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miles up the river, succeeded by high broken hills, a wild country in which are the noted copper mines, thirty-two miles* from the Lake. The large mass of native copper, is on the west bank of the river, at the water's edge, at the foot of an elevated bank, embedded in a hard rock, estimated to weigh about five tons, of which the rock is much the largest part. The quantity of metallic copper is estimated by Mr. Schoolcraft, at two thousand two hundred pounds.

Fond du lac river empties into Lake Superior from the southwest, and is the most considerable water communication between Lake Superior and the Mississippi.

Pictured Rocks, (Great Rocks, Portaile,) on the south shore of Lake Superior, form one of the most commanding objects of national scenery. They are an unbroken wall, rising perpendicularly from the Lake, to the height of three hundred feet, exhibiting to the eye of the passing traveller, a fanciful and very grotesque appearance, a spectacle as tremendous as the imagination can conceive.

The south shore of Lake Superior, to speak generally, presents few enticements to the agriculturalist. A large part of the shore is rocky; and the few alluvial portions of it, are of a sandy, light texture. With an elevation of seven hundred feet above the ocean, and drawing its waters from territories north of the 44th degree of N. latitude, Lake Superior cannot enjoy a climate favorable to vegetable productions. The average heat of June, 1820, was 69°. The weather, in the summer months, is subject to sudden transitions. Forest trees on the shores of the Lake, are chiefly of the fir kind, mixed with pine and white birch, of the bark of which the Indians make their canoes."

Governor Cass's Letter.

From Gov. Cass's letter to the Secretary of War, I extract, with his leave, the following description of this part of our country, over which he travelled.

* Messrs. Morrison and Holliday say,

twenty-four miles.

"The first part of the south shore of Lake Superior, going west, is moderately elevated; the next hilly, rising frequently into mountains; the last, flat, sandy beach.

Montreal river communicates with the Chippawa of the Mississippi. The connexion is difficult, interrupted by long and precarious portages, which will not admit of improvement, but at an inadmissible expense. From the mouth of this river to its source, there are forty-five miles of portage.

Mauvais river, (probably another name for Burnt river) and Brule river, both communicate, with difficulty, with the St. Croix of the Mississippi.

St. Louis river, is boatable twenty-five miles without obstruction. At this distance is an establishment of the American south west Fur Company. Here commences the Grand Portage of six miles, across the spurs of the Porcupine ridge of mountains. It has another portage of one and a half miles, and a continued succession of Rapids, called Grand Rapids, for nine miles, impassable by boats. From this to the head of Savannah river, a small branch of the St. Louis, the navigation is uninterrupted, and after passing four miles, the descent is easy into Lake Au Sable, whose outlet is within two miles of the Mississippi. Till 1816, this was the principal establishment of the British north west Company, on these waters; and since that period, has been occupied for the same purpose, by the American south west Fur Company."

Gov. Cass penetrated this inhospitable, unexplored region, to the head of the navigable waters of the Mississippi, which he thus describes.

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Upper Red Cedar Lake, three hundred and fifty miles above Lac-au-Sable, is considered as the head of the navigation of the Mississippi. Between these two Lakes, the country is almost uninhabitable. Immediately above Lac-au-Sable, the country is somewhat elevated, and interspersed with pine woods; beyond is level, wet prairie. The sources of the Mississippi, are amidst swamps and lakes, whose geographical character indicates a recent formation, and which, though the highest table land of this part of the continent, is yet a dead level, presenting to the eye a succession of dreary, uninteresting objects, interminable marshes, numerous ponds, and a few low, naked, sterile plains, with a small

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stream, not exceeding sixty feet wide, in a very crooked channel —these are all the objects to reward the traveller for all his privations and toils, necessarily endured, in reaching this spot. The view, on all sides, is monotonous and dreary. In the whole territory, scarcely a living being is to be seen. One here seems to be removed far away from civilized life.”

Gov. Cass descended the Mississippi, from its source, in Upper Red Cedar Lake, nine hundred and fifty miles, to the mouth of St. Peters' river, and describes this part of his rout as follows.

"Lac-au-Sable is six hundred miles above the mouth of St. Peters' river. Between these places, for two hundred miles below the former, there are in the Mississippi, no obstacles to navigation. The land along the river is of a better quality than above; the bottoms are more numerous, and the timber indicates a stronger and more productive soil. But near this point, as you descend the river, commence the Great Rapids of the Mississippi, more than two hundred miles in length. The river rolls over a rocky bed, creating a succession of Rapids, all of them difficult, and some of them dangerous. Here the country begins to open, and the immense plains, in which the herds of Buffalo range, approach the river. These plains continue to the Falls of St. Anthony, elevated fifty or sixty feet above the water of the river. They are destitute of timber, and present to the eye a flat, uniform surface, bounded, at the distance of eight or ten miles, by high ground.

"The title of this land is in dispute between the Chippawa and Sieux Indians, and their long and still continued hostilities, have prevented either party from destroying the game, in the improvident, wasteful manner, too common among Indians.*"

Interview with two Chippawa Chiefs.

I close my description of this part of our country with an account of an interview with two Chippawa Chiefs from Lake Flambeau, who were among the numerous visitants at Mackinaw. These

* The whole distance travelled by Gov. Cass and his company, from 24th May to 24th Sept. 1820, was upwards of 4,200 miles. The journey was performed without a single untoward occurrence.

Chiefs, named Kishkimmon, King Fisher, or Snow shoe, an old man, and Shewabshes, the Big Marten, middle aged, reside, the former on the west side of the Lake, two days journey from Lake Superior, in a village of thirty souls; the other one hundred miles distant, on the east part of the Lake, in a village of fifty souls, four days journey from Lake Superior. This is the country of the wild rice, which is here gathered in October. The animals, &c. of this country are the marten, deer, bear, beaver-also partridges, and other wild fowl. On the west side of the Lake, where the wild rice is less plenty, the women raise a little corn. At the village on the east side, a fine country for corn formerly, they now raise none, “because they can get no seed, and rice is plenty."

From questions put to these chiefs, and their answers, I ascertained, that they believe in, and worship God, or the Great Spirit; that they expect, after death, to go to heaven, though they know little about it, only that it is a place of happiness far beyond what they here enjoy. They expressed desire to know more about it. I shewed them a Bible, and said to them, "this book, if you could read it, or have it read and interpreted to you, would give you all the knowledge of God, of your duty to him, of heaven and a future state, which you could desire." They believe that liars and thieves do not go to the good, but to the evil spirit, who assists them to do evil.

I gave them a summary account of the creation of the world, and of man, of his fall, and of the mission, life, and death of Jesus Christ, and of his second coming to judge the world. They listened with readiness and apparent interest. I judged that they would readily hear the Gospel, were it preached to them. Their villages being small, distant from each other, and lonely, I asked them, whether, if they had the opportunity, they would be willing to remove with others of their scattered tribe, to some tract of good land, where they might have houses, farms, oxen, cows, horses, sheep, and cultivate the earth; have schools tor their children, and ministers to teach them religion; to have their women taught to knit, sew, spin and weave; to make butter and cheese, and live like the white people. They readily answered, Yes, we should like it." I told them what was doing among the

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Cherokees, Choctaws and Osages; and informed them of the design of the Government concerning the Indians, generally, and of my visit to them. They listened with much apparent interest, expressed great satisfaction in what they had heard, and promised, at my request, to tell their brethren what I had told them, and to ask them what they thought of it, and to get one of the Traders to write me the result.

I asked them if they were happy. They answered faintly, "yes, except when the Traders leave us, then we feel lonely." Their countenances, which were mild, nothing of ferocity in them, indicated that they were not happy; there was in them apparent dejection and sadness. And this I think true, as a general observation, not without exceptions, concerning the Indians with whom I had intercourse. Their situation seems peculiarly to call for our sympathy; and I have no doubt they would gratefully receive the friendly hand that should be extended to afford them comfort, and raise them from their present "low estate." This observation applies more particularly to those remnants of tribes, who are insulated among the white settlements, or scattered in small villages in the wilderness on our borders.

The Chippawas and Ottawas, who possess and inhabit the country we have been describing, in many parts of it, hold their lands in common, hunt together, intermarry, understand each the language of the other, there being but little difference between their languages, and may be considered, as to all purposes and measures relating to their civilization, as one people.

Advancing to the southern parts of the North West Territory, we come to the tribes mentioned below.

Major Irvin's Communication.

The following miscellaneous information concerning the Menomines, Winebagoes, and the neighboring tribes, their territories, &c. was obligingly communicated in writing by Major Irvin, Indian Factor at Green Bay. I give it in his own words.

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