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Digital file copyright by Cornell University
Library 1994.JOURNALS OF
HENRY A. S. DEARBORN
A RECORD OF COUNCILS WITH THE SENECA AND
TUSCARORA INDIANS AT BUFFALO AND
CATTARAUGUS IN THE YEARS
1838 AND 1839.
NOW FIRST PUBLISHED
33JOURNALS OF
HENRY A. S. DEARBORN
INTRODUCTION.
Henry A. S. Dearborn, the author of the following journals, was
the son of Major-General Henry Dearborn of Revolutionary fame,
who also served with distinction in the War of 1812; it was he who
captured York, now Toronto, in the spring of 1813, and Fort George
on the Niagara. His career, as a soldier and as Secretary of War, is
so well known to students of American history, and so fully set forth
in many books, that further details here would be superfluous. The
son, Henry Alexander Scamwell Dearborn, is also far from unknown
in his country's annals. Bom at Exeter, N. H., March 3, 1783, he
graduated from William and Mary College in 1803, studied law un-
der William Wirt, and had practiced that profession for some years
when, in 1812, he succeeded his father as Collector of the Port of
Boston, and as brigadier-general of militia commanding the defences
of the harbor. He was with his father for a time on the Niagara
frontier during the War of 1812; interesting allusions to those
visits will be found in the journals which follow. In 1829 President
Jackson removed him from the Boston collectorship. In the same
year he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives;
he was a member of the Governor's Council in 1830, and of the State
Senate in 1831, in which year he was elected to Congress, serving as
a Representative from Massachusetts until March, 1833. He was
adjutant-general of Massachusetts, 1835-1843, when he was dismissed
from ofhce for having lent the State arms, during the Governor's
absence, to the government of Rhode Island, the Dorr Rebellion
being then in progress. In the years that followed Gen. Dearborn
held many civic and other public of&ces. He was one of the origina-
3586
THE DEARBORN /OURN^EY.
tors of the plan for building Bunker Hill monument; was superin-
tendent of a state survey for a canal from Boston to the Hudson
River, and when that project was killed by the construction of the
Great Western Railroad, he turned his attention to railroad interests,
and was among the first to advocate the tunneling of Hoosac moun-
tain. He was one of the originators of the plan for laying out Mount
Auburn and Forest Hills cemeteries—the latter at his home city of
Roxbury, Mass., of which he was mayor from 1847 till his death,
July 29, 1851.
Gen. Dearborn was a voluminous writer, and although he pub-
lished a number of works, he left behind several others in manu-
script, including a "Life of Jesus Christ/' "Life of Commodore
Bainbridge," "Life of W. R. Lee, U. S. A.," a treatise on Grecian
architecture, and other studies. His published works include:
"Commerce of the Black Sea," with charts (3 vols., 1819) ; "History
of Navigation and Naval Architecture" (2 vols.) ; "Defense of
General Dearborn against the Attacks of General Hull"; "Internal
Improvements and Commerce of the West," a series of letters,
mostly written from Buffalo in the summer and fall of 1838 (Boston,
1839) ; and, besides numerous addresses and pamphlets, a "Sketch
of the Life of the Apostle Eliot" (Roxbury, 1850) ; it was Gen.
Dearborn who was chiefly instrumental in raising the monument to
this devoted missionary to the Indians.
In the summer of 1838 Gen. Dearborn came to Buffalo as the
Superintendent of Massachusetts—such was his official title—to be
present at negotiations with the Seneca and Tuscarora Indians, hav-
ing in view their removal from their Western New York reserva-
tions to lands in Kansas. The history of that transaction is too long
and involved to set forth fully, here; and indeed such a recital is un-
necessary, for the main facts are matter of abundant record; per-
haps most clearly and concisely presented in the "Report of the
Special Committee appointed by the Assembly of 1888 to investigate
the Indian Problem of the State." (Albany, 1889.) The treaty at
Buffalo Creek, Jan. 15, 1838, provided among other things for the
conveyance by the Senecas to Ogden & Fellows, of the entire Buffalo
Creek, Tonawanda, Cattaraugus and Alleghany reservations, for
$202,000. The Tuscaroras were to receive $3,000, and the President
was to sell the land which they owned in fee, to Ogden & Fellows,
as owners of the "preemptive right." The Senate made many
amendments before ratifying this treaty, and added the important
provision that it should be of no binding effect until it as amended
should "be submitted and fully and fairly explained by a commis-
sioner of the United States to each of such tribes or bands, separatelyTHE	7OUEV.4ES.
37
assembled in council, and they have given their full and voluntary
assent thereto." It was this amended treaty that was submitted to
the Senecas in council in August, 1838. The United States commis-
sioner was Ransom H. Gillett. Massachusetts was interested because
of that curious and troublesome agreement between that common-
wealth and New York, in 1786, by which Massachusetts ceded to
New York the "government, sovereignty and jurisdiction" over the
disputed territory which is now Western New York, and New York
ceded to Massachusetts "the right of preemption of the soil of the
native Indians and all other estate except of sovereignty and juris-
diction." It was this agreement which made Massachusetts a party
to all negotiations with the Western New York Indians.
Commissioner Gillett, with Gen. Dearborn in behalf of Massachu-
setts, submitted the amended treaty to the Senecas, and it is Gen.
Dearborn's journal of the events that then ensued, which in the fol-
lowing pages is now for the first time published. The effort was to
obtain the signatures of a majority of the chiefs. Sixteen signed in
council, and after the adjournment 15 more signed in different
places; the irregularity of the proceedings giving rise to charges of
bribery. In October Gen. Dearborn returned to Massachusetts, but
was at once sent back to Buffalo to procure more signatures, enough
to constitute a majority, though what that number should be was
not easy to determine. The council did not reconvene, but the signa-
tures of ten more chiefs were secured, 41 in all, the total number of
chiefs being placed by the commissioner in his report at 81. Presi-
dent Van Buren sent the treaty to the Senate in January, 1840, with
the statement in his accompanying message, that he believed im-
proper means had been employed to procure the Senecas' signatures.
However, the Senate ratified it and the President proclaimed it.
Then began a new agitation, on the part of the Senecas; the
Quakers were especially active, with reports and memorials. Gov.
Everett of Massachusetts and a committee of the General Assembly
of that state, expressed the opinion that improper means had been
brought to bear to procure the assent of the Senecas to the treaty.
Finally, acting on the advice of Daniel Webster, the Society of
Friends, through the Secretary of War, the Hon. John C. Spencer,
brought about what is known as the compromise treaty of Buffalo
Creek, concluded May 20, 1842, when the Ogden Company released
and handed back to the Senecas the whole of the Alleghany reserva-
tion and the Cattaraugus reservation, and the Senecas gave up the
whole of the Buffalo Creek and Tonawanda reservations, the Ogden
Company retaining the preemptive right in both tracts then sur-
rendered by the Indians.88
THE	/O(/RAL4L6'.
There can be no doubt that improper means were used, to obtain
the assents of the Seneca chiefs, in the councils of 1838; but there is
no question as to the uprightness and sincerity of Gen. Dearborn.
As his journal repeatedly shows, he was thoroughly convinced that
the only salvation of the Indian lay in his removal to the West. The
journal graphically records the violent scenes which marked the ne-
gotiations. The council house on the Buffalo reservation was burned,
supposedly by Indians opposed to the removal. The animated de-
bates between the advocates for and against emigration, developed
into scenes of riot and violence, so that appeal was made to the
military to preserve peace. It is an important chapter in the early
history of Buffalo, the story of which has remained until now for the
most part untold. Gen. Dearborn's observations on the condition of
Buffalo in 1838, his predictions of the great city which would grow
up on the Niagara frontier, his feeling allusions to his father, and
their presence on the frontier during the War of 1812; even the
Indian traditions which he wrote down from the narration of Cone
the young Tonawanda, all combine to give interest and historic
value to the journal which he kept, but which has lain unpublished
until now.
In 1877 the State of New York purchased at a public sale a num-
ber of the manuscripts of Gen. Dearborn, including several volumes
of his correspondence, and his journals. They are now preserved in
the manuscripts department of the State Library at Albany. The
journals now made public are for the most part printed according to
the orthography of the original. A few of the crude pen sketches
which adorn the manuscript are given; others, of no historic signifi-
cance, being omitted.	F. H. S.JOURNALS OF
HENRY A. S. DEARBORN
I was appointed on the 6th of July 1838, as Superintend-
ent of Massachusetts, to attend councils of the Seneca &
Tuscarora Indians, in the State of New York, in conformity
to Articles of agreement between Massachusetts & N. York,
which were entered into at Hartford, in Connecticut on
the 16th. of Decf 1786. The conventions were to be held, to
complete a treaty, made last winter, by the U. S. for the re-
moval of all the Indians, in the state of N. York, west of the
state of Missouri, & for the sale of the reservations at Alle-
ghany, Cattaraugus, Buffalo Creek & Tonnawanda to
Ogden & Fellows,—the grantees of the preemptive right of
Massachusetts.
I kept the following journal.*
H. A. S. DEARBORN,
Hawthorn Cottage Octo ig, 1838.
MEMORANDUM OF A JOURNEY TO THE NIAGARA FRONTIER,
FOR THE PURPOSE OF NEGOCIATING TREATIES WITH
THE SENECA & TUSCARORA TRIBES OF INDIANS.
August 2. I left my house in Roxbury at half past two
for Boston & took a seat in the Rail-Road Cars for Stoning-
* Volume One of the manuscript journals here printed has for title-page the
following: "Journal of an Expedition to the Seneca and Tuscarora Indians,
made by H. A. S. Dearborn as Superintendent of Massachusetts, In the Months
of Sepr. and October. 1838." The second manuscript volume, of the same
journal continued, has for title: "Journal of a Mission to the Seneca and Tus-
carora Indians, and an Account of the Treaties held with those Tribes, in the
years 1838 and 1839, for the sale of their Lands and for their Emigration West
of the Mississippi River, by H. A. S. Dearborn, Superintendent of Massachu-
setts. Vol. II."
3940
THE DB,47?B(37?N
ton at ^2 past 3, where I arrived at half past 7, having trav-
eled 78 miles in four hours. The Steam Boat being ready
we pushed off immediately for New York & reached that
city at seven in the morning.
August 3. Left New York in a steamboat for Albany
at half past seven & arrived at seven in the evening. In
passing up the Hudson several portions of the Croton Aque-
duct, for supplying the city of New York with water, were
visible, where the men were engaged in the construction of
that magnificent & truly Roman work. Four thousand
laborers, I was informed, were engaged in the excavations &
masonry.
August 4. I met Thomas Ludlow Ogden Esq. of New
York, one of the grantees of the preemptive right to the
lands of the Seneca & Tuscarora tribes of Indians, which
belonged to Massachusetts, & we left Albany in the railroad
cars for Utica 9 o'clock & arrived there at 3 in the afternoon,
where we dined. The route was very interesting & beauti-
ful. On the opposite bank of the Mohawk river runs the
Erie Canal, & between the railroad & the left bank of the
river is the turnpike road, thus presenting at one view four
lines of communication, with a width of a few rods, in the
rich & luxuriant valley of that picturesque river. The far-
mers were in the midst of their wheat harvest. At 4 we took
passage in a Canal Boat for Syracuse, where we arrived at
6 the next morning. The canal has not a single lock in that
long level of 60 miles. The night was warm, the sky clear
[with a] constant change of scenery, from cultivated fields &
primeval forests. We saw several little camps of Oneida
Indians, during the evening where fires were kindled, for
their evening repast. They are employed in cutting wood
for the salt works at Syracuse. I heard the Whip-poor-will,
for the first time during many years. The canal packet boat
is very comfortable & I like much that mode of conveyance.
We went on at the rate of about 4 to five miles an hour.
August g. Left Syracuse, at 8 o'clock, in a car drawn
by two horses, on the rail road for Auburn. Syracuse is a
flourishing town, & the salt works are rapidly increasing.
Coal however must soon be substituted, for fuel as wood41

will be scarce, as the farms are multiplied & improved. They
will be able to obtain coal from a mine, about being wrought
in the northern borders of Pennsylvania, & which can be
brought by a railroad, to the waters communicating with
Seneca Lake & down that lake to the Erie Canal. There is
also a valuable deposit of iron ore near the coal mine, which
will ultimately furnish a vast quantity of cast & malleable
iron, for this region of country.
Arived at Auburn in two hours. The most beautiful
town on the route. Proceeded in a stage to Geneva on the
west bank of Seneca Lake where we dined & got to Cana-
dagua [Canandaigua] at seven.
August 6. I have passed a distance 630 miles in three
days & 3 hours, & slept comfortably each night. Gad! what
wonders has steam produced & what still greater are yet to
be developed,—Mr. Gillet the U. S. Commis-
sioner to hold treaties with the New York Indians came
from Buffalo & arrived this morning & informed me the
council with the Senecas would not be held before the 16th.
I dined with Mr. Gregg, who resides in Canadagua. He
has a magnificent House, which cost 60,000 dollars,—a well
arranged garden; green house & small park, in which there
are a buck, three does & two fawns. He has 40 acres of
land connected with his seat. Mr. Granger has a superb
house, & there are many handsome dwellings in the town.
August 7. Mr. Fellows, one of the preemptive owners
of the Indian land, arrived from Geneva last night. He is
the agent for the family of Sir William Pultney, who bought
a large tract of the grantees of the preemptive right of Mass.
We left for Avon at nine, where we dined & passed the
night. There are mineral springs in this town, which are
beginning to be much frequented. We visited the principal
one, which flows in sufficient quantity to carry a small water
wheel for pumping the water into boilers & cisterns for the
bathing house. They are impregnated with lime, soda, mag-
nesia & iron. Saw Com** Creighton at Avon, he having
been there some weeks & had been nearly cured of the rheu-
matism, from bathing in & drinking the water.
August 8. Went on to Mr. Wadsworth's in Geneseo.42
DE,4RB0RAf
He has a tract of bottom land of 1,200 acres which is per-
fectly level, & of the richest quality, the soil being alluvial &
at least 16 feet deep. There are groves, clumps of trees &
single trees, including all those common to this state, scat-
tered over it in just sufficient numbers to give the whole a
park-like & picturesque appearance. They cover about 200
acres, but under them there is no under wood, & the whole is
either in grass or under cultivation, with wheat, corn &
potatoes. The river makes a detour of nine miles & ap-
proaches within one at the narrowest point. Thus:
The house is on the declivity of the river bank which
rises at least 150 feet & from the piazza the whole tract is
visible, & a vast region of country beyond & up & down the
river. Mr. Wadsworth has 500 head of cattle which are for
beef, 2,500 sheep & a dairy of 80 cows, in which is made
daily a cheese of from 100 to 150 pounds. The cheese is sold
chiefly at the farm at 10 cents per pound for the supply of
the neighboring towns as far as Rochester.
James Wadsworth, son of the above named gentleman,
has a farm of 1,500 acres a mile or two below & a new &
magnificent house. We visited the Portage falls of the
Genesee river on the 10th. They are 22 miles above Mr.
Wadsworth's house. There are three within two miles, the
1st 70 feet, 2d 96 & 3d 75 feet perpendicular fall. The banks
of the river are perpendicular & consist of horizontal strata
of lime, slate & sandstone; they are over 200 feet high in
many parts of the gorge. The whole descent in 3 miles is
between 400 & 500 feet.THE DE^RBOIW /OPRAHS.
48
Mr. Wadsworth & his brother with six hired men & a
black woman as cook moved to Geneseo in 1791.* They
brought a waggon & three yoke of oxen. When they got to
Utica, the late General Wadsworth, went on with the team
& men by an Indian trail, cutting down trees, making
bridges, and crossing the streams on rafts, while the present
Mr. Wadsworth had a boat made & descended Wood creek
to Oneda [Oneida] lake, then the Oswego river to Lake
Ontario & coasted the lake to the north of the Genesee, with
their principal effects. After transporting them above the
falls at Rochester, they were transported in a boat to their
new home. They found three Indian bands in the vicinity &
one on their land. At that time there was no white man
lived west of Utica & at that place there was only one family
in a log hut. for seven years there were no settlers nearer
than Geneva & it was 12 before the tide of emigration
reached the Genesee river valley.
They found a man by the name of Jonesf living with the
Indians on their land. He was made a prisoner by the
Seneca Indians in 1777, within 75 miles of Philadelphia. He
was a prisoner until the peace of 1783, & having been
adopted by the tribe was made a chief. He married a girl
who had been captured by whom he had three sons, & one
*It was in the spring of 1790 that the Wadsworth brothers, James and
William, came into the Genesee country as above described; they "located" on
the present site of Geneseo, June 10, 1790.
t For the history of this "man by the name of Jones," i. e., Capt. Horatio
Jones, see Buffalo Historical Society Publications, Vol. VI., pp. 381-514. His
first wife, Sarah Whitmore, died in June, 1792. In the summer of 1795 he
married Elizabeth Starr. It was apparently in the three years' interim between
these dates that he took an Indian consort, by whom he had a son, William,
whose name frequently occurs in the early history of Buffalo. He lived on the
Buffalo Creek reservation, and it is probably his house that is shown in a wood-
cut in Stone's "Life of Red Jacket," as standing near Red Jacket's log cabin,
and described as "residence of Jones, the interpreter." He was son-in-law to
the wife of Red Jacket. Adequate data of Horatio Jones's Indian family are
lacking. One of his descendants by his first wife, now Mrs. C. B. Gunn of
Leavenworth, Kas., writes to the editor of this volume: "The descendants [by
the Indian woman] have been very worthy. One girl, Lucy N. Jones of Pipe-
stone, Minn., has written me some very readable letters. She is a great-grand-
daughter of Horatio Jones, as well as of Mary Jemison, the * White Woman.' . .
She is a graduate of Hampton and Haskell institutes. She is a teacher at
Pipestone agency."44
THE	/(WEAVES'.
of them a wealthy farmer opposite Geneseo, is attending
this Council with Mr. James Wadsworth. When his mother
died, his father had an Indian wife, or mistress rather, by
whom he had one son, who is now a chief & in the council.
By a third wife, who was white, he had 12 children & died
three years since a wealthy & highly respectable farmer &
large land proprietor. Two of his sons by his Rrst wife were
killed in the battles of Chippawa & Lundy's Lane.
A canal is constructing up the valley of the Genesee river
to the waters of the Allegheny river, thus opening a water
communication from Rochester to Pittsburg. How magnif-
icent are the internal improvements of this state, which have
been made an are [ ? era] in progress.
Wheat is $1.25 per bushel; from 15 to 30 bushels are
raised this year to the acre.
August 11. I found Professors Renwick* & the Reved
Doct. McVicon, of Columbia College at Mr. Wadsworth's.
The former was on a mineralogical exploration for a com-
pany of gentlemen in New York, to And bituminous lime-
stone, like that recently employed in France & England,
which came from Switzerland, to make asphaltic pavements,
roofs of houses, cisterns, &c. &c. He had discovered the
material in great abundance on a stream about 20 miles
southeast from Geneseo, & I saw him melt it, by the addition
of about 20 per cent, of bitumen or Jew's pitch. This lime-
stone when fractured swells often & the lime stone near Mr.
Wadsworth's house is also impregnated with bitumen. This
may be an important discovery to the country.
I left Mr. Wadsworth's hospitable mansion this morning
in company with Professor Renwick, for Batavia. We
passed through a luxuriant wheat country. A thunder
shower in the afternoon. There is a railroad from Batavia
* James Renwick, a prominent scientist of his day, born in Liverpool in
1790, died in New York Jan. 12, 1863. He came with his parents to this country
in 1794; graduated at Columbia College, and was an instructor there in natural
philosophy when the War of 1812 began. He became a topographical engineer,
with rank as major. From 1820 to 1853 he was professor of chemistry and
physics at Columbia. In 1840 he was one of the commissioners to survey the
boundary line between the United States and New Brunswick. He was the
author of numerous works, among them a life of DeWitt Clinton.THE DJMRROJW JOt/RA^LS.
45
to Lockport & from thence to Buffalo, & there is one to be
made from Batavia to Buffalo.*
August 12. We left at half past ten for Buffalo in the
stage, the road horribly bad to within eleven miles of the
city when an excellent McAdamized pavement rendered the
night delightful. What a grand & imposing sight, does the
city & Lake Erie present from the highland which slopes
down to the shore of that American Caspean. The harbor
thronged with ships, brigs, schooners, steam & Coal Boats.
We entered Buffalo at seven.
August 13. I went with Professor Renwick in the rail-
road cars. How changed the condition of the country, since
I was here in July, 1813. Then there was no road to the
falls save a track for teams & that generally impassable. I
was obliged to go down to Fort Schlosser in a Batteau &
now there is a steamboat running daily, a canal to Tona-
wanda, thronged with boats, a railroad & good county road.
Then there were only about 30 houses in Buffalo, which
were burnt down by the British the following winter & now
there is a beautiful city containing at least 16,000 inhab-
itants, with many superb private [and] public edihces.f
in first-rate order, allowing the cars to run through with speed not surpassed
perhaps by any in the country. It is worthy of remark that during the eighteen
months the road has been in operation, in which time some 50,000 passengers
well served."
tin 1835 Buffalo's population was 15,661; in 1840, 18,234.46

We went on to Goat Island & after examining all the re-
markable views on the American shore, I crossed after din-
ner to the Canadian bank, in a small row boat, just below
the Cataract. Went to the Pavilion Hotel, wrote a note to
Col. Booth, commanding the troops at this position, & asked
at what hour I might do myself the honor of waiting on
him. He sent for me immediately. I informed him I was
very anxious to see a parade of British troops, but regretted
to hear that they did not turn out either that evening or the
next morning. He said I should be gratified, for he would
order a parade at any hour I might name the next morning.
Half past 6 was agreed on & the celebrated 43d Regiment &
a demi-Battalion of Artillery were drawn up, for review, &
the Col. desired I should receive the salutes. He then car-
ried them through the manual & performed many ma-
noeuvres. They acquitted themselves admirably.
The uniform coat of the 43d. Infantry is lined in front
with white woolen webbing & the skirts turned up with
white, white fringe wings, white cuffs & white buttons.
Caps black felt of this form:	with a brass
plate in front & blue pom-	Vv7 P o n ball
above the cap, & brass scale	c o v e r e d
straps to confine it under the	chin. Ser-
geants, having herring bone	lace on the
upper arm of the coat. Sash, white & crimson, tucking 3
inches wide round the waist with crimson tassels which hang
down on the left thigh in front with a bow knot. Scabbard
& Cartridge box, black leather with white belts. White
pantaloons, & shoes that lace in front. Artillery: Blue coats
with yellow lace, Pantaloons blue with a broad red welt on
the out side.
Memorandum made at Niagara Falls, August 14, 1838:
1.	Doct S. Says that the falls have receded, in nine
years considerably.
2.	The exact positions of the cataracts have been ascer-
tained, by a trigonometrical survey, so that the gradual
change or destruction of any portion can be known, with
great exactness, at any time in future.
3.	An officer of the British navy has made acurate7V7E
47
hydrographical surveys of the lakes which are being pub-
lished in England.
N. B. The Doct S. above referred to is Surgeon Genl. of
the British troops in Canada, who I saw but forget his name.
The upper strata of the falls are hard compact limestone,
but the lower are of an argillaceous and sandy formation
which easily crumbles & decomposes by the action of the
falling water & continually tumbling down leaves the upper
strata hanging over the abyss, until at last the whole falls
down & thus the cataracts are constantly receding.
There are about go houses & other edifices scattered along
the Canada shore opposite the falls & a village of some 30
more houses about half a mile from the falls, called Drum-
mondsville or Lundy's Lane.
The 43d Regiment & a demi-Bat'"- of light artillery are
stationed at a camp directly opposite Goat Island, on the
bank of the Niagara. Col. Booth commands. He was with
Wellington in Spain & Portugal, France & Belgium & has
been 35 years in the 43d. Regt. He is a tall well made &
elegant officer.
After breakfast I visited the battle ground of Lundy's
Lane, & then rode down to that of Chippawa, which is two
miles south of the river & village of that name. Chippawa
is in a state of decadence. There was [not] a single vessel
or boat, or any appearance of business. I continued my ride
up the bank of the Niagara to Waterloo, opposite Black
Rock. The land is excellent, being a level plain about 12
feet above the water from Chippawa to the lake, but the
houses are miserable & the whole appearance of the country
indicates poverty, & want of enterprize. Crossed the river &
took the horse power rail-road track to Buffalo.
Soon after my arrival, Genl. Potter called on me &
stated that Genl. Gillet had returned from the Oneida tribe
& went down to Niagara falls last evening where he learned
I had gone & intended to go with me to hold a Council with
the Tuscarora Indians. I took a seat in the cars at Ave but
owing to the Locomotive having been thrown from the track
the day before horses were used & the load of passengers &
baggage being great I did not reach the falls until nearly ten,48
THE
when I learned that Mr. Gillet had concluded the business
with the Tuscaroras & they had that day signed the treaty.
I was very tired having but [been] up and in constant motion
from 5 in the morning until io at night & besides much
walking had rode go miles in that time. I was lulled to
sleep by the roar of the mighty Cataract.
August ig. Mr. Gillet accompanied me to the Tuscarora
settlement & I visited the principal chiefs to ascertain
whether the Indians were generally satisfied with the sale of
their land & the treaty for emigrating west of the Missippi.
They assured me that there were not over a dozen indians
who were opposed to the sale & treaty.
We went back to the falls & dined & at three oclock took
the rail-road car for Schlosser, where we embarked in the
Steamer Red Jacket for Buffalo where we arrived at seven.
August 16. Remained in Buffalo.
August 17. I went out to Allens tavern on the Seneca
Reservation of Buffalo Creek distant six miles & met the
Chiefs in Council at twelve oclock, but as those from the
Alleghany Reservation had not arrived it was concluded best
to adjourn to Monday the 20th. A temporary Council
House had been erected by Judge Stryker the Indian Agent,
as those of the indians were small, distant & inconvenient.
August 18. I returned to Buffalo last evening & have
walked over a large portion of the city this day. The present
harbor is too small & must be extended, & I am confident it
must be formed between the mouth of Buffalo Creek & the
Niagara river. The creek is too narrow to subserve the pur-
poses of a harbor, for even now it is filled up with vessels &
boats of all kinds. The proposed south channel which has
been commenced from the Creek to the Lake, will be diffi-
cult to enter in stormy weather & be liable to be filled up by
sand, driven in to it, during gales of wind. Besides, the land,
sloping to the lake & Niagara river from the main street is
high, & admirably formed for building upon, while that
southeast of the street is low, flat & is often overflowed.
The plan I prepare is shown in the following diagram, and
it will be certainly made in TEN YEARS, and SOONER
COMMENCED.THE	701/EJV^EE.
49
August 20. I came out to Allen's tavern on the Buffalo
reservation this forenoon. The Council House was burnt
down last night about one oclock, & it is supposed it was
done by the Indians who are opposed to emigration.* We
* The Buffalo	of Monday, Aug. 20, 1838, said:
"The new Council House in Seneca (Indian) village, about six miles east of
this on the Indian Reservation, was consumed by fire, this morning. The cir-
cumstances attending the erection and destruction of this building are these, as
we learned them from Mr. Allen, who keeps the tavern at the village, and built
the house. It appears that a portion of the Seneca nation who are opposed to50
THE DEARBORN JCH7RAA4AS.
therefore held the Council in a beautiful grove, east of the
tavern. Mr. Gillet made a speech & stated the object of the
meeting. I also addressed the Indians, & explained why I
had been sent as Superintendent of Massachusetts. There
were between 80 & 90 chiefs & principal warriors present.
I wrote the Governor & sent him a copy of my speech, taken
from recollection of what I said.
August 21. Met the Indians in Council.
August 24. Mr. Gillet concluded his explanations of the
amended treaty & the Indians remained to deliberate on the
subjects submitted.
August 25. The Indians were in Council all this day &
at sunset I went into the City where I passed the night at
the American Hotel, which is more richly furnished than
any other in the U. S. The building was built by the notori-
ous speculator Rathbon [Rathbun] & cost 100,000 dollars &
the furniture go,000.
August 27. Buffalo reservation. I went down to White
Haven on Grand Island on the 26th, in the Red Jacket to
pass the day with my friend the Hon. Stephen White on
Sunday the 26th. He took me in a boat over to Tonnawanda
Island where he is building a Brick House. It is a beautiful
spot. There are about one hundred acres in the island of
level & excellent land. Some 10 acres are cleared & the rest
is covered with forest trees & primitive & secondary growth.
There is an Indian mound on the eastern side of the island
go feet in diameter & 12 feet high. It has been opened &
many bones, lead pipes & hintstone arrow heads found in it.
There is a Steam Saw mill on Grand Island, in which are
six gangs of saws, of from 9 to 10 in each. They saw white
holding of a council in the old Council House, for the purpose of confirming
the treaty as amended by the Senate. Accordingly, Mr. Allen, by the advice of
the party in favor of the treaty, constructed a rude but commodious house for
the holding of the proposed council, which we believe was to have been holden
this present week. Between the hours of one and two this morning, the building
was discovered on fire, and from the various points at which the Are was raging
persons, to several parts of the building, with the intention of destroying it.
Fire was also communicated to some straw within a few feet of the barn be-
longing to the tavern, and much exertion was required to save the building.
This is, we think, but an expression of the feeling that at present exists among
that portion of the Seneca Nation, who are hostile to the proposed treaty."THE DB.4RR0RA'
51
oak plank chiefly & the logs are from 18 inches to five feet in
diameter & from 40, & 50 to 75 feet long. Each gang of
saws cuts from five to six logs a day, making from 2g to 30
according to the length & size. The plank are sent down the
Canal to Albany & from thence shipped to N. York, Boston,
Portland & other seaports. Many are sent to the U. S. Navy
Yard as well as keel & other timber. The Island is 10 miles
long & six broad & contains about 15,000 acres.*
I returned to Buffalo on the evening of the 26th. & came
out here this morning. At last after 95 days the weather
changed from a continued heat yesterday morning, there
having been a thunder shower the day before & this morning
there is a cold rain storm. I put on a cloak for the first time,
since June. The Indians have been in council all this day.
August 28. The Indians have been in council the last
two days, by themselves. The Indians, by the contract with
Ogden & fellows,—the representatives of the grantees of the
preemtive right of Massachusetts, are to be paid 202,000 for
the lands belonging to the Seneca reservations, which are as
follows;—
Buf° Creek Res^......................... 49,920 acres
Cattaraugus reservation............. 21,680.
Alleghany	"	.............. 30,469.
Tounawanda	"	.............. 12,800
Acres...............114,869
Tuscarora Reservation .................. 1,920
for which 9,600 dollars is to be paid.
Total quantity..............116,789 Acres
Amount of money to be paid to the Indians by the United
States.
For a cession of the land owned by the Indians or rather
granted to the N. York indians, but which grant was in fact
null as they did not remove from N. York on to the land
before Jany 1837, were about 600 Oneidas, & the Stock-
bridgs, to wit,
More accurately, 17,381 acres.52
THE	70 (/RASHS'.
To the onehand Party of Oneidas................ 3,ooo
" " First Christian party of Onidas............ 30,500
33.500
which is to reimburse the indians for money ex-
pended by them & in remuneration of the services
of their chiefs & agents in purchasing & securing
a title to their reservation. This is by a treaty
concluded with the Green Bay Indians at Washing-
ton on the 3d of Feby. 1838.
Amount to be paid to the New York Indians by the
United States for the expense of removing them to
their new home in the West,—for building school
houses, council houses, churches, mills, black smith's
shops, domestic animals, agricultural tools & in-
structions in the arts, agriculture & education.... 400,000
433.500
expenses of exploring parties, council & missions
to Washington ................................. 16,500
Add to the amount paid by Ogden & fellows for
Seneca reservations ........................... 202,000
" for Tuscarora Resn...................... 9,600
Amount to be paid in money......... 661,600
A tract of land 104 miles long & 27 wide granted
to the Indians west of Missouri, containing 1,824,-
000 acres, which at 1^ dols per acre amounts to. .2,280,000
Total amount .....................2,941,600
The land in the Indian country cost about 100,000
dollars & the Green Bay purchase 33,500. but put
the cost an value of the latter at 1% dollars per
acre, and as 60,000 acres were reserved for the
indians who reside there, & the remainder 440,000
amounts to..................................... 550,000
which deduct from the amount stated as granted by the U. S.
& Ogden & Fellows of 2,957,000 dollars & it leaves 2,407,000
dollars & deducting therefrom the amount paid by Ogden &THE	/OYEY^E^.
53
Fellows of 211,600 & it leaves the whole amount which the
U. S. gives 2,1 $5,400, for the benefit of the Indians. & as an
inducement to emigrate.
The indians receive annuities from the state of New York
amounting to $17,137.92
The annuities from the United States amounts
to the Senecas ................................... 6,000
to the Six nations................................ 4,500
The number of Indians is as follows
Senecas at Buffalo 730 Tounawanda 440 Cattarauges
440 Alleghany 600 making.......................... 2,309*
Tuscaroras ....................................... 273
2,582
St. Regis have in the U. S. a reservation of 10,000
acres, the fee belongs to N. York, population from
6 to 700 but in U. S. reservation only............ 350
Cayugas. There are about 130 remaining in the U. S. 130
They own no land, many years since, having sold
their land & gave the Senecas 800 for permission to
reside on their land.
Onondagas. They have a reservation in Onondaga
County of 6,000 acres & 300 reside on the land, &
194 reside with the Senecas for which they paid 1,500
dols. population ................................. 494
Oneidas They own 5,000 acres which is occupied by
about............................................. 620
600 reside at Green bay on land bought of the Men-
omonies.
Total in N York..................... 4,176
A Green Bay &c................................... 1,309
Total New York Indians.............. 5,485
August 29. The Indians have been in Council by them-
selves all day.
I walked into the wood to ascertain the kinds of trees
shrubs & herbacious plants which are indigenous to this part
* Wrong, but as in original.84
THE	70 (/RASHS'.
of the Union. I And a tree called the cucumber & a variety
of the poplar not in the forests of Mas*s also the Tulip tree
and a vine of the Smilax family, with berries arranged in a
ball two inches in diameter. There are numerous mandrake
plants. Most of the fruit is now ripe, & in that state is of a
rich yellow color, with a redish brown shade on the sides, an
near the stem or blossom end & delicately dotted with minute
redish brown spots. The skin is thick & encloses a rich jucy
pulp, which has the aroma & Ravor of the pine apple. It is
very agreeable & considered healthy. The plant is her-
bacious & perennial I believe, from an examination of the
roots. It grows in rich moist lands, in the woods, & on the
bottom land of the river & streams. There are many seeds
in the fruit, & I have saved a number to plant in my garden;
for besides the fruit, the plant is handsome, from its large
leaves & white blossom. There is only one fruit on a plant.
The plant is from a foot to 20 inches high. The fruit is of a
Ratish form, being about a third broader than it is thick.
The stem is inclined from one of the broad sides to the other.
[The author's rough sketches of the mandrake fruit are
omitted.]
The Indians smoke the bark of several shrubs & this
forenoon Mr. Jones went out & brought two of them. One
is a Cornus & the other a small species of the willow growing
on the banks of streams, with a redish bark. They also use
the cones of a dwarf kind of Sumac. These substitutes for
tobacco are called Kin-a-ka-nick. The same term is common
to all the northern tribes, it is said. I know it is used by the
Penobscots.
All the indian tribes are divided into 9 Clans, called the
Bear, Beaver, Wolf, Deer, Snipe, Turtle, Hawk, Swan.
There were 9 clans, but the Buck & Doe became united into
one, or rather one of them became extinct & the other as-
sumed the name of the Deer. The clans cannot intermarry.
Each clan has its own chiefs, & peculiar names, which have
ever existed. When a chief dies the vacancy is Riled by the
clan to which the deceased belonged & other clans have no
voice in the choice but all the chiefs meet to induct him into
ofRce. Most of the chiefs assume a name characteristic of55

the office they hold. Indians receive a name when born &
another is given when they are 16 years old a third when
they are men & a 4th when 30 years old & they may then
take any other name, which they may please to adopt.
Ho nart har yo ne
Har de nyr deh
Ho de geh ga gr
Ho de jo ne gr
Wolf Ho de swek gie a Chicken Hawk
Turtle Ho de na se a Snipe
Beaver Ho de die ok gr Swan
Bear Ho devigo gwie a Deer
Sep 26. 1838. The above names of the Indian Clans,
or families was given me by Cone, of the Tonawanda Reser
vation.
H. A. S. DEARBORN.
August 30. The weather has been cool since the morn-
ing of the 20th, especially the nights. I found on the edge
of the woods yesterday a vine of the Clamatis, like that com-
mon in Massachusetts N. Hampshire & Maine.*
Many of the Indian chiefs & warriors of this tribe were
in the last war, & several distinguished themselves in the
battle of Chippawa; White seneca killed four Chippawa
Indians in single combat, with the tomahawk; he is now
about go years old, & is a stout & vigorous man.
There is an old man in this tribe who calls himself a
prophet. He belongs to the Pagan party & pretends to con-
verse with angels & even with the great spirit & like Sweden-
berg, goes to heaven & hell when he chooses. He reports
having seen several of the leading chiefs who are in favor
of emigration standing in a stream of melted lead, up to
their knees, as a punishment for their conduct. Alas! for
human nature. In all ages & among all nations cunning,
superstition & deception have rendered the influence of
priests,—the self created prophets of the savage & civilized
man, powerful & dominent. They have wielded the sceptre
of terror over the Phareos of Egypt & the Christian mon-
archs of Europe, & made the wild Arab as well as the armies
of Greece, Rome & the Crusades subservient to their am-
* Probably the common	virgtMtcwo. Gen. Dearborn, as the journal
shows, was a student of botany and devoted to horticulture, but his botanical56
THE
bition & inAuence. The Hindoo & Turk are but the children
of superstition, while the adherents of Cromwell, Luther,
Calvin, & the Popes of Rome, bowed with awe before them,
& became the blood-stained partizans of their creeds. God
have mercy, on the long deluded & oppressed, outraged & de-
graded' race of man. Truth, virtue, intelligence & beneA-
cence are the natural principles of the human family, but
villians have substituted, falsehood, revenge, persecution &
cruelty for those heavenly qualities of the heart & mind.
Mr. Gillet informed me last evening, that he was cross-
ing Lake Ontario, to Otronto [Toronto] in the summer of
1837, in company with a gentleman, who resides in Otronto,
who stated, that the river Niagara had been seen from the
streets of that city within a few months, elevated high in the
air, so that the lake shore & the heights of Queenstown were
as distinct as if in a vessel directly off the mouth of the
river. This phenomenon is a remarkable instance of the
looming often seen on the ocean, & so well understood & ex-
plained, on the laws which govern the passage of rays of
light through less & more dense mediums.
Mr. Jones of Moscow on the western side of Genesee
river related the following facts. On the day of the battle
of Chippawa, he with three other persons, were in a pasture
on the hill, which overlooks Geneseo from the west, when
they heard the reports of cannon & the rattle of small arms,
in the direction of Niagara Falls for more than an hour &
concluded there was a battle near that point on the frontier.
The next day the news of the victory of Chippawa reached
them. The distance in a straght line must be 54 miles. I
heard the roar of the falls last evening, which are 24 miles
from this place, & the roar of the sea on the shore of Lake
Erie, distant 4 miles. It was clear & cool, with a little
breeze.
The bed of Buffalo Creek is slate stone where the bridge
crosses it, & I found it strongly impregnated with bitumen,
as is most of the slate & lime stone in this region.
The two parties of the Indians, for emigration & remaing
on their reservation, chose, in council, this forenoon commit-
tees of six chiefs, on each side, who retired into the woodsTHE DE^RRORN /CK/RAE4ES.
57
to discuss the subject & make report of the result of their
deliberations. The Indian conference did not report to their
several parties until late in the afternoon, & the council ad-
journed to io o'clock to morrow.
August 31. The night was cool, rendering a Are com-
fortable, but this morning the sky is clear & the weather
mild.
I attended an Indian dance at the Onondaga Council
House last evening, which is on the right bank of the Creek
& two miles above. At half past nine a chief haranged the
assembly, announced the presence of the U. S. Commis-
sioner & the Superintendent of Massachusetts,—directed
what dances were to be performed & the order of their suc-
cession. I was informed that the warriors were preparing
in a neighboring hut & at ten, the drum & Indian war-whoop
gave notice of their approach, & in a few moments they
rushed into the Council House with a terrific yell. They
were entirely naked save a small strip of red or plad cloth
round the loins. Their faces were painted various colours, &
their heads ornamented with feathers & trinkets. Each had
a war club tomahawk or some other weapon in the hand.
The[y] danced several different measures & after each, the
presiding chief complimented them in a short speech. A
squaw dance followed, which was began by two, dancing
round a long bench, others joined, until some 30 were up all
having their blankets on, when they began, but threw them
off after dancing a little while. Their under dress was a pet-
ticoat & calico gown made like a hunting frock. When the
squaw dance ended, there was one commenced by two men,
and continued until at least 40 were up, and then followed
another dance, in which the males & females united. They
sang during the whole of the dancing. We left at 12 o'clock.
There is neither wine or spirit allowed in the council
house at these dances, but there was a large caldron boiling
in one of the fire places, in which was meat, vegetables &
flower, which formed a kind of soup. When the dance be-
gan with the men generally, a squaw put a basket of black-
berries on a bench round which they danced & each from
time to time taking out a handful, & eating them as they
danced. This is the plan of the Council House, which is 60
by 20 feet.
i, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 seats. The women sat at one end & the men at
the other, except the war dance, all the others were in a circle as
above delineated. C. Caldron.
The Indian Council was opened at 12 & Mr. Gillet ex-
plained various portions of the treaty & stated many facts
in relation to the land which has been appropriated for the
New York Indians. It adjourned at half past one to eleven
o'clock tomorrow. An English gentleman & lady were pres-
ent & Miss Cliften, the distinguished actress; she is a mag-
nificent lady,—an imperial beauty. The form & figure one
of the Juno size & her whole appearance superb.
I received from my friend the Hon. Stephen White a
number of the Masts. Historical Society's publications, con-
taining Genl. Lincoln's Journal of his tour to the Miami
river in 1793 as one of the Commissioners of the U. S. to
negociate a treaty of peace with the North Western Tribes
of Indians; and appended to it is an engraving of a sketch,
made by a British officer, of a council held on Buffalo Creek
with the Senecas. I shew it to Blue Eyes & White Seneca &
Capt. Strong, distinguished chiefs now here, & they at once
recognized the figure to the right of the Indian orator, who
is sitting down, with a pipe in his hand as the celebrated
Warrior & eminent Chief Farmer's Brother & the orator
as Corn Planter. Farmer's brother they informed me, com-THE	JOI/RAf^LR.
59
manded the Seneca warriors in the battles of Black Rock
Chippawa & Lundy's Lane. He was then between ?g & 80
years of age. He died in 1815, or 1816. His memory is
held in high veneration.*
Mr. Jones father,—who is now present, from Genesee
river, was the Interpreter at the Councils held on the Miama.
September 1. I attended an Indian game of ball this
afternoon, in which the young men evinced great activity &
skill. There was a large collection of people including a
large portion of the - Indians on this reservation,—men
women & children and many of the citizens of Buffalo. The
young men who took the field, were generally naked, with a
red sash round their waist, & red ornaments on their arms &
heads. There were six on each side & the field for the ex-
ploit contained about ten acres. The object of the opposing
parties was to get the ball past two tall staffs,—1 & 2, set up
opposite others, 3 & 4 on two sides of the field thus:
3	Staff	1 Staff
I	The center of the
I	field where
I
I	the Indian ball-players
I	assembled & the game began.	j
4	Staff	2 Staff
The spectators were arranged on the sides of the field.
The bats used were five feet to 5% long, the lower end is
bent so as to make the width at least eight inches. From
the end of the bent portion a cord of deerskin extends to
with 18 inches of the upper end of the bat & others are
drawn paralel to it & confined in holes, pierced through the
inner side of the bat, which is cut into an obtuse edge for
that purpose, & other cords are interlaced forming a net
work of a close & elastic character. [Crude sketch of lacrosse
stick, omitted.]
The ball is not touched by the hand but is taken up on
the bat, or caught in it, when the person who has thus got
* Farmer's Brother died March 2, 1815, and is now buried in Forest Lawn
cemetery, Buffalo. See Buffalo Historical Society Publications, Vol. V., pp.
227-228. The sketch referred to is reproduced in Vol. VI., opposite p. 497.60
THE EE^REORH /(WRATHS'.
[it] runs toward the two staffs, for the purpose of throwing
it beyond them. The other party pursues & if he finds that
[he] will overtake him&either knock the ball from the bat or
intercept his course he suddenly turns round & with a violent
motion throws the ball over his head to the rear. The game
is up when either party has put the ball five times past the
opponents staffs. The Indians were naked except a red sash
round the loins, & ornaments on their head & arms. It is
the most elegant game of ball which can be performed and
admirably calculated to exhibit the rapid, various and athletic
movements of the young men. When the game is played the
whole tribe attends, for it is as honored an exhibition as was
those of Olympia among the Greeks.
Sunday Sept. 2. I went to the Mission meeting house
this forenoon. The services were opened by Seneca White,
a Seneca Chief, who made a prayer in the language of his
tribe, a Hymn was then sung by four young indian men &
four white women. Mr. Wright the Missionary delivered a
sermon, on temperance & virtue; when he concluded an
other Hymn was sung & Joseph Isaacs a Cayuga Chief
closed the services with a prayer.
I went to the house of the minister & he gave me the
Gospel of Luke translated into the Seneca language by T. S.
Harris, & a school book of stories.^ Mr. Wright informed
me that there was nearly half of this band who had been
considered Christians, but he did not think that there were so
many now, & that the pagan party was increasing. When
the religious services commenced there were only 13 indians
in the church, but as they came in during the whole service,
there were 62 when it ended.
This mission has been established twelve years & Mr.
Wright has been here six, & after all the commendable
efforts to improve the spiritual & temporal condition of the
Indians, the result has been unsatisfactory. The Indians
instead of becoming Christians, more moral, industrious
sober & correct in their habits have deteriorated in all those
* The record of the Rev. Asher Wright's work among the Senecas and that
of the Rev. Thompson S. Harris, will be found fully set forth in Vol. VI. of the
Buffalo Historical Society Publications.THE
61
particulars & their condition is deplorable. There is no
probability of their continuance as a people, unless they re-
move west & adopt the industrious habits of the whites, as
farmers & mechanics. All the attempts which have been
made to civilize the indians have failed, because they were
begun, with the policy of Arst christenizing them. The
Indians must be induced to till the land, own it in fee &
severalty, become mechanics & learn to read & write, become
acquainted with the simple rules of arithmatic & other
branches of intelligence taught in our primary schools, be-
fore religion should be the subject of consideration. First
teach the arts of civilization & Christianity will naturally
follow in their march of reAnement.
They are here generally idle & too many of them intem-
perate & dissilute in their manners, both male & female.
They are licentious, & adhere with great pertinacity to the
vagabond life of the savage. They do not raise sufficient
provisions for their support & a few white people have leased
their farms & cut their timber for boards, shingles & other
purposes & keep little taverns which tend to increase the
misery of this degraded & fast perishing nation. They have
excellent tracts of land, but it is nearly all in a state of
nature, & the Indians are too lazy to either clear it up an
[ ?or] cultivate such as has for ages been divested of trees &
At for tillage.
Returning from church with Mr. Gillet we were thrown
out of the waggon, but, praise be to God, neither of us were
injured materially.
Sep 3. There was a frost last night which produced ice.
The potatoes, squash, bean & other vines were killed; most
of the corn is ripe, but even that which is not has not been
injured so much as to endanger its becoming mature. We
have had Ares for these three days past.
The Council convened at twelve & was not concluded
until three oclock. I wrote a letter of 8 pages to my wife. I
have written some twelve or fourteen since I left home, &
many of them were of eight pages. This evening is cloudless,
calm & cold. The moon will be full to morrow evening; but
she now throws a splendor over the earth. The frost last62
THE DEARBORN
night, reminds me of an old saying in New England, that if
there is not a frost at the September full of the moon, there
will be none until the October full. Why should there be
frosts at the full, rather than at any other age of the moon ?
Philosophy does not explain it, & is there truth in the general
belief, that, frosts, in the autumn, do not happen before the
Sepf or October full of the moon.
Sep 4. There was no frost last night, & the day has been
cloudless, warm & pleasant.
The council opened at twelve & adjourned at half past
three. Mr. Gillet closed his explanations, & I made a speech,
confirming the facts stated by Mr. Gillet, in relation to the
provisions of the treaty,—the instructions of the government,
—the character of the land in the tract appropriated for the
Indians as represented by the persons who had explored it,
—the manner in which the Indians had been treated in New
England & the other old Atlantic states, & the disasterous
results;—for notwithstanding the efforts to ameliorate &
improve their condition, nearly the whole of them were
extinct, as nations, & the few broken fragments, of once pow-
erful tribes in Mas. & Maine, are in a miserable state & are
annually diminishing in number & sinking in morals & all
that is commendable in character & conduct. I also stated
what was the limited & peculiar title of the indians to the
land they now occupy. Big Kettle & Johnson made speeches
& the former, who is the leading chief opposed to the treaty,
but was answered by White Seneca in a very able & eloquent
manner.
I took a walk with Mr. Gillet towards sunset & went to
the residence of Capt. Pollard one of the oldest & most re-
spectable chiefs, He lives on the left bank of the Creek a
mile below the bridge, of the Buffalo road. We returned by
a foot path through the woods. The land is excellent & the
scenery beautiful, on the margins of the rivers & stream
which waters this reservation. The interval, or bottom land
is almost exclusively the only portion cultivated by the
Indians.
Sep. 5. The moon rose full & in magnificence last even-
ing, & the sun has wheeled up this morning over the forest,THE DE.4RRO7W /O (/RAILS'.
63
into a clear & calm atmosphere, indicating a superb day.
This is truly, lovely autumnal weather. The Council was
opened at 12 oclock & speeches were made in opposition to
the treaty, by Little Johnson, Seneca White & Stephenson
of the Buffalo reservation, & Jimmy Johnson of Tonna-
wanda, Innis Half town, of Alleghany, & Israel Jemison of
Cataraugus; & George Bennet of Cataraugus spoke in favor
of the Treaty. At the request of Big Kettle, the Council was
adjourned to friday, to give the Indians an opportunity of
celebrating their Corn Feast, or thanksgiving to the Great
Spirit, for his bounteous dispensations. Mr. Gillet & myself
were invited to attend & we accepted, with grateful acknowl-
edgments for the honor thus done us. I have copied the
treaty, written letters & in this journal 48 pages since yester-
day morning,—having got up at 5 each of the two mornings
& performed all the labor before dinner of the two days.
Evening. I took a path, which led into the woods, half
an hour before sundown, & walked for an hour. I found an
abundance of blackberries; but the grandure of the forest,
the large & lofty oaks, maples, beeches, Tulip trees, Hem-
locks & hickories, and the numerous beautiful shrubs, &
plants, of this fertile soil were the inducements for wander-
ing, through the primitive wilderness. The silence,—the
umbragious solemnity,—the aroma so peculiar to the wild-
wood scenery,—the associations which were brought to the
mind,—these regions having been, for centuries & still are,
the residence of the natives of this glorious country; all, &
each roused & excited the imagination, & created a deep & all
absorbing interest for the physical & moral objects which
were united within the scope of immediate observation &
afforded so much of reality, & so many thoughts for reflec-
tion, wonder and, admiration, that I luxuriated in the
scenery. Here were the hunting grounds & battle fields of
the warlike tribes of the Six Nations. To these distant &
dark forests how many captives of the scattered population
of the early colonists were compelled to submit to the hor-
rors, privations, & cruelties of the savages. How many
children's tears have been poured out upon this soil, & how
much of parental blood, while, for years, they sighed with64
THE DJMRR0R2V /Ot/RAMLR.
hopeless longings to be returned to their own dearly loved
home, on the borders of the ocean, or in some secluded vil-
lage, which contained their numerous fond & dear relatives
& friends, but whose bright faces they never again were to
behold. The white mans will soon possess the whole land,
& the Indian no longer be known save in the far climes of
the west.
Sep. 6. An other bright, bland, & beautiful morning.
Such clear & mild & sunny autumnal days have a peculiar
loveliness. They call up the recollections of my boyhood,
when at the like season, & during such delightful weather, I
was either floating on the placid waters of the Kennebeck,
with my angling rod traversing the woods with my gun, or
actively & ardently engaged in other of those infinite occupa-
tions, which, in the juvenile period of life, occupy our whole
time. & attention, our numerous plans for each succeeding
day fill up, in their execution, every moment, from early
morn, until tired, we retire to rest, with the setting sun,—or
by the bright stars, or more resplendent light of the admired
moon the amusements, and constantly varying shouts, in the
forest & on the water are prolonged far, into the night. How
delightful are the reminiscencies of boy-hood.
Evening. I went to the little falls of Buffalo Creek in
the morning, distant five miles to witness the Corn Feast of
the Pagan portion of the tribe. There were about three hun-
dred Indians assembled, of whom over an hundred were
females from 14 years of age to the oldest matrons. Big
Kettle appeared to fill the office of High Priest & the cere-
monies commenced at eleven oclock by a dance in the fore-
noon in the Council house. There was a bench in the centre,
on which two men sat facing each other having a turtle shell,
to which a handle was formed by the neck & head being
skinned & stuffed & secured by wooden splints to the shell.
Dry Corn was put in the shell, which thus constituted a large
kind of rattle, of this appearance:65

The men sang & beat time on the bench with the rattles,
striking them, on the edge. Big Kettle & an other principal
Chief commenced the dance & were joined in succession by
other men, until 30 were in the ring, while an interior circle
of 20 women, was at the same time formed,—two of the
oldest beginning. The men followed each other, as in a
march, but the women moved sideways, without taking their
feet from the door, by sliding the heels and toes alternately,
& beating time with their hands keeping their elbows at their
sides, but without uttering a sound, & they looked down on
the bench & musicians in a grave & modest manner, while
the men sang threw themselves into the most violent atti-
tudes, turned round frequently, & ever & anon uttered the
most clamorous yells.
A, bench ; B, circle of women dancers ; C, men dancers.
The dance was kept up for more than an hour, & when it
was concluded Big Kettle made a long speech, which was a
kind of religious & moral lecture. He gave an account of
their religious customs & beliefs & the importance of their
being kept up, & urged upon the audience the necessity of
virtue, of sobriety, truth & honesty, attention to wives & all
the moral obligations & duties to insure the favor of the
Great Spirit & the inheritance of a state of perpetual happi-
ness in an other world, after death.
When sufficient time had been allowed for rest, another
dance was commenced, but a horn with pebles in it & a66
THE DR.4RRO7W AWTWJL.S'.
drum were substituted for the turtle shell rattles, as instru-
ments of music. The rattle is formed of the frustrum of an
oxhorn about 8 inches long, with wooden heads of a semi-
sperical shape in each end & a handle in the smaller end,
seven or eight inches long. The drum, is a cask of the ten-
gallon size, with a sheep skin made into a parchment stretched
over one end & is beaten with a little stick a foot long with
the end cut into a ball, an inch in diameter. The musicians
sing during the whole dance, & the tune is often changed, as
well as the time from slow to fast,—& the reverse. In this
second dance the women followed each other like the men,
but their motions were quietly executed & they looked down,
with a serious face, while the men as before sang shouted &
threw themselves into every possible attitude & gesticulated
violently. When the dance was concluded, Big Kettle again
haranged them for half an hour, in relation to the religious
rites & duties & then sang a song, while walking round the
bench alone & the others joined in the chorus, besides keep-
ing time by a loud utterance of hip, hip hip. After Big
Kettle concluded, all the other principal men, in succession
made a short speech & sang a song walking once or twice
round the bench. These songs are such as they expect to
sing in heaven when they meet their friends there. They
think all but murderers & a few very bad people will ulti-
mately reach heaven, & live happily, having nothing to do
but hunt, eat, sing & enjoy themselves, very much in the
manner of the believers of Mahomet.
Another short dance & a speech from Big Kettle & a
Tonawanda chief concluded these ceremonies, when there
was another dance, in which the women & men united as in
the first dance. When this was over, corn cooked in various
ways, & made into succatash with beans, squashes & other
vegetables, and three large brass kettles containing soup
made of three deer were placed in the middle of the Council
House, & distributed by five squaws, to other squaws into
baskets & tin kettles, which were carried out, by the squaws
of the different families to their husbands & children, who
were scattered in groups on the grass; but many of the
squaws whose families were not present carried the soup &F77F DF.4RFO7W
67
other provisions home, as I passed many thus laden five
miles from the little falls. I rode home on horseback through
the wood, in company, with some twenty Indian men &
women, who were about equally divided into equestrians &
pedestrians. There was only a foot path & that very crooked
crossed by wind falls, filled with roots & interupted by
streams & mudholes; still the ride was very interesting,
through five miles of the primitive forest, in company with
the aborigines of the country.
Sep. 7. The Council met at 12 & was in session until
after four. There was a very animated debate between the
chiefs of emigration & opposition parties. Strong, Bennet
& White Seneca advocated emigration & an assent to the
amended treaty; Jemison of Cataraugus & Hudson replied,
& then there were rejoinders by Bennet & White Seneca,
when Big Kettle made a speech against the treaty. After
some remarks from Mr. Gillet the council adjourned. I rode
out a few miles on horseback just before sunset for exer-
cise.
The following traditions were related to me by Cone, a
very intelligent young Indian of the Tonnawanda band.
TRADITION OF THE INDIAN SETTLEMENT ON BUFFALO CREEK.
There was a powerful tribe whose village was near the
Niagara Falls, on the Canada side. For several years the
corn crops failed from drought, an frosts, & an epidemic
prevailed, which swept off many of the Indians. One day a
girl went into the little cave above the falls to bathe, when a
rattlesnake attacked her & in her effort to escape, she was
carried down the rapids, & precipitated into the abyss below
the cataract, to her astonishment she was uninjured &
found herself in a cavern, under the falls, in the presence of
the God of Thunder & Lightning, who there created the mist,
which ascending into the heavens, formed clouds, from
whence the lightnings are launched. He told the girl that the
God of Starvation, or Famine, had his residence also, under
the falls, & had caused the failure of the crops of corn, as he
was a very bad & wicked god; and there was also an im-
mense water serpent under his command which lived in the68
THE	/O (/RAILS'.
niagara river & lake Erie;—this serpent came down often
into the little bay, at the mouth of the stream, which falls
into the river just above the falls, to cleanse himself of the
filth which accumulated on his skin, & that the water was
thus poisoned in that little bay; which being the place where
the indians supplied themselves with water for drinking &
cooking they were made sick & died. Now said the Thunder
& Lightning God, go home to your tribe & tell them to pack
up all their property & procede in their bark canoes from the
mouth of Chippewa river up the Niagara to Buffalo creek, &
form a settlement, where the stream is separated into two
branches, & they will raise good crops & enjoy perfect health.
The God of Starvation will send the large Water Serpent
after you, for the purpose of defiling the water of the creek;
but I will follow him in a dark cloud, & when he has ad-
vanced a few miles up the creek, I will hurl a thunderbolt at
him, & slay him. The Indians made the removal, as recom-
mended, & saw the huge serpent following their canoes; but
when they got to the place where they were to land, they
heard a thunder clap & saw a flash of lightning strike the
monster when he floundered turned round & lashed the water
with his tail with great violence, & fled down the Creek,
which was rendered bloody from the wound made in the
serpent, & he was so large that in turning round he scooped
out a deep & broad basin, in the creek, which exists at this
day. After the indians had landed & got their temporary
camps made, the girl informed them, that they must send a
deputation down to their old town, near the falls, & they
would then ascertain the truth of the promises of the thunder
God, for he had instructed her to communicate that intelli-
gence. A deputation departed forthwith in their canoes, &
when they reached the little bay they found the immense
water serpent dead & in a state of putrefaction,—& on going
into the village, they saw a pole 40 feet high, erected in
front of the Council House, from which was suspended the
thigh & legs of the God of Starvation, which were so emaci-
ated & lean, that they appeared only skin & bones. It was
so large that although secured by the upper end of the thigh
to the top of the pole, the foot touched the ground. HavingTHE	/OPRJV^LR.
thus ascertained that the God of Starvation & his great
water snake were both dead, they returned & reported the
remarkable facts to the nation; & ever after the indians
enjoyed good health & had fine crops of corn.
THE ORIGIN OF THE SEVEN STARS.
Many years ago, the Indians had so much neglected all
their religious rites & ceremonies, that even dancing was
discontinued, when seven of the most elegant & active young
men formed themselves into a corps for the purpose of re-
establishing the old dances. One of them was the singer &
the others dancers. They went from house to house, all
through the nation, & invited the men & women to join them
in dancing, an amusement & form of worship which was so
acceptable to the great spirit; but not an individual could be
induced to participate in the recreation. At last the people
saw them gradually ascending to the skies, from the green
in front of the Council House, singing & dancing as they
went up; & when it was discovered their young friends were
leaving this world, they called upon [them] to return in the
most urgent & affecting manner, and were so afflicted at the
idea of their loss that they wept & implored them in the most
urgent & endearing terms to come back & they would all join
them in the dance; but the seven young men paid no atten-
tion to the supplications of their relatives & countrymen, &
still kept dancing, singing & ascending until they dwindled
into the appearance of bright stars, where they have ever
since continued to dance & sing, as may be seen by the con-
stant twinkling motion of six of the number which are the
dancers & the fixed light of the seventh who is the singer.
Since that calamitous event, which was considered a judg-
ment of the Great Spirit for the wickedness of the tribe in
omitting to honor him by dances, they have ever since been
religiously kept up.
As was stated, in the account of the dance I witnessed in
the Onondaga Council House, these recreations are formal
religious rites, over which some of the principal chiefs al-
ways preside.70

Sep 8. The weather has been clear, calm, bright, sunny
& cloudless since the frost of the 3d. The days hot even, but
the nights a little cool. I began a letter to my wife yesterday
& wrote five pages. There are numerous Black-Walnut
trees on the banks of Buffalo Creek. I gathered seven of
the nuts this morning, which I intend to carry home & plant,
as the tree is not indigenous in New England. As an orna-
mental & timber tree it is highly appreciated. In cabinet
work it is handsomer than the Rose-wood & I like it for fur-
niture better than Mahgany.
The council met at 12 & there was a debate principally
among the chiefs until after four. Mr. Gillet explained sev-
eral subjects on which there was a misunderstanding among
the opposition party.
At five I went over to the Onondaga Council House to
witness a game of ball, played by twelve young men of the
tribe. One of them, called David Tall Chief, is a young
Apollo in form, with a beautiful countenance & eyes as large,
lusterous & soft in expression as an Italian lady. He is but
20 years old & is as rapid in running & as adroit in the game
as a Grecian athlete.
This has been a very hot day. There were numerous
carriages from Buffalo on the ball ground, & many of the
Indians of all ages & of both sexes.
I went into an Indian hut, on the hill above the Council
House, from curiosity, to see the interior & the inmates, &
how they lived. There was a rough kind of portico covered
with bark in front of the house, in which a blanket was sus-
pended like a hammock, where an infant was sleeping.
There were three women & one man in the only room of
which the hut consisted. One was the widow of the cele-
brated chief Red Jacket,—who is over go years of age, an-
other the wife of Isaacs, the proprietor, & the third his
mother-in-law. The last was lying on a bunk or broad
bench, in a corner, with a blanket under her as a bed & a
sheet over her, in a high fever. She was groaning in great
agony, every breath she drew; I took hold of her hand, &
it was very hot, with the other she touched her head & mur-
mured in Indian to me. The tones of distress although inTHE
71
an unknown tongue were painful to hear. Her daughter
said she had been sick three weeks, was suffering from
severe pain, in her head.
I asked if there had been a physician to see her & she
said yes an Indian Doctor. I immediately went down to the
ball play-green & found Doctor Wilcox who resides in Buf-
falo, & is in attendance with the council daily, he having
been west, with the exploring party, as physician to the In-
dian population, & has had considerable practice among the
Indians of this reservation. He went back with me & found
that she had been afflicted with the fever & ague & now
there was a high billious fever. He said she could be cured,
and directed Isaacs, her son-in-law, to come to him in Buf-
falo to-morrow morning & he would give him calomel &c.
for cathartics & emetics. I gave the sick woman two dollars
to purchase little necessaries to render her comfortable for
which she appeared most grateful & reaching out her hand &
taking mine, repeated often, "Tankee, Tankee," while tears
came into her eyes. Doct. Wilcox told her who I was & she
again repeated tankee, tankee. I shall see that the poor
woman is well taken care of. Mr. Allen sent her some
Rowers. She is about 60 years old, tall, of a very large size,
and has a chest & form like an Amizon. How much these
miserable people suffer from poverty & hedelessness. They
have no idea of providing for the future.
Sunday. Sep 9. I went to an Indian dance last night, a
number of us having given the Indians 36 dollars to pur-
chase provisions for the entertainment & reward the ball-
players. I only stoped to see the men dance, for the Council
House was very crowded & the night was extremely warm.
There were at least 200 men & women, in & about the House.
The women dressed in their best apparel. Red Jacket's
widow was present & appeared as interested as any other
person. She attends the Council almost daily.
The pleasant weather continues, but the change of colour
in the foliage of the forest trees from the ejects of the frost
on the 3d. is becoming apparent. The maples give their
bright yellow & scarlet tints & the leaves of the sumacks have
assumed a deep crimson. The picturesque scenery of au-73
THE DEARBORN /CH7RAE4ER.
tumn & the gorgeous display of colours, which the trees
present, has begun.
Cone, the young Tonnawanda Indian has related several
other traditions derived from his Grand father, who was
called	—which I have listened to with interest.
They are as follows:
THE CREATION OF THE WORLD.
The earth was originally very small & there were neither
sun moon or stars. The only light by which it was illumed
was produced by the white blossoms of a beautiful tree
which periodically rouse up out of a deep pit or well, & then
sunk down again, like the rising & sitting of the sun. In
the water at the bottom of this profound abyss were all kinds
of amphibeous annimals. There was a woman, who was
near the period of her confinement, the man who lived with
her in a moment of anger threw her into the pit, & as she
descended, all the animals below became alarmed from her
peculiarily delicate & perilous situation, & called upon her to
remain suspended in her discent which they had the magical
power to effect until they could prepare a dry spot of earth
for her reception & convenient residence, until she was de-
livered of the children, which they had ascertained were to
be produced. The animals then consulted how mud was to
be obtained from below the water in which they lived, for
forming a dry spot of ground,—when a duck offered to dive
down and bring it up; but after being under the water for a
long time it rose to the surface dead, then several other ani-
mals made the experiment with equally as unfortunate re-
sults. At last a musk-rat dove down, & to the dismay of all
the assembled animals he rose to the surface lifeless; but on
examining his paws a very little mud was discovered ad-
hering to his fore feet. This was to be carefully deposited
on the back of some animal, where it could dry & increase in
quantity. The Sea Serpent, immediately offered his services,
but the other animals observed that he being carniverous,
furious & cruel, the woman & her children would be in
danger of their lives, if exposed upon his back. The Turtle
then came forward & observed, that he was of a peaceable &78

quiet disposition & should be very happy to render assist-
ance & protection to the beautiful woman. His offer was
accepted with applause, & the little particles of mud were
carefully collected from the feet of the musk rat & laid on
his broad & hat back. It immediately began to increase in
bulk & so rapidly, that this immense earth was soon pro-
duced, & became covered with grass, Rowers & trees, &
watered by numerous rivers & streams, when the woman was
invited to descend & occupy the most beautiful arbor in a
grove, situated by the side of a cool & refreshing fountain
or little lake.
In a few days the woman was delivered of two sons, one
in a natural manner & the other forced himself into the
world through her ribs. As they grew up one was good &
amiable in his disposition & the other wicked & vicious in
his habits; The former used to amuse himself in making
little figures of all the animals, such as the mammoth buffalo,
bear, elk, deer, wild turkies, partridges, rabits, & all the
other kinds which could be useful to the indians, for food
& clothing. These he breathed upon & they instantly as-
sumed the size in which they have ever appeared & run off
into the woods.
One day the bad son asked the other to go a hunting
with him, & it was agreed that each would go out for a
whole day & the one who brought home the most game
should have command of the universe. The wicked son
went first & when he came back at night, he did not bring a
single animal, for the good son had driven them all into the
dark abyss, where they were secure from attack. The next
day he went out & killed an abundence of game, of all the
various kinds, which he had created, and he became the
Great & Good Spirit, or God, & the other the evil spirit or
the devil, who in revenge created snakes, toads, frogs & all
the reptiles & venemous animals, & is always trying to do
injury to the indians, & render them vicious, immoral and
hateful,—while the other is their protector & friend, so long
as they pay honor to him by adhering to his just precepts &
laws & evince their respect & gratitude, by feasts & dances &
are honest & correct in all their conduct, & will after their74

death, go & live with the great Spirit, above the skies, where
there will be a perpetual summer, with abundent game,
fruits & food of all kinds; and they will have nothing to do
but hunt, sing & dance & amuse themselves, in every way
that is most agreeable for ever.*
Mr. Cone's Grandfather died last summer at
the age of 120. He was in good health, had all his mental
faculties entire, was able to walk several miles; but riding
in a waggon with a little boy he was upset & fractured his
skull which occasioned his death, in a few days. He was a
warrior, but not a chief. He was married to a second wife
who was but 30 years of age when he was over a 100 & at
the time of his death his youngest child was but 7 years of
age. He worked up to the day of [receiving the] wound
making white oak pipe stones & could fell the trees & split
out 90 a day. Mr. Cone said there was no doubt of his being
the father of four children which he had by his last wife. A
remarkable instance of vigorous old age.
He stated that when a boy the main body of the Senecas
lived on the bank of the Genesee river where is now the
town of Avon. He related to his grandson that when 16
years old, all the north western Indians of Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin & upper Canada, combined in
a plan for their extermination & came into their country with
an immense army, & so confident were they of victory, that
many of the warriors & chiefs brought their wives & children
with them, to participate in the plunder & enjoy the fruits
of their great and decisive anticipated victory.
The Senecas got intelligence of the advance of the vast
western army of invasion when it reached the Cattaraugus
Creek & made the requisite arrangements for defence. Their
whole military force was assembled on the stream, which
runs into Genesee river between Avon & Geneseo. When
the enemy arrived at the Genesee river, the water was so
of the Great Island," etc., in David Cusick's "Ancient History of the Six
Nations," first published in 1825. In both forms—as given by Cusick and by
Cone—it suggests the so-called Mosaic account of creation; the twin sons, one75

high that they could not ford it & were compelled to con-
struct a temporary bridge, which from the great number of
men was soon completed, & the whole of the army crossed
near Mount Morris, & advanced down the right bank to
within a few hundred yards of the stream on which the
Senecas were encamped. The former were armed entirely
with bows & arrows & war clubs, while nearly the whole
number of Senecas had muskets, which they had procured
from the French & English colonies. On the approach of the
hostile army the Senecas descended into the stream & were
secreted under the opposite bank, which was at least ten feet
high. The army of invasion formed their line of battle
parallel to & within 40 yards of the bank, one of the Sene-
cas disguised like a bear, crawled up the bank, & advanced
toward the line of the Western Indians, in the cautious
manner of the annimal whose skin he had assumed, & when
within 20 yards gave the war-whoop, at which signal the
Senecas rose above the bank & threw in a tremendous Are;
the slaughter was immense, but the Western Indians, fought
desperately, for, after finding that they could not cope with
the Senecas by the use of their bows & arrows, they droped
them & rushed to the conRict with the war club. The battle
was long & obstinately contested, when the Western Indians
gave way & Red toward Mount Morris; but to their dismay
the bridge had been destroyed by a party of the Senecas,
who were sent for that purpose, as soon as the action com-
menced. There the slaughter was renewed & the whole of
the hostile army was killed, except a very few who escaped
by swiming.
The Squaws & children Red up the river during the re-
treat of their friends & being unable to Rnd subsistance they
sent a deputation into the Camp of the Senecas claiming
their hospitality & protection, & offering to continue as a
part of that tribe, if they were kindly received. These terms
were accepted & the women & children never returned to
their native country, but were mingled with the Senecas,
which occasioned the marked variety of races which are per-
ceptable in the tribe even at this time. There had been a
similar invasion from the west a half a century before, but76
THE DEARBORN
so signally disastrous had been this campaign, that no other
was ever attempted & the Senecas have since been held in
great terror by the North Western tribes. They, in fact
had never been conquered until in the campaign of General
Sullivan, when they were defeated in the great battle fought
at Freetown [Newtown, near Elmira], & all their towns &
corn fields were destroyed, & they were driven to the Niagara
frontier, where they were chiefly dependent upon the British
garrison for food, during the winter.
September io. The same delightful weather still con-
tinues. I went, with Mr. Gillet to Jack Berry's town,—yes-
terday being Sunday—which is north east from this settle-
ment & distant four miles, to witness a game of ball be-
tween seven of the best players among the pagans, in that
part of the reservation & the same number of the young
Christians from this village. The held was extensive, in-
cluding at least thirty acres. The young men were all
stripped naked except a short white or calico hunting shirt,
which was confined round the loins by a red sash ornamented
with beads, & they had similar ones round their heads, to
which were added feathers, and they wore short red sashes
on their arms, above the elbow. It was a beautiful exhibition
of activity, heetness, skill & adroitness of motion. The game
was six & after an hour & a half of great exertion on both
sides the Christian party won, the other side only counting
two. Two of the Christian party got wounded in the first &
second games & their places were supplied by others who
came on to the ground for that purpose. Before the game
commenced, an old chief addressed the fourteen young men
when assembled in the centre of the field for commencing
the game. He stated the laws of the game & reminded them
that it was expected, they would not intentionally injure each
other, or got in a passion, if a blow was accidentally given,
& by no means to fight; for it was disgraceful to quarrel
when they met for amusement, & they must bear in mind
that not only all their friends & the chiefs of the nation were
present & several distinguished white men, who would
closely watch their conduct. The squaws did not come into
the field, but were scattered in little groups along the edge77

of the woods & behind the fences. They however, took great
interest in the spot, for many of them had walked from
four to six miles to witness it & the game did not end until
dark. The men were very much excited those belonging
to the two parties of Pagan & Christians, were constantly
calling on the young men by name to stop, strike, or propel
the ball to the opposite goal, & when it was driven between
the two staffs, a loud & hilarious shout rent the air from
friends of the victorious side.
I have now seen a large portion of this reservation &
there is not a more excellent tract of land in this section of
the state. It is quite level, there being large tracts of bottom
land, & the remainder is gently undulating. If it was occu-
pied by good white farmers it would become a beautiful re-
gion of country; & the various sinuous branches of the Buf-
falo Creek afforded many sites for mills, while the forest
trees, of gigantic growth, which are scattered on their bank
give a picturesque & most pleasing aspect to the scenery.
This reservation will be the garden of the City of Buffalo.
It will furnish the vegetables, fruit, hay, beef, pork, butter,
milk, mutton, poultry, & other articles of food, besides fur-
nishing sites for various manufactories. In 25 years the
whole tract will be worth at least 100 dollars per acre. &
there will be two or three large villages upon it, if the In-
dians conclude to remove west; & if they do not, their
wretchedness & degredation will be lamentable & pitiable.
The Council was in session from 12 until after sunset.
Mr. Gillet addressed the Chiefs for three hours in the ratifi-
cation of mistakes made by some of the chiefs in debate & in
illustration of former treaties, the kind of tytle which the
Indians had to their lands & the nature of the stipulations in
the amended treaty, for their benefit &c. &c. During his
speech, there were many white men, who were actively en-
gaged in about the council house, in conversation with the
Indians, & several of the most active of the latter, who are
opposed to emigration, often went out & were seen in con-
versation with individuals, who have been in daily attend-
ance, and have made strenuous efforts to induce the Indians
not to assent to the treaty. They are men, who either trade78

with the indians, to whom the latter are indebted, have mills
on the reservation, purchase bark, boards, timber, shingles &
wood, an have a canal of some miles out through the reser-
vation to supply mills '& factories with water from Buffalo
Creek, or persons who are attempting to influence the in-
dians, not to remove with the hope of being hired to be
silent or take the opposite side of the question.
When Mr. Gillet set down Big Kettle & Pierce stated
that he talked too much & that they & their party had made
up their minds not to go & did not wish to hear anything
more on the subject & that unless the council was imme-
diately brought to a close they should go home. A man by
the name of Grovner,* brother-in-law to [blank in original]
who cut the cannals & his mills & a factory upon it, got up
& gave notice that he should address the Indians the next
afternoon after the council [He] rose & contradict[ed]
what he called the false statements & misrepresentations,
which had been made by Mr. Gillet. The excitement among
the spectators & the Indians was very great, at this time,
when Mr. Gillet rose & informed the Indians, that no man,
save the U. S. Commissioner & Agent, the Superintendent of
Massachusetts & the Chiefs of the Council, had a right to
speak in that house, or should he permit it, & went into a full
defence of his conduct, as an officer of the government & of
his private character, against the false insinuations of
Grovner.
I then rose & made a speech. I informed the Indians of
the position I held, stated what were rights of Massachusetts
under the articles of the agreement with the State of New
York. That the council was like a diplomatic Congress,
three distinct states or nations being there present to nego-
ciate treaties, in conformity to the Constitution & laws of
the U. S. & the states of New York & Mass & that no person
other than the parties named had any right to speak in the
Council House to the Indians, while the Council was in ses-
sion or at any other time. That the questions to be con-THE DE^RBORY /CH7RAE4EY
79
sidered, were, not such in any manner or form, as authorized
any person, not officially present to take a part in the deliber-
ations, & that who ever attempted so to do so was commit-
ting a gross violation of the laws of nations. & the Con-
stitution & laws of the Union, & those of the states of Mas. &
New York as well as presumptuously interfering with the
rights & business of others, which to say the least was a
gross violation of the principles of justice, as well as of that
comity & decency of deportment which the customs of so-
ciety have established for the regulation of the conduct of
gentlemen.
I informed the audience that by the Qth. article of the
agreement with New York Massachusetts had the right &
would if necessary exercise the power of surrounding the
Council House with armed forces, to protect the persons
there engaged in deliberations in relation to the Indians &
the land on which they reside. I stated that I had accepted
the appointment under which I appeared, with the intention
of faithfully discharging my duties to the state & Indians.
That the very object of my being present was to see that the
indians were not imposed upon, by any false or erronious
statements, & that full & ample justice was done them; & if
the U. S. Commissioners made any assertion which was not
in accordance with treaty stipulations, or the nature of the
promises, and engagements of the government, or the char-
acter of the land, climate &c. of the west offered as a new
residence for the Indians, I should endeavor to have all the
subjects clearly presented & understood, so far as it was in
my power to accomplish that object. That during my whole
life I had felt a deep interest, for the Indians & was most
solicitous that their condition should be ameliorated, and
that their future destinies might be prosperous & happy;
that I had taken pains to investigate their tytle to the lands
in this state, the nature of the provisions of the treaty then
under consideration & the character of the country, which
was offered in the Indian Territory, was as capable of ap-
preciating the terms & conditions of the treaty, as any of the
persons who volunteered their services to enlighten the
chiefs, whether actuated by disinterested motives, or other80
THE DE,47?R(37?A7*
considerations. I observed that I was determined to main-
tain the rights of Massachusetts & firmly & faithfully & fear-
lessly discharge my duty, let the consequences be what they
may to me personally; that neither the glare of the toma-
hawk, or the crack of the rifle would deter me from acting
in the manner which the occasion required.
This is but a brief sketch of the remarks I made, & the
Indians & spectators retired quietly. I learned afterwards,
that, save three or four interested men, all the persons pres-
ent approved of the conduct of Mr. Gillet & myself as did
nearly the whole of the Chiefs, & that no other effort will be
made to disturb the Council.
September 11. There was a third attempt last night by
two men, to set fire to the council house. One of the two
men who guard it saw a person near the south eastern cor-
ner, & fired upon him, a charge of bird shot, he ran & was
pursued to a fence, where a second discharge of shot was
given, as the watchman had a double barreled gun. As the
fugitive was getting over the fence, he was seized by the
collar, when he struck the watchman with a club & escaped
into a corn field before the other watchman got up to aid in
taking the incendiary, the other man ran from under some
trees near where the first named stood. It is overcast this
morning & a storm of rain appears to be threatened. Sent a
letter to my wife yesterday of eight pages.
THE SENECA MOUNTAIN TOWN.
Mr. Cone, the Tonawanda Indian informs me, that there
was a tradition among the Senecas, that their nation was at
one period established in a large village on a high hill, with a
spacious broad Rat top, near the southern end of Seneca
Lake; & to more effectually defend their commanding posi-
tion, the sides of the hill were cleared of all the trees &
shrubs, so that an enemy could not advance without being
exposed to view & attack; and to render the defence still
more complete, large logs were collected on the summit to
be rolled down upon any force that might attempt to ascend
the height.
After many years of a prosperous & peaceful occupation81

of this hill, an enormous serpent came out of the lake & so
vast was his size & length that he was enabled to entirely
surround its base, so as to preclude a passage, to the foot for
the purpose of hunting & to the lake for taking fish. The
mouth of the serpent was open fronting the top of the hill &
so large was it that the indians considered it a passage or
kind of gateway through which they could pass & thus ef-
fect their escape & many ran into it & thus perished. The
distress at length became so great for the want of provisions,
that it was found the whole tribe would die of hunger, when
one night a young man dreamed, that if he made a bow of
hickory and an arrow of willow, which was to be tiped with
hair from the private parts of his sister, instead of feathers,
he could slay the monster & having procured the prescribed
materials, he shot the arrow into his body which however
only barely went through the skin; but as he moved from
the pain the wound occasioned it worked gradually in until
it pierced his heart, when he soon died in violent convulsions,
& the blood which issued from his mouth was so great that
it formed a large pond in which the snake putrihed and there
is now a morass covered with trees, in which it is believed
his bones may be discovered.
For the mountain residence of the Senecas, & from
whence they date the origin of their nation, their original
name was Jo-no-do-wan or Great Mountain, but it ultimately
was changed to Non-do-wan-gan which is the present In-
dian name of the Tribe.
The whole of the six nations until some years after the
white people came to Canada & New York, were but one
tribe, and were called the Jo-no-do-wans. Their chief settle-
ments were in the valley of the Genesee river & the prin-
cipal town in Avon. Annually after the squaws had planted
the corn, the greatest portion of the tribe, went out to the
various large lakes to fish & hunt, until the corn was ripe.
During this period the small pox was introduced into the
town & so fatal were its ravages, that nearly the whole of
those, whQ remained at home perished, and when a few of
the Indians who had been absent returned in September,
they found only two or three men & women, & as many chil-THE
dren alive, while the dead were festering unburied in the
houses & streets & Reids. The spectacle was so appalling
that they immediately went back & gave notice to the several
bands of the calamitous event, & such was the terror pro-
duced from the ravages of this new & destructive disease
that each of [the] bands determined to establish towns where
they had encamped during the Ashing & hunting season.
These were on Seneca, Cayuga, & Oneida lakes, Mohawk
river & Onondaga valley, and they at last became distinct &
independent nations, but united as the six nations for their
common safety & defence. When the white people began to
trade with them, they called each tribe the name of the lakes
rivers & valleys where they chieRy resided; but the tribes
have each a name entirely different from those, by which
they are known to each other.*
The council met at twelve & adjourned at two, in con-
sequence of the sudden & severe illness of Mr. Strong the
Interpreter's father, who is a Chief from Cattaragus. Mr.
Gillet made a speech for the purpose of correcting various
errors which some of the chiefs had committed as to facts &
principles. Mr. Gillet here stated to the Chiefs, that he had
the written opinion of Mr. Harris & Mr. Mand of the Indian
Bureau in the War Department as to the effect which the
non assent to the amendments of the treaty would have; &
that if they refused to ratify it, the contracts for the sale of
their reservations would be binding upon them, & that they
would thus be deprived of their lands here without having
secured others in the west.
I then rose & observed that it was the opinion of the
Governor of Massachusetts, that as the contract for the sale
of the reservations to Ogden & fellows was made simul-
taneously, they were under the peculiar circumstances, in
which the negotiations were conducted, to be considered as
dependent on each other & as one transaction; that the In-
dians would not have consented to the sale of all their lands
* There are certain resemblances between this tradition, as related by Cone,
and "The Origin of the Kingdom of the Five Nations," in David Cusick's
"Ancient History of the Six Nations," hrst published in 1825; but here, as else-
where in his journals, Gen. Dearborn's spelling of Indian words is independent
of all authorities.THE DE^RBORY JOt/RY^E^.
88
in the state of New York, if they had not at the same time
obtained others in the west, & if from any cause the treaty
was not completely ratified, either by an assent of the Chiefs
to the amendmends of the Senate, or a recession of the Sen-
ate from the amendments & the original treaty ratified by
that body, in the manner, which, it had been represented,
had been done on other occasions, they would be without a
home, which was not contemplated, by the Indians, at the
time the two arrangements were made. The Governor did
not undertake to decide that his construction of the treaty
& contracts was correct, for that was a subject for great con-
sideration & must ultimately depend on a judicial decision,
of the courts of the United States.
Mr. Gillet then proceeded, & stated that the chiefs now
knew the opinions of the officers of the general government
& of the Governor of Mas. & they were to decide, as to
whether it was safe or not, to act on the belief of the correct-
ness of either view of the subject; but in the event the treaty
was not assented to now, or hereafter ratified by the Senate,
as originally executed, & it should be decided by the courts,
that the contracts for the sale of their lands were valid, not-
withstanding, the responsibility of the chiefs, who signed the
treaty & contracts, & now should refuse to assent to the
amendments would be very great; for they will have nego-
tiated for the sale of the whole of their lands here, & refused
or neglected to provide a home in the Indian Territory, for
their future & permanent residence, & thus leave the whole
nation without any place of residence, or the means of sup-
port.
Evening. There was a meeting of the chiefs who are
opposed to the treaty, in the Council House after the ad-
journment of the council, and the questions under considera-
tion were discussed. There was also a meeting of a number
of the opposition chiefs yesterday morning at the house
of Billy Jones one of the chiefs who lives on this reservation
near the church, and were addressed by [blank in original]
who attempted to induce a belief that all the statements
which had been made by Mr. Gillet were false or deceptive
& erronious, as is reported by persons who were present.84

Such conduct is infamous, for the motive is, to retain the
advantages which the individuals, who are urging the Indi-
ans not to ratify the treaty, now enjoy, from the mills they
have built or occupy on the reservations, & the lumber &
bark which they obtain therefrom. The objects for which
they are seeking, are selfish, & they are willing to deceive
& thus prevent the indians from embracing the liberal &
munificent offers of the government. Such baseness is un-
paralleled in my intercourse with man-kind. Assuming to
be the special friends of the Indians, these poor, ignorant &
prejudiced people are deluded and made to distrust the U. S.
Commissioners & myself,—the national government even,
who have no other aim or desire than to do the greatest pos-
sible benefit to the miserable remnant of a tribe which is fast
sinking into the most degraded condition & must soon be-
come extinct, if they do not remove to the west.
I took a walk with Mr. Gillet half an hour before sunset
up the bank of the creek to see Mr. Strong the sick chief &
then crossed the creek & went to Gruses house on the hill,
southwest from the onondaga Council House; he being a
chief & also sick. We walked about three miles.
I have read, since I have been here Oliver Twist &
Nicholas Nickleby by Boz. alias Charles Dickens author of
the Pick-Wick Papers &c. the gth vol. of the 3d series of the
Massachusetts historical Society & Homeward Bound by
Cooper author of the Spy, Pilot, Red Rover &c. and "La
Levitiene de Montfermeil, by Ch. Paul De Kock.
A TRADITION OF THE CHIEF DOCTOR OF THE SENECAS, AS TO
THE MEDICINE HE USES FOR WOUNDS, BRUISES & ALL
VULNERARY PURPOSES, RELATED TO ME BY CONE.
It was the custom long before the Revolutionary War,
for parties of from twenty, fifty & a hundred Indians to make
excursions into Ohio for the purpose of signalizing their
vallor, by killing small parties of their enemies, & plundering
the exposed settlements. In one of these expeditions, the
party was unexpectedly overtaken, during its return, by a
large body of warriors when a bloody engagement ensued,
in which many of the Senecas were slain. One of the scoutsTHE DB.4RRO7W /(WRAL4A5\
85
on his return to the nation gave the following account of
himself. As he was retreating before the victorious band
which had slain & defeated his corps he was knocked down
as he supposed by a war-club; but soon after came to his
senses, & finding many of his dead companions scattered
near him, & neither friend or enemy in sight, he took the
route which he presumed they had pursued home, & over-
took them the next day; but to his great astonishment, no
one replied to his salutations or appeared to notice or even
see him; and after in vain attempting to enter into conversa-
tion, for the purpose of ascertaining the cause of their cold
neglect, he concluded to return to his village, which he
reached the third [day] but to his utter surprise neither his
wife children or friends spoke to him or took the least notice
of what he said or did. He was in despair & went from
house to house, to see if no one would recognize, know, or
speak to him, but he was entirely disregarded & did not seem
to be perceived.
In deep affliction for his neglected & painful situation he
determined to return to the battle ground where so many of
his companions, were slain & be united with them in death, &
on arriving at the place of the action there were many dead
indians all of whom had been scalped, while wandering
among the slain he discovered a corps, which seemed to so
much resemble himself, that he began at last to believe it was
his own body & that it was only his spirit which had been
with his own party family & friends, which was the reason
they could not see him. Scarcely had he come to this con-
clusion, when his spirit again entered his body. Not long
after he heard the most delightful songs, but was incapable
of moving or opening his eyes; There appeared to be nu-
merous voices & the singing was the most curious & interest-
ing he had ever listened to. The sound, however, did not
appear to be like that proceeding from human lips, so in-
finitely different were they in tone & compass, & yet more
sweet and harmonious. At last he was enabled to open his
eyes, but could not speak or move. He was astonished to
find, that the music he heard, was made by all the kinds of
birds & other animals of the forest from the smallest wren *THE DEARBORN JOLTRAE4ER.
to the eagle, from the little striped squirrel to the deer &
bear, which had formed a circle around him, some being on
the ground & others sitting on the trees, or hying about in
the air.
Suddenly they all ceased singing & there was a consulta-
tion, as to the expediency of restoring him to life by the
means of a most remarkable & powerful medicine which was
described; to this the wolf and catamount objected, for, they
observed, he will become a hunter & we shall all be subject
to be killed by his hand,—no, replied the turtle dove, he will
become a peaceful benefactor of his nation & hereafter de-
vote his time, to medicine & be enabled to render assistance
to the wounded & sick, in a manner more successful than
was ever known before, for he will hear the names of the
ingredients which we intend to use in the liquid for curing
his wound & restoring him to life & perfect health, As all
the other animals except the wolf & the catamount concurred
in the generous opinion of the turtle dove, it was determined,
that some of their number should prepare the medicine,
while one of the birds, should go in search of his scalp,
which had been taken & carried off by one of the indians
who had attacked & defeated his war party. The crane im-
mediately volunteered his services, for the latter duty, as he
was swift of wing & could scent flesh & blood a greater dis-
tance than any other bird, & was accordingly dispatched in
pursuit of the victorious band. During his absence the
dead indian heard those, who were preparing the medicine,
name over the various articles, which were combined in a
fine powder & put into one of those curious leaves, which is
called Adams cup.
The Crane soon returned with the scalp, which he found
suspended on the top of the chimney of the hut in which the
chief lived who had taken it, where it had been placed, to be
dried & smoked, according to the Indian custom, that it may
be preserved as a trophy of valor. The scalp was first
soaked soft in a spring of pure water, and then being care-
fully sprinkled with the liquid medicine it was applied to the
head, which had also been bathed for some time with the
same wonderful specific. In a short time the Indian wasTHE DR<4RR0IW JOC/RAT^L-S'.
87
enabled to sit up, but was *so feeble from loss of blood & the
want of food that he could not speak, when the wolf was
dispatched, for venison, & it was not long before he returned
with a quarter of a fawn, that he had slain. The birds &
other animals then all disappeared, after having sang a
peculiar kind of song which was indispensable to render the
operation of the medicine complete, & restore the patient to
perfect health.
As soon as the Indian was left alone, he found his
strength so much increased, that he was able to get up, &
having kindled a Are, broiled small pieces of the venison,
which he eat with a greedy appetite, & then laid down &
went to sleep. When he awoke he found himself perfectly
well & strong & set off on his return home. On his arrival
he related the miraculous circumstances of his death & resto-
ration to life. Having determined to attempt the prepara-
tion of the medicine by which he had been cured, he set off
on a hunt to procure the ingredients. They were small por-
tions of the brains of a certain number of birds & other
animals, & one kernal of corn from an ear which was to be
found growing alone on a single stalk in the midst of the
forest, an a seed from a little rough skin squash, which also
was to be procured from a vine that was to be discovered in
the wilderness, far from any settlement. The brains of the
different annimals were obtained in a few days, but he tra-
versed the wilderness six months in search of the corn &
squash.
At last one night after he had eaten his supper, & lied
down to sleep, he was roused by the song which he heard at
the time he was raised from the dead. It was bright moon-
light night & the notes came swelling on the gentle breeze
through the vast forest in the most melodious & enchanting
manner; but he was directed in one of the verses not to
move from his camp until morning. The singing continued
until day-light. As soon as the sun rose he set off in the
direction from whence the sounds of the song came and
found the desired stalk of corn growing within a small circle
of level ground in which there was not a weed, or a spear of
grass, & it appeared as clear as if it had been smoothed by a88
THE DE^RFORAT JOI/RAT^ER.
rake, all around the circle for a considerable distance were
the tracks or marks made by the birds & other animals
which had been there assembled, during the night. Having
taken the single ear of corn which grew upon the isolated
stalk the Indian returned to his village. One kernel of the
corn when Anely pulverized was sufficient to impart the sani-
tary & healing virtues, with which it had been endowed by
the Great Spirit to a large quantity of the other ingredients.
The Indian who was so fortunate as to obtain this invaluable
medicine, soon became the most distinguished Doctor of the
tribe, from the great cures he effected of wounds received in
battle & in other modes, as well as cases of extraordinary
pains & diseases. & ever since it has been continued to be
administered by one man in the tribe to whom the right &
power of preparing it has been transmitted.*
At present this Indian is John Tuky & resides on the
Cataraugus reservation. He has several agents in each of
the four reservations who are supplied with the medicine in
the form of a very Ane powder, a minute portion of which
is put into a vessel of water with which the wound, or part
of the body in pain is bathed & the remainder is drank by
the patient. In ten days from the time of its application, a
dance is held at the house of the injured or sick person, by
the agents, who administer the medicine. & the ceremony
is closed by a feast which is kept up all night, which is given
to them, by the friends of the patient. One application of
the medicine only is made & is considered infallible.
The kernals of the ear of corn having been all used up
about sixty years since, the Doctor whose special privilege it
was to prepare the medicine, went in search of another, an
one of the equally efficacious squashes. After a search of
many months in the mountainous wilderness of the Alle-
ghanies, he found, a squash vine growing by itself, & the
seeds of that have been nearly all used, so that there is great
anxiety lest another ear of the sacred corn or one of the
squashes should not be found.
* There is nothing resembling this legend in Cusick's "Six Nations." None
of the "Legends of the Iroquois" attributed to "The Cornplanter" and published
by William W. Canheld in 190a correspond with it; nor has it been found else-THE	JO^RAT^RS.
89
Alas poor human nature. The credulity of man will
never cease. The marvelous always is imposing & quacks
flourish in our largest cities.
Mr. Cone three years since had an affection of one of his
eyes which was very painful. After being attended by a
physician for some time without relief recourse was had, by
his parents to the Great Indian Doctor of Cattaraugus. His
shirt was sent for the Doctor to sleep upon & he was able the
next day to state how long he had suffered, & that the in-
Hamation was caused by a portion of spider's web getting
into the eye when he was walking in the woods; the cause
o^ the disease, however Mr. Cone did not know. The sacred
medicine was administered & he was relieved soon after from
much of the pain he had suffered. In ten days the dance was
performed in his room, in time the inflamation subsided, but
the eye perished.
The Council met at half past 12 & adjourned at 4.
Pierce of Cattaraugus read some extracts from a congres-
sional speech as to the second removal of the Cherokees, Mr.
Gillet & myself explained that transaction & I gave an ac-
count of Mr. Jefferson's friendly disposition & policy in re-
lation to the Indians;—the advancement made by the Chero-
kees in civilization;—the invention of an alphabet by Sa-
quai-ga, the establishment of a printing office & the publica-
tion of a newspaper & books in the Cherokee language &
that alphabet, & the improvements made in agriculture, &
the mechanic arts, & the introduction of wheels & looms for
spinning & weaving; thus illustrating the practicability of
the amelioration of the degraded condition of the indians.
Jimerson & Black-Kettle spoke, & complained that the
Commissioner & myself unnecessarily prolonged the Coun-
cil, to which I replied. Mr. Strong the interpreter made a
few remarks in reply to Pierce. Just before sunset I went
with Mr. Gillet into the forest & we walked two miles for
exercise. There was a Corn Feast at Jack Berry's town this
day & a dance in the evening.
Sep 14. A superb morning. Mr. Cone informed me yes-
terday that the Indians were very superstitious, especially
the pagan portion of the tribe.90
THE DE,4REORAf /O(/RAL4L6\
There are now two great prophets, in the tribe, one re-
siding on the Tonnawanda reservation by the name of Han-
ne-yat-hoo, & the other Ne-an-wis-tan-an on this. The for-
mer states that there are four angels which are annually
sent to him by the great spirit, whose special duty it is to
take charge of the Seneca Indians, & that they inform him
of what errors the Indians fall into, the vices they indulge in
& the crimes they commit & what it is necessary for them to
do to please the great spirit, & prevent the calamities which
will befall the nation unless there is a reformation in conduct.
He has recently told the Tonnawanda indians, that a terrible
sickness was coming from the rising sun, which would ex-
terminate them unless they had a great feast & dance & all
took a particular kind of medicine, which he had been in-
structed how to prepare. This has been done & the indians
are now safe from the disasterous evils, with which they
were threatened. An easy & cheap mode of being saved
from the ravages of a sweeping pestilence. These self made
Prophets are cunning men & ever have been in all ages &
nations; they either put off the evil so far, that no one
dreads the ills prognosticated,—or bring it so near that their
is made	in arresting the wrath of the
almighty:—The one gives a mysterious & awful dignity to
their character & the other insures confidence in their super-
natural powers. Man is thus taxed, by the cunning & lazy,
and reverence is paid to rascals, who should be lashed into
labor for their support, instead of being permitted to roam
about the country to alarm the weak & foolish & live on their
industry. Since the days of the Phareos, prophets have
gulled the people, both civilized & savage; even the Chris-
tians have ever & anon remarkable prophets among all the
various sects, from the Pope down to the meanest villain
who calls himself a missionary to the lost sinners. Why
then should not the poor indian, the ignorant savage have
the consolation of prophets, to threaten them with all the
horrors of famine pestilence & war, & then give joy to the
affrighted wretches, by the power of averting the wrath of
God. It is a delightful kind of moral shower bath,—the
dark of terror & then the exhilerating flow of comfort whenTHE
91
the shock is over. Little children are we; to be alarmed &
quieted, by a nursery tale. God forgive all villains & fools
& save us from their rascality & errors.
The illustrious prophet of this reservation, [blank in
original]* dreams like the patriarchs of old & sees visions.
Since the question of emigrating to the west has been agi-
tated in the tribe, & very recently this learned pagan, reports
that he went to hell, in one of his spiritual nocturnal excur-
sions. He passed over an immense prarie & at the distant
end beheld an enormous stone ediAce, without doors or win-
dows, but the guide, who accompanied him,—being a special
messenger from the Great Sp[irit] knocked against the wall
& instantly an opening was made, from which issued a blaze
that ascended hundreds of feet above the roofs, & he beheld
within huge potash kettles, Ailed with boiling oil & moulten
lead, & there were the wicked rising & falling & tumbling
over in the bubling Auids, & ever & anon as the heads of
some were thrown above the top of kettles they gave a horrid
yell & down they plunged again. There he was told would
be punished.all the chiefs who advocated emigration. But
the Indian Hell, among all the tribes, has this advantage,
over that, which most of our pious & merciful clergymen
have so liberally contrived for the Christian disciples,—there
is a term to all the awful punishments indicted on even the
most hardened sinner, the offences being atoned for by a
shorter or longer boil, according to their greater or less
henious character; & Anally all go to heaven & hunt & dance
& eat & enjoy themselves in the vast praries & forests of the
Great Spirit's dominions except witches & for them they
have imitated the justness & intelligence of the most civil-
ized nations of Christians, & leave them simmering in hell
for all eternity. But still there is a good chance for them,—
for as the offence is imaginary, & no positive evil is actually
done, the Great Spirit may allow them to take the great
* It is not clear who Ailed the role of prophet among the Senecas at this
date. Handsome Lake, founder of what is known as the Pagan belief now ob-
served by most non-Christians of the Six Nations, died at Onondaga in 1815.
His grandson Sase-he-wa, otherwise known as James (oftener as "Jimmy")
Johnson, also a prophet, died about 1830.92

P<3^ to Heaven, without even a halt at the inconveni-
ent half way house of hell.
Evening. The Council met at half past 12 & Bennet, a
chief from the Cattaraugus reservation, commenced a
speech in reply to personal charges made against him the
day before, by I. Jimmenson. He had got through with his
defence & was proceeding in remarks that were perfectly
correct & unobjectionable having no offensive import on the
conduct of the chiefs who signed the treaty & the contracts
for the sale of the land at the Council last winter, when he
was rudely interupted by an insolent & ill-mannered young
chief by the name of Pierce.* Bennet observed that those
chiefs who had agreed in the sale of the land & now refused
to assent to the amended treaty, were in fact depriving the
indians of their home here & preventing them from obtain-
ing that which was so generously offered by the national
government. Pierce charged him with stating falsehoods, &
when called to order by the Commissioner & directed to be
seated, that he could answer Bennet when he had finished
his speech, he insolently replied that he would not sit down &
that he would interupt him or the commissioners either when
he chose; that he was not to be put down. I then observed
that the commissioner presided in the council & that in con-
formity to the rules for the government of all deliberative
bodies, no one was to be interupted in debate, in the rude &
unwarrantable manner he had attempted, & that if he did
not sit down & be silent he would be put out of the council.
* This was possibly Maris B. Pierce, a Seneca chief of good education, who
had attended Dartmouth College, and a speaker and writer of no little force.
Some days before this outbreak, on Tuesday evening, Aug. 28, 1838, he gave
a public address in the Baptist Church of Buffalo. The
report of it said: "The main object seemed to be to show that the operation of
with the following title: "Address on the present condition and prospects of
the Aboriginal Inhabitants of North America, with particular reference to the
Seneca Nation. Delivered at Buffalo, New York, by M. B. Pierce, a chief of
the Seneca Nation, and a member of Dartmouth College." Pierce was one of
the most ardent opponents of the proposed removal of his people. Fisher Pierce,
a Seneca from Cattaraugus, was active in the councils of his people at this time,THE	70(/E^LS.
98
Mr. Gillet then called on the old chief Captain Pollard,
who had attended all the Councils since that held by Col.
Pickering at Canadagua, to state what was the practice as to
the mode of conducting the debates. I. Jimenson then got
up & in a passionate tone said Capt. Pollard should not speak
& Big Kettle arose & in a furious manner, began to abuse
the Commissioner & me, when Jimenson bound from his
seat & rushed upon the venerable Pollard who was standing
near the table at which we were sitting & pushed him toward
his seat in a wrathful manner. Col. White a gentleman
from Chataque county who sat near, started up & took hold
of Capt. Pollard, to prevent him from falling & at the same
time seized Jimenson. Black Kettle then ran towards White
& took hold of him while Jimenson took Mr. Strong the in-
terpreter by the throat, & crushed him down upon the table
on which he was leaning in front of me. The war whoop
was then given by the partisans of those rash & desperate
chiefs & the whole rushed forward to where the Commis-
sioner & I sat & their leaders were in a furious manner using
the most threatening language; Mr. Gillet & myself rose &
attempted to restore order, & after considerable difficulty
they took their seats, when we both addressed them on the
disgraceful impropriety of their conduct. We then con-
sulted as to the propriety of the course to be pursued & con-
cluded to adjourn the council until monday & in the mean-
time procure the aid of the civil authority, & if necessary a
military force to call on Col Crane of the U. S. Army who
commanded at Buffalo. This determination was announced
by the Interpreter & the council adjourned to monday at
eleven oclock.
When we got to our lodging, we called in the Indian
Agent, Judge Stryker, & consulted what it was expedient to
do in such an unprecedented conjuncture of affairs; & it was
determined that the High Sheriff of the County should be
requested to attend with a sufficient number of deputies &
constables to preserve order in the Council & protect us from
outrage & insult & to request Col. Crane who commanded
the U. S. troops at Buffalo to inform us, whether, in the
event a military force should be required, he would send out94

a company, to be encamped in the vicinity, for the purpose of
supporting the civil officers should it be required, and that
Mr. Strong should go into Buffalo to make complaint be-
fore a magistrate against Jimenson for an assault & have
him arrested & bound over to keep the peace. These meas-
ures were carried into effect forthwith. Strong went to the
city & fortunately the sheriff soon after arrived & he
promptly promised to be here on monday, with a civil power
sufficient to maintain order, if possible & I wrote to Col.
Crane to ascertain whether he would cooperate, if requested
by Mr. Gillet & myself.
At dusk Seneca White & Little Johnson called as a depu-
tation from the opposition chiefs, who had conducted in such
an infamous manner, to state that they intended to meet on
monday, at the Council House in Jack Berry's town, for the
purpose of inquiring into the conduct of the refractory
chiefs. Mr. Gillet informed them he expected they would
meet to morrow, in the Council House here, with all the
other chiefs to deliberate on a transaction so disgraceful to
the nation; that it was no party question, but one which in-
volved the reputation of all the chiefs, & that they were
bound in honor to themselves & the Seneca tribe, to meet in
open council & make a proper example of the lawless & des-
perate chiefs, who had so grossly insulted the Commissioner
& Superintendent of Mas.ts, & the government of the United
States & that which the latter represented. They appeared
much ashamed of the conduct of their party & said they
would report, what had been said to them. Thus the affair
stands this evening. I wrote the Governor this forenoon,
before this disgraceful transaction was consummated.
Sep. 15. A glorious morning. There was a splendid
exhibition of the aurora borealis last evening at nine oclock,
extending from the N. E. to the S. W. & reaching the zenith,
the coruscations were vivid from a dark space near the hori-
zon, & shot up in collums of great width & brightness. In
the eastern section there was a blood red tint, reaching from
the top of the dark space half way to the zenith & extending
for several degrees, like the reflection of a distant fire. In the
south west, were horizontal flashes which came out in wavesTHE	JOt/RA^E-S*.
95
towards the east & preceded the aurora as it advanced
towards the zenith; it resembled the winkling light which
the heat-lightning, as it is called, presents,—the reflection of
a distant thunder shower; but evidently was caused in the
manner as the common auroras which illumine our northern
nightly skies. I concluded a letter to my dear wife this
morning of 8 pages, closely written over margins & all. I
was a little oppressed night before last from eating cabbage;
but by fasting on tea yesterday, I am pretty well this morn-
ixg.
Situation of the Council House*:
The Council House is in a beautiful grove on the bank
of the Buffalo Creek, containing about seven acres. I have
noticed the following variety of trees some of which are at
least 90 feet high & four feet through at the but: Slipery96
THE
Elm, Weeping Elm, Button Wood, Basswood, Black Wal-
nut, Butternut, Hickory, Rock Maple, White Maple, Tulip
tree Wild native apple, Hawthorn & numerous shrubs &
herbaceous flowers. There are three hundred or more
trees in the grove, which render it a most picturesque & in-
teresting place, with the groups of Indians laying under the
trees, with each a little fire kindled in an old stump, or a
dead log, or a little pile of dry bark & roots, to light their
pipes; & among them white men & women walking about.
Afternoon, there being no Council this day, I have writ-
ten the Governor a letter of 8 pages & Mr. Bigelow Secre-
tary of State one of three pages. I walked from 12 to quar-
ter past one, in the forest, north of the Buffalo road. I am
reading in the vol. of State Papers, the documents in relation
to the Indians of this state. The written speeches of Corn-
planter to Genl. Washington in 1790 are elegant & superior
to any other indian communication I ever read. I found in
the written speech of Corn-planter, Half-Town & Big Tree
sent to' General Washington Dec 29. 1790 that they called
him the Town-Destroyer, & in reading Procters Journal, to
Buffalo Creek, to hold a treaty with the Senecas, Washing-
ton was called by the Indians The Great Chief, Ho-non-da-
ga-ni-us. This evening I asked Cone, my young Tonna-
wanda friend, what was the meaning of that name, & he
said it was, Town Destroyer; but that it now meant Presi-
dent of the United States whoever the individual was, &
had been thus used, through all the administrations, since
Washingtons. Thus we see how a name given to designate
a man, at last designates the office he held, who ever might
be ocupent.
The reason for the name, was this. Genl. Sullivan, in
his expedition against the Indians of New York, during the
Revolution, was ordered to burn all the towns & destroy all
the corn, which was fully done, & the whole of the indian
settlements, to Genesee river, were laid waste. Washington
being Commander in Chief & then the head of the nation, the
Indians, in the true Grecian & Roman style, gave him the
significant name of Ho-non-da-ga-ni-us or Town Destroyer.
I received a letter from Col. Crane this evening, inform-7YAE
^7
ing me that Genl Macomb^ had arrived at Buffalo, & that he
had laid my letter of yesterday before him, and that he was
authorized to inform me that a military force would be sent
here whenever requested; so that now we have the most
ample means to maintain order & compell the Indians to con-
duct with propriety.
There has been a warrant issued & the Sheriff has been
out here to arrest Jimenson, but he has either secreted him-
self or Red to Cattaraugus where he lives. There are many
threats of violence from Big-Kettle & other chiefs; but I do
not apprehend the least difficulty in future in the Council.
The power which it will be known we have at our command
will insure tranquility. There is no more wise & safe mode of
conducting, on all occasions than to be prepared to vindicate,
defend & maintain any position which it is necessary to as-
sume, & leave it not [to] the uncertainty of events. To be
ready for, is the sure way to prevent difficulties. Peace is
the prize of efficient power to command it.
Sep. 16. There was a frost for the second time this
season last night & the ground is white this morning, with
the hoary messenger of stern Winter.
Corn-Planter states, in his written speech to Washington
of 1790, that, if he is determined to crush the indians, one
chief has said, "he will retire to the Chateaugay, eat of the
fatal root, & sleep with his fathers, in peace/' I asked Cone
what root was alluded to, & he informed it was of a plant,
that grew on moist land, resembling the Skunk Cabbage,
was sweet to the taste & that a small handful produced death.
It tasted & smelt like the parsnip. He knew it well & had
tasted of it. It was pleasant to eat. The effect was violent
spasms, the head & body was drawn back with strong con-
vulsions, as in the lock-jaw. He said he had known of sev-
eral suisides from eating it. & was the only mode of self
destruction among the Indians. Doct. Wilcox informed me
two women at Cattaraugus had eaten the "/afa/ raa?/' within
two years, & died, one from disappointed love. Cone states
* Major General Alexander Macomb, one of the successful generals of the
War of 1812, was at this time (1838) commander-in-chief of the U. S. Army,
which rank he held from 1835 till his death in 1841. He arrived in Buffalo,98

that love unrequited was a common cause of suiside. He
confirms, what several other persons both Indians & white
men,—that the Indians are very licentious. There is no
courtship or form of marriage & that either party may leave
the other when they please & take another wife or husband
the next hour. The girls are generally married at from 14
to 17 years of age. They have little chastity among them,
either among the married women or girls. The females are
amerous & as often seek the men, as the latter them. It is a
mere brute passion which brings the man & woman together.
The men never notice the females in public, they neither
accompany them to feasts & dances, speak to them there or
wait upon them home. He thinks there are not ten chaste
females in the whole Seneca nation, above 13 years of age.
The idling of these people & their brutal intemperance is
disgusting & inexcusable. Cone thinks that more than three
quarters of the time of the men is taken up in feasts, dances,
useless councils & other amusements, & in fact I am satisfied
that but few ever work & most of them not one day in ten.
As to improving their condition it is preposterous in their
present settlement. They have no honor, pride, honesty, or
dignity left. They unite all the vices of the indians to those
of the lowest & basest of the whites. Chiefs are in this
Council who are ragged & filthy as beyond the meanest beg-
gars among the whites. There are not a dozen men in the
nation who do not get drunk, whenever they can obtain
spirit. The women work on the land & make bead work,
brooms, baskets & other articles for sale & pick berries which
they carry to market. They are generally well dressed. Hu-
man nature can not appear more despicable than here & as
to their being allowed to remain in this position & condition
is out of the question. Humanity, more than policy demands
that they should be placed in a position where they can be
improved & the national government is bound to exercise its
power firmly yet beneficently. They should be compelled to
work, abandon all their idle cerimonies, be sober & receive
instruction in the mechanical & agricultural arts, & taught
to read & write. Let them be pagans until they have been
made industrious & sober & then they will become Christians.THE	JO (/RATALS.
99
No white people should be allowed to reside among them for
any purpose, except as agents & instructors, under the direc-
tion of the government of the United States.
We compell the idle & intemperate to work, by confining
them in alms houses, or in the tillage of lands connected with
the alms-houses establishments. Why should these barbari-
ans be allowed to wander about the country & be the pitiable
vagrants of our towns. We are holding a treaty, with some
80 Indians, three quarters of whom, are ragged, filthy,-ignor-
ant, lazy, drunken, & worthless wretches,—more degraded
& debased than the vicious inmates of our most thronged
poor houses,—for most of them, when sober, are sensible &
capable of reason, & have some education; but these vaga-
bonds, are as stupid as they are ignorant & base in character
& conduct. It is a rediculous mockery of sovereignty,—a
contemtable show of respect & gravity, to be treatying with
men, who are incapable of comprehending the simplest
statement; & who should be made to do, what the intelli-
gence & kindness of the government, have deemed indispen-
sable, for their comfort & moral elevation. How preposter-
ous is it for such characters to be talking about their ancient
rights their independence & customs. They are reduced to
the lowest possible state of vice, & grovling dissipation &
shameful idleness & appeal to the white people to leave them
in a condition where they can indulge in all their debased &
degrading habits, and ultimately to become the miserable and
disgusting applicants for the means of subsistance,—begging
not for food & rayment merely, but the means of getting
beastly drunk & wallowing in the filth of our high-ways. Is
it justice mercy, humanity,-or Christian like to leave a race
of men thus depraved to themselves, to be a foul blot on the
face of society,—a constant spectacle of misery which is as
deleterious upon the habits of the whole people, with whom
they comingle, as it is revolting to humanity & fatal to them-
selves. The georgian knot must be cut & the laws & power
of the nation substituted for this sham exercise of diplo-
matic authority & respectful treatment towards a people, who
are incapable of managing their own affairs & providing
for their own means of subsistance. They are to be treated100
THE PR,4REORAf /O (/RASAS'.
as children, by a kind & merciful & generous parent, be com-
pelled to so conduct as to merit consideration esteem, respect
& honor.
I walked on the bank of the Creek for an^hour or more
after breakfast, & went up it nearly two miles, on the imme-
diate shore or Arst bank. The water is very low being only
a few inches deep any where. The whole would pass
through a space 6 feet wide & three inches deep. The strata
of slate stone which forms the bottom, is broken by nearly
parallel fractures or seams, into lamina from 2 to 6 feet
wide, which run from N. E. to S. W. & occasionally, there
is a seam, which cuts the others obliquly,—their course
being nearly east & west. There are small boulders on the
shore, or Hint & lime-stone, united in veins, as if moulten &
run together. The day is magnificent, & my thoughts are
far off, with my dear family, on the shore of the ocean. I
hope soon to be able to be on my journey home.
I walked with Mr. Gillet over to the Onondaga Council
House, at four oclock where there has been a corn feast &
dance all day. We remained about half an hour, our
object in going was to convince the indians that threats
would not intimidate, for it was reported to us that Big-
Kettle had said he would tomahawk the Commissioner the
first he met him. I went to see the aged sick woman, for
whom I provided a doctor. She is fast recovering & sits up
part of the day. She was glad to see me. I gave her a
dollar to purchase biscuit & other articles of food. We got
back by sunset.
The dress of the squaws is as follows: A blue broad-
cloth peticoat, with a border of white beads worked round
the bottom from an inch to Ave inches wide or a strip of bead
work up the front 2 to 3 inches in width. This is of one
piece of cloth, united in front, & without a pleat. To conAne
it, there is a strong deer skin string tied round the wast just
above the hips. They step into the peticoat & draw it up
so as to be just above the ankles at the bottom, the belt is
sliped up, & a fold being made in the top of the peticoat, on
each hip, behind it is held tight round the waist & the belt
then sliped down over it, & the portion above the belt, rolled7TTE DE^RRORAT JOI/RAT^ES.
101
over it, which keeps this neat & rich garment in place. The
leggings are of blue, green, or red broad cloth. They are
about nine inches in diameter, made in the form of cylinder,
& confined by a garter below the knee. The bottom of them
touch the instep & are ornamented with beads like the peti-
coat. The gown or upper garment is usually of calico made
like a hunting shirt, droping down to the hips, united in
front with brooches & frequently a row round the neck &
down the sleeves, over the whole is worn either a white blan-
ket like a mantle or a piece of blue black or brown broad-
cloth which is put over the head & held by the hands so
drawn over the chest as to cover the body & leaving only the
face exposed. The most able & tasty wear broad cloth
mantles when at a dance, or on a visit to the city. They are
two yards square, & never hemed, or ornamented,—or is the
list taken off. The hair is invariably parted in the middle &
carried back & united in a knot to which broad & long black
ribbands are suspended, falling down as low as the hips;
or the hair is simply tied near the head & hangs down loose.
Earrings & all of silver are universal. I saw but one ordi-
nary pair among all the women; the brooches are also silver
& their rings save in a few instances gold was seen. The
mocasins are deer skin ornamented with beads & porcupines
quills.
The process of dressing the deer-skin is very simple &
peculiar to the Indians. The skin when taken from the deer,
is carefully deprived of every particle of flesh, & then
stretched between poles, vertically. The Hunter put up
round his camp upright poles ten or twelve feet high & suffi-
ciently far enough apart to allow the skin to be stretched to
its greatest width, & others are lashed horizontally to them,
—one at the bottom near the ground & the other sufficiently
high to admit the skin to be extended its whole length.
Bass wood bark is prepared in strips & one of them is made
to pass all round the skin in holes cut near the edge, so as to
form loops about one or two inches apart; to these loops
other strings are fastened & passing round the vertical &
horizontal poles, the skin is expanded to its greatest possible
extent & surface. They remain thus exposed to the open air108
THE
for two or three months. When they are dressed they are
soaked in water, & having a beam Axed obliquely, like that
used by currier [s] the skin is, in portions put on it, Aesh side
down & the hair & outer cuticle, or grain as it is called
scraped off with a steel or iron tool, some ten inches or more
long, Axed in a wooden handle so as to form a scraper; the
edge like that of a skate iron, is ground to sharp corners.
The heads of the deer having been brought to the camp,
the skulls are cracked open & the brains taken out, & boiled
in water, so as to deprive them of all Abre & fat, & then put
on to pieces of bark which are laid up on poles in the camp
to dry; this substance is then scraped off into a box, or some
other vessel & kept for use, in curing & preparing the deer
skin leather. When used it is put into a cloth, & tied up, &
that is plunged into hot water, & squeezed & worked by the
hand until all the substance of the brains, which is sufficiently
soluble passes through which gives the water a milky appear-
ance. In this the skin is soaked & rubed for a considerable
time, which makes the skin swell & become soft, when dry it
is rubed, until the whole of it appears pliable & thoroughly
impregnated with the brains. It is then sewed up into a
cylinder length ways & closed at the top. A hole about 18
inches deep & a foot in diameter is then dug in the ground, &
sticks stuck into the earth around it, as high as the skin,
which is drawn over them like an inverted bag, & the lower
end spreading out on the ground for two or three inches is
covered with earth so as to make it close. In the hole a
smoke is made of Hemlock or other bark, which is kept up,
until the skin is thoroughly impregnated with the smoke, &
assumes a rich Yellowish colour, then it is taken off & again
rubed in the hands, when the leather is At for use.
Sep. 17. A clear bright, calm & lovely morn & day. The
Council met at twelve, when Mr. Gillet announced that in
consequence of his being summoned with the Superintendent
of Mas. to attend the Police Court in Buffalo, as witnesses
in the case of Strong & Jimenson, the council was adjourned
to the 18th at 11 oclock. I went to the city in the afternoon
with Mr. Gillet to attend the police court, as a witness in the
case of the assault of Israel Jimenson on Strong; & not-
PHP PE.4RRO7W
103
withstanding the testimony was full & clear, for the facts,
(as I have narrated them,) were proved by Ave witnesses it
was decided that there was no cause of action. The judge of
the Police Court is an ignorant, uncultivated & rough man,
who has no idea of decency of conduct, or the respect due to
the laws & the judicial & other tribunals, of the country.*
There was an appeal in this instance, on the recommendation
of the commissioner & myself to the civil authority, with the
fullest conAdence that ample protection would be extended
to us, as well as such a judgment, rendered as would have
induced all present, to have gone away with a proper regard
for the judiciary, & the necessity of so conducting, as would
exempt them from merited rebuke & punishment; but he dis-
missed the auditory of whites & indians, with the evident
impression that outrage, & indecorum may be committed, in
the council, with impunity, & showing that now it was indis-
pensably necessary to call in a military force for our protec-
tion, as well as to enable the Commissioner of the United
States to discharge his duty, in conformity to the laws & his
positive instructions. How utterly inefficient, in fact, have
our civil tribunals proved to be in cases of the heinous char-
acter of that which have been so impotently adjudicated. A
court commits a man to prison, for even an insulting word to
the bench,—or the slightest disturbance the Parliament of
Great Britain sends to the tower, or expels, a member who
violates the rules of the house. Congress summarily pun-
ishes any interuption of its proceedings, or insult offered to
its members or officers;—& here, a council, in which is the
agent, & Commissioner of the national government, the rep-
resentative of a state, & those of a nation, is rudely inter-
rupted & broken up in the most shameful, insulting & dis-
graceful manner, & the interpreter, who is also an officer of
the nation, assaulted, and yet we are all treated by a magis-
trate of a city, to whom a proper appeal is made for redress,
as if we were a pack of drunken street brawlers. I do not
where this case was tried, was over the west end of the old Terrace Market, on
the Terrace near Pearl Street. The Mayor's of&ce at that time was in the same
building.104

believe that there is a judge of any court of the U. S. or any
superior court of a state, that would not have promptly
bound over the offender for trial, & pronounced such a
opinion, as would have made all present fully sensible of the
necessity of order being maintained, from the certainty of
plenary punishment being visited on all offenders who were
guilty of such a breach of decorum. So much for our
boasted judiciary.—So much for that mistaken policy, which
places vulgar & ignorant men in positions, where talent, edu-
cation & personal merit, should be considered as the indis-
pensable qualifications of the incumbents. Justice is repre-
sented as	& here the propriety of that curious & re-
markable mode of distinguishing that goddess by the
ancients has been fully illustrated.
Sep. 18. Still day clear & warm. I have geathered
apples of the wild native crap tree, on this creek & taken out
the seed to carry home & plant, & collected seed of the in-
digenous Clamatis & bulbs of the Indian Turnip. & seeds of
five other wild plants whose names I do not know. & min-
erals, of this section of the country.
From what I have seen on this Indian reservation & the
remarks of the most intelligent chiefs, as well as the infor-
mation of persons who have either lived long in the midst of
indians or traveled through the north western & south west-
ern tribes & visited those which have removed to the Indian
Territory, west of Missouri & Kansas,—I am perfectly satis-
fied that the efforts for amilioration & improvement must be
commenced with the females; from immemorial & universal
custom they have done all the labor, of tilling the land &
manufacturing all the articles of clothing & managing the
domestic & economical concerns of the family. The men
from pride & long habit are averse to work, their only ex-
citement to action being that produced by war & hunting.
Let there be sufficient cattle & ploughs provided to break up
io to 20 acres of the land for each family & hoes rakes,
shovels &c furnished to till it by the women; have primary
schools for the girls & boys, to teach all to read & write &
common arithmatick, persons to instruct the former to spin
& weave, & give encouragement in the way of premiums to105

the mothers for each son when 12 years old & even younger,
who shall regularly work on the land or at some mechanical
trade, & when 16 allow the sons half of the premium. This
will in one generation make all the Indians good farmers, &
introduce all the useful mechanical arts & bring them up to
such a state of independence, intelligence & habits of indus-
try, as will insure a progressive march in moral excellence &
refinement. The land as I have before observed must be
first divided & each have its own tract in severalty & to be
sold, divised, or inherited as with the whites. And what is
of vast & indispensable importance there must be a simple
national government established, at the head of which there
should be an able & good man, as Governor General, a Legis-
lative body like Congress, of deputies or representatives of
each tribe elected for that purpose by land owners only.
Also a constitutional government for each tribe like our state
governments & the office of chiefs abolished,—the Chief
magistrate & other officers to be chosen, or appointed & the
representatives to be in number proportioned to the size of
the tribe but never to exceed a 100 Such general & tribe gov-
ernments will in cooperation with the other means for amen-
dation & amelioration bring these barbarians out of the
degraded state in which they have so long & now remain.
Induce them to abolish all their ridiculous war, corn, dog &
other feasts & dances, & introduce the musick & dances of
the whites. Act in fact as Peter I of Russia did to civilize
& agrandize the barbarions of his empire. Finally absolutely
prohibit the introduction of ardent spirit, at all events &
allow not a white person to reside within their tribes, except
such as are officers of the U. S. & allow no traders but
native indians. Do this & the work of civilization will be
certain rapid & successful, in the most complete & satisfac-
tory manner.
I have read this morning the Annual Report from the
War Department, on Indian Affairs. It contains much inter-
esting intelligence, & the facts stated by Robert Simerwell,
a teacher on the Osage river among the Pottawatamies, in
relation to a New System of instruction, is very remarkable106
THE PE^RRORAT JOt/RA^Py.
& must effect a rapid change in the character of the indians,
from the facility it offers of learning them to read.
He states that "adults, even the old as well as the youth
can learn to read in the course of a few days. Several in-
stances have occurred of adults, previously ignorant of let-
ters, learning to read, with three or four days study. In this
system english types are used to save the expense of found-
ing others, but not for the purpose of spelling, which is
usually unnecessary; or compounded sounds which never
vary their uses. These sounds in most of the Indian lan-
guages, are eight or ten, some of which but not all, are what,
upon the principle of spelling are termed vowel sounds. Not
more than twenty three characters, have yet been found
necessary in writing any Indian language the use of these
can be learned, as soon as the names of twenty three letters
of the English alphabet. As soon as the learner has acquired
a knowledge of the use of the characters, he can read."*
"This system has been applied to eight Indian languages,
with a success exceeding expectation."
Here is a discovery, worthy of the highest commendation,
& as wonderful, as it is destined to be useful. It will pro-
duce a change, in the condition of the Indians, as great as
was ever effected in the human race;—if the government
zealously, & liberally provides & directs the means of its
application, to the great purposes of intellectual improve-
ment, agricultural industry & the inculcation of a practical
knowledge of the mechanical arts. It will I trust, claim the
profound consideration of the national executive & legisla-
ture, as well as of all the philanthropists of the Republic. A
grand & generous effort should be made to reclaim & exalt
the long long degraded savages of this continent. It should
be attempted to arrest the decadence of the already dimin-
ished natives, & a thorough experiment made to render
them equal in all respects to the white population, both in
moral advancement & physical comfort.
The Council met at twelve. Mr. Gillet addressed the
chiefs on the impropriety of the conduct of several of them,
on friday the 14th., & stated that he was happy to learn, that
THE DE.4REO7W
107
there had been a determination entered into among them, to
maintain order. After some general remarks on the import-
ance of perfect freedom in debate, for the purpose of a full,
firm & manly discussion of the subjects under consideration,
& that arguments should be refuted, by arguments, instead
of being opposed by rudeness & violence, he called on all the
chiefs to use their influence to restore & maintain the char-
acter of the Seneca Nation, for propriety of conduct, on such
grave & interesting occasions.
Mr. Harris then addressed the council in vindication of
the charges made against him by Jimenson on the 13th. for
entertaining an opinion on the question of emigration, differ-
ent from that which he professed several years since, & then
stated the reasons why he considered [it] expedient for the
nation to accept the liberal offer of the government. He
made a very able & manly speech.
After Harris resumed his seat, the Commissioner stated,
that Bennet, who was prevented from concluding his speech
by the disturbances on the 14th. wished to have an oppor-
tunity of doing so but that he had been obliged to go home
to Catteraugus, & had not yet returned, he should therefore
adjourn the Council until eleven oclock to morrow. He also
observed that, he hoped very soon to be able to present the
treaty, for the signatures of those who approved the amend-
ments.
There was an annular eclipse of the sun this day. It com-
menced at 2h. 46m. 58s. & continued until 5. 23. 00. It was
a grand spectacle. The weather had been cloudy until just
as the eclipse began when the clouds became so thin & scat-
tered as to give a perfect view of the wonderful phenomenon.
The eclipse was	here, at Detroit, Harrisburgh,
Penn. Norfolk, Richmond, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pitts-
burg, Richmond, Rochester in this state, Toronto in Canada,
Trenton, N. Jersy, Petersburg, Wheeling, Washington &
New York. The entire eclipse passed over the territory of
the Hudson Bay Company, the western part of upper Canada
& Lake Superior, the N. E. part of Wisconsin, & the state of
Michigan, & over portions of New York Penn^ Maryland, &
Virginia. There will not be a total eclipse in New England108

or the middle states, during the remainder of this century,
or in any other part of the Union until August 7th. 1869.
Sep 19. The heavens are wrapt in clouds & after an un-
usual long continuance of dry & warm weather there is an
appearance of a rain storm. The council did not meet until
two oclock, in consequence of the arrival of the agent to
make arrangements for the payment of the Indian annuities,
& three chiefs of the Wyandots nation, with whom the com-
missioner of the United States was engaged. We adjourned
between four & Ave.
The fact that a military force was at the disposal of the
Commissioner, being made known to the Indians & their bad
advisors & instigators, to disorderly conduct, has had the
desired effect, & the Council has proceeded since in a per-
fectly orderly manner. The knowledge, that there is at our
command, efficient means to prevent disturbances, has been
sufficient to give security without their actual presence.
This has not been the most	tour of duty which
I have had occasion to perform; but still it has been inter-
esting & instructive, in many respects. It has afforded me an
opportunity, to become well acquainted, with the actual con-
dition of the indians in this state, & to behold some of the
dark shadows of the human character, which are not often
exposed to view, in the quiet walks of life. Then, the devel-
opments of the natural resources of our vast western regions,
& the mighty inAuence, which intelligence, industry & enters
prise have had, & are continuing to have, on all the branches
of national industry, are full of subjects for profound con-
sideration, especially when contrasted with the condition of
the nations, who are in the midst of this momentous moral
& physical revolution, without having been participants, in
the beneAts which their white brethren are enjoying. Man
is in vigorous action on the shores of these inland seas. He
is advancing in all the arts of civilization, on a scale of gran-
dure, with strides more wonderful & consequences more
glorious, than in any other period of his existance. The
anticipations of the future prosperity, wealth, population &
improvements, which are to be developed within half a cen-
tury, cannot be too extravagant, for the reality, will outstrip,THE
109
the calculations of genius & the sanguine hopes of the
patriot.
From this point, this position, the American Hercules
has gone forth, to achieve more wonderful exploits than
those of the son of Alcmena. He went forth to	but
this republican adventurer to	Indeed, to have a just
& adequate conception of our flourishing country & the ra-
pidity of its advancement, it is necessary to be on one of
those magnificent highways, over which the armies of emi-
gration & the products of our own agriculture manufac-
tories commerce, forests & mines are thronging to an ex-
tent, that fills the spectator, with astonishment, gladness &
pride. On these great lakes, rivers canals & railroads water
& steam are displaying their grandest energies, by the com-
bined influence of science & the arts. There is besides an-
other aspect, which is scarcely less worthy of notice, in which
we are to be gratified, when looking out upon these western
regions. It is the immensity of the natural features of the
country,—grandure, sublimity & beauty. They are a bound-
less & exhaustive magazine, for furnishing subjects, on
which the imagination may luxuriate, sentiment find mate-
rials for its fullest action, & the whole mind themes for deep
contemplation.
And to all these are to be added the historical reminis-
cences, connected with the remains of fortifications, whose
foundations mark the date of the first settlement of the
shores of the St. Lawrence, Ontario, Niagara & Erie. Here
are the battlefields of the Indian French & British colonial
wars, that of the revolution, & the last, in which this nation
has been involved, with a foreign power. Besides, there are
the botanical zoological, & geological branches of inquiry,
which present numerous objects, to the curious investigator,
of the vegetable, animal & mineral realms. From all of
which, if a few ideas are gathered up, I shall be amply com-
pensated, for whatever of trouble & annoyance I may have
experienced.
The three Wyandots, have been on to Washington to
negotiate a treaty for the sale of the right of possession to
their lands in Ohio & to remove to the Indian territory in the110
THE
west. One of them has resided four years in that new home
of the indians with the Seneca band which moved there from
Ohio. He went on purpose to view the country, & recently
returned so much pleased with it that the tribe has deter-
mined to go. The Wyandots reside on the Sandusky river
about 40 miles above the town of that name. There are only
goo of them left, & their reservation is equal to that of the
Senecas in this state, it being 110,000 acres. They attend
the council this day & two of them made speeches to the
indians advising them by all means to sign the treaty & go
west. The interpreter's name is Lane, who reported in Seneca
what the Wyandots said & Strong our interpreter gave it to
us in English. Lane informed me he was the Rrst white man
born west of Utica. He had his birth in Buffalo in 1786,
when there was only one other house besides his father's,
and that belonged to a Negro who kept a little shop to trade
with the Seneca Indians.*
Col. Jones brought me in this evening the "fatal root"
which the Indians eat & the whole plant attached; it is
called the wild parsnip & the seeds resemble those of the
possession of the Buffalo Historical Society is a daguerreotype of an aged
man;, preserved with it is the following record: "Daguerreotype of Ezekiel
Lane, who died in Buffalo in 1848, aged 102 years. In 1796 there were but four
Lane and his father-in-law Martin Middaugh. It was a double log house on or
near Exchange Street, a little east of Washington Street. This house was oc-
cupied by Judge Barker in 1807 or 1808. Middaugh died in the winter of 1822
at an extreme old age." The picture of Lane, taken after his death, was de-
posited with the Buffalo Historical Society, by the Young Men's Association, in
April, 1865. Newspaper notices printed at the time state that he died on
April 6, 1848, that he was the first white resident of Buffalo, and erected the
first house here, in 1784. He was a soldier of the Revolution, and fought at the
battle of the Minnisink, in 1779. For the last twenty years of his life he was aTHE DE.4REO7W	Ill
parsley or rather more the coriander. The root is composed
of several tubers, which grow in the manner & are in the
shape of those of the Dahlia, but not so large. There are Ave
or six tubers to each plant. It is biennial. The tubers are
round & smooth; skin light yellow. The flesh of the root is
white & tastes—for I chewed a piece of it, sweet & delicate,
something like that of a parsnip. Mr. Cone & Mr. Jones
had seen Indian women who had eaten it, in the agonies of
death. Two tubers of the size of those drawn on the oppo-
site page [sketch omitted], several Indians told me, this
evening, would kill the stoutest man, in half an hour. It
brings on violent spasms & they appear delerious. They are
convulsed, & the head & back drawn back as in cases of the
lock-jaw. Women, from love & jealousy, often become
victims to this	The death scene is horrible, so
excrutiating are the spasms.
This has been a cloudy & cool day, but it cleared up at
dusk, & the night is cold. I have had a Are in my room all
the day & evening.
Sep 20. A clear & beautiful morning. I have written
the Governor a letter of eight pages this day. I And on spe-
cial inquiry of the indians that they have as much beard as
the whites, but that it is pulled out, from time to time as it
appears which is a painful operation & that now all those
who have adopted the dress & habits of the whites shave.
The men & women have as much hair on their private parts,
—& which is never eradicated, as the white men & women.
The females are remarkably cleanly in their persons, as
they bathe or wash themselves all over, several times a week.
—custom & pride of purity of their bodies, makes this a Axed
& uniform custom. Several white men, who have been born
& lived in the midst of the indians, & been on the most fa-
miliar & intimate terms with the females, assure me that
they are as modest in language & conduct in private, as they
are conspicuously & admirably so in public:—that they are
gay, full of wit & pleasantrys—talkative & remarkably
agreeable in all respects, & in their love attachments ardent,
faithful, kind & indefatigable in their exertions to please.
They are in no fear of their husbands & feel & act on a per-112
THE DF.4RRO7W
feet equality with them; advise them in all their conduct in
the mightiest matters & have immense influence, for they
may leave them when they chose & when not treated kindly
invariably do so. This induces the husbands to treat their
wives well. The latter have certain duties & labor to per-
form growing out of their peculiar condition as a people &
their habits & customs of all time. The men were often &
long absent from home, either in campaigns or on their
hunts, which devolved the charge of the household on the
wife. She was of necessity obliged to plant & gather the
corn & vegetables; make all the clothing, lay up & cook the
various articles of food. These duties are not arbitrarily
imposed & exacted, but are peculiar, & considered as be-
longing to the females as not only indispensable to the com-
fort & existence of themselves & children, but proper in all
respects, & they, therefore, cheerfully perform them. The
descent is through the females & the children belong to the
mother, who takes them with her, if she separates from her
husband & provides for them. He has nothing to do with
them after. In fact the wife is more useful & important to
the husband than he is to her. She lives with him from love.
For she can obtain her own means of support better than he
can. It is his interest therefore to so conduct as to retain
her affections. As mothers they are affectionate, careful,
kind & laborious in their care of their little children. They
carry them with them, when nursing every where; they are
never separated, they take them to the dances, dance with
them in their arms, carry them on their backs to town, & I
never saw so many fat & healthy babes among the white
women, as I have here with the Indian. The little girls of
three & six years old are many of them beautifully clad like
their mothers, & their dresses covered with brooches. I have
not seen an unkind look or word between the females, or
between them & the men. The latter merely do not attend
to them in public & the females do not expect it. Their
ways are not like ours & they are content & happy in the
position they occupy. Equals & quite as independent as the
men in all that is general as to both, & each separately form-
ing his or her duties as things proper & indispensable for theTHE DE^RBORY JOt/RA^LS*.
113
interest & happiness of themselves in their several domestic
private & common relations.
Persons who have attended the Council & in or out of
it, have endeavored to induce the Indians not to emigrate
are, Rev. A. Wright Missionary, residing on the reservation,
John Lay, Step. Grovner [Grosvenor], Seth Grovner, R. B.
Heacock & Son. Charles Norton, Charles R. Gold Atty, be-
sides many others. Lay claims a debt of 2,500, which is the
reason of his opposition. Hecock, has the canal for his
mills &c. Grovner is brother-in-law to Hecock. Mr.
Jones gave a written statement to Mr. Gillet in which he
states that he heard Norton say if the Ogden company
would give Stephen Grovner 2,000 all opposition on the part
of the above named most active partizans of Heacock, Nor-
ton & the Grovners.—[would cease]
The following described minerals were presented to me
by Doct. Henry P. Wilcox, of Irving Chautauqua county N.
York. No. 1. Magnetic Iron Ore from the Hot Springs of
Arkansaw, about 100 miles S. W. from Little Rock, between
the Arkansaw & Red Rivers, scattered in boulders of from
small pieces not more than half an inch to two feet in diame-
ter. The soil a coarse gravely clay, & moist. No. 2 Prarie
Salt, from near the margin of the Salt branch of the Arkan-
saw, & about 250 west of Fort Gibson. The Prarie is a
mile & a half long of a mile wide & covered entirely with
the salt from six inches to a foot thick. The Indians for a
vast region supply themselves with it. It accumulates from
the soil, as the water ooses up from below & is evaporated
by the sun. No. 3. Sulphate of Zinc from the tract desig-
nated for the Senecas in the Indian territory In a prarie
between the Little Osage & Maridisane, on a vast elevation
about 50 feet high & 4 or 500 wide running in a ridge across
the prarie many miles in lenth. No. 4. Lead ore from the
Indian territory in a ledge situated in a gravely soil. No. 5
Limestone, with shells, from an elevation in the Indian ter-
ritory. No. 6. Amber from the margin of the Maumetow,
on a moist prarie, in the Seneca location. It is in large quan-
tities. No. 7. Sandstone from a ledge on the Missouri half
way from the mouth to Fort Leavenworth. No. 8. Silver,114

—Virgin, from Taxes. No. 9. Gold from Missouri. It is
in a ledge near a stream & in vast quantities & the position
of the ledge is only known to Doct. Wilcox, who intends to
go there this autumn & endeavor to secure the land as it has
been surveyed since he was there two years since, & will
soon be offered for sale by the government.
The Council met at one oclock. judge 5kiken [ ? Stry-
ker] stated to the chiefs that the paymaster had made ar-
rangements to pay them their annuities on the 8th. of Oc-
tober.
Robinson, one of the Chiefs from the Alleghanys Reser-
vation, arose & observed, that he had been deputed, by the
party in opposition to the treaty, to ask me some questions,
which they wished I would answer. 1st. whether the treaty
was not to be presented in council, for their assent pr objec-
tion, and whether if not approved the old treaty would be
binding. 2d, what was my opinion of the conduct of the
Commissioner, during the council & whether I thought it
had been proper.
In reply, I stated the object for which I had been sent,—
my opinion as to the practicability of improving their condi-
tion, which I alledged, I always believed could be done, if
liberal & active measures were taken by the government. I
stated what had been done in other ages & nations, & espe-
cially in Russia, since the days of Peter I. &c. &c. &c.; &
after a speech of about half an hour, I answered, that, the
treaty must be presented in open council & unless approved
it was null & void, & that it was the opinion of the Governor
of Massachusetts, that unless the treaty was ratified by the
Indians, so intimately connected was it, with the contract for
the sale of their land, the latter would be of no effect, but
that he did not so positively decide, & that it was a subject
for deep consideration. It however was his opinion if the
treaty was rejected the contract was void.
As to the conduct of the Commissioner, I had carefully
attended to all he said, & had examined the treaty & the pro-
ceedings of the Senate thereon, & all the other papers which
he had read & that I sincerely believed he had, honestly &
honorably taken unwearied pains, fully to explain & illus-7T7E DE,4RR(3R2V
115
trate the subjects submitted for their consideration, & that
he had not given any statements or facts which I did not
believe to be true.
After I had concluded, Mr. Gillet made a speech in rela-
tion to the manner in which the treaty was to be assented to.
He said that he should lay it before them in Council, & all
who chose could there sign it, & such as preferred doing so
elsewhere, they would be allowed so to do. He then com-
mented on the letter which Moris [Maris] B. Pierce read
yesterday, from Mr. Robins, a Senator from Rhoad Island,
until after four, when the Council adjourned.
Evening. Judge Paine of Aurora took tea here this
evening, & informed me that he came through this reserva-
tion 31 years ago, & then the Indians were a noble & well-
dressed race of dignified & manly bearing, living comfort-
ably & respectably, the hats of the Buffalo Creek was one
continued Cornfield; but that they have degenerated in a
lamentable manner, ragged & miserable in their dress houses
& mode of existance, the larger portion of their fields grown
up to bushes & weeds & their chief subsistance is obtained
by begging, in the neighboring city & villages & that mendi-
cant parties extend their alms seeking to Genesee river.
Their habits intemperate & mean, and all self respect & in-
dependence of character gone. He thinks they have dimin-
ished at least a third in population & that their extinction
will soon be inevitable unless they emigrate. They are a
great injury to the community around them, while the large
tract of land on which they live, being 16 miles long & 8
wide containing 50,000 acres nearly, is so much obstructed
from agriculture & is in fact a wilderness in the midst of a
flourishing farming county. The Tonnawandas are still
more wretched, as are the Alleghanies, while those at Cat-
taraugus are in equally as forelorn a state. Judge Paine has
passed through this reservation almost weekly since 1807 &
has had the best means of observing their decadence during
that long period.
I have been reading this evening the Travels of Chateau-
briand, in Greece, Palestine & Egypt for the 2d time, having
read it some 20 years since,— & have been much interested116
THE
for he is an eloquent writer. This passage is very epigra-
matic & instructive & striking from the correctness of the
truths it proclaims. He is at Corinth, the place of exile of
the tyrant of Syracuse who became a school-master, & the
residence of the fatal victim of remorse—& observes: "I
shall say nothing of Dionicious & of Timoleon,—one of
whom was so cowardly as not to die, the other so unfortu-
nate as to live."
September 21. Weather still mild & clear, day & night,
save the latter are a little cool. Mr. Hecock, a wealthy man
by [ ?but] a great black-guard had the effrontery to harang
the Indians & spectators, yesterday, in the Council House
after the Council had adjourned. I learned from several
persons who heard him, that he called Mr. Gillet a liar,
scoundrel, & perjured villain,—that he had attempted to
deceive the indians by falsehood &c. &c. This infamous
man, the owner of the canal which runs through the Indian
lands is fearful, if the treaty is confirmed he will be obliged
to pay a just price for the use of it to the preemptioners in-
stead of the paltry sum of 30 dols. a year to the Indians.
This is his motive of beneficence to the indians. I have not
seen a man who does not think the offers of the government
magnificent, & that it is for their interest, ay, their very ex-
istance to emigrate, except some half a dozen who are &
have been reaping advantages from the indians in some
way; & the latter have been indefatigable in their exertions
to delude & impose upon the ignorance & credulity of the
poor indians. They induce them to believe that the gov-
ernment & the Commissioner are their enemies & these infa-
mous wretches their best friends. What base & unprincipled
men. I never witnessed such outrageous conduct. I never
saw any men who had the effrontery to openly put at defi-
ance all decency of conduct, all regard to truth, every prin-
ciple of honor & all the decencies of society. It has been a
scene of depravity & vulgarity at which one recoils, as from
the profligate & reckless depravity of the vilest characters
who fill our penitentaries & houses of correction, what
monsters does self interest & the love of gain make of men
who have been brought up, without any just notions ofTHE DE^RRORAT /O PEARLS.
117
honor, honesty & moral rectitude of conduct or character.
Vulgarity, when wealth has been partially accumulated, be-
comes rapaciousness, & the cunning of the low gambler
public robery & crime is employed only for keeping on the
windy-side of the law, but God watches them & the people
mark them.
They have a novel mode of taking Ash in Lake Ontario.
A rope is.extended from one projecting head land to another,
a distance of several miles, which is supported by buoys,—
for the water of the lake is so unfathomable, that the ex-
tremities of such a rope can not be confined by anchors. To
this rope Ash lines are attached at proper distances, which
are from 200 to 300 feet long, & the hooks bated. The Ash-
ermen pass along the extended rope from Ash-line to Ash-
line & drawing them take off the Ash that may have been
caught. In this manner vast quantities are daily obtained
for the Rochester market & the whole vally of the Genesee,
for 30 miles & more are supplied with fresh Ash, from an es-
tablishment off the mouth of the harbor which cost 800 dol-
lars : so expensive is it to extend the miles of rope, with its
numerous Ash lines. The pike, pickeral, perch huge salmon
trout & other Ash are numerous & of excellent quality. They
take in the Lake salmon trout which weigh from 6 to 32
pounds. The towns on the shores are supplied with them
fresh & they are salted & transported into the interior, so
that the business of taking & curing white Ash, trout & other
Ash of the lakes, is very important & employs a great capital
& many persons. A company of gentlemen in the City of
New York who are concerned in the fur trade in the north
west, have established a Ashery on Lake Superior, & have
built schooners to transport the salt & Ash from & to the
sault of St Marys to & from the various places where the
seining grounds are the best on the shores of the lake. From
the foot of the rapids, the barrels of Ash are transported over
Lakes huron Michigan & Erie to the several towns of trade
& there distributed into the interior. There are also large
Asheries on all the upper lakes & especially Huron & the St
Clair as well as the straits between that & Huron & Erie.
I walked out with Col. Jones this morning to collect seeds118

or roots of plants. I brought home bulbs of the Arum or
Indian Turnip & the seeds of a low shrub, which bears a
compound purple Rower of a globular form. It is here called
House balm. The leaves & blossoms are aromatic, & of the
Havor of sweet balm. I also got a branch with the leaves &
seed of the fatal Indian root & have put in paper & under a
weight to press & dry to take home to ascertain its botanical
name.
Evening. The Council opened at one & closed at four.
Mr. Gillet concluded his comments on the letter which Moris
Pierce read from Mr. Robins, & on Pierces conduct & mis-
representation to Robins, & that of the white men who had
been constantly attending the Council & daily meet with the
indians, opposed to emigration, for the purpose of deceiving
them & alluded especially to one,—meaning Hecock, who
had been the most insolently officious, & obnoxious to re-
buke.
I was questioned, by Robins as to [where the treaty was
to] be signed & in whose presence. I stated that I consid-
ered it necessary that it should be presented in open council
for signatures, & if from any cause, names were added in
any other place, I considered it my duty to be present & be
satisfied it was done freely & willingly, & that I should re-
port how & when & where all signed.
White Seneca then made a long & clever speech in favor
of emigration, the best from any of the Indians. When he
had concluded he was replied to by Big Kettle.
Moris Pierce then rose & said, that the Commissioner
had said, that no being living could accuse him of knowing,
or conniving at, any bribe or fraudulent conduct, to induce
the chiefs to sign the treaty, but that he had a witness, point-
ing to Wilson who sat near him, who would testify that what
the Commissioner had stated was not true. Wilson then got
up, said he went to a room in the tavern where Mr. Allen
was, who told him he did not understand the amendment to
the treaty made by the Senate; but that he (Wilson) in-
formed him that he did: That Mr. Allen then said he would
call in the Commissioner to explain it to him, to satisfy him
he was mistaken. That he went out & brought in the Com-T&E	119
missioner, who did explain the amendment & that he was
satisfied with the correctness of the Commissioner's expla-
nation & said so; & that Mr. Allen then turned to him &
said, now you had better go & take the fifteen hundred dol-
lars & sign the treaty & that he presumed the Commissioner
heard the offer made to tempt him.
Mr. Gillet th<en rose & observed that the allegations made
by Wilson were false, that after making the explanation of
the amendment he immediately left the room & went to his
own. He said he had no doubt that Wilson had been in-
duced to make up the falsehood by certain white men & that
the man was present who was the instigator & advisor of
the foul & infamous plot to ruin his reputation; but that he
would, by reputable indians & white men prove, the false-
hoods which had been uttered, & that he would do so when
the Council again met, or before its final adjournment &
that it should not be adjourned until he had done so. He
then observed that at the request of White Seneca & other
chiefs, in writing, we had consented to adjourn the Council
until Monday, as the emigration party wished to meet to
morrow, to consider the important question which had been
presented to them, & conclude as to the course it was proper
for them to pursue. He then remarked but for the scan-
dalous attack made upon his character, he would have pre-
sented the treaty & probably closed the Council on Monday;
but that now it was impossible to say when it would end.
As soon as Mr. Gillet sat down Mr. Hecock, who had im-
pudently taken a seat, in the midst of the opposition chiefs,
between Pierce & I. Jimenson, rose in a great passion, &
began to speak. Mr. Gillet ordered him to sit down; & told
him that he had no right to speak there, & was a disturber
of the proceedings of the Council. Hecock replied that he
had a right to speak; that he was among the chiefs of an
independent nation who had invited him to appear there &
speak; Pierce also got up & insisted that he had a right &
should be permited to speak. That it was their House &
Council & that Mr. Gillet had no right to preside there.
Mr. Gillet then directed the Sheriff to put Hecock out of the
Council & was seconded in this by Judge Stryker, who120
THE
walked with the Sheriff up to Hecock & told him to hold his
peace for he should not speak & should be put out,—when
Pierce interfered & declared what he had before uttered.
Judge Stryker told him to hold his tongue & sit down or he
should also be put out, that it was doubtful whether he had
a right to sit there, for he was not a chief, & only acted for
a child, who had him appointed a chief., I advised that
Heacock should be put out of the Council House. There
was considerable commotion. & Big Kettle got up & came
near the table where we were sitting & said the chiefs had
the whole power there & that if the council was not ended in
a week they would carry us off of the reservation bundled up
like packs.
As Hecock insisted he had a right to speak & refused to
& would not go out, the Sheriff & Judge Stryker called on
the white persons present to assist the civil authority, when
some ten or twelve men went forward, & Hecock called on
the Warriors to protect him. They did not however & the
Sheriff put him out. After order was restored the Council
was adjourned to Monday at eleven oclock.*
After the adjournment I met Mr Allen & Charles Pierce
who acted as the interpreter between Mr. Gillet & Wilson.
Mr. Allen stated, that he was passing a room, in Allen's
tavern & the door being open, he saw that there were some
indians within, & entered. That Wilson was talking to
Charles Pierce, in relation to an accident which had befallen
him in a cutter or sleigh last winter; but soon after Allen's
entry, he turned to him & said he did not fully understand
the explanation of the Commissioner, as to the amendment
of the treaty; that according to the words of the amend-
ment, & what the Commissioner said in Council, it appeared,
that if the land was divided among the indians, it would
revert to the U. S. when the Indian died who lived on one
of the separate lots which had been set off to him. Allen said
he told him that he was mistaken, & that it would not revert
to the U. S, until all the Indians of the tribe died, or left the
tract, He then told Wilson he would call in Mr. Gillet, to
explain the matter to him; that he went to Mr. Gillets room
THE EE^REORAT JOI/RAT^ES.
121
& immediately returned with him, who, having directed
Charles Pierce to read the portion of the treaty in question,
and translate it to Wilson, it was done. Mr. Gillet then
made an explanation confirming what Allen had told Wilson,
& went immediately out. That there was not a word said
about any money to be paid to him, either while Mr. Gillet
was present, or after he left them, while he remained, which
was but a moment, when he also went out, leaving Charles
Pierce & Wilson in the room. Charles Pierce, who is a
highly respectable & educated young Indian from Cattarau-
gus, about 25 years of age, & son-in-law to the distinguished
chief Strong, stated, that Wilson came into Strong's (the
interpreter) room, where he was, & said he wished to see the
Indian Agent Judge Stryker, to ascertain whether he would
not pay him 24 dollars for the damage done to his sleigh or
sled; that while they were conversing Mr. Orlando Allen
came in, & the conversation, took place which has been re-
lated above. That there was not one word said about 1500
dollars by Mr. Allen, or any other sum named to be offered
or paid to Wilson; that the latter was not even requested to
sign the treaty, & that Allen went out soon after the Com-
missioner. When they had both gone Wilson said to Pierce,
if the Agent will pay me the 24 [blank in original] I will
sign the treaty.
Thus it appears a most wicked & infamous plot was con-
trived & falsehoods uttered, in open council, to give it effi-
ciency, by the parties who induced the miserable wretch to
perjure himself, for the purpose of blasting the reputation
& rendering the character of the Commissioner odious to
the Indians, by convicting him of false statements, & con-
niving at bribery & corruption, to cause the treaty to be
ratified. Such are the mean, base & dioblical methods
which the white advisers, & the vilest of the opposition indi-
ans, resort to, for the accomplishment of their objects.
Mr. Charles Pierce further stated, that the day before
yesterday, only, he met Wilson on the Council grounds, who,
pointing to his breast pin, & said, give me that, & I will sign
the treaty; but that he walked away, without replying to
Wilson. Thus it fully appears Wilson has twice stated that122
THE DE^REOTW /(WEAVES'.
he would sign the treaty, if a small sum was paid, to idem-
nify him for what he had lost by the accident in the sleigh,
or even a paltry present of a brooch.
September 22. I walked into the woods, at dusk last
evening for exercise, the night was warm, as is this morn-
ing. I am reading the Memoirs of the Duches D'Abrantes,
in one vol. 8vo. This has been a hot sultry day, with a vio-
lent S. west wind, & the roads are two or three inches deep
with dust & the drought is so extensive & great that many of
the wells are without water, & the small streams & springs
have dried up.
I went into the woods to walk this forenoon, & enjoy
the shade of the majestic forest trees, the deep solitude, the
holy kind of stillness which pervaded the vast & devious
iles of the wilderness, the soft & mellow light, the balmy air
& the presence, as it were of the spirit of God, whose om-
nipotence was there, in the solemn & peaceful quietude which
prevailed,—save, when the sweeping wind bowed the lofty
summits of the aspiring maple, hemlock & oak, & their gi-
gantic branches creaked as they swayed against each other
in grand, yet graceful motions.
Statements made by Bark, Sky-Carrier & Long John
made in the Council with [in] the last ten days.
The amount of Barks story was that white Seneca &
another Indian came to him in the evening & talked to him
in favor of the treaty & emigration
Long John said he was in one of the rooms of the tavern
with several Indians who talked to him in favor of the treaty
& emigration & he told them he intended to sign it & meet-
ing. Judge Stryker he informed him of his determination
who told him he was glad to hear it & gave him five dollars
as a present with which he could purchase what he wanted &
that he spent it & an Indian woman furnished with the five
dollars which he offered to return.
Sky Carrier, stated that he met several Indians in a room
at the tavern, who were in favor of emigration & he went to
find out what they were doing, & therefore pretended he was
in favor of emigration, & told them so, & George Jimenson
gave him ten dollars, which he returned to him in council.123

AH these stories appear to have been concerted with Indians
& each of the two last acknowledged that they voluntarily
declared they were in favor of emigration, & the latter for
the sole purpose of deception to find out what he could.
At dusk we had a heavy thunder shower & it has rained
most of the evening.
Mr. Heacock called on me this afternoon, & made the
following statement. He lives in Buffalo & owns a large
quantity of land in the city. Has been a trader. He had
traded with the Indians for many years, & there were now
due him debts to the amount of over two thousand dollars;
that he thought the government should have authorized the
Commissioner, to have made a provision in the treaty, to
pay the just claims of the creditors of the indians, but the
Commissioner did not feel authorized to do so, although it
had been done in the treaties with the Western Indians;
that he thought the terms offered to the Indians were liberal
& it would be a great benefit to him for them to remove, as he
owned land in the City of Buffalo, for a mile in length, ad-
joining the reservation, which would be much enhanced in
value, if the latter was sold & settled by white people. That
Genl. Potter had promised to a friend to pay his demands
against the indiana, in the event the treaty was ratified & he
made no opposition to it, & that he had met [ ?no opposition]
until within two weeks when he had been requested to meet
with the opposition chiefs & advise them, & that he had done
so; that a part of his debt was carpenters work done on the
missionary chapel, to the amount of 400 dollars, for building
or paying for the building of one or more houses & articles
furnished the Indians, frequently on the requisition of
chiefs; that he had been requested to speak in Council by
them & had their permission when he arose yesterday; that
he did not consider that the Commissioner had any right to
preside in the Council, & regulate the proceedings of the
Council, but that it belonged exclusively to the indian chiefs;
that he had prosecuted Mr. Gillet & Mr. Striker for ejecting
him from the council, & that a remonstrance had been sent
to Washington, against the conduct of Mr. Gillet, for keep-
ing the Council open unnecessarily long; & conducting the124
THE	JCK/RA^L.S'.
business improperly but that the object of his visit was to
express to me his entire approbation of my conduct, & that
he considered I had acted like an honest, independent &
honorable man, in my private & public capacity & that the
opposition chiefs entertained the same opinion of me.
I informed Mr. Hecock, that I came here without any
prejudices or predilections pro or con, in relation to any of
the parties, or persons interested in the subject on which the
Council was convened; that I had endeavored to make my-
self thoroughly acquainted with all the facts, connected with
the negociation & see that the indians were dealt with hon-
estly & fairly. I had not met Mr. Gillet, until on this occa-
sion; that I had carefully watched all his conduct & must
frankly say, that I considered him an honest & honorable
gentleman, who had the best interests of the indians at heart,
& was most anxious to faithfully carry the measures of the
government which had been confided to him into effect in a
manner that would be for the best advantage of the indians;
that I deemed the offers of the government liberal, & benefi-
cent & that it was for the present & future comfort & pros-
perity of the Indians to accept them; although I was not
authorized, as I had stated in Council to advise them, either
to assent to, or reject the treaty; that I did not think the
council had been unnnecessarily protracted & that there had
not been a day, that had not been occupied in explanations
& discussions, & that yesterday morning, the Commissioner
had concluded he should be enabled to lay the treaty before
the Council on monday, for signatures, & hoped the business
would have been concluded by tuesday; but that in conse-
quence of the difficulty of yesterday, it was uncertain
whether that could now be done, but I hoped it might, for I
was anxious to return home. I then observed, that I re-
gretted extremely, the course which had been pursued, by a
number of persons, who had been in & about the council &
attempted to interrupt & disturb the Council & induce the
Indians to believe that false statements had been made to
them, by the Commissioner, or that there was a desire to im-
pose upon them by the government & that it would not faith-
fully fulfill all the stipulations which were made. That theTHE DEARBORN /(WEAVES.
125
indians should have been put fully & fairly in possession of
all the facts, & then left to decide, whether they would go to
the west or remain; that I considered the conduct of Mr.
Grovner the other day improper, & his own yesterday; that
he had no right to speak in Council, & that Mr. Gillet was
authorized & did right, in removing him from the Council;
that I advised to the employment of the civil officers to main-
tain order & protect us in the discharge of our duty, & if
necessary a military force could be employed for that pur-
pose ; that I came from a section of the country, where per-
fect order & propriety of conduct was considered indispen-
sable, in conducting public business, & at all meetings where
there were persons assembled to act on grave subjects, & that
here no persons had a right to interfere in any manner, or
speak in the Council, except the parties to the treaty & con-
tracts & I did expect that all the proceedings would be de-
corously managed.
Mr. Heacock then observed that he had no complaint to
make against me, & that he came to express his approbation
of my conduct, fearing that reports might be made to me, of
a different character, as eminating from him. I told him I
was happy to And I had merited his good opinion & should
endeavor so to discharge my duties, as to be satisfied with
myself, while, I should so conduct as not to be obnoxious to
censure by the whites or Indians, if it was in my power. He
then left me.
This evening I recommended to Mr. Gillet to send Judge
Stryker into Buffalo to morrow morning & inform Genl.
Potter, that he had better, at once assume all the debts of the
Indians, & obligate the Ogden company to pay them, when
the treaty was ratified & the Indians removed; & secondly
give an obligation to the Chiefs, authenticated in our pres-
ence, that a lease for life should be given to every Indian,
who desired it, of the lot of land on which he lived, where
he could remain, or remove west as he might think best, &
at such time as might be agreeable, should he ever conclude
to go. That I believed it just & equitable he should do so, &
that it would so satisfy the indians, & so entirely remove all
the difficulties, which were now in the way, that the treaty126
THE
would immediately be assented to, by nearly all the chiefs.
This would be liberal, magnanimous, open, fair & proper, in
all respects, & that it was for the interest of the Company so
to do; as all persons would highly approve of such an honest
& generous course. I sent a letter of eight pages to my
good wife this evening, to be put into the Buffalo Post
Office.
Sunday Morning Sep. 23. It rained most of last night
& the heavens were wrapt in clouds this morning at day light
but the wind had changed S. W. to N. W. & soon after sun
rise it began to clear up, & the western sky to appear. A
week ago last thursday, I had an oppression from eating
food that disored my stomach, & my head ached continu-
ally for five days; during that period I eat no animal food &
took tea & toast for dinner, on the 6th day, I felt relieved &
have been right well since the 20th. yesterday after my
walk, I felt drowsy & so strong a disposition to sleep that I
laid down after twelve & slept until dinner was ready.
Again in the afternoon the like inclination to sleep came
over me & I slept two hours. I am in perfect health
this morning;—never felt better brighter & more in
spirit. The drowsiness I attribute to exhaustion & the
constant state of activity of mind and unusual excitement,
together with the warm weather, & the fasting of nearly a
week; and being at leisure all day, as the council did not
meet, & it being quiet in & about the house, there was a con-
sciousness of ease & peacefulness of mind & body, which was
delightful & wearied nature seemed to seize the occasion, to
restore the moral & physical powers of the whole system, by
rest & sleep. It was a reaction, & a want which the mind &
body claimed, with an imperiousness, which was not to be
resisted, any more than hunger or thirst. That this extra
sleep & rest was indispensable to recruit the fatigued facul-
ties & members of the body is most evident from the fact
that I was inclined to go to bed at an early hour & slept
soundly all night; & now I am more refreshed & feel in all
respects better than any day since I left home. Thanks to
Almighty God for his kind & merciful, protection & support.
Mr. Chamberting of Buffalo called on me this morningTHE	JO (/RATALS.
127
& in giving an account of the contemplated improvements &
advantages of that city & Black Rock, for trade, Rower mills
& manufactories he stated that, Black Rock was laid out as a
city; & a company formed which owned over 600 acres of
land which fronted on the Niagara river for nearly two
miles & extended back, half a mile. It was laid out into lots,
which averaged in cost to the company only 112% cents per
foot front & 100 feet deep, being but a little over 1 cent &
one mill per square foot. He said that the new Rower mill
erected by Dunfey & Co. cost 50,000 dollars, & that he had
been by & seen barreled up Rve barrels of Rour in 14^
minutes. There are seven run of stones & all the Rower is
delivered through a spout into the packing room. They had
ground 400 barrels in 20 hours. They will clear over
100,000 dollars this year & have commenced building an-
other mill which is to contain eight run of stones. The
water power of Black rock is inRnitely great.
The water power of Niagara falls has been estimated to
be equal to all the other water power & steam power of the
U. S. England, Scotland & Ireland. It was guaged by an
English gentleman & reduced to horse power & the number
were as great as has been above stated. The mills & manu-
factories & iron works which will be established at Black
Rock will be beyond any other example & that in a few years,
—not 20 will pass without an astonishing result having been
thus produced. It will be an entire dense city & manufac-
turing region from Buffalo to Tonnawanda Creek. The
future for that district of country is of mighty & startling
promise.
Col Jones brought me in yesterday morning a branch
with the ripe fruit on & the root of a plant which is called
spike-nard in this part of the country. The root is used
for medicinal purposes, & especially as a tonic in drinks, or
bitters. I have saved the seeds, taken a number of leaves
from the stalk & pressed them, which, with the roots I shall
carry home, to ascertain the botanical name. I collected
yesterday fore [four] root berries of the tall Craneberry
bush & pods of the seeds of a new species of 2Esclopias, or
milk weed.128
THE DEARBORN JOt/RA^ER.
I wrote the governor a letter of 4 pages yesterday, giving
a sketch of the conduct of Heacock in the Council.
This is a striking & veracious remark of the Duches of
D'Abrantes: "Prejudice squints when it looks & lies when
it talks/'
Sep. 24. There has been a real equinoctial gale since
Saturday afternoon, & it now blows furiously. Much rain
has fallen, the thick & dark clouds which All the atmosphere
appear laden with rain, & although now & then there is a
clear space of sky in the N. W. the storm does not appear to
have ended. Last night, at times, there was a complete gale.
The Duchess D'Abrantes thus eloquently exclaims:
"The life of Napoleon may be divided into several periods.
To mark his passage upon the earth Ave trophies, divide his
route as landmarks. The formed of a pile of conquered
banners several crowns, treaties, keys of towns, & more
laurels than ever before Victory had granted to her most
favored heroes. The	composed of pyramids,
sphynxes, & hieroglyphic monuments indicating that his
youthful glory had been to awaken the echoes of the An-
cient African shores. The Consular fasces marked the
third; this emblem, still surmounted by the republican cock,
admitted no suspicion that the next column would be formed
of sceptres, thrones, & crowns; bearing an escutcheon of
imperial blazonry. And what is that which follows ? It is a
tomb! which has engulfed all; and Axed by hatred in a
desert, is visited only by the vassals of England."
Well may we say, how unstable, how transitory are the
pleasures, the glories, the honors, the power of man in this
world. He can relie on only the moment, for a knowledge
of the actual position in which he is—the next may plunge
him into irretrievable ruin. He is like the seed in the
thistle's down, driven by each passing blast; it sometimes
lights, among Aowers, or on the sunny border of a grove,
where it strikes its root & Aourishes for a season or it sud-
denly is whirled into the air & swept over the depths of the
ocean, on whose agitated surface it soon falls, & sinks to
rise no more.
The Council did not meet this day as some papers whichTHE DEARBORN /CK/R?E4ES.
139
were to be read did not arrive from Buffalo; besides ar-
rangements are being made to appease the opposition party,
& remove some of their objections to assenting to the treaty.
Saturday evening, I stated to Mr. Gillet, that I believed
it was but just & proper, that the premptioners should as-
sume the just debts, due from the indians to persons, who
had trusted them, as it would be in their power to be re-
munerated, out of the amount to be paid to the heads of
families, for the improvements, when they should leave for
their new homes in the west; & secondly, that they had bet-
ter offer, in Council, to the Indians, to give to each person,
who did not wish to emigrate, a lease of the lot of land, on
which they resided, during their lives. These two measures,
I believed, would be satisfactory to the creditors & Indians,
& bring the negotiations to a speedy close, in a manner that
would be agreeable to all parties. I therefore recommended
to Mr. Gillet to send in to Genl. Potter, on Sunday morning,
& urge his adopting the course I had suggested; for it was
open, fair, & liberal toward the indians & their creditors, &
would be creditable to the preemptive company, let the result
be what it may. He did send Doct. Wilcock to Buffalo yes-
terday morning, & I learn, from Mr. Gillet, that Genl. Potter
had informed him, this forenoon, that the measures recom-
mended would be adopted, as soon as the necessary papers
could be drawn up & that the propositions would probably
be made to morrow to the indians & creditors. This was the
chief reason for adjourning the council over until to mor-
row.
Sep 25th. A superb morning & thank God I am excel-
lently well. I received a letter from the Hon Ransom H.
Gillet, the U. S. Commissioner yesterday, to which were ap-
pended 23 queries in relation to his conduct during the ses-
sion of the Council, to which I returned answers, this morn-
ing in a communication of Ave pages. I have finished the
Duches D'Abrantes & am reading Essais sur l'histoire De
France par M. Guizot, in two vols. I2mo.
The council met between 12 & one & adjourned at 2. Mr.
Gillet directed the interpreter to read the depositions of Or-
lando Allen & Charles Pierce, a very intelligent & educated130
THE
Indian of Cattaraugus, in which they deny the allegations
made by Wilson against Mr. Gillet. They were first in
Indian & then in English. He then made a few remarks &
observed that to morrow a communication would be made
to them, which would be beneficial & he had no doubt accept-
able to the Indians & restore harmony among them. The
Council adjourned to eleven oclock to morrow.
Evening. Another calm, clear & beautiful day, & even-
ing. I have taken my forest walk of an hour. I stood still
from time to time, perfectly still,—not a sound. I looked up
through the lofty tree-tops & not a leaf moved. How awful
the silence, how profound the calm, how mellow yet sombre
the light, which pervaded the woods & revealed the tall,
strait, and majestic trees. It was like the groves of Eden
when the first man stood alone in them, & wondered. I
listened to hear an Archangel speak, & say behold the glory
of God. This is his temple; pay homage to the Almighty;
bow with holy reverence in this undefiled vestibule of the
true God. He is here & will hear you. Breath but a mental
prayer. & it will reach the throne of the most high.
The duches of DAhrantes says: "Contemporary Mem-
oirs are galleries adorned on one side with choice portraits &
lighted on the other by windows overlooking the past?'
September 26. There are black heavy clouds in the east
indicating a storm, but the zenith & west are clear. I found
from various sources that the propositions which I recom-
mended the preemptioners to make the Indians & their Credi-
tors, have become known to the Chiefs & that they are quite
acceptable & will produce harmony & occasion a general
assent to the treaty. Such a result is of the utmost conse-
quence to the Indians, the Government & preemptioners, &
will be highly gratifying to the citizens of Buffalo, the
county & state & most certainly to me, for I am very anxious
to have the negociations close amicably & honorably & be
able to return home.
The Duches D'Abrantes, observes, in describing a look
of Napoleon's, who covered by a smile, a sentiment or feel-
ing of displeasure, "And he laughed that laugh, which
laughs not." How expressive, how exactly the idea is em-131

bodied. It was wrath concealed beneath the radiant
countenance of the beautiful son of Mars, when he turned
his admiring eyes on the lovely Psyche.
Guizot makes this striking remark.—announces for the
first time a great truth, which all acknowledge, as soon as
made known. This is the mark of genius & of a great mind.
All the fundamental principles of morals & science are based
on a few facts—a few truths, which intelligence proclaims,
& they are at once received & become eternal: "France did
not enter the career of political liberty, until after having
made an immense progress in that of civilization; while in
England, a free government was born in the midst of bar-
barism/' How that truth Hashes on the mind.
Sep 27. It rained yesterday afternoon & this is a damp,
dark, cloudy morning, with a S. W. wind. I went into Buf-
falo yesterday afternoon to attend a party at Genl. Burts. I
went with Majr. Genl. Macomb & lady, there were four or
five other officers of the army & three British officers of a
Regiment stationed in Kingston. I came back to the reser-
vation this morning. I met Mr. Sears of Roxbury in the
street this morning, on his way to Illinois where he is remov-
ing. I was made happy in hearing by him from my dear
family, as he saw my good wife the night before he left. It
was an accidental & most fortunate meeting as I had received
no intelligence from home for some weeks.
The day before yesterday nine steamboats left Buffalo
for the ports on the lakes Erie Huron & Michigan, loaded
as deep as they could swim with goods & carrying over 1,500
passengers. How this vast west is filling up with population
& extending its relations & business with the atlantic. In
twenty years Buffalo will contain 100,000 inhabitants!!!!!
I will note the time, when it comes round & see how near
this Yankee guess of mine is to the fact. I think that result
will be even sooner.*
There are over 40 steamboats runing between Buffalo &
the western Lake-ports. I think they will almost entirely
take the place of sailing vessels for merchandize & products.
* Twenty-two years later, the Federal census of i860 gave Buffalo a popula-
tion of 81,129.133

Now there is a large ship, several brigs & some six or eight
schooners, unrigged & lying idle in Buffalo harbor; so much
preferable do the owners of articles for transportation con-
sider steam-boat conveyance. There will be large tow-boats,
as on the hudson which will take a number of others built
to convey freight; & if it came on to blow too heavy to risk
them alongside they will be veered astern of a cable & on
being furnished with anchors left to ride out the gale, well
mored, & then taken in tow again.
The council met at one; The opposition chiefs stated
that they did not accept the proposition of leases for io
years. Israel Jimenson gave an account of the number of
chiefs & said there were 92. The Commissioner replied that
there seemed to be a difference of opinion among the chiefs
themselves as to the number; Big-Kettle said there were
only 52, others 82 & others 71. He should not attempt to
settle the question, but take the last [ ?list] furnished by the
agent & if there was any question about it after the execu-
tion of the treaty the president would settle the matter. I
was asked to state again what was my opinion as to the mode
in which the assent was to be given. I answered, That I
considered it necessary that the treaty should be presented in
open Council for signatures, & if from any cause, some of
the Chiefs chose to sign in the Commissioners room or
else [where] that I should be present & see that no coertion
was used & that it was their free & voluntary act; but that it
was for the president to decide whether such a mode was
valid. The Council at the request of Mr. Bennet adjourned
to eleven oclock tomorrow, to enable them to confer with
some of the old chiefs who were absent from sickness. Mr.
Gillet stated, that he expected another proposition would be
made to them to morrow which he had recommended & that
the whole business of the council would be concluded by Sat-
urday. God grant it may for I am weary—my patience is
exhausted—I am completely tired out by this long & tedious
negocian, with ignorant, stupid, drunken & vagabond men;
who we are meeting with & daily advising as if they were
"most grave, potent & reverend Senators/' when they are
degraded savages who sit & smoke & look grave, as if they133

thought, when in fact they are too stupid to comprehend the
momentous subject submitted to their consideration. As
well might an hundred vagabonds of streets be called into a
council to discuss & settle the affairs of the nation;—it is a
perfect mockery of negociation. They are incapable of
managing their own interests, as the paupers of ours alms
houses.
Sep. 28. A dark cloudy morning. The sun has not ap-
peared since the 25th.
Last evening Judge Stryker* the Agent of the Indians,
called on me, & observed that he considered the Commis-
sioner had a right under the resolution of the Senate to take
the approbation or assent of the Indians, if it was signed to
a copy of the treaty any where in the presence of witnesses,
& asked my opinion as to the manner. I informed him that
I considered it necessary that the treaty should be presented
to the Chiefs in open Council, for their assent & that was to
be ascertained by the number of signatures put to it, in his
& my presence & if from sickness some could not attend, or
if from fear of the indians, or other cause, there were others
who preferred coming to the Commissioners room & signing
the treaty it should be done in my presence to see that it was
done freely. I stated that the words of the resolution are
that the treaty was to have no force or effect until it "was
submitted & fully & fairly explained by the Commissioner
of the U. S. to each of the tribes seperately assembled in
council & they have given their free & voluntary assent
thereto;" That the passage quoted was one sentence undi-
vided by even a semicolon, & that the explanation & assent
must be given in council; that in all the treaties ever made
with the Indians, this had been the course, & the treaty was
now as much a new one as if none had been negociated & all
the forms were to be as much observed as in negociating any
treaty; that if any other course was taken I should consider
* James Stryker, appointed First Judge of the Common Pleas in 1837, which
position he held until 1841. He was not "agent" for the Indians, as Gen.
Dearborn has it, but was a commissioner, appointed by President Jackson to rep-134
THE PE,4RE0.RAf
it derogatory to the Commissioner, Agent myself & all the
parties concerned; that neither words, spirit or intentions
would be complied with if the course he named was pursued,
or would the transaction be approved by the President or
Senate. That I wished the whole business, as thus far had
been the case should be openly honestly & honorably done,
so as to bear the most rigid scrutiny & put cavil or complaint
at deAance. That I had come here to see that the negocia-
dons were properly conducted & was happy to And thus far
such had been the course, as to meet my entire approbation,
and that I would not sanction the mode of assent which he
thought legal & proper for the whole state of New York, &
Anally that unless the mode I named was adopted I believed
that the Governor & Council would revoke the assent they
had given to the Contracts for the sale of the right of pos-
session of the land to the preemptioners.
I told the judge my opinion was not to govern the con-
duct of the Commissioner & himself. They could act as
they thought proper, & it was for the president to decide
whether it was correct or not, but I did not believe he would
approve the mode of assent which he thought legal & proper
& if he did, the Senate would be memorialized by the oppo-
sition chiefs & Massachusetts would make such a represen-
tation as would occasion investigation & which would re-
sult in a resolution that their directions had not been com-
plied with & therefore the treaty was null & void.
I further observed, that I thought the Indians were mad
not to agree to the terms of the government; that it was a
generous & beneAcent offer & if they did not emigrate they
would be in an abject, poor & wretched condition & be soon
extinct as a nation; but still I wished them [to] act freely
& as they thought proper; & that I should not sanction any
measure that I did not think lawful, honest & honorable, let
the result of the negociations be whatever they might. It
was for the Indians to determine & whether they concluded
to go west or remain here however much I should lament,
on their account the latter determination, they must freely &
voluntarily decide in open Council, or in the presence of the
Commissioner & myself; & if any signed in our presence, in135

any place other than the council, either at his room or the
Indian's house, that was to be left for the president to deter-
mine whether it was a sufficient assent or not.
I told the Judge that all our foreign diplomatic practice
as well as that with the Indians was the warrant for the
opinion I had expressed, & I hoped that the mode pursued
here would be such as I could sanction; for that I had no
other object than a faithful discharge of my duty, as respects
the indians the preemptioners, the U. S. & Massachusetts;
that I was impartial from principle & besides neither the
state or myself had any interest in the question other than
to see that the indians were dealt by, honestly & fairly. We
had nothing to gain or lose let the result be for or against
emigration. I was only anxious that I should so conduct
as to have the approbation of my own conscience, & that
what I said would bear the most thorough examination, &
be not liable to censure, or denunciation, from any, even the
slightest dereliction of duty. I did not undertake to dictate
what should be done for I had no right so to do, I was a
mere spectator, placed here, however, to see that everything
was conducted properly, & report the mode of proceeding,
& the result, an whether they met with my approbation or
not. I was a mere looker on & bound to render a true ac-
count of what I saw done.
This morning I had an interview with Mr. Gillet the
U. S. Commissioner, who informed me that Judge Stryker
had imparted to him the conversation he had with me last
evening,—above narrated,—& that he concured with me in
opinion & should pursue the course, which I had consid-
ered as the only true & honorable one; & that he should
this day lay the treaty before the Indians in Council for the
signatures of such as assented to the amendments, & remain
until next tuesday afternoon to receive the signatures of
those who were sick, by going to their houses, & of such
others as chose to come to his room, & that we should be
able to go to Lewistown on Wednesday morning, hold a
treaty with the Tuscaroras & leave for Ogdensburg in the
Steamer United States in the afternoon.
This morning I was called into the Commissioners room136
THE DE^EEOEH JOC/EH^ES.
to witness the execution of a power of Atty, by John Tall-
Chief a Seneca Chief, from Cattaraugus, who stated that he
was afraid to sign the treaty in Council, as he had been
threatened by the opposition chiefs, with fatal consequences
if he did sign it any where, & as he was constantly watched,
he came to give a power that he might go home. He had
the power explained to him by the Interpreter Strong in our
presence & said he free & voluntarily signed the power.
Besides the persons named there were present Judge Stryker
& George Jimenson a chief residing on this reservation.
The power was to Captain Strong, of Cattaraugus.
The Council met at 2, when the treaty was presented
for signatures to the assent, after Mr. Gillet had read a letter
from Mr. Wadsworth offering to give leases for life to such
of the Indians as might wish to remain provided the treaty
was ratified. There were sixteen signatures made in Coun-
cil. Mr. Gillet informed the Chiefs that such as wished to
sign might do [so] in his room in my presence & that those
who were confined by sickness he should visit to obtain their
assent.
Before the council adjourned, I was asked if I would
remain after the Commissioner retired & witness a paper
which the Chiefs, in opposition, wished to execute in my
presence. I replied that I would cheerfully do what had been
desired, for I deemed it my duty to comply with any proper
request which was made of me, as the Superintendent of
Massachusetts.
After the Council was adjourned, a dissent to the treaty,
in the form of a declaration, in which it was stated, that
they did not wish to sell their lands or remove west, was
produced, & signed by 64 persons,—who Morris [Maris] B.
Pierce said were chiefs, in my presence, & I signed my name
as a witness to the transaction, one of the chiefs, by the name
of Little Johnson then rose & thanked me, for the faithful
& upright manner, in which I had discharged my duty, that
my head was right & that they highly approved of my inde-
pendent & impartial conduct, as the Superintendent of Mas-
sachusetts. I replied that I had endeavored, faithfully to dis-
charge my duty, that I felt a deep interest for their presentTHE DE^RRORAT /OC/RAR4EE.
137
& future welfare, and whether they remained here, or emi-
grated to the west, they had my best wishes my most ardent
prayers for their happiness & prosperity & I hoped the
Great Spirit would watch over them & have them ever in his
holy protection, & that they would conduct in such a manner,
as would do honor to themselves, their nation & the charac-
ter of the whole human family.
I am rejoiced that the negociation is at last drawing to a
close, & that it will end on tuesday next, for it has been the
most tedious & least interesting business that I ever per-
formed. To reason with the ignorant, & attempt to do good
to the prejudiced, suspicious & most debased of the human
species, is laboring without results, either gratifying to us or
beneficial to them. Here has been a boon offered, which
would depopulate any county in New England & hurry them
to the west with glad & grateful hearts; but these miserable
savages are incapable of appreciating the generous humanity
of the government. The worst of the whole matter, how-
ever, is that interested white men, from the mean & selfish
motives of self interest, have imposed themselves upon the
credulity & stupidity of the Indians & induced them to be-
lieve they were their warm, honest, & special friends, & as
philanthropists were doing them a great kindness, when in
fact they were their worst enemies; for under those specious
professions they have concealed the basest & most infamous
& mean, low & despicable inducements to action.
Alas! for the poor Indians; their destinies are lament-
able. Here they are to become the poor, & most miserable
of wretches, the most despised & worthless of the popula-
tion, the mere slaves of those who are plundering the land
& growing rich on their vices & necessities. God protect the
once noble race of the Senecas, from the pretended mercies
of the villainous white men.
Sep 2Q. A dark & cloudy morning but mild. I have
read within two days the July number of the London Quar-
terly review. There is an article on Steam Navigation of a
superior order. The views there disclosed are calculated to
rouse the mind like a revalation from heaven. What a
prospect for the future, how glorious for the present. No138
THE DE^RRORAT /CHyRAA4AR.
one can estimate the rapid & mighty march of nations, &
espesially in this republic, which the improvements in all
the sciences & arts & the roused energies of the people have
& are accelerating. The next half century will produce
results of grander moment than any which have been accom-
plished in hundreds of years.	are the divi-
nities which now guide the human race, and the most enlight-
ened minds,—the brightest & most active geniuses,—the
most enterprising & valorous spirits are all intensely & con-
stantly laboring in harmonious cooperation, to develop the
moral & physical resources of nations. The whole world is
roused, as if by the trumpet of an arch-angel, into an excite-
ment for improvement, which Alls even the chieftains of this
grand movement with amazement. On, on, is the universal
shout of millions who are rushing forward in the glorious
career of all the arts of civilization, of letters, science, free-
dom, prosperity, wealth, happiness & glory.
There is another clever article on the fine arts in the
Quarterly, which I have read with great interest; for it is
not a little singular, that I had a long discussion at the din-
ner table of Mr. Wadsworth of Geneseo as I came on, with
Professor Renwick, & on that subject, & four or five other
gentlemen. I asserted that the secret of the great success
of the Greeks in sculpture, as well as the most eminent paint-
ers, poets & writers of all time, was that their productions
were true to nature, that they copied living man, & woman
& the marks of nature in their statues & paintings & the pas-
sions & attributes of the heart & mind—real characters, in
what was written. Shakespeare & Scott were as much in-
debted to the fidelity with which they described real existing
objects, whether animate or inanimate, whether men or
things,—the peculiarities of character & scenery,—the opera-
tions of the intellect & the movements of the whole spirit of
the human breast, as were Phidias, Praxiteles, Zeuxis, & all
the eminent masters in sculpture & painting of ancient and
modern. All were true to nature. They relied on truth,
fact, and the fidelity of their works in all even the most
minute details. I was strenuously opposed in this assump-
tion, but the article I have named, contains extracts from189

some of the ablest writers on the fine arts, which maintain
the same opinion & the author of the article fully concurs in
that opinion. It is in fact the only way in which perfection
ever has or can be attained in any work of genius & art.
The poet the literator, the artist, & the man of sentiment &
talent can only succeed by adhering rigidly to	&
After breakfast, I walked down the shore of Buffalo
Creek, & on returning, I discovered an oak, whose acorns,
were enclosed in a much thicker & deeper cup or calyx than
any other species I had ever seen, & the upper edge of the
cup was beautifully fringed, with a moss-like appendage,
which curled over, & gave the acorn the appearance of the
moss-rose bud. I recollect that such an oak acorn is exhib-
ited, in the plates of Michaux's North American Sylva & is
called by him the "over-cup oak." on enquiry, I find this
variety is called the swamp white-oak & is near equal for all
useful purposes, as the white-oak, but not quite so tough. I
have collected 30 acorns to plant in my garden.
Mr O. Allen of Buffalo has given me a sample of very
remarkable & excellent bituminous coal from a mountain
which is in Ohio & Penn% the strata is 5 feet thick & occu-
pies a space of 360 acres. It is found there are 360 bushels
to the acre, which would yield, of course 129,600,000 bush-
els. There is a canal from Erie which will pass within a
quarter of a mile of the coal. In the vicinity is inexhaustible
deposits of iron ore. When the canal is completed, the coal
can be brought & sold at Buffalo for 3 dollars per chaldron.
It is very clean resembling the Kennel Coal, & burns with a
vivid blaze, leaving a white ashes like those of hickory, &
nothing else, as there are no cinders, the whole of the coal
being combustible. It makes a superb fire.
I purchased a dozen little silver brooches, of an Indian,
for my grand-child.
Guizot, in his Essay on the History of France has dove
deep into the ocean of the political & civil condition of na-
tions, as far back as the foundation of the Roman empire &
has revealed the weakness & the cause of the decadence &140
THE DE.4RRO7W
Anal ruin of that once mighty government poole. [Sp w
?: "government and people."]
There was no union of the municipal or local rights &
power & those of the national. It was a despotism over com-
munities, cities & towns, which were not participants in the
general government. The city of Rome was the empire
state & nation, & the rest of the vast possessions were treated
as conquered places—as innumerable colonies & never em-
bodied in the nation. There was no nationality of feeling,
no union of principles, interests & right & when the head
was destroyed all the numerous members, became so many
distinct people, where there was no love for the Roman em-
pire, no patriotism for the whole combined people, but each
had its own local prejudices, feelings customs & laws; &
were glad to be independent & no longer subject to a des-
potic military power, whose seat was Rome. That was the
throne & Kingdom. The court & the Nation, & all beyond
was so many little states held in subjection by a mighty
military force. This no longer is the condition of any Eu-
ropean nation—the people are in some form represented, &
united as one people. In many of them the people are di-
rectly represented. Whereas the Roman empire was made
of little, village, town or city republics in which the people
ruled, by officers of their own choice, but the whole were
subject to the iron sceptre of the sovereign whose palace was
the magniAcent the	of Rome, and when that
was captured & the legions recalled or disbanded in the col-
onies & municipalities they became so many nations, a vast
number [of] different people speaking different languages &
having different laws, customs, habits, occupations & means
of support. They had no love or respect for Rome or the
name of Romans, & gladly escaped from the exactions &
plunderings of the imperial officers & government. This is
a correct & yet a new & striking fact, which Mr. Guizot has
fully illustrated by historical evidence.
Here is another great truth. He says:—In barbarous as
in civilized times, it is	that
which is desirous of extending its existence in all directions
& in every manner,—its name,—its inAuence—its empire,THE
141
that causes a distinguished man to be recognized;—that
makes an individual conspicuous & commanding.
is an expansive living force, which contains in itself
the principle, object & end of its action,—regards the world
open before it as its domain, without being accountable to
any one, & labors to overrun & seize it, & often without any
other necessity, or any design, but that of its development &
satisfaction. It acts, it may be said, as a predestined power,
which marches, extends its influence, conquers, & subjugates
to nourish its natural propensities & fulfill a mission which
it does not know or comprehend."
In passing over this rapidly flourishing country you are
constantly reminded of the remarks of Chatteaubriand,—
"There is nothing ancient but the forests." Still one feels
a disposition, & a sort of hope & expectation that there is to
be discovered some remains of antient nations, some traces
of far distant periods of civilization in these fertile & vast
regions; but nothing appears. The only traces of a revolu-
tion in the condition of the country are the trunks of trees,
exposed in the bed of the Buffalo Creek, twelve feet -below
the surface of the bottom lands, which I have named; and
those only indicate a still longer period of the wilderness
state, which must have existed for centuries before the geo-
logical change which buried the preceding wilderness.
Sunday, September, 30. The heavens are veiled in an
apparent thick mist, which the rising sun will dissipate, un-
less there should be clouds beyond, charged with rain. It
is now so dark I can not decide whether this obscurity of the
sky is merely thin vapor or not; but it seems to be. It is
rather cool. Morris B. Pierce, brought me, yesterday after-
noon a copy of the dissent to the treaty, of the opposition
Chiefs, which I witnessed in the Council House on the after-
noon of the 28th. I shew it to Mr. Gillet who desired to re-
tain it, until he could make a copy. I requested him to ask
Judge Stryker to make out for me, a list of all the chiefs, so
far as he was able to ascertain the number, & to make a
statement of such of the Indians, who signed the dissent,
that were not considered chiefs.
I went with the Commissioner & Judge Stryker yester-143

day to the house of Stevenson & Captain Pollard, two old
chiefs who are sick & confined to their houses, to receive
their signatures to the treaty, which they cheerfully gave.
I presented Capt. Pollard an extract from Washington's
Speech to Cornplanter Big tree & Farmers-Brother in 1790,
in relation to the estimation in which they should [ ? hold]
white men, who undertook to advise them against listening
to the government agents of the United States & desired him
to give it to his nephew Fox who would succeed him as a
chief, & who is a very worthy & intelligent young man.
The manners of Captain Pollard, are those of a gentle-
man of the old school; dignified gentle & mild in his deport-
ment, he took my hand in both of his on our departure &
bade me farewell with the grace of feeling of a patriarch.
He is eighty years old & bent with the infirmities [of] age.
I have written a report to the Governor this forenoon of
13 pages, giving an account of the whole negociations, as
minutely as possible.
An Indian by the name of How-nes-how-a or Shanks,
over 90 years of age, arrived here, this forenoon from Cat-
taraugus, where he resides, distant 30 miles. He came on
foot in two days. He is a vigorous intelligent & remarkable
man. He has the activity & cheerfulness of persons not over
go. He dined with us & said his friends had been so long
absent, to hold a treaty here, that he came to see if they had
not taken up their residence, & were making a farm.
I rode up the right bank of Buffalo Creek towards
Aurora about 3% miles, to what is called the elbow. The
bank at that place is at least 60 feet high on the side I was &
the opposite is low & covered with a heavy growth of rock
maple. The trees on the road are chiefly white oak. There
is no bottom land after a mile above the Onondaga Council
House. The last piece belongs to Young, who is sober &
industrious for an Indian. His wife is a handsome & ex-
cellent woman, & dresses richly & with taste in the Indian
Costume. The waggon we rode in nearly upset & Mr. Gillet
was thrown out, & I barely escaped the same accident. He
was not injured. The road was horrible.
Octo. 1. A beautiful morning & magnificent day. I wasTHE DE.4RRO7W /CH/RAMAS.
143
up soon after the dawn of day. The morning star alone
blazed in the Armament, there was not a cloud & the aurora
had quenched all the stars, save that which embelished the
eastern sky. I wrote from 6 until 2, & copied & completed
a report to the Governor of 23 pages. I sent off a letter to
my wife of 12 pages, containing daily remarks for a week.
I walked two hours, & got back at dusk. The night is lovely.
We have had a continued period of hot weather since the
17th of May, being 138 days. It is unprecedented in my life,
& I And no one so old as to recollect such a season.
Octo 2. The dry & delightful weather still continues.
God grant we may conclude the negociations this day.
Mr. Strong the Interpreter informed me that he had a
conversation with his father Capt. Pollard & Blue-Eyes, in
relation to the various treaties which had been held with the
Senecas within their recollection. The two latter are chiefs
over 50 years of age & the Arst is 65. Capt. Pollard was
present, when the Commissioner Genl. Lincoln Col. Pick-
ering & Govr. Randolph visited the Senecas on this Creek
in 1793, & that the Chief, who is represented as speaking in
the engraving annexed to Lincoln's Journal in the gth. Vol.
of the 3d Series of the Mass. Historical Collections, was a
Mohawk by the name of Flying Sky & a particular friend of
Capt. Brant the celebrated Mohawk Chief.
The Indians called Lincoln	& Pickering
the former the large size of his feet & the
other his remarkable proAle. The side of a hill means the
or contour of a steep acclivity, which has bold features.
There was an Indian Dance at the Onondaga Council
House, last night & a number of the gentlemen went, but I
did not, as I have seen enough of such exhibitions, for the
present.
There not having been any frost since the 3d, & one or
too nights soon after & they very slight, the foliage has
changed but little as yet, still enough to give a subdued
aspect to the autumnal scenery. A few white maples appear
in the edge of the woods of a brilliant scarlet, & the beeches,
have assumed a yellowish brown color, the hickories an144
7WE PE.4RR0RAT
orange, & other trees & shrubs, crimson & red, of various
tints.
Buffalo City, Octo 2. Evening. The Council adjourned
this afternoon at 4 oclock, to the 15th. of November, unless
the Commissioner should be directed to hold it at an earlier
or later period. I came into this city this evening, and am to
proceed to Lewiston to morrow morning, to hold a treaty
with the Tuscarora Indians. I feel like a person who has
just been liberated from a prison; for so laborious & pro-
tracted have been our deliberations, & the adjournment so
often postponed, from day to day, that it seemed as if I were
doomed, to the spot, & could not escape from it. Thanks to
Almighty God! I have got out of the thraldom, &, at last,
am "Heyward	& in excellent health. How cheer-
ing my hopes.
Doct Trowbridge* called to see me this evening, Genl.
Potter, Mr. Wadsworth & other gentlemen. I wrote to
Commissioner Everett; this evening I am to write to Doct.
H. P. Wilcox Irving, Chattaqua County, New York
The annexed letter was given me, by Mr. Strong, the
Interpreter, at my special request, to illustrate the engraving
of the Council at Buffalo Creek in 1793. I wished to make
it certain who the Chief was that was speaking & it is now
certain his name was Flying Sky. Mr. Strong is preparing
a long account of the indian negociations & facts of interest,
concerning the Six & other nations, obtained from the old
chiefs of the Sennecas, who attended the Council which has
just adjourned. Capt. Pollard, Blue Eyes & Capt Strong are
chiefs of the old school. Correct in their habits, dignifed,
yet modest in their deportment, with the manners of gentle-
men, who had mingled much in society. They are the real
patriarchs of their tribe. God bless them.
BUFFALO CREEK Oct. 2<* 1838.
GENL. DEARBORN,
SiR. Capt. Pollard states, that the Council held on the
Buffalo Creek 1793, (as mentioned in Genl Lincoln's Jour-
nal) In which Genl Lincoln (Otherwise called by the Indians
Josiah Trowbridge, M. D.THE DEARBORN" /CH7RAE4L6\
145
Haw-Seh-daw-das—the English of it is, "Thick Foot") Col.
Pickering, otherwise called Gaw-ne-a-Sa-deh—"0%^	o/
M/.") and Mr. Randolph Commissioner of the United
States. The orator mentioned in the journal, and the ac-
companying Sketch, was a Mohawk Chief, Colleague of
Capt Brandts,* by the name of "E/ywg	—Capt Pollard
further states, that, at the above mentioned Council, Capt
Brandt was at Sandusky or at Detroit, As Brandt came as
passenger in the Vessel came down the Lake; after the
Commissioners above mentioned—Brandt returned with
them & the rest of the Seneca Chiefs up the Lake—
Note. This Statement of Capt Pollard explains why the
duty of making Speech to the Commissioners fell upon the
Chief E/ywg —had Capt Brandt been present at the
Council, he undoubtedly would have made the Speech.
Your friend
HON-NON-DE-AH
October 3. It was a dark & rainy night, but the sun has
come out bright this morning & we shall have a favorable
day to descend the Niagara river, in the Red-Jacket Steamer,
to the Falls. Breakfasted, in company with Mr. Gillet & Mr.
Wadsworth, at Genl. Potter's. I took a walk down to the
harbor once more to behold the bustle & activity of this flour-
ishing emporium of the great interior commerce & trade ; it
is the aquatic Palmira of the United States, between the
Mediterraneans of this continent & the Atlantic, where the
intercommunicating caravans of navigation, meet & ex-
change their cargoes, from the Ocean & the mighty rivers &
lakes of the west.
Lewiston Octo 3. Afternoon. I left Buffalo, in company
with Mr. Gillet, U. S. Commissioner, & Strong the Inter-
preter this morning at 9 oclock, in the Steamboat Red Jacket,
The writer of this letter, "Hon-non-de-ah," was Nathaniel T. Strong, a Seneca
chief living at Irving, N. Y., and in his later years a corresponding member of
the Buffalo Historical Society. We are indebted to him for the most plausible
explanation of the way in which Buffalo River received its name. (See Buffalo146
THF DF.4RFO7W /O (/RASAS'.
came [to] Fort Scholson [Schlosser], there took the rail
road cars for the Niagara Falls, which we reached at half
past eleven. The morning was bright & clear, after a heavy
shower during the night, & the scenery was truly beautiful,
for autumn had arrayed the forest trees in sumptuous man-
tles of crimson, scarlet, orange, yellow & brown & all the
shades of green, were still conspicuous, which gave to the
American & Canadian shores, the enchanting effect. As we
approached the mighty cataract, the eternal cloud which
hangs over its awful abyss, announced, the position of that
"AM/ o/	There was a solitary little boat—with a
single [person] in it a fishing, anchored within a third of a
mile of the terific rapids. There was not another boat, or
vessel of any kind on the vast sheet of water visible from the
American bank to that of Chippawa, & as far up the river as
the eye extended to the vast tumultuous current, which
swept onward, from the first ripple of the rapids until it
leaped in one tremendous plunge down the lofty precipice
with an earth-quake shock, & the thunders of an equitorial
tempest, when Jove launches his most furious bolts from his
celestial artillery. I met Meredith Sullivan at the Cataract147

Hotel just from St. Lewis via Chicago, We hired a hack &
went to Lewiston where we arrived at half past one. We
met at the Frontier House Hotel Cusick, Chem, Mount
pleasant & Chiefs of the Tuscarora Indians who we had re-
quested to meet us there to conclude a contract with the
Ogden Company for the sale of their timber lands.
After dinner we met them in Council, when they stated,
that all the other Chiefs were absent, at Lockport & else-
where when the express arrived the evening before with my
letter, & there not being a majority present & none of their
warriors, they could not execute the contract. The Com-
missioners informed them that as the object of the sale was
to obtain, in advance three thousand dollars, of the amount
which would be due from the Ogden Company, when they
removed West, in conformity to the Treaty with the United
States, that amount might be procured, by a petition [to]
Congress, in anticipation of the sum to be paid them when
they should reach their new homes in the Indian territory.
I concurred in that opinion, & we recommended that a peti-
tion should then be drawn up, for the Ogden Company did
not wish the contract executed & they had only agreed to it
at their request, for the purpose of supplying them with
money to pay oil their debts & defray the expense of an ex-
ploring company to their land in the west, next spring.
They said that they should prefer the application to Con-
gress & requested Mr. Gillet to prepare a memorial which
he did & they signed it in our presence & that of Strong.
We also added our earnest recommendation that the favor
desired should be granted.
I went where the road from Fort Niagara, enters the
main street of Lewiston, & stood on the very spot at that
juncture, where I sat on horseback, with my ever beloved &
honored father, in July 1813. I was returning home with
him from the American camp at Fort George. He was ac-
companied by several officers & a squadron of horse under
the command of Majr S. D. Harris (now Lt. Col.) we halted
at that point to look at Queenstown & the Heights where the
battle was fought, early in the war & a battery directly op-
posite. Soon many officers were seen on the parapet & one148

of our officers observed to my father, that they had better
move up the road to the tavern distant two miles where he
intended to pass the night, for the enemy would perceive
there were many officers in the group & would soon, in all
probability open a Are upon us. My father smiled said it was
a long shot & we would take our chance for the few minutes,
which were desired to observe the various points of interest,
on the opposite shore. He wished to know exactly where
our troops landed where the Arst action was fought where
Col. Brock was killed our troops surrendered & all the other
interesting incidents of the day. No shots were Ared.
I stood on that very spot, where my good father, was be-
side me, twenty Ave years ago. How distinctly he was pres-
ent, in my minds eye. I heard his voice, saw his calm & dig-
nified face, his noble martial port & veteran look as if he
were again there on his superb gray charger. I looked up
to heaven, & called upon him to look down upon me, & bless
me, to intercede for me with our merciful heavenly parent,
& cause my course of life to be prosperous & happy; and to
my kind & good mother to unite her affectionate prayers
with his in my behalf & that of my dear wife & darling chil-
dren. O! how sad, how mournful & yet how pleasing to my
soul was that moment, when I seemed to meet the spirits of
my kind & beloved father & mother; when I saw them &
heard their voices & with what a tender & feeling look they
gazed upon me. I turned away at last & slowly returned to
the hotel, but was too much affected to enter it & went into
the garden & there walked until I was collected & consoled.
God bless my dear parents, my wife, my children & myself
I implore thee.
At seven oclock we went on board the Steamer United
States. The moon was full, the sky cloudless & the air
calm & bland. On looking up the river, as the Are-moved
Leviathan moved down the majestic Niagara, Brock Monu-
ment* stood distinct & alone on the horizontal heights of
Queenstown & its symetrical proAle was strikingly visible
on the dark blue Armament beyond, & then turning towards
* This was the Arst monument to General Brock, which stood some distance
to the east of the present shaft, and was destroyed by miscreants, April 16, 1840.149

Lake Ontario, the Light House in Fort Niagara blazed like
a planet, indicating the site of that celebrated mark & the
shore of the first great urn of the St Lawrence, while on the
left the village near Fort George, was rendered visible by
the refulgent moonlight. And soon after the boat came to
just below that fortress. Again my dear father was present;
it was there I visited him, but a few weeks after the battle,
& there I passed ten days with him before we left for home.
Again I appealed to him for again I saw him in the midst of
his camp of 5,000 men. I saw all the officers take leave of
him, when many a hero's eye was moist, for they all honored,
respected & loved him. Who that knew him could withhold
their veneration & profound esteem. He was a patriot & a
soldier, with [out] fear & without reproach. He was in the
fullest meaning of the word a great, & good man. May I
emulate his noble virtues & may my children & theirs be as
worthy of commendation & of a nations gratitude.
Octo. 4. The Lake was as smooth as a river last night &
we entered the Genesee at 3 oclock, this morning I got up &
walked the deck until we reached the landing, three miles
from its mouth, & two & a half from Rochester. We came
to at 4, but broke the shaft of one wheel, when half way up
the river. I went up to Rochester in a light waggon, with
the Steward of the boat, walked about the city & crossed
the aqueduct, just as the sun was rising; at seven left in the
rail-road cars to return to the landing. What a change,
since I was at the Genesee falls in 1813! Then there was a
miserable single saw mill & log hut on the west side of the
falls & a small one story house just raised & partly boar[d]ed
on the east side & now there is a city of 18,000 inhabitants.
Never in any age, has human intelligence, industry & enter-
prise produced such glorious, such wonderful results as in
this country since the Revolution.
The river is most enchantingly picturesque, the precipi-
tous banks are from 150 to 200 feet high & covered with
trees to the very edge of the water. At the mouth are some
eight or ten buildings & a Lt. House. We got under way at
eight & are now dashing on through Lake Ontario, which has
a smooth surface a clear sky & gentle breeze from the west;150
THE DEARBORN /CHyRAE4E6\
but can only use one wheel; still we hope to reach Oswego
by dark.
There are 20 steamboats & over 100 schooners on the
lake & only one brig. The schooners which can pass the
Welling [Welland] Canal are about 120 tons burden. The
Steam Boats begin to run on the first of April & Continue to
navigate between all the ports, from Ogdensburg to Lewis-
ton until the 15th. of November, & often later. Genl.
Macomb Lady & Aid de Camp are with us bound to Sackets
Harbor.
Oswego. Octo. 5. We arrived at this place at 4 yester-
day afternoon. I walked over the town & a beautiful flour-
ishing little Lake emporium it is. At the mouth of the
river, two break-waters have been erected by the U. S.
government at an expense of 100,000 dollars, & now an
other vast sum is being expended in the construction of a
stone wall surmounted by parapet wall to prevent the sea
from breaking over into the harbor. On the end of the
western pier is a neat stone Light House. The Erie Canal
has a branch which comes to this place. The water [power]
however from the rapids is immense; & there are 7 flowering
mills, with 41 run of stones that can manufacture 30 barrels
of flour a day each, making 1230 barrels per day. There are
also two cotton factories, a machine manufactory, a moroco
manufactory, ax factory, some mills, a large forge & from
70 to 80 schooners owned in the town.
On the western point of the harbor is a portion of an old
French fort, the remainder having been leveled for the
purpose of filling up a wharf & making a street & house &
stone lots on the site. On the hill a quarter of a mile south
westerly from this old military mark is a portion of another
erected by Genl. Amherst, when he took Oswego from the
French in the war of 63.*
On the eminence at the eastern entrance of the harbor is
a large field work with four bastions, which was erected byTHE	/(WRAPS'.
151
General Amherst, at the time he besieged the french garrison
on the opposite point. It had a ditch, & was secured against
an escalade by palisades. This important fortification was
taken by Montcalm in 176— surrendered to the British after
the capture of Quebec by the army of Genl. Wolf. During
the last war with Great Britain it was garrisoned with 300
troops under the command of Col. Mitchel, & was attacked
by a combined naval & military force, under the command
of Sir James Yeo & Genl. Drummond. They landed 2,500
men & after a gallant defence of several hours, the American
troops effected their retreat with the loss of about an
hundred killed wounded & prisoners. The enemy had 300
killed & wounded. Sir James received a wound in his leg.
Octo 5. Afternoon. Left Oswego at eight o'clock in
the morning, for Kingston in the Steamer Great Britain, &
arrived at 2 oclock in the afternoon. There was a stiff
breeze, but the day was surpassing beautiful, cloudless &
warm. I walked over Kingston, visited the new stone
barracks in the north-eastern part of the town, where there
is a regiment, the 49th, I think, it was called. Opposite
Kingston is the navy yard, & on the height which overlooks
it a large fort, revetted with stone is being completed, with
stone barracks. There is not a single armed vessel on Lake
Ontario in the British service, The wrecks of some of the
ships belonging to Sir James Yeo's fleet during the last war
are to be seen above the water, at the upper end of the naval
harbor, & that of the 120 gun ship was pointed out to me.
Kingston is situated on a bed of gray limestone, which is
but partially covered with earth. I observed in one of the
streets leading from the water, the print of a man's foot very
distinctly made in one of the flag stones of the side wide
[walk] on the north side. It was large & the foot was
evidently covered with a mocasin.
The transportation from Montreal to Kingston is by
small steam boats up the Rad [blank in original; Rideau]
canal; & from Kingston to Montreal by the St Lawrence in
steam boats & batteaus. The population of Kingston is
[blank in original] It was formerly called Fort Frontenac.
I left Kingston at 4 oclock in the afternoon in the British152
THE DEARBORN JOPRN^L^.
Steamer Brockville. There was on board Capt Eckles of
the British Army & two other officers. The former was the
bearer of an Address to Lord Denham [? Durham], from
Niagara, which he was so polite as to show me. He
appeared a very well informed & was a very gentlemanly
officer; had been in the Peninsular war & from a wound
received in that service was obliged to carry his right arm
in a sling of broad black ribband.
In descending the St Lawrence, the boat stoped at
Morristown on the American shore & one other little village
on the Canadian. The afternoon being calm & the night
cloudless, & splendidly lighted up by the full orbed moon,
the scenery of the thousand Islands was wonderfully beauti-
ful & intensely interesting. The islands are from many
miles in extent down to a mere dot on which stood a single
tree, or a small bunch of shrubs not larger than a basket of
Rowers. Some being 100 feet high & others rising but just
above the surface of the water. The river where it expands
into Lake Ontario is some 20 miles wide & gradually dimin-
ishes until between Ogdensburg & Prescot it is only a mile
& a half in width.
The boat reached Ogdensburg at eleven oclock in the
evening where I landed with Mr. Gillet, who resides in that
town.
Ogdensburg. October 6. This town is siuated on the
Oswegatchie, & contains between 2,500 & 3,000 inhabitants.
There was a fort on the point on the western side of the
entrance into the mouth of the river built by the french
during the wars with Great Britain. The wall & chimnies
of the stone barracks are still standing. At Prescot is a
large stone fortress called Fort Wellington, which was
erected during the last war, & is now being repaired.
Prescot has a population of 800 to 1000.
I went in company with Mr. Daniel Judson of this place
at nine oclock this morning, to the lead mines in the town
of Rossie, in Lawrence County distant thirty miles, near the
upper end of Black Lake. The mine runs through a granit
hill, or ridge, which is about 60 feet above the level of the
water courses & is from one to three feet wide. The ore orTHE DE^RRORAf 70 (/RATALS.
153
galena which is in beautiful crystals of sulphate of lead, is
mixed with lime stone, & among it are beautiful rhomboidal
crystals which are doubly refractive. I have collected speci-
mens of the granite, lime stone, galena & chrystals. There
is 100 tons of pig lead 'produced by the two companies,
which are now working the mines each month. There are
two hundred men employed at each. The ore is carted a
mile & a half to a stream that falls into Black Lake, where
are works for crushing the mineral, washing, separating it
from the lime stone & smelting it. The lead is sent to New
York, via Black lake Morristown & the St Lawrence and
Lake to Oswego & from thence by the canal to Albany.
Mr. Parish has extensive Iron works at Rossie. The
ore is obtained within nine miles & brought to Rossie, for
smelting & making into pig & pan iron, that being the nearest
place where water power can be commanded for the
necessary works.
There is a range of lime stone & sand stone mixed which
extends from the left bank of the Oswegatchie, near
Ogdensburg to the upper end of Black Lake, running par-
allell thereto, & ending precipitate toward the lake but
stoping gradually towards the north. It is exposed naked
in many places & there are to be seen grooves cut, as if
large stones had been draged over it, some of them a quarter
of an inch deep, in parallel lines which run from a little east
of north to a little west of south. They are evidently the
traces of an immense Rood which swept in that direction
over this country. There are no organic remains in the lime
or sand stone. They are both found in separate beds & used
for building, & the former when polished is a greyish
marble with white blotches & stripes. They are in layers
of from 6 to io inches & brake transversely, with quite a
smooth surface & make a handsome wall, & a little distance
look like hammered stone, as they can be selected of such
uniform thickness, as to make regular courses. Many of
the dwelling houses & stores are built of it & several
churches.
Mr. Van Rensellier [Van Rensselaer], a son of the
patroon who resides in Albany, has an elegant seat a mile &154

a half above this town, on a height which slopes down to
the St Lawrence. He has an extensive garden & green
houses.
Ogdensburg, Octo. 7. I did not get back from Rossie
until midnight, for it began to rain just as we left the lead
mines, at half past four & when we had got on six miles it
rained so violently & was so dark we were obliged to stop
at a tavern until nearly 8 oclock for the storm to abate &
the [moon] to rise, to enable us to keep the road. I have
had one of my tremendous headaches all day, & still I have
been obliged to write from six oclock until Ave, to complete
the papers with Mr. Gillet connected with the negociations
with the Indians. I have also written a letter to Isaac
Ogden Esq.,—who lives 18 miles below' on an island in the
St Lawrence, where he has a grand farm, in relation to a
canal or rail-road from Ogdensburg to Lake Champlain. I
had a letter of introduction to him from his brother, I. L.
Ogden Esq. of New York & intended to have gone down
there this afternoon & passed the night, to converse with him
on the subject of the proposed line of intercommunication,
for the reasons stated in the annexed copy of my letter, &
take the steam boat early next morning at a point on the
Canada shore directly opposite but the treaty papers, & my
headache has prevented me from an excursion, which I had
anticipated with pleasure, as Mr. Ogden has one of the best
cultivated farms on the river. Annexed is the letter.
OGDENSBURG, Octo. 7. 1838.
DEAR SiR. The enclosed letter, from your highly
esteemed brother, I intended to have done myself the honor
of delivering in person, this afternoon, & to have asked the
favor of being put on the Canada shore, to take the Steam
Boat early in the morning, for Montreal;—but a violent
headache, to which I am periodically subject, has conAned
me to the Hotel all day. I regret, extremely, that I have
thus been deprived of the pleasure of seeing you, & your
celebrated	/arm, as well as the opportunity of con-
versing with you, in relation to the contemplated rail-road
or Canal, to Lake Champlain, from this place, in which I
feel a deep interest; for if either is constructed, Massa-155

chusetts, New Hampshire Vermont & Maine will derive
great advantages therefrom. The former state aided by N.
Hampshire & Vermont will, in a few years, have either a
canal, or rail road from, as high as Newbury, on Connecticut
river, down the valley of that river to Springfield, to connect
with the rail-road, from thence to Boston, which will be
completed next year; & as Vermont has long contemplated,
the construction of a Canal or Rail-Road, from Lake Cham-
plain to the Connecticut, not far from Newbury, the trade
of the great Lakes will be opened to those states; while
Maine will simultaneously construct, either a canal or rail-
road from Portland to the Connecticut & become a maratime
emporium for the products of the Mighty West, as well as
the depot of supply of many of the articles, which are now
furnished, to the rapidly increasing population of that vast
region, by means of the New York & Pennsylvania Canals
& railroads.
A survey will be made next year; I have learned from
the citizens of Portland, of a route for a rail-road, from
that city to the valley of Connecticut river, & they will be
powerfully stimulated to commence its construction, if a line
of intercommunication is opened, from the St. Lawrence,
near Ogdensburg to Lake Champlain. I was not a little
astonished to see a waggon load of hour, at Littleton, in
New Hampshire, which is situated on the Ammanusick,
about fifteen miles west of the notch of the White Mountains,
which came from Rochester, via the Erie Canal, the New
York Northern Canal, & Lake Champlain, to Burlington in
Vermont, & from thence, by land transportation, across that
state, to the place above named. The gentleman to whom
it belonged, informed me, that—hour was thus brought to
that town, & others in the valley of Connecticut river, in
New Hampshire & Vermont, cheaper than from Portland,
although the distance to the latter city was only ninety miles.
If then the facilities, which the proposed lines of transporta-
tion will afford, are secured, it is evident that a large portion
of those four states, will have a direct & extensive trade with
the count[r]y, which is situated on the Lakes & their tribu-156
THE	JO (/RATALS.
tary rivers, as well as that watered by the Missouri, Illinois
& the Mississippi, above St. Lewis
You will do me a great favor, by communicating such
information, as you may possess, in relation to the measures
which are now being taken, for the purpose of ascertaining
the practicability of & the probability of the completion of a
canal, or rail-road from Ogdensburg to Lake Champlain.
I hope, if practicable, a canal will first be made, for it is
now the settled opinion of the ablest Engineers, as well as
of the most intelligent & distinguished men who have made
it a subject of inquiry, in England, France and this country,
that a rail-road is not a sufficient substitute for a canal,
however admirably it replaces stage-coaches, & the other old
modes of conveyance, for the human family. & the ex-
perience of your own state fully justifies & illustrates, the
correctness of that opinion. In fact, both lines of inter-
communication are indispensable, to subserve the interests of
every branch of national industry; & they both must & will
be constructed, where either has been completed, or is
necessary.
The land on the Canada & American shores is generally
very barren, from the near approach of the rock formation
to the surface; & in fact being entirely denuded of soil to a
very considerable extent. The islands below are generally
fertile & there are portions of the main land which are ex-
cellent for tillage.
The country is but thinly settled. On the American side
the inhabitants are chiefly emigrants from New England;
that	as Mr. Jefferson emphati-
cally distinguished that adventurous enterprising, in-
dustrious & emigrating, navigating, trading & wandering
people. They are to be seen as the pioneers all over the
Union, or wherever there is any business to be transacted,
or work done that promises favorable results. Their in-
telligence, knowledge, of the mechanical arts, manufactures,
navigation, trade & commercial affairs, is perceivable all
over the country; for wherever there is any labor or
business done which requires energy & untiring industry
there they are sure to be found, even in Canada.7WE nMRROTW
157
October 8. I left Ogdensburg last evening at half past
7 with Mr. Gillet in the Steam-boat, crossed over to Prescot,
on the Canada shore, where freight & passengers were taken
on board & got under way down the St Lawrence at 8.
Passed a strong rapid at $ distant 12 miles from Ogdensburg
& at ten the De Plot* rapid, in which the water is thrown
into foaming waves; reach Dickenson's Landing at eleven,
where we remained until seven, The village of Waddington
on the American shore, 18 miles below Ogdensburg, was
conspicuous, in the moon light, & from the blazing chimney
of a furnace which wast[?]. Opposite Waddington is
Ogden's island containing goo acres of the best land in the
northern part of New York & Mr. Ogden has on it the best
cultivated farm. He has built a bridge from his island to
the main land a quarter of a mile in length, & obtained a
vast water power by throwing a dam across the rapid, where
he has a large hour mill. There are in Waddington, besides
the furnace & hour mill several saw mills, cording & fulling
mills, a grist-mill & other machinery. It is a nourishing
town.
Dickensons Landing, October 8. I got up at 4. The
day was just slightly illuming the north eastern horizon but
the moon, planets & stars, spangled the blue vault of heaven
like burnished hakes of silver. A profound calm & stillness
rested over all the works of nature, save the murmur sent
up by the furious "long rapids" just below, where we were
moored. Took stages at seven for Cornwall, where we
arrived at half past 8; distance 12 miles.
There is a ship canal being constructed on the Canada
shore past the Long Sault, which is nearly completed. It is
eleven miles long, ten feet deep, 100 feet wide at the bottom
& 140 at the top. The locks are 180 feet long & 55 feet
wide. There are six lift locks, which overcome an elevation
of 40 feet. They are admirable works of masonry, being
constructed of a black compact marble which is obtained
from a quarry within three miles of the canal.
The locks are all hnished & most of the enormous gates
are made and hung. They have been constructed by an
Rapid Deplau, below Waddington.158
THE	/(WRATHS'.
American. This important work has been executed by the
government of Upper Canada, & has cost 1,500,000 dollars
& will require 150,000 dollars more to complete it; but
owing to the depressed & agitated condition of the country
the labor has been suspended, save the work now being done
on the Lock gates, & a few men employed in the excavation.
The money was chiefly borrowed in England at 6 per cent
redeemable in 1850. The excavation is through earth,
entirely, composed of loam clay & sand. The canal runs on
the immediate margin of the St Lawrence & has been con-
structed by removing the earth, for the bed of the canal &
forming an embankment on the margin of the river.
We entered the Steam boat Henry Brougham at Corn-
wall & passed down to Coteau Du Lac, distance 41 miles,
there we took stages to the cascades & then entered the
Steam Boat Dolphin, for Lachine, which is 24 miles, & again
landed & passed on to Montreal in stages, which is 9 miles
from Lachine.
The land is excellent all the way from near Ogdensburg
to Montreal, on both sides of the St. Lawrence, & on all the
islands, but the villages & houses are miserable & the tillage
but little attended to on the Canadian shore. .The houses
are log or timber, & very small & badly constructed. The
population poor, ignorant & in a wretched condition. The
information, in relation to the Canal I obtained from Mr.
Harvey, who has been a contractor for making the excava-
tions. He came with us from Prescot to Cornwall. The
banks of the St Lawrence are not more than from 10 to 20
feet above the water & the land is generally level, or undu-
lating into gently elevated hills. The soil until within some
20 miles of Montreal is a black sandy loam, & for the re-
maining distance clay loam & sand.
The mountain region which extends from near the north-
ern end of Lake Champlain, in a south westerly direction
made a grand back scape to the scenery from Cornwall to
Montreal. The summits are rounded, or present long lines,
of horizontal & undulating, contours, with now & then a
conical prohle. They were bathed in a mellow blewish haze.
Mr. Gillet landed at the St Regis Indian village betweenTHE
159
Cornwall & Coteau Du Lac, to conclude a treaty with that
tribe. He gave me a sample of copper ore—the sulphate,
from a mine in Canton about 20 miles N. E. from Ogdens-
burg. The mine is reported to be extensive & prolific. Capt.
Laing of the British Army & Mr. Griffin, the Supervisor of
the Post offices in Lower Canada and Mr. Rombuck brother
of the great agitator (his wife and Mr. Cadinou's of Boston
are sisters) came down from Prescott in company & I found
them both intelligent & agreeable gentlemen. The former
was on the north western frontier under Genl. Proctor dur-
ing the last war. He was also in Lord Wellington's army
in Spain Portugal & France.
He informed me that a council of war was held by Proc-
tor, to decide whether the army should oppose the landing
of the troops under Genl Harrison, or fall back to the Mo-
ravian village & that Tecumsah was decidedly opposed to
abandoning their position. He was indignant at the propo-
sition & declared to Proctor that, if he retreated, the Indians,
amounting to 3,000 would consider themselves as abandoned,
& all leave his camp; if he really intended to fight that was
the most commanding position. Proctor replied that he did
not intend to retreat but merely fall back to a position which
he could defend & be in connection with his depot of pro-
visions & the other wing of the army in Upper Canada; &
by great persuasion he at last induced Tecumsah to remain,
but all the indians returned to their several settlements on
the upper lakes, but about 500.
Proctor did not intend to engage Harrison, but so
maneuver as to reach the division of the army at the head
of Huntington Bay, on Lake Ontario. To effect that object
he moved to the Moravian village, & there very improperly
remained for three days, when he might have advanced so
rapidly east that Genl. Harrison could not have overtaken
him; in fact the latter had abandoned the idea of pursuit,
until he heard of Proctor's halt & then determined to attempt
[to] bring him to action. Capt. La[i]ng was in the Grena-
diers & posted on the extreme left near the bank of the river
Thames, & on his right were the indians under the command
of Tecumsah. The charge of the mounted Riflemen under
Col. Johnson decided the action.160
THE DF^RRORAT JOI/RAT^FR.
After the surrender of the British troops Capt. Laing
requested permission to go into the woods, to And a brother
officer,—the present Col. [blank in original] Adjt Genl. of
the army & now stationed at Toronto, who [he] heard was
wounded & left on the ground. Four soldiers of the Ameri-
can army went with him but his search was unsuccessful as
his fellow officer had not fallen. On returning he discov-
ered an Indian laying on the ground dead, who he instantly
recognized as Tecumsah & exclaimed, God there is poor
Tecumsah slain. When he got back to camp, he informed
Genl Harrison of Tecumsah's death, who instantly replied,
I will immediately send out & have him brought in &
buried with military honor, for he was a brave & noble fel-
low whose character & heroic conduct I honor. The news
however, had been spread through the camp by the soldiers
who accompanied Capt La[i]ng & a number had gone out
[and] disgracefully mangled the body of the gallant Indian
Chieftain before those sent by Genl. Harrison reached the
place. The body was nevertheless brought to camp & in-
terred with all that respect which is ever due to a brave man
who falls in battle.
Capt Laing was in the action in which Dudley was de-
feated ; He stated that the American officers & soldiers who
were made prisoners, in the action were placed in a sort of
hollow or dell near the Miama river, & sentinals placed over
them, to protect them from the Indians; but that the Pota-
wattamies Wyandots & other distant tribes who were not
in the action & thirsted for blood rushed upon the sentinals
slew two of them with their tomahawks & commenced an in-
discriminate murder of the prisoners, when Tecumsah
rushed to the spot & checked the barbarians in their hellish
exploit. He informed the cowardly rascals if they had been
his indians he would have put to death every one who had
been concerned in such an infamous transaction.
Capt. Laing also informed me that he was in the attack
on Fort Sandusky which Crochgan [Croghan] defended so
gallantly. That Genl. Proctor having been foiled in his
movement for [blank in original] he concluded to make a
dash on the fort of Sandusky before returning to give someTHE DE^REORAT 7O(7RN^ER.
161
eclat to his expedition, but that he was entirely ignorant of
the character of the work, & did not even send to have a
reconnaisance made before ordering it to be taken by assault.
There was a ditch on three sides, which was not discovered
until the British troops were close to him. They wound in
colum toward the face at right angles with the river, the
right being destined to storm the low curtain, the centre the
longest & the left the other end. As the column moved
passed it [was] assailed by a well directed & rapid Are, for
there were muskets enough in the garrison to furnish each
soldier with four & all being loaded, they were all dis-
charged in quick succession. The left leaped into the ditch
as well to escape the Are of the musketry as to attempt to
enter the works, & when it was completely Ailed a masked
gun concealed by a kind of gun port, was brought to bear
near the bottom of the ditch & the Arst Are was so destruc-
tive that several oAicers were killed & about 40 soldiers were
either killed or wounded.
Capt Laing was kept as a hostage on whom to retaliate,
in the event any of the American oAicers were executed as
had been threatened. He was conAned for many months in
the Penitentiary of Frankfort Kentucky, & came very near
dying of a violent fever which his unpleasant situation pro-
duced.
Montreal. Tuesday, Octo. 9. I arrived here last even-
ing at 9 oclock. I found from the earnest conversation of
the Canadian passengers on my way from Kingston, that
there was great excitement, in relation to the conduct of
Brogham [Brougham] & the Ministry towards Lord Dur-
ham, & that so uneasy & alarmed were the people generally,
from the apprehension of a rebellion, in some parts of the
provinces, and incursions of American partizans along the
whole length of the frontier, as well as the ill consequences
to the Canadas if Lord Durham should return to England
as he had declared he would, in consequence of the attack
made upon him by Lord Brogham, & the shameful manner
in which Lord Melburn [Melbourne] & the other ministers
had allowed him to be assailed, without the least effort being
made to defend him. Addresses have been sent to Lord162
THE
Durham within the last week from Quebec, Montreal,
Kingston, Toronto & all the other towns in both Canadas
urging him not to leave the country, & it is now reported
that he certainly will not before January if he does then; As
the peculiarly constructed boats, which are used to navigate
the St Lawrence the river & Rondeau [Rideau] canal are
called Durham, the following punning toast occurred to me
as we were towing one from the Cascades to Lachine last
evening:
"The newly launched Durham Boat:—It is too substan-
tial & ponderous, to be swept from its direct & triumphant
course amidst the conflicting currents of Canada by the im-
potent flourish of a Eroow, however successfully that
may some times be employed, to raise such a in
the House of Lords, as to bewilder even a
The name of Lord	is pronounced Praam, &
Lord Meibom the prime minister, was so fearful that the
bill introduced by Lord Brogham nullifying & denouncing
the Ordinance of Lord Durham, in relation to the persons
who had been arrested as rebels, that he informed the Lords
the next day the ministry had determined to recommend to
the Queen, the propriety of her Majesty's declaring the
ordinance unauthorized. What a contemptible act to save
themselves, they have sacrificed Lord Durham; who has
been one of the ablest of the whig party & who has been a
special advisor & friend of the Queen mother & Victoria.
Mean & cowardly wretches.
Montreal. Evening of Octo. 9.	11 oclock I have just
completed my report & all the papers illustrative thereof
which are 22 in number & make 73 pages of my own writing
& 61 of copies of ahiadavits letters &c. &c. &c. amounting to
134 pages. Thanks to Almighty God the care, anxiety, &
labor of my duty are now all ended.
I rode round the mountain this forenoon with Captam
Laing, & the views from the various elevations & sides of
that wooded eminence are truly grand & beautiful. I have
never beheld such magnificent scenery. The vast region for
at least 60 miles in diameter is one vast tract of rich soil,
sprinkled with villages farm houses, woods, & sheets of163

water which the mighty St Lawrence & its island divided
channel presents. I went into the new Cathedral*. It is
of granite & a pure specimen of the gothic order of archi-
tecture. It is a huge edifice Visited the sisters of Charity's
establishment, which is a kind of male & female hospital.
The nuns were tending the sick & some were in a yard
cleaning a large stove pipe, walked along the wharves &
quaies. They are of granite & are being completed the
whole front of the city. There were seven steam Boats in
port & several brigs. I walked to the Champs de Mars &
saw a parade of the troops. I was introduced to Col.
Gugy [ ?] & Doct Jackson of the army, & the former called
on me & then came & waited upon me to the dinner table at
6 oclock. I have rode & walked all over the city.
The uniforms of the different regiments of the troops in
the British army are varied by the colour of the collars &
cuffs, they being blue white green &c. & the pompons of like
color. The Grenadier company of the Royals, instead of a
leather or Jappaned cap, have one made like the other
companies entirely of bear skin, without any visor, there is
& white Pompon & tassels, of worsted. [Crude sketch
omitted.]
The farms & land round Montreal is not well tilled &
the houses are small & rudely [built] of rough stone or
timber & white washed occasionally, some are framed &
boarded & shingled. There are orchards of good fruit &
plum trees. With good farmers & gardeners the surround-
ing country would be very productive & have a beautiful
appearance. There are a [? few] very fine handsome
country seats; but I did not observe but four or five which
had a neat & tasty appearance.
The market is abundently supplied with meats poultry,
vegetables, game fish & such fruits as will grow here. It
is the best in Canada.
Montreal October io. Yesterday, was cloudy, cold &
uncomfortable, with a raw north west wind. It was the
first real autumnal day we have had. It is, however milder
* Gen. Dearborn evidently made the common tourists* error of regarding
Notre Dame parish church as a cathedral.164
THE DH4RR0RN /(WRATHS'.
this morning & the sun is struggling to dissipate the clouds.
It promises a pleasant day. I do Hope that there will be no
cold rain storm before I reach my dear home, & wife &
children. I met Mr. Featherstenhaw* this morning in the
Hotel. He came to my room & informed me he had been
to the coast of Labrador & was just from Quebec. He has
given up his office of Geologist of the topographical corps,
in consequence of inattention or coldness towards him by
the government, because he is not of the same politics & a
violent partizan of the President Lt. Magruder in the
Artillery of the U. S. army called on me this morning. He
is from Plattsburg where he is stationed. I attended the
Grand parade of the 1st. Royal Regiment of Infantry this
morning, in the Champs de Mars. It is commanded by Lt.
Col. Wetherell & the next officer in rank is Majr Bell. I
have never seen any corps of troops, in such perfect order
in all respects, dress, discipline & conduct under arms.
Their manual & movements were so harmonious, that they
seemed to be actuated by one mind. The uniform is faced
with blue, pantaloons oxford gray. The flank company is a
beautiful corps of Grenadiers with the bearskin cap before
described. The band consisted of 20 members. Uniform
long white coats, with blue collars & cuffs, blue worsted
epulets with gilt cresents. sword with brass scabbard &
black belts. There were besides twelve drummers & fifers,
the seams of whose coats were covered with party coloured
red & white worsted binding of an inch wide; the
drummers had long Leopard skin aprons, which came down
to the ankles, to protect their clothes from the drums, which
were brass.
The Col. on receiving the salutes swavely touched the
visor of his cap with his finger when the standing salute was
given & as each officer passed. The music wheeled out in
front of the collors & played until the rear passed. When
the line wheeled into column they came to the right about,
* This was evidently the English traveler George William Featherstonhaugh,
who had made geological surveys in the Western United States for the War7EEE DE^REORAT JO^/RAT^ES.
165
wheeled to the right, then faced about, on the word march
being given, the whole column steped at the same moment,
& came round into line without gaining or losing distance.
The guard of the day came onto the parade in front &
formed in line on the right. When the salutes were over
the musick passed down in front & back, the guard then
marched with the band, to the left, where the regimental
colors were, held by an officer & color guard, half way
between the line of the Col. & Regiment. The officer of the
guard received them, when the guard & music marched
down to the left, the latter passed in the rear up to the right
& took post in line, while the band & the officer with the
colours, passed up the front between the line of officers &
rank & hie; the officer with the color took post in the middle
of the guard and the musick formed in front facing to the
left of the line. This is the position of the guard when
receiving the colors, [when going for the colors:]

t A-.L.1

n nn
* G i


Position of the troops when the guard had returned into
line:
<7 F" FF f= /=	/= 7-
g 0 F' -&^<<166

When the troops marched off the parade to the regi-
mental barracks the guard remained until the other com-
panies had passed & then fell into the rear. The Major
marched off the regiment. The men were so perfectly sized
in the platoon that they appeared of an exact height & so
when all were in line, I was astonished at the precision &
beauty of the movements & the surpassing excellence of the
whole parade. I went up to the Col. after the parade &
expressed my great gratification at the interesting spectacle
I had witnessed. Nothing can be more perfect in military
discipline.
After leaving the Champs de Mars I went with Capt
Laing & Lt. Magruder of our army to the barracks & was
politely shown all over them by Major Bell. The bed steads
are wrought iron & only one man sleeps upon each. They
fold up & contain the bedding during the day.
The men each keep a little book containing their account
with the government, for pay & supplies of clothing &c. one
of which Major Bell gave me. The men are paid daily in
pence, as it amounts after all deductions to only five pence.
I bought of the company paying Sergeant a number & also
half pence.
I also visited the stable & park of Royal Artillery. Under
the guidance of Lt. Wadehouse the whole were in excellent
order. There are four six pounders & four caisons on
waggons, as the English call them, a forge, & baggage
Waggon to each Battery, or company, which consists of 80
men; four ride on each gun carriage & caison making 32,
& there is one mounted on each of the rear of the two pair
of horses to each gun waggon & making 20, so that 52 ride.
The servants artificers &c. make up the remainder.
They have two little mortars of 8 or 9 inch caliber
mounted on a wooden bed, which is transported in a little
cart, & can be taken out & put on the ground to be used in
any position desired. The cart is drawn by one horse.
The harness of the field carriages & the waggons are
provided with shafts on one side, in which the off horse is
harnessed, & the near one is connected to the same cross bar
by a whifHe-tree thus:THE	JOt/RA^E-S*.
167
P- —

There were sleds for the guns to be mounted on in win-
ter, made thus:
The carriages for the guns were like ours save the shafts
being substituted for a pole. The wheels all of a height.
The artificers to each battery are so well taught that they
can make wheels & all the parts of the various carriages, &
repair or replace all defects. They also shoe the horses &
repair the harness.
The regiments of each army have also tailors & shoe-
makers who repair or make all the clothes & shoes. The
clothing comes out ready made but is new fitted to each
soldier. The shoes cost 2.25 cents a pair & are sewed over
again, or rather newly made up in a more substantial form
there is a female school for girls & a man's for boys in each
company, where the children are daily taught There are
six women—wives of soldiers—to a company, & one of
these is the school mistress. The master is also a soldier. I
went into the school rooms & all the mechanics & artists
shops. The clothing is received fitted & delivered to the
troops by the quarter master, of the Regiment. There is
an arm chest, & clothing chest for each company. Each
musket has the name & number of the soldier to whom it
belongs, as have every other article including the clothing.
Each soldier is obliged to have his kit complete,—a term
which includes all his articles of dress. They are inspected
weekly & all deficiencies must be supplied, & deducted from
the pay which is about 14 cents per day. The cartridge boxes
are leather Japponed & have a tin box divided into three168
THE
compartments, in which the cartridges are put in paper
bundles of 20 each making 60 rounds & the name & number
of the soldier is put on each bundle. Just as they are going
into action the bundles are undone & the cartridges thrown
loose into the tin box. There is an under cover of leather to
effectually keep out the wet. This is the form of the cart-
ridge box.
V (4. Vf,
By long experience, during the wars for the last 40 years,
it is found that it is much the best mode to have tin canisters
or boxes, in the above described cartridge boxes, instead of
blocks of wood with a receptacle for each cartridge. The
cartridges are more easily got at & they are less likely to be
broken, in taking them out in action, & besides 60 can be
carried in a smaller compass than 48 in the old mode, or
even 24.
Montreal Octo. 11. A dark rainy morning. I leave for
Burlington at 9. I had a severe headache last evening but
am right well after a good sleep of 7 hours, having gone to
bed at 10 & got up at 5.
The streets are very narrow in this city. They are paved
& the side walks are of lime stone Raging. The houses
generally of stone & most of them have an antiquated ap-
pearance & a style of construction which gives the place the
appearance of an old french or Spanish, or German town.
The buildings are generally covered with tin. There are
some very beautiful modern stone stores, houses & other edi-
fices, Binghams house is elegant having an dome portico. It
is very large & has been fitted up for the winter residence of
Lord Durham, who has concluded to return on the 20th. of
this month to England. Sir John Colburn [Colborne] hasTHE	/(WRYES'.
169
been appointed to assume his high duties, as Governor
General.
The French Canadian population are much excited &
evince a great hostility to the English. I was in an apothe-
cary's shop yesterday & he stated that an Englishman was
the day before passing through a village about 20 miles dis-
tant & it being ascertained of what nation he was the people
assembled pelted him & followed him some distance & he
only escaped by the Heetness of his horse from fatal con-
sequences.
It is reported that important intelligence has been re-
ceived from Genl Macomb of some combinations for hostile
movements. Lt. Magruder informed me yesterday that
with [in] two weeks some 300 Canadians had appeared in
Plattsburg & a large number in Burlington. Two more
Regiments are on their way here from Halifax. The officers
I find are apprehensive of difficulty in the winter.
I left Montreal at 9 oclock this morning in a Steamer
for La Prairie; a small village above Montreal on the right
bank of the St. Lawrence, & distant nine miles. There is a
rail-road from thence to St. Johns, & I reached there at 12.
Distance 14 miles after an early dinner, took passage in the
Steam-Boat Winooski for Burlington, touched at Isle au
Noix, 10 miles from St. Johns, where there is a large fort
with four bastions, & it is garrisoned with a considerable
number of troops; stoped a few minutes at Champlain 15
miles where there is one company of U. S. troops. From
[there] to Plattsburg is 25 miles, & thence 25 to Burlington
where I arrived at 9 oclock in the evening.
Mr. Featherstenhaw came with me but went on to White
Hall. It has rained all day. The whole country from the St
Lawrence to Champlain is a dead level & elevated but 10 or
12 feet above the river. The soil rests on friable slate & is
argilacious. The population is french & the houses are small
& mean, generally timber or logs, although some are stone.
There is no appearance of thrift, enterprise or intelligence.
Mr. Featherstenhaw informed me that in his tour to the
Labrador coast he went up the Sagunany [Saguenay] river
ninety miles, it comes into the St Lawrence on the left side170

120 miles below Quebec, & is remarkable for the depth of its
water being much greater than the St. Lawrence. At its
mouth the latter is only 40 fathoms, or 240 feet while the
former is 450, at the falls go miles from its mouth 540 & half
way from the falls to the St. Lawrence 840. Mr. Feather-
stenhaw is of the opinion it was a lake & ultimately broke
through the lofty stone barrier into the St Lawrence. He
stated there was a mountain of iron ore about 70 miles below
Quebec like that in Missouri, which is so remarkable, but
much more lofty & of a larger base, the height being 1500
feet, & its base many miles. He found the same bed of lime
stone out cropping near the mouth of the St Lawrence which
he had examined in Georgia. It has precisely the same or-
ganic remains.
He has been passing considerable time at Quebec & been
very intimate with Lord Durham. The latter leaves Cana-
day on the 31st of October & will pass into the U. S. by this
route to New York, from thence to Boston & return to N.
York & go as far south as Washing, [ton] from whence he
will embark in a frigate for England, or return to N. York &
sail from that city in a frigate, which is now at Quebec. He
will have seven persons in his suit,—his wife two daughters
son, Secretary & phisician, besides four or Ave servants.
It seems that Ld. Melbourn the prime minister got Lord
Durham appointed Governor General to prevent his being
the rival of the former, who was fearful of being surplanted,
by him, & he only consented to accept the office on the special
request of the Queen, with whom he is a favorite, for he was
the particular friend & advisor of Her father, the Duke of
Kent, & ever since his death has been of her mother. Mr.
Featherstenhaw has no doubt of Lord Melbourn being re-
moved & Lord Durham appointed Prime Minister.
The persons who were banished to Burmuda, had ap-
pealed to Lord Durham, and requested as a great favor that
he would banish them, instead of bringing them to trial, &
they having confessed their guilt, were sent out of the coun-
try as an act of mercy. His Lordship is 46 years old & his
eldest daughter 17, the son seven & the other daughter of an
intermediate age. He despises O'Connel & will not allowTHE	JOC/RAMLY
171
him to be considered as one of his party if the Queen ele-
vates him to the premiership. I was glad to hear it for that
Irish demagogue is an unprincipled & worthless black guard
rascal, & a disgrace to his country & parliament.
Mr. Featherstenhaw informed me that he had resigned
his station, as national Geologist, in consequence of the cold
& neglectful manner in which his services were treated &
the utter abandonment of the whole plan of operations,
which the Secretary of War had agreed to sanction. In fact
he feared that Van Buren wished him out of the way to
make room for a political partizan. He is going to England
with Lord Durham & is now passing over the route his lord-
ship is to take, for the purpose of engaging lodgings, as far
as Washington & will return to meet him in Troy on the 2d.
of November & travel with him. Mr. Featherstenhaw in-
tends to publish a work on the Geology of the U. S. in Eng-
land & then go to Mexico from whence, he will cross over to
California to explore the geology of that vast region. He is
in hopes of inducing Audubon to accompany him. The con-
templated exploration, he expects will take two years.
He gave the following cause of the visit of John Van
Buren to England. There was an English gentleman, who
came to the state of New York many years since, by the
name of Clark, whose father was Governor of that state
before the Revolution & owned a large tract of land therein,
which he came out to sell, and manage to the best advantage.
He had a wife & children in England & a large estate there
which he inherited; but did not live happily with his wife
& never returned. He became acquainted with a Mrs.
cooper, wife of a brother of the novelist of that name, at
Cooperstown, where he resided part of the year & the rest of
the time, for several years in Albany. The husband was a
low, drunken, worthless fellow, & Clark became so much
attached & she being a [----] he had a child by her during
the life time of her husband, but he dying soon after Clark
married the widow * * * by whom he had several chil-
dren, during the life of his wife in England. He built a su-
perb house at Cooperstown & on his death left the whole of
his estate in New York to his children born of & after his172
THE	/(WRAT^ES.
marriage with Mrs. Cooper, & the property in England to
his legitimate wife. To the son born during the life time of
Cooper, whose name he got changed to Clark by an act of
the Legislature, he left an income, to be paid out of the
American state [estate] of 5,000 dollars a year & as much
more from that in England. The income from the American
estate is from 60 to 70,000 dollars per annum. Clark died
two years since & the heirs by his English wife refuse to
pay the annuity of 5000 dollars which was given by the will
& John Van Buren has gone to England with young Clark to
endeavor to recover it, & is to have a large portion of it if
successful. The giving out, that he had gone to attend the
coronation was for eclat that ceremony having taken place
at the time of his professional visit—for he is a lawyer in
Albany—it was more imposing & creditable, being a Presi-
dent's son to have the prestige of such an excursion.
Capt. Laing called before I left this morning to take
leave. He has paid the most kind & constant attention to me,
during my visit to Montreal & I am under the greatest obli-
gations. I gave him the toast I made on Lord Durham, this
morning just before I went on board the steam-boat.
I found a gentleman on board the Steam Boat from St
Johns, who informed me that Florida White had visited the
Baroness La Moine de Longueuil, who owns four seinories
on the St Lawrence of more than 400 square miles, extend-
ing above & below Montreal, & over to St Johns. She lives
about nine miles below that city. Col. White has just re-
turned from Europe & has ascertained, from his knowledge
of real estates in Louisiana, & facts he ascertained in France
that the above named lady, or some other branch of that
family, is the heir to a vast tract of land in Louisiana, which
is worth several millions of dollars. This gentleman was
intimate in the family & had been there the day before, &
was informed Col. White had gone up the river about twenty
miles above Montreal to visit some gentlemen & would be
on his way back to New York in the Boat with us; he also
informed me that he should return to Montreal in season to
be my companion.
This gentleman, whose name I did not inquire, statedTHE
173
that her first husband died when she was young & that she
then married Capt Grant an Englishman. She is now 80
years of age. During the revolution her last husband went
into the U. States towards Boston with a party of Indians &
never was afterwards heard of or the Indians. Every pos-
sible inquiry was made, as to their fate, but not the least
intelligence has been obtained to this day.
I have traveled since I left home many miles:
From Boston to Albany........................................420
From Albany to Buffalo.......................................360
From Geneseo to the falls of Nunda, in Portageville & back . .	50
To Niagara falls............................................. 20
To Niagara city on the Canada side & Waterloo opposite Black
Rock..................................................... 25
To Niagara falls & Tuscarora	Indians......................... 34
To Buffalo creek Council house from Buffalo & back 6 times .	36
On the reservation........................................... 20
From Buffalo creek to Lewiston............................... 33
"	Lewiston to Rochester.................................. 87
Oswego................................................. 60
Kingston............................................... 50
Kingston to Ogdensburg................................. 60
Lead mines at Rossie & back............................ 60
Montreal.............................................. 140
Burlington.............................................108
1573
From	Burlington to Boston..................................282
Total distance when I reach home......................1855
Burlington Vermont Octo 12. The rain storm continued
until late last night & the wind blew furiously from eleven
until this morning & now it is cloudy & dark with a strong
westerly wind. I sat up writing & reading until one & was
at my table with my pen at half past five. I shaved by
candle light & made a fire in the stove of my parlor, by the
means of the dry wood which fortunately was brought up
last evening, a newspaper, & the lamp I burned all night. I
am to leave in the stage this day for Montpelior, at one
oclock. This is a handsome town, containing about 4,000
inhabitants many neat houses. The land rises rather precipi-174
THE DE.4RRO7W
tously from the lake. The mountains on the New York
shore of the lake give an Alpine aspect to that distant
scenery. This Lake in passing up it appears like a broad
river, from its being very narrow compared with its length.
The scenery is very picturesque & soon after passing the
village of Champlain, the banks become more elevated, hills
of a gentle height arise & then Green mountains & those in
N. York near their lofty summits. I have been in a level
country since leaving the hudson until last evening & I am
pleased again to behold the hill & mountain scenery of New
England,—the farm houses villages & the habits dialect &
general & yet peculiar aspect of its population. I seem to
be again in the land of my youth,—the dear country where
are all my relatives & with which are associated so many
pleasing & endearing recollections & affections.	is a
darling, god-blessed & precious word, & it makes my heart
leap to And I am now rapidly approaching my own happy
cottage.
Mr. Featherstenhaw informed me that it was now the
opinion of Geologists that the whole surface of the earth
once had a tropical climate even to the poles, for the only
plants & trees found in the early stone formations are tropi-
cal. This was at a time when the crust of the earth was less
thick & the central heat was felt over all the surface; but as
the moulten mass cooled deeper & deeper the polar regions
became covered with ice & snow & the tropicks, which when
they were bearing tropical plants were too hot for vegetation
but at last became lowered enough in temperature to allow
plants to flourish & from their position, are kept at a suffi-
ciently high point of heat to render vegetation perenneal.
Or the poles may have been under the equator, & all other
portions of the earth, at some period of the earths existance.
This is a question which puzzles the will & we must take
the existing facts proving the once wild climate of the tem-
perate & frigid zones & leave for future Philosophers to
divine the mighty cause. God alone can instruct us in this
recondite inquiry. Geology has made gigantic strides within
this century. Buckland work is a superb monument of
human intelligence & the progress of a science which is butTHE DEARBORN /OC/RA^LS\
175
of yesterday. Merian & Hutton picked up specimens of min-
erals & Aourished theories, but Couvia [Cuvier] laid the deep
& broad foundations of Geology & mineralogy & his zealous
disciples have followed the extensive routes which he pointed
out with an energy & industry which have produced most
interesting & highly important results, both for the advance-
ment of science, the development of the natural resources of
nations all the branches of industry & the arts.
There is no hope for the improvement of the condition
of the people, the agriculture, & general condition of the
Canadas until they are either included as states, with New
Brunswick, Nova Scotia & the British Possessions in North
America, in this Union, or become an independent nation.
The merchants, & capitalists are Scotchmen & Englishmen,
who come out only to accumulate wealth with the determi-
nation to return home, at some future period, & therefore are
not directly interested in the future prosperity & welfare of
the country & make no permanent establishments in the
towns or on the farms. They act & feel like foreigners &
have no patriotic sentiment—no deep feeling, no lasting &
stable notions in relation to the present or ultimate station
which the Colonies may & should occupy. The French
descendants & who are called Canadians, are generally ig-
norant & have not advanced one step since their fore fathers
landed on the banks of the St Lawrence.
Let those Colonies become a part of the United States
& our citizens would inundate it with emigrants & the
change which would be effected in its business industry &
improvement in all respects would be more rapid than has
been any of the new states which have been created since
the revolution. With a good soil, the facilities afforded for
navigation & intercommunication, with a large portion of
this nation, as well as of the immense tract which they in-
clude, the many & immense water-powers—the timber &
lumber trade, would all tend to give an impulse to industry
& produce consequences as glorious as the means would be
ample & encouraging. We must have these colonies & will,
by purchase, by their independence, & subsequent request to
be admitted into the Union or by Conquest. The hrst mode176
THE DE^RRORAT JO (/RAILS'.
should be immediately attempted, for I have full confidence
in its success; and if we had not an insignihcent president,
& an imbecile administration it would be done, & thus settle
all the questions which are of such momentous import to the
United States, & each of which may sooner or later produce
a war between us & Great Britain.
ist. There is the North eastern boundary.
2d. That on the Pacific ocean.
3d. The right of navigating the St Lawrence.
4th. The hsheries on the coasts of New Brunswick
Nova Scotia & more northerly, which are annually occasion-
ing difficulties with our adventurous mariners.
5th. The illicit trade, which will increase with the in-
increasing population of the colonies & the United States
along a frontier line of 1000 miles.
6th. The control of the North Western Indians which
have been turned loose upon us in all the wars since that of
1745.
?th. The removal of a foreign military & naval force,
from a position conterminous with our country from the
Atlantic to Lake Superior; a vast held work always occu-
pied & filled with the resources of war.
8th. The securement of the whole supply of timber &
lumber & provisions to the West Indies & of the former two
products to Great Britain.
8th. The whole of the	on the coast of North
America.
9th. The employment of our own navigation] for all
the imports & exports of those colonies. An imense object.
So much would be gained in a national point of view;
then the non holding states would gain an equivalent in
political power & influence, for that secured to the Southern
& south western States by the purchase of Louisiana &
Florida & Texas & Mexico if they wish them, provided how-
ever that they agree to the purchase of the British Colonies.
They would form four states immediately & give eight
senators, with at least twelve representatives to Congress.
It must be done; & that speedily. Now is the favorable
moment [in view of] the difficulties of the last year—theTHE DEBRECEN /CK/RAE4ES.
177
great expense of the recently arrived military force of 14,000
men & all the other expenses for public works & naval co-
operation—the fudes produced in the ministry & other evils
experienced in England from the complaints & turmoils of
the Colonists & the parties which are exasperated, in con-
sequence of the great & continual expeditures & discussions,
which are produced by the possession of the far distant,—
& in truth, valueless possession to the forest country.
We can afford to give 100,000,000 millions of dollars for
it; for the domain land & the customs would afford funds
for paying the interest & liquidating the debt in less than 30
years. Why have we not a Sully, or a Chatham to cut this
grand Gorgean Knot! ! Such a far reaching & powerful
genius as those mighty men possessed will appear I trust, or
the combined wisdom of the executive & legislative branches
of the national government will do what either of those
statesmen would have accomplished in a week, a day, an
hour. It is only to say to Great Britain "IFEa/ wE/ y<?%
& the sum being named,—to reply "there is the stock
for the amount bearing 6 per cent interest, redeemable in 30
years/' The work is thus simple, as is all that which is to
be performed by a	for a	as no more
time or skill is required than to purchase a farm, or sell a bill
of exchange for a thousand dollars. The expansive & far
looking mind is all that is required to do such deeds.
I suggested to Mr. Featherstenhaw to ascertain what
were the ideas of Lord Durham on this subject.
1st. To ascertain whether England would sell the col-
onies for any sum,
2d. What was his opinion, of the disposition of the
British government, to make a conventional & compromising
north eastern boundary line, of this kind, beginning at the
mouth of the St Johns river & running up the channel to the
St Francis to the Highlands which skirt the right bank of
the St Lawrence, or the next northern branch; & if there
was an unwillingness which was insuperable to yield so
much on the Atlantic;
3d, Let there be a line run due north from some inter-
mediate point between the mouths of the St John & the St178
THE DE^RRORTV JOt/RAT^LS.
Croix until it strikes the former river & then up its channel
as above named.
Such a compromise I believe practicable, if a purchase
cannot be elfected; & I do not think that England will ever
consent to acknowledge the line as described in the treaty of
1783. She must have a communication by the St Johns &
the St. Francis, or a more north western branch to Quebec,
& the line justly claimed by us would render the route from
New Rivers creek Nova Scotia to that capitol of all the Col-
onies & also the fortress, so difficult & so circuitous & much
longer as to induce an insuperable objection on the part of
England to establish it by a convention or treaty.
We must therefore purchase or make a new compromise
line. Such is our present condition, that of the Canadas &
Great Britain that the purchase is very desirable & if that
cannot be accomplished, at once the other should be adopted;
& no time should be lost, for each year the achievement of
either plan will be more & more difficult from the increasing
consequence of the colonies & others of many kinds, which
time can not fail to reveal & must probably in the form of
a
11 oclock. I have just returned from a walk over Bur-
lington. The streets are regular & some of the houses
beautiful. I passed a neat garden containing a green house,
summer house, & a number of pear, apple & plum trees.
The grounds were well laid out & shew much taste in flori-
culture. The dahlias shew there had been no frost here, as
their foliage was green & unskaithed, by that first precursor
of winter, who sometimes smites vegetation, with a deadly
blast much earlier than this. I presume the Lake prevents
frosts from being so early in their visits on its margin, it is
a vast reservoir of caloric tempering the cold air which
comes over it. The building stone is blue lime & red sand
stone. I picked up a sample of the latter, to carry home.
The wind is blowing strongly from the south west, & of
course nearly up the Lake.
The Colleges are on an eminence south of the village.
Some of the side walks are paved with brick & others are
graveled. There is a public square with a street stores &THE
179
houses front on it on the four sides & a circular area en-
closed with a neat painted railing, in which paths have been
cut & bordered with trees & the remainder of the ground is
covered with verdure. South west of the village, on the
lake the land is lpw & level, but it rises to a bank 70 or 80
feet high in the northern part of the settlement, There is a
large wharf for steamboats to come to at & other vessels.
There is a Light House on an Island in front of the town a
mile or more from the shore.
12 oclock. It begins to look lighter, the dark heavy
clouds are dispersing & there [are] signs of the sun's
coming out. I ardently hope it may be a bright afternoon
& evening for my ride this afternoon to Montpeliar.
Montpeliar Vermont, October 12. Evening. I left Bur-
lington at one oclock, & had a most comfortable ride, there
being seven men & two women, with each a child. *	*	*
This is the most remarkable road I ever passed. It passes
in a deep valley through the lofty piles of green mountains
or the alternate banks of Onion river, where is generally a
strip of intervale land; The ascent is so gradual that the
road appears to be descending instead of rising there is no
fall in the whole distance & nothing more than a ripple any-
where. There is so little land capable of cultivation that
there are but few houses & except Water borough & one
other little settlement no villages. The mountains on each
side are very steep & covered to their summits with forest
trees from their bases. The tops are crowned with hemlock
& other evergreens, from which they have derived the name
of the Green Mountains. I do not believe there is in any
mountain region with a so remarkably level defile through
it. I was every moment looking out for an ascent over a
mountain & a lofty cataract or rapid; but here I am on the
culminating point between Lake Champlain & Connecticut
river. It seems impossible that an elevation of [blank in
original] feet has been so equally distributed & a natural
acclivity established, in a distance of forty miles in such a
manner as to escape any considerable rise. With a few
variations in the bed of the road it could be made excellent.
How easily a rail-road could be made to pass over this state;180
THE DEARBORN /OI/RJV^ES*.
or a canal. It will & must be done & if the people would
take a quarter of the interest in improving the lines of inter-
communication that they have or are now madly evincing in
relation to anti-masonry, abolition, temperance & peace so-
cieties. This valley would now or soon be traversed by a
canal or rail road.
There was a fanatical blockhead who was vociferating
on the abolition of slavery half of the way in the state & the
remainder talking nonsense. The fool insisted "That
slavery would never be put down until the ministers &
churches excluded every slaveholder from the communion
table/' One of his own diabolical party was staggered at
such doctrine & said he did not believe such was the opinion
of the abolitionists generally, but the	Calvin insisted
that was the true & established creed of the abolitionists &
that it was acted upon by many churches. The devil has
been turned loose in New England & the fools of priests &
the religious & political abolition & temperance demagogues
& ignoramuses & fanatics are as wild & desperate & furious
in the prosicution of each & all those chimerical schemes as
were the same class of people during the early puritanical
catamounts, under John Knox & Cromwell in Scotland &
England & during the days of Roger Williams & Massa-
chusetts witch-craft.
They have erected in every village a kind of moral inqui-
sition have their resolution autodafes,	with the
furious & vindictive zeal of the cardinals & Bishops of Spain
& France. They would, if they had the power, do as dam-
nable deeds, as those which made the night of St. Barthol-
omy hideous. Under sanctified faces they think they are
doing Christ's & God's service, for all this wickedness is an-
nounced as a religious duty; & they talk of their contempt-
able	as did Ferdinand & Isabella, when they
drove the poor Jews out of Spain & the polished moors.
Hell is as fully represented now, in New England, as it ever
was in any country under the blood stained & Are-blasted
horrer of the Pope. When O! God will man learn mercy &
conduct in conformity to the charitable & beneAcient & peace-
ful precepts of thy son? Is the world never to be at rest?THE
181
Will not intelligence & virtue & wisdom one day take the
place of ignorance, vindictive persecution & folly?
I listened & spoke not a word, from Burlington to this
place, during a ride of seven hours, so disgusted was I, & so
contemptible did this Vermont	this Calvanistic
wretch appear. I found if I spoke I must call him by rough
names & say to him, you unprincipaled rascal, how dare you
undertake to say, who shall go up to the communion table
of God. Do you not know you are advocating a violation of
the constitution exciting a servile & civil war, & committing
such treasonable, diobolical, tyranical, unmerciful, immoral,
unjust, & dishonest crimes as will lead to a dissolution of the
Union & an hundred other equally,—ay more severe re-
marks. But I knew not the doalts & with difficulty kept
silent. Pity & contempt mingled with a disposition to kick
the chief rascal out of the stage, were the alternate feelings
with which I was impressed. God forgive me & mend him.
Concord New Hampshire Octo 13. I left Montpeliar at
2 oclock this morning & came to Royalton 36 miles to break-
fast. It rained nearly all the way, was dark & cold for about
day light it snowed & even as late as half past eleven this
forenoon, snow was still laying on the hills in New Hamp-
shire. I dined at Enfield about two miles this side of the
Shaking quaker settlement. They have recently erected two
stone houses & one is four stories high & very capacious in
length & width. The material is hammered granite. After
dinner came to this town & reached the hotel at 9 oclock,
having been riding 19 hours & passed over 112 miles of
rough mountainous road. I am not, however fatigued;
proving that I have gained health & strength by my western
tour.
Mr. Jenkham a trader in West Hartford in Vermont
came on with me from that town. A modest intelligent &
pleasant companion. He has sent off waggons with agricul-
tural & other products to Boston & is going down to pur-
chase merchandise to freight them back. These waggons
are enormously large, & drawn by four pair of horses &
sometimes five pair. They carry up & down 4 tons. The
wheels have fellows four to five inches broad. They are 7182
THE	/OtyRAL4Z^.
days in going down & as many returning the distance being
130 miles they have one dollar a hundred freight. The own-
ers generally walk all the way beside of their horses. There
is a false pole as it is called fitted to the common one, by the
means of which two pair of the horses aid in holding when
descending hills. The false pole is thus secured:
1 is a ring through which the false pole passes & the other
end passes 8 or 10 through another at 2, & is prevented from
going further by a shoulder at the end like this:
=3=3
The lower ring is secured by two bolts which pass through
the lower wheel pole & are made secure by an iron plate on
top & one beneath on which the ring is hung by an eye bolt:
[See second sketch above.]
He informed me that a great many tons of dried apples
are prepared & sent to the Boston market by the females in
Vermont. That he takes in & sends to Boston six or seven
tons a year. It takes a bushel to make hve pounds for which
he gives 4 cents per pound, & the apples therefore are worth
but 20 cents per bushel after all the labor of pealing, quar-
tering, coring stringing & drying & carry to the traders has
been bestowed on them. They are pealed & quartered by
little machines, & in the autumn parties are made of 10 or so
females & young men, who divide the work, some peal,
others quarter, while others are employed in taking out the
cores with a small knife or in stringing them on strong
threads, by which they are suspended to dry. He had been
to such parties where 30 bushels were peared &c. &c. in an
evening. After the work is done which is soon after nine,THE
183
cake & pies are passed round & then they often have dancing,
one woman sold him last autumn, 400 pounds, which she had
entirely prepared with her own hands in the evening. They
required nearly 100 bushels of apples, for which she got only
16 dollars.
Octo 14 Left Concord after breakfast, dined at Nashua
& got home at 10 oclock in the evening. Found my wife &
sons well thanks to Almighty God.JOURNAL OF THE
SECOND VISIT TO THE SENECAS
IN THE YEAR 1838
BY HENRY A. S. DEARBORN*
JOURNAL OF A MISSION TO BUFFALO, IN THE STATE OF NEW
YORK, TO NEGOCIATE A TREATY WITH THE SENECA
NATION OF INDIANS, FOR THEIR EMIGRATION, TO A
TERRITORY ASSIGNED THEM, WEST OF THE STATE OF
MISSOURI, AND FOR THE SALE OF THEIR RIGHT OF
POSSESSION OF THEIR SEVERAL RESERVATIONS, OF
LAND, ON ALLEGHANY RIVER, CATTARAUGUS, BUF-
FALO & TONNEWANDA CREEKS, BY H. A. S. DEAR-
BORN, SUPERINTENDENT OF MASSACHUSETTS.
Nov. 9. 1838. I left Boston on the afternoon of this day
at 3 oclock in the rail-road cars for Stoning [ton], where I
arrived at half past 7 & took passage for New York, in the
Steam Boat Narraganset.
Nov. 10. I arrived at New York this morning, at 7
* Vol. III. of the manuscript journals, in which are contained the narratives
of Gen. Dearborn's second and third visits to Buffalo, has the following title:
"Journal of a Mission to the Seneca and Tuscarora Indians, and an Account of
the Treaties held with those Tribes, in the Years 1838 & 1839, for the Sale of
their Lands and for their Emigration West of the Mississippi River. By H. A.
S. Dearborn, Superintendent of Massachusetts. Vol III." It contains, beside
the journals (Nov. 9, 1838, to Jan. 1, 1839; and Aug. 7 to 21, 1839), the fol-
lowing private correspondence: Letters on various subjects, from August 3,
1838, to October 13, 1838; Letters from November 8, 1838, to April 8, 1839;
Letters from T. L. Ogden to H. A. S. Dearborn. Only the journals are here
printed.
18s186
THE
oclock & put up at the Astor House. Soon after I reached
the city, I learned that the Whigs had achieved a glorious
victory, by electing their Governor,* Lt. Governor, a large
majority of the Legislature & of the Members of Congress.
It is the most momentous event since the close of the Revo-
lution, for it decides the fate of the present, incompetent &
ruinous national administration. It is the advent of the rees-
tablishment of the Republic on Constitutional principles, &
the recurrence to those measures, on which the stability of
the Union, and the prosperity & happiness of the people
depend. The effect throughout the whole country, will be
as cheering, as it is honorable to this state, & momentous to
the Republic.
Saw T. L. Ogden Esqr. who informed me that the Hon.
R. H. Gillet, the Commissioner of the United States, for
holding treaties, with the several tribes of Indians in [N. Y.]
had passed through the city on his way home from Washing-
ton, & who informed him that the Secretary of War had de-
cided that it was not considered necessary, to again open the
Council with the Senecas, but that the names of such Chiefs
as were disposed to emigrate might be signed in our pres-
ence. Mr. Strong the Interpreter called on me, having re-
cently arrived from Washington. He agreed to accompany
me to Buffalo.
Wrote letters to my wife, sister Parker & my Chief Clerk,
& at hve oclock in the afternoon, went on board the Steamer
De Witt Clinton, bound to Albany. It had frozen hard the
night before & was very cold still. During the evening I
was introduced to Genl. Talmage of the United States Sen-
ate & conversed with him on the recent election, the conduct
of the President & other subjects, until eleven oclock, when
he landed at Pokipsee, where he resides. I was introducedTHE
187
to Col. Me Key* a lawyer of Buffalo, who I found a very in-
telligent & agreeable gentleman.
November 11. We landed in Albany at 7 o'clock, &
after breakfast took the rail-road cars for Utica, where we
arrived at four oclock. It has been a very cold day. At 5
we took passage in a Canal packet for Syracuse, & entered
that city at 6 oc on the morning of November 12.	& the
next morning being the 13th were at Rochester where we
landed & were obliged to remain until 2 oclock in the after-
noon waiting for the packet-boat from the West. My esti-
mable friend Genl. J. G. Swift formerly Chief of the Corps
of Engineers, & Majr Smith of the Engineer Corps joined
us at Rochester. We had a pleasant afternoon & evening,
on our way to Lockport for the Genl & myself called up the
incidents of by-gone days, as we have been intimately
acquainted since 1808, but I had not met him for many
years,—at least fourteen. He had been engaged in the
works for improving the harbors of Genesee river & Sodus.
November 14. We landed at Lockport at seven & took
the Rail-Road Cars, for Niagara falls at nine, where we
arrived at eleven oclock, having performed the journey of
750 miles in less than Ave days, although I stoped in New
York from 6 until Ave in the afternoon, on the 10th & was
detained from 7 in the morning until two in the afternoon
at Rochester. It seemed as if some magical contrivance had
been used—for one can scarcely realize the sudden transition
which had been effected in so brief a period. As I stood on
Goat-Island, looking down into the profound abyss, of the
mighty cataract,— that "Hell of Waters," I, involuntarily,
asked myself, is not this all a dream, and gazed around with
inquiring eyes, to ascertain whether in truth, it were a
reality. The sky was cloudless—a splendid iris arched the
ascending spray—an autumnal sun bathed the surrounding
scenery in its peculiar mellow beams, and all the air a
solemn stillness held. Above the rapids, the brod Niagara
river was as unruffled & smooth as a mirror, while the latter
came careering down with furious speed & then making
one awful tremendous & thundering leap continues madly
188
THE
down the deep & narrow gulf to mingle quietly with the
waters of lake Erie. [! Ontario.]
As I walked round the island, I thought of my dear
grandsons who but 20 days before had traversed the same
path & looked upon the same objects, & now they were far
away in the distant west. With what pleasure, yet how
melancholy was it to my soul, did I read their names re-
corded in the book of arrivals at the Hotel where I dined.
There too they had sat down at the same table & I momen-
tarily expected to hear their voices, for they seemed to be
within the scope of my eyes & sense of sound. God bless &
prosper them I beseech thee. I arrived at the American
Hotel in Buffalo at five oclock, having left the falls, in the
rail road cars at 3.
November 15. Doctr. Wilcox & Orlando Alen [Allen]
Esqr called on me. Learning that Mr. Gillet the Commis-
sioner of the United States had arrived, I called at the
United States Hotel to see him but he had gone to private
lodgings, & I could not ascertain where until the next
morning.
Nov. 16. It has rained all day. Judge Stryker waited
upon me & sent his son with a carage to take me to Mr.
Gillets lodgings, who informed me, that the Secretary of
War had decided, that it was not necessary the council of the
Senecas should be convened, but that such of the Chiefs as
might determine to sign the treaty could do so in our
presence. I met him in the evening by appointment at
Judge Strykers house, to consult as to the mode in which
the negociations should be carried on, & it was concluded
that written information should be sent to the principal
Chiefs on the Alleghany, Cattaraugus, Buffalo Creek &
Tonawanda Reservations of the determination of the Secre-
tary of War, & that we would either here or at those several
reservations, receive the signatures of such of the Chiefs as
wished to affix their names to the treaty. I wrote a letter
to my good wife.
Nov. 17. I wrote an official & private letter to Governor
Everett, & enclosed a copy of the instructions from the
Commissioner of Indian Affairs to Mr. Gillet, & of the letterTHE	(/TWEES'.
189
addressed to the chiefs. It froze last night & there was a
slight fall of snow, with a violent gale, which has continued
for 48 hours, so that the steam boats could not leave the
harbor.
Nov. 18. A cold night & day. It began to snow at one
& continued until dark. Two inches fell. Col. Bankhead
of the U. S. Artillery commands at this military post, where
there are three companies. He puts up at this Hotel, with
several of his officers. Mr. James Wadsworth of Geneseo
arrived this afternoon & I was happy to learn that his beauti-
ful and agreeable lady, his venerable & excellent father,
amiable sister & brother were all well.
I have been invited to attend a celebration of the Whigs
of Erie County next Wednesday to commemorate the
glorious victory their party has achieved throughout the
state, in the election of Governor Lt. Governor, a large
majority of the members of the state & national legislatures,
last week. It is the most important event since the Revolu-
tion, for it decides the fate of the present incompetent & in-
famous administration of the United States. The reign of
radicalism & the various measures, which have been pursued
since the ignorant, passionate, vindictive & rascally career
of the unprincipaled & tyranical Jackson commenced, will
now be brought to a close at the next presidential election.
The Republic is saved from destruction. Confidence will
be restored among the people & all branches of industry will
prosper for the infamous & blighting Sub-Treasury System
can not now be established. Again the people will be free.
There is not a nation in Europe which has been so badly
governed, & its affairs so ignorantly & fatally managed as
this for the last ten years. But thanks to Almighty God the
intelligence & virtue of the people have triumphed over the
corruptions & impositions of Jacksonism & Van Burenism.
Again the ship off state is off & the cheering cry,—
is heard from stem to stern, from above
& aloft.
George Jimenson, Harris, & Strong—three of the Seneca
Chiefs—have called on me & Cone, my interesting Tona-190

wanda young friend, who gave me so many traditions of
his nation.
We have reports of another revolt among the Canadians
in Lower Canada & at Prescot, & that numbers of Americans
have joined them. There have been several partial
skirmishes, & a battle is expected between 3000 patriots &
an equal number of British troops in the vicinity of Mon
treal. Marshal Law has been proclaimed in Upper & Lower
Canada. All intercourse was stoped, yesterday, across the
Niagara river & several persons who had gone to the Canada
shore opposite Black Rock & below the Falls were prohibited
from landing.
Nov. 19. I have read Alice, Bulwers last novel. It is
superior to anything he has written. The tale is more con-
tinuous & not disrupted by episodes & halts to describe
scenery & an effected kind of philosophising, which renders
his other works tedious; especially his Last days of Pompei
& Rienzi. I have also read the 5th & 6th numbers of
Nicholas Nickleby & now am reading Steven's travels in
Greece, Turkey Russia & Poland.
Afternoon. As Mr. Gillet had taken lodgings at the
Eagle Hotel, I have joined him, to make it more convenient
to attend to the negociations with the Indians & for those
persons who may have business to transact with us.
Little Johnson came in this afternoon & signed the treaty,
which he said he did freely & voluntarily. He observed to
Mr. Gillet that at the Council last winter he was in opinion
with him, but was in opposition when we were together in
the summer to show him what his power was, for he con-
sidered himself the principal Chief of the Seneca Nation.
Now he was happy to be again with him.
November 20. It snowed last night & it is now seven or
eight inches deep & still snowing. Mr. Bela Lincoln of
Maine called on me this forenoon. He is grand son of
Genl. Lincoln of the Revolution & is bound to Illinois, to
join Mr. Richards & my beloved son Henry. I wrote to
Henry by him.
Young Chusick [Cusick] one of the Tuscarora Chiefs
called on me last evening & this morning. I began a letterTHE EE^REORAT JOCRAT^ER.
191
this forenoon to my friend Col. Bigelow, the Secretary of
State, giving him an account of this region of country; its
rapid settlement & future destinies. Took a walk just be-
fore dark. The day has been cloudy & windy & gloomy.
As I looked off upon the lake the prospect was awfully
grand. The dense black clouds came down upon it like a
huge & impassable barrier & the dark surface of the angry
waters, was broken into crests of foam, as the tumbling
billows rolled onward to the resounding shore. It looked
like the sombre dominions of Eribus & Nox.
Sleighs have been running all day, & winter in all his
terrors has come upon us suddenly & unexpectedly for each
day it has rained I have sanguinely believed the next would
be pleasant & that there would be two or three weeks of
Indian summerlike weather before the autumn closed. I
hope it yet, but with less confidence.
Nov. 21. A clear day with a strong southwest wind. I
attended the Whig celebration, & made a speech & gave a
toast. Received a letter from my wife & son William this
forenoon dated the 14. It made glad my heart. I have
written a letter to Col. Bigelow & am now copying it in rela-
tion to the prosperous condition & future prospects of this
city & the great west.*
Nov. 22. It has been cloudy & damp & thawed all last
night & this day. The city was beautifully illuminated last
evening. I have written all day, although I have had a
horrible head-ache. I walked down to the harbor & saw
nine steam boats go out, while two others were coming down
the lake, so that eleven were to be seen under way at the
* This letter, and several others mentioned in subsequent pages of the jour-
nal, were addressed to the Hon. John P. Bigelow, then Secretary of the State
of Massachusetts. Mr. Bigelow placed them in the hands of the editor of the
Boston	in which journal they were printed. They were afterwards re-
published in book form with the title: "Letters on the Internal Improvements
and Commerce of the West, by Henry A. S. Dearborn." (8vo. pp. 120. Boston:
Dutton & Wentworth, printers, 1839.) Seven of the letters were written at
Buffalo, in November and December, 1838; three others of the series were193
THE EE^REORN JOERH^E^.
same moment & eight were in the harbor besides between
40 & 50 ships brigs & schooners. A most interesting spec-
tacle. The following is a printed account of the whig cele-
bration of the 21st. [Clipping from Buffalo
Nov. 22, 1838, here omitted.]
Nov. 23. This has been a mild & pleasant day. I
walked down to the harbor between one & two. I have
completed the copy of my letter to Mr. Bigelow & it makes
30 pages. I am tired of writing & will read Steven's travels
in Russia, &c, it being nearly 9 oclock in the evening & I
have written steadily since six this morning, save my short
walk.
Nov. 24. It froze last night & snows this morning.
Little Johnson the principle chief of the Senecas & Gordon
one of the Alleghany chiefs called on me yesterday, & ex-
pressed the gratification, that I had again come among them,
& stated what universal satisfaction, I had given when here
before, & the confidence the Indians had in my honesty, &
disposition to act justly & fairly, & see that they were treated
properly in the negociations. I informed them that, I was a
friend of the indians & most anxious to discharge my duty
faithfully in [all] respects, & held myself accountable to the
great spirit, who looked down with equal solicitude on the
red, as well as the white man, & that they might be assured
of my unremitted efforts to guard & protect their rights &
interest.
I find there are eight Sachems or Chief men of the na-
tion,—the great civil officers, who are Little Johnson
(Pagan), above named, Daniel Two-Guns (Christian),
Capt. Pollard (Christian), James Stevenson (Christian),
George Linsley (Pagan), of the Buffalo reservation, Capt.
Strong (Pagan), & Blue eyes (Christian), of Cattaraugus
& Jimmy Johnson (Pagan), of Tonawanda.
Nov. 2g. A very cold night. The Erie Canal closed.
The day has been cold, with a slight fall of snow. I com-
menced a second letter to Mr. Bigelow on internal improve-
ments & wrote eleven pages. Completed a letter to my wife
& sent it to the post office this evening.
Nov. 26. A cold night, but the morning is calm &THE	JOt/RA^LS*.
193
sunny, presaging a pleasant day, & I hope a succession of
them before winter really commences. Mr. Strong the In-
terpreter returned last evening from Cattaraugus, & Harris
the educated chief called on me in the evening. I waited
on Gov. Mason* of Michigan, who has been to N. York to be
married & is on his return home. I am reading Parker's
Exploring tour beyond the Rocky Mountains— He was sent
by the Board of Foreign Missions. From his account the
tribes of indians, believe in a God, who made & presides over
all things, in the immortality of the soul,—a future state of
reward & punishments— they are honest, truth telling,
peaceful & amiable. He is a calvanist & the last of all the
sects to improve the religion & morals of a savage race. He
will unsettle their own simple belief & reverence for the
Great Spirit & teach them incomprehensible creeds, articles
of faith & gloomy notions of God & their own condition &
duties & make them more & more unhappy. Those tribes
west of the mountains are exactly in a state for the philan-
thropist, to aid & bring into a civilized condition. Let
mechanics, farmers, seeds & tools be sent to them & persons
to teach them to read & write to play on instruments of
music, to dance & sing & all the useful arts & say nothing
of religion & they may soon [be] rendered industrious happy
& enlightened; & the Christian religion will follow of course.
But if the missionaries go among them & attempt to
before the indians are civilized, the result will be as
fatal as in all other parts of this continent. When will our
clergy learn wisdom & our people act from facts, truth, in-
telligence & the dictates of reason & experience? After
more than two centuries of sad & lamentable efforts on the
part of the various Christian sects, to elevate the condition
of the natives, the same erronious course is still being pur-
sued. We learn nothing from the past & act like fanatics,
instead of the true & enlightened disciples of the pure & up-
right man who, with so much modesty, yet independence,
taught the fundamental principles of morals & the true phil-
osophy of human happiness.
* Stevens Thomson Mason, fourth territorial governor (1834-35) and first
governor of the State of Michigan (1836-40). At the expiration of his term of
office he settled in New York and practiced law until his death, Jan. 4, 1843.194
THE
I walked down to the harbor between one & two & found
it was frozen over as well as the Canal & all kinds of vessels
closed in the ice, most probably for the winter.
An Indian Chief by the name of Sami Wilson called at
our appartments this afternoon, with the Indian Agent &
[in] his presence & that of the Interpreter Strong the Chiefs
George, Jimenson, White Seneca, & Pearce, signed the
treaty. I asked him if he did so freely & voluntarily & he
replied "yes, & with a sound mind?'
I called on Mr. Lincoln* the Collector. He is the son of
the illustrious De Witt Clinton. I met many Indians in the
street, from the various reservations who appeared to be
glad to see me, & especially Israel Jimenson of Cattaraugus,
who was the most violent & outrageous of the opposition
party, at the last council. I have just been present in our
common parlor, to the signature of John Bark, a Chief of
the Buffalo reservation by George Jimenson his Atty, said
Bark having gone to the Alleghany Mountains on a hunting
excursion. The Indian Agent & Dot Wilcox were present.
The power was verified by oath before Judge Stryker.
Nov. 27. It was snowing when I got up this morning.
Wrote to the Governor & my wife. This forenoon Tall
Peter a Chief came to my room, with Mr Orlando Allen, I
was informed that William Cass a Chief who signed the
treaty last winter, & who lived near Youngs on the Buffalo
Creek Reservation wished to sign the treaty although op-
posed to it in the Council last held, but was afraid to come
into town, on account of the other chiefs in opposition, but
[would] sign if we would meet him at Allen's tavern near
where the last council was held, & this afternoon, Mr. Gillet
& myself went out there & in the evening he came to the
tavern & in our presence & that of Mr. Allen & Tall Peter
signed the treaty. I asked him if he did so willingly & he
replied that he did. We did not get back until eleven as
the roads are horidly rough & we were in a carriage, as there
was not enough snow for a sleigh when we went out; but
now it is over six inches deep as it has snowed all day.
* So written in the journal, obviously by inadvertence. In 1838 George W.
Clinton, son of DeWitt Clinton, was Collector of the Port of Buffalo Creek,
which ofHce he held until he became Mayor in 1842.195

Nov 28. A cold cloudy day. Walked out before din-
ner, & have read & wrote all the remainder of the time. Lt.
Townsend,— son of my friend Majr. Townsend, of Boston
& pay-master in the army—called to see me. He is Adjt.
of Col. Bankhead's* Regiment of Artillery, whose Head
Quarters are in Buffalo.
j\ov 29. A very cold windy day. I dined with Genl.
Potter, it being the thanksgiving of this state & the New
England states, save Vermont. An Oneida Chief called on
me this forenoon. He has nine children & 22 grand children
which will entitle him to over 10,000 acres of land in the new
Indian territory, & he appeared quite elated at his good
fortune. I began to copy my second letter to Mr. Bigelow.
Nov. 30. The wind blue a gale all night & all this day
from the South west. I walked down to the extreme end
of the wharf on the northern side of the harbor to behold
Lake Erie, in a tempest. Its waves were rushing on to the
resounding shore like those of the ocean. The scene was
sublime. The sun has shone all day for the first time since
I arrived, & the evening is cloudless, with a brilliant full
moon and the wind has subsided considerably This place is
the very throne of Eolus. The position between the two
great Lakes, Erie & Ontario, makes it a race course for "the
sightless couriers of the air," & a is rarely to be seen.
That mild & quiet & to me darling & lovely goddess, is very
chary of reclining on the banks of the Niagara; & yet I did
witness her soothing smiles on those waters last summer, as
she was gazing upon the reflected landscape in the
(they are peculiar from the green tint they
present as are all the lakes.) I have copied 27 pages of
Letter No. 2. to Mr. Bigelow.
December 1. The sky is overcast with a haze, the wind
still south west, but not so violent, & it thaws. Three
Steamboats arrived down the lake this morning & one has
gone out of the harbor for Detroit. [Newspaper clipping
omitted.]
From the following [newspaper clipping, letter of Prof.
* J. W. Bankhead was colonel of the Second Regiment, Artillery, stationed
in Buifalo at this time.196
THE DE^REORAT
Hitchcock] & other like statements it would appear that this
earth is but a huge mass of extinct animals,—a mausoleum
reared to the dead from the bodies of the dead. God! what
a train of thought does this curious & most remarkable reve-
lation of the mineral world excite. Matter, weather [so in
original] now dead & inert, is but the debris of living beings.
The work of creation then begun with & death is but
one of the modes of preparing the materials for the structure
of the universe; and may not we give place to animals as
much superior, as is man to the brutes. Angels may dwell
on the spot where our flesh & bones have prepared the
proper place of residence for them. The ideas which arc
roused are sublime.
Evening of Dec i. I finished the copy of my 2d. letter
to Mr. Bigelow just before dark. It makes forty pages. My
heart was made glad, this afternoon by a letter from my
darling daughter Julia & good son William dated the 24th
ult. My beloved wife was improving in health.
December 2. It blew violently all night but it is mild &
this morning there is less of wind & it thaws; still it is
cloudy & squalls of snow have been frequent during the day.
I corrected the copy of Letter No. 2. to my friend Bigelow &
sealed it up this morning.
I am reading Napoleon & his times by Caulincoort Duke
of Vicenza in two vols. I2mo. It is an account of conversa-
tions with the Duke by a lady. It is interesting—very; &
if the statements may be relied upon valuable to the his-
torian. No indication is given who the lady is. I am also
reading Col. Stone's life of the Indian Chief Brant.
Evening. It has cleared off cold & the night is cloud-
less. I have completed Napoleon by Caulincoort. It is a
sad & grievous tale. The fault of the Emperor was that he
ceased from fighting. He should [have] kept with his army,
put all the traitors under arrest, shot Fouche & Talleyrand
by a drum-head court martial, & he would have defeated the
allies & been Emperor until life was extinct, either on the
battlefield or on his imperial couch in the Thuilleries. He
was wrong to have hesitated, a moment. He had only to
relie on his sword & that would have saved him.THE DE^REORH JO (/RATALS.
197
I have been supprised at a most shameful article in the
Boston Atlas. It is infamous; the outpouring of a rabid
radical, an unprincipled demagogue. Who has been at the
bottom [of] it & the sudden declaration for Harrison. I
fear a man who I have honored & confided in has acted a
base part & the great, the patriotic, the honest, warm-hearted
Clay has been sacrificed, by a faction. How is it that Web-
ster has been nominated by the Anti-masons as Vice Presi-
dent to Harrison. Has he been ploughing with the radical
whigs, the anti masons, the abolitionists, to defeat Clay, be-
cause he found he could not be nominated & therefore unites
with Harrison. God! what a prostitution of principles, of
honor, of honesty. To take up such an ordinary man as
Harrison, in preference to the incomparable Clay. The bold,
fearless, eloquent & mighty champion, who for eleven years,
—ay 16 years [has] been battling in the cause of his country,
in the Halls of Congress, with a genius, talent & power such
as no other man ever exhibited. O ! it is horrible.
Alas! we have fallen on evil times. When the aurora of
a glorious day began to dawn in our political horizon, the
welkin is suddenly involved in those thick-coming clouds,
which overshadowed the earth, during that dreadful period
of the dark ages. The ignorant, the poor, the base the un-
principled are to be appealed to & the wealthy & intelligent
denounced, Another Jeremiah may well proclaim, woe, woe
to our American Jerusalem. I despair of the Republic. It
is impossible it can be maintained, if the radical doctrines &
measures which the Atlas announces are to be held up as the
peculiar & necessary system of the Whigs. The mob will
be the government & then comes despotism. It is awful to
discover such demonstrations, & especially when it looks
like the act of one who we have so much confided in & hon-
ored. There is too much of vice, too little of virtue, too
much ignorance, too little honor & principle, for a Republic,
I fear. We have been rapidly retrograding, as a people, for
the last 20 years.
December 3. A cold dark & a cloudy, dark day. I
read the account of Napoleon's reign, by Caulincourt, I
could not but be forcibly impressed, with the immense198

power of Russia, & the superior intelligence of Alexander &
of his civil & military officers to that of the other sovereigns
& nations who cooperated in the terrific war against France.
The account too of the Russian empire, the refinements,
wealth & splendor of the court,—the wonderful change
which had been wrought in that vast region, which but a
short time before was occupied by an assemblage of barbar-
ous tribes. The world never presented such a spectacle.
Never has there been effected such a change in the condi-
tion of a people. It is a miraculous illustration of the god-
like power & energy of one great mind. Peter I was the
most extraordinary & truly greatest man that ever lived.
As a general & a conqueror he equalled the most renowned
& defeated, after a long continued & disastrous war, the
most consummate general of modern times. His greatness
consisted in his luminous & bold conceptions, his gigantic
views, & unabated & successful efforts to render his every
thought & act	He fought battles on
the land & on the seas, but to enable him to perfect & carry
into complete operation his grand & beneficent systems for
immeliorating the condition the advancement of civilization
through his vast dominions. He founded cities, established
manufactories, created armies & navies, extended agricul-
tural knowledge, made roads, built bridges, erected magnif-
icent edifices, encouraged the industrious & ornamental arts,
& patronized literature & science, in the midst those long &
tremendous wars, which were alone sufficient, to occupy the
whole attention & absolve all the resources of nearly every
potentate of Christendom, as well as of Turkey & Persia &
all the Tartar & Cosack tribes from the Baltic to the frontiers
of China, with whom he was compelled to contend for the
integrity of his empire & the stability of his throne. He
waged war solely in self defence—not for the idle prestige
of military glory, but to enable him to* advance into the front
ranks of the most distinguished & refined nations. He was
the modern Anacharsis nobly triumphing over the ignorance
customs & barbarous pursuits of the wild & savage nations
of the long benighted & degraded Sythia.
The resources, both physical & moral, of his inveterate &199

deadly enemy, Charles of Sweden, were exhausted, his army
& fleets annihilated & his whole Kingdom & people impov-
erished, when that gallant prince fell by the chance shot of a
battery an assassin on the bleak shores of the northern
ocean in the dark hour of midnight winter, leaving a bright
name in the annals of chivalric desperation; but, who, re-
gardles of his country, battled for personal fame alone;
while Russia had arisen, in majestic grandure like another
imperial Rome, from amidst the dark forests of the northern
soze, [ ?zone] & taken her exalted station, as one of the
mightiest among the nations of the earth. Peter prosecuted
the arts of peace in the midst of bloody campaigns, & fought
battles but to enable him to mature & perfect his lofty
schemes for the advancement of his subjects;—to carry into
effect the philanthropic plans of the philosopher. To him
the tent was a cabinet for discussing & projecting the means
of elevating the Russian character, & giving consequence to
the empire, as well as the head quarters of the army. It was
at the same time his civil throne & martial pavilion. There
were executed plans of cities & seminaries of learning, &
measures devised for establishing commerce, and all the im-
portant branches of national industry, as well as for prosi-
cuting the campaign & giving the last decisive orders for
anticipated battle. He went from his studies for improving
the whole empire, to mount his war-horse for to meet the
shock of armies, & returned from victory or defeat, but to
pursue his plans of national agrandizement, with renewed
confidence & ardor.
I saw in an Albany paper, this morning, that the route of
a Rail-Road from that city to New York had been sur-
veyed. It runs near the eastern boundary line of the state,
on the left bank of the Hudson parallel to the valley of the
Housatonic river. There is no grade exceeding 30 feet to
the mile, or curves of a less radius than 1200 feet,—nearly
all being 1,500. The length is only 147 miles. A company
has been incorporated for executing the work.
The lines of internal communication in this state are on
a magnificent scale. By the letter I have written my friend
Bigelow it has been shown what treasures are borne down200
THE DE.4RRO7W
the current of the western Pactolus. If its bed & its banks
do not glitter with the golden sand, which rendered the ori-
ental river celebrated in antiquity, there must be an amount
of wealth upheld & floated on its waves, which will surpass
in value the most precious tribute, that ever entered the gates
of commerce. What an exciting & glorious spectacle does
the enterprise public works of the	present.
The prospective results, from the mighty causes which now
are & soon will be in full & tremendous action are far beyond
what the most intelligent & sanguine can possibly anticipate,
not only as relates to this section of the country & its tribu-
ory region but the whole republic. Roll on ye coming years,
for your revolutions will be such as no other age or nation
has experienced. We have been wrapt in wonder, but the
next generation will look back upon what we have done &
are doing with an astonishment which will be as much
greater, as the extent of the population & its advancement
in all the arts of civilization will exceed what now exists.
December g. On the evening of the 3d, at 7 oclock I
went with Mr. Gillet Genl. Potter & Orlando Allen to a
Hotel 22 miles east on the Batavia road to meet several
chiefs, of the Tonnawanda Reservation. We were accom-
panied by George Jimenson of the Buffalo Creek reservation
& Little Johnson of Tonnawanda, two Chiefs of the* Seneca
nation; but after waiting there until this afternoon until
four oclock, Little Johnson who had been to the Indian set-
tlement distant six miles returned, & informed us the chiefs
had from some cause changed their mind & concluded not to
meet us & we returned to this city where we arrived at half
past nine this evening.
It has rained & snowed all the time we have been absent
save the night of the 3d which was clear, & cold. We met
James Wadsworth of Geneseo at a Hotel four miles this side
that where we passed the two days. He came from Geneseo
yesterday & was on his way home. I am glad to be back to
my room here for we were miserably accomodated at the
tavern where we passed two nights & days. A worse house
can not well be found, as respects rooms, beds & food; it is7V/E DjMRROTW
201
a mere teamsters Inn; but was the nearest to the Indian set-
tlement. Began a letter to my wife.
December 6. It froze hard last night & it is very cold
this morning, the wind having got veered to North west. I
dined at Black-Rock, with Lewis F. Allen Esq. There were
some 8 or io other gentlemen. I saw some beautiful bould-
ers of brecia from Lake Superior, at the door step about 15
inches in diameter in which were many fragments of a vivid
red jasper.
An Indian Chief by the name of Long John of the Alle-
ghany reservation came in this evening & signed the treaty.
He said he did so freely & willingly. I commenced letter
No. 3. to my friend Bigelow, on Canals &c. &c. this evening.
It is a cold night.
December 7. A cold, cloudy & unpleasant morning.
There was a Are in Exchange street last night, which broke
out about twelve oclock; two or three stores were burnt.
Evening. I received an official letter from Governor
Everett this evening, in which he expresses a doubt as to the
propriety of receiving signatures to the treaty, in any man-
ner, except in an open Council of the Indians. I have sub-
mitted it to the U. S. Commissioner & requested him to give
me a statement of the opinion entertained by the executive
officers of the national government & what has been the cus-
tom in similar cases. I also received a private letter at the
same time, desiring me to return before the meeting of the
Legislature, & I have informed the Commissioner I was
anxious to leave by the 15th. & at all events by the 20th of
this month. I have written 13 pages of letter No. 3 to my
friend Bigelow, on Canals & other internal improvements.
This has been a cold day & not being well I have not been
out doors. [Sundry clippings, with brief comments, omit-
ted.]
December 8. Another cold, windy & cloudy night morn-
ing, but by nine oclock, the sun came out & have had a
bright day—for a wonder. I am quite well again & going
on with my 3d letter. Intelligence was received this morn-
ing from Detroit, by a Steam Boat, that about 600 patriots
had crossed over to Sandwich, where an engagement had202
THE	/OBRA^BS.
taken place, in which the British troops were defeated, & the
town burnt. Two companies of the military joined the pa-
triots. The British had 60 or 70 killed.
I have been walking for an hour & a half; it blows, as
usual here, a gale, the winds I And are either up or down
the lake varying from S. E. to S. W. & from N. E. to N. W.
This afternoon White Seneca, Little Johnson George &
John Jimenson, came to our lodgings, with Judge Stryker,
& the Judge read the Deposition of John Jimenson who went
at the request of White Seneca to inform Sky Carrier that
the Commissioner was in Buffalo & that he could go there
& sign the treaty. He replied that he dare not go or even
let it be known he had given a power for the commissioner
to sign it, as he was continually watched & not allowed to go
even into the woods to cut wood. He also stated in the de-
position that Sky Carrier desired that White Seneca should
sign the treaty for him, which he did with the understanding
that the deposition was to be sent to & the case considered, at
Washington. I asked Little Johnson, as he acted with the
opposition last summer what threats, had been made to re-
strain chiefs from signing & he said they were Arst sworn
that they would not sign & then told if they did they would
be put in jail for false swearing or be killed, & that many
who wished to emigrate were frighted from assenting by
those threats. He had been threatened but was ready to
meet any attempts on his life, as he was a warrior, but others
were not so determined & independent.
I completed the letter to my good wife, & wrote the Gov-
ernor an official & private letter, in answer to those received
from him last evening, which I sent to the post office. I now
hope to leave for home as soon as the 17th. & God grant I
may.
December 9. This is the 30th. day since I left home.
The last was the coldest night for the season. The morning
is lowering & dark & extremely cold. The day before yes-
terday I went into the Buffalo Bank at the request of the
President to see the manner in which the bituminous coal
from BloomAeld county, Ohio burnt. It is superior to the
best English surpassing the Kennel; is entirely free from203

sulphur; & the only residuum is a white ashes, between the
lamina which are from a ioth to a quarter of an inch thick.
The pure charcoal of the wood of which the material is com-
posed is visible, in very thin layers, entirely without bitumen.
It can be brought to this town when the Erie & Beaver canal
is finished & sold for 6 dollars per ton. It produces a vivid
& great blaze, wihout any offensive smell & when the bitu-
men is consumed the fire resembles one made of charcoal.
This is a precious article, for the arts & domestic comfort.
God has scattered benefits with a most bounteous hand
through the	country.
By the annual report of the Commissioners of the canal
fund for 1837 it appears that the property transported on
he New York Canals during that year was as follows:
Products of the forest	 Agriculture 	 Mines &c 	 Manufactures 		TONS . . . .	6l8,741 . . . .	208,043 ....	168,000 /	81,735 ' 1	94-777	VALUE $ 6,146,716 16,201,331 3,134,766 6,390,485 23-935-990
	1,171,296 176,512	$55,809,288
Tolls 			.$1,292,623,38
The amount which passed down the Erie Canal:		
	TONS	VALUE
Products of the Forest		....	385,017	$ 4-460,137
Agriculture 		....	151,469	14,078,756
Mines &c 		64,777	1,286,817
Manufactures 		....	10,518	1,996,644
	611,781	$21,822,354
Afternoon. Strong the Interpreter & who is a Seneca
Chief, remarked that the Indians did not say that their
friends were when speaking of such as had deceased,
but made use of an expression which accorded with their
notions of the immortality of the soul & the immediate en-204
THE	/O (/RATALS.
trance into an eternal life of happiness in the future world,
for it was only a long & distant journey which they had
undertaken, without the intervention of that death, or state
of physical non-existence we attach to the state of the body
after life has ceased. The term used by them is,— when
alluding to departed relations or acquaintances
KaA	which in English he rendered thus: 7Vn?y
— or "those who have preceded us/'
December io. A very cold night, & a violent snow
storm with a furious gale down the lake this morning.
Strong the interpreter informed me at breakfast this morn-
ing that the real name of the celebrated Seneca Chief called
Red-Jacket is Shan-go-ya-Wantah [Sa-go-ye-wat-ha] :
meaning	:— literally,
awa^. Red Jacket, from all the accounts I have been able
to obtain from the Indians of his tribe & the whites who
knew him, was, undoubtedly the ablest civil Chief & most
eloquent man among all the North American Indians; but
he was a coward & a drunkard, & his whole private & public
character infamous. Little Johnson, the present head
Sachem of the Senecas informed me that Red Jacket had
never been in action & was a man without any of the quali-
ties of the warrior. Red Jacket was with him & the war-
riors during the last war when cooperating with our army
on this frontier but in neither of the engagements could Red
Jacket be found. He always remained in the rear. Five
times were the warriors of the tribe in battle near Black-
Rock, Fort George, at Chippewa & Lundy's Lane, but Red
Jacket never was in danger. The old chiefs informed me
that Brant called him in derision, the Cow-AVM^f, as the only
act of prowess he ever performed was to kill the cows of
the whites during the war of the Revolution.
This forenoon Blacksmith, one of the Tonnawanda
Chiefs & Stephen Silversmith, of that band called on me,
with Henry Johnson of Cattaraugus as interpreter. Black-
smith said he was glad that I had been protected by the great
Spirit & had again come to visit my red brethren. I replied
that the Govr. of Massachusetts having been informed that205

the Commissioner of the U. S. was again to meet the Seneca
Chiefs to negociate with them in relation to emigrating to
the west, he had sent me, as he did last summer to be present
to see that the indians were honestly & fairly treated; that
I felt a deep interest in the indians & was anxious that they
should so decide as would be most condusive to their present
future happiness & prosperity; that I was extremely de-
sirous they should become industrious, sober & correct in
their habits & thus preserve the remnent of their tribe from
destruction. He thanked me for my good wishes & ob-
served that he had watched me closely in the Council at
Buffalo Creek & was satisfied I had a good heart & upright
mind & was anxious to protect my poor red brethren & do
what was in my power for their good. He said there had
been a Council held by the Tonnawandas last monday when
it was determined that they still were opposed to going west
& that they wished to remain where they were. He asked
me if I had been to Tonnawanda, I told him I was there a
few days since. He then wished to know if any of the
Chiefs signed the treaty at that time, I informed none had.
He said white men & indians were among them offering
money to them to sign the treaty & wished to know if it was
right. I answered that it was not, & that I should endeavor
to ascertain, whether such as did sign the treaty acted freely
& independently; & should be happy to see any of his band
& answer all such questions & give such information as they
might require so far as I was able. He said they considered
me their friend & bid me farewell.
Johnson is a white man. He said he was made prisoner
during the revolutionary war, but was so young that he has
no recollection of that event. The first thing he remembers,
was being on the banks of Niagara River near Black Rock
& seeing the Indians catching bass. He was here when
Genl. Lincoln [and] Col. Pickering held a council with the
Senecas on Buffalo Creek. He has an Indian wife & lives
like the Indians. He says he never was drunk in his life.
He is an intelligent good looking & vigorous old man.
December 11. A dark, windy cold night & morning. I206
THE
passed last evening at Doct Johnson's* who has a magnificent
house, large garden & an extensive grove connected with it.
There were about twenty ladies & gentlemen. Mrs. Johnson
who is only 24, is a beautiful woman, her husband between
50 & do ?oo	& too much	for a proper union.
There was a sister of Mrs. Johnson only 15 years old who is
a superb girl. She is tall plump & her whole person as com-
pletely developed, as any females at 20. She has a brilliant
complexion & the deep rose tint of her cheeks, with the im-
perial turn of her person give her a truly superb appearance.
There was a Mrs. Lordf who is beautiful. She too is only
23 & has an old husband. Mrs. Eustafine, [ Evstaphieve] t
wife of the son of the Russian Consul at New York, is a
lovely lady, about 20 years old. There was a Russian gen-
tleman & lady who came over in the Great Western, the last
trip. They are on their travels over the U. S. He is a
Seignior of an estate in Bohemia, & has 2,000 tenants. He
cultivates 2,000 acres of land with wheat, rye, oats &c The
crop is only 6 bushels for one planted. He gave me a very
full & detailed account of the people, their habits customs,
schools, laws, &c &c. which I have not time to write down,
for I must copy my 3d letter to Mr Bigelow which I have
completed of 43 pages. This evening Charles Gray-Beard
of Buffalo Creek reservation, & John Huchinson of [blank
in original] signed the treaty. I asked them if they did so
freely & willingly & they answered yes in the presence of
James Stephenson, Tall Peter, White Seneca, Thomas
* Dr. Ebenezer Johnson, first Mayor of Buffalo. The "magnificent house"
where Gen. Dearborn was entertained, is still standing, well known to all who
know historic Buffalo at all, as "the Cottage," Delaware Avenue and Johnson
Park.
t Mrs. John C. Lord. In 1838 she was 26 years old, her husband being
seven years her senior.
I The allusion is to Emily, a daughter of Matthew Wilson, an English
artist then a resident of Buffalo, and whose family of daughters were social
favorites. Emily became the wife of Alexander Alexis Evstaphieve, a son of
the Russian consul general at New York. He was secretary of the old Buffalo
Mutual Insurance Company, and in 1836 built the house still standing at the
northeast corner of Delaware Avenue and Chippewa Street, for many years the
home of the Hon. E. Carleton Sprague. Susan Wilson, a sister of Mrs.
Evstaphieve, married John A. Newbould, a merchant, and won considerable dis-
tinction as a writer under the pen-name of "Aunt Sue."THE
207
Jimenson, George Jimenson Tommy Jimmy, John Gordon,
George Bennet, Strong the interpreter, & Judge Stryker.
It has rained since 3 oclock.
I received a letter from my friend J. P. Bigelow this
afternoon, & several of the Boston Couriers, containing my
letter No. 1. I sent them to James Wadsworth Esqr. of
Geneseo, Genl. J. G. Swift of Geneva, & Lewis F. Allen of
Black-Rock.
The news from Detroit this evening by the Steam Boat
Constitution is, that the Patriots who crossed over to Sand-
wich had been totally routed & a large number killed &
wounded. Deluded & infatuated young men, you have
left your parents & relatives to lament in agony your rash
& unwarranted conduct. With good motives you have
wrongfully & madly rushed on destruction.
On reading Parkers tour to the Columbia river, I noticed
the following named plants & trees, which it is desirable
should be introduced into our eastern country. At all
events I should like to obtain seeds of them & intend to if
possible.
Fruits described: Gooseberries. There are four kinds:
Common Purple, on low & very thorny bush; White, small,
smooth & very sweet; Yellow, this is an excellent kind &
flavor, & grows on a stalk free from thorns. Deep Purple,
of the size & taste of our winter grape, with a thorny stalk,
fine flavor.
Currants. Three kinds. Purple, very large & well
tasted, grows on a bush eight or nine feet high. This must
be the Ribes odoro tissomum: introduced into our gardens,
from seeds brought by Lewis & Clark, on their return from
the Pacific ocean. Yellow, of the size & taste of the large
red currant: the bush four or five feet high. Scarlet. Is
very beautiful, resembling the strawberry in sweetness,
though rather insipid; it grows on a low bush. Snow
Berry. A beautiful shrub now common in our Gardens
grows west of the Rocky Mountains.
Nutritive Roots. Taro is bulbous plant of the genus
arum & is planted in hills, on ground so formed as to be
partially flooded with water, somewhat in the manner of208
THE DEARBORN JCH/RAMES.
cultivating rice. It is At for use in 8 or ten months from
setting the plants. To prepare them for food it is necessary
they should be roasted & they are then a substitute for
bread, or they are made into poi by pulverizing them into a
paste. Soappatto is a bulbous root, the common soyitta
folio, or arrow head & is found only in the valley of the
Columbia below the Cascades. It becomes soft by roasting
& is a nourishing & palatable food. It is much used by the
indians & is an article of trade. It grows in shallow lakes
& marshes covered with water. The women wade in search
of it, feel it out in the weeds & disengage it with their feet,
when it rises to the surface & is saved. Cammas, is a
truncated root & is of great importance to the indians. it
grows in moist rich ground, in the form of an onion. It is
roasted pounded & made into loaves like bread & has a
licorice taste. Cowish, or Biscuit root grows on dry land
from about the size of a walnut considerably larger. It
tastes like the sweet potato, & is prepared in the same man-
ner for food as the Cammas & is a tolerable substitute for
bread. Bitter Root, or Racine Amere, which grows on
dry ground, & is fusiform like a carrot & although not
pleasant to the taste, is still very conducive to health.
Common Onion, and another characterizzed for its beautiful
red dower, which often grows on volcanic scoria where no
other vegetation is seen.
Among the dowering vines in the forests near the mouth
of Columbia river Washington Irving in his Astoria thus
describes that, which he considered deserving of particular
notice. Each dower is composed of six petals, about three
inches long, of a beautiful crimson; the inside spotted with
white. The leaves of a dne green, are oval, & disposed in
threes. This plant climbs upon trees with attaching itself to
them; when it has reached the topmost branches, it descends
perpendicularly, & as it continues to grow, extends from
tree to tree, until its various stalks interlace the grove like
rigging of a ship. The stems of this vine are tougher &
more dexible than willow & are from 300 to 600 feet in
length. From the dbres the indians manufacture baskets,
of such close texture, as to hold water.209

(Dendrology). The Forest Trees, near the coast are
hemlock, spruce, white & red cedar, Yew, Cotton Wood, or
Balm of Gilliad White Oak, & two other kinds White &
Smamp Ash, Willow Black Walnut, & Firs.
Firs, There are three species & constitute by far the
greatest part of the forest trees, in the opinion of the Revd.
Samuel Parker, the Red, Yellow & White. Red Fir, The
foliage is scattered on all sides of the branches in the same
form as those found in the eastern states. Yellow Fir has
leaves only on the upper side, or upper half of the twigs.
The white is oppositely pinnated. One species of the Fir
grows to the enormous size of from 4 to 6 feet in diameter
& 200 feet high & Mr Parker measured one which was 3
feet in diameter & 250 feet high.
Pine. The pine is not found in the low country, nor far
west of the main chain of the Rocky mountains. They arc
the White, Norway, Pitch & Elastic. The latter is the most
numerous. The leaves resemble those of the Pitch Pine,
growing in bunches at the ends of the limbs, being shorter &
smaller; & the bark & body of the tree resembling the Larch.
The wood is Arm & very elastic. It grows very tall &
straight & without limbs except near the top. He found it
very difficult to brake limbs an inch in diameter. He
thought they would make excellent masts & spars for ships.
Oak. On the plains below Fort Vancouver he measured
a white oak which was 8 feet in diameter, which continued
large about 30 feet high & then branched out immensely
wide.
Alder, the common & a species that grows very large.
Poplar. Three kinds, common Aspen Cotton wood &
Balm of Gilliad.
White Maple, only in small quantities.
Laurel or Bay. There is a tree in the low country which
grows much in the form of the Laurel or Bay, but much
larger. Bark smooth of a bay red color, leaves ovate (Is
not this a Magnolia?) It has been called the straw-berry
tree.
There are no walnut, hickory, chesnut or Sugar or Rock
Maples west of the mountains, or Beech Bass-Wood, Black210
7Y/E DE.4RRO7W
Cherry, Magnolia, White Wood (or Tulip tree) Elms or
Birches except a species of Black, Locusts, Hock-berry or
Buckeye.
Thorn Bush. There are several varieties, many of which
are large & fruitful. Those bearing a red berry present a
very beautiful appearance. There is one peculiar to the
country, the fruit of which is black & of a delightful sweet
taste.
Salalberry is a sweet & pleasant fruit, of a dark purple
color, & about the size of a grape.
Service Berry is about the bigness of the thorn apple,
black when fully ripe & pleasantly sweet, like the whortle
berry
Pambina,—a bush craneberry.
Raspberries. Besides the common there is a new species,
three times the size of the former, & is of a very delicate
rich yellow but the flavor is less agreeable.
Sweet Elder. A new species.
Vining Honey suckle, he says "is among the first orna-
ments of nature/' I presume it is the vine with a scarlet
flower described by Irving.
Sweet flowering Pea, grows spontaniously, & ornaments
large patches of ground.
Red Clover. Different from the kind cultivated here,
but not less sweet ;& beautiful.
Wild Flax is found. In all respects except its being
perrennial it resembles the kind cultivated among our farm-
ers. The stalk, the bowl, the seed, the blue flower closed
in the day time & open in the evening and morning. The
indians use it for making fishing nets. It must be mowed
like grass, for the roots are large & run deep into the earth.
It would save the expense of annual ploughing & planting.
Strawberries. Their flavor more delicious than any Mr.
Parker had ever tasted.
Sun Flowers. They are common but not large.
Broom Corn, is found in many places on the bottom
lands of the Columbia & other streams.
Wild Grain, resembling barley or rye.
December 21. I was violently attacked with a billious311

fever on the evening of the nth. I had an excruciating
head-ache pains in my back & limbs & a severe stricture
across my chest. They next day I took 20 grains of calomel,
salts, & since [ ?] was bled in the evening nearly a quart. I
have since taken ten cathartics, & although the fever has
left me & I feel well & sit up most of the time for the last
three days, I have no appetite as yet. My tongue is much
furred & the Doctor says there is want of action in the liver
& have taken for the last three nights blue pills & cleared
them off with salts. I am better this evening. I have writ-
ten three letters to my dear wife, one to my beloved son
Henry & this day I wrote the Governor & my friend Bigelow
& enclosed him letter No. 4. of 25 pages. This is numbered
4. as No 2 was divided into 2 and 3. The two first have been
published here & are much praised.
Genl. Scott of the Army called on me this afternoon.
He is just from Detroit. He does not think there will be
any more patriot movements on that frontier this winter.
300 had left for their homes & an 100 gone to work on the
railroad—pitty it is they have not all been as well employed.
He leaves tomorrow to pass down the frontier to Platts-
burgh.
Mr. Strong the Interpreter informs me that Genesee as
now pronounced by the Senecas	& the word is
derived from	& means Gaoc?
This is the usual first Indian salutation,
I thank the Great spirit you are well. Another mode
of salutation,	I
am happy that [you] are still in good health.
Dec 22. I eat for the first time a piece of beef-steak last
night at eleven and drank too tumblers of strong beer. How
truly delicious they both tasted. It was the first return of
appetite. I walked into the entry for the first time. I am
invited to a public dinner.
Genl. Scott called & passed the entire afternoon with me.
Mr. Pratt brought me a beautiful boquet of roses geraniums
& a Camellia.
Dec 23. I eat a mutton chop last night at ten & drank
a pint of ale. Genl. Scott called & sat an hour with me this212
THE DE^REORAT /Of/RAT^LR.
afternoon. I have copied letter No. g of 28 pages, to my
friend Bigelow. I eat three roast apples & drank a tumbler
of ale at 3 being all I have taken, this day save a cup of
coffee & a piece of dry toast for breakfast. I have written
all & just looked over a hie of the Boston Atlas from the
yth to the 19th. to be aucourant with events in the old Bay
State.
Half past 11. Evening. I have just eaten a hearty
supper of beef-steak, drank a pint of ale & eaten three
apples.
Dec. 24. I completed & enclosed to Mr. Bigelow Letter
No. g. of 28 pages. Israel Jimenson & George Dennis
Chiefs & Thomas Bruner a warrier of the Cattaraugus reser-
vation, & William Jones of the Buffalo Creek Reservation
called on me this forenoon to inquire as to my health. They
have been opposed to the treaty & Jimenson the most vio-
lently. He is an able, & cunning man. I thanked them
for their kind attention & informed them, the negociations
would close on thursday the 27 & I hoped they would thor-
oughly weigh all the circumstances & facts & the character
of the proposition made to them by the government of the
United States & so decide as may be considered best for their
interests now & hereafter, & that they shall have no cause to
repent, let the decision be which way it may. That I felt a
deep interest in their welfare & was most anxious for their
happiness & prosperity & hoped the Great Spirit would so
guide them as to make their condition pleasant & respectable.
They thanked me for my services & said they had con-
fidence in [my] disposition to aid them & were highly
gratified at the honest independent & faithful manner in
which I had discharged my duties. We then took leave of
each, with reciprocal wishes of health & happiness.
December 2g. Here I am, confined to my room on this
God-blessed Christmas-day; but thanks to my Almighty
father I am much better. My disease save a cough has
gone. I have a good appetite, & have for three days walked
in the entry, & hope to be able to ride out on the morrow.
[Clipping omitted.]
Letters to Mr. Bigelow No. 1. 30 [pages], No. 2 & 3, 40,THE DE^RRORAT /CK/RAMES*.
218
No. 4. 25, No. 5. 28, No. 6. 27; Total 150 pages & copy igo
making 300 pages of writing & covering more than three
quires of paper.
Dec 25 Evening 11 oclock, I have finished sent off to
my friend Bigelow letter No. 6. & the last, on internal im-
provements, of 27 pages. I wrote to my wife & the Gov-
ernor.
December 26. I continue to gain strength & feel better
this morning than any previous day since the fever left me.
I have yet a bad cough but that is passing away. I had a
venison steak for supper at 10 oclock, as I eat only once in
24 hours, except taking a cup of coffee in the morning of
tea at night with a piece of dry toast. I slept well. This
for a wonder is a clear sunny day & I intend to ride out for
the first time.
I received yesterday morning a letter from eighteen gen-
tlemen of this city in behalf of those of the city & Black
Rock to dinner, for the services they are pleased to think I
have rendered this section of country & my own, by the six
letters I have written & which are being published on
As I must leave to morrow for home &
my health being so delicate, I declined the honorable atten-
tion in a letter of three pages.
I have written a letter to Genl. Peter B. Porter who re-
sides in a new & magnificent house he has just completed
near Niagara Falls regretting I cannot avail myself of his
kind invitation to pass a day & night under his hospitable
roof. In it I expressed my opinion of the prosperous
destinies of this city & the whole bank of the Niagara to the
stupendous Cataract, & of his patriotic military & civil ser-
vices &c &c &c.
Evening. Thanks to the Lord, the negociations closed
this day with the Seneca Indians & I leave God willing for
home to morrow.
Mr. Hiram Pratt called at 3 oclock & took me to ride in
his carriage, as far as Black Rock.
Evening 11 oclock. I have bought a red Indian Blanket
& had a black cord & tassels put to it so as to wear it like a
cloak, or Roman toga. I have just eaten for supper a veni-214
THF DEARBORN
son steak & drank two tumblers of ale. I have had a flannel
breast plate made to protect my lungs, as I have a severe
cough yet. I left home on the 9th of November & therefore
have been absent 48 days being seven weeks to morrow.
O! how anxious I am to be on my way to my dear wife &
children, & once [more] be in my darling, comfortable &
peaceful home.
Batavia December 28. Morning I left Buffalo at 12
with my good & kind young friend Ho-non-deah, the In-
terpreter of the United States & a Chief of the Seneca Nation
of Indians; who insisted on accompanying me to Boston, to
take care of me, he being bound to Washington on business
of the Tribe. We got here at half past seven & I was
stronger & felt better than the moment I left. We dined at
Allen's tavern ten miles from Buffalo, on venison steak.
We have a fine parlor, & bed-rooms adjoining nicely fitted
up & with a roaring wood Are passed the evening pleasantly
after taking a cup of the best coffee, with waw, (what
I have not seen, but once, since I left home) a nice beef-steak
& good toast with sweet butter. I read the Gazetteer of
Michigan, which I bought in Buffalo, It is by John T. Blois
& was recently published in Detroit in one vol. large I2tno.
It gives the geography, character of soil, minerology,
zoology, & botany of the country. The political divisions
& statistics &c &c &c. It is a valuable little work, for that
young state has risen up so suddenly from a wilderness,
that its towns population & actual condition were scarcely
known. I took too pills & went to bed at half past eleven,
but waking, at half past one from a bad spell of coughing, I
got so wide awake I was obliged to get [up] and make a Are
& dry me & here I am feeling superbly thanks to a Merciful
God, to whom I return, with a contrite heart my most
grateful thanks. We expect to reach Canandaigua this
evening.
Five oclock in the morning. I have since I got up at
half past one, made out my report to the Governor of twelve
pages.
December 29. Utica. I left Batavia at half past nine,
& got to Avon on the right bank of Genesee river, distance815

25 miles at two oclock. I had hired a private carriage on
runners a pair of horses & a driver to take us as far as
Auburn 128 miles, but there was so little snow from Cala-
donia to Avon, & leaving there was still less, as far as
Syracuse, the driver said he could not get on any further
with runners. I therefore determined to try my strength
in getting into the mail stage, which I did at 5 in the after-
noon & got to Canandaigua at Q where I took two cups of
green tea & eat a piece of bread & butter; at midnight we
reached Geneva, there I took a tumbler of gin & water eat
a piece of minced pie, cheese & bread & butter; got to
Auburn at 5, breakfasted & took the rail-road, horse-drawn-
cars for Syracuse & then a sleigh for Utica, where I arrived
at eight oclock, completely exhausted. I had a bad head-
ache was so tired I could scarcely move or speak, my back
and limbs ached. The night & day had been dreadfully cold,
while it snowed & blew a gale; but I was not cold, for be-
sides my Russian fur-lined great coat, I had an other over it
made of an Indian red blanket, stout red Canada stock—
stockings which drew on over my boots & reached nearly to
my vest & over them thick buck skin moccasins, & a merino
shawl tied found my neck, still I feared I had taken cold &
should be detained I took a large tumbler of lemonade the
first thing, at Utica, had a parlor prepared with a good rous-
ing fire, washed myself & at nine eat a hearty supper of beef-
steak & drank two cups of strong coffee, at ten drank another
tumbler of lemonade & went to bed & as my sleeping room
adjoined the parlor, in which I left a good fire, I slept like
a calm on the ocean, got up at five & felt a new man, feeling
superbly. I had hired a servant to make a fire at 4 my
parlor was therefore warm & I washed & shaved & put on
clean linen & stockings, & now I am in good condition to
take the rail-road cars to Albany, which leave at nine,—
after I have eaten breakfast. Genl. Gillet, overtook us at
Avon, in the stage & accompanied us to Syracuse, where he
took the stage that branches off to Ogdensburgh.
Albany, Dec. 30. We left Utica in the cars of the Rail-
Road at nine & reached this city at 5, in the afternoon. Five
of the cars were thrown from the track & among them that316
THE DjMRRORAT /GH/RA^iLS.
in which were Mr. Strong & myself, but no one was injured.
I have copied my official report to the Governor of 14 pages,
wrote him a private letter of 4 & it is now quarter past one,
& as we are to leave in the mail stage at 2 for Boston, I shall
not go to bed;—have called up my young Indian Chief
friend & we must pack up.
Northampton December 31. 1838. We had a very cold
ride to Pittsfield, where we arrived at 9 in the morning. We
learned the thermometer had been down to 10 below zero.
We were upset descending the horrible, long crooked, &
steep Snake Hill in Perus. Reached this town at 6, when I
was very much exhausted, but a light supper & two strong
cups of coffee have set me up & I feel quite bright. I have
now been riding five days & nights, come 400 miles & have
been in bed only 8 hours since I left Buffalo.
Judge Eldridge, of the State of New York, came in the
car with me, from Utica to Albany, & related the following
facts, in relation to the events of the Revolutionary war.
His father James Eldridge lived near Fort Miller on the left
bank of the Hudson river & was one of the Committee of
safety for the northern District of the state of New York.
He went with other Whigs to join Genl Stark's command
before the battle of Bennington & was in that important en-
gagement. There was a clergyman by the name of Elder
Gardiner, who went with about a hundred tories from the
north eastern part of Vermont & joined the British forces
under Baum. When the captured troops were marched off
to Boston, the Whigs of New York who were in the action
took a long rope & tying one end round the neck of Gardiner
passed it round that of all the other tories & they were
marched off in a string, the loyal priest leading the van.
When Burgoyne had reached the Hudson & Genl. Gates had
moved up the Hudson to still water, Mr. Eldridge received
intelligence one morning that he was to be taken from his
house the following night by a party of tories & Indians &
carried into the British camp to be hung. His family had
been sent down to Albany on the advance of Burgoyne & he
was with one man cultivating his land. They put all the
furniture in the cellar of every kind & threw water on theTHE	/O (/RANTS'.
217
Are so as to wet the ashes & cool the hearth & give the house
the appearance that it had been long abandoned. As soon
as it was dark he retired back into a thick wood grown up
with bushes & having taken a bed & blankets made up a place
to sleep for the night. It was at the foot of a narrow ridge
of land that ran parallel to the river for some distance.
About ten oclock, they heard the march of men & conversa-
tion coming down the ridge & soon halted on the ridge di-
rectly above them & but a few rods distant. A consultation
was had & a detachment sent to the house, of indians & tories
to take him. In about half an hour they returned & reported
that they had been into & all over the house & that the man
who had given them the information that Eldridge was liv-
ing there was a liar for there was no furniture in the house,
& there was all the appearance that the house had not been
inhabited for a long time. To his astonishment Eldridge
heard the name of his nearest neighbor given as the villain
who had given the information for his arrest. The party
soon began to retrace their steps. Eldridge told his hired
man to lie still where he was & he would endeavor to cross
the river & give information to Genl. Gates of the expedition
which consisted of about eighty tories & Indians. He ran
down to the Hudson & soon found a slop [sloop] on which
he placed himself & paddled with his hands & feet across
the river. As soon as he landed he was seized by a Sentinal
& carried into the camp. He gave an account of what had
transpired when a strong detachment was immediately sent
across the river in boats, & passing rapidly up until they
presumed they were sufficiently high up to cut oil the British
scout, & then made for the ridge, where they captured all the
tories & several Indians & carried them prisoners into the
American camp.
Hawthorn Cottage Jany i. 1838. Praise be to Almighty
God I reached my beloved home at half past six this evening,
& found my wife better & my son William well. I was but
twelve hours in bed from the time I left Buffalo, during the
six days I was on this journey; & all the other sleep I got
was in the stages sleighs & rail-road cars. My health is
slightly improved.	H. A. S. DEARBORN.
JOURNAL OF
A TOUR TO CATTARAUGUS
TO ATTEND A COUNCIL OF THE SIX NATIONS OF
INDIANS, IN THE MONTH OF AUGUST,
1839, MADE BY
HENRY A. S. DEARBORN
JOURNAL KEPT BY H. A. S. DEARBORN, DURING HIS JOURNEY
TO CATTARAUGUS, TO ATTEND A COUNCIL OF THE SlX
NATIONS OF INDIANS, CONVENED TO MEET THE HON.
J. R. POINSETT, SECRETARY OF WAR, IN RELATION TO
A TREATY NEGOCIATED, WITH TRIBES, THE 15TH. OF
JANUARY 1838.
August 7. 1839. I left Boston in the Rail Road Cars at 4
oclock for Stonington where I arrived at nine oclock & went
on board a Steam-Boat, which left immediately for New
York.
My nephew William Raymond Lee accompanied me, for
the purpose of examining the rail-road from Albany on the
route to Buffalo & to see the country. He is the Superinten-
dent of the Boston & Providence Rail-Road.
Mr. N. Silsbee, of Salem late Senator from this state, in
Congress was on board the boat, having come round from
New port in her.

330	THE
August 8. We reached New York at six oclock in the
morning, & went directly on board one of the North River
Steamers, bound to Albany, which left at seven. We had
as fellow passengers, Genl. Morgan Lewis, Mr. Talmage,
one of the U. S. Senators from the state of New York & his
cousin Genl. Talmage with his celebrated beautiful daugh-
ter ; & truly lovely in person & manners & mind she is. She
has recently made the tour of Europe with her father & was
universally admired as a brilliant sample of the American
ladies.
Genl. Lewis was aid to Genl. Gates, in the campaign of
Saratoga & conhrms what my father often stated to me,—
that Genl. Gates did not leave his quarters, situated in the
rear of the American lines, during the actions of the 19th.
of September & 8th of October. He is now 85 years of age,
but is a vigorous, active & interesting old man. We reached
Albany at seven oclock in the evening & put up at Congress
Hall, near the State House.
August 9. Having learned that Genl. Scott had re-
turned from a visit to the Winnebago Indians in Wisconsin
& left yesterday morning for Saratoga Springs to join the
Secretary of War & accompany him to Cattaraugus, & that
they would not leave for several days I concluded to go on
to the Springs & left Albany in the Rail-Road Cars at 6
oclock this morning. We breakfasted at Schenectada &
reached Saratoga Springs at half past ten, having stoped a
few moments at Ballstown, which I had not visited since I
was there with my ever honored father a few years after
the war. I think in 1817. Wherever I go I am continually
reminded of my good & excellent & patriotic father. He was
in so many conspicuous positions during the Revolutionary
& last war & had such an extensive acquaintance, that either
the places he was at, or meeting men who knew him con-
tinually remind me of him. He was a truly honest, & patri-
otic citizen; a just, kind-hearted & an indexably faithful
oihcer, & good man; a better never lived. True to his coun-
try, his friends, family & his God. May I emulate his vir-
tues & meritorious conduct, in all respects. I found Genl
Scott at the United States Hotel, who informed me, thatTHE	JOt7EAL4EE.
221
Mr. Poinsett,* the Secretary of War had left the evening
before for Buffalo, I therefore concluded to return to Schen-
ectady & take the night train of cars to Utica.
The President of the United States, Martin Van Buren,
being at the Springs I waited upon him with General Scott,
at eleven & at twelve he left for Balstown on this way to
Troy. I saw many friends at the Springs & among them
the Honble. Abbot Lawrence, of Boston, Peleg Sprague late
of the U. S. Senate, from Maine, & Mr. Taylor former
Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon Henry
Clay was to arrive at five from the North, having been via
Buffalo, Ogdensburgh & Montreal to Quebec. There were
at least 3,000 ladies & gentlemen at the Springs & I re-
gretted that I could not witness the triumphal entry of the
illustrious Statesman of the West & the Whig candidate for
President; but as I was obliged to be in Buffalo by the
11th, it was necessary to take the four oclock cars for
Schenectady, where we arrived at seven & took supper, & at
nine departed in the western train for Utica.
August 10. We reached Utica at five & left at six for
Syracuse, where we arrived at nine & took breakfast, but, to
our regret, learned, that the Steam-boats United States &
Great Britain had come in contact on Lake Ontario & so
injured were both, that there would not be any boat from
Oswego to Lewiston before the evening of the 11th. We
therefore proceeded on to Auburn in the Cars & there took
the mail Stage for Buffalo. My friend Samuel G. Perkins
was with us, as far as Cayuga, being bound on an excursion
for his health.
August 11. We rode all last night having taken tea at
Canadagua & breakfasted at Batavia. We got to Buffalo
*Joel Roberts Poinsett (1778-1851) was a South Carolina statesman who
held many legislative and diplomatic offices. During the War of .1812 he was
sent by President Madison on a special embassy to South American countries,
in an effort to establish more friendly relations between them and the United
States. He served in Congress, was U. S. Minister to Mexico, 1825-29, and
was Secretary of War during Van Buren's administration. Poinsett Barracks,
for many years the* military establishment in Buffalo—bounded by Main, Allen,
Delaware and North streets—was named in his honor; as is also the popular822
7VfE DB^RBORY JOI/RY^LS.
at two oclock in the afternoon, having rode three days & two
nights without a halt. I was much fatigued & had suffered
during the whole ride from Schenectady, from a terrible
head-ache.
On my arrival at Buffalo, I found Mr. Poinsett had not
reached the city, at which intelligence I was much gratifed,
for I feared I should be obliged to ride the third night, to be
at Cattaraugus, in season'to attend the Council, which had
been ordered to convene on the 12th. I went to bed & slept
until seven, then got up found my Indian friend, the Seneca
Chief Hon-non-de-ah at the American Hotel, where I had
taken rooms, & T. L. Ogden & brother & Mr. Fellows of
Geneva the representatives of the preemtive owners of the
Indian lands, also Mr. Wadsworth of Geneseo, son of the
Patriarch of Western New York. Judge Stryker, Mr.
Orlando Allen & Genl. Potter & Mr. Pratt the Mayor called
on me.
August 12. I took pills last night, for I was feverish &
my head in great pain; but I am better this morning. The
Secretary of War arrived this morning, & had chartered a
Steam-Boat to take us up Lake Erie to Cattaraugus Creek.
We left at there oclock, accompanied by Col. Bankhead &
Capt Williams of the army, Mr. Krehmer, Secretary of the
Russian Legation, many other gentlemen & several Indian
Chiefs, from the Oneida, Onondaga, Tuscarora & Seneca
tribes. The afternoon was calm & warm & the excursion
over the lake delightful. We reached Irving at the mouth
of Cattaraugus creek, just before sunset, & went to the
Hotel to lodge. It is a small village of some ten or a dozen
buildings. Piers are being erected at the mouth of the
Creek, to make the entrance into the harbor easy & safe, & to
deepen the channel, by compressing the water into a narrow
bed. This is destined to be a large flourishing town, as the
land is excellent, on the Cattaraugus Creek, & in the adjacent
country, & when the Indians shall have been removed, the
large tract of land they now occupy will be covered with
luxurient farms & a dense population. There were many
Indians in the village.
August 13. I left Irving in a stage-coach, with the Sec-THE	J0PRY^E6*.
828
retary of War & eleven other gentlemen & Indians for the
Council House of the Cattaraugus band of Senecas, distant
six miles. As three miles of the road was through a dense
wood, & of the rudest kind, the carriage upset, by which I
was injured in my head & right hip; but got into a little
waggon & went on. One of the Indians had his cheek badly
cut.
The Council was opened at eleven and addressed by the
Secretary of War & myself. For the particulars of the pro-
ceedings see my official report to Governor Everett. There
were present at the Council ten or twelve Quakers from
Philadelphia & New York, who had been sent by the socie-
ties of Friends in those cities to prevent any improper
efforts being made to induce the Indians to emigrate; a sort
of self created kind of ministers, who presumed to take the
Indians under their special protection. They had good mo-
tives for their conduct, but it was an act of officiousness,
which our government excuses, for all are	of
their right to	in all	or affairs. The
of Sectarians of all religious denomina-
tions is continually being evinced, in their resolutions, peti-
tions to Congress, missions to all nations savage & civilized,
and their impertinent efforts to regulate the conduct & man-
ners of the whole people. They are now waging a war
against	& the slavery of the South. Each
year brings some new object for their fanatical operations.
May they ever be as harmless as we have experienced they
were futile & ridiculous; but a time may come, when such
officious & impertinent interference with state & national
affairs, may lead to disastrous consequences.
August 14 I passed the night with the Reved. Mr. Bliss,
the Missionary to this band of Senecas. The Council was
opened at ten & the Chiefs of the Senecas, Tuscaroras,
Cayugas, Oneidas & Onondagas, spoke against & in favor of
emigration, to the number of fourteen, & then the Secretary
of War informed them that he should report the result of
the inquiries, he had made to the President, who would
decide whether the treaties were to be carried into effect or
not. I made a farewell speech & the Council was concluded224

between three & four oclock. I dined with Mr. Bliss & he
was so kind as to take me in his wagon down to Irving, at
the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek, where I arrived a little
before sunset.
Mr. Kurtz, Chief Clerk in the office of the Commissioner
for Indian Affairs, having accompanied Mr. Poinsett to pay
the annuities to the Indians, performed that duty at the Hotel
in Irving & we left in the Steam-boat at eight oclock for
Buffalo, where we arrived at midnight.
August 15. I attended a review of several Companies of
Col. Bankhead's Regiment of Artillery, with the Secretary
of War, Col. Worth Majr. Hitchcock & many other gentle-
men & ladies. At four oclock in the afternoon we left
Buffalo for Niagara Falls in the Rail-Road Cars, where we
arrived at six. Went down to the bank of the river & had
one look at the mighty Cataract, then went back to the
Eagle Hotel to supper. I passed the evening at Genl. P. B.
Porter's, where I met the Secretary of War, several officers
of the American & some of the British Army & other com-
pany.
August 16. I went with my nephew William Raymond
Lee across the Niagara, just below the falls, visited the
Battle-Field of Lundy's Lane & Table Rock & then returned,
when we walked round Goat Island, dined, & took our seats
in the Rail-Road Cars for Lewiston, where we embarked on
board the Steam Boat United States, for Oswego.
August 17. We left Lewiston at five oclock & owing to
a head wind did not reach Oswego until 8 this morning,
when we immediately took passage in a Canal Packet-Boat
for Syracuse, where we arrived at five oclock in the after-
noon; entered the Rail-Road Cars for Utica where we ar-
rived at eight oclock & put up for the night; but the Secre-
tary of War continued on to Schenectady being anxious to
join the President at Saratoga Springs the 18th.
August 18th. We left Utica at eight oclock & reached
Albany at five. I was pleased at finding the Hon. Henry
Clay at the Eagle Hotel, where I put up & passed a portion
of the evening in his room. He introduced me to Mr.
Griff en of New York, a lawyer of eminence, who requestedTHE
225
me to go into his room, where he read an account of a visit
to the Battle-Field of Saratoga, which he made with Mr.
Clay & some 30 or 40 other gentlemen, & among them
General Morgan Lewis who gave an account of the two
battles, that was interesting. It was for publication & he
promised to send me a paper in which it should be printed.
August 19. Left Albany in the Steam boat Erie, on
board of which was Mr. Clay, who was met by a large Com-
mittee in a Steamer with a band of music some 20 miles
above Poughkeepsie, who had been sent from that city to
escort him to the landing where he was received by a vast
assemblage of people. We reached New York at dark, & put
up at the Astor House.
August 20. We are obliged to wait for the Steamer for
Providence & took passage in the Massachusetts at Ave
oclock. Wrote a report to the Governor during the fore-
noon.
August 21. Arrived in Providence at eleven oclock &
reached home at one oclock.
H. A. S. DEARBORN.
Roxbury August 21. 1839.