horrid scenes of torture cruelty are witnessed by whole tribes of both sexes, old and young, without any show of pity. Thousands of helpless women and children, crying for mercy, have been tomahawked, and scalped, and mangled, without mercy. But these dispositions, and the indulgence of them, unhappily are not confined to Indians. I would to God, for the honor of our country, they were. Were we to charge the Indians with indulging these ferocious dispositions, we should expose ourselves to the just retort, "Physician, heal thyself. Thou that reproachest us as implacable, unmerciful, unpitying toward white people; dost thou suffer thy warriors to indulge these same dispositions toward defenceless Indians, desolating and burning our pleasant villages, and slaughtering our shrieking wives and children ?"

Hospitality is a prominent trait in the Indian character. To the stranger, whether white or red, they are hospitable and generous, furnishing the best food and accommodations their dwellings afford; often relinquishing their own food and lodging for the refreshment and comfort of the stranger.

The women are slaves of the men, performing all the labor and drudgery of the house, of the field, and of raising their children. Those women who have families, generally stoop in their walk; their heads project forward; they are deformed by the burdens which they are constrained to bear. The man considers it a disgrace to labor, and while at home is a mere lounger.

Indian Chiefs are generally, not always, the ablest and wisest men in the nation; more frequently they are old men, and manage their Councils, and the affairs of the nation with sober dignity, great order, deliberation and decorum. They proceed slowly, but surely. Nothing is permitted to interrupt their great business after they engage in it; and when they have finished it, the Council breaks up. Special care is taken to prevent divisions in their deliberations, and in their respective nations. In conversing with individual chiefs and sections of tribes, in my late tour among them, and asking what they thought of the propositions of their Great Father, the President; their reply, in frequent instances was-"We are but part of the nation; we cannot answer. will deliver your proposal to the Chiefs in Council, who will deliberate on it, and decide, and then we will let you know our opinion." Their public speakers are generally their most elo

We

quent men, and many of them, in point of natural and forcible gesture, graceful attitude, and manly sense, not, indeed, in learning and information, would rank among the first orators in any age or country. Next to the Chiefs, are the medicine men, a species of jugglers, of whom we have given an account,* and who have usually the dominant influence in the tribe.

The Indians are shrewd observers, and quick discerners of character. They have a high sense of honor, justice, and fair dealing, and great sensibility, when advantage is taken of their weakness and ignorance, to deprive them of their property, and in other ways, to trespass on their rights. When their confidence, in this way, is once lost, it is difficult to regain it. Their distrust too, is not limited to the man who injures them, but is extended to all whom he is supposed to represent. "This white man would cheat us out of all our property. All white men would do the same. White men are all cheats." They have not our knowledge and means to make the just discrimination. This view shews again how necessary it is, that the Government, in all their transactions with Indians, should be just, faithful to fulfil all their promises to them with paternal kindness, in their uneducated, dependent state. In this way alone can they regain and secure their lost confidence ; and without their confidence and affection, we can do them very little good. This view of the Indian character, also, shews how indispensable it is to the success of any plans for the benefit of Indians, that none but men of good and exemplary character, should ever be permitted to go among them, either in the Military profession, as Agents or Traders, or in any other capacity. The reasons are so obvious, that no observations are necessary to elucidate or enforce them.

* Appendix p. 100.

+ The following pleasant Anecdote is in point, and exactly illustrates my meaning. A white man and an Indian agreed to hunt together, and to share equally the game they should take. At night it appeared, that they had only a turkey and a buzzard; the latter a bird of no value. Well, said the white man to the Indian, we are now to divide what we have taken, and if you please, I will take the turkey and you shall take the buzzard-or else you may take the buzzard, and I will take the turkey. Ah, replied the Indian, you no say turkey for poor Indian once.

There is as visible a difference of character among the different tribes, as there is in our own population; few general observations, therefore, will apply to them as a body. Whatever may have been their origin, about which there are many opinions, and none of which can be relied on as correct, they are certainly an intelligent and noble part of our race, and capable of high moral and intellectual improvement. When we consider their mode of life, the few advantages they have enjoyed for cultivating and enlarging their minds, that they have no written language, no books, on education, but in the art of war, hunting, and a few other things, and no religion other than that, which, not to use stronger expressions is very imperfect, and of little moral effect; we may well wonder that we find them in the state we have described. They are a race, who on every correct principle ought to be saved from extinction, if it be possible to save them. They are entitled to all that can be done for this purpose.

Poligamy.

Poligamy, limited principally to the Chiefs, and to the wealthy, is practiced generally among the Indians. This practice should be delicately, but effectually discountenanced, not only because it is a violation of the laws of God, but because it tends to diminish the increase, and to endanger the harmony, of families, and to render difficult and perplexing the proper government and education of children. This practice ever yields and vanishes before the light of civilization and christianity. Let in this light on the Indians, and the abolition of this practice will follow of course.

The education of Indian females and intermarriages between Indians and white people.

I connect these subjects, because, in contemplating the latter, the former should be kept in view. While Indians remain in their present state, the minds of civilized people must revolt at the idea of intermarrying with them. It is natural, and decent, that it should be so. Intermarriages, however, in the present state of the Indians, or, that which amounts to the same thing,

*

have taken place to a great extent, and this too by many men of respectable talents and standing in society. More than half the Cherokee nation, a large part of the Choctaws and Chickasaws, and I may add indeed, of all other tribes with whom the whites have had intercourse, are of mixed blood. The offspring of this intercourse, a numerous body, are of promising talents and appearance. Their complexion is nearly that of the white population. They require only education, and the enjoyment of our privileges, to make them a valuable portion of our citizens. Let this education then be given them, particularly to the female Indians.

It is essential to the success of the project of the Government, that the female character among our native tribes, be raised from its present degraded state, to its proper rank and influence. This should be a primary object with the instructors of Indians. By educating female children, they will become prepared, in turn, to educate their own children, to manage their domestic concerns with intelligence and propriety, and, in this way, they will gradually attain their proper standing and influence in society. Many examples exist, to shew that all this is practicable.† Thus edu

*Mons. Peniere, an exile from France during her revolution, a man of genius and information, who resided four years among the Indians, a careful and intelligent observer of their character, speaks thus on the subject of intermarriages. "Encourage marriages between the whites and Indians. The second generation resulting from those alliances, would be totally white and beautiful. The Indians, in general, are better shaped, and more robust, than the whites; and their birth is as pure and as noble as ours."

MS. Memoir on the civilization of the Indians.

+ The following extract from Capt. Bell's Journal of his tour to the Rocky Mountains, furnishes one example out of many others, to our purpose.

"On the 22d Sept. 1820, we halted at the house of a Cherokee Chief, by the name of Watt Webber, a half breed, His place is beautifully situated on a high bluff upon the bank of the Arkansaw river, secure from inundation, and is the great thoroughfare of travellers from the Missouri, to the country south of the Arkansaw, above the Cadrons. Webber is tall, well-formed, dresses in the costume of the whites, is affable, and of polite manners. Though he understands English, he would converse only in the Cherokee language. His wife is a large, fleshy woman, a full-blooded Indian, dressed in every particular like genteel, well dressed white women. She attends diligently herself, to all her domestic concerns, which are conducted with the strictest order and neatness. She also spins, and weaves, and has taught these arts to

cated, and the marriage institution, in its purity, introduced, the principal obstacles to intermarriage with them would be removed. Let the Indians, therefore, be taught all branches of knowledge pertaining to civilized man; then let intermarriage with them become general, and the end which the Government has in view will be completely attained. They would then be literally of one blood with us, be merged in the nation, and saved from extinction.

Society for promoting the general welfare of the Indian tribes within the United States.

I would suggest the expediency of forming a Society, with the above or a similar title to be composed of members from each of the States and Territories, and of all denominations of christians within the U. States. This Society to be placed under the patronage of the principal officers of the national Government.

The object of this Society is summarily stated in its title. It should embrace every thing which such a Society could do, that has a bearing on the improvement of the whole Indian population of our country, in all branches of useful knowledge. For these purposes it should be made their business to investigate the history, and to examine into the ancient memorials, government, religion, customs and manners of the former, but more especially of the existing tribes; to ascertain their capacity for literary, moral, and intellectual improvements-to enquire into the efforts which have hitherto been made for imparting to them the blessings of civilization and christianity, and to bring into view the results of these efforts, whether successful or otherwise; and where they

her domestics. Her black servant acted as 'our interpreter, in conversing with her husband. We dined with this family. Their table was handsomely prepared, with China plates, and corresponding furniture. The food was cooked and served up after the manner of well bred white people; and Mrs. W. did the honors of the table in a lady like manner, with ease, and grace, and dignity.

"These Cherokees lately removed from the rest of their tribe, on the east of the Mississippi, near the white settlements, where they became thus civilized; and here, the civilized part of them, are an example which will not be without good effects, to the interior indians,"