noth
ing daunted by his presence, or the
gaze of his attendants, they next
moved in silence to seats assigned
them.
Refreshments were passed round;
and it was somewhat whimsical to see
Mad eira sipped from cut glass by
these stern featured visiters, who
were accustomed to lap water from
the funning brook, or quaff whiskey
from the horn of a slaughtered elk;
and to observe with what avidity they
fed on macaroon and other choice con-
ftectionary, whose tastes had seldom
been better regaled than with the
recivi.ig entrails ol ueurs aiul otters.
Business succeeded. An old duel
slept lorlli into the centre of the room,
with a long uncouth pine in Ins hand,
which, alter a briet ceremonial not
precisely intelligible, tie brought near
tlie President and waved over his
head. It was Lite t aluiuet of peace.
Holding U then before him, and point
ing to it, he began a harangue m stow
guttural tones, accompanied w ith
mu li earnest gesture. He spoke in
s.iort paragraphs, an Indian of half-
nluod reporting them ill t rench, and a
second interpreter conveying the En
glish:
“Father: 1 am gladito see jmu. I
hold out this pipe,. and 1 late your
Hand, in friendship.
“Father: A cloud has bten be
tween us. It was thick and black. I
thought often it would never be re
moved. llut 1 now see your face.—
ll looks upon uie pleasantly.
“Falhe.*, a long way streteled be
tween us. There were those who
told me it was blocked up. They
said the Red men could not pals it.—
I attempted it. it is like tilt plain
path which conducts to the Great
spirit.
• Father, when I came in sight of
your home, it looked white and beau-
tiiul. My heart rejoiced. % I thought
now 1 should talk with you.*
“Father, the Great Spirit give to
his children, the VVinnebagoes, ayleas-
ant plant. It is good to smoke, l save
it here.”—touching with his finger the
bowl of the pipe.—1 give it you in
peace.
“Father, I am as old as you. liy
heart is true. They told me yjui
heart was black. It is not so. Vc
salute in friendship.
“Father, 1 s, y no more. My tjdk
is little. I am a chief among my iio-
ple. But one is heie .who will spiak
to yon soon, and tell you belter our
thoughts.”
The address being ended, a younf,
VY innebago advanced in obedience t|
a signal from the old warrior, am
lighted the pipe with lire struck tiop
a flint. The pipe w as then presenlm
to the President, the chief still hold
ing Us stem. He inhaled a few pui|s
and as the smoke curled gently up
wards, the savage group gazed vvi/ti
intentness and uttered a low munnur
of satisfaction. The chief then bald
ed the Calumet to all the spectators
in order, and lasiiy to each of his tribe.
It was next made over in form to the
President to he retained, who, re
questing the Indian toiay one hand up
on it again, while he pledged him with
the other, proceeded to dictate to the
interpreters his reply.
“ Say to this Chief, I rejoice to see
him. He and his brethren are wel
come to me and my children.
“Tell him, it has grieved me that a
cloud has been between us; hut I am
pleased equally with him that it has
been dissipated. It is dispersed like
the fumes of the pipe we have sinok-
*ed. May it never close down upon
us more!
“Sav-I am glad that he and his com
panions meet me on this propitious
day. Bid him look to the face of the
heavens. No cloud is there. The
sun shines brightly upon us. The
great Spirit looks down and smiles up
on our meeting.
“Say—I hope the same sun will
light his path in peace to the abodes
of his fathers. When he is gone, 1
will look upon this pipe with pleasure;
and should 1 hoar ever after that in
place of pacific, any hostile disposi
tions break forth among his nation to
wards my brethren . and children, I
will say it. is impossible. For I have
the word of a Winnebago, which mast
be true, that bis people pledge their
amity with mine, and left this pipe in
token of sincerity.
“Say—I yesterday beheld with sat
isfaction the sports of himself and his
associates, as they practised their an
cient w ar dance upon the green be
neath my windows But a higher
pleasure I now experience—and one
the memory of which will endure—in
cordially greeting him within these
.vails, and reciprocating assurances of
plighted concord.”
Each of these periods, as soon as in
terpreted, drew forth a hoarse plaudit
from the savage auditors. Once, it
swelled to a deafening howl, in ac
knowledgement of the compliment
paid to the inviolate integrity of their
word.
But I weary your patience, Gen
tlemen. and am admonished, by the
length of this communication not to in
trench deeper upon your columns. We
will drop tile curtain, therefore for
.lie present, & dismiss what remains
ul the spectacle to another opportunity.
A Looker on in Washington.
Cherokee Improvements.—'1 he act
ing Governor of this Territory, we
undo stand, has recently received in
structions from the becretary of YY ar
relative to the disposition to be made
of the tenements and improvements
of' the ClicrokeCs, in the tract ol
country recently ceded to the United
States, which will cause considera
ble disappointment to many persons
who have made arrangements ter
occupying'a number ol’them, as soon
as they shall be vacated by the re
moval of the Cherokees. Those in
structions, we are informed, direct,
that improvements which shall be ap
praised, agreeably to the treaty, at
£>2U0, or upw ards, shall be rented or
leased out from year to year, until
the lands shall be surveyed and sold
by government. This disposition ot
the improvements, we are inclined to
believe, will not be much liked, by
several persons, who have been at
considerable expense to purchase the
possession of some of the most valua
file of them from the Indians, and who
will now fee compelled to pay an ad
ditional sura to the government, or re
linquish what they have already paid
to the Indians. To obviate all diffi
culties on this score, we hope the
government will lose no.time in sur
veying and bringing these lands into
market, and thereby afford an oppor
tunity to all who are really desirious
of securing the improvements made
by the Cherokees, of obtaining a legal
possession of and title to them.
Jlrk. Gaz.
TALK.
The indian chief. Red Jacket, than
whom Amenca cannot boast of a more
inted native genius, delivered a talk
o the citizens of Canandaigua, through
his interpreter, Capt. Johnson, last
Friday evening. We understand it
was nobly done for a head whitened
with (he frosts of more than eighty toin-
lers. — Canandaigua Phoenix.
~NEW F.CHOTA:
tVISDNESDAV, JAN. 31, 1*29.
Some of our friends who exchange papers
with us have lately informed us that they
do not receive the Phoenix. We th.nk it
due to such, and to ourselves, to say that)
there has been heretofore a remissness
;n this matter, but that proper attention
will iufuturc he paid to those who favor
us with their valuable papers.
Mr. William Horn has been compelled
to close his School for want of sufficient
n umber of scholars. He has taught tw®
months. On last Friday evening we at
tended and heard a number of his Scholars
exercised in parsing, and repeating the
English Grammar, who had received in
struction, according to anew plan, in the
short time of twenty four cveninga. For
the time they were engaged in learning it,
we thought some of them did remarkably
well. For expedition,we consider Mr.
Horn’s plan superior to the common meth
od. Mr. Horn intends to go from here to
Huntsville, Alabama. We recommend
hnn as a man of steady and moral habits.
“Vigil” might reasonably entertain one
cheering consideration, and that is, the
gradual diminution of such practices as
described by him in his communication.—
If lie had visited this Nation thirty years a-
go, and witnessed the practices oftlie in
habitants in their full extent, his tears
would have (lowed more freely, and the
consideration of their wretchedness would
have been without a redeeming thought.--
At that period the Cherokees resided in
villages, in each of which was a “Town-
house, the head quarter of frivolity.
Here were assembled almost every night
(we are told, we speak from hearsay 7 for we
were horn under an era of reformation,)
men and women, old and young, to dance
(heir bear dance, buffalo dance, eagle dance,
green-corn dance &.e. &.c. Stc. and when the
lay appeared, instead of going to their
farms, and labouring for the support of
their families, the young and middle aged
oftlie males were seen to leave their hous
es, their faces fantastically painted, and
(heir heads decorated with feathers, and
step oil with a merry whoop, which indicat
ed that they were real men nh«)ficeds, to
a ball play, or a meeting of similar nature.
Such in a word was the life of a Cherokee
in those days during spring &, summer sea
sons. In the fall and winter seasons they
were gone to follow the chase, which occu
pation enabled them to purchase of the
traders a few article* of clothing, sufficient
to last perhaps until the next hunting time.,
From the soil they derived a scanty supply
ol corn,barely enough to furnish them with
gah-no-ha-nah L* z »' e >] an( l this vvas
obtained by the labor of women and grey
headed men, for custom would have it that
it was disgraceful lor a young man to be
seen with a hoe in his hand, except on par
ticular occasions.
In those days of ignorance and heathen
ism, prejudices against the customs of the
whites were inveterate, so much so that
white men, who came among the Chero
kees, had to throw away their costume and
adopt the leggings. In a moral and intel
lectual point of view the scerf^ry was dark
•&. gloomy, nevertheless it has not been im
penetrable. The introduction oflight and
.intelligence has struck a mortal blow to the
superstitious practices of the Cherokees
and by the aid of fhal light, a new order ol
things is introduced, and it is to be hoped
will now eradicate the vestiges of older
days.
A circumstance lately happened in Chic-
kaniauga District, a full account of which
is related in a Cherokee letter published in
another part of our paper. It appears tha.
three persons went in quest of squirrels
with bows and arrow s. . While they were
in pursuit of one, a boy of about nine years
of age was accidently shot. The arrow,
after being shot into the air, in its de
scent struck the top of his head, and pene
trated his scull three inches. The boy sui-
viven but three days and died. Arrows
are niw very seldom used by the Chero
kees. It is not recollected that a similar
accident ever happened when they were
more common.
A woman in High Tower was a few
weeks since dread ully burnt,—Her
clothes cought tire while in a state ef in
toxication and the greater part of them
were consumed before they could be ex
tinguished. Her recovery w as considered
hopeless. Another victim to intemper
ance.
About the same time, and in the same
neighboihood, an attempt w as made, by
one Joseph Crittentou to kill another per
son while riding in the night, side liy side.
He lired his gun and wounded the unsus
pecting person in the arm.
MIrABiLb. diGTUH!
On an eveiling not tong suue, I set
out, and utter riding a lew mites, 1
arrived at a place, s.lected tor an
Indian dance. Tins was not only a
new, but a curious scene to uie, as it
was the iirsl i nad seen. At uiy ar
rival, 1 saw a number of the liatives of
both sexes, gathered arrouud two
large tires, which they had built a few
paces from the dancing ground. It w 7 as i
now not long till one of an eideriy ap
pearance, gave a sbort address to tbe
surrounding company; the intention
of which 1 could not easily guess; but
having an interpreter <1 hand, 1 learnt
that it vvas the manager giving the
orders of procedure.
Immediately after which, a lighted
torch was placed in the eeutre ot the
dancing ground, & aroused oy this they
all followed their leader, singing and
dancing, as they marched in a kind of
circus.
They also had a peculiar kind of
music, made by a parcel of small
gravels being put into some tarrapin
sheila, which some of the females wore
on their legs. These, it may be re
lied upon, made no little racket. I
could not, However, help noticing a
parcel of kegs which were collected
together not far from one of the fires,
over which a watchman was placed
to prohibit them from intoxication, un
til after the dance; when I expected
there would be a general weh'ome
to the kegs. But during the little
while I stayed', 1 vvas no little surpris
ed to see so much order preserved-
Another circumstance, however, e-
qually drew my attention, which was
a number of the aged, who were un
able to partake in the dance, sitting
round, and looking on, with as much
concern, ns if it had been a matter of
the utmost importance. That apart
of the human family, who are equally
interested in the blood of a Saviour,
should be given to a savage life, whilst
another is enjoying the comforts of re
ligion and the pleasures of refinement,
is. to a reflecting uaind, a matter of no
small interest. Is it not a pity, that so
many may yet be found, in this enlight
ened day, & that too in a land of boast
ed liberty, who have not even been
taught the first principlesof morality?
“Othatmy head were waters andmine
eyes a fountain of tears, that I might
weep day and night,” for the savage
children of the forest!
But perhaps it may ho asked, why I
I should be found at a place of thi*
description? To this I would ans.ver,
that it was, not mere curiosity, nor
was it to partake of their vices; but,
a desire to obtain a knowledge of the
manners and customs, of those unfor
tunate children of nature. For what
purpose did the traveller visft the fa
mous idol of Juggernaut, and that to*
when thousands of pilgrims were of
fering up their sacrifices. Was it t*
partake of their crimes by paying ad
orations to that idol also? or was it t*
obtain some useful information, by
which future generations might h«
profited? .1 presume the latter was
his chief object.
VIGIL.
“MISSISSIPPI GUARDS” AN*
“YVORM FLIES.”
Extract of a letter to the Editor of the Sat
urday Evening Post, dated Columbus,.
(Miss.) Nov. 16, 1828.
in looking over the pages of the last
No. of the Evening Post, (Oct. 25,)
iny attention was particularly arrest
ed by a piece headed “Mississipi
Guards.” As the subject of it is l*
me, as well a? a number of my f’tllow-
citizens, entirely novel, pains have
been taken to make particular enqui
ry on tbe subject, but can learn noth
ing of this famous fly. I have resided
nearly seven years in this State, and
the greater of the time in Columbus,
which town is situated upon a sand
knowl—such an one as these “guards’*
are said to select for their stations—
and have, until now, been a stranger
to the existence of such insects. I can
assure you that, for the last yea is men
tioned, they must either shifted quart
ers or have been entirely negligent of
their duty. If the first,- it could not-
have been for want ot employment,
for m no state are to be found more of
that troublesome insect (the horse fly,
in all iis va iois species,) than here,.
They particularly abound in the Choc
taw nation of Indians, adjoining us.-t
We have, however, been plagued du
ring tbe Iasi summer, aud even to tl)»
present time, though several severe
frosts have intervened, with a fly that \
seems to look upon the horse fly „
only as its pioneer, to commence a
work for the other to complete. 1
The fly alluded to is, perhaps, twice
the size ofa common house fly—noth
ing remarkable m its appearance—its
body of a greyish cast from the neck
or joint of the head, to a little be
yond the wings—say to where the bo
dy divides—the after part is of a
changeable bluish green, and covered
with very fine black furze; its legs are
also so covered. Upon opening one
one of them, I found it tilled with lit
tle worms or mitts: through them it
causes destruction in many instances
among the cattle, aud several in
stances are known in this vicinity of
iheir depositing them in the humair
species. From observation and infor
mation, this (ly appears at hand \v,he»
the horse fly draws his proboscis from
the horse, cow, or whatever it attacks,
and that moment its follower darts up
on the fresh blood and deposits its
worms, and in Itfss than forty-eight
hours, millions apparently can be dis
covered by the naked eye in the-
wound—if let alone they destroy the
animal. It is worthy of remark that
these insects do not interfere with any
other than a fresh wound, and one that'
is merely sufficient to bring the blood
to the surface invites their attention.
Numbers of cows, hogs, and sheep,
have been destroyed by them, in spit©
of exertions used to prevent the in
crease of the worm. Calomel, mix
ed with sugar, has been found to b©
the most effectual experiment upon
them. Though they wallow sometime
in this before it purges them from the
wound. I have been unable to .obtain
any satisfactory information relative
to the origin of this worm fly, as it is
now called, but have been informed
they arc found in South America in
large quantities; and a friend who has
lately returned from the province of
Texas, states that they have, for a
year or two, been very troublesome
there. Is there not a probability that
as droves of mules come from those
parts, that those troublesome insects
may have followed them? I should b©
pleased,if, through the channel ofyour
usefijl paper, some information might
be obtained on this subject.—I am in*
dined to think that the said fly has
confined itself pretty much to the
south, ot least I have heard from no
other quarter of their depredations.
Once more to the “Guards.” I
should he pleased if they would return
to us, for during their season there
is much for them to do.
You will excuse my troubling you;
a desire to obtain useful informati*©